Agenda

SPI International Hot Spot of the Month ÔÇô Iran and Pakistan
Sign-on Letter content:

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

The Honorable John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20520

The Honorable Jeh Johnson
Secretary of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528

The Honorable León Rodríguez
Director
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
Washington, D.C. 20529

Dear Commissioner Grandi, Secretary Kerry, Secretary Jonson, and Director Rodriguez:

The Secular Policy Institute and Atheist Alliance International call on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United States to intervene and begin┬áasylum┬áproceedings for two individuals who face imminent risk to life and limb.┬áAn Iranian and a Pakistani expatriate whose countries of origin employ capital punishment for apostasy have been denied┬áasylum┬áin India and Malaysia. An overarching first principle of┬áasylum┬áand refugee policy is designed to protect those who face a fear of persecution for reasons for race, religion, nationality, participation in a social group, or political opinion. Where the network of international agreements and treaties is neither comprehensive nor consistent, the clear commitment from the majority of states, NGOÔÇÖs and Civil Society Actors is to aid the most vulnerable and those in the most imminent of danger.

The United Nations expresses a global consensus and sets global standards for human rights and refugee and asylum procedures. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights lay a clear standard for the inviolable freedoms of conscience and political agency. The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951) and its 1967 follow-up protocol establish a framework from which those unable to achieve the full recognitions and dignity of equal-personhood can receive the relief of temporary settlement or permanent repatriation. According to protocol, those seeking asylum must present a well-founded fear of persecution. There are known and reported incidents in both Iran and Pakistan of those put to death for expressing doubt in religious doctrine or text.

Article 259(c) of PakistanÔÇÖs Penal Code states that ÔÇ£

[W]hoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.ÔÇØ The vagaries of what could be construed as ÔÇ£innuendoÔÇØ give license to persecution. Such strictures have listed Pakistan as a Tier 1 Country of Particular Concern for the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) (a designation carrying automatic calls for executive remedy). Iran is similarly listed as a USCIRF Tier 1-recommended state. In ÔÇ£Prisoners of BeliefÔÇØ (2014) the USCIRF has detailed specific incidents where individuals have been imprisoned or executed for the reasons why said expatriates have sought┬áasylum. The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) and Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain have published further reports of greater specificity of the persecution of Atheists and Humanists in these states.

We call on the High Commissioner of Refugees and the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security to help find safe harbor for those refugees of conscience who face extended imprisonment or death itself.

Sincerely,

Edwina Rogers
Secular Policy Institute
401 Ninth St., NW, Suite 640
Washington, DC 20004
edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
(202) 430-1888

II ÔÇô┬áSPI Overview
ÔùÅSPI Mission
The Secular Policy Institute (SPI) is a think tank organization of thought leaders, writers, scholars, and speakers with a shared mission to influence public opinion and promote a secular society. We believe governmental decisions and public policies should be based on available science and reason, and free of religion or religious preferences.
ÔùÅCommunity Action Network (www.CommunityActionNetwork.org)
ÔùÅParent Teacher Community Action Network (www.PTCan.org)
Community Action Network (CAN) promotes the development and application of science and reason in an ongoing quest for secular solutions to local problems. As an inclusive, affirming, and action-oriented initiative, CAN seeks to promote rational relationships and effective community building in support of collective problem solving and the ongoing advancement and enjoyment of a more just and reasoned world.
ÔùÅPTCAN Mission Statement
ÔùÅPTCAN Bylaws
ÔùÅPTCAN Charter
ÔùÅPTCAN Gives to Get School Support

ÔùÅWorld Future Guide 2016
The World Future Guide collects the public policy recommendations and findings on demographic trends from the foremost fellows at the Secular Policy Institute. Leading thinkers give research and opinion on law, education, and healthcare, practical advice on defense and surveillance technology, the big picture trends on the interplay between secular government and religion, and more. And we give you the scoop: even a peek into the finances of the Islamic State!

Our ten articles are written by fellows from seven countries representing diverse points of view.  Yet each is committed to a rational, evidence-based analysis of a timely topic that can inform effective public policy.  The first in a series of Guides, the World Future Guide 2016 provides critical secular insights into timely topics of international import in the hopes of guiding more informed public opinion and policy-making in our increasingly secular world.

ÔùÅSecular Resource Guide
ÔùÅUS Policy Guide
ÔùÅRecruit National and Regional Leaders
ÔùÅInternational Hotspots in Need

III ÔÇô┬áFellowsÔÇÖ Corner
(Madeline Schussel, Policy Director, madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

SPI would like to welcome Peter Karl (PK) Jonason as our newest Fellow. Jonason is a faculty member at Western Sydney University in the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia. He is a social-personality psychologist who uses evolutionary, primatological, and behavioral economic models to conduct research on (1) sex differences, (2) the dark side of human nature, (3) sexual and romantic relationships, and (4) sexuality. Please read more about his background and research interests here.

Elizabeth F. Loftus, Professor of Law, Psychology and Social Behavior at UC Irvine, will receive the 2016 Isaac Asimov Science Award from the American Humanist Association.

In the study ÔÇ£Increased Affluence Explains the Emergence of Ascetic wisdoms and Moralizing ReligionsÔÇØ, Ian Morris and three other researchers explore the correlation between the rise of moralizing religions, with economic development and political complexities.

Michael Semple wrote an opinion piece about the challenges facing the newly appointed Afghan Taliban leader, Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada.

Daily News Clips Now Available (Follow this link to register)

IV ÔÇô┬áCoalitions & Resources
(Johnny Monsarrat, Alliance Director, johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

ÔùÅWorld SPI Calendar┬áÔÇô Upcoming Major Conferences
ÔùÅVolunteers & Interns ÔÇô SPI Volunteers/Interns Recruitment
ÔùÅCoalition Update
ÔùÅNewsletter ÔÇô weekly, please sign up. (Subscribe to newsletter)
ÔùÅSecular Leaders League
You do a lot through the SPI coalition in 2015. See our report! (2015 report)
Now weÔÇÖve launched two Secular Leaders email chat lists: the┬áUS Secular Leaders League┬á(secular-leaders-usa@googlegroups.com) and the┬áGlobal Secular Leaders League┬á(secular-leaders@googlegroups.com). The purpose of these groups is to:

• Trade group emails on the secular movementÔÇÖs future;
• Plan a global ÔÇ£business plan competitionÔÇØ to coach secular leaders;
• Host a donor conference where plans get presented judged, and funded, and;
• Fund winners through a ÔÇ£Secular Donor Advice FundÔÇØ for investment firms like Fidelity

Coordinating makes us stronger. Please contribute your needs and ideas!  Please join via the Google group email invitation you received. You may leave at any time.

Thank you! With you, weÔÇÖre going to change the world in 2016.

Resources:
ÔùÅWorld Future Guide
ÔùÅAbuse in American Faith Based Initiative System
ÔùÅUS Secular Policy Guide
ÔùÅSecular Resource Guide
ÔùÅReligiousness by Country
ÔùÅReligiousness by US State
ÔùÅBack Office Support
ÔùÅHelp secure Volunteers and Interns
ÔùÅHelp Draft Press Releases
ÔùÅAccess to Press Database
ÔùÅBrochures
ÔùÅWebsite Design
ÔùÅSecular Directory

V ÔÇô┬áPublic Policy Update

• TennesseeÔÇÖs Unethical Barriers in Seeking Mental Healthcare
• TennesseeÔÇÖs recent passing of legislation that allows mental health counselors and therapists to refuse to treat patients based on religious objection or personal beliefs has garnered strong reactions from the public. Critics say it could result in discrimination against individuals seeking counseling, such as LGBT people. For what the ACLU calls unethical barriers to accessing care for almost unlimited reasons, the law would also permit those with ÔÇ£sincerely held religious beliefsÔÇØ against warfare the ability to refuse service to PTSD-suffering veterans. The American Counseling Association also called the legislation an ÔÇ£unprecedented attack on the counseling professionÔÇØ.

• LouisianaÔÇÖs Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Order
• In April, Louisiana Governor Edwards issued the Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Order, effectively terminating former Governor JindalÔÇÖs discriminatory ÔÇ£Religious FreedomÔÇØ order. The order takes a memorable step toward inclusivity, requiring everyone, including LGBT individuals, to receive equal access to state services and benefits.

Recent Letters:

ÔùÅ┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á Sign-on Letter: In Support of Transgender Rights

• Governor Pat McCrory of North Carolina has received much attention for his recently passed HB2 bill, which prevents transgender people from using public bathrooms designated for the gender with which the user identifies. His explanation for the bill, however, displays a fundamental misunderstanding of and prejudice towards the issue at hand. This law is oppressive to a marginalized group of people and stems from an antiquated and hurtful perspective. The United Kingdom has rebuked this action by issuing a travel advisory to the state of North Carolina.

ÔùÅ┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á Sign-on Letter: Texas Reproductive Rights

• As the United States Supreme Court deliberates two cases involving reproductive freedom in Texas, the Secular Policy Institute regards this current term all the more important to remain committed to opposing faith-based resistance to reproductive rights. Texas, in particular, has been at the center of the intersection between religion and womenÔÇÖs reproductive rights. A growing public health concern, we continue to advocate for female empowerment by means of providing sex and birth control education.

Checking in on the UN:

• Latest report of cases of human rights violations taken up by Special Procedures
• Press briefing: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
• Zeid welcomes ÔÇ£historic and hard-wonÔÇØ verdict in Hiss├¿ne Habr├® trial

Upcoming Events:
ÔùÅReason Rally┬áJune 4, Washington, DC
ÔùÅAtheist Pride Day┬áJune 6, All Over
ÔùÅBritish Humanist Association Annual Conference┬áJune 10-12, Birmingham, UK
ÔùÅReason for Change┬áJune 11-15, Buffalo, NY
ÔùÅWorld Humanist Day┬áJune 21, All Over
ÔùÅUnitarian Universalist General Assembly┬áJune 22-26, Columbus, OH
ÔùÅSecular Student Alliance Annual Conference July 8-10, Columbus, OH
ÔùÅInternational Conference on Critical Thinking and Educational Reform July 25-29, CA

Monthly Conference Call Schedule:
First Thursday of Every Month at Noon Eastern Standard Time (GMT -4): July 7; September 1; October 6; November 3 (No conference call in August and December)

SPI Staff:
Edwina Rogers - edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Madeline Schussel - madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Johnny Monsarrat - johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net

Agenda

International Hot Spot of the Month
Sign-on Letter content:

Her Majesty the Queen
Buckingham Palace
London
SW1A 1AA

The Rt Hon David Cameron MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA

Your Majesty and Your Excellency:

The Secular Policy Institute and the undersigned organizations call upon Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Excellency, Prime Minister Cameron to carry out an investigation regarding the compliance of state-funded schools with existing law in terms of non-discriminatory admissions practices and the support of religious freedoms and beliefs.┬áRecently, while speaking in an official capacity, EnglandÔÇÖs Chief School Inspector (Ofsted) Sir Michael Wilshaw said that as society becomes increasingly ÔÇ£secular and materialistic,ÔÇØ and as intolerance toward other peopleÔÇÖs views have seemingly increased, that the need for Christian students to ÔÇ£stand up for their faithÔÇØ was needed now more urgently than ever. Inspector WilshawÔÇÖs statement discriminates against British Humanists and Atheist children in state-funded school admissions and curriculum.

According to the Pew Research Forum, as of 2010, at least 38.9 percent of persons in the United Kingdom lack a religious affiliation. In the report ÔÇ£Any Unholy Mess,ÔÇØ the BHA found in a representative sample of nearly 50 religiously selective secondary schools more than 1,000 documented breaches where virtually all religiously selective state schools in England are breaking the law. As state-funded schools in England are required to provide religious education to all of their students, this education should be balanced, broadly-based, and promote the spiritual and moral development of all pupils, regardless of the nature of their particular religious beliefs or non-beliefs.

Against Secretary of State Education Nicky MorganÔÇÖs declaration that British schools are not obliged to give parity to non-theistic viewpoints in secondary education graduation requirement (GCSE) in religious studies courses, the High Court sided in favor of three Humanist families. In November 2015, Mr. Justice Warby ruled that by state authorities removing Humanism from the co-equal curriculum, that an ÔÇ£error of lawÔÇØ was committed as well as a ÔÇ£breach in the duty to take care that information or knowledge included in the curriculum is conveyed in a pluralistic manner.ÔÇØ

For many people, Humanism is at least a religion-analog, if not a religious-type affiliation itself; no less deserving of recognition. These infringements on these beliefs send a message to children from atheist or Humanist families that their beliefs and values are less legitimate than those of their peers. The codes concerning education are clear that discrimination based upon religion (or the lack thereof) is unacceptable. We call on the government of the United Kingdom to reaffirm the pre-existing and established value of pluralism and integrity of youth education, and arrange for the Department for Education to remedy admissions-discrimination and issue new guidelines including co-equal representation in religious studies courses.

Sincerely,

Edwina Rogers
Secular Policy Institute
401 Ninth St., NW, Suite 640
Washington, DC 20004
edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
(202) 430-1888

II ÔÇô┬áSPI Overview
ÔùÅSPI Mission
The Secular Policy Institute (SPI) is a think tank organization of thought leaders, writers, scholars, and speakers with a shared mission to influence public opinion and promote a secular society. We believe governmental decisions and public policies should be based on available science and reason, and free of religion or religious preferences.
ÔùÅCommunity Action Network (www.CommunityActionNetwork.org)
ÔùÅParent Teacher Community Action Network (www.PTCan.org)
Community Action Network (CAN) promotes the development and application of science and reason in an ongoing quest for secular solutions to local problems. As an inclusive, affirming, and action-oriented initiative, CAN seeks to promote rational relationships and effective community building in support of collective problem solving and the ongoing advancement and enjoyment of a more just and reasoned world.
ÔùÅPTCAN Mission Statement
ÔùÅPTCAN Bylaws
ÔùÅPTCAN Charter
ÔùÅPTCAN Gives to Get School Support

ÔùÅWorld Future Guide 2016
The World Future Guide collects the public policy recommendations and findings on demographic trends from the foremost fellows at the Secular Policy Institute. Leading thinkers give research and opinion on law, education, and healthcare, practical advice on defense and surveillance technology, the big picture trends on the interplay between secular government and religion, and more. And we give you the scoop: even a peek into the finances of the Islamic State!

Our ten articles are written by fellows from seven countries representing diverse points of view.  Yet each is committed to a rational, evidence-based analysis of a timely topic that can inform effective public policy.  The first in a series of Guides, the World Future Guide 2016 provides critical secular insights into timely topics of international import in the hopes of guiding more informed public opinion and policy-making in our increasingly secular world.

ÔùÅSecular Resource Guide
ÔùÅUS Policy Guide
ÔùÅRecruit National and Regional Leaders
ÔùÅInternational Hotspots in Need

III ÔÇô┬áFellowsÔÇÖ Corner
(Madeline Schussel, Policy Director, madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi was a guest on an article by Al Jazeera discussing the finances of ISIS and how long it could sustain itself.

Elliot Cohen penned an op-ed article advocating for Bernie Sanders to run as a third party candidate.

Taslima Nasreen participated in a debate in the European Parliament about potential factors that influence young people to become radicalized.

Elham Manea┬áwas involved in the making of a recent British documentary by Trevor Phillips, ÔÇ£What BritainÔÇÖs Muslims Really ThinkÔÇØ, which presents a comprehensive survey of the views British Muslims on various contemporary issues.

Daily News Clips Now Available (Follow this link to register)

IV ÔÇô┬áCoalitions & Resources
(Johnny Monsarrat, Alliance Director, johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

ÔùÅWorld SPI Calendar┬áÔÇô Upcoming Major Conferences
ÔùÅVolunteers & Interns ÔÇô SPI Volunteers/Interns Recruitment
ÔùÅCoalition Update
ÔùÅNewsletter ÔÇô weekly, please sign up. (Subscribe to newsletter)
ÔùÅSecular Leaders League
You do a lot through the SPI coalition in 2015. See our report! (2015 report)
Now weÔÇÖve launched two Secular Leaders email chat lists: the┬áUS Secular Leaders League┬á(secular-leaders-usa@googlegroups.com) and the┬áGlobal Secular Leaders League┬á(secular-leaders@googlegroups.com). The purpose of these groups is to:

• Trade group emails on the secular movementÔÇÖs future;
• Plan a global ÔÇ£business plan competitionÔÇØ to coach secular leaders;
• Host a donor conference where plans get presented judged, and funded, and;
• Fund winners through a ÔÇ£Secular Donor Advice FundÔÇØ for investment firms like Fidelity

Coordinating makes us stronger. Please contribute your needs and ideas!  Please join via the Google group email invitation you received. You may leave at any time.

Thank you! With you, weÔÇÖre going to change the world in 2016.

Resources:
ÔùÅWorld Future Guide
ÔùÅAbuse in American Faith Based Initiative System
ÔùÅUS Secular Policy Guide
ÔùÅSecular Resource Guide
ÔùÅReligiousness by Country
ÔùÅReligiousness by US State
ÔùÅBack Office Support
ÔùÅHelp secure Volunteers and Interns
ÔùÅHelp Draft Press Releases
ÔùÅAccess to Press Database
ÔùÅBrochures
ÔùÅWebsite Design
ÔùÅSecular Directory

V ÔÇô┬áPublic Policy Update
(Hugo Estrella, Latin America Regional Director, hugo.estrella@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

• Supporting Transgender Acceptance
• Representative Mike HondaÔÇÖs (D-CA) resolution ÔÇ£Expressing Support for Supporting Transgender AcceptanceÔÇØ brings awareness of the millions of fellow Americans who are marginalized and endangered living under a system that does not recognize the full range of human identities. Awareness such as this and support for our fellow Americans can help to end generations of pain and suffering one day.

• Texas Reproductive Freedom
• TexasÔÇÖs HB2, a law which imposes medically unnecessary requirements on abortion providers and clinics, could shut down more than 75 percent of all womenÔÇÖs health clinics providing abortion services in the second-most populous state in the country. This would be a grave threat to womenÔÇÖs right to choice for the well-being of their own bodies.

Recent Letters:
ÔùÅ┬á┬á┬á┬á┬áGeorgia GovernorÔÇÖs Fight For LGBTQ Rights

On Monday, March 28, Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia announced that he will veto the stateÔÇÖs ÔÇ£religious libertyÔÇØ bill that would have allowed faith-based organizations to deny services to those who violate their ÔÇ£sincerely held religious beliefÔÇØ, as well as fire employees who did not comply with those beliefs. The bill had garnered much criticism from gay rights groups, pressure to not become law from major businesses, and support from religious conservatives. We wholeheartedly agree with Governor DealÔÇÖs caution toward governmental intrusion over negative liberties protecting conscience enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. His commitment to acknowledging the inequality and discrimination that GeorgiaÔÇÖs LGBTQ community faces is laudable.

Checking In on The UN

• UN experts urge Chile to establish national body to monitor places of detention
• Zeid calls for an end to executions for drug offences in Iraq
• Recent release of political prisoners in Myanmar hailed by UN expert

Upcoming Events:
ÔùÅSkepKon┬áMay 5-7, Hamburg, Germany
ÔùÅNortheast Conference on Science and Skepticism┬áMay 12-15, New York, NY
ÔùÅA Conference Called Wonder┬áMay 19-22, Utrecht, Netherlands
ÔùÅEuropean Humanist FederationÔÇÖs General Assembly┬áMay 20, Valletta, Malta
ÔùÅ2016 IHEU General Assembly┬áMay 22, Valletta, Malta
ÔùÅAmerican Humanist Association Annual Conference┬áMay 26-29, Chicago, IL
ÔùÅBalticon 50┬áMay 27-30, Baltimore, MD
ÔùÅFuture of Ethical Societies Conference┬áMay 27-30, Brooklyn, NY
ÔùÅReason Rally┬áJune 4, Washington, DC
ÔùÅAtheist Pride Day┬áJune 6, All Over
ÔùÅBritish Humanist Association Annual Conference┬áJune 10-12, Birmingham, UK
ÔùÅReason for Change┬áJune 11-15, Buffalo, NY
ÔùÅWorld Humanist Day┬áJune 21, All Over
ÔùÅUnitarian Universalist General Assembly┬áJune 22-26, Columbus, OH
ÔùÅSecular Student Alliance Annual Conference┬áJuly 8-10, Columbus, OH
ÔùÅInternational Conference on Critical Thinking and Educational Reform┬áJuly 25-29, CA

Monthly Conference Call Schedule:
First Thursday of Every Month at Noon Eastern Standard Time (GMT -4): June 2; July 7; September 1; October 6; November 3 (No conference call in August and December)

SPI Staff:
Edwina Rogers - edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Madeline Schussel - madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Johnny Monsarrat - johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net

 

Agenda

International Hot Spot of the Month ÔÇô┬áItaly
Sign-on Letter content:

Sergio Mattarella
President of the Republic of Italy
Palazzo del Quirinale
00187 Roma, Italy

Laura Boldrini
President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
Palazzo Montecitorio
00186 Roma, Italy

Presidents Mattarella and Boldrini:

The Secular Policy Institute encourages ItalyÔÇÖs Chamber of Deputies to pass the Civil Union bill (131-71) recently passed by the Senate of the Republic to expedite at least a bare minimum of legal protection for same-sex couples. This bill is to recognize the spousal relationships of same-sex couples.

In Italy, same-sex spouses lack the rights that their heterosexual counterparts receive. Since 1986, there has been ongoing discussion about the development and implementation of some form of spousal recognition for gay and lesbian couples with certain municipal districts offering limited recognition. In 2012 the Court of Cassation determined that for marriage, same-sex couples were ÔÇ£non-configurable,ÔÇØ yet,┬áthree years later┬áthe Court determined that the inviolable rights provision of Article 2 of the Italian Constitution demanded legal protection for same-sex couples. This is further advanced by the Constitution. Under Article 3, all Italian citizens have equality and dignity before the law where, ÔÇ£It is the duty of the Republic to remove those obstacles of an economic or social nature which constrain the freedom and equality of citizens, thereby impeding the full development of the human personÔÇØ.

The European Court of Human Rights found that the human rights as Europeans of several Italian same-sex couples were violated by lacking the legal protection that spousal recognition provides (Oliari and Others v. Italy 

[2015]). The ECHR found that by not extending legal relationship-recognition eligibility to same-sex couples, Italy had committed a human rights violation, and awarded financial damages to its victims. While recognizing the ÔÇ£hesitationÔÇØ of a handful of EU member states, the┬áOliari┬áCourt wrote: ÔÇ£Since there is no explicit reference to ÔÇÿmen and womenÔÇÖ as the case is in other human rights instruments, it may be argued that there is no obstacle to recognize same-sex relationships in the context of marriage.ÔÇØ

Article 7 of the Italian Constitution declares an official separation of Church and State. In its call to ÔÇ£establish civil unions between persons of the same-sex mutual obligation of fidelity and moral and material association,ÔÇØ and its alteration of the language of Italian marriage laws referring to spouses to include ÔÇ£or civil union between persons of the same sex;ÔÇØ this bill is the closest attempt Italy has made to rectifying these detrimental human rights violations.

The Secular Policy Institute is committed to protecting the equality and dignity of persons through a global standard of gender neutrality in marriage. We call on the Chamber of Deputies to expedite the ratification of civil unions for same-sex couples, thus establishing this act as an important first step toward full civil and social equality for gay and lesbian citizens and persons within the Republic.

Sincerely,
Edwina Rogers
Secular Policy Institute
401 Ninth St., NW, Suite 640
Washington, DC 20004
edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
(202) 430-1888

II ÔÇô┬áSPI Overview
ÔùÅSPI Mission
The Secular Policy Institute (SPI) is a think tank organization of thought leaders, writers, scholars, and speakers with a shared mission to influence public opinion and promote a secular society. We believe governmental decisions and public policies should be based on available science and reason, and free of religion or religious preferences.
ÔùÅCommunity Action Network (www.CommunityActionNetwork.org)
ÔùÅParent Teacher Community Action Network (www.PTCan.org)
Community Action Network (CAN) promotes the development and application of science and reason in an ongoing quest for secular solutions to local problems. As an inclusive, affirming, and action-oriented initiative, CAN seeks to promote rational relationships and effective community building in support of collective problem solving and the ongoing advancement and enjoyment of a more just and reasoned world.
ÔùÅPTCAN Mission Statement
ÔùÅPTCAN Bylaws
ÔùÅPTCAN Charter
ÔùÅPTCAN Gives to Get School Support

ÔùÅWorld Future Guide 2016
The World Future Guide collects the public policy recommendations and findings on demographic trends from the foremost fellows at the Secular Policy Institute. Leading thinkers give research and opinion on law, education, and healthcare, practical advice on defense and surveillance technology, the big picture trends on the interplay between secular government and religion, and more. And we give you the scoop: even a peek into the finances of the Islamic State!

Our ten articles are written by fellows from seven countries representing diverse points of view.  Yet each is committed to a rational, evidence-based analysis of a timely topic that can inform effective public policy.  The first in a series of Guides, the World Future Guide 2016 provides critical secular insights into timely topics of international import in the hopes of guiding more informed public opinion and policy-making in our increasingly secular world.

ÔùÅSecular Resource Guide
ÔùÅUS Policy Guide
ÔùÅRecruit National and Regional Leaders
ÔùÅInternational Hotspots in Need

III ÔÇô┬áFellowsÔÇÖ Corner
(Madeline Schussel, Policy Director, madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

Author and philosopher AC Grayling was recently interviewed by Australian Broadcasting Corporation about his familyÔÇÖs move in 1968 from Africa to the UK, and its subsequent impact on his personal development.

Marty Klein recently wrote an article in Psychology Today analyzing the debate of whether pornography demeans women, and the division of power in sexual relationships.

Elham Manea, of Yemeni and Swiss dual nationalities, is a political scientist, a writer, and a human rights activist. She works as an associate professor of politics in Zurich University and as a consultant for Swiss government agencies and international human rights organizations. Along with other Middle Eastern activists, she was a signatory to a recent letter written to President Obama to ÔÇ£put human rights firstÔÇØ during his upcoming visit to the Middle East.

John McWhorter contributed to an article about free speech on college campuses, especially the recent rise in debates about racism and marginalized groups.

Taslima Nasrin lauded Kerala High Court Judge Justice B Kamal Pasha for asking: ÔÇ£Why Muslim women canÔÇÖt have many husbands when men enjoyed the same privilege?ÔÇØ. The question reflects laws under Islamic states, which continues to be criticized as heavily biased against women.

Daily News Clips Now Available (Follow this link to register)

IV ÔÇô┬áCoalitions & Resources
(Johnny Monsarrat, Alliance Director, johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

ÔùÅWorld SPI Calendar┬áÔÇô Upcoming Major Conferences
ÔùÅVolunteers & Interns ÔÇô SPI Volunteers/Interns Recruitment
ÔùÅCoalition Update
ÔùÅNewsletter ÔÇô weekly, please sign up. (Subscribe to newsletter)
ÔùÅSecular Leaders League
You do a lot through the SPI coalition in 2015. See our report! (2015 report)
Now weÔÇÖve launched two Secular Leaders email chat lists: the┬áUS Secular Leaders League┬á(secular-leaders-usa@googlegroups.com) and the┬áGlobal Secular Leaders League┬á(secular-leaders@googlegroups.com). The purpose of these groups is to:

• Trade group emails on the secular movementÔÇÖs future;
• Plan a global ÔÇ£business plan competitionÔÇØ to coach secular leaders;
• Host a donor conference where plans get presented judged, and funded, and;
• Fund winners through a ÔÇ£Secular Donor Advice FundÔÇØ for investment firms like Fidelity

Coordinating makes us stronger. Please contribute your needs and ideas!  Please join via the Google group email invitation you received. You may leave at any time.

Thank you! With you, weÔÇÖre going to change the world in 2016.

Resources:
ÔùÅWorld Future Guide
ÔùÅAbuse in American Faith Based Initiative System
ÔùÅUS Secular Policy Guide
ÔùÅSecular Resource Guide
ÔùÅReligiousness by Country
ÔùÅReligiousness by US State
ÔùÅBack Office Support
ÔùÅHelp secure Volunteers and Interns
ÔùÅHelp Draft Press Releases
ÔùÅAccess to Press Database
ÔùÅBrochures
ÔùÅWebsite Design
ÔùÅSecular Directory

V ÔÇô┬áPublic Policy Update

• Supporting Transgender Acceptance
• Representative Mike HondaÔÇÖs (D-CA) resolution ÔÇ£Expressing Support for Supporting Transgender AcceptanceÔÇØ brings awareness of the millions of fellow Americans who are marginalized and endangered living under a system that does not recognize the full range of human identities. Awareness such as this and support for our fellow Americans can help to end generations of pain and suffering one day.

• Georgia Religious Freedom Bill Veto
• On Monday, March 28, Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia announced that he will veto the stateÔÇÖs controversial ÔÇ£religious libertyÔÇØ bill that would have allowed faith-based organizations to deny services to those who violate their ÔÇ£sincerely held religious beliefsÔÇØ, as well as fire employees who did not comply with these beliefs. The bill had garnered much criticism from gay rights groups, pressure to not become law from major businesses, and support from religious conservatives. Governor DealÔÇÖs commitment to acknowledging the inequality and discrimination that GeorgiaÔÇÖs LGBT community faces is laudable.

• Texas Reproductive Freedom
• TexasÔÇÖs HB2, a law which imposes medically unnecessary requirements on abortion providers and clinics, could shut down more than 75 percent of all womenÔÇÖs health clinics providing abortion services in the second-most populous state in the country. This would be a grave threat to womenÔÇÖs right to choice for the well-being of their own bodies.

ÔùÅChecking in on the UN

• Strict financial accountability crucial to stop treating education as a commodity in Chile
• Business and human rights in Asia ÔÇô First UN regional forum, 19-20 April 2016
• Moldova: A time of challenges and opportunities, says senior Human Rights Official
• UN rights chief expresses serious concerns over EU-Turkey agreement

Upcoming Events:
ÔùÅFreethought Festival┬áApril 8-9, Madison, WI
ÔùÅNational Ask an Atheist Day┬áApril 16, All Over
ÔùÅRationalist Conference┬áApril 23-24, Tallinn, Estonia
ÔùÅRavenCon Skeptic Track┬áApril 29-May 1, Williamsburg, VA
ÔùÅFoundation Beyond Belief: Week of Action┬áApril 30-May 6, All Over
ÔùÅSkepKon┬áMay 5-7, Hamburg, Germany
ÔùÅNortheast Conference on Science and Skepticism┬áMay 12-15, New York, NY
ÔùÅA Conference Called Wonder┬áMay 19-22, Utrecht, Netherlands
ÔùÅEuropean Humanist FederationÔÇÖs General Assembly┬áMay 20, Valletta, Malta
ÔùÅ2016 IHEU General Assembly┬áMay 22, Valletta, Malta
ÔùÅAmerican Humanist Association Annual Conference┬áMay 26-29, Chicago, IL
ÔùÅBalticon 50┬áMay 27-30, Baltimore, MD
ÔùÅFuture of Ethical Societies Conference┬áMay 27-30, Brooklyn, NY
ÔùÅReason Rally┬áJune 4, Washington, DC
ÔùÅAtheist Pride Day┬áJune 6, All Over
ÔùÅBritish Humanist Association Annual Conference┬áJune 10-12, Birmingham, UK
ÔùÅWorld Humanist Day┬áJune 21, All Over
ÔùÅUnitarian Universalist General Assembly┬áJune 22-26, Columbus, OH

Monthly Conference Call Schedule:
First Thursday of Every Month at Noon Eastern Standard Time (GMT -4): May 5; June 2; July 7; September 1; October 6; November 3 (No conference call in August and December)

SPI Staff:
Edwina Rogers - edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Madeline Schussel - madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Johnny Monsarrat - johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net

Agenda

International Hot Spot of the Month ÔÇô┬áZika Virus
Sign-on Letter content to be sent to South American countries:

The 2015 Zika virus outbreak that started in Brazil has quickly spread to over 30 countries. A congenital brain deformity has been associated with this virus and the fear of which has led to the declaration of a global health crisis by the World Health Organization (WHO). Where this disproportionately affects the poor and those in rural communities where access to medical services and information may be limited; averting a greater public health threat from complications with unsafe and medically unsupervised contraceptive and abortion services is of critical and utmost importance. This is the intersection of the dignity and health of women, medical science, and culture and religion. There is a time and place for a sober discussion theological or other philosophical concerns, and this is not that time. This is the time for action to protect the health and dignity of women in the midst of a brewing crisis. The Secular Policy Institute calls on the governments of the Zika virus affected states to adopt and implement contraception and abortion policy commensurate with this situation and to start the path to recognizing reproductive agency as a human right.

Though absolute causality has yet to be confirmed, including a spike in incidents in a previous outbreak in French Polynesia, Zika outbreaks have been associated with a fetal brain deformity, microcephaly (reduced brain volume and skull size). While Brazil had a reported 147 cases of infant microcephaly in 2014, reports have neared 4,000 post-outbreak. Zika is known to be spread by the aedes mosquito and has been found active in human saliva, blood, urine, and potentially semen. While 80 percent of Zika infections are asymptomatic, the Zika virusÔÇÖ rapid proliferation and fears over pregnant women and microcephaly have led the Director-General of the WHO has declared Zika a ÔÇ£Public health emergency of international concern.ÔÇØ

Fear is the operative problem with the Zika virus. Where increased incidents of Zika infection occur, there are concerns that laws regarding and access to contraceptive services may lead many women to pursue dangerous methods to prevent or terminate pregnancy. One solution offered by multiple governments is for women and couples to delay insemination even until 2018. This recommendation is undermined by the fact that half of pregnancies in the region are unintentional. Because the availability in the region of contraception and abortions ranges from difficult to criminalization, clandestine services are sought. These can include drinking bleach, the vaginal insertion of sharp objects (e.g., coat hangers), or physical assault (e.g., throwing oneself down the stairs or punches to the stomach). Women are also receiving misoprostol (miso) or Cytotec pills that present an abortion like a miscarriage.

Often, these measures are not conducted under medical supervision. This can lead to hemorrhaging, sepsis from the incomplete removal of fetal tissue and other infections, and other traumas that may otherwise endanger the motherÔÇÖs life in the immediacy or impair her ability to have children in the future. According to the WHO, 68,000 women die annually from complications due to unsafe abortions. The Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine has stated that these abortions are the fifth leading cause of maternal mortality in that country (with more than 200,000 hospitalizations annually). These deaths and complications also disproportionate affect those in poverty or rural areas.

The Zika virus outbreak has confronted many countries, and the Western Hemisphere, with the compatibility of current laws concerning abortion and contraception access and availability and the dignity and agency of women. When family planning and reproductive agency are disparate,  women are the ones who are most often burdened. The lack of autonomy and liberty of women in states lacking sufficient reproductive legal protections is compounded by times of crisis such as this. This is not a promotion of eugenics against those who may be born with certain challenges, but to ascend to doing right by the women in our countries.

The Secular Policy Institute calls upon the governments of the countries affected by the Zika virus to adopt and implement reproductive agency and health legislation in order to ensure that when contraceptive or abortion services are sought, they are administered and supervised by qualified medical professionals. And, that these laws ensure the dignity, privacy, liberty, and autonomy to the greatest extent of the law for the women and their families who pursue said medical services. This is a human right, and must be recognized as one in order to avoid the inevitable tragedy that a fear-induced panic rush on clandestine abortion services would set before us.

Sincerely,
Edwina Rogers
Secular Policy Institute
401 Ninth St., NW, Suite 640
Washington, DC 20004
edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
(202) 430-1888

Press Release
Secularists Launch New Group to Support Students and Parents in Public Schools

• Christine M. Shellska (shellska@telus.net)

ÔûáKris, the President of AAI, will discuss the possibility of producing a position paper on the potential dismantling of the Canadian “Office of Religious Freedom” by the new Liberal government, and other opportunities in Canada.

• Bart┬áCampolo┬á(bartcampolo@gmail.com)

ÔûáCampolo is the son of Tony Campolo, a well-known speaker and pastor, and a former pastor himself who eventually transitioned from Christianity to secular humanism. He currently serves as the┬áHumanist Chaplain┬áof the University of Southern California. He will discuss his role with the UniversityÔÇÖs Office of Religious Life.

• Jason Frye (dimanso@hotmail.com)

ÔûáFrye will speak about upcoming advocacy campaign letters regarding civil unions in Italy, the Zika Virus, child marriages in Pakistan, and the bill ÔÇ£Expressing Support for Supporting Transgender AcceptanceÔÇØ.
ÔûáIn Uganda, Kasese Freethinker Sports Academy seeks to promote athletic skills among youths with┬ásecular and humanistic values. Jason will speak with Masereka Solomon further.

• Brandy Coomer (brandy.coomer@updentity.com)

ÔûáCoomer will speak about the programs and campaigns offered by Google AdWords, and how coalitions can benefit from them (Screenshare link,┬ágrant flyer, collaboration mock-up)

• BetteRose Ryan (betterose@aol.com)

ÔûáAs the Convention Oversight Committee Chair of the Libertarian Party, Ryan will discuss the national┬áLibertarian Convention┬áfrom May 27-30, as well as options for convention┬ásponsorship. (Flyer with LSLA vendor table prices.)

II ÔÇô┬áSPI Overview
ÔùÅSPI Mission
The Secular Policy Institute (SPI) is a think tank organization of thought leaders, writers, scholars, and speakers with a shared mission to influence public opinion and promote a secular society. We believe governmental decisions and public policies should be based on available science and reason, and free of religion or religious preferences.
ÔùÅCommunity Action Network (www.CommunityActionNetwork.org)
ÔùÅParent Teacher Community Action Network (www.PTCan.org)
Community Action Network (CAN) promotes the development and application of science and reason in an ongoing quest for secular solutions to local problems. As an inclusive, affirming, and action-oriented initiative, CAN seeks to promote rational relationships and effective community building in support of collective problem solving and the ongoing advancement and enjoyment of a more just and reasoned world.
ÔùÅPTCAN Mission Statement
ÔùÅPTCAN Bylaws
ÔùÅPTCAN Charter
ÔùÅPTCAN Gives to Get School Support

ÔùÅWorld Future Guide 2016
The World Future Guide collects the public policy recommendations and findings on demographic trends from the foremost fellows at the Secular Policy Institute. Leading thinkers give research and opinion on law, education, and healthcare, practical advice on defense and surveillance technology, the big picture trends on the interplay between secular government and religion, and more. And we give you the scoop: even a peek into the finances of the Islamic State!

Our ten articles are written by fellows from seven countries representing diverse points of view.  Yet each is committed to a rational, evidence-based analysis of a timely topic that can inform effective public policy.  The first in a series of Guides, the World Future Guide 2016 provides critical secular insights into timely topics of international import in the hopes of guiding more informed public opinion and policy-making in our increasingly secular world.

ÔùÅSecular Resource Guide
ÔùÅUS Policy Guide
ÔùÅRecruit National and Regional Leaders
ÔùÅInternational Hotspots in Need

III ÔÇô┬áFellowsÔÇÖ Corner
(Madeline Schussel, Policy Director, madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

• David Sloan Wilson┬áspoke at George Mason University on February 11th about cultural group selection.┬áWilson is president of the┬áEvolution Institute, which applies the science of evolution to social and political issues and promotes acceptance of evolution and its applications to the public. We all struggle to keep our baser, more primal urges at bay in the formation and collaboration necessary for our secular groups – after all, we are only primates! One tool the Evolution Institute introduced to help ensure that organizations coincide with the tried and true principles that result in higher levels of cooperative participation between all members is called┬áPROSOCIAL.

Daily News Clips Now Available (Follow this link to register)

IV ÔÇô┬áCoalitions & Resources
(Johnny Monsarrat, Alliance Director, johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

ÔùÅWorld SPI Calendar┬áÔÇô Upcoming Major Conferences
ÔùÅVolunteers & Interns ÔÇô SPI Volunteers/Interns Recruitment
ÔùÅCoalition Update
ÔùÅNewsletter ÔÇô weekly, please sign up. (Subscribe to newsletter)
ÔùÅSecular Leaders League
You do a lot through the SPI coalition in 2015. See our report! (2015 report)
Now weÔÇÖve launched two Secular Leaders email chat lists: the┬áUS Secular Leaders League┬á(secular-leaders-usa@googlegroups.com) and the┬áGlobal Secular Leaders League┬á(secular-leaders@googlegroups.com). The purpose of these groups is to:

• Trade group emails on the secular movementÔÇÖs future;
• Plan a global ÔÇ£business plan competitionÔÇØ to coach secular leaders;
• Host a donor conference where plans get presented judged, and funded, and;
• Fund winners through a ÔÇ£Secular Donor Advice FundÔÇØ for investment firms like Fidelity

Coordinating makes us stronger. Please contribute your needs and ideas!  Please join via the Google group email invitation you received. You may leave at any time.

Thank you! With you, weÔÇÖre going to change the world in 2016.

Resources:
ÔùÅWorld Future Guide
ÔùÅAbuse in American Faith Based Initiative System
ÔùÅUS Secular Policy Guide
ÔùÅSecular Resource Guide
ÔùÅReligiousness by Country
ÔùÅReligiousness by US State
ÔùÅBack Office Support
ÔùÅHelp secure Volunteers and Interns
ÔùÅHelp Draft Press Releases
ÔùÅAccess to Press Database
ÔùÅBrochures
ÔùÅWebsite Design
ÔùÅSecular Directory

V ÔÇô┬áPublic Policy Update
(Hugo Estrella, Latin America Regional Director, hugo.estrella@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

• Hugo will discuss┬áan upcoming┬áatheist conference in Warsaw (http://en.lyszczynski.com.pl/index.php/category/atheist_days-2016/). ┬áHe will speak at the conference on behalf of SPI about the state of politics in Poland.

ÔùÅSPI Crowdpac

• It is crucial to actively support candidates for office who share our goals of protecting the separation of church and state and defending the civil liberties of secular Americans. Support┬áour campaign┬áand the leaders who are actively fighting on our behalf and moving the needle forward on a more secular American government.

ÔùÅMoroccoÔÇÖs Muslim clerics

• A┬álarge conference, sponsored by Moroccan King Mohammed VI and the United Arab Emirates-based Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, was held to encourage clerics and judges to provide peace and protection to religious minorities in Muslim communities

ÔùÅBlasphemy Bill in Georgia

• Ranked among the worldÔÇÖs most religious nations, Georgia is planning a ÔÇ£blasphemy billÔÇØ that could potentially threaten freedom of expression, as it would impose fines for ÔÇ£insults to religious feelingsÔÇØ.

ÔùÅUganda Blocks Facebook and Twitter on Election Day

• Access to real time updates via social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook were┬áblocked in Uganda┬áon its recent election day. However, some people circumvented the blockade by using virtual private networks (VPN), announcing their presence to the global network with the hashtag ÔÇ£#UgandaDecidesÔÇØ.

ÔùÅSenators Support Affordable Access to Birth Control

• On February 17, Senators Al Franken and Patty Murray led a group of more than┬á30┬áDemocratic senators in filing an┬áamicus brief┬áwith the U.S. Supreme Court on the need to protect womenÔÇÖs access to affordable birth control.
• ÔÇ£When we passed health care reform our goal was to expand access to affordable health care for allÔÇöand a fundamental part of that was making sure that in the 21^st┬ácentury, a womanÔÇÖs insurance would cover her birth control without a copay,ÔÇØ┬ásaid Senator Murray.

ÔùÅKenya Refuses to Register Atheist Group

• The 60-member Atheists in Kenya was turned down after applying for official recognition (According to Pew Research, more than 97% of Kenyans identify with a religion)
• Leader Harrison Mumia stated that he will take the issue to court for violation of the constitutional right to freedom of association

ÔùÅChecking in on the UN

• Turkey: Zeid concerned by actions of security forces and clampdown on media
• Video: Stop Forced Evictions
• More allegations of sexual abuse of children by foreign soldiers in the Central African Republic
• Canada must address root causes of extreme violence and discrimination against indigenous women

Upcoming Events:
ÔùÅHuJews Conclave┬áMarch 4-6, Chicago, IL
ÔùÅSashaCon┬áMarch 19-20, Columbia, MO
ÔùÅThe National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies Convention┬áMarch 11-13, London, UK
ÔùÅBudapesti Szkeptikus Konferencia┬áMarch 28, Budapest, Hungary
ÔùÅDays of Atheism┬áMarch 27-29, Warsaw, Poland
ÔùÅLogiCon┬áApril 2-3, Fayetteville, AR
ÔùÅFreethought Festival┬áApril 8-9, Madison, WI
ÔùÅNational Ask an Atheist Day┬áApril 16, All Over
ÔùÅRationalist Conference┬áApril 23-24, Tallinn, Estonia
ÔùÅRavenCon Skeptic Track┬áApril 29-May 1, Williamsburg, VA
ÔùÅFoundation Beyond Belief: Week of Action┬áApril 30-May 6, All Over
ÔùÅSkepKon┬áMay 5-7, Hamburg, Germany
ÔùÅNortheast Conference on Science and Skepticism┬áMay 12-15, New York, NY
ÔùÅA Conference Called Wonder┬áMay 19-22, Utrecht, Netherlands
ÔùÅEuropean Humanist FederationÔÇÖs General Assembly┬áMay 20, Valletta, Malta
ÔùÅ2016 IHEU General Assembly┬áMay 22, Valletta, Malta
ÔùÅAmerican Humanist Association Annual Conference┬áMay 26-29, Chicago, IL
ÔùÅBalticon 50┬áMay 27-30, Baltimore, MD
ÔùÅFuture of Ethical Societies Conference┬áMay 27-30, Brooklyn, NY
ÔùÅReason Rally┬áJune 4, Washington, DC
ÔùÅAtheist Pride Day┬áJune 6, All Over
ÔùÅBritish Humanist Association Annual Conference┬áJune 10-12, Birmingham, UK
ÔùÅReason for Change┬áJune 11-15, Buffalo, NY
ÔùÅWorld Humanist Day┬áJune 21, All Over
ÔùÅUnitarian Universalist General Assembly┬áJune 22-26, Columbus, OH

Monthly Conference Call Schedule:
First Thursday of Every Month at Noon Eastern Standard Time (GMT -4): April 7; May 5; June 2; July 7; September 1; October 6; November 3 (No conference call in August and December)

SPI Staff:
Edwina Rogers - edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Madeline Schussel - madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Johnny Monsarrat - johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net

Agenda

SPI International Hot Spot of the Month ÔÇô Saudi Arabia

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

The Honorable John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

President Obama and Secretary Kerry:

The Secular Policy Institute and the below signed coalition members call on your office to demand that the U.S. impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia and declare it ineligible to remain on the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. On the Second of January the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conducted the execution of 47 people convicted on a series of various counts. The most prominent of these victims of state-murder was the Shiite cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. These incidents of public execution occurring on the same day represent a chilling reminder of the brutality and the human rights crisis abuses by the government of Saudi Arabia.

The justice system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is heavily based in the (highly conservative, orthodox Salafist version of) ShariÔÇÖah, a type of all-encompassing way of living with special emphasis on crime and punishment has varying degrees of flexibility and severity. In the ShariÔÇÖah there are crimes that have fixed punishments (haad) and those allowing the discretion of a judge (taÔÇÖzir). In Saudi Arabia, punishments can be dramatic and cruel (e.g., floggings, amputation, crucifixion, and beheading), and those of this manner are often dispensed as a matter of public spectacle. As politics and religion are inseparable in the Kingdom, several offenses, including blasphemy, are listed under the offense of ÔÇ£breaking allegiance with the ruler.ÔÇØ

The recent executions made the greatest number of people executed on the same day in the Kingdom since 1983. On that day, 47 were executed in 13 cities (43 upon taÔÇÖzir decisions). The majority of the condemned (43 Sunni) were accused of being al Qaeda affiliates of operatives, the remaining four were Shiites convicted of ÔÇ£breaking allegiance with the ruler.ÔÇØ Saudi ArabiaÔÇÖs Shiite minority (15% of the 28 million Saudis) has long experienced repression and disparate conditions in terms of due process, educational and employment opportunity, and religious expression and practice. Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr had long called for peaceful protests against the Kingdom, including succession of the heavily Shiite Eastern Province if the King did not recognize the rights of the Shiite minority. These protests and legitimate calls for political rights resulted in his execution, and al-NimrÔÇÖs nephew (Ali al-Nimr) was also sentenced (in a separated incident) as a minor to face beheading as well. This has caused the beginning of international turmoil. Where Saudi Arabia is seen as the dominant Sunni regional powerhouse, Iran is seen as its Shia counterpart. After al-NimrÔÇÖs execution, protestors set fire to Saudi ArabiaÔÇÖs embassy in Tehran. In response Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran, followed suit by the Bahrain, Djibouti, Qatar, Sudan, and the UAE. This comes at a heightened time of tension between the two countries in what is largely seen as a multi-front proxy war.

According to Human Rights Watch, in 2015 Saudi Arabia executed 158 people, of which 70 were foreign nationals and 63 were (mostly non-violent) drug offenses; 2016 started with 47 executions. The aspect of frequent public-display is neither employed by all ShariÔÇÖah-sourced states, nor can its human rights implications be reconciled by claims of deterrence. We call upon the Offices of the President of the United States and the U.S. Department of State to intervene on the behalf of marginalized and persecuted populations of Saudi Arabia.

Sincerely,
Edwina Rogers
Secular Policy Institute
401 Ninth St., NW, Suite 640
Washington, DC 20004
edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
(202) 430-1888

I ÔÇô┬áProject and Member Spotlight

• Rumana Hashem

ÔûáHashem┬áwill speak on behalf of two endangered Bangladeshi bloggers in South Asia, looking for one or two organizations in Sweden who may be able to send two urgent letters of invitations to host them. Fortunately, a sponsor has been found for both. They are both looking for a single visa invitation, and the Swedish Embassy has assured that their visas would be approved. In addition, funds to help them in their extremely difficult situation can be sent┬áhere.

• Jason Frye

ÔûáFrye will speak about Girls Not Brides, a global partnership of more than 550 civil society organizations committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfill their potential. He will provide information about┬áapplying for membership.

II ÔÇô┬áSPI Overview
(Edwina Rogers, CEO, edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net, 202-674-7800)
ÔùÅSPI Mission
The Secular Policy Institute (SPI) is a think tank organization of thought leaders, writers, scholars, and speakers with a shared mission to influence public opinion and promote a secular society. We believe governmental decisions and public policies should be based on available science and reason, and free of religion or religious preferences.
ÔùÅCommunity Action Network (www.CommunityActionNetwork.org)
ÔùÅParent Teacher Community Action Network (www.PTCan.org)
Community Action Network (CAN) promotes the development and application of science and reason in an ongoing quest for secular solutions to local problems. As an inclusive, affirming, and action-oriented initiative, CAN seeks to promote rational relationships and effective community building in support of collective problem solving and the ongoing advancement and enjoyment of a more just and reasoned world.
ÔùÅPTCAN Mission Statement
ÔùÅPTCAN Bylaws
ÔùÅPTCAN Charter
ÔùÅPTCAN Gives to Get School Support

ÔùÅWorld Future Guide 2016
The World Future Guide collects the public policy recommendations and findings on demographic trends from the foremost fellows at the Secular Policy Institute. Leading thinkers give research and opinion on law, education, and healthcare, practical advice on defense and surveillance technology, the big picture trends on the interplay between secular government and religion, and more. And we give you the scoop: even a peek into the finances of the Islamic State!

Our ten articles are written by fellows from seven countries representing diverse points of view.  Yet each is committed to a rational, evidence-based analysis of a timely topic that can inform effective public policy.  The first in a series of Guides, the World Future Guide 2016 provides critical secular insights into timely topics of international import in the hopes of guiding more informed public opinion and policy-making in our increasingly secular world.

ÔùÅSecular Resource Guide
ÔùÅUS Policy Guide
ÔùÅRecruit National and Regional Leaders
ÔùÅInternational Hotspots in Need

III ÔÇô┬áFellowsÔÇÖ Corner
(Madeline Schussel, Director of Policy, madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

• Elliot D. Cohen┬áis one of the principal founders of philosophical counseling in the United States. He is co-founder and Executive Director of the National Philosophical Counseling Association (NPCA), and President of the Institute of Critical Thinking. How does philosophy become an applied field? He answers in his recent essay,┬áWhat Else Can You Do With Philosophy Besides Teach?┬ápublished in the International Journal of Philosophical Practice that one thing is to give philosophical counseling, a form of mental health counseling.
• Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi┬áis a leading world expert on the Islamic State, a secular Arab from the UK and Iraq who advises government worldwide on the Middle East, Islam, and terrorism. He recently┬áhelped British newspaper The Guardian to verify and analyze Islamic State documents┬ádealing with transportation and migration in Syria near the border with Turkey. He has also published an┬áanalysis of an Islamic State document that justifies slavery, especially concubines. He also discovered and leaked to the press┬áan Islamic State ÔÇ£Master PlanÔÇØ, which outlines how their operations are to be run.
• Holger Mey┬áis the Vice President of Advanced Concepts, Airbus Defence and Space in Germany, and has 12 years of experience as a self-employed security policy analyst and consultant. Recently he gave his thoughts on the weapons systems of the future, and you can see his video lecture to the Potsdam Conference of National Cyber Security in 2014 or his video lecture last summer to a German think tank (text from the speech, The Role of Technology in Future Warfare, available┬áhere┬áin a conference report entitled The Future of Air Power)
• Sarbagh Salih┬áis the founder of Hataw, an NGO in Kurdistan that helps people who were forced to move to cities to return to their villages to work in the fields. She is a board member of Nature Iraq and the Sakran-Halgurd National Park, and a member of the committee of the Kurdistan National Herbarium. She is also President of the Kurdistan Botanical Foundation, which recently finished a┬ábotanical survey of the Azmer-Goizha mountain in Iraqi Kurdistan, a two-year effort that collected specimens of more than 1,000 species. The group also replants rare and endemic plant species in different areas of Kurdistan. Dr. Salih also recently contributed to the┬áKurdistan Tour Guide 2015-2016, the first comprehensive travel book for the region.
• David Sloan Wilson, President of the┬áEvolution Institute, which applies the science of evolution to social and political issues, and promotes acceptance of evolution and its applications to the public. They are proud to announce┬áEvonomics, which builds on the old economic model in which people are assumed to gather all knowledge and make smart choices, to a new model based on evolution and the scientific study of human behavior and how social systems work. WilsonÔÇÖs report,┬áDoing Well By Doing good, An Evolution Institute Report on Socially Responsible Businesses, explains how socially responsible business practices can also be profitable. ┬á(Earlier this month we mentioned that Wilson will┬áspeak in Washington, DC on Thursday, February 11. If you run a local group that would like to gather in support, contact Aaron Traywick at┬áaaron@secularpolicyinstitute.net.)

Daily News Clips Now Available (Follow this link to register)

IV ÔÇô┬áCoalitions & Resources
(Johnny Monsarrat, Alliance Director, johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

ÔùÅWorld SPI Calendar┬áÔÇô Upcoming Major Conferences
ÔùÅVolunteers & Interns ÔÇô SPI Volunteers/Interns Recruitment
ÔùÅCoalition Update
ÔùÅNewsletter ÔÇô weekly, please sign up. (Subscribe to newsletter)
ÔùÅSecular Leaders League
You do a lot through the SPI coalition in 2015. See our report! (2015 report)
Now weÔÇÖve launched two Secular Leaders email chat lists: the┬áUS Secular Leaders League┬á(secular-leaders-usa@googlegroups.com) and the┬áGlobal Secular Leaders League┬á(secular-leaders@googlegroups.com). The purpose of these groups is to:

• Trade group emails on the secular movementÔÇÖs future;
• Plan a global ÔÇ£business plan competitionÔÇØ to coach secular leaders;
• Host a donor conference where plans get presented judged, and funded, and;
• Fund winners through a ÔÇ£Secular Donor Advice FundÔÇØ for investment firms like Fidelity

Coordinating makes us stronger. Please contribute your needs and ideas!  Please join via the Google group email invitation you received. You may leave at any time.

Thank you! With you, weÔÇÖre going to change the world in 2016.

Resources:
ÔùÅWorld Future Guide
ÔùÅAbuse in American Faith Based Initiative System
ÔùÅUS Secular Policy Guide
ÔùÅSecular Resource Guide
ÔùÅReligiousness by Country
ÔùÅReligiousness by US State
ÔùÅBack Office Support
ÔùÅHelp secure Volunteers and Interns
ÔùÅHelp Draft Press Releases
ÔùÅAccess to Press Database
ÔùÅBrochures
ÔùÅWebsite Design
ÔùÅSecular Directory

V ÔÇô┬áPublic Policy Update

• Latin America Update┬á-┬áHugo Estrella

ÔùïSPI is seeking┬á UN Special Consultative Status.┬á Edwina will be representative in NY and Hugo in Geneva.┬á┬á We are looking to build coalitions and join networks.┬á SPI will seek UNESCO consultative NGO status.┬á Then we have the EU, there, they have an office which would be more than appropriate for us to lobby, which is the European Commission for Fundamental Rights.

Our fellows from the Italian Union of Atheists Rationalists, Agnostics and Freethinkers (UAAR.it)  to which Hugo belongs and who publish news from US matters and internationally as well (they are members of the European Humanist Federation) have office space in the city (Circolo UAAR di Pisa).  SPI will share the office thanks to Hugo.

• The Association of Atheism (Republic of Turkey)┬á-┬áMorgan Elizabeth Romano

ÔùïUneasy Neighbors in Turkey: Atheism and Islam

• Recent Letters

Read SPI’s recent┬áAdvocacy Campaigns┬áand any updates to past letters.

• Checking In on The UN
  • Turkey: Zeid concerned by actions of security forces and clampdown on media
  • Video: Stop Forced Evictions
  • More allegations of sexual abuse of children by foreign soldiers in the Central African Republic
  • Canada must address root causes of extreme violence and discrimination against indigenous women

Upcoming Events:
ÔùÅFreethought Cruise┬áFebruary 5-8, Port Canaveral to the Bahamas
ÔùÅDarwin on the Palouse┬áFebruary 7, Moscow, ID and Pullman, WA
ÔùÅSecular Summit┬áFebruary 10, Columbus, OH
ÔùÅInternational Darwin Day┬áFebruary 12
ÔùÅAtheist and Secular Oklahomans Lobby Day┬áFebruary 23, Oklahoma City, OK
ÔùÅHuJews Conclave┬áMarch 4-6, Chicago, IL
ÔùÅSashaCon┬áMarch 19-20, Columbia, MO
ÔùÅThe National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies Convention┬áMarch 11-13, London, UK
ÔùÅBudapesti Szkeptikus Konferencia┬áMarch 28, Budapest, Hungary
ÔùÅDays of Atheism┬áMarch 27-29, Warsaw, Poland
ÔùÅLogiCon┬áApril 2-3, Fayetteville, AR
ÔùÅFreethought Festival┬áApril 8-9, Madison, WI
ÔùÅNational Ask an Atheist Day┬áApril 16, All Over
ÔùÅRationalist Conference┬áApril 23-24, Tallinn, Estonia
ÔùÅRavenCon Skeptic Track┬áApril 29-May 1, Williamsburg, VA
ÔùÅFoundation Beyond Belief: Week of Action┬áApril 30-May 6, All Over
ÔùÅSkepKon┬áMay 5-7, Hamburg, Germany
ÔùÅNortheast Conference on Science and Skepticism┬áMay 12-15, New York, NY
ÔùÅA Conference Called Wonder┬áMay 19-22, Utrecht, Netherlands
ÔùÅEuropean Humanist FederationÔÇÖs General Assembly┬áMay 20, Valletta, Malta
ÔùÅ2016 IHEU General Assembly┬áMay 22, Valletta, Malta
ÔùÅAmerican Humanist Association Annual Conference┬áMay 26-29, Chicago, IL
ÔùÅBalticon 50┬áMay 27-30, Baltimore, MD
ÔùÅFuture of Ethical Societies Conference┬áMay 27-30, Brooklyn, NY

Monthly Conference Call Schedule:
First Thursday of Every Month at Noon Eastern Standard Time (GMT -4): March 3; April 7; May 5; June 2; July 7; September 1; October 6; November 3 (No conference call in August and December)

SPI Staff:
Edwina Rogers – edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Madeline Schussel – madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Johnny Monsarrat – johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net

Agenda

SPI International Hot Spot of the Month ÔÇô Saudi Arabia

December 14, 2015

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

The Honorable John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

President Obama and Secretary Kerry:

The Secular Policy Institute and the below signed coalition members call on your office to demand clemency for artist Ashraf Fayadh. Through a hearsay allegation and a crooked interpretation of one of his poems, Fayadh faces beheading come mid-December. After initially determining capital punishment unwarranted, upon prosecutorial appeal Saudi Arabia condemned Fayadh to death for the crime of blasphemy. The breadth of human rights conventions stands against such brutality and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls for action against ÔÇ£Tier 1 Countries of Particular ConcernÔÇØ for which Saudi Arabia is listed.

A well-known poet and artist both within Saudi Arabia and globally, Ashraf Fayadh (35) has helped cultivate Saudi ArabiaÔÇÖs contemporary arts movement, is a member of a Saudi-British Arts coalition (Edge of Arabia), and has curated exhibitions in Venice and Jeddah. Ethnically Palestinian, and living in Saudi Arabia, Fayadh is officially a stateless person. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is infamous for its persecution of those claiming their inherent rights of free speech. Free Saudi LiberalÔÇÖs Raif Badawi sits during this the first few of his ten-year imprisonment, already experiencing many of the lashes laid upon him by a Saudi Court, and nearly half of the 2,200 executed since 1985 have not carried a Saudi passport.

Following and August 2013, post-soccer match argument in a caf├® in Abha, claiming that Fayadh had blasphemed against God, Mohammed, and Saudi Arabia, his accuser contacted the Committee on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (religious police) who then detained him. FayadhÔÇÖs father calls this matter the result of a personal vendetta. FayadhÔÇÖs friends allege that the policy berated him owing to his ÔÇ£smoking and having long hair.ÔÇØ Fayadh was released later to be tried from February until May 2014. FayadhÔÇÖs charges included blasphemy for his poetry (ÔÇ£AsylumÔÇØ in his 2008 book Instructions Within) and for ÔÇ£illicit relationshipsÔÇØ by pictures on his cellphone of him associating with women. On May 28th, 2014 a General Court judge determined that FayadhÔÇÖs repentance disqualified death as punishment opting for four yearsÔÇÖ imprisonment and 800 lashes. The prosecution appealed, and in a November 17th, 2015 second trialÔÇÖs verdict, Fayadh was sentenced to death.

A close associate of Fayadh (Mona Kareem of Kuwait) said that this was a message from the morality police against the arts community of Abha. Friends of Fayadh assert that this is retaliation for the poet posting videos of the religious police publicly flogging someone. According to Human Rights WatchÔÇÖs Middle East Director Sarah Leah Whitson, ÔÇ£Regardless of what Fayadh said or didnÔÇÖt say, Saudi Arabia should stop arresting people for their personal beliefs. The fact that Ashram Fayadh is facing the prospect of being beheaded only adds to the outrageousness of this court ruling.ÔÇØ These actions tend be less about protecting religion than intimidation and disposing of actors considered undesirable by repressive authoritarian regimes.

More than 150 people have already been executed this year in Saudi Arabia. To offer a reprieve from capital punishment only to apply it again is the height of cruelty, to do so upon hearsay for against what the global community would otherwise consider inviolable free expression is chilling. Ashraf Fayadh does not deserve what has been imposed upon him. There is a one-month window to save his life. According to sources close to him, Fayadh lacks legal counsel and visitation rights. As global human rights conventions were established to protect people like Ashraf and as the USCIRF mandates action to protect ÔÇ£prisoners of belief,ÔÇØ we call upon the Offices of the President of the United States and the U.S. Department of State to intervene on behalf of Ashraf Fayadh.

Sincerely,

Edwina Rogers

47 executed, not Ali al-Nimr, but his uncle Nimr al-Nimr (and 46 others).

http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/jan/02/middle-east-condemns-saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-live

Signatories

ARP Sociedad para el Avance del Pensamiento Cr├¡tico ÔÇô Spain
Association Fran├ºaise Transhumanistes ÔÇô Technoprog ÔÇô France
Atheist Foundation of Australia ÔÇô Lane Cove, New South Wales, Australia
Central London Humanists ÔÇô London, UK
Community Action Network ÔÇô Washington, DC, USA
Humanist Association of San Diego ÔÇô San Diego, California, USA
Humanist Chaplaincy at American University – Washington, DC, USA
Humanists of North Central Florida ÔÇô Ocala, Florida, USA
The La Crosse Area Freethought Society ÔÇô La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
Mid-West Humanists ÔÇô Ireland
Muslimish ÔÇô Madison, WI
North London Humanist Group ÔÇô London, UK
Omaha Metro Area Humanists Association ÔÇô Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Red River Thinkers ÔÇô Fargo, North Dakota, USA
Sidmennt ÔÇô The Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association ÔÇô Reykjavik, Iceland
United Coalition of Reason ÔÇô Washington, DC, USA
Universal Church Triumphant of the Apathetic Agnostic ÔÇô Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Watford Area Humanists ÔÇô Watford, UK

I ÔÇô SPI Overview

(Edwina Rogers, CEO, edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net, 202-674-7800)

• SPI Mission

The Secular Policy Institute (SPI) is a think tank organization of thought leaders, writers, scholars, and speakers with a shared mission to influence public opinion and promote a secular society. We believe governmental decisions and public policies should be based on available science and reason, and free of religion or religious preferences.

• Community Action Network (CommunityActionNetwork.org)
• Parent Teacher Community Action Network (PTCan.org)

Community Action Network (CAN) promotes the development and application of science and reason in an ongoing quest for secular solutions to local problems. As an inclusive, affirming, and action-oriented initiative, CAN seeks to promote rational relationships and effective community building in support of collective problem solving and the ongoing advancement and enjoyment of a more just and reasoned world.

• PTCAN Mission Statement
• PTCAN Bylaws
• PTCAN Charter
• PTCAN Gives to Get School Support
• World Future Guide 2016

The World Future Guide collects the public policy recommendations and findings on demographic trends from the foremost fellows at the Secular Policy Institute. Leading thinkers give research and opinion on law, education, and healthcare, practical advice on defense and surveillance technology, the big picture trends on the interplay between secular government and religion, and more. And we give you the scoop: even a peek into the finances of the Islamic State!

Our ten articles are written by fellows from seven countries representing diverse points of view.  Yet each is committed to a rational, evidence-based analysis of a timely topic that can inform effective public policy.  The first in a series of Guides, the World Future Guide 2016 provides critical secular insights into timely topics of international import in the hopes of guiding more informed public opinion and policy-making in our increasingly secular world.

• Secular Resource Guide
• US Policy Guide
• Monthly Conference Call Schedule:

First Thursday of Every Month at Noon Eastern Standard Time (GMT -4): January 7; February 4; March 3; April 7; May 5; June 2; July 7; September 1; October 6; November 3 (No conference call in August and December)

• Recruit National and Regional Leaders
• International Hotspots in Need

II ÔÇô FellowsÔÇÖ Corner

(Madeline Schussel, Policy Director, madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

We would like to highlight the accomplishments of these SPI Fellows in 2015:

Amatzia Baram┬ágave a report on the state of Lebanon in his article┬áLebanonÔÇÖs fragile balance holds amid political paralysis, and contributed to the World Future Guide.

Gregory Benford is a multiply award-winning science fiction author whose blog contains poetry about bout life, the universe, and everything. He is faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine.  He is also a contributing editor of Reason magazine, wrote an article about Pluto for Air and Space Magazine, and published an adventure novel, Against Infinity.

Elliot D. Cohen is a philosopher who has written a whopping twenty-five books, including What Would Aristotle Do?: Self-Control Through the Power of Reason and The Theory and Practice of Logic-Based Therapy. He also contributed to the World Future Guide.

A.C. Grayling┬áspoke to the BBC on┬áThe Meaning of Life According to AJ Ayer, wrote abouthow religion seems to be growing when it isnÔÇÖt, was┬áinterviewed by the Atheist Debates Patreon Project, gave a┬áspeech urging students to have more courage, and contributed to the World Future Guide. He wrote about the Middle East immigration crisis in┬áThe irony of migrancy.

Marty Klein recently wrote an article about an aspect of NorwayÔÇÖs cultural re-education (Norway, Immigrants, and Sex Education) of its Syrian immigrant population.

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi contributed to the World Future Guide and gave Middle East policy advice in Why America Should Aim to Contain- Rather Than Destroy ÔÇô ISIS.

Mark Juergensmeyer wrote about how cooperating with Iran might help the US defeat ISIS, and offered a poignant perspective on the attacks in Paris in his newly published article, Why ISIS Attacked Paris. He also analyzed the religion of ISIS in What Kind of Islam is That? Talking with Refugees from ISIS. In an interview he spoke about how religion fuels conflict in the Middle East.

Patrik Lindenfors wrote about EuropeÔÇÖs immigration emergency in Refugees Crisis: Humanists call for a strong and humane EU response.

Elizabeth Loftus was interviewed by NPR about false memories, gave a TED Talk called How Reliable is Your Memory?, and contributed to the World Future Guide. She was the focus for a Washington Post article on the failing memory of US Presidential candidate Donald Trump. She appeared in an interview that explored the ÔÇ£Religious ExperienceÔÇØ from a neurologistÔÇÖs perspective.

Kevin Perrott is a leader in the movement to extend the natural healthspan of humans so that people could feel as healthy as 40 years old in their 80s. We interviewed him at length for a newsletter.

Michael Semple, Visiting Research Professor in the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice at QueenÔÇÖs University Belfast, has written an article for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Making Peace with the Taliban.

Daily News Clips Now Available (Follow this link to register) 

III ÔÇô Coalitions & Resources

(Johnny Monsarrat, Alliance Director, johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

• World SPI Calendar ÔÇô Upcoming Major Conferences
• Volunteers & Interns ÔÇô SPI Volunteers/Interns Recruitment
• Coalition Update
• Newsletter ÔÇô weekly, please sign up (Subscribe to newsletter)
• Secular Leaders League

You do a lot through the SPI coalition in 2015. See our report! (2015 report)

Now weÔÇÖve launched two Secular Leaders email chat lists: the US Secular Leaders League (secular-leaders-usa@googlegroups.com) and the Global Secular Leaders League (secular-leaders@googlegroups.com). The purpose of these groups is to:

• Trade group emails on the secular movementÔÇÖs future;
• Plan a global ÔÇ£business plan competitionÔÇØ to coach secular leaders;
• Host a donor conference where plans get presented judged, and funded, and;
• Fund winners through a ÔÇ£Secular Donor Advice FundÔÇØ for investment firms like Fidelity.

Coordinating makes us stronger. Please contribute your needs and ideas! Please join via the Google group email invitation you received. You may leave at any time.

Thank you! With you, weÔÇÖre going to change the world in 2016.

Resources:

• World Future Guide 2016
• Abuse in American Faith Based Initiative System
• US Secular Policy Guide
• Secular Resource Guide
• Religiousness by Country
• Religiousness by US State
• Back Office Support
• Help secure Volunteers and Interns
• Help Draft Press Releases
• Access to Press Database
• Brochures
• Website Design
• Secular Directory
  

IV ÔÇô Public Policy Update

(Hugo Estrella, Latin America Regional Director, hstar@argentina.com)

• Latin America Update
  • SPI is seeking UN Special Consultative Status. Edwina will be representative in NY and Hugo in Geneva. We are looking to build coalitions and join networks. SPI will seek UNESCO consultative NGO status. Then we have the EU, there, they have an office which would be more than appropriate for us to lobby, which is the European Commission for Fundamental Rights.
  • Our fellows from the Italian Union of Atheists Rationalists, Agnostics and Freethinkers (it) to which Hugo belongs and who publish news from US matters and internationally as well (they are members of the European Humanist Federation) have office space in the city (Circolo UAAR di Pisa). SPI will share the office thanks to Hugo.

• The Association of Atheism (Republic of Turkey)
  • Morgan Elizabeth Romano, Uneasy Neighbors in Turkey: Atheism and Islam

Recent Letters

All letters can be found on our ÔÇ£CoalitionsÔÇØ tab under ÔÇ£Advocacy CampaignsÔÇØ.

ÔùÅ┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á Comment Letter: Healthcare Discrimination

• The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of Civil Rights (OR) issued the proposed regulations that take critical steps toward realizing the promise of Section 1557 in ending sex discrimination in health care. Sex discrimination in health are results in women paying more for health care, receiving improper diagnoses more frequently, being provided less effective treatments, and sometimes being denied care altogether. Further, numerous surveys, studies, and reports have documented the widespread discrimination experienced by LGBT individuals and their families in the health system. In response, the ACA included broad protections against sex discrimination in health programs and activities, with Section 1557, which prohibits discrimination in federally funded and operated health programs and activities, as the cornerstone of this protection. Strong regulations implementing Section 1557, paired with robust enforcement, are necessary to ensure that all women can access affordable, quality health care.

ÔùÅ┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á Sign-on Letter: Saudi Arabia’s Seat on the UN Human Rights Council

• Does your secular group want to help SPI in a charge to maintain the integrity of the United Nations Human Rights Council? The UNHRCÔÇÖs website prominently features a 2007 quote by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, ÔÇ£All victims of human rights abuse should be able to look to the Human Rights Council as a forum and a springboard for action.ÔÇØ The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a UN-member state and therefore now eligible for a seat on the UNHRC. The Consultative Group is tasked with reviewing and assigning applicants to serve as ÔÇ£Special RapporteursÔÇØ and other ÔÇ£Independent InvestigatorsÔÇØ for human rights abuses around the planet. Beyond the high profile cases of condemning a teenager (Ali Mohammed al-Nimr) to death for participating in protesting for democracy, and sentencing a blogger (Raif Badawi) to degrading physical abuse and a lengthy prison sentence for expressing critique; the Kingdom sentenced Saudi rights lawyer Walid al-Khair to 15 years for ÔÇ£breaking allegianceÔÇØ to the monarchy by founding and directing the organization ÔÇ£Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia.ÔÇØ

ÔùÅ┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á Letter: Sending Sympathies to France

• View the letter that the Secular Policy Institute sent to President Fran├ºois Hollande regarding the terrorist attacks in Paris. We at the Secular Policy Institute express our deepest sympathies and sorrow for the actions of those few who permanently impacted the lives of so many. Vive la Ville Lumi├¿re, vive la├»cit├®, vive la France!

ÔùÅ┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á Sign-on Letter: Inclusive Police Vehicle Decals

• We are asking the National Association of Police Organizations to highly consider advising and educating police officers regarding the use of religious decals on secular government vehicles. These actions can be divisive and threatening toward over thirty percent non-religious in the U.S. The United States has two national mottos, of these ÔÇ£In God We TrustÔÇØ was chosen to be placed as a decal upon police and sheriff cars. Unlike ÔÇ£In God We TrustÔÇØ (which was adopted as a national motto in 1956 ÔÇô mainly to counter communism), E Pluribus Unum has been with us since 1776. E Pluribus Unum is a far more accurate representation about what is best of America: ÔÇ£out of the many, one.ÔÇØ

ÔùÅ┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á Sign-on Letter: A Child’s Right to Medical Care

• Should a child be denied access to healthcare because of the religion they happened to be born into? The Secular Policy Institute and our coalition partners remain steadfast supporters of science-based medicine. We expect to find no better ally in advocating for medical science than the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thus we ask the Secretary to lobby the President and Congress to introduce Federal requirements to provide medical care for children against religious and philosophical objections from their parents. The SecretaryÔÇÖs office has the leverage to educate lawmakers about science, and the importance of proper medical care.

ÔùÅ┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á Update: Sign-on Letter: UN Asylum for Bangladeshi Authors

• We have recently received correspondence from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

• Checking In on The UN
  • Zeid explores mass execution of 47 people in Saudi Arabia
  • Central African Republic: UN expet calls for peaceful, free and fair elections
  • UN experts dismayed by presidential pardon of convicted rapist and his appointment as ambassador in the fight against gender-based violence in Zambia
  • Right to sanitation, a distinct human right ÔÇô Over 2.5 billion people lack access to sanitation

V ÔÇô Project and Member Spotlight

• Margaret Downey
  • The former President of Atheist Alliance International and founder and president of the Freethought Society
  • Visit the Freethought Society website on January 29 to learn how you can support efforts to honor Thomas Paine
  • Currently working on a statue project, a music compilation of Thomas Paine songs, and a coloring book for children
• Bob Churchill
  • Director of Communications of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU)
  • The Freedom of Thought Report 2015 provides timely insight on the rights of and discrimination against humanists, atheists, and non-theists
• John A. Wagner
  • Representative of the IHEU to the United Nations; Member of the Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief; Member of the Committee on ChildrenÔÇÖs Rights
  • Advises gaining consultative status through the Economic and Social Council (Civil Society, A Practical Guide for Civil Society)
• Doug Thomas
  • President of Secular Connexion S├®culi├¿re
  • Calls to attention the new political scene in Canada brought on by the new majority Liberal government and its effect on non-believers
• John Kirbow
  • Founder, “Reason Revival”, (347) 738-3245
  • Collaborating with ex-Muslims and other Islam reformers on specific ways in which science and freethought movements can help Islamic societies, including:
    • Several ideas for a greater presence in NYC, and
    • Prospects for how a leading human rights crowd-sourcing platform, “Movements.org”, can be a hub for much of our common causes, in mutually beneficial ways

VI – Upcoming Events

• Religious Freedom Day, January 16
• Freethinkers Day/Thomas Paine Day, January 29
• Freethought Cruise, February 5-8, Port Canaveral to the Bahamas
• Darwin on the Palouse, February 7, Moscow, ID and Pullman, WA
• Secular Summit, February 10, Columbus, OH
• Darwin Day, February 12
• HuJews Conclave, March 4-6, Chicago, IL
• SashaCon (Skeptics, Atheists, Secular Humanists & Agnostics), March 19-20, Columbia, MO
• The National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies Convention, March 11-13, London, UK
• Budapesti Szkeptikus Konferencia, March 28, Budapest, Hungary
• Days of Atheism, March 27-29, Warsaw, Poland

SPI Staff:

Edwina Rogers – edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Madeline Schussel – madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Johnny Monsarrat – johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net

Agenda

SPI International Hot Spot of the Month – Myanmar

H.E. President Thein Sein
Presidential Palace
Zeya Theiddhi Ward
Naypyitaw, Myanmar

H.E. Ambassador U Kyaw Myo Htut
Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
2300 S St, NW
Washington DC, 20008

Dear President Sein and Ambassador Htut:

Since May, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar signed ┬áinto law four ÔÇ£Protection of the Race and ReligionÔÇØ statutes. These laws place restrictions on marriage, religious conversion, and reproductive freedom of the people within MyanmarÔÇÖs borders. As an emerging democratic nation, these laws are injurious to secularism and democratic norms, and fuel an ongoing humanitarian crisis afflicting 1.4 million people of the Rohingya ethnic group. The Secular Policy Institute, and the below signed coalition members, ┬ácalls on the government of Myanmar, President Sein and the Houses of Nationality and Representation to review the Monogamy, Interfaith Marriage, Religious Conversion, and Population Control laws and to support the cause of and human rights.

The laws of ÔÇ£Protecting Race and ReligionÔÇØ include the ÔÇ£Monogamy LawÔÇØ criminalizing ┬ácohabitation with an unmarried partner that is not a recognized spouse (signed in law 31 August, 2015); the ÔÇ£Religious Conversion LawÔÇØ requiring that those wishing to change their religion seek the approval of a board for religious conversion requiring a 90-180 day approval process resulting in a ÔÇ£certificate of religious conversionÔÇØ (August 26, 2015), with penalties for ÔÇ£forced religious conversion;ÔÇØ the ÔÇ£Interfaith Marriage LawÔÇØ regulating marriage between Buddhist women to non-Buddhist men, where women under the age of 20 must obtain parental consent and those applying for marriage licenses must publicize their applications with a 14-day window for objections that are met with litigation (August 26, 2015); and the ÔÇ£Population Control LawÔÇØ that was passed in May. This final law imposes restrictions on the number of children that married couples (form ÔÇ£certain regionsÔÇØ) may have.

These laws impose significant restrictions on basic human liberties and risk violation of important, internationally recognized, human rights. ┬áWe call on MyanmarÔÇÖs diplomatic mission in the United States to arrange a meeting with the Secular Policy Institute to discuss these laws and consider enacting laws ┬áand regulations that support the ongoing development of a more just and equitable society.

After 49 years of military rule (1962-2011), Myanmar is in the transitional process of democratic consolidation.  Neither under the name of Burma nor Myanmar, has this nation been a signatory to either the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  This makes it more difficult to appeal to the standard bearer of global human-rights standards.

Sincerely,

I ÔÇô┬áSPI Overview

(Edwina Rogers, CEO, edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net, 202-674-7800)

• SPI Mission

The Secular Policy Institute (SPI) is a think tank organization of thought leaders, writers, scholars, and speakers with a shared mission to influence public opinion and promote a secular society. We believe governmental decisions and public policies should be based on available science and reason, and free of religion or religious preferences.

• Community Action Network (www.CommunityActionNetwork.org)

Community Action Network (CAN) promotes the development and application of science and reason in an ongoing quest for secular solutions to local problems. As an inclusive, affirming, and action-oriented initiative, CAN seeks to promote rational relationships and effective community building in support of collective problem solving and the ongoing advancement and enjoyment of a more just and reasoned world.

• PTCAN Mission Statement

• PTCAN Bylaws

• PTCAN Charter

• PTCAN Gives to Get School Support

• Secular Resource Guide

• US Policy Guide

• World Future Guide – Coming Soon

• Recruit National and Regional Leaders

• International Hotspots in Need

II ÔÇô┬áFellowsÔÇÖ Corner

(Madeline Schussel, Director of Policy, madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

We would like to highlight these SPI Fellows:

Dr. Christopher DiCarlo┬áis SPIÔÇÖs newest Fellow! ┬áDr. DiCarlo is on faculty at theUniversity of Toronto┬áand┬áRyerson University. ┬áHe is a fellow, adviser, and board member of the┬áSociety of Ontario Free Thinkers┬áand the┬áCentre for Inquiry Canada. ┬áHis latest book entitled:┬áHow to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass: A Critical ThinkerÔÇÖs Guide to Asking the Right Questions┬áhas achieved bestseller status. He has published scholarly papers on a variety of topics, a sampling of which may be found on┬áhis personal website.

Mark Juergensmeyer┬áhas found himself in the spotlight for taking a stand, and withdrawing from a speaking engagement for reasons of conscience. ┬áShould a private college be able to toss out students who lose their faith, and what about if they allow secular students?┬á┬áRead his thoughts┬áon the subject and view the┬ástatement on BYUÔÇÖs website.

Gregory BenfordÔÇÖs new article┬áThe Pluto of Science Fiction┬áin Air & Space.

Elham Manea┬ápaints a jarring portrait of the reality of blasphemy laws in her newest article seen on┬áThe Huffington Post. ┬áMohamed Cheikh is set to be executed for writing an article that was deemed ÔÇ£critical of MohammedÔÇØ.

John McWhorter┬áhas two new articles centered on linguistics. ┬áThe first,┬áWhy ÔÇ£RedskinsÔÇØ Is a Bad Word,┬ánot only delves into the controversy surrounding the football team; it also explores the origin of other ethnic slurs, other than the namesake of the team.┬áWhy ÔÇ£MomÔÇØ and ÔÇ£DadÔÇØ Sound So Similar in So Many Languages, explores this and many other curiosities behind language.

Taslima Nasrin┬áreceived the Emperor Has No Clothes Award at the Freedom From Religion FoundationÔÇÖs 38th┬áannual convention. ┬áThe convention took place October 9-11 in Madison, Wisconsin. ┬áThis award is given to chosen public figures who ÔÇ£tell it like it is about religion.ÔÇØ ┬á┬áVideo from the conference will be available on┬áFFRFÔÇÖs website.

David Sloan Wilson┬áreplies to an article from the┬áNew York Times┬áon DarwinÔÇÖs natural selection an excuse for ruthless competition. ┬áThe article,┬áJeff Bezos got Darwinism all Wrong! ┬áRuthless competition is a prescription for disaster, is a solid rebuttal. ┬áWilson manages to take an inflammatory title and not pull any punches, instead he offers fact and reason.

*Daily News Clip Available*

III ÔÇô┬áCoalitions & Resources

(Johnny Monsarrat, Alliance Director, johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

• World SPI Calendar┬áÔÇô Upcoming Major Conferences

• Volunteers & Interns ÔÇô SPI Volunteers/Interns Recruitment

• Coalition Update

• Newsletter ÔÇô weekly, please sign up.

Resources:

• Abuse in American Faith Based Initiative System

• US Secular Policy Guide

• Secular Resource Guide

• Religiousness by Country

• Religiousness by US State

• Back Office Support

• Help secure Volunteers and Interns

• Help Draft Press Releases

• Access to Press Database

• Brochures

• Website Design

• Secular Directory

IV ÔÇô┬áPublic Policy Update

• Latin America Update

  • Hugo Estrella
    SPI is seeking  UN Special Consultative Status.  Edwina will be representative in NY and Hugo in Geneva.   We are looking to build coalitions and join networks.  SPI will seek UNESCO consultative NGO status.  Then we have the EU, there, they have an office which would be more than appropriate for us to lobby, which is the European Commission for Fundamental Rights.

    Our fellows from the Italian Union of Atheists Rationalists, Agnostics and Freethinkers (UAAR.it)  to which Hugo belongs and who publish news from US matters and internationally as well (they are members of the European Humanist Federation) have office space in the city (Circolo UAAR di Pisa).  SPI will share the office thanks to Hugo.

• The Association of Atheism (Republic of Turkey)

  • Morgan Elizabeth Romano,┬áUneasy Neighbors in Turkey: Atheism and Islam

• Recent Letter Campaigns:

• Sign-on Letter: ÔÇ£Protection of Race and Religion: In Myanmar

  • This sign-on letter addresses the President of Myanmar, as well as the U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar, regarding four ÔÇ£Protection of Race and ReligionÔÇØ statutes recently signed into law. ┬áThese laws are destructive to not only democracy but to the people who make up this growing nation.

• Sign-on Letter: Mandatory Vaccine Schedules

  • This sign-on letter asks the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the President, Governors, and state legislatures in making mandatory schedules to prevent the spread of communicable diseases for adults and children. ┬áThis letter highlights the potential savings to society associated with vaccination, as well as the dangers that misinformation continues to abound decades after the now debunked articled published by┬áThe Lancet.

• Sign-on Letter: UN Asylum for Bangladeshi Authors

  • This sign-on letter continues the work of calling for the protection of the group of writers in Bangladesh whose names appear on a terrorist-published ÔÇ£kill listÔÇØ. These bloggers and other secularists are being systematically butchered, and now, SPI and coalition members are calling on the US Secretary of State, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and the DHS Director of Citizenship & Immigration to begin the process of initiating their eligibility for asylum.

• Checking In on The UN

  • UN expert urges Angola to release fourteen rights activists detained for criticizing the Government

  • Zeid urges Czech Republic to stop detention of migrants and refugees

  • Enforced disappearances: ÔÇ£LetÔÇÖs stop pretending itÔÇÖs an issue of the pastÔÇØ

  • Iran: UN rights experts outraged at the execution of two juvenile offenders

  • UN experts call for the release of a Qatari poet serving a 15-year jail sentence for writing and reciting a poem

V ÔÇô┬áProject and Member Spotlight

• Bob Churchill┬áIHEU’s Communications Officer will fill us in with an┬áupdate on their activities.

VI - Upcoming Events

• Free Flo┬áNovember Nov 6-8, Orlando, FL.

• ComceptCon┬áNovember 21, ┬áOporto, Portugal

• Skepticon┬áNovember 13-15, Springfield, MO

• National Conference Skeptical (Hungary)┬áNovember 14, Sz├®kesfeh├®rv├ír, Budai Hungary

• Australian Skeptics National Convention┬áOctober 16-18, ┬áBrisbane, Australia

• New Zealand Skeptics Conference┬áDecember 20-22, Christchurch, New Zeland

SPI Staff:

Edwina Rogers – edwina@ecularpolicyinstitute.net

Madeline Schussel -madeline@ecularpolicyinstitute.net

Johnny Monsarrat – johnny@ecularpolicyinstitute.net

Agenda

I ÔÇô┬áSPI International Hot Spot of the Month ÔÇô┬áBangladesh Bloggers

High Commissioner Ant├│nio Guterres
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Case Postale 2500
CH-1211 Gen├¿ve 2 D├®p├┤t
Suisse

Dear High Commissioner Guterres:

We are the Secular Policy Institute, a secular government think tank and human rights advocacy organization. We write to you, along with the below signed organizations, to request a meeting to begin the process of initiating asylum eligibility for a group of writers and other secularists in Bangladesh on a terrorist-published ÔÇ£kill list,ÔÇØ who are being systematically butchered by cleavers and machetes.

The attacks started in January 2013 when Asif Mohuiddin was stabbed, and a month later murdered blogger Ahmed Rajib HaiderÔÇÖs body was said to be so brutalized that it was rendered ÔÇ£unrecognizableÔÇØ by those who knew him. Sunnyur Rhaman was attacked, but survived. University professor Shafiul Islam was slaughtered in November 2014. On 26 February of this year, two American citizens of Bangladeshi heritage were attacked at a book fair in Dhaka. Writer Avijit Roy and his wife Bonya Ahmed were brutally attacked with large knives killing Roy and though losing the fingers of her left hand, Ahmed survived. One month later another blogger, Washiqur Rahman (30 March 2015) was murdered in the same manner as were bloggers Ananta Bijoy Das (12 May 2015) and Niladri Chattopadhyay ÔÇ£Niloy NeelÔÇØ Niloy (7 August 2015).

Alongside high-profile coverage in the leading world news-media outlets; UNESCO, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and a host of other organizations have condemned these attacks and have called upon the Bangladeshi government to intervene, with little success. We stress urgency in this matter as nearly 80 individuals remain as targets at this time. Many have gone into hiding, yet that is certainly no guarantee of safety. We ask for assistance in granting asylum referral to those on the kill list.

Through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and both the UN Status of Refugees Convention (1951) and Protocol (1967) we argue that these writers and advocates deserve the international protection that asylum provides. A well-founded fear of persecution has been realized starting in 1992 on the organized attacks and continued harassment against Bangladeshi-author Taslima Nasrin (living in exile for 20 years). This has been further supported by the publication of a list and the systematic slaughter of targeted persons. We consider this a clear act of persecution. The Majority of those being targeted consider themselves to be Humanists and their writings an act of religious expression. As the kill list is targeting those in a writing-community, we consider this persecution for participation in a social group. Lastly, as the critique for which they are being targeted includes that of protests and commentary relating to a criminal trial of those alleged to have collaborated in the genocide of Bangladeshis in 1971, as well as that of public policy and social action, this is clearly a persecution based upon political opinions.

We request a meeting with your offices to establish an asylum-eligibility referral, as well as to assign a liaison to expedite the process.

Sincerely,

Edwina Rogers

Please notify Ms. Rogers if you would like to join this letter at edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net.

II ÔÇô┬áSPI Overview
(Edwina Rogers, CEO, edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net, 202-674-7800)

• SPI Mission

The Secular Policy Institute (SPI) is a think tank organization of thought leaders, writers, scholars, and speakers with a shared mission to influence public opinion and promote a secular society. We believe governmental decisions and public policies should be based on available science and reason, and free of religion or religious preferences.

• Community Action Network (CAN) and Parent Teacher Community Action Network (PTCAN) (www.PTCAN.org)

Community Action Network (CAN) promotes the development and application of science and reason in an ongoing quest for secular solutions to local problems. As an inclusive, affirming, and action-oriented initiative, CAN seeks to promote rational relationships and effective community building in support of collective problem solving and the ongoing advancement and enjoyment of a more just and reasoned world.

• PTCAN Mission Statement
• PTCAN Bylaws
• PTCAN Charter
• PTCAN Gives to Get School Support
• World Future Guide – Coming Soon

III ÔÇô┬áFellowsÔÇÖ Corner
(Madeline Schussel, Policy Director, madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net)
We would like to highlight these new SPI Fellow activities:

• Ian Morris┬áwill be presenting his new book┬áForagers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels: How Human Values Evolve┬áat a newly announced┬áengagement February, 8 2016.
• Elliot CohenÔÇÖs (Applied Ethics, Mass Media, & Philosophical Counseling) new article:┬áÔÇ£Protecting Freedom and Dignity from ÔÇÿTechnology of OppressionÔÇÖÔÇØ
• Marty Klein┬áhas ten lessons that humanists need to learn about sex. ItÔÇÖs quick, not so dirty and not at all predictable.┬áTalk about sex education!
• David Sloan Wilson┬ásits down with Cornell economist Robert Frank to discuss his latest book┬áThe Darwin Economy. Is it possible to compress 100 years down into 10? How does Monopoly money factor in to all of this?
• Taslima NasreenÔÇÖs Freethought blog provides a powerful,┬áunflinching view into the state of secular affairs in the Middle East.
• John McWhorter┬áexplores why a language that once was ÔÇ£the English of its timeÔÇØ is now headed for extinction in his new article seen in The Atlantic,┬áWhere Do Languages Go to Die?
• Patrik Lindenfors┬áreports on the state of things on his blog,┬áRefugees Crisis: Humanists call for a strong and humane EU response.
• Amatzia Baram┬ágives his report on the state of Lebanon in his article┬áLebanonÔÇÖs fragile balance holds amid political paralysis.
• In┬áA. C. GraylingÔÇÖs,┬áThe irony of migrancy, he challenges the reader to put themselves in the place of a migrant in this thought provoking article.
• Mark JuergensmeyerÔÇÖs new article,┬áWhat Kind of Islam is That? Talking With Refugees from ISIS.
• Aymenn Jawad Al-TamimiÔÇÖs new article,┬áWhy America Should Aim to ContainÔÇô Rather Than Destroy ÔÇö ISIS.┬á
• Donald R. Prothero┬ágenerates a captivating history of life on our planet in his new book┬áThe Story of Life in 25 Fossils.

Daily News Clips Available –┬áHow to sign up

IV ÔÇô┬áCoalition┬á& Resources
(Johnny Monsarrat, Alliance Director, johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net)

• World SPI Calendar┬áÔÇô Upcoming Major Conferences
• Volunteers & Interns ÔÇô SPI Volunteers/Interns Recruitment
• Coalition Update
• Newsletter ÔÇô weekly, please sign up.

Resources:

• Abuse in American Faith Based Initiative System
• US Secular Policy Guide
• Secular Resource Guide
• Religiousness by Country
• Religiousness by US State
• Back Office Support
• Help secure Volunteers and Interns
• Help Draft Press Releases
• Access to Press Database
• Brochures
• Website Design
• Secular Directory

V ÔÇô┬áPublic Policy Update

• US Public Policy Update ÔÇô Edwina Rogers (also upcoming Letter Campaigns)
• Latin America Update
  • Hugo Estrella
  • SPI is seeking UN Special Consultative Status. Edwina will be representative in NY and Hugo in Geneva. We are looking to build coalitions and join networks. SPI will seek UNESCO consultative NGO status. Then we have the EU, there, they have an office which would be more than appropriate for us to lobby, which is the European Commission for Fundamental Rights.
  • Our fellows from the Italian Union of Atheists Rationalists, Agnostics and Freethinkers ( UAAR.it ) to which Hugo belongs and who publish news from USmatters and internationally as well (they are members of the European Humanist Federation) have office space in the city (Circolo UAAR di Pisa). SPI will share the office thanks to Hugo.
  • Our fellows from the Italian Union of Atheists Rationalists, Agnostics and Freethinkers (UAAR.it) ┬áto which Hugo belongs and who publish news from US matters and internationally as well (they are members of the European Humanist Federation) have office space in the city (Circolo UAAR di Pisa). ┬áSPI will share the office thanks to Hugo.

• The Association of Atheism (Republic of Turkey)
  • Morgan Elizabeth Romano,┬áUneasy Neighbors in Turkey: Atheism and Islam

Recent Advocacy Campaigns

• Sign-on Letter to Obama: Repeal the OLC RFRA Memo
  • We are asking the White House to repeal the Office of Legal Counsel’s (OLC) memo that interprets Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) as a blanket override of statutory nondiscrimination provisions.┬á Such an interpretation is, in our opinion, erroneous and injurious to free exercise of civil and religious rights, which RFRA was in fact intended to protect.
• Sign-on Letter: UN Bangladesh Asylum
  • We sent a letter to the UN Commissioner for Refugees Ant├│nio Guterres asking for a meeting and assistance in securing asylum for Bangladeshi Freethought Bloggers on the terrorist “Kill List”.
• Sign-on Letter: Secular Education in Argentina
  • The National Congress of Argentina just struck a blow to Secular Education in South America by passing a law that eliminates Education Law 1420, that created secular education. Please join the SPI and other coalition members on a letter urging President Cristina Fern├índez de Kirchner to veto this act and serve as a steward to protect secular education.
• Sign-on Letter: Mandatory Religious Education in Guatemala
  • A proposed bill would allow the Guatemalan government to choose and mandate a religious education in public schools.
• Sign-on Letter: Same Sex Marriage at the United Nations
  • In light of the recent US Supreme Court ruling granting universal gender-neutral marriage in all 50 states and now over 21 countries with legalized gender-neutral marriage, it is time to request the UN High Commission on Human Rights to make this matter a global priority.
• Sign-on Letter: Blasphemy Laws in Nigeria
  • Requesting pardons for nine people recently sentenced to death by a Sharia court. Numerous SPI Fellows and Advisors have assisted in writing this letter and in reaching out to top officials in Nigeria. We were assured over the weekend by the top intelligence officer that the nine individuals are currently under the protection of the Nigerian federal government, for now.
• Sign-on Letter: Free Speech in Bangladesh
  • Calling on the Prime Minister of U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh to set a global standard of free speech and safety for outspoken bloggers and other secularists.
• Sign-on Letter: Pledge of Allegiance ÔÇô US Immigration
  • For those of us in the US, we might remember pledging allegiance to the flag every day — and some of us still do! But did you know that when new US citizens are naturalized, they are forced to acknowledge a god they might not worship? The US has and continues to receive future citizens from around the world. Please join us in signing a letter requesting that these people do not have to recite the Pledge with the words “under God” included.
• Sign-on Letter: Uganda NGO Act
  • NGOs in Uganda are facing trouble as a new bill about to be passed in Parliament will make virtually all NGO decisions fall under the oversight of a government agent,┬ápotentially preventing or stopping humanist and freethought groups from operating.
• Checking in on the UN
  • ÔÇ£Civil Society Space and the United Nations Human Rights SystemÔÇØ
  • “How to Follow Up on United Nations Human Rights Recommendations”
  • Deadline 30 September 2015 -┬áConsultation – How to create and maintain civil society space? What works? A Report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights
  • Consultation – Working Group on Business and Human Rights – 1 October 2015 – 10am, Rm XII, Palais des Nations
  • Information about NGO participation at the forthcoming 30th Session of the Human Rights Council – 14 September to 2 October 2015
  • Letter by the President on Group sponsoring of draft proposals

VI ÔÇô┬áProject and Member Spotlight

• Gail Miller
  • Atheist Alliance International ÔÇô to discuss a critical thinking project for schools.
  • Article:┬áÔÇ£How to Make Schools Better for KidsÔÇØ
• Jerry Miller
  • Evolution Institute ÔÇô to discuss EIÔÇÖs school project and Norway project.
• Margaret Downey
  • Freethought Society ÔÇô to discuss a secular prison library project.

VII - Upcoming Events

• WASHcon┬áOctober 2-4, Lynchburg, VA
• Michigan Atheists Gathering┬áOctober 4, 2015, Plymouth, MI
• Freedom From Religion Foundation Convention┬áOctober 9-11, Madison, WI
• Freethought Day┬áOctober 10-12, 2015, Sacramento, CA
• Atheist Alliance of America Annual Conference┬áOctober 15-18, 2015, Atlanta, GA
• Australia Skeptics National Convention┬áOctober 16-18, 2015, Brisbane, Australia
• The Skeptics of Oz┬áOctober 17, 2015, Wichita, KS
• None of the Above┬áOctober 17-18, 2015, Red Deer, Alberta.
• Center for Inquiry Summit┬áOctober 24-27, 2015, Tacoma, WA
• Free Flo┬áNovember Nov 6-8, Orlando, FL.
• Youth of Ethical Societies (YES) Conference┬áNovember 13-15, 2015, St. Louis, MO
• Skepticon┬áNovember 13-15, 2015, Springfield, MO
• Skeptics National Conference┬áNovember 14, 2015, Obuda University, Hungary
• Apocalypse How?: New Zealand Skeptics Conference┬áNovember 20-22, 2015, Christchurch, New Zealand

SPI Staff:
Edwina Rogers┬áÔÇô edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Madeline Schussel┬áÔÇô madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Johnny Monsarrat┬áÔÇô johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net

Agenda

I ÔÇô┬áSPI International Hot Spot of the Month – Nigerian Nine Sentenced to Death

SPI Staff:
Edwina Rogers ÔÇô edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Madeline Schussel ÔÇô madeline@secularpolicyinstitute.net
Johnny Monsarrat ÔÇô johnny@secularpolicyinstitute.net

Agenda

I ÔÇô┬áSPI International Hot Spot of the Month – Bloggers Killed in Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Prime Minister’s Office
Old Sangsad Bhaban, Tejgaon,
Dhaka-1215, Bangladesh

Ambassador Mohammad Ziauddin
3510 International Drive, NW
Washington, DC 20008, USA

Dear Prime Minister Hasina and Ambassador Ziauddin:

We at the Secular Policy Institute, together with the below signed member organizations, are deeply saddened by the recent wave of violence in your country toward those who have written blogs critical of religion. The world has taken notice of these murders and as a leading voice in the global secular community, we would like to arrange a meeting with Ambassador Ziauddin to establish a constructive dialogue regarding the pursuit of fair prosecution for those involved in the attacks against people placed on the kill list of terrorist Ansarullah Bangla.

As an advocacy organization in support of a more rational world, we find Sheikh MujiburÔÇÖs implementation of a secular Bangladesh, its 2010 reestablishment by the High Court, and further development by the Awami League as led by the Honorable Sheikh Hasina, to be beacons of light for those in the process of secularization. Despite these advances, however, new challenges encumber these pursuits. Democracy requires the protection of political speech and discussion. This includes the right to question the role of religion in public policy and decision-making. The Honorable Prime Minister has carried her fatherÔÇÖs torch in advancing secularism and human rights. Both BangladeshÔÇÖs bold ÔÇ£Vision 2021ÔÇØ and ÔÇ£Digital BangladeshÔÇØ represent progressive steps in this direction. But the realization of these visions will require ongoing efforts to promote a more reason-minded society.

In support of this goal, we seek justice for those non-violent writers who were murdered for expressing their beliefs, and to assist in addressing those policies and processes that constrain Bangladesh in its efforts to become a flourishing secular democracy by its Golden Jubilee Deadline.

Sincerely,

Edwina Rogers

Please notify Edwina Rogers if you would like to join this letter at edwina@secularpolicyinstitute.net.

A recommendation from John Dowdle, President of Watford Area Humanists

• You might want to send a message of solidarity on behalf of SPI to this event:┬áhttps://humanism.org.uk/events/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/event/info&reset=1&id=122.
• Members might also be interested in:┬áhttps://humanism.org.uk/2015/06/24/bha-at-the-un-human-rights-council-end-state-sanctioned-persecution-of-humanists-in-bangladesh/

II ÔÇô┬áSPI Overview
(Edwina Rogers, CEO)
ÔùÅSPI Mission
The Secular Policy Institute (SPI) is a think-tank organization of thought leaders, writers, scholars, and speakers with a shared mission to influence public opinion and promote a secular society. We believe governmental decisions and public policies should be based on available science and reason, and free from religion and religious preferences.

ÔùÅWorld Future Forum & International Secular Leaders Summit
The Secular Policy Institute convenes some of the worldÔÇÖs most prestigious scholars and scientists to develop and disseminate compelling resources to influence the worldÔÇÖs decision-makers. Open to policymakers and the public alike, the inaugural World Future Forum provides an unparalleled opportunity for an informed discussion of authoritative perspectives on the critical issues facing contemporary societies across the globe.
ÔùÅRegistration opened Friday, May 8, 2015 at┬áwww.secularpolicyinstitute.net
ÔùïCost: $295 per person.
ÔùÅThe World Future Forum will take place at the Phoenix Park Hotel, at 520 North Capitol St NW, Washington, DC 20001
ÔùïHotel Room Blocks available at the Phoenix Park Hotel:
ÔùïSingle/Double Occupancy, 1 Bedrooms are $249 a night (tax additional)
ÔùÅAdditional $30 per person / per day for triple/quadruple occupancy.
ÔùïReservations can be made at┬áphoenixparkhotel.com, using the Group Code┬á19849┬áin order to obtain the GroupÔÇÖs rate.
ÔùÅSunday, October 25, 2015, @ Phoenix Park Hotel
Ôùï2 ÔÇô 5 PM: International Secular Leaders Summit and Training
Ôùï6 ÔÇô 7 PM: Cocktail Reception
Ôùï7 ÔÇô 9 PM: VIP Dinner ÔÇô Keynote Speaker on the Future of Nations and Humanity
ÔùÅMonday, October 26, 2015, @ Phoenix Park Hotel
ÔùïWorld Future Forum ÔÇô Emcee Lawrence Krauss
Ôùï9 ÔÇô 10:30 AM: Future of EarthÔÇÖs Climate
Ôùï10:45 ÔÇô 12:15 PM: Future of Violence and Terrorism
Ôùï2 ÔÇô 3:30 PM: Future of Space Exploration
Ôùï3:30 ÔÇô 4 PM: Conclusion
Ôùï7 ÔÇô 9 PM: World Future Forum Great Debate, @ GWU Lisner Auditorium
ÔùÅSeparately ticketed event: $30 ÔÇô $100; students $20.

ÔùÅCommunity Action Network (www.CommunityActionNetwork.org)
Community Action Network (CAN) promotes the development and application of science and reason in an ongoing quest for secular solutions to local problems. As an inclusive, affirming, and action-oriented initiative, CAN seeks to promote rational relationships and effective community building in support of collective problem solving and the ongoing advancement and enjoyment of a more just and reasoned world.
ÔùÅWorld Future Guide
ÔùÅSecular Demographic Guide
ÔùÅRecruit National and Regional Leaders
ÔùÅInternational Hotspots in Need

III ÔÇô┬áFellowsÔÇÖ Corner
(Madeline Schussel, Director of Policy)
ÔùÅWe would like to highlight these new SPI Fellows:

ÔùïDonald Prothero┬á- Natural History Museum, CA
Donald is an American geologist and mammalian paleontologist who was one of the first to conduct research in magnetostratigraphy, a technique to date rock layers that is used to examine historical climate changes.  Stephen Jay Gould cited his research, which noted the lack of response to climate change in mammals, in support of the punctuated equilibrium model of evolution.
Donald attended the University of California, Riverside, where he studied paleontology, and went on to receive his Ph.D. in geological sciences from Columbia University.  He taught and led undergraduate paleontological and geological field trips at Columbia, CIT, Knox College, and Vassar.  Then, for 27 years, he was a member of the faculty at Occidental College.  Donald is currently a research associate in vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles.
Prothero has┬áauthored or edited more than 30 books and over 250 scientific papers, including 5┬ágeology textbooks. ┬áHe has appeared on┬áJeopardy, and he has also┬ádefeated┬áBen Stein on the show┬áWin Ben SteinÔÇÖs Money.

ÔùïIan Morris – Stanford University, CA
Morris grew up in the United Kingdom. He attended Alleyne’s comprehensive school in Stone, Staffordshire, and studied ancient history and archaeology at the University of Birmingham. He gained his PhD at Cambridge University. From 1987 through 1995. he taught at the University of Chicago, and since 1995 he has been at Stanford.
Since joining Stanford in 1995, he has served as Associate Dean of Humanities and Sciences, Chair of the Classics Department, and Director of the Social Science History Institute. He was one of the founders of the Stanford Archaeology Center and has served two terms as its director. He has published extensively on the history and archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean and on world history. He has also won a Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

ÔùïJohn McWhorter – Columbia University, NY
Since 2008, he has taught linguistics, American Studies, and in the Core Curriculum program at Columbia University. After graduation McWhorter was an associate professor of linguistics at Cornell University from 1993 to 1995 before taking up a position as associate professor of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1995 until 2003. He left that position to become a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a libertarian think tank. He is Contributing Editor at┬áThe New Republic┬áand weekly columnist for┬áThe Daily Beast. From 2006 to 2008 he was a columnist for the┬áNew York Sun┬áand he has written columns regularly for┬áThe Root,┬áThe New York Daily News┬áRupert Murdoch’s┬áThe Daily┬áand Time Ideas.
McWhorter has published a number of books on linguistics and on race relations, of which the better known are┬áPower of Babel: A Natural History of Language,┬áOur Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English,┬áDoing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why You Should, Like, Care, and┬áLosing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America. He has spoken at TED (2013), has appeared on┬áThe Colbert Report┬áand┬áReal Time with Bill Maher, and appeared regularly on MSNBC’s┬áUp with Chris Hayes.

ÔùïGreg Benford – University of California
American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is on the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine.
He is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, a Fellow of the American Physical Society and was Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University and the Universities of Turin and Bologna. In 1995 he received the Lord Prize for contributions to science. With more than 200 scientific publications, his research encompasses both theory and experiments in the fields of astrophysics and plasma physics. His research has been supported by NSF, NASA, AFOSR, DOE and other agencies. He is an ongoing advisor to NASA, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and the CIA.

ÔùïDaily News Clip Now Available -┬áHow to sign up

IV ÔÇô┬áCoalition & Resources
(Johnny Monsarrat, Alliance Director)
ÔùÅWorld SPI Calendar┬áÔÇô Upcoming Major Conferences
ÔùÅVolunteers & Interns ÔÇô SPI Volunteers/Interns Recruitment
ÔùÅCoalition Update
ÔùÅNewsletter ÔÇô weekly, please sign up.
ÔùÅResources:
ÔùÅAbuse in American Faith Based Initiative System
ÔùÅReligiousness by Country
ÔùÅReligiousness by US State
ÔùÅBack Office Support
ÔùÅHelp secure Volunteers and Interns
ÔùÅHelp Draft Press Releases
ÔùÅAccess to Press Database
ÔùÅBrochures
ÔùÅWebsite Design
ÔùÅSecular Directory

V ÔÇô┬áUS Public Policy Update

Checking In On The United Nations
United Nations Invitation
Consultation – How to create and maintain civil society space? What works? A Report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights – Deadline June 30, 2015
Read more

United Nations Treaty Bodies
Regularly updated news about what committees are meeting, documentation, jurisprudence, etc.
Consultation – Human Rights Committee – General Discussion on Right to Life – 14 July 2015 – Rm. XIX, Palais des Nations.┬áRead more
Consultation of treaty body Chairpersons with civil society – 25 June 2015, 10.30am, San Jos├®, Costa Rica.┬áEnglish┬á-┬áSpanish

United Nations Special Procedures
Regularly updated calendar about which Special Procedures expert is travelling where?
Read more

Latest report of cases of human rights violations taken up by Special Procedures. Read more

Advance unedited version of the report of the Human Rights Council on its 28th session (2-27 March 2015) – Deadline for comments 23 June 2015 to hrcouncil@ohchr.org.┬áGet report

One to Watch
Jihad – The One To Watch

Deeyah Khan (@Deeyah_Khan) is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker who spent two years with some of the leading figures in the British jihadi movement from previous generations to try to understand the draw of ISIS and other Islamic fundamentalist movements. Her new film about it, Jihad, makes her one to watch.

U.S. Secular Policy Guide
In December 2013 Edwina Rogers released the Secular Policy Guide for the U.S. secular Movement while the Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America.  All secular groups in the United States were requested then as now to adopt it and use it as their own and put their logo and information on the cover.   Ms. Rogers announced that the document was open source and that every secular group was encouraged to label and promote it at the national and state level.  The document was labeled to be available in whole or part to all with no need for permission to repurpose or quote.  Policy Guides are released this way to encourage legislative and executive branch staff to take any policy discussions or recommendations without concern of copyright matters and use when briefing their members before votes.  Ms. Rogers has produced over ten such guides on a variety of topics and was an avid user of these policy guides while White House Staff and while working for four U.S. Senators.

SPI encourages at this time, as Ms. Rogers did while at SCA, that all US secular groups adopt the guide and tailor it to their needs.  Please let us know if your group needs assistance with any graphics or editing. The document can even be used in a specific state only with editing. These policy guides are not evergreen and the basic document will need to be updated very soon via a movement wide working group as before.

SPI will work with member organizations in other regions to develop policy guides that can be used by all regional groups and offered to legislators and other decision-makers.

Ms. Rogers notes that she has seen much higher rates of adoption of policy guides in other movements (health care for one) when pharmaceutical companies would adopt and print 20k or 30k copies and distribute to healthcare facilities and legislators.  This gave the guide a tremendous boost through secondary distributions.  Please consider doing your part.

Click here to view the guide

VI ÔÇô┬áInternational Public Policy Update
ÔùÅLatin America Update
ÔùïHugo Estrella
SPI is seeking UN Special Consultative Status.  Edwina will be representative in NY and Hugo in Geneva.  We are looking to build coalitions and join networks.  SPI will seek UNESCO consultative NGO status.  Then we have the EU, there, they have an office which would be more than appropriate for us to lobby, which is the European Commission for Fundamental Rights.
Our fellows from the Italian Union of Atheists Rationalists, Agnostics and Freethinkers (UAAR.it) to which Hugo belongs and who publish news from US matters and internationally as well (they are members of the European Humanist Federation) have office space in the city (Circolo UAAR di Pisa).  SPI will share the office thanks to Hugo.

ÔùÅThe Association of Atheism (Republic of Turkey)
ÔùïMorgan Elizabeth Romano,┬áUneasy Neighbors in Turkey: Atheism and Islam

ÔùÅAtheism in Zambia
ÔùïLeo Igwe
Like other countries in Africa, Zambia is a very religious nation and has the dubious of distinction of being officially declared a Christian nation by President Federick Chiluba in 1996.
One need not look far to see where Chiluba got the political will to establish this Christian nation. Eighty seven percent of the population is Christian and only twelve percent profess other faiths. The number of non-believers is too low to measure. Apparently, Zambia is 100 percent religious and theistic.
But recently, the countryÔÇÖs religious demography has begun to change. Atheists are leaving their closets and are starting to organise. Atheists in Zambia are becoming assertive and are making their voices heard. They are standing up and identifying as atheists in public. An atheist group has just been formed in Zambia and a Facebook page has been created. It is called the Atheists in Zambia. This group is the first of its kind in the country and signals a bright and promising future for freethought in this Southern African country.
It is not clear why the members of this group chose to identify as atheist, rather than sceptics, freethinkers, humanists or rationalists. Why didnÔÇÖt they choose other labels which engender less stigma?
Their eagerness to state unambiguously that they are people without God speaks volumes for the groupÔÇÖs vision, passion and conviction. Members want to tell the world that there are godless people in the ÔÇÿChristian stateÔÇÖ of Zambia. The situation in Zambia is not too different from that found in Nigeria or Ghana where almost the entire population self-identify as God believers yet atheist groups exist and are active.
Atheism is not really a recent development in Zambia. What is new is organised atheism. There have been non-religious and non-theistic people in the country for years. Atheism in Zambia may actually be as old as the country itself.
Over a decade ago I worked to establish an African Humanist Alliance and in the course of building the network I corresponded with a Zambian atheist and activist, Wilfred Makayi. He was based in Solwezi and later relocated to the capital, Lusaka.
Makayi worked and campaigned to promote humanism and freethought in the country. He organised events to discuss humanist and freethought issues. In one of his mails, he told me it was difficult for him to get his humanist articles published in the local media. Makayi made little progress in terms of building an organisation and in bringing a humanist and sceptical perspective to issues. But this was before the Internet was introduced.
Today the Internet has brought a lot of changes and opportunities for atheism. It provides atheists with an alternative space for meeting, community building and finding an audience. Hence I am optimistic about the future of this new group of atheists in Zambia. The Internet has made organisation and mobilisation very much easier. If atheists in Zambia cannot meet physically, they can meet online and they can remain in touch via their Facebook page and other digital services.
The main problem is that many atheists in Africa have remained in the closet because of the social and political pressures on people to identify as religious even when they do not believe in God. Africans born into Muslim families cannot renounce their faith because there are penalties for apostasy up to and including death. Consequently, they are forced to pay lip service to Allah. Of course, this is no longer religion or exercising religious freedom. It is more akin to forced mental slavery.
In most parts of Africa, atheism is taboo and being identified as an atheist is a form of stigma. The public perception of atheism is strongly negativeÔÇöa prejudice that is deeply embedded by the indoctrination and brainwashing which most Africans receive from cradle to grave. Atheists are perceived as people without morals and who cannot be trusted. Many atheists are forced to conceal their atheism when they are in relationship or running for political office. Many atheists find it difficult to come out to their family and friends because they fear persecution and discrimination. Some atheists do not come out to their employers because they could be sacked if they did so.
So there are few atheists out there who are prepared to withstand the pressures and weather the religious storms from theistic family members, friends, employers and state and non-state actors.
This concern has held back atheism in Africa and contributed to the bloated religious demography in many African countries. Fortunately, the situation is beginning to change. Atheism is becoming increasingly visible in many African countries, including those countries once categorised as religious strongholds. People are beginning to realise the positive and enlightening possibilities of atheism, particularly as a resource in combating superstition and religious extremism.
The wind of atheist emancipation is blowing across Africa.
Atheists in Zambia have their job cut out for them in terms of changing attitudes towards atheists and atheism. But more importantly, they need to tackle superstition and religious fanaticism that is destroying lives in Southern Africa. Zambia is a very superstitious society. Atheists need to start a conversation with other Zambians on the existence of God, Satan, witches, demons, the potency of ritual sacrifice etc. Many people in Zambia believe witchcraft is real. Recently there have been reports of witch killing, the killing of Satanists, of albinos and the murder and mutilation of persons for ritual purposes. While atheists in Zambia fight to de-stigmatise atheism, they need as a matter of urgency, to put in place programs and activities that can help reason Zambians out of superstition, encourage critical thinking and eradicate religious and cultural practices that darken and destroy the lives of people in the country.

VII ÔÇô┬áProject and Member Spotlight
ÔùÅMuslimish
ÔùïWissam Charafeddine
Muslimish is a group of Ex-Muslims of varying degrees of religiosity who want to create a safe place for people to exchange thoughts and ideas that we were taught not to talk about.

ÔùÅFoundation for Critical Thinking
ÔùïDr. Linda Elder┬áis an educational psychologist and a prominent authority on critical thinking. She is President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking. Dr. Elder has taught psychology and critical thinking at the college level and has given presentations to more than 20,000 educators at all levels. She has co-authored four books, eighteen thinkerÔÇÖs guides on critical thinking, and co-authors a quarterly column on critical thinking in the Journal of Developmental Education.
The work of the Foundation is to integrate the Center For Critical ThinkingÔÇÖs research and theoretical developments, and to create events and resources designed to help educators improve their instruction. The FoundationÔÇÖs materials include books, thinker’s guides, and videos. The Foundation sponsors the National Academy: Training for Trainers, the International Academy on Critical Thinking and various workshops on critical thinking.┬á The Foundation also works with institutions in designing critical thinking professional development programs.┬á The Foundation is a recognized 501C3 Non-Profit organization.

VIII ÔÇô┬áUpcoming Events
ÔùÅUruguay Secular Conference┬á- September 18 – 20
ÔùïHugo Estrella
ÔùÅSkepchickCON┬á- July 2 – 5, Minneapolis, MN
ÔùÅThe Amaz!ng Meeting (TAM)┬á- July 16 – 19, Las Vegas, NV
ÔùÅSecular Student Alliance Annual Conference ÔÇô East┬á- July 10 – 12, Columbus, OH
ÔùÅInternational Conference on Critical Thinking and Educational Reform┬á- July 20 – 30, Berkeley, CA
ÔùÅFoundation Beyond Belief Conference (FBBCON)┬á- July 25, Boston, MA
ÔùÅCenter for Inquiry Leadership Conference┬áJuly 30 ÔÇô Aug 2, 2015 Amherst, NY
ÔùÅThe Skeptics Toolbox┬á- August 6 – 9, Eugene, OR
ÔùÅThe Non-Conference┬á- August 22, Kitchener, ON
ÔùÅHeartland Humanist Conference┬áAugust 13 – 16, Omaha, NE