SOUTH WEST LONDON HUMANISTS NEWSLETTER www.swlhumanists.org.uk www.meetup.com/South-West-London-Humanists-Group-UK

September/October 2014 TWO BIG CHANGES: 1. CHANGE OF VENUE for our main monthly meetings to The Cricketers, The Green, Richmond TW9 1LX (just round the corner from the Old Ship) 1st meeting there: Mon 29 Sep “Humanist support in hospitals & prisons” with David Savage, Head of Pastoral Support at the British Humanist Association

2. ANNUAL PUBLIC MEETING Mon 20 Oct at Kingston University "Democracy beyond elections”, with David Babbs, 38 Degrees Chief Executive Places are limited: click here for details & to book your (free) ticket. If you don’t have internet access, book via Jeremy (07798 935569). Note: 20 Oct is not the final Monday on the month, so out of our normal sequence. There will be no meeting on Mon 27 Oct. Page 1 of 8

Contents Diary Public meeting 20 Oct: Democracy Beyond Elections Other SWLH events Looking back – “I don’t know much about art, but…” Books you can borrow Please respond to EHCR’s call for evidence World Humanist Congress 2014 Maybe you missed this… Reference information: SWLH, Celebrants & neighbouring groups The Oxford Declaration on Freedom of Thought and Expression

Diary Our regular monthly events are normally at these venues/times:  Main meeting: last Monday of the month (not July, October, December), upstairs at The Cricketers, The Green, Richmond TW9 1LX. Gather from 7pm, meeting from 8 to 10pm.  Sunday pub lunch: first Sunday, The Fox, 39 Church Street, Twickenham TW1 3NR, 12.00. Hosted by Reinhard ([email protected]).  Book Group: third Tuesday, Masaniello, 22 Church Street, Twickenham TW1 3NJ, 10.15am. Normally we alternate books for discussion between novels and nonfiction books with a humanist angle. If you’re interested contact Hugh at [email protected] or phone 020 8570 3167.  Coffee Morning: second Thursday, Café at the Rose Theatre, 24-26 High Street Kingston KT1 1HL, 11.00am. Look for the “Happy Human” sign on the table. Just turn up for an informal opportunity to meet like-minded people. Hosted by Martin ([email protected]). Date September 9 14

Time

Event

11.00 12.00

15

18.30

16 29

10.15

Coffee morning London Black Atheists: Atheist Stall & Picnic, Hyde Park Speakers Corner. Details here “Spirituality without God” with Sanderson Jones, stand-up comic & founder of The Sunday Assembly. Church of St Edmund the King, Lombard Street, London EC4V 9EA Book Group – “We’re in Trouble” by Christopher Coake Main meeting (at The Cricketers) “Humanist support in hospitals & prisons” with David Savage (Head of Pastoral Support at the British Humanist Association)

October 5 10 11-12

12.00 11.00

20

19.30

21 27 November 2 13 18 24

10.15

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12.00 11.00 10.15 19.00 for 20.00

Sunday lunch Coffee morning International conference in London: “Religious-Right, Secularism & Civil Rights” with Peter Tatchell, AC Grayling, Kenan Malik, Terry Sanderson, Maryam Namazie (organiser)… Details here. Public meeting (at Kingston University) "Democracy beyond elections” with David Babbs (38 Degrees). Book here Book Group No meeting Sunday lunch Coffee morning Book Group Main meeting (at The Cricketers) "Living the Quaker way” with Graham Torr (Kingston Quakers)

Major meeting 20 Oct: Democracy Beyond Elections Every year we hold a public meeting. This time the speaker will be David Babbs, Executive Director of 38 Degrees, who will lead a discussion on “Democracy Beyond Elections - driving change in a digital world”. 38 Degrees is the most significant British example of a new approach to campaigning fit for the digital world. Among its many successes was contributing to a government U-turn on selling off national forests, and helping persuade the government to sign up to the EU Directive on human trafficking. It now has 2.5 million members. David Babbs will discuss whether this approach is an antidote to disillusionment with traditional politics, how politicians and the media are adapting to it, and whether there are any downsides. The meeting starts at 7.30pm (doors open 7.00pm) in the Galsworthy Building, on Kingston University’s Penrhyn Road campus (the same entrance as for last year’s meeting with Jim Al-Khalili). It’s within walking distance of central Kingston and easy to reach by public transport - click here for details. Parking is available after 5pm - firstcome first-served (restrictions apply before 5pm). Or use one of the Kingston public car parks mapped here - Bittoms Car Park is closest. We expect this event will be popular with supporters of 38 Degrees, so it’s important to reserve your place – book your (free) ticket here. The link also gives all the details you’ll need. If you don’t have internet access, call Jeremy to book a place – 07798 935569).

Other SWLH events 

Home based coffee mornings. These take place around every other month. The group is open to all who wish to join in, particularly the retired but anyone who would like to join in who is available during the day. Different members of the group offer coffee and a biscuit in their homes, and we circulate the venues.  We work together with Richmond & Putney Unitarian Church several Sundays a year to host “Vineyard lunches” for homeless and other disadvantaged people in Richmond. The lunches continue to be well attended, and guests appreciate the presence of children as helpers serving the home-made meals. Shepherd’s pies and trifle have proved very popular. Feedback also suggests that it is appreciated when volunteers sit with guests as they eat, and engage in conversation. The Unitarian and Humanist volunteers enjoy working and eating together. For information on either of these, talk to Tina Bruce at a meeting or email [email protected] for more information.

Looking back – “I don’t know much about art, but…” Once more, fellow SWLH people treated us to a feast of art and music. But before they started, Tony and Shelagh read for us the new Oxford Declaration on Freedom of Thought & Expression agreed at the World Humanist Congress (see below). Then:  Susan talked about “Chez Mondrian”, an interior of the Dutch artist’s house by the Hungarian photographer André Kertész.  Cedric read four poems: “Leisure” by WH Davies; “The Occasion & Its Intentions”, an ancient Hindu Sanskrit poem; Colonisation in Reverse” by the Jamaican poet Louise Bennett, and “Song of the Banana Man” by another Jamaican, Evan Jones.  Raph shared part of Louis Spohr’s Nocturne for Wind Op.34.  John made a surprise entry with tales about Ferguson tractors in Ireland.  Pam talked about the place of art in hospitals, and initiatives by Paintings in Hospitals, The National Alliance for Arts, Health & Wellbeing and London Arts in Health Forum.  Graham rounded up the evening with unusual pieces from his role as a humanist funeral celebrant, including poems by Roger McGough and Katherine Towers (“The Way We Go”).

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Books you can borrow We’ve recently had a couple of additions to our small library:  “Funerals Without God: a practical guide to humanist and non-religious funeral ceremonies” by Jane Wynne Wilson, issued by the BHA.  “Humanism for Children” by Nada Topic Peratovic, issued by the Centre for Civil Courage, in Zagreb. [Bought from the Croatian humanists at the World Humanist Congress. Not really a book for children – despite nice illustrations - but rather for adults helping children to understand Humanism. Ed]

Please respond to EHCR’s call for evidence “Has your religion or belief, or that of other people, affected your experiences in the workplace or the services you receive as part of your daily life? Or perhaps they impact on you as an employer or manager? If so, we want to hear from you, whether your experiences are good or bad.” That’s the important call for evidence launched by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) about experiences of employment and public services (schools, hospitals, social service etc). It’s really important that humanists respond so that the ECHR are not swayed by the false narrative about “Christian persecution” (aka loss of special treatment) being pedalled by Lord Carey and others, most recently by Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, who claims 'British Christians forced to hide belief'. The result could affect future legislation. Click here to respond - deadline 14 Oct.

World Humanist Congress 2014 The World Humanist Congress is held every three years and brings together humanists from over forty countries under the auspices of the International Humanist and Ethical Union. For the first time since the 1970s it was hosted this August, in Oxford, by the British Humanist Association. The theme was “Freedom of Thought & Expression – forging a 21st century enlightenment”. It was almost certainly the largest ever humanist gathering in the UK, with 1000 attendees, including half a dozen from SWLH. Videos of all the sessions will be made available, but are still being edited – so watch this space. In the meantime, here are some photos. An output from the congress was the Oxford Declaration on Freedom of Thought & Expression - reproduced at the end of this Newsletter. A valuable “line in the sand”.

Maybe you missed this… The BHA reports that 22 more religious Free Schools are opening for the first time this September, along with a number of new faith-sponsored Academies and existing schools converting to gain a religious character. The new religious Free Schools - a third of all new mainstream Free Schools - include five Church of England, two Catholic, ten other Christian, three Muslim, one Sikh, and one Steiner school. On the other hand, in part thanks to a BHA-driven campaign, the government has now banned the teaching of Creationism as “science” in all Academies and Free Schools. And, recognising that most Muslim schools are outside the state sector, it has consulted on a revision to the standards governing independent schools to require them actively to promote “British values” defined as “democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs”. One of the great issues of our age is the relationship between the world of liberal western values, and the numerous varieties of Islam, which range from the liberal Ismailis and Ahmadis to fanatical jihadists. Here’s an interview with Sheikh Mustapha Rashid a Sunni Muslim with a PhD from the prestigious Al-Azhar university in Cairo, but who aims to “save Muslims from backward religious authorities” and to “correct the mistaken explanations of the Quran” and has received death threats as a result. Some atheists criticise such “moderates” on the basis that it’s logically inconsistent to try Page 4 of 8

to interpret/explain away the violent and misogynistic passages of the Quran. They argue that the only way forward is an Islamic Reformation in which Muslims let go of the belief that the Quran is the inerrant word of God – an idea that most currently consider fundamental to their faith. Here’s a discussion between an advocate of this position, the Canadian ex-Muslim Ali A.Rizvi, and Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, an Iraqi humanist activist who takes a more pragmatic line. He identifies those who take the Quran literally as the real, more pressing, enemy: “As a matter of practice, though, when it comes to the Muslim world, I would rather side with the logically inconsistent at the moment, because those who do take the Quran literally generally hold beliefs that go against the values I hold and defend dearly, such as democracy, freedom, and human rights.” Another perspective on the issue is this piece by Kenan Malik, which was his contribution to a panel discussion at the World Humanist Congress in Oxford on ‘Is there something about Islam?’. He makes the point that “there is a tendency for humanists and atheists to read religions, and Islam in particular, as literally as fundamentalists do”. One of the most significant contributions to the growth of Islamism in the Muslim world has been the export from Saudi Arabia of fundamentalist Wahhabi/Salafi Islam. Here’s an excellent article by a former MI6 officer on Wahhabism and its relationship with the Saudi monarchy which itself now feels threatened by the Islamic State: You Can't Understand ISIS If You Don't Know the History of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi King has criticised ISIS for its brutality "You see how they (jihadists) carry out beheadings and make children show the severed heads in the street" and has condemned the “cruelty” of such acts. Yet Human Rights Watch reports a surge in beheadings in his own country, including for non-violent offences. And the highest Saudi court has recently confirmed a sentence on 30 year old father of three, Raif Badawi, of 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes (to be delivered 50 at a time with at least a week’s break) and a one million riyal fine (USD $266,631). His “crime” was founding a liberal website, and calling for freedom of religion, belief, and expression and women's rights, for which he was found guilty of "insulting Islam." For good measure, the Saudi authorities have also jailed his defence lawyer. More details here. “Libel tourist and Nigerian ‘witch hunter’ (the self styled) ‘Lady Apostle’ Helen Ukpabio attempts to stifle critics by suing British Humanist Association for half a billion pounds” . [Yes, half a billion.] Helen Ukpabio, reputedly one of the richest women in Nigeria, claims to have expertise in identifying children and adults who are possessed with witchcraft spirits and how they can be ‘delivered’. She has been accused of exploiting superstitious beliefs about demonic possession, which can and often does result in the endangering of vulnerable children. The BHA has called for Ukpabio and others like her to be banned from coming to the UK. Her legal case is based on the claim that she wrote that a child ‘under the age of two’ who is ‘possessed with black, red and vampire witchcraft spirits’ can be identified by features such as s/he ‘screams at night, cries, is always feverish, suddenly deteriorates in health, puts up an attitude of fear, and may not feed very well.’ She also teaches that children who stamp their feet may be ‘trying to make signs… to communicate with gnomes, the witchcraft spirit in charge of the earth.’ She claims that the BHA misrepresented her by saying that she ascribed these symptoms to Satanic possession – presumably as opposed to “vampire witchcraft spirits” - and has damaged her reputation and livelihood as a result. [If you’re not already a member of the BHA, this is a pretty good reason to join - click here. Ed -Declaration of interest: I’m a trustee of the BHA.] The BHA scored a victory in its campaign to challenge some of the more extreme examples of state-funded faith schools flouting rules on admissions. The Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) ruled that the admissions policies of the London Oratory School – the exclusive Catholic secondary in Fulham – is discriminatory on the basis of both ethnicity and socio-economic background, and identified 63 areas in which its 2014 policy broke the School Admissions Code, and 42 with respect to 2015 policy. The school is appealing.

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It would be hard to imagine a better list of humanist ethical statements than The 7 Most Important Religious Lessons Everyone Should Know compiled on the basis of common ground between major religions - a nice illustration of the fact that they all originate in our shared humanity, rather than the mutually exclusive explanations of the various faiths. The list is: 1) The Golden Rule (treat others as you would wish to be treated). 2) Work for the Happiness of Others, Especially the Poor and Unfortunate. 3) Focus on the Present. 4) Aim for Achievements, Not Money. 5) Interact with the Community. 6) Take Responsibility for Your Actions. 7) Know Yourself (Make Up Your Own Mind). The “The Euthyphro Dilemma” is a modernised version of the question asked by Socrates in the Euthyphro: “Are morally good acts willed by God because they are morally good, or are they morally good because they are willed by God?” It’s used as a way to refute the idea that morality comes from God, which is undermined by any answer given to the dilemma. More details here. And finally, a last-minute tidy-up before going off to fight the infidel…

Reference information: SWLH, Celebrants & neighbouring groups 

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South West London Humanists started in 2007. Anyone who’s vaguely humanist is welcome to our meetings and events. But if you’re a “regular”, please join the majority of us in paying a small annual sub to help fund our activities. Ask Ian or Jeremy for a membership form or download it from www.swlhumanists.org.uk/ (home page). It costs £10/year (£6 concessions, £15 for families) for which you get a vote at the Annual General Meeting and discounts at the Summer and Christmas parties. The SWLH committee is: Jeremy Rodell – Chair/Newsletter Editor ([email protected], 07798 935569); Ian Bruce, Treasurer & Membership Secretary ([email protected]); Sue Williams, Secretary ([email protected]); Tina Bruce ([email protected]); Hugh Finn; Grant Lewison; Guy Shirley. Many people discover Humanism through a humanist wedding or funeral and we maintain close links with our local humanist Celebrants. For information about Naming, Wedding or Funeral ceremonies, contact SW London Humanist Celebrants via Rosemary Taylorson (020 8943 2941) or see the “Ceremonies” link on our website. We have friends in a number of humanist groups locally, all of which run great events. Some are included in the events list, but do keep an eye on their websites: Central London Humanists; West London Humanists & Secularists; Sutton Humanists; galha (LGBT humanists); London Black Atheists

To unsubscribe from the Newsletter, simply reply to the email saying “UNSUBSCRIBE”.

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The Oxford Declaration on Freedom of Thought and Expression The 2014 World Humanist Congress, gathered in Oxford, UK, on 8-10 August 2014, adopted the following declaration on freedom of thought and expression: All around the world and at all times, it is freedom of thought and freedom of expression that have proved the most essential conditions for human flourishing, but every generation must face new threats to these fundamental freedoms. Knowing this, we maintain: The right to freedom of thought and belief is one and the same right for all. The human right articulated in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and elaborated elsewhere is and should be a single right, indivisible, protecting the dignity and freedom of all people by protecting their right to their personal beliefs, whatever those beliefs, religious or non-religious. As Article 7 of the Declaration says, ‘All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.’ No one anywhere should ever be forced into or out of a belief. Freedom of thought implies the right to develop, hold, examine and manifest our beliefs without coercion, and to express opinions and a worldview whether religious or non-religious, without fear of coercion. It includes the right to change our views or to reject beliefs previously held, or previously ascribed. Pressure to conform to ideologies of the state or to doctrines of religion is a tyranny. Laws that proscribe or criminalise beliefs contravene human dignity and must be abolished. Every citizen of every state has the right to demand the repeal of such laws, and all states should support those, wherever they are, who demand that their social freedoms and personal liberty be upheld. The right to freedom of expression is global in its scope. The human right articulated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes the right to ‘seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers’. No parochial nationalism or state insecurity should prevent the global human community from fulfilling the promise of our new technologies, our mass media, our social media, and our personal access to transnational networks. States should invest adequate resources to allow their citizens’ participation in this global conversation. There is no right not to be offended, or not to hear contrary opinions. Respect for people’s freedom of belief does not imply any duty or requirement to respect those beliefs. The expression of opposition to any beliefs, including in the form of satire, ridicule or condemnation in all media and forms is vital to critical discourse and any restraint that is exercised in this expression must be in accordance of article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, namely to protect the rights and freedoms of others. The best response to the expression of a view we disagree with is to reply to it.Violence and censorship are never legitimate responses. All laws that criminalise language on grounds of ‘blasphemy’ or of offence to beliefs and values impede human freedom and should be abolished. States must not restrict thought and expression merely to protect the government from criticism. States that criminalise criticism of government policies or officials as treasonous or seditious, or as threats to security, are not “strong

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governments” championing the best interests of the public, but censorious bullies exercising tyranny in their own interests. States should ensure in the law of the land, in their education systems, and in the conduct of their national life generally, that freedom of thought and expression are actively promoted and pursued to the real benefit of every member of society. Freedom of belief is absolute but the freedom to act on a belief is not. As responsible members of a community we accept that our freedom to act must sometimes be restricted, if and only if our actions would undermine the rights and freedoms of others. Freedom of belief cannot legitimise overriding the principles of non-discrimination and equality before the law. These balances can be hard to strike but with a focus on freedom and human dignity, we believe legislators and judiciaries can strike them in a progressive manner. We assert the principles of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and secularism as providing the firmest foundation for the development of open societies where freedom of thought and expression will be protected and promoted. We commit ourselves in all our work to uphold and promote existing rights to freedom of thought and expression within the international human rights framework and to resist national and international restrictions on the right of individuals to think for themselves freely and to openly express their views without fear. We urge each of our member organizations and humanists worldwide to uphold these values in their own lives; to promote in their communities greater public understanding of the rights to freedom of thought and freedom of expression for all; to urge their governments to promote these values; and to join with humanists and others globally in defending and advancing them to the benefit of all humanity.

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