On the cancellation of our talk, New Humanist magazine wrote: Yesterday evening, a talk on “Sharia Law and Human Rights” organised by the Atheism, Secularism and Humanism Society at Queen Mary, University London, had to be cancelled after threats of violence. The talk was due to be given by Anne Marie Waters of the One Law For All campaign, which campaigns against the use of Sharia in the UK.
Correction: The British Humanist Association posted a press release on the cancellation as well (it did so first) without any reference to Anne Marie and One Law for All.
An oversight maybe?
More likely it is part of the ongoing effort to ignore the real links between campaigning against Sharia law and attacks on free expression as well as their priority of working with religions rather than keeping religion out of the public sphere.
Mentioned or not, though, we mean business and we will get rid of Sharia law.
That’s weird. I don’t know if the AHA would do the same. I don’t think they would at least. Now I feel bad because I referred a friend up there to the BHA, because she was interested in learning more about humanism.
This is not to say that the BHA is not a good organisation. I am a supporter of it. I am just not happy with its position towards Sharia.
I can understand that and I’m glad it wasn’t a mistake to refer her to the BHA after all.
Really?! Bad move, BHA.
Sorry, but this isn’t true.
The text was on the BHA website first and then sent to New Humanist, who did further research and ADDED further details of the speaker event – not vice versa.
Andrew
Either way, the BHA press release left out an important bit of information. The point of the post is not so much the order of things but why OL4A was left out, particularly since it is our meetings that are often faced with such pressures and threats.
I should point out the press release was not the BHA’s but the QM Atheism society’s which was used by the BHA, so the BHA is not to blame for that piece of information being left out. I think you can forgive a student-run organisation for missing something out of the press release, especially considering the circumstances.
Forgive me folks, that was my post above. I forget I can now sign in via Yahoo with a pic attached :-O
For me, having my pic attached to a post on a blog like this has become somewhat important.
The British Humanist association has done this sort of thing in the past, I believe.
If they really are going to be persistent on humanism being re-labelled as a somewhat nu-ideal that puts Islam, Christianity and the crucible of zeusTM on the same level as the individual human being, then it’s time they were made to think again.
Forgive my language – or don’t – but fuck them. Let’s keep on supporting the national Secular Society.
At least they do not re-write secularism.