Category: News
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Sexual segregation at a UCL event is a scandal
I posted earlier about the sex segregation scandal at UCL. Here’s a statement by concerned students on the matter (updated with a quote from a woman student): A policy of sexual segregation was enforced at an event at University College London on Saturday, with the organisers’ security trying to physically remove members of the audience…
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Sex segregation not miscommunication
On March 9, the Islamic Education & Research Academy (a nice sounding front for Islamism) organised a “debate” at the University College in London between atheist Lawrence Krauss and Hamza Andreas Tzortzis entitled “Islam or Atheism: Which Makes More Sense?” I guess that’s what they call it when they don’t have political power. Just in…
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Impossible not to see
Below is my speech at the wonderful International Women’s Day event in Frankfurt. • 15 year old Malala Yousefzai shot by the Taliban for defending girls’ education. • Egyptian atheist Aliaa Magda ElMahdy’s nude scream against misogyny and hypocrisy. • The outrage over the assassination of socialist leader Chokri Belaid in Tunisia. • The “Harlem…
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We are not free until all women are free
I’m back from Germany. The International Women’s Day event in Frankfurt was wonderful! Here are some photos of the event. You can find my speech here. Videos of the speeches will follow. Unfortunately Taslima Nasrin and Nawal El-Sadaawi couldn’t make it. Below are their messages to the conference: Dear friends! My Iranian sisters. You are so…
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Happy International Women’s Day
I will be in Germany this weekend to celebration International Women’s Day. Here’s where I will be speaking: 8 March 2013, 4pm Frankfurt, Germany Speakers: Mina Ahadi, International Committee against Stoning and Council of Ex-Muslims of Germany; Nadeen Gamil, Egyptian Women’s Union; Necla Kelek, Sociologist; Houzan Mahmoud, Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq; Maryam Namazie,…
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I want to shout my atheism from every rooftop
I was interviewed and photographed yesterday by Christopher Johnson for his book A Better Life on the joy and meaning of life for 100 atheists. I had a tough start to the day: I basically left the house without my skirt on (don’t ask) and locked myself out. Of course anyone who has a 7…
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We are not all Hamas
I’m a guest on this week’s The Thinking Atheist programme on Women and Islam. You can listen to the programme here. Seth opens his programme with the news that an annual marathon run through Gaza has been cancelled by the UN Relief and Works Agency staging the event because Hamas has banned women and from…
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No to hejab, indeed!
Iranian women’s rights campaigners and members of the Worker-communist Party of Iran staged a topless protest against the veil and Sharia in Stockholm in the run-up to 8 March, International Women’s Day. No to hejab, indeed!
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Opposing Censorship
Following One Law for All’s statement on Channel 4 and the BBC’s censorship and blasphemy-law-by-stealth of a film adaptation of DV8 Physical Theatre’s “Can We Talk About This?”, they have issued the following statement entitled ‘Opposing Censorship’: Human rights activist Maryam Namazie recently posted a blog about the reluctance from Channel 4 and the BBC…
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March 2013: Policing nudity encourages perverse relationship to body, self and sexuality
March 2013 is here. The photo for this month’s Nude Photo Revolutionary Calendar is that of Writer and Publicist Saskia Vogel. She says: I joined this ‘scream’ in solidarity with Elmahdy, but not exclusively to raise awareness about Islamists and their relationship to the female body. I joined because the female body is a source…
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Oppose Channel 4 and BBC’s censorship when it comes to Islam
Dear Friend, You may remember Lloyd Newson’s verbatim hit play ‘Can We Talk About This?’ which enjoyed a successful run at London’s National Theatre and Sydney Opera House amongst others. The play focused on the reluctance of media and political figures to openly discuss the dangers of Islamism and Sharia law. Featuring speeches and interviews…
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Amnesty International: You keep getting it wrong
Today, there will be a demonstration against Amnesty International for its disproportionate support of the Islamist perpetrators of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. I am also vehemently opposed to the death penalty in all cases (it’s nothing short of state-sponsored murder), but Amnesty could do much more to support the victims and the…