International Conference Celebrating Laicite

Paris City Hall, 8-9 December 2023

For civil states free from the tutelage of religion, we demand Laïcite as a human right and a step towards peace in the world.

Celebrating Laïcite Paris 2023 is being organised by Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and Laiques sans Frontieres in partnership with Comite Laïcite Republique and Egale.

The international conference marks December 9, the anniversary of the 1905 law on separation of church and state and will take place at the Paris Town Hall, courtesy of the Mayor of Paris.

The conference is a continuation of the hugely successful Celebrating Dissent conferences held in London (2017), Amsterdam (2019) and Cologne (2022), which were the largest gatherings of ex-Muslims defending freedom of conscience, thought and expression.

The aim of this conference is to make the principle of Laicite, which is the complete separation of Church and State and total disengagement of the state vis-a-vis religions, a human rights priority.

Panel discussions include: • Laicite, the basis of democracy. • The revolution underway: The Iranian Women’s Uprising Today • Without Laicite, no Feminism, no LGBTQI rights • Totalitarianism and Religion • We Exist. We are the Alternative • Atheism in Islam, the Impossible Formulation? • Laïcs of all countries unite!

Nearly 40 contributors include: Journalist Abnousse Shalmani, Freedom from Religion Foundation President Annie Laurie Gaylor, Writer Chahla Chafiq, Activist Fariborz Pooya, President of Atheist & Agnostic Alliance Pakistan Fauzia Ilyas, President of Comite Laïcite Republique Gilbert Abergel, Middle Eastern Women and Society Organisation Director Halaleh Taheri, Poet Halima Salat, Political Scientist Hamadi Redissi, MALI Founder Ibtissame Betty Lachgar, FEMEN Leader Inna Shevchenko, Historian Jean-Paul Scot, Journalist Joumana Haddad, Journalist Khadija Khan, Women’s Initiative for Citizenship and Universal Rights founding member Lalia Ducos, Writer and Journalist Laure Daussy, FiLiA CEO Lisa-Marie Taylor, Secularism is a Woman’s Issue Founder Marieme Helie Lucas, Secretary General of Egale Martine Cerf, Council of Ex-Muslims Spokesperson Maryam Namazie, National Secular Society Head of Campaigns Megan Manson, Vision Laïque Africaine Founder Mohamed Cheikh Mkhaitir, Political Scientist Mohamed Chérif Ferjani, Activist Mohamed Hisham, Podcaster Mouhamad El Jabbari, Lawyer and LGBT Mounir Baatour, Founder of Laiques sans Frontieres Nadia El Fani, Clinical Psychologist Ndeye Khaira Thiam, Vice President of the Kazimierz Lyszczynski Foundation Nina Sankari, Women’s Rights Campaigner Pragna Patel, Atheist Refugee Relief Founder Rana Ahmad, Philosopher Razika Adnani, Lawyer and Writer Richard Malka, Charlie Hebdo Cartoonist Riss, Writer Sonya Zadig, Journalist Taha Siddiqi, Body Artist Victoria Gugenheim, Faithless Hijabi Founder Zara Kay and Activist Zehra Pala.

To gain entry to the invitation-only event, you can donate £150 for a one-day ticket to the not-to-be-missed international conference, which will be conducted in English and French: https://ex-muslim.org.uk/donate/. Upon donating, please email your name to exmuslimcouncil@gmail.com so we can add you to the guest list.

Sponsors of the conference include: Charlie Hebdo, Freedom from Religion Foundation, National Secular Society and Center for Inquiry.

For more information, contact Nadia El Fani, LSF, laiquessansfrontieres@gmail.com or Maryam Namazie, CEMB, exmuslimcouncil@gmail.com.