Pictured: Pragna Patel [top left], Zara Kay [top right], Dr Kristin Aune [middle right], bottom row left to right: Alexander Barnes-Ross, Yehudis Fletcher, Rachael Reign, Dr James Murphy
This week, we held our groundbreaking Faith to Faithless Apostasy Conference online to confront the systemic nature of religious abuse. Alongside a cast of expert speakers, participants in the event included frontline service workers, apostates, victims of religious abuse, and members of the public.
Yehudis Fletcher, Faith to Faithless Policy Officer and founder of the anti-extremist organisation Nahamu, opened the conference by saying there was an urgent need to address the often-ignored, silenced, or covered-up forms of abuse within religious communities. Coercive control, shunning, domestic violence, and so-called ‘honour-based’ violence, she explained, are often perpetuated by systems of control within religious institutions and exacerbated by the failure of state institutions to intervene. Fletcher went on to explore how some leaders of minority religions act as gatekeepers, suppressing or misrepresenting the voices of many within their communities, particularly women and children.
Dismantling the ‘culture of impunity’
The keynote address was given by Pragna Patel, Co-Director of Project Resist and a founding member of Southall Black Sisters. Drawing on her four decades of experience as a feminist activist and advocate for women’s rights, Patel exposed how religious fundamentalism, particularly within South Asian communities in the UK, fuels control and violence against vulnerable individuals. As part of her keynote address Pragna Patel said:
‘State authorities have been slow to dismantle the culture of impunity that allows sexual abuse to thrive in minority communities. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the State facilitates the abuse of religious power by continuing to do business with so-called community leaders and religious figures of authority’
Her powerful analysis of religious practices and doctrines that normalise abuse offered a stark reminder of the role religion can play in promoting coercive control and silencing dissent.
Escaping high-control groups
Speakers shared harrowing personal stories of escaping high-control groups. Alexander Barnes-Ross, a former Scientologist, offered a moving testament to the courage it takes to leave such a community, detailing the emotional and psychological toll it exacts. Rachael Reign, Director of Surviving Universal UK, spoke of her own experience of exploitation and control within the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, and highlighted the disproportionate impact on racial minorities. Zara Kay, founder of Faithless Hijabi, spoke of her international work to increase the safety of ex-Muslims, and highlighted the importance of specialist therapists, who understand the impact and lasting effects of leaving high-control religious groups. Yehudis Fletcher provided insights into the specific struggles faced by people leaving Charedi communities in the UK today. Researchers Dr Kristin Aune and Dr James Murphy presented data-driven evidence, revealing the alarming extent to which religious systems can enable abuse and how state institutions often fail to protect those who leave.
Dr Kristen Aune presented her research in domestic abuse and Christian churches, highlighting that patriarchal interpretations of scripture can be extremely harmful. Dr James Murphy’s research, undertaken in partnership with Faith to Faithless, identified several common themes across the experiences of people leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses. These were: a deep legacy of pain and trauma, with sub themes of; broken self, shame and inadequacy, loss, isolation, and grief, struggles with mortality. He said:
‘The absolutely crucial point is that people who leave high-control religions need support, and that the support that they currently receive is inadequate… just because people should be getting something doesn’t mean that social services, or the Department for Work and Pensions, are providing the support they need.’
Exposing the critical issues
The conference was structured around two pressing issues: pervasive ‘rape culture’ and coercive control within some religious communities, and the overall failure of the state to adequately support those who escape high-control religions and cults. Discussions revealed how religious leadership can foster environments that promote harmful ideologies, normalising their control over people’s lives in ways that are often seen as morally ‘justified’. All speakers emphasised how British state institutions frequently overlooked or misunderstood the complex challenges faced by those leaving high-control religions, leaving apostates isolated and vulnerable.
One key outcome of the conference was that speakers and participants identified that there was a genuine, unmet need for much wider, more comprehensive awareness training on apostasy and religious abuse issues for workers in frontline services. Faith to Faithless offers apostasy awareness training to staff at the Home Office, police NHS, specialist charities, and social services, but this has been of a limited scale due to lack of central government buy-in or funding. Specialist training was a necessity for these services, speakers agreed, because apostates are frequently conditioned to distrust anyone outside their religious community, and face unique barriers to seeking help, making it essential that workers in frontline services are adequately equipped to understand and respond to their needs.
For more information about Faith to Faithless visit faithtofaithless.com.
Faith to Faithless helpline
The Faith to Faithless helpline is a groundbreaking service dedicated to supporting people who have left high-control religious groups. So called ‘apostates’ often deal with social isolation, mental health issues, discrimination, and estrangement from their communities and families. The helpline, operating three days a week and staffed by trained volunteers, offers bespoke assistance, resources, and empathetic support to a diverse group, including ex-Muslims, ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses, ex-evangelicals, and ex-Mormons. It aims to bridge the gap in understanding and support for apostates, providing a crucial lifeline for those navigating the complexities of leaving high-control religious environments.
Calls are free from all mobiles and landlines and won’t appear on itemised bills.
Wednesday 10:00 – 13:00
Thursday 16:00 – 19:00
Friday 08:00 – 11:00
Freephone: 0800 448 0748
You will also be able to email helpline@faithtofaithless.com for support, and emails will be replied to during our usual opening hours.
Notes
About Faith to Faithless
Faith to Faithless is the Humanists UK programme dedicated to providing specialist support to apostates. As well as providing a national helpline, it supports apostates through a programme of peer support facilitated by trained specialist volunteers, and provides awareness training to public services, including NHS divisions and police forces.
Faith to Faithless operates under a stringent safeguarding policy, prioritising the safety and wellbeing of all those reaching out for support.
Contact information
For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 020 3675 0959.
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 130,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.