Commentary
Love Jihad, Forced Conversion, and the Kerala Tragedy
Introduction: The Kerala Suicide and the ‘Love Jihad’ Debate The recent suicide of a young woman in Kerala, allegedly linked to forced conversion to Islam, has reignited the contentious de...
Visual Representation of Prophets
Visual representation of prophets is a contentious topic that varies widely among different religious traditions. Recently in Turkey, a number of cartoonists and staff from a famous cartoon magazine L...
A society in complete intellectual decline.
We will never know what Paisios, who is celebrated as a saint today, and crowds of sheep and goats flock to his tomb, really said and did not say. And even if he did say a tenth of what he supposedly ...
Crosses, Crescents, and Gunfire: The Role of Religion in Contemporary Wars
“Religions don’t cause wars, people do.” This well meaning phrase is often repeated in progressive and humanist circles. But when we look at today’s global conflicts (from Gaza to Ukraine, thro...
Who Educates Atheists? The Pedagogical Loneliness of Free Thought in the Digital Age
Growing up without religion is not synonymous with intellectual freedom. In many societies (including, of course, Germany) those who are not raised within a religious tradition do not necessarily gain...
Migrant Atheists in Germany: Integrating Without Religion
Germany is one of the most common destinations for asylum seekers, economic migrants, and international students. Many of them come from countries where religion is not only pervasive but often mandat...
We Created the Gods, Then Became Their Prisoners
From a very young age, I was taught to believe, not to question. I was told that everything I needed to know was already written, already defined—by God, by holy men, by tradition. As I grew up in a s...
Why do people believe in strange things?
Henry Byron Warner died of a heart attack at the age of 82. Jeffrey Hunter, at 42, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, lost consciousness, and died fatally injured in the head. Max von Sydow left us last ...
How to Challenge Government Overreach—And Win
When the government plays favorites—whether in public schools, elections, or social media—it’s up to everyday citizens to hold them accountable. Across the country, individuals are stepping up to chal...
Stigmata of Disbelief
Humanists International’s worldwide survey of discrimination and persecution the Freedom of Thought Report, continuously ranks Turkey as having “systemic discrimination” where disbelief often leads to...
Not even their voices!
Climate change and the accompanying prolonged summer laziness prevent us from realizing that in other parts of our planet there is a harsh winter – and I am not referring to the … weather ...
Ibtissame “Betty” Lachgar: Sentenced to 30 Months for a T-Shirt
On 3 September, Moroccan feminist and human rights defender Ibtissame “Betty” Lachgar was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined for blasphemy. Her crime was nothing more than wearing a T-shirt th...