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 December 16, 2009

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, Köln, Germany

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

Atheist Society of India, India

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Writer, Washington, DC, USA

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

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

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

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

Mohammad Asangaran, Political activist, Köln, Germany

Ophelia Benson, Editor, Butterflies and Wheels, USA

Susan Blackmore, Psychologist, UK

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

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

Ed Buckner, President, American Atheists, USA

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

Canadians in Support of Afghan Women

Center for Inquiry, USA

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, London, 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, London, UK

Richard Dawkins, Scientist, Oxford, UK

Patty Debonitas, TV Producer, Third Camp against US Militarism and Islamic Terrorism, London, 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, Leiden, 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, Toronto, Canada

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

Caroline Fourest, Writer, France

Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA)

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

Christopher Hitchens, Author, USA

Farshad Hoseini, Activist, International Campaign against Executions, Netherlands

Humanist and Ethical Union of Kenya, Kenya

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

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

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

Derek Lennard, Chariperson, Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA)

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

Reza Moradi, Producer, Fitna Remade, London, UK

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

Maryam Namazie, Campaigner, London, UK

Taslima Nasrin, Writer and activist

National Secular Society, London, UK

Never Forget Hatun Campaign against Honour Killings, Germany

Samir Noory, Writer; Secular TV Manager, Canada

David Pollock, President, the European Humanist Federation, London, UK

Fariborz Pooya, Founder, Iranian Secular Society, London, UK

Claire Rayner, Vice-President, British Humanist Association, London

Carla Revere, Barrister; Chairperson, Lawyers’ Secular Society, London, UK

Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, Pakistan

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

Terry Sanderson, President, National Secular Society, London, UK

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, New York

Sohaila Sharifi, Editor, Unveiled, London, 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, London, UK

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

Southall Black Sisters, London, UK

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

Peter Tatchell, Activist, London, UK

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

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, Stockholm, Sweden

Lars Vilks, Artist, Sweden

Karin Vogelpohl, Pedagogue, Germany

Women of Halton Action Movement, Canada

Ibn Warraq, Writer

Women Against Fundamentalism, London, UK

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

Babak Yazdi, Head of Khavaran, Toronto, Canada

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

Eduardo Robredo Zugasti, Tercera Cultura, Spain