In a decision that may have serious implications for church-state separation, the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has ruled that the governmental use of the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance does not violate the U.S. Constitution. In a 2-1 decision, the court stated that the phrase does not form an unacceptable government endorsement of religion in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Representatives of the IHEU affiliate the National Secular Society delivered a 28,000-name petition to 10 Downing Street on 4 March 2010, requesting that the cost of Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Britain be borne by the Church rather than the taxpayer. The delegation from the NSS presented the petition with a covering letter to prime minister Gordon Brown calling on him to downgrade the visit to “pastoral” so that the Church is made responsible for the estimated £20 million cost.

You are invited to an IHEU sponsored conference in Kenya, on March 27 and 28.

You are invited to attend the second annual conference and AGM of the Free Society Institute, co-hosted by the International Humanist and Ethical Union. This message serves as an announcement and call for papers for the the one day workshop, to be held on September 11th in Cape Town, RSA.

Demonstrators gathered in London on Sunday, 14 February 2010 under the banner “No Pope, No Vatican – London for a Secular Europe”. There was an additional reason to demonstrate in London this year. It has just been announced that the Pope is to visit Britain later in the year in a state visit, funded by the Government, rather than as a pastoral visit funded by the Church.

One of IHEU's Dutch member organization, HIVOS (the Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation), is being targeted by the Islamic regime in Iran.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has reacted to the news that the Catholic Education Service has claimed the credit for a Government amendment to the Children, Schools and Families Bill that will deprive children of their right to broad, balanced and objective Sex and Relationships Education.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed the author, comedian, presenter, and director Stephen Fry to its membership and as a Distinguished Supporter of Humanism. The news comes during a busy membership drive month in which the BHA has announced that it has doubled in size in the last five years, to 10,000 members, and wants to double again--in just half the time.

The American Humanist Association (a founding member organization of the International Humanist and Ethical Union) has praised President Obama's comments at the National Prayer Breakfast, expressing gratitude that in his remarks the President included and commended nontheists among those who are leading relief efforts in Haiti. "The compassion and decency of the American people is expressed… by Americans of every faith, and no faith, uniting around a common purpose, a higher purpose," Obama stated at the event this morning, 4 Feb. 2010.

Homophobia is the greatest test Humanists are facing today in Uganda. As I write this piece, demonstrators - a bunch of youth led by Uganda's thieving and hypocritical pastors are - covering the entire Kampala city with vehicles loaded with mega-speakers and hundreds of youth shouting all sorts of insults at the Danish embassy, very near to my office, and all other foreign embassies that have recently come out to speak for tolerance and a need to observe human rights laws.