We, the undersigned, are appalled at the discrimination, abuse and violence faced by ex-Muslims both in Britain and internationally (as seen in a new film, Islam’s Non-Believers [1]).

Needless to say, it is not an insult to Islam or any religion, if one becomes an atheist – either in public or private. It is exercising a fundamental right to freedom of conscience.

Moreover, criticism of religion, including Islam, is not “Islamophobia” but exercising a fundamental right to freedom of expression.

Those who “punish” or forcibly prevent freedom of conscience and expression are the ones who commit a crime – not those exercising their basic human right.

It is high time that human rights and “progressive” organisations stop legitimising de-facto or de-jure blasphemy and apostasy laws and start defending, not blaming, Islamism’s victims.

A fight on several fronts, including against the religious-Right, racism and xenophobia and in defence of secularism and universal citizenship rights, is the way forward.

SIGNATORIES

Marieme Helie Lucas, Algerian Sociologist and Founder of Secularism is a Women’s Issue

Pierre Rousset, Europe solidaire sans frontières

Afsaneh Vahdat, Women’s Rights Activist

Albert Beale, Pacifist Activist

Alice Carr, President of Progressive Atheists

Aline Ferrieux, Ceramist

Anthony McIntyre, Irish Writer

Arièle Nugon, NPA Marseille

Arifur Rahman, Bangladeshi Blogger and Secular Activist

Ascari Annie, Professor

Atheist Ireland

Baud Janine, Professeur retraité

Beatrix Campbell, Writer

Behzad Varpushty, Human Rights Activist

Bienvenu Colette

Boyan Dichev

Bread and Roses TV

Catherine Samary, French and internationalist activist against Islamophobia and integrist currents

Cedetim (France)

Centre for Secular Space

Chiron Hélène

Christian Mahieux, syndicaliste, Union syndicale Solidaires, Réseau syndical international de solidarité et de luttes

Cinzia Sciuto, Editor of MicroMega

Corinne Boyer, Translator

Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain

Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Co-Presidents of Freedom From Religion Foundation

Daniel Fitzgerald, Activist

Daniel Guerrier, agnostique, pour une laïcité sans frontières

Dario Picciau, Director, Artist, and co-President of EveryOne Group

David Dugdale, Retired Scientist

David Hurlbut, Retired IT Engineer

David Rand, Président of Libres penseurs athées — Atheist Freethinkers

Dean Procter, intellectual, anarchist & secularist

Delerue Jean-Etienne, retraité

Dilip Simeon, Labour Historian and Chairperson of the Aman Trust

Djemila Benhabib, Writer

Eddy Petrisor, Humanist

Elizabeth Cox, Former UN Women Director

Elizabeth Mansfield

Enrique Aguirre Fernández de la Reguera, Painter

Equal Rights Now

Europe solidaire sans frontières

Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, Iraqi Writer and Human Rights Activist

Faizun Zackariya, Co-Founder of Muslim Women’s Research and Action Front

Fatou Sow, Women Living Under Muslims Laws International Director

Fitnah – Movement for Women’s Liberation

Francine Bavay, France

Françoise Svagelski, Professor of Philosophy

Gérard Gueniffey T Nazaire, militant antiraciste

Gilbert Corniglion

Gilles Lemaire, écologiste altermondialiste

Glenys Robinson, Author and co-President of EveryOne Group

Gona Saed, Overseas Director of Kurdistan Secular Centre

Harsh Kapoor, South Asia Citizens Web

Hassan Radwan, Agnostic Muslim Khutbahs blog

Houzan Mahmoud, Cofounder of Culture Project

Ibn Warraq, Writer

Iran Solidarity

Jacqueline Heinen, Sociologist

Jaleh Tavakoli, Blogger and Free Iran Denmark

James Booth. Retired Academic specialising in postcolonial literature

Javed Anand, General Secretary of Muslims for Secular Democracy, Founding member of Citizens for Peace and Justice and Co-editor of Communalism Combat

Jean Boucher, NPA France

Jeanne Favret Saada, Director d’Etudes honoraire at Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes

Jean-Philippe Divès, Editor of l’Anticapitaliste monthly journal (New Anticapitalist Party, NPA, France)

Jesus & Mo Author

Jesús Mª Puente González, Professor

John A Edwards, Solihull, Retired teacher and currently Treasurer of Birmingham Humanists

John Price, Retired English Teacher

Josette Trat, militante féministe et de la gauche radicale

Josu Ugarte Gastaminza, Former Director of Bakeaz

Julie Begum, Chair of Swadhinata Trust

Julie Bindel, Writer

Karim Shahmohammadi, Children First Now

Karrar Al Asfoor , Rights Activist and Admin of Humanitarian Dialogue Forum

Kate Smurthwaite, Comedian and Activist

Katha Pollitt, Feminist Poet, Essayist and Critic

Lalia Ducos, présidente of Women’s Initiative for Citizenship and Universal Rights

Laura Guidetti, President of Marea Italian Feminist Magazine

Lawrence Krauss, American Theoretical Physicist and Cosmologist

Leo Igwe, Nigerian Humanist Movement

Léon Crémieux, NPA France and Retired Aeronautical Technician

Lino Veljak, Head of Philosophy department at Zagreb University

Lisa J Whelan, Writer

Marco DeRossi

Marianne Ligou, NPA Pau France

Marina Strinkovsky, Feminist Writer and Campaigner

Marine Benjelloun, NPA

Mark Almond, Activist

Martín Alonso Zarza, Sociologist

Mary Devery, Human Rights Activist

Maryam Namazie, Iranian-born Spokesperson of Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and One Law for All

Michael Nugent, Chairperson of Atheist Ireland

Mina Ahadi, Founder of Council of Ex-Muslims of Germany

Mohamed Mahmoud, Director of Centre for Critical Studies of Religion
Mohammed Alkhadra, Jordanian Activist

Mohsen Bahadori Birgani, Ex-Muslim Activist

Monica Lanfranco, Journalist

Muriel Seltman, Writer

Muslimish

Nadia El Fani, Tunisian-French Filmmaker

National Secular Society

Nazanin Borumand, Council of Ex-Muslim of Germany

Nina Sankari, Kazimierz Lyszczynski Foundation

Nira Yuval-Davis, Director of Centre for Research on Migration, Refugees and Belonging at The University of East London

One Law for All

Onur Romano, President of Atheist Alliance International

Ophelia Benson, Writer

Paolo Flores d’Arcais, Director of MicroMega

Patrick Lescure

Paul Butler, Research Scientist at Bangor University

Peter Tatchell, Human Rights Campaigner

Pierre A Renaud, Atheist Freethinkers

Pierre Marchand, Professor

Pierre Vandevoorde, NPA Normandy France

Piers Sergei Walker, Retired (previously employed by The Union Of Shop Distributive and Allied Workers)

Porotagora

Pragna Patel, Director of Southall Black Sisters

Raheel Raza, President of Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow and Founding Member of Muslim Reform Movement

Raymond Hename, Secularist

Rebecca Taylor

Rina Nissim, Espace Femmes International

Roberto Malini, Poet Laureate and co-President of EveryOne Group

Roger Dinsdale, Advocate for secularism and atheism

Rosangela Gramoni, Women’s Rights Activist

Roseline Vachetta, France, former Member of the European Parliament

Rumana Hashem, Political Sociologist and Founder of Community Women’s Blog

Russell Blackford, University of Newcastle

Russell Webb

Sadia Hameed, Spokesperson of Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain

Sally Armstrong, Writer

Samy Johsua, France, professeur émérite Université Aix-Marseille

Sanal Edamaruku, Founder and President of Rationalist International

Sarah Ager, Curator of Interfaith Ramadan

Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Writer at Conatus News

Secularism is a Women’s Issue

Sonny Azhakesan

Sophie Thorpe

Southall Black Sisters

Stasa Zajovic, Founder of Women In Black Belgrade

Stephen Cowden, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Coventry University

Stephen Evans, Campaigns Director of the National Secular Society

Steven Pinker, Cognitive Scientist, Psychologist, Linguist and Author

Sue Cox, Co-founder of Survivors Voice Europe

Sultana Kamal, Bangladeshi Lawyer, Human Rights Activist and Executive Director of Ain o Salish Kendra

Terri Murray, Author, Educator, blogger and Academic Theologian

Victor Dooley

Wissam Charafeddine, Muslimish Executive Board

Women in Black Belgrade

Women’s Initiative for Citizenship and Universal Rights

Yasmin Rehman, Women’s Rights Campaigner

Yasmine, Confessions of an ExMuslim

Yolanda Rouiller, Philologist

Zelda Bailey, Secularist, Humanist, Feminist

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TO SIGN THE PETITION, ADD YOUR NAME, TITLE OR ORGANISATION – IF ANY – IN THE COMMENT SECTION AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ADDED. GO TO:

http://ex-muslim.org.uk/2016/11/defend-islams-non-believers/

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