Congratulations to our founding editor David Brittain who has been invited to a Humanists UK dinner on Tuesday 4th November to celebrate the appointment of the UK Armed Forces first ever humanist pastoral carer. David led the UK Armed Forces Humanist Association at a critical juncture, helping to lay the foundations for its eventual success. Our main theme for this issue is radicalisation. ‘Radical’ is a word with an honourable past. It comes from the Latin radix meaning root

By David Brittain The appointment of the first Humanist chaplain in the British Armed Forces marks a historic moment – and one that has personal significance for our founding editor, who helped build the bridge between Humanists UK and the Ministry of Defence more than a decade ago. David is the Founding Editor of Humanistically Speaking and founder of the UK Armed Forces Humanist Association (UKAFHA). This month brings a remarkable milestone for the humanist movement in the

By David Warden In this article, David attempts to clarify what distinguishes humanist conviction from the kind of certainty that can tip into radicalisation. David is chairman of Dorset Humanists and editor of Humanistically Speaking . This month’s issue of Humanistically Speaking  examines radicalisation from multiple angles – from the grip of violent extremism explored by Anthony Lewis, to the contested boundaries of protest in Maggie Hall’s reflections on Just Stop Oil an

By Dr Anthony Lewis In this article, Anthony reflects on how violent extremism can take hold, as it did in Northern Ireland. He warns that extremists always seek to erode hard-won democratic freedoms through censorship, intimidation and terror. Although the processes of radicalisation are well understood, they are still not being effectively disrupted. Anthony argues that the best way to counter political extremism is to reassert – rather than restrict – the principles of

By Maggie Hall In this article Maggie questions the government’s decision to designate Palestine Action a terrorist organisation. Reflecting on the case of an 83-year-old retired vicar arrested for holding a placard, she explores how the definition of terrorism is being stretched to include non-violent protest. Maggie is a retired teacher of speech and drama, a former Chair of Brighton Humanists, a member of the Humanists UK Dialogue Network, and a Humanists UK School Speaker

By Sophy Robinson Sophy draws on her West London book club’s reading of Fundamentally – a prize-shortlisted novel about a young academic’s attempts to deradicalise an ISIS bride – to explore the real-world issues the book only skims. Moving beyond fiction, she investigates the continuing threat of ISIS, the radicalisation of young people online, and the complex moral and political questions surrounding women like Shamima Begum. Sophy is a former trustee of Humanists UK. The m

Book review by Maggie Hall Maggie reflects on Jonathon Porritt’s passionate new book about the young activists behind Britain’s climate protest movement – the same generation that threw soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers . Porritt’s interviews reveal the love, fear and moral conviction driving their actions, and his fierce criticism of the harsh new laws that criminalise peaceful protest. Maggie finds the book both moving and unsettling, challenging readers to rethink their own v

By Dr Anthony Lewis This handy 10-point guide to fast-track self-radicalisation is a piece of sharp, dark humour designed to expose the mechanics of extremism: slogans over substance, victimhood as identity, outrage-as-performance, and the cult of the charismatic leader. Read it as satire – a cautionary mirror showing how movements fray into fanaticism when reason, empathy and scepticism are abandoned. Trigger warning – this is a parody; don’t try any of it! Here's Humanistic

Inside the BBC’s New Series Prayer and Reflection : Orthodox Judaism There's a new addition to the already generous religious output on the BBC, a TV programme called Prayer and Reflection , which is being broadcast on Sunday mornings on BBC1. According to the programme’s website it is ‘ an invite into sacred spaces across all four nations, from six of the UK's major faiths, during personal moments of spiritual and religious connection ’ . The first episode appeared, to my su