News
18 June 2013
Critics say a 60-year-old practice of segregating faiths for weekly lessons is out of step with modern need for coexistence Jean-Pierre Stroobants ,Guardian Weekly, Friday 14 June 2013 11.08 BST Religious teachings … splitting pupils into confessional groups may contribute to divisions between faiths. Photograph: Image Source/Alamy It is 8am and Corine Vida, 50, is preparing for a class of 13- to 14-year-olds. She arranges tables and chairs into a U shape so that the pupils have… read more »
14 June 2013
The European Parliament adopted on Thursday 13 June 2013 a Recommendation on the draft EU Guidelines on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief prepared by the European External Action Service. The European Humanist Federation welcomes the explicit mention of need to protect the rights of non-believers and the recommendation to oppose any attempt to criminalise freedom of expression on religious grounds. EHF further welcomes the amendments adopted during the plenary which… read more »
7 June 2013
On 5 May 2013, EHF was interviewing one of its member organisations on a square in Athens about populism and the rise of extremism. But Golden Dawn militants were watching.. Article by Elias Kanellis Ta Nea – 6 May 2013 [translated from the Greek original by Panos Fellas and edited by Panayote Dimitras] Yesterday afternoon, at the square of Saint Panteleimon [in Athens], a Belgian TV crew was interviewing a Greek citizen on the issue… read more »
31 May 2013
Press release, 31 May 2013 Irish Council Presidency shows clear bias in favor of churches Under Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, European institutions must maintain an “open, transparent and regular” dialogue with churches and non-confessional organisations. Long before the Lisbon Treaty, rotating presidencies of the EU Council have been accustomed to meet with churches representatives. It was only since the Belgian presidency in 2010 that the European Humanist… read more »
29 May 2013
This year, the European Humanist Federation held its General Assembly in Bucharest (24 May) alongside two other important humanist meetings : International Humanist and Ethical Union General Assembly (26 May) and a joined conference on “Education, Science and Human Rights” co- organised with the Romanian Humanist Association and the IHEU (25 May). More than 200 participants attented the conference organised at the gigantic Palace of the Parliament and listened to high-level speakers included American science and atheism… read more »
Shirley Chaplin, Gary McFarlane and Lillian Ladele lose legal tussle at Strasbourg court over workplace discrimination Photograph: AFP Three British Christians who argued that their beliefs saw them wrongly disciplined by their employers for actions such as refusing to counsel same-sex couples have lost their legal battle at the European Court of human rights. Shirley Chaplin, Gary McFarlane and Lillian Ladele had their appeals to the Strasbourg court rejected in January as part of the same ruling as… read more »
17 May 2013
On the occasion of the 2013 International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) publishes the results of the EU’s largest LGBT hate crime and discrimination online survey ever conducted. The survey asked LGBT people whether they had experienced discrimination, violence, verbal abuse or hate speech on the grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity. They were also asked to identify where such incidents took place, such as at… read more »
13 May 2013
Most Anglicans, Catholics, Jews, Hindus and Sikhs back change in law, but majorities of Muslims and Baptists do not. Large majorities of believers are in favour of legalising assisted dying. Photograph: Alamy A major survey of religious opinion shows that large majorities of believers are in favour of legalising assisted dying. The poll, carried out by YouGov for the Westminster Faith Debates and involving nearly 4,500 people, reveals that only among Muslims and Baptists are there… read more »
6 May 2013
From left to right: Bjarni Jonsson, Vice-President of Sidmennt, Hope Knutsson, President of Sidmennt, Ogmundur Jonasson, Minister of the Interior, and Ragnhildur Hjaltadottir, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior On Friday May 3, 2013 the Icelandic Minister of the Interior, Ogmundur Jonasson held a formal reception where he presented Hope Knutsson, president of Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association with a formal statement that Sidmennt has now been registered as the first… read more »
3 May 2013
Habib Kazdaghli acquitted: “the rule of law wins in Tunisia” says the EHF Accused by a student wearing a niqab to have slapped her while she was vandalizing his office, in March 2012, Habib Kazdaghli, the dean of the Manouba University of Tunis, was charged with “acts of violence committed by an official in the exercise of its functions.” Although he has always vehemently denied the charges, Habib Kazdaghli was facing a sentence of… read more »