Why God is winning

9/11 marked a watershed in the global landscape. The changes that have taken place in the political climate worldwide since then are both dangerous and deeply troubling for justice, freedom and democracy. I am not speaking merely of terrorism and the responses to terrorism, but of the world-wide ascendancy of organised, politicised religion – from the United States and Europe to the Islamic world. God is back – and with a vengeance.

The July/August edition of Foreign Policy carried an article by Timothy Samuel Shah and Monica Duffy Toft entitled “Why God is Winning”:

“God is on a winning streak. It was reflected in the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Shia revival and religious strife in post-war Iraq, and Hamas’s recent victory in Palestine. But not all the thunderbolts have been hurled by Allah. The struggle against apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s and early 1990s was strengthened by prominent Christian leaders such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Hindu nationalists in India stunned the international community when they unseated India’s ruling party in 1998 and then tested nuclear weapons. American evangelicals continue to surprise the U.S. foreign-policy establishment with their activism and influence […] Indeed, evangelicals have emerged as such a powerful force that religion was a stronger predictor of vote choice in the 2004 U.S. presidential election than was gender, age, or class.”
But while Shah and Toft’s analysis is undoubtedly correct, their conclusion – that increasing democracy means that the desire of people for more religion is finally being heard – is entirely wrong. What we are seeing is no simple manifestation of people power. It is the direct result of the billions of dollars being invested in the promotion of ultra-conservative agendas by the Christian Right, radical Islamists and Hindu nationalists. The messages of authoritarian, theocratic conservatism are often the only messages voters hear in a rapidly changing and often frightening world.

How can Humanists respond?

How can the Humanist community respond? It is surely no longer enough to wring our hands and write articles about the ignorance and corruption of governments. In order to fight the forces of theocracy we must strive to win the hearts and minds of people everywhere – the poor and oppressed and those overexposed to religious and political propaganda.

However beleaguered we Humanists, Rationalists and Secularists in the West may feel, our problems are minor compared to those of the developing world. I have written in the past of the evil nexus of politics and religion now dominant in India, Africa and the Islamic world. Superficially the situation in India and Iran may seem worlds apart, but scratch the surface and the similarities are obvious: a political class that has discovered the mind- control possibilities of religious extremism: whether Islamic, Christian, Hindu or even Buddhist; and religious leaders who see alliances with political power as the route to increasing their wealth and influence. The tragedy for millions of the poorest people in Africa is compounded by the pastors, priests and prophets selling spells and salvation in return for the widow’s mite and by religious dogma inhibiting effective action to stop the spread of AIDS.

How IHEU is responding

The annual strategy meeting of the IHEU Executive Committee in Martha’s Vineyard last September marked a turning point in IHEU’s approach to these problems. For the first time, the EC agreed that the promotion of Humanism in developing countries is to be our most urgent priority. The first important step in this new strategy, with symbolic as well as practical significance, was for Babu Gogineni, based in London for the past nine years as IHEU Executive Director, to move to India. Babu has relocated to Hyderabad from where he now has direct responsibility for the growth and development of Humanism in South Asia and Africa, and is already making an important contribution to the struggle against untouchability. In April this year he inaugurated the first ever untouchability-free village in the state of Andhra Pradesh. In June he made successful trips to Africa, to strengthen support for the African Humanist Alliance and the Ugandan and Nigerian Humanist Associations.

Our purpose in India is not to bring Humanism to the sub-continent. It is to act as a catalyst to help bring Indian Humanism, with its long and honourable history of individual dignity, autonomy and social justice into the Indian mainstream. Modern Indian Humanism can be traced to the first half of the 20th Century and the struggles of great leaders such as M.N. Roy, Periyar and Gora against British rule and the caste system. Their legacy provides a strong base on which to build. No single Humanist organisation on its own can achieve this unaided, and IHEU has few resources of its own. We can however help to promote collaboration among our member organisations. By focussing on major issues common to many Indian Humanists, we can assist in the co-ordination of nation-wide activities, in the development of common projects and programs, and as a means of communicating good ideas and best practices among our members. With 19 member organisations now in India, the scope for collaboration is enormous, while remembering that each organisation has its own priorities and focus and that India is not a country but a continent with a myriad of different cultures, languages and histories.

We can also serve as a channel of communication, bringing worthwhile projects to the attention of our richer, Western member organisations. In this connection we can do much to assist our African colleagues in helping build their own, relatively new organisations. Modern African Humanism has a shorter history than Indian Humanism and can be traced to western influence and leaders such a Tai Solarin in the second half of the 20th century. Our African member organisations are relatively young, financially weak and under-resourced and face the dual threats of rampant homophobic, intolerant, superstition-driven evangelical Christianity, and militant Islam, unprepared to compromise on its dark and intolerant vision for the world.

In Africa the needs of our nascent member organisations are so pressing that we shall try to raise funds directly from individual members in support of specific projects such as small Humanist schools, and Humanist-run, small-scale social programs. We shall also attempt to provide guidance to our smaller member organisations on the importance of feedback, financial transparency and progress-reporting as a necessary step in obtaining future and increased funding.

Increased funding

IHEU has obtained increased funding for the next three years from HIVOS, the Dutch Humanist Development Agency for which thanks are due to both HIVOS and Babu Gogineni for his efforts. The IHEU website has details of how member organisations can apply for project funding of up to a few thousand dollars. All applications will be reviewed, and grants allocated by the new IHEU Grants Committee.

Some of our American and European member organisations are also providing direct support for African and Asian member organisations and their projects. But the total amount of funding from all Humanist sources is at present but a trickle in the desert compared to the overwhelming need. It is therefore vital that the support we provide be focused both on the greatest need and where it can be most cost-effective.

How every Humanist can help

The Growth and Development Committee will play a role in pre-evaluating projects, helping with their presentation and appealing directly to members for support via the IHEU website, and in emergency situations only, via e-newsletters to members. We appeal to every member who has some disposable income to support these projects. UK tax-payers can take advantage of the government gift-aid scheme to obtain a tax rebate on their donations by making an ear-marked donation via the International Humanist Trust.

We must fight. Every penny spent on developing rational thinking and aid programs without strings is a blow for Humanism, Rationalism and for the future of humanity itself.

Our backs are to the wall. Our partners in the developing world need every penny we can spare. We now have in place the mechanism that makes it easy for you to help. I appeal to you to use it.

Roy Brown