| July 1, 2008 |
Faith schools are bad for children Cristina Odone’s report on faith schools published by the Centre for Policy Studies misses the point. The point of is not that faith schools have discriminatory admission codes and employment practices, cream-skim pupils, or turn away children in care although they do. Rather, what makes faith schools fundamentally bad for children is that they are more concerned with the inclusion of religion – the religion of the child’s parents – than the inclusion, wellbeing and educational needs of the child. According to Ms. Odone, Islamic schools are crucial to the emancipation of girls because they give parents the confidence to... Filed as: Press Releases |
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| June 22, 2008 |
We need your help Dear friends The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain was one year old on June 21. [We are asking members and supporters to join executive committee members for drinks to celebrate our anniversary in central London on 5th July 2008 from 2pm onwards. For more details, please RSVP by emailing us.] For many, this will come as a surprise given the organisation’s importance and the scope of its activities so far. In the short time since the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain was launched in June 2007, it has achieved much with volunteers alone. Some of the highlights are: We currently... Filed as: Press Releases |
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| May 20, 2008 |
Reza Moradi, a member of CEMB’s Executive Committee, has produced Fitna Remade in response to Geert Wilders Fitna, the Movie You can see it here. To see commentaries of ex-Muslims and others and Fariborz Pooya's interview with Maryam Namazie and Bahram Soroush on the original movie on Iranian Secular Society TV, click here. You can read the transcript of the programme here. Filed as: Press Releases |
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| May 20, 2008 |
An Update on Fitna Remade, important events and a call for help, from CEMB Executive Committee Members Hello Here is an update for you on some important matters and upcoming events: On Fitna Remade Reza Moradi, a member of CEMB’s Executive Committee, has just produced Fitna Remade in response to Geert Wilders film, Fitna. You can see Reza’s remake here. To see commentaries and Fariborz Pooya’s interview with Maryam Namazie and Bahram Soroush on the original movie on Iranian Secular Society TV, click here. You can read the transcript of the programme here. Events – Hold these dates One year anniversary celebration: We are asking members and supporters to join CEMB executive committee members for drinks to... Filed as: Press Releases |
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| March 3, 2008 |  |
The CEMB gives me hope, letter from Maryam Namazie Hello I should have written sooner but we have been inundated with emails and calls from ex-Muslims, supporters and others. Here are just a few we have received: Ali says: ‘I’m a closet apostate of Islam… Hearing of your movement gives me hope.’ Amal says ‘…it’s about time we ex-Muslims came together and had our voices heard.’ And they are not only joining from Britain but from Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait… Imran from Saudi Arabia says: ‘I don’t find the words to express my joyful feelings about the council… today by chance, luckily I found the council. I saw the... Filed as: Press Releases |
| February 11, 2008 |
There is no place for sharia in Britain The Council of ex-Muslims of Britain condemns the comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury suggesting that Sharia law is ‘inevitable’ and may be welcome in civil cases. The distinction that he makes between civil and criminal cases does not exist within Sharia law. Sharia law encompasses all aspects of the life of those deemed Muslim. Suggesting that the UK would not, of course, allow the more barbaric aspects of Sharia law, such as amputation or stoning, ignores the fact that it is the family/civil areas of law in the Sharia that are some of the most iniquitous. In the... Filed as: Press Releases |
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| December 4, 2007 |
Taslima Nasreen’s freedom to speak and write must be protected The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain condemns the attacks by the political Islamic movement on Taslima Nasreen in Kolkata, and calls for the vigorous prosecution of those who led the assault and threatened to kill her. It is in the context of sustained death-threats and a campaign to cancel her visa, that Ms Nasreen has now withdrawn two pages from her book, Shodh. We further condemn the government in Bengal for responding to the Islamist mob’s demands by pressurising her to leave her adopted home in Kolkata, and we call on the Indian government to support her return to Bengal... Filed as: Press Releases |
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| December 1, 2007 |
Gillian Gibbons must be released today The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain calls on the British government to demand the immediate release of school teacher Gillian Gibbons. Her arrest, trial, conviction, and imprisonment in Khartoum, Sudan, for insulting Islam because she allowed her class to name a teddy bear ‘Muhammad’ reveals the inhumane nature of Shariah or Islamic Law and its incompatibility with civil rights and 21st century values. The CEMB notes that Islamic organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain find the events in Sudan ’embarrassing’ – as indeed all supporters of the Shariah should. But they do so on the grounds that no... Filed as: Press Releases |
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| October 23, 2007 |
On Trade Unions and Islamic organisations This Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain statement is regarding the April 2007 joint seminar by the Trade Union Congress and the Muslim Council of Britain entitled Trade Unions and the Muslim Community: Few of the ordinary people who are identified in Britain as ‘Muslim’ are represented by the Muslim Council of Britain; they are in fact secular and want religion and the state to be kept separate. For British Trade Unions – that have an outstanding record of fighting for justice and fairness, defending free speech, fighting for workers’ right and defeating the Far Right – to engage with and... Filed as: Press Releases |
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| October 22, 2007 |
One law for all The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain notes with concern the Islamist campaign to give legal weight to Sharia law within British law. The campaign seeks to influence family and legal practitioners into dealing with particularly children of Muslim parents in accordance with Sharia law. Universal principles and laws must apply to all, and practitioners must understand that no section of the population should come under the jurisdiction of religious laws under the guise of multiculturalism and legal pluralism. It is discriminatory and unfair to have different and separate standards and norms for ‘different’ people. Children in particular must be given... Filed as: Press Releases |