Atheist Alliance International

Issue 19 | March, 17th 2020

We have exciting news for you in this edition of Insider. We are assembling a Council of Advisors and we’ve started blogging on Patheos! See here.

Editor: John Richards aai.insider@atheistalliance.org

Interim President’s message

This is a particularly busy time for AAI. We are now operating under new bylaws that make the organization more democratic and responsive to our Affiliates. We are supporting several ongoing campaigns. We will soon be appointing a new Executive Director and we are bringing to fruition an idea we have had for some time--an Advisory Council of individuals who have impressive backgrounds in atheist activism and have demonstrated their support on behalf of atheists worldwide.

The purpose of the Advisory Council is to:

Provide input on AAI’s work by being responsive to AAI’s public activities.
Introduce and interact with potential donors.
Lend their names and influence to AAI.
Provide specialist advice where possible.
Engage in such other activities as they see fit so long as they are consistent with AAI’s policies and standards.

The Council will meet occasionally to offer support, advice, and recommendations to the Board on our campaigns, fundraising and operational issues.

Invitations to join the Council continue to go out to prominent atheists. We will be announcing the composition of the Council soon. In the meantime, if you have suggestions for others who might be appropriate and interested in helping the valuable work of AAI, don’t hesitate to contact me.

president@atheistalliance.org

The Right to be Secular

Many people are aware of the gravest persecutions of atheists, such as the 16 countries in which you can be executed for becoming an atheist but fewer are aware of the huge catalog of discriminations that are widespread around the world.

Algeria

For example, In just one country, Algeria, an atheist may not marry a Muslim woman, if either party to a marriage leaves Islam, the marriage is automatically dissolved, children born to a Muslim father are legally deemed to be Muslims and must be given Muslim names. And atheists have no rights to inheritance in Algeria.

Similar anti-atheist laws can be found in the 50-odd majority Muslim countries and, in some, you will also find fanatical mobs who will use violence to show their disapproval of atheists.
In dozens of countries, not just Islamic countries, criticism of religion is forbidden which disproportionately disadvantages atheists’ freedom of expression.

Human Rights Law

If we turn to International Human Rights Law, we will find multiple paragraphs dedicated to protecting the rights of religious people to practice their religion unhindered (which we support) but NOTHING giving non-believers the right to be free from discrimination and coercion by the religious.

Our Right to be Secular campaign sets out to give equal status and rights to both believers and non-believers. Laws that discriminate against people for their lack of religious belief are unacceptable and must be explicitly outlawed.

We will use our status with the United Nations Human Rights Council, with regional human rights bodies, and with individual countries to lobby for these changes.

At this early stage of the campaign, we are asking for signatures for our petition to the United Nations. We need to show there is huge international support for the Right to be Secular.

How you can help

You can help by signing the petition. Please do it now. And ask your friends and any atheist or human rights groups you belong to, to sign it too. We can’t have too many signatures! Find the petition here.

If you feel strongly about the persecution of atheists, please join AAI and join the fight. You can join here.

Thank you.

Auction to benefit AAI

Anti-theism International, the company organizing the first two day atheist convention to be held in Europe, (in Brighton, UK) has had to postpone the event due to the Covid19 pandemic. The new date is October 24th 2020.

However, they have pledged the proceeds of the auction of a portrait of Christopher Hitchens to Atheist Alliance International. It is Mike Lawrence’s winning entry to the Paint a Portrait of Christopher Hitchens competition, which was judged by Stephen Fry.

The proud artist with his prize-winning portrait is shown. Mike collected his check for $600 at the National Gallery - see video here:

The artwork will be given unique provenance by the addition, on the back, of the signatures of all the famous atheists attending the convention banquet: Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, Stephen Law, Alex O’Connor and others. Following the banquet, cabaret and award ceremony, the eBay auction will terminate bringing the evening to an exciting close. Visit atheist-convention.com

learn more

PICKS from our blog

Check out the editor’s picks from our blog.

Heading: Dying As An Atheist

Religious people believe they will be resurrected and live forever. But is that really an advantage?

Watch Now

Where the sun goes at night (according to the Qur’an)

Some verses in the Qur’an are horribly problematic--verses so clearly wrong that an average 10-year-old could spot the errors.

Watch Now

Another Victim of Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law

Liberal Pakistani, Junaid Hafeez, sentenced to death for blasphemy.

Watch Now

Another Perspective on Religious Folly

We thought we were right and somehow our holy texts contained truth. No kidding, we really believed it.

Watch Now

Donate

Everything we do is funded by our members and supporters. Please help.

DONATE HERE

join us

You can become an AAI member for a small monthly or annual fee.

join Here

volunteer

Volunteer here

How you can help

We work to combat discrimination against atheists and to make the world a safer and more rational place for everyone. We support, fund and advise on campaigns around the world to defend atheists and resist the encroachment of religious dogma into public policy. As a member, you are already helping. Thank you! If you think your membership may have lapsed, please log in and renew.

Visit your account

NOTE: We have a completely new website and membership system so, if your old password doesn't work, just click on the lost password link.

contact us
	216 Mt. Herman Road Suite #178 Scotts Valley, CA 95066

	aai.insider@atheistalliance.org

about this email

You have received this email because you have subscribed to Atheist Alliance International as . If you no longer wish to receive emails please unsubscribe.