(British student Sami Ahmed has launched a petition on behalf of her mother, Saira Ahmed, to receive an apology from the Government of Bangladesh for condoning Saira’s child marriage to a British paedophile and manic-depressive. Given below is the text of the letter from Sami Ahmed to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. –Ed.)

Dear Sheikh Hasina, PM of Bangladesh

The November 2010 issue of International Humanist News has been published. This edition includes features the Pope Protest. We have:

The November 2010 issue of International Humanist News has been published.  This edition includes features on Protest the Pope.  We have:

In 1988, Salman Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses was banned in India. It was assumed that it would offend Muslims, and notwithstanding the fact that Muslim literacy was far below the national average, and the number of Muslims in the country who could actually read the book was very few indeed, the book was banned.

Pope Benedict XVI, head of the Catholic Church, paid a state visit to Britain from 17 to20 September. IHEU member organisations, the National Secular Society and the British Humanist Association, played major roles in the demonstration against the visit – and its enormous cost to the British taxpayers.

Geoffrey Robertson QC, The Case of the Pope: Vatican Accountability for Human Rights Abuse, 2010, Penguin Books, London

OSCE Review Conference, 2010

Attacks on the Holy See

The EHF was at the OSCE's Review Conference for the session on "freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief" on Friday October 1.

Maryam Namazie left Iran as a refugee as a result of the suppression of the Iranian Revolution by Islamism. Now settled in Britain, she has worked in a number of fields of human rights. As a leader of apostates from Islam, she has received many threats from Islamists. She is a rights activist, commentator and broadcaster.