Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association (BHA) and First Vice President of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), spoke in Parliament at the launch of Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s (CSW) report on the freedom of religion and belief in Indonesia. The event marked a week of advocacy by the Indonesian Interfaith delegation and the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on International Freedom of Religion or Belief, Baroness Berridge led proceedings.
The speakers included representatives of many faith groups that make up Indonesia, united in their call for a tolerance of all faiths and a right to determine their own belief. They unanimously held the Indonesian constitution as the legitimate authority, highlighting how far the country has travelled from its path. Many called upon the Indonesian government to honour its founding document, instead of allowing religious extremism to undermine the nation’s unity. The speakers made statements regarding their personal experiences of discrimination across a range of topics, including women’s rights, physical violence, and oppressive legislation.
Andrew Copson was speaking on behalf of the non-religious section of society and used the platform to emphasise that freedom of belief should extend to non-belief as well as religion. He highlighted the case of Alexander Aan, an Indonesian atheist, imprisoned for two years for “blasphemy” following a series of posts on Facebook. Alex was arrested after being attacked by a mob, in reaction to his posts on social media. Andrew Copson cited the IHEU Freedom of Thought report to address the wider plight of atheists and the non-religious, stating: ‘Indonesia receives the worst rating for a series of infringements, which we assessed as most serious because of the pervasive way in which the right of the individual was subsumed under the state’s desire for religious conformity.’
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For further comment or information contact BHA Head of Public Affairs on 0773 8435059 or at pavan@humanists.uk.
The Freedom of Thought Report website: http://freethoughtreport.com/
Freedom of Thought 2012 – A Global Report on Discrimination Against Humanists, Atheists and the Nonreligious: http://www.iheu.org/files/IHEU%20Freedom%20of%20Thought%202012.pdf
The International Humanist and Ethical Union: http://iheu.org/
Previous BHA news article – New report shows global discrimination against humanists, atheists and the non-religious: https://humanists.uk/2012/12/10/new-report-shows-global-discrimination-against-humanists-atheists-and-the-non-religious/
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) is the world umbrella group bringing together more than 100 Humanist, atheist, rationalist, secularist, and freethought organizations from 40 countries.
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.