Charlie Hebdo: An open letter to the free world from a freethinker
The phrase ‘Je suis Charlie’ (‘I am Charlie’) came to symbolise support for free speech and the free press, as well as to show solidarity with the victims of Islamist terrorism, in the wake of the...
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The Freethinker: Some History and Themes (With a Dundonian Addendum)
Editor’s IntroductionOn 10 February 2025, I spoke to the Dundee Humanist Group about some of the history and themes of the Freethinker. Especially for the event, I looked through our historical archive...
View ArticleIs Democracy Overrated? The Vacuity of Curtis Yarvin and His ‘Dark Elves’
In his seminal work, the renowned 20th-century economist John Maynard Keynes wrote: ‘Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few...
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From the archive: the case for free speech and against anti-prejudice...
Reproduced below is an evergreen article by David Tribe arguing the case for free speech in the context of proposed (and, in the end, unsuccessful) anti-prejudice legislation. Though it was published...
View ArticleThe Antisemitism Awareness Act will mean the demise of free speech in America
The Antisemitism Awareness Act, if passed in its current form, will be a blatant breach of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. The First Amendment has not only been...
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Image of the week: Hamit Coskun, victim of a new form of blasphemy law?
Hamit Coskun, victim of a new form of blasphemy law? click to read more. photo: national secular society. The conviction on 2 June of Hamit Coskun for setting a Quran alight in public has rightly...
View ArticleBlasphemy Laws 2.0: The conviction of Hamit Coskun
If you thought blasphemy laws had been officially abolished in Britain, think again. A recent case illustrates that they are still alive and well, albeit in inchoate form. It’s Blasphemy 2.0,...
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From the UK to Iran, self-critique is the antidote to global Muslim crises
Aerial view of Tehran following Israeli strikes on 13 June 2025. Protests in support of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his Islamist regime are taking place across the UK and other European...
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Convicted for blasphemy in modern Britain: an interview with Hamit Coskun
Introduction On 3 June, Hamit Coskun, a Turkish-born atheist and asylum seeker of Armenian and Kurdish heritage, was convicted of a ‘religiously aggravated public order offence’ for burning a Quran in...
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Image of the week: The Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925
a great battle for evolutionary science, free speech, and free inquiry against conservative religion: The Scopes Monkey Trial of July 1925. Here, William Jennings Bryan (seated, left) is being...
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