Fundamentalism rising

Wednesday 24 April 2019
Conway Hall (25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL)
Doors open 6.30PM for 7PM start, finishing around 9.30PM

TICKETS £15 tickets (including soft drinks or a glass of red/white wine)

All proceeds will go to Humanists International, supporting our work in defence of humanists at risk in India and Bangladesh

There may be a long-term global trend toward humanism, but in some regions of the world we are witnessing a reverse trend, with an alarming rise of religious and nationalist fundamentalist groups.

India and Bangladesh are one theatre of a backlash of violence and discrimination against the rationalist and atheist community. These are countries with long-term secularist and rationalist trends, and which have secular political parties or constitutional secularism, making the backslide into oppression even more alarming and of global significance.

Since 2014, humanist and secularist activists have been threatened, attacked or murdered by extremist religious groups in both countries. Radicals or nationalists and the state itself have tried to silence humanist voices, with some forced to live in hiding or to flee the country.

Join us on 24 April at Conway Hall to discuss the rise of Islamist and Hindutva fundamentalism in Bangladesh and India respectively, with a panel of renowned humanist leaders and experts.

The speakers

• Salil Tripathi, was born in Bombay, India. He is a contributing editor at Mint and at Caravan in India. He is currently Chair, PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee, and author of books like “Offence: the Hindu case” and “The Colonel Who Would Not Repent”
• Bonya Ahmed, Bangladeshi-American author, humanist activist and blogger who in 2015 survived a machete-wielding attack by Islamic extremists in which her husband, Avijit Roy, lost his life. Currently she is visiting fellow at LSE human rights centre
• Andrew Copson, President of Humanists International, Chief Executive of Humanists UK and author of Secularism: Politics, Religion, and Freedom, to chair the discussion.

If you buy a ticket then you can register to attend and join the discussion on the Facebook Event page!

“Fundamentalism Rising” is joint event by Humanists International and Conway Hall.