December 10, 2008
The One Law for All campaign, which is seeking legislation to curb the influence of sharia law in Britain, will be launched at the House of Lords on International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2008.
Gina Khan (activist), Maryam Namazie (campaign organiser), Carla Revere (Lawyers’ Secular Society), Joan Smith (writer), Ibn Warraq (writer), and Keith Porteous Wood (National Secular Society) will be speaking at the event, which will be chaired by Fariborz Pooya (Iranian Secular Society).
The campaign has already received widespread support including from Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Mina Ahadi, Sargul Ahmad, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Mahin Alipour, Homa Arjomand, Susan Blackmore, Nazanin Borumand, Caroline Cox, Austin Dacey, Richard Dawkins, Deeyah, Nick Doody, Sonja Eggerickx, Afshin Ellian, Tarek Fatah, Caroline Fourest, Tahir Aslam Gora, AC Grayling, Maria Hagberg, Johann Hari, Khayal Ibrahim, Shakeb Isaar, Maryam Jamel, Alan Johnson, Mehul Kamdar, Asqar Karimi, Naser Khader, Hope Knutsson, Hartmut Krauss, Stephen Law, Shiva Mahbobi, Houzan Mahmoud, Anthony McIntyre, Caspar Melville, Navid Minay, Tauriq Moosa, Taslima Nasrin, Samir Noory, Carla Revere, Michael Schmidt-Salomon, Udo Schuklenk, Sohaila Sharifi, Issam Shukri, Bahram Soroush, Peter Tatchell, Hamid Taqvaee, and Afsaneh Vahdat.
It has also received the support of organisations such as Center for Inquiry; Children First Now; Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain; Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran; European Humanist Federation; International Committee against Stoning; International Humanist and Ethical Union; Iranian Secular Society; Lawyers’ Secular Society; the National Secular Society; Never Forget Hatun Campaign against Honour Killings and the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan.
According to campaign organiser, Maryam Namazie, ‘Even in civil matters, Sharia law is discriminatory, unfair and unjust, particularly against women and children. Moreover, its voluntary nature is a sham; many women will be pressured into going to these courts and abiding by their decisions. These courts are a quick and cheap route to injustice and do nothing to promote minority rights and social cohesion. Public interest, particularly with regard to women and children, requires an end to Sharia and all other faith-based courts and tribunals.’
The campaign calls on the UK government to recognise that Sharia law is arbitrary and discriminatory and for an end to Sharia courts and all religious tribunals on the basis that they work against and not for equality and human rights.
The campaign also calls for the law to be amended so that all religious tribunals are banned from operating within and outside of the legal system.
In the words of the Campaign Declaration: ‘Rights, justice, inclusion, equality and respect are for people, not beliefs. In a civil society, people must have full citizenship rights and equality under the law. Clearly, Sharia law contravenes fundamental human rights. In order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of all those living in Britain, there must be one secular law for all and no Sharia.’
Roy Brown, immediate past president of the International Humanist and Ethical Union said, “IHEU is lending its full support to this campaign. It is intolerable that the very values on which UK society is based – human rights, equality and the rule of law – are being undermined by the quiet and insidious application of systems of law that have no basis in equality or justice.”
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, which is also supporting the One Law for All campaign, said: “It is a grave error for the authorities in this country to give credence to Sharia in any form – whether legally or in terms of informal arbitration. When women are being subjected to violence in their marriages, it is not acceptable for religious authorities – which are, by definition, misogynistic – to arbitrate. A two-tier legal system, with women’s rights being always secondary to religious demands, is unnecessary, undesirable and ultimately unjust.”
Ends
For more information, please contact Maryam Namazie, email: onelawforall@gmail.com, telephone: 07719166731; website: onelawforall.org.uk.
List of signatories
Nazanin Afshin-Jam
Coordinator, Stop Child Executions Campaign
Canada
Mina Ahadi
Spokesperson, Council of Ex-Muslims of Germany; Coordinator,
International Committee against Stoning
Köln
Germany
Sargul Ahmad
Activist, Women’s Liberation in Iraq
Canada
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Writer
Washington, DC
USA
Mahin Alipour
Coordinator, Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran
Stockholm
Sweden
Homa Arjomand
Coordinator, International Campaign against Sharia Courts in Canada
Toronto
Canada
Farideh Arman
Coordinator, International Campaign in Defence of Women’s Rights in Iran
Malmo
Sweden
Abdullah Asadi
Executive Director, International Federation of Iranian Refugees
Gutenberg
Sweden
Mohammad Asangaran
Political activist
Köln
Germany
Ophelia Benson
Editor, Butterflies and Wheels
USA
Susan Blackmore
Psychologist
UK
Nazanin Borumand
Never Forget Hatun Campaign against Honour Killings
Germany
Roy Brown
Past President, International Humanist and Ethical Union
Geneva
Switzerland
Ed Buckner
President, American Atheists
USA
Marino Busdachin
General Secretary, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
Netherlands
Center for Inquiry
USA
Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain
UK
Council of Ex-Muslims of Germany
Germany
Council of Ex-Muslims of Scandinavia
Sweden
Caroline Cox
Peer, House of Lords
London
UK
Austin Dacey
Representative to the United Nations, Center for Inquiry-International
USA
Shahla Daneshfar
Central Committee Member, Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran
London
UK
Richard Dawkins
Scientist
Oxford
UK
Patty Debonitas
TV Producer, Third Camp against US Militarism and Islamic Terrorism
London
UK
Deeyah
Singer and composer
USA
Nick Doody
Comedian
UK
Sonja Eggerickx
President, International Humanist and Ethical Union
Belgium
Afshin Ellian
Professor, Leiden University Faculty of Law
Leiden
Netherlands
Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran
Sweden
European Humanist Federation
Belgium
Tarek Fatah
Author, Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State
Toronto
Canada
Caroline Fourest
Writer
France
Tahir Aslam Gora
Writer and journalist
Canada
AC Grayling
Writer and Philosopher
London
UK
Maria Hagberg
Chair, Network against Honour-Related Violence
Gothenburg
Sweden
Johann Hari
Journalist
London
UK
Christopher Hitchens
Writer
USA
Farshad Hoseini
Activist, International Campaign against Executions
Netherlands
Khayal Ibrahim
Coordinator, Organization of Women’s Liberation in Iraq; Arabic Anchor for Secular TV
Canada
International Committee against Executions
Netherlands
International Committee against Stoning
Germany
International Humanist and Ethical Union
UK
Iranian Secular Society
UK
Shakeb Isaar
Singer
Sweden
Maryam Jamel
Activist, Women’s Liberation in Iraq
Canada
Keyvan Javid
Director, New Channel TV
London
UK
Alan Johnson
Editor, Democratiya.com
Lancashire
UK
Mehul Kamdar
Former editor of The Modern Rationalist
USA
Asqar Karimi
Central Committee Member, Worker-communist Party of Iran
London
UK
Naser Khader
Founder, Association of Democratic Muslims
Denmark
Gina Khan
Activist
Birmingham
UK
Hope Knutsson
Chair, Sidmennt, Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association
Iceland
Hartmut Krauss
Editor, Hintergrund
Germany
Stephen Law
Editor, Royal Institute of Philosophy journal
London
UK
Lawyers’ Secular Society
London
UK
Shiva Mahbobi
Producer, Against Discrimination TV Programme
London
UK
Houzan Mahmoud
Abroad Representative, Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq
London
UK
Azar Majedi
President, Organisation for Women’s Liberation; Executive Committee Member of Worker-communism Unity Party
London
UK
Doreen Massey
Peer, House of Lords
London
UK
Anthony McIntyre
Writer
Ireland
Caspar Melville
Editor, New Humanist magazine
London
UK
Bahar Milani
Activist, Children First Now
London
UK
Navid Minay
General Secretary, Communist Youth Organization
Gothenburg
Sweden
Tauriq Moosa
Writer
Capetown
South Africa
Maryam Namazie
One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain Organiser
London
UK
Taslima Nasrin
Writer and activist
National Secular Society
London
UK
Never Forget Hatun Campaign against Honour Killings
Germany
Samir Noory
Writer; Secular TV Manager
Canada
David Pollock
President, the European Humanist Federation
London
UK
Fariborz Pooya
Founder, Iranian Secular Society
London
UK
Carla Revere
Barrister; Founder, Lawyers’ Secular Society
London
UK
Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
Pakistan
Fahimeh Sadeghi
Coordinator, International Federation of Iranian Refugees-Vancouver
Vancouver
Canada
Terry Sanderson
President, National Secular Society
London
UK
Michael Schmidt-Salomon
Chief Executive Officer, Giordano Bruno Foundation
Germany
Udo Schuklenk
Philosophy professor, Queen’s University
Canada
Sohaila Sharifi
Editor, Unveiled
London
UK
Issam Shukri
Head, Defense of Secularism and Civil Rights in Iraq; Central Committee Secretary, Left Worker-communist Party of Iraq
Iraq
Joan Smith
Writer and activist
London
UK
Bahram Soroush
Founding member, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain
London
UK
Peter Tatchell
Activist
London
UK
Hamid Taqvaee
Central Committee Secretary, Worker-communist Party of Iran
Afsaneh Vahdat
Coordinator, Council of Ex-Muslims of Sweden
Stockholm
Sweden
Lars Vilks
Artist
Sweden
Karin Vogelpohl
Pedagogue
Germany
Ibn Warraq
Writer
Keith Porteous Wood
Executive Director, National Secular Society
London
UK
Babak Yazdi
Head of Khavaran
Toronto
Canada
Marvin F. Zayed
President, International Committee to Protect Freethinkers
OttawaCanada
Eduardo Robredo Zugasti
Tercera Cultura
Spain