March 21, 2020
For #InternationalWomenDay2020, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and Born Free held a sold-out event on Apostasy, Shunning & Survival. It was an extraordinary and inspiring evening. The event was opened by MC Nahla Mahmoud and began with a screening of the stunning film: “No Longer Without You”, a documentary about a searing conversation about parenthood, tradition, religion, sex, and independence between a free-spirited daughter, Nazmiye Oral and her traditional Muslim mother, Havva in the intimate circle of a living room in front of their family following several public performances. This was followed by a panel discussion with Actress Nazmiye Oral,...
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January 16, 2020
The below was first published on Centre for Women’s Justice website written by Maryam Namazie, joint prize winner of the Emma Humphrey’s Memorial Prize 2019. I started Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and One Law for All more than a decade ago to publicly mobilise dissent against religious laws. An expression of “not in my name” and a challenge to the Quran, Islam and Islamism as the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of the emancipation of women, freethinkers and others (if I may “paraphrase” US Suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton)*. Having fled the Islamic regime in Iran – where there...
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December 12, 2019
By Hassan Radwan I’m frequently approached online by those who have lost their faith and a question that almost always crops up in various forms is: How do you cope without religion? For those of us for whom religion gave them their meaning, comfort & guide in life’s ups and downs, loss of faith is a deeply distressing & terrifying feeling. So I want to share some thoughts that might help. Don’t panic. It’s OK to not have the answers to everything. Don’t feel you need to rush to fill the space religion had in your life. Take your time...
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December 6, 2019
Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) was formed to break the taboo that comes with leaving Islam, highlight the plight of ex-Muslims, and challenge Sharia, apostasy and blasphemy laws. CEMB stands against all forms of bigotry, xenophobia, racism and extremism and unequivocally defends reason, freedom of conscience and expression, equality, universal rights and secularism. 2020 SUPPORT CEMB organises monthly support groups with Dr Savin Bapir-Tardy, a Counselling Psychologist; provides asylum documentation assistance to ex-Muslims and holds socials and monthly meet ups. This year, meet-ups hosted by Ali Malik included Growing up in Islam and raising children without it with Halima...
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November 27, 2019
The hijab: “preventing common impositions” was published in Workers Liberty Solidarity in defence of banning child veiling on 27 November 2019. Maryam Namazie is an activist with the Council of Ex-Muslims and other secularist groups. On the issue of child veiling, a state ban on conspicuous religious symbols for children is an important defence of children’s rights. Children are not parental property Children are not the property of their parents. They are individuals with rights and bodily integrity. And just because their parents believe in child veiling or FGM and male circumcision doesn’t mean they should be automatically entitled to...
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November 15, 2019
See video footage of a discussion on apostasy from Islam, blasphemy and free expression with the brilliant Sarah Haider and Shabana Rehman in Oslo at an event organised by Ateistene and Human-Etisk Forbund Norway.
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December 1, 2017
14 September 2020   INTRODUCTION These suggestions have been collated from many external sources that the author does not endorse and are primarily aimed at users that find themselves in need of greater security, privacy and anonymity for their electronic communications. The assumption is that your computer is running a version of MS Windows, but again the suggestions can apply to other operating systems or platforms that have similar software. There is no such thing as a 100% secure communication over an electronic medium such as the global internet or telephony network. Many of the suggestions here do provide varying...
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July 5, 2017
‘Criticism of Islam or Islamism is not anti-Muslim bigotry’, The Freethinker, 15 July 2017
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May 24, 2017
Our spokesperson, Maryam Namazie, was invited by Dabran Platform to speak at the Founding Congress of Enlightenment Feminism in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan (photos below). She spoke about Islam and Islamism as the greatest stumbling blocks for women’s emancipation and how Islamists target women and girls first – whether in Tehran, Peshawar or Manchester. Here’s her speech: Islam and Islamism – the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women’s emancipation* (Suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton said: “The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women’s emancipation.”) Maryam Namazie The First Enlightenment Feminism Congress, Sulaymaniyah It’s such...
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December 2, 2016
The below was published in The Freethinker. I gave oral evidence at the Home Affairs Select Committee evidence session on Sharia Councils on November 1 on why Sharia courts in Britain are an Islamist project to control women, are discriminatory and should be dismantled. (This was preceded by a written statement.) When questioned by MP Naz Shah, above, though, one would have thought it was I and not Sharia courts that were under investigation.  She said: But Ms Namazie, according to your blog, which I read earlier, this isn’t just about Sharia courts. If we were to look at implementing...
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