Sharia law is discriminatory and unjust, particularly against women and children. Sharia courts in Britain are a quick and cheap route to injustice and do nothing to promote minority rights and social cohesion. Their voluntary nature is a sham as many women will be pressured into going to these courts and abiding by their decisions. Those who fail to make use of Sharia law or seek to opt out will be made to feel guilty and can be treated as apostates and outcasts.

Read the declaration (PDF)

Updated 15 July 2011

Hamed Abdel-Samad, Political Scientist and Author, Germany/Egypt

Boaz Adhengo, Humanist and Ethical Union of Kenya, Kenya

Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Coordinator, Stop Child Executions Campaign, Canada

Mina Ahadi, Spokesperson, Council of Ex-Muslims of Germany; Coordinator, International Committee against Stoning, Germany

Sargul Ahmad, Activist, Women’s Liberation in Iraq, Canada

Ahlam Akram, Executive Committee member of the Arab Jewish Forum and Joint Action for Israeli Palestinian Peace, UK

AronRa, Magic Sandwich Show, USA

Atheist Society of India, India

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Writer, USA

Mahin Alipour, Coordinator, Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran, Sweden

Homa Arjomand, Coordinator, International Campaign against Sharia Courts in Canada, Canada

Farideh Arman, Coordinator, International Campaign in Defence of Women’s Rights in Iran, Sweden

Abdullah Asadi, Executive Director, International Federation of Iranian Refugees, Sweden

Mohammad Asangaran, Political activist, Germany

Dan Barker, Co-President of Freedom from Religion Foundation, USA

Stuart Bechman, former president of Atheist Alliance International, USA

Djemila Benhabib, author of Ma vie à contre-coran, France

Ophelia Benson, Editor, Butterflies and Wheels, USA

Julie Bindel, Writer and co-founder of Justice for Women, UK

Susan Blackmore, Psychologist, UK

Nazanin Borumand, Never Forget Hatun Campaign against Honour Killings, Germany

Helle Merete Brix, Journalist and Writer, Denmark

Roy Brown, Past President, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Switzerland

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Writer and founding member of British Muslims for Secular Democracy, UK

Ed Buckner, President, American Atheists, USA

Marino Busdachin, General Secretary, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, Netherlands

Canadians in Support of Afghan Women, Canada

Center for Inquiry, USA

Laura Cima, Laboratorio politico di Torino, Italy

Gilbert Corniglion, Drummondville, QC, Canada

Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, UK

Council of Ex-Muslims of Germany, Germany

Council of Ex-Muslims of Scandinavia, Sweden

Caroline Cox, Peer, House of Lords, UK

Austin Dacey, Representative to the United Nations, Center for Inquiry-International, USA

Shahla Daneshfar, Central Committee Member, Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran, UK

Nonie Darwish, Egyptian-American activist, USA

Richard Dawkins, Scientist, UK

Patty Debonitas, Spokesperson Iran Solidarity, UK

Deeyah, Singer and composer, USA

Nick Doody, Comedian, UK

Sonja Eggerickx, President, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Belgium

Afshin Ellian, Professor, Leiden University Faculty of Law, Netherlands

Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran, Sweden

European Humanist Federation, Belgium

Tarek Fatah, Author, Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State, Canada

Ahmed Fatemi, Public Relations, International Commitee Against Executions, Sweden

Caroline Fourest, Writer, France

Lone Frank, Author and Science Journalist, Denmark

Lilian Halls French, European Feminist Initiative President, France

Laura Guidetti, Marea Association, Italy

Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association, UK

Jaya Gopal, Founder Chairman, Atheist Society of India and Scientific Student Federation, India

Tahir Aslam Gora, Writer and journalist, Canada

AC Grayling, Writer and Philosopher, London, UK

Rahila Gupta, Activist, London, UK

Maria Hagberg, Chair, Network against Honour-Related Violence, Gothenburg, Sweden

Johann Hari, Journalist, London, UK

Rumy Hassan, University of Sussex, UK

Christopher Hitchens, Author, USA

Farshad Hoseini, Activist, International Campaign against Executions, Netherlands

Humanist and Ethical Union of Kenya, Kenya

Hameeda Hossain, women’s rights activist, Bangladesh

Khayal Ibrahim, Coordinator, Organization of Women’s Liberation in Iraq; Arabic Anchor for Secular TV, Canada

International Committee against Executions, Netherlands

International Committee against Stoning, Germany

International Humanist and Ethical Union, UK

Iranian Secular Society, UK

Shakeb Isaar, Singer, Sweden

Maryam Jamel, Activist, Women’s Liberation in Iraq, Canada

Keyvan Javid, Director, New Channel TV, London, UK

Alan Johnson, Editor, Democratiya.com, Lancashire, UK

Darren Johnson, Green Party Member, London Assembly, UK

DPR Jones, Magic Sandwich Show, USA

Mehul Kamdar, Former editor of The Modern Rationalist, USA

Asqar Karimi, Central Committee Member, Worker-communist Party of Iran, London, UK

Naser Khader, Founder, Association of Democratic Muslims, Denmark

Gina Khan, Activist, Birmingham, UK

Mehboob Khan, Labour Councillor for Greenhead Ward, Kirklees Council, UK

Paula Kirby, Writer, UK

Ruth Kithei and Teresia Naomi, Kenya Association of Humanists in Aid of Women Atheists, Kenya

Hope Knutsson, Chair, Sidmennt, Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association, Iceland

Hartmut Krauss, Editor, Hintergrund, Germany

LAIQUES – Région PACA, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France

Stephen Law, Editor, Royal Institute of Philosophy journal, London, UK

Lawyers’ Secular Society, London, UK

Catherine Lefèvre, women’s rights activist, France

Bev LeFrancois, Member of Women of Halton Action Movement and Canadians in Support of Afghan Women, Canada

Derek Lennard, Chariperson, Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association, UK

Anne-marie Lizin, Honorary Spokesperson of the Belgian Senate and Coordinator of the Association against Honour Crimes and Forced Marriages (Belgium)

Marieme Hélie-Lucas, Algerian sociologist and founder of the international solidarity network, Women Living Under Muslim laws, France

Shiva Mahbobi, Producer, Against Discrimination TV Programme, London, UK

Houzan Mahmoud, Abroad Representative, Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, London, UK

Azar Majedi, President, Organisation for Women’s Liberation; Executive Committee Member of Worker-communism Unity Party, London, UK

Doreen Massey, Peer, House of Lords, London, UK

Khalim Massoud, President, Muslims Against Sharia, Washington, DC, USA

Anthony McIntyre, Writer, Ireland

Caspar Melville, Editor, New Humanist magazine, London, UK

Bahar Milani, Activist, Children First Now and Iran Solidarity, London, UK

Navid Minay, General Secretary, Communist Youth Organization, Gothenburg, Sweden

Tauriq Moosa, Writer, Capetown, South Africa

Beatrice Monroy, Poet, Italy

Reza Moradi, Producer, Fitna Remade, London, UK

Douglas Murray, Director, Centre for Social Cohesion, London, UK

PZ Myers, American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris and author of the science blog Pharyngula, USA

Maryam Namazie, Campaigner, UK

Taslima Nasrin, Writer and Activist, Bangladesh

National Secular Society, UK

Never Forget Hatun Campaign against Honour Killings, Germany

NiceOnes UK (NOUK), UK

David Nicholls, President of the Atheist Foundation of Australia, Australia

Samir Noory, Writer and Secular TV Manager, Canada

Cyrus and Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, Filmmakers, Stoning of Soraya M, USA

David Pollock, President of the European Humanist Federation, UK

Fariborz Pooya, Founder, Iranian Secular Society, UK

Claire Rayner, late Vice-President, British Humanist Association, UK

Carla Revere, Barrister and Chairperson of the Lawyers’ Secular Society, UK

Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, Pakistan

Fahimeh Sadeghi, Coordinator, International Federation of Iranian Refugees-Vancouver, Canada

Gita Sahgal, Campaigner, UK

Terry Sanderson, President, National Secular Society, UK

Nina Sankari, President of the European Feminist Initiative, Poland

Michael Schmidt-Salomon, Chief Executive Officer, Giordano Bruno Foundation, Germany

Udo Schuklenk, Philosophy professor, Queen’s University, Canada

Scientific Student Federation, India

Siba Shakib, Iranian/German Film-maker and activist, USA

Sohaila Sharifi, Editor, Unveiled, UK

Issam Shukri, Head, Defense of Secularism and Civil Rights in Iraq; Central Committee Secretary, Left Worker-communist Party of Iraq, Iraq

Joan Smith, Writer and activist, UK

Tanya Smith, President of Atheist Alliance International, France

Bahram Soroush, Founding member, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, UK

Southall Black Sisters, UK

Annie Sugier, President, Ligue du Droit International des Femmes, France

Peter Tatchell, Campaigner, UK

Hamid Taqvaee, Central Committee Secretary, Worker-communist Party of Iran

Silvia Torneri and Tiziana Dal Pra of the Association Trama di Terre, Imola, Bologna, Italy

Polly Toynbee, Writer, UK

Union des Familles Laïques – section Arles-Istres, France

Union des Familles Laïques – section Marseille-Aix-en-Provence, France

Afsaneh Vahdat, Coordinator, Council of Ex-Muslims of Sweden, Sweden

Michèle Vianès, President of Regards de Femmes, France

Lars Vilks, Artist, Sweden

Karin Vogelpohl, Pedagogue, Germany

Women of Halton Action Movement, Canada

Ibn Warraq, Writer, USA

Anne Marie Waters, Lawyer and Campaigner, UK

Women Against Fundamentalism, UK

Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director, National Secular Society, UK

Babak Yazdi, Head of Khavaran, Canada

Marvin F. Zayed, President, International Committee to Protect Freethinkers, Canada

Eduardo Robredo Zugasti, Tercera Cultura, Spain