Report by Amar S
The National Secular Society held its annual conference on 19th October 2024. The theme of the conference was protecting liberalism. Influential speakers shared their insights into liberal values and the secular state, religious controversies in education, threats to social cohesion and liberal democracy, and the universal applicability of liberal values.
Liberal values and the secular state
This session was chaired by NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson and the panellists were journalist Emma Park, Professor Ronan McCrea, Liberal Democrat peer Paul Scriven, and Anglican priest Robert Thompson. Ronan McCrea opened the discussion by describing liberalism as rooted in the idea that “disagreement is permanent” and that the pursuit of truth is unending. Emma Park emphasised that civil liberties are crucial and must be fiercely protected, noting that free thought and speech are essential pillars of a liberal society. Paul Scriven and Robert Thompson both supported disestablishment of the Church of England. Scriven highlighted the Church’s powerful influence on government, especially through 26 bishops who sit in the House of Lords, while Thompson condemned the homophobia he observed within the Church.
Faith, schools and society – navigating religious controversies in education
This session was chaired by National Secular Society council member Julius Weinberg. Amanda Spielman, former Chief Inspector of the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) discussed the longstanding tension surrounding religious influence in schools, dating back to the 1870s. She voiced concerns over religious pressures within secular schools and advocated a stronger government role to support children’s rights against fundamentalist influences.
Threats to social cohesion and liberal democracy
Panellists for this session were Daniel Sharp (Editor of the Freethinker magazine), Rumy Hasan (Senior lecturer at the University of Sussex), writer James Bloodworth, and Sukhwant Dhaliwal (Southall Black Sisters). It was chaired by Helen Nicholls, Head of Operations at the National Secular Society. Rumy Hasan cautioned against aspects of multiculturalism that may dilute universal liberal values. Sukhwant Dhaliwal spoke against religious “courts” imposing control over women’s rights, citing questionable trials against women in Sikh courts. She gave one example where a woman faced abuse from her ex-husband for not washing his sacred undergarments, which hold religious significance in Sikhism. James Bloodworth focused on the importance of the state standing firm against pressure from religious groups. He cited examples such as the Batley school incident, where a teacher was forced into hiding after showing a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed in a lesson on blasphemy, and the case of Samuel Paty, a French teacher who was attacked and beheaded by a Muslim extremist for discussing free speech. Bloodworth argued that when the state retreats, it creates a gap that can be filled by restrictive religious groups. Daniel Sharp praised the secularisation of Christianity in Western society as a significant achievement, countering claims that Christianity is essential to uphold Western values.
Keynote speech
In her keynote speech, activist and writer Maryam Namazie argued that liberal values are universally applicable, challenging the notion of a fundamental East-West divide. She spotlighted Iran’s “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, which emerged after Mahsa Amini’s death, as a call for global solidarity in defence of universal rights. The conference concluded with a powerful performance by Zanyar Hesami on the daf, a traditional Iranian drum, symbolising solidarity with the Iranian movement advocating for women’s freedom.
Further watching and reading
National Secular Society conferences videos are here
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