IHEU's 2009 General Assembly of Member Organisations was held in London on 5th and 6th of June as part of a week of events, including a Conference to mark Darwin's anniversary year and a Global conference on Untouchability. [reports will follow soon]

The important news of the GA was that the proposed new IHEU Bylaws and Internal Rules were passed unanimously. This is a landmark for IHEU as one of the goals of making these changes is to give national Member Organisations from developing countries more influence at the General Assembly. Under the new Rules, established national, democratic, membership organisations will be able to be Full Members of IHEU with voting rights at the GA, along with national and international umbrella organisations for such membership organisations.

The full programme for IHEU’s World Conference on Untouchability has been published. The conference will be held at the Conway Hall Humanist Center, London, on 9 & 10 June 2009. To register for the conference, visit http://www.humanism.org.uk/june2009.

Government representatives, activists and experts from around the world will address the first “World Conference on Untouchability” at Conway Hall Humanist Centre, London, UK, on June 9 and 10, 2009. Speakers include political leaders Lord Desai of St. Clement Danes, from the British House of Lords, and Mahendra Paswan, Nepal’s Minister for Land Reform, as well as grassroots campaigners against untouchability, including Babu Gogineni in India and Leo Igwe in Nigeria. The conference is organized by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) to explore a problem that afflicts nearly 250 million people in countries from Japan to Nigeria.

The agenda and other papers for the IHEU General Assembly 2009 are available here. The papers for the GA will NOT be available in hard copy form in London. If you want to have a hard copy of the papers at the GA, YOU MUST DOWNLOAD THE PAPERS, PRINT THEM, and bring them to the meeting.

Maryam Namazie writes: Nearly 600 people joined the One Law for All anti-racist rally against Sharia and religious-based laws in Britain and elsewhere and in defence of citizenship and universal rights in Trafalgar Square and marched towards Red Lion Square in London. Hundreds then joined our public meeting to discuss and debate Sharia, Sexual Apartheid and Women's Rights. Our protest was met with widespread support and left many feeling inspired and invigorated. It was also covered by the mainstream media, including BBC Radio 4, BBC 5Live, BBC Wales, and the Times.

The One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain will hold an anti-racist rally in London on 7 March 2009. The rally, opposing Sharia and religious-based tribunals and laws in Britain and elsewhere and defending citizenship and universal rights, will be held in Trafalgar Square from 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm.

The Jubilee Campaign in collaboration with other religious freedom advocacy organizations will be hosting the new International Religious Freedom Caucus for a reception on March 19th from 6-8pm.

The Organisation for Women's Liberation is holding an international conference in Sweden on thr occasion of International Women's Day, 8 March 2009, called: Why is Secularism essential? The conference will focus on the detrimental effect of religion on women's lives.

The conference is arranged under the aegis of IHEU and co-organised by Manava Vikasa Vedika and Jana Vignana Vedika. Venue: Auditorium of the Indian Institute for Chemical Technology, Uppal Road, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India.

In October 2008, the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) celebrated its first anniversary with a conference on Political Islam, Sharia Law and Civil Society. The audience at Conway Hall, London (described by Giles Enders as “the last bastion of free speech in the UK”) were treated to some brilliant presentations and lively discussions from many of Europe’s leading freethinkers. In addition to this summary, we have a full report of the conference and the text of Maryam Namazie's opening address.