Celebrating Dissent Oslo, held during 31 August – 1 September 2024, was a resounding success. The event organised by Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) and Dømmekraft focused on blasphemous women and paid homage to Shabana Rehman, the late Norwegian ex-Muslim of Pakistani descent, who was a taboo-breaking comedian and activist.
In his tribute, which opened the conference, Shabana’s brother Shakeel Rehman said: ‘Shabana never apologised for her actions; it was the hateful reactions that were the problem and not her actions.’
Discussions at the two-day international event, with 50 speakers from 30 countries and the Diaspora, covered women’s creativity and blasphemy, the trauma of leaving Islam, hostility to recognising the ex-Muslim experience, even in therapeutic settings, racism and identity politics, censorship, science and rationality.
In the opening plenary, conference co-organiser Morten Guldburg, Founder of Humanist think tank Dømmekraft said: ‘Shabana has inspired many and her influence has been central throughout the conference with sessions that reflect her work, legacy and importance. The gathering celebrates brave voices from all corners of the world who risk everything to defend the right to oppose authoritarian regimes and religious oppression.’
Maryam Namazie, Spokesperson of CEMB and the initiator of the Celebrating Dissent conferences since 2008 continued: ‘Blasphemy and apostasy are portrayed negatively and always from the perspective of the religious, which is the default view. Blasphemy is therefore seen to be at best offensive and hurtful, at worst dangerous and seditious. From the perspective of dissenters and freethinkers, though, it is a cause for celebration. Particularly the celebration of blasphemous women at the heart of change.’
Women’s blasphemy and creativity were central to the event. An exclusive excerpt of Inna Shevchenko’s ‘Gods and Girls,’ Nadia El Fani’s film, ‘Même Pas Mal (No Harm Done),’ an excerpt of Nazmiye Oral’s ‘No Longer Without You,’ a clip of Deeyah Khan’s ‘Islam’s Nonbelievers,’ and a video of a ‘Kiss-in’ in Morocco organised by Ibtisame Betty Lachgar were shown.
FaraVaz sang ‘Mullah’ and premiered her song ‘Mohareb.’ She was part of an underground movement of singers in Iran sentenced to a year in prison, simply for singing. Yasmine El Baramawy from Egypt broke the taboo of speaking about gang rape in public and campaigned for the 2014 sexual harassment law. She performed ‘Mohamed’ and premiered her song ‘Mowlaty.’
Shelley Segal, the bard of the movement, had flown in from LA with her new work ‘Blasphemy.’ She also sang her ‘Baraye’ cover and challenged the taboos of her Jewish heritage by singing a hymn, which women in her synagogue were forbidden to do. Iranian Kurdish musician Zanyar Hesami’s ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) was shown as he was not given a visa to attend. There was poetry by Halima Salat and Rahila Gupta.
CEMB Resident artist Victoria Gugenheim curated an exhibition with the CEMB and Maryam Namazie, Haram Doodles, Ibtissame Betty Lachgar and Jenny Wenhammar. Betty said: ‘Activism is subversive, otherwise it’s just entertainment.’ Jenny said: ‘Blasphemy is good.’ Haram Doodles said: ‘Islam sucks the fun out of a room.’ Victoria added: ‘If my resistance offends you, you may be the problem.’
Victoria also led a hijab-flying and turban-flying protest action in solidarity with women in Iran and Afghanistan and against sex apartheid. At the event, Afghan women’s rights campaigner Madina Darwazi made it very clear: ‘We Do Not Accept the Taliban.’
Many of the ex-Muslims and freethinkers contributing to the event were social media content producers, journalists, writers and publishers who had faced state and non-state violence and now live in exile. The Bangladeshi publisher Ahmedur Chowdhury, known as Tutul, was nearly killed in a machete attack for having established a publishing house.
The conference was constantly reminded that many ex-Muslims such as Milad Resaeimanesh of the Central Committee of Ex-Muslims in Scandinavia and Siyavash Shahabi, an Iranian child rights campaigner, have faced a hostile environment of racism and xenophobia from the state and the far-right, as well as hostility from segments of the left under the guise of ‘Islamophobia.’ Cemal Knudsen Yucel of Ex-Muslims of Norway said: ‘While many of us lose our families and friends and risk our lives to normalise the acceptance of apostasy and blasphemy in Islam, at the same time many of us experience exclusions and even invisibility.’
Combatting censorship and a defence of criticism of religion were key areas of discussion. Muslimish’s Wissam Charafeddine said: ‘Every assault on free speech creates a fissure in the fortress of this universal right.’ Apostate Aladdin said: ‘Censorship of dissent hinders Ex-Muslim advocacy and leaves no room for progress.’
The conference stressed the importance of Laicite for freedom of expression and individual rights. Filmmaker Nadia El Fani spoke of the Paris Appeal adopted at the 2023 conference calling for Laics of the world to unite.
On racism and identity politics, Taha Siddiqui, a journalist who fled Pakistan following a kidnap attempt by the military, said: ‘Identity is not a singular, static concept. The state should not define me, nor should someone else – I choose to be who I am.’ Marieme Helie Lucas, Founder of Secularism is a Woman’s Issue said: ‘Human rights have been conceived as protection for individual citizens; they are now misused for protecting ‘community rights’, i.e. religious rights, tribal rights, cultural rights, to the detriment of personal rights of freethinkers and dissidents.’ Writer Rahila Gupta said: ‘Identity politics has led us into a cul-de-sac, undercut solidarity, promoted individualism, in step with neoliberalism. We must return to a politics based on shared values.’
Krystel Skaff of Freethought Lebanon said: ‘It’s essential to defend the project of the Enlightenment that posits Reason as a universal faculty and a source of progress that allows us individual autonomy, and consequently our freedom, but also, our responsibility and a sense of the universal – to see the humanity in everyone and to endeavour to improve the human condition.’
Sami Abdallah from Freethought Lebanon stressed the need for more science educators in aid of promoting reason. Aleem (Secular Spirit) mentioned story-telling: ‘By learning the stories of those who are often misunderstood or silenced, we awaken to our shared humanity.’ Actor Nazmiye Oral spoke of the importance of Parrhesia, truth-speaking with risk.
Whilst the focus was on Islamism and Islam, a number of speakers like Nada Topic, Annie Laurie Gaylor and Sanal Edamaruku spoke of the threat of other religious-Right movements as well as white supremacy. One Law for All’s Gita Sahgal reminded the conference that Norway experienced one of the worst massacres perpetrated by white supremacist Anders Breivik.
Distinguished contributors during the two days were Ahmedur Chowdhury, Aleem (Secular Spirit), Ali Rizvi, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Apostate Aladdin, Arnfinn Pettersen, Cemal Knudsen Yucel, Dan Barker, Eirik Løkke, FarAvaz, Fariborz Pooya, Fauzia Ilyas, Gita Sahgal, Halima Salat, Haram Doodles, Ibn Warraq, Ibtissame Betty Lachgar, Inna Shevchenko, Jenny Wenhammar, Jimmy Bangash, Khadija Khan, Krystel Antoni, Lawrence Krauss, Madina Darwazi, Mariam Aliyu, Marieme Helie Lucas, Maryam Namazie, Milad Resaeimanesh, Mimzy Vidz, Mohammad Hisham, Morten Guldburg, Mouhammad El Jabbari, Nada Peratovic, Nadia El Fani, Nazmiye Oral, Rahila Gupta, Rana Ahmad, Sami Abdallah, Sanal Edamaruku, Shakeel Rehman, Shelley Segal, Siyavash Shahabi, Sohail (Reason on Faith), Stephen Evans, Taha Siddiqui, Veedu Vidz, Victoria Gugenheim, Wissam Charafeddine, Yasmine Elbaramawy, Zanyar Hesami and Zara Kay. To see full list of contributor biographies, click here.
In the auditorium, posters of dissidents past including Galileo were interspersed with people currently facing persecution for blasphemy and apostasy reminding all that the fight for reason and freedom of expression reaches back into the past and will continue in the future.
Arnfinn Petersen, a Senior Advisor of the Norwegian Humanist Association and co-organiser of the event said: ‘Spending a weekend with so many people who have fought so hard for their right to be themselves, often at the price of terrible suffering, has been both humbling, sad and deeply inspiring. And it has been a reminder that even the most basic of human rights are denied to many who wish nothing more than a life free from the shackles of religious dogma and traditions. But first and foremost, it was a celebration. A celebration of free thought and of the freedom of the human spirit. A celebration of dissent.’
Journalist Khadija Khan said: ‘Dissent is a rejection of religious dogma in all of its forms. Let’s celebrate it.’ Podcaster Mouhammad El Jabbari added: ‘No matter what your past was made of, you can always choose to build your future in a positive way!’
MCed by Fariborz Pooya, Veedu Vidz and Zara Kay, the conference was sponsored by Center for Inquiry, Civita, Freedom from Religion Foundation, Fritt Ord, Norwegian Humanist Association, Norwegian Humanist Association Akershus, Norwegian Humanist Association Oslo and National Secular Society.
Commenting on the landmark event, National Secular Society chief executive Stephen Evans said: ‘Dissent is vital for progress. Challenges to dogmas have paved the way for freer, fairer, secular societies. Ex-Muslims are at the sharp end of the ongoing fight for individual rights and freedoms. Their testimonies need to be heard, and their dissent celebrated.’
See Coverage of the Event here.
#CDOslo2024