As well as discussions on multiculturalism and its pitfalls, the challenges for ex-Muslims and apostates both within and outside of Europe, and the experiences of ex-Muslims here in Britain; the urgent cases of Pakistani Asia Bibi – who has received a death sentence for blasphemy, Palestinian Waleed Al-Husseini – arrested for criticising Islam, and campaigners in Iran charged with ‘enmity against God’, were highlighted.  The conference unanimously demanded their unconditional and immediate release.  The day also featured an address by Mina Ahadi, Chair of the Central Council of Ex-Muslims of Germany.

Rounding off the event was a play ‘Masculine Law’ by Ghazi Rabihavi which demonstrated the Sharia laws that subjugate women and endanger the welfare of children.

Speakers included John Adams (Emeritus Professor at the University of Hertfordshire), Mina Ahadi (Spokesperson of the International Committee against Stoning and Council of Ex-Muslims of Germany), Roy Brown (International Representative of International Humanist and Ethical Union), Nick Doody (Comedian), Goranka Gudelj (Outreach Coordinator of One Law for All), Rumy Hassan (Senior Lecturer at the Science Policy Research Unit of the University of Sussex and Author of Multiculturalism: Some Inconvenient Truths), Marieme Helie Lucas (Algerian Sociologist and Founder of Women Living Under Muslims Laws and Secularism is a Women’s Issue), Maryam Namazie (Spokesperson of One Law for All, Iran Solidarity and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain), Hassan Radwan (Teacher at an Islamia school for 15 years and presently Management Committee Member of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain), Gita Sahgal (Women’s Rights Campaigner; former head of Amnesty International’s Gender Unit suspended for questioning AI’s relations with an Islamist organisation), Keith Porteous Wood (Executive Director of the National Secular Society), Muriel Seltman (Campaigner of One Law for All), Alom Shaha (Science Teacher, Writer and Film Maker), Joan Smith (Writer, Columnist and Women’s Rights Campaigner), Bahram Soroush (Human Rights Campaigner), Peter Tatchell (Human Rights Campaigner) and Anne Marie Waters (Spokesperson of One Law for All).

The conference was co-sponsored by the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Iran Solidarity, National Secular Society and South Place Ethical Society and was dedicated to Iran stoning case Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.

Video from the event

You can find coverage of the event in Newsline.

7 September 2010

One Law for All is adding its support to Protest the Pope. Spokesperson, Maryam Namazie, will be speaking at the 18 September march and rally beginning at Hyde Park Corner at 1.30pm http://www.protest-the-pope.org.uk/

One Law for All’s opposition to Sharia courts and religion’s adverse role in public life necessitates a criticism of the Pope and Vatican.  Whilst the Pope is free to travel to meet his supporters, he cannot be free from criticism, particularly given that his visit is a state one and because of his and the Vatican’s regressive. Amongst other things, the Pope and Vatican are opposed to equal rights for women and homosexuals as well as condom distribution to AIDS-ravaged societies in Africa. They have refused to address many thousands of cases of child sex abuse and torture, deliberately perverting the course of justice in these cases, and moving predatory priests from location to location giving them the opportunity to re-offend. Moreover, the Vatican encourages the de-secularisation of societies around the world, attempting to directly influence law-makers and impose religious dogma, whilst offering a direct and powerful endorsement of other non-secular and medieval laws, including Sharia.

Public funds must not be used for the Pope’s estimated £20 million visit to spread his homophobia, misogyny and inhumanity.  This is nothing short of scandalous when his visit comes at a time when public spending and wages are being cut or frozen so dramatically.

The Pope and Vatican represent a threat to secularism and human rights worldwide. One Law for All urges its supporters to join the 18 September protest against religious bigotry and in defence of equality, universal rights and secularism.

8/7/10

 Dear Sir/Madam

 The One Law for All Campaign was launched on 10 December 2008, International Human Rights Day, to call on the UK Government to recognise that Sharia and religious courts are arbitrary and discriminatory against women and children in particular and that citizenship and human rights are non-negotiable. The Campaign aims to end Sharia and all religious courts on the basis that they work against, and not for, equality and human rights.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    AS you may be aware, on Sunday 20th June 2010 One Law For All held a Rally opposite Downing Street opposing Sharia law and religious laws in favour of all citizens being treated equally, and secular separation of religion and state (the best proven guarantee of religious pluralism). A counter demonstration was organised by a group calling themselves Muslims Against Crusades (MAC), who declared that one day Britain would be governed wholly by Sharia law. 

Some members of the English Defence League (EDL) attempted to hold their own rally in response to the presence of MAC, but were arrested for not having permission to assemble.

During the rally, a large group of teenage boys carrying Unite Against Fascism (UAF) placards marched past Downing Street escorted by the police. We understand they marched from the UAF event in Whitechapel. When they reached the MAC they joined the chants of ‘Allahu Akbar!’.

I’m writing to invite you to clarify Unite Against Fascism’s position on Sharia law. 

I look forward to a response.

Adam Barnett
Research Coordinator
One Law for All
BM Box 2387
London WC1N 3XX, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 7719166731
onelawforall@gmail.com
www.onelawforall.org.uk

17 June 2010

New Report by One Law for All

“Sharia Law in Britain: A Threat to One Law for All and Equal Rights”

A new report by One Law for All has found Sharia Councils and Muslim Arbitration Tribunals to be in violation of UK law, public policy and human rights (see report here).

The report is being launched to coincide with a 20 June 2010 rally on the issue of Sharia law.

Based on an 8 March 2010 Seminar on Sharia Law, research, interviews, and One Law for All case files, the report has identified a number of problem areas:

- Sharia law’s civil code is arbitrary and discriminatory against women and children in particular. With the rise in the acceptance of Sharia courts, discrimination is being further institutionalised with some UK law firms additionally offering clients advice on Sharia law and the use of collaborative law.

- Sharia law is practiced in Britain primarily by Sharia Councils and Muslims Arbitration Tribunals. Both operate on religious principles and are harmful to women although Muslim Arbitration Tribunals are wrongly regarded as being of more concern because they operate as tribunals under the Arbitration Act 1996, making their rulings binding in law.

- Sharia Councils, on the other hand, claim to mediate on family issues but in practice often this differs little from arbitration: they frequently ask those appearing before them to sign an agreement to abide by their decisions; they call themselves courts, and the presiding imams, judges. Their decisions are then imposed and regarded as having the weight of legal judgements.

- There is neither control over the appointment of “judges” in Sharia Councils or Tribunals nor an independent mechanism for monitoring them. Clients often do not have access to legal advice and representation. The proceedings are not recorded, nor are there any searchable legal judgements, nor any real right of appeal.

- Sharia law cannot be compared to secular legal systems because it is considered sacred law that cannot be challenged. There is no scope to look at the interests of the individuals involved, as required by UK family law.

- These legal processes ignore both common law and due process, far less Human Rights, and provide little protection and safety for women in violent situations.

- There is a general assumption that those who attend Sharia courts do so voluntarily and that unfair decisions can be challenged in a British court. Many of the principles of Sharia law are contrary to British law and public policy, and would in theory therefore be unlikely to be upheld in a British court. In reality, however, women are often pressured by their families into going to these courts and adhering to unfair decisions, and may lack knowledge of English and their rights under British law. Moreover, refusal to settle a dispute in a Sharia court can give rise to threats and intimidation, or at best being ostracised.

According to Maryam Namazie, spokesperson of the One Law for All Campaign and an author of the report, “The existence of a parallel legal system that is denying a large section of the British population their fundamental human rights is scandalous. Our findings show that it is essential to abolish all religious courts in the UK. Their very existence and legitimisation puts pressure on vulnerable women not to assert their civil rights in a British court. As long as Sharia Councils and Tribunals are allowed to continue to make rulings on issues of family law, women will be pressured into accepting decisions which are prejudicial to them and their children.”

The report recommends that Sharia courts be closed on the grounds that they work against rather than for equality, and are incompatible with human rights. Recommendations include:

1. initiating a Human Rights challenge to Muslim Arbitration Tribunals and/or Sharia Councils
2. amending the Arbitration Act under which the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals operate in a similar way to which the Canadian equivalent of the Arbitration Act was amended in 2005 to exclude religious arbitration
3. launching a major and nationwide helpline and information campaign to inform people of their rights under British law
4. proposing legislation under the EU Citizens Rights Initiative to address the issue EU-wide, and
5. strengthening secularism and the separation of religion from the state, the judicial system and education, in order to more fully protect citizenship rights.

The full report can be downloaded here.

Notes:

1. The report can be downloaded free of charge or a paperback copy purchased from One Law for All for £5.00 plus £2.00 Shipping and Handling. To purchase the book or donate to the work of One Law for All, please either send a cheque to our address below or pay via Paypal by visiting: Donate Page.

2. The One Law for All Campaign was launched on 10 December 2008, International Human Rights Day, to call on the UK Government to recognise that Sharia and religious courts are arbitrary and discriminatory against women and children in particular and that citizenship and human rights are non-negotiable.

3. For further information contact:

Maryam Namazie
Spokesperson
One Law for All
BM Box 2387
London WC1N 3XX, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 7719166731
onelawforall@gmail.com
www.onelawforall.org.uk

Download report here

Join us for a Rally organised by One Law for All against Sharia and religious laws and for secularism and universal rights

Where: At Trafalgar Square’s Northern Terrace, London (closest underground Charing Cross and Leicester Square)

When: 14:00-16:00 hours

Then join us for a March organised by Iran Solidarity to show solidarity with people in Iran who are at the forefront of battling Sharia law and political Islam

Where: From Trafalgar Square to the embassy of the Islamic regime of Iran in Knightsbridge, London

When: 16:00-17:00 hours

The march will end with a group act of solidarity with the people of Iran.

One Law for All and Iran Solidarity call on people everywhere to join the 20 June protest in London or to organise rallies or acts of solidarity in various cities across the globe to mark the day when 27-year-old Neda Agha-Soltan was shot dead by the Islamic regime of Iran’s security forces at a protest in Tehran. Her demand for freedom in the face of all-out repression has made her a symbol of people everywhere.

According to Spokesperson Maryam Namazie, ‘It is very apt for us to remember Neda in our battle for equal rights in Britain or wherever we happen to live. Neda’s murder by the Islamic regime in Iran and Sharia law in Britain are intrinsically linked; both are the result of the rise of the political Islamic movement of which the Islamic regime of Iran is a cornerstone. In fact Sharia law in Britain came into being in the late 80s after the establishment of the Islamic regime of Iran. Clearly, the fight for a different and secular society in Britain is intrinsically linked to the fight for a different and secular one in Iran.’

On 20 June, One Law for All will also be releasing a new report on Sharia law in Britain to coincide with the event.

Join us!

A vast majority of people across the globe have had enough with medievalism and brutality and demand universal freedoms and equal rights irrespective of where they were born or live.

In the battle that lies ahead each and every one of us must stand up and be counted.

This 20 June is the day for you and I to do so.

Notes:

1. Confirmed speakers and performers at the London rally include: AK47 (Street Poet); Asad Abbas (Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain); R Y Alam (Poet); Adam Barnett (Musician); David Fisher (Singer/ Songwriter); Lilith (Street Poet); Lyrical Agent (Emcee); Rony Miah (Lawyers’ Secular Society); Maryam Namazie (One Law for All and Iran Solidarity); Gerard Phillips (National Secular Society); Naomi Phillips (British Humanist Association); Fariborz Pooya (Iranian Secular Society); Brent Lee Regan (Emcee); Yasmin Rehman (Women’s Rights Campaigner); Gita Sahgal (Activist); Muriel Seltman (Activist); Sohaila Sharifi (Equal Rights Now); Peter Tatchell (Human Rights Campaigner); and others. We will also screen a segment of a major new film for HBO called For Neda by director Anthony Thomas.

2. In Iran over 130 offences are punishable with death under Sharia law including: Sex crimes like adultery and homosexuality; crimes against the state and religion like enmity against God, corruption on earth, apostasy, heresy and blasphemy and acts prohibited under Sharia law such as a third conviction of drinking alcohol, morality crimes like distribution of obscene/pornographic audio-visual materials, public order crimes, and drug-related offences, including for possession. Support the ‘I would be Executed in Iran if I did this…’ Facebook page by clicking that you like it here: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=12&uid=107261949318147#!/pages/I-would-be-executed-in-Iran-if-I-did-this/107261949318147?ref=ts

3. You can also sign up to One Law for All and Iran Solidarity petitions available on our websites http://iransolidarity.org.uk/ and http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/.

4. To donate to the crucial work of our organisation, please either send a cheque to our address below or pay via Paypal by visiting: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/donate/. We need regular support that we can rely on and are asking for supporters to commit to giving at least £5-10 a month via direct debit. You can find out more about how to join the 100 Club at the above link.

One Law for All held a successful seminar on Sharia Law on Monday 8 March 2010 at Conway Hall in London to mark International Women’s Day. The seminar outlined the problems with Sharia Councils and tribunals and proposed recommendations for prohibiting religious courts and bringing about equal rights for all. A report of the seminar’s findings will be published shortly. Moreover, a working group is to be set up to draft an amendment to the Arbitration Act to prohibit religious arbitration in civil matters. The campaign will also look into proposing a European-wide amendment in the coming months. Video footage of the event can be found here:

http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/8-march-2010-seminar-video/

One Law for All’s next events include a June 20 rally against Sharia and religious laws in Trafalgar Square, a September 26 fundraising concert, an art competition, amongst other activities.

JUNE 20 RALLY

Join us on June 20 to break that silence and take a stand against Sharia law and Islamism and in defence of universal rights and secularism. Be there to stand in solidarity with people living under and resisting Sharia law everywhere and demand an end to racism and cultural relativism.

June 20 is particularly poignant because it is the first anniversary of Neda Agha-Soltan’s cold-blooded murder in broad daylight by the Islamic regime of Iran at a protest there. All Neda wanted was freedom. You can find out more about the rally in Trafalgar Square here:

http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/20-june-2010/

26 SEPTEMBER FUNDRAISING CONCERT

Tickets are now available for a two-hour fundraising concert on 26 September 2010 at Conway Hall from 1800pm for 1830pm by top flight international musicians Olivier Pons, violin; Helen Linden, cello; and Folke Graesbeck, piano.

The concert is in aid of the One Law for All Campaign and is a joint venture between the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, the National Secular Society and the International Humanist and Ethical Union.

Tickets: £15 for the first four rows; £12 for the rest of the downstairs seats; £10 for the gallery; £5 students and unwaged.

To buy tickets, either send a cheque made payable to One Law for All or pay via Paypal on our website: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/donate/. Please specify that the cheque or Paypal payment is for concert tickets. Tickets will be mailed out to you within three weeks of receiving your payment. You can also pay at the door, though it will be £1 more per ticket and tickets may have been sold out by then. For more information on the musicians, visit: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/fundraising-concert-26-september-2010/

ART COMPETITION

After a successful 2009 art competition, One Law for All is organising a second edition to expose the discriminatory nature of Sharia and religious-based tribunals and/or promote equal rights for all citizens. For more information and terms and conditions, visit: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/art-competition-2010/

Notes:

To sign on to the One Law for All petition, visit our website: www.onelawforall.org.uk.

To view the latest media coverage of the campaign including in the Guardian and BBC’s The World, click here: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/media-coverage/

To donate to the crucial work of our organisation, please either send a cheque or pay via Paypal by visiting: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/donate/. We need regular support that we can rely on and are asking for supporters to commit to giving at least £5-10 a month via direct debit. You can find out more about how to join the 100 Club at the above link.

If you would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the below.

Maryam Namazie
Spokesperson
One Law for All
BM Box 2387
London WC1N 3XX, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 7719166731
onelawforall@gmail.com
www.onelawforall.org.uk

One Law for All held a successful seminar on Sharia Law on Monday 8 March 2010 at Conway Hall in London to mark International Women’s Day.

The seminar brought together Muslims, ex-Muslims, women’s rights campaigners, lawyers and politicians to outline the problems with Muslim Arbitration Tribunals and Sharia Councils and to propose recommendations for prohibiting religious tribunals and bringing about equal rights for all.

Speakers at the seminar included: Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (British Muslims for Secular Democracy); Yassi Atasheen (One Law for All); Clara Connolly (Women Against Fundamentalism); David Green (Civitas); Denis MacShane (MP); Rony Miah (Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and Lawyers’ Secular Society); Maryam Namazie (One Law for All) and Pragna Patel (Southall Black Sisters).

A One Law for All report taking into consideration the seminar’s findings is to be published shortly.

One Law for All’s next events include an art competition and gallery showing and a June 20 rally against Sharia and religious laws, a September 26 fundraising concert, and a December 11 conference on Sharia law and apostasy, amongst other activities.

As a follow up to our successful Nov 21 rally against Sharia law, we are organising a fundraiser dinner on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 7:00pm at one of London’s finest gastro-pubs. We hope you will be able to join us to enjoy an excellent three-course dinner whilst supporting the One Law for All Campaign and Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.

The dinner’s keynote speaker will be AC Grayling, the renowned philosopher, author, writer, reviewer, and broadcaster.

If you can’t come to the event but would like to and can support us, please send in a donation of £45 to cover the cost of a volunteer(s) to attend. We would also appreciate other donations however small.

If you have any questions about the dinner or would like to reserve tickets, please contact Goranka Gudelj at onelawforall@gmail.com. Given that space is limited, we would appreciate receiving payment as soon as possible and no later than January 1, 2010.

We look forward to seeing you at the event and hope this fundraiser and others like it will help us to raise much needed funds for the important work that lies ahead.

Thank you for your continued support.

Best wishes,
Maryam Namazie
Spokesperson

Notes:

To purchase a ticket(s) at £45.00 per person, you can either post a cheque made payable to One Law for All or CEMB to BM Box 2387, London WC1N 3XX or pay via Paypal: (www.onelawforall.org.uk/donate.html or Worldpay: http://ex-muslim.org.uk/indexDonate.html).

Please note that it is possible to reserve a table for a group.

Once payment has been received, we will send you your ticket(s), along with details of the venue and a menu to choose from.

Jonathan Dimbleby

Chair
Board of Trustees
Index on Censorship
Free Word Centre
60 Farringdon Road
London EC1R 3GA

Dear Mr Dimbleby

We are deeply shocked and disappointed by the decision of Index to censor its own magazine from publishing one of the Danish cartoons to illustrate an article relating to the subject.

We believe this is a betrayal of those who are putting their lives on the line to defend freedom of expression. We should be standing together. It is only through a united stance that we can protect each other and defeat the extremists and those who wish to use fear and threats to silence dissent.

Index on Censorship, above all should not be indulging in self-censorship.

Finally, this is not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing with the content of the cartoons: as the famous quote goes: “I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it!” But it has everything to do with standing up to those who would take away our freedom to express ourselves and would enslave humanity. It has everything to do with not abandoning the growing numbers of brave people standing up for human rights, freedom and against censorship, around the world.

Yours sincerely,

Roy Brown, International Representative, International Humanist and Ethical Union
Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, British Humanist Association
Douglas Murray, Director of the Centre for Social Cohesion
Maryam Namazie, Spokesperson, One Law for All and Iran Solidarity
Fariborz Pooya, Head, Iranian Secular Society
Hassan Radwan, Management Committee Member, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain
Terry Sanderson, President, National Secular Society

One Law for All Campaign was established a year ago on December 10, 2008 to mark International Human Rights Day.

A year on, it has mobilised considerable support in opposition to Sharia and religious laws and in defence of secularism and universal rights. With nearly 21,000 individuals and groups having signed up to our petition calling for a ban on religious councils and tribunals in Britain, the Campaign has given many the space to challenge religious law from a human rights perspective and to make links and show real solidarity with people living under Islamic rule everywhere.

Some of the Campaign’s achievements over the past year include:
* Providing legal advice, information and a free helpline
* Organising a successful rally and public meeting on Sharia Law, Sexual Apartheid and Women’s Rights on March 7, 2009
* Launching the International Coalition for Women’s Rights against Sharia law in April 2009
* Organising a successful rally on November 21, 2009 in London with acts of solidarity taking place in 23 countries worldwide
* Coordinating an art competition against Sharia and religious laws
* Speaking in cities across Britain and the world to mobilise support for the campaign and raise awareness, including in Canada where Sharia courts in Ontario province were pushed back
* Co-founding with others the International Bureau for Laicite (secularism) on December 9, 2009…

But much more needs to be done to stop religious laws. In the upcoming year, we plan to:
* Conduct a survey of women who have been to Sharia councils or tribunals
* Hold a March 8, 2010 seminar to bring together campaigners, lawyers, experts, and politicians to discuss ways in which Sharia courts can be prohibited in Britain. The seminar will make recommendations and lay out the legislative and legal avenues available to help bring about equal rights for all
* Organise a gallery exhibition on the issue before Spring
* Hold a June 20, 2010 rally against Sharia and religious laws in central London
* Organise a concert in support of One Law for All in the Fall
* Coordinate a December 10, 2010 conference on Sharia Law and Apostasy
* Continue speaking out on the issue and more…

Yes, there is a huge battle ahead – what with another Sharia law court being set up in Wales next month and the rise of the implementation of Sharia law in other countries across the globe. But there is also much resistance taking place – from Iran, Iraq, to Afghanistan and Pakistan to right here in Britain.

And as you know, all this work costs money even if it is done by over twenty volunteers. And whilst Islamic organisations receive huge funds from Islamic states and also from Western governments in their attempts to appease the political Islamic movement, we must rely solely on the public to support us.

On our anniversary, we’d like to thank you for this support; we couldn’t have done it without you. But we’d also like to ask that you donate to One Law for All if you haven’t already done so this year. No amount is too small or for that matter too big. It all adds up and will help determine the society and world that we want to live in.

Thanks again

Warm wishes

Maryam

Maryam Namazie
Spokesperson

PS If you are in London and can make it, please don’t forget about our Fundraiser dinner on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 7:00pm at one of London’s finest gastro-pubs. We hope you will be able to join us to enjoy an excellent three-course dinner whilst supporting the One Law for All Campaign and Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. The dinner’s keynote speaker will be AC Grayling, the renowned philosopher, author, writer, reviewer, and broadcaster. To purchase a ticket(s) for a three-course meal at £45.00 per person, you can either post a cheque made payable to One Law for All or CEMB to BM Box 2387, London WC1N 3XX or pay via Paypal or Worldpay. Once payment has been received, we will send you your ticket(s), along with details of the venue and a menu to choose from.