An Uncompromising Humanism in Iran and Beyond

Authors

  • Maryam Namazie Equal Rights Now - Organisation against Women's Discrimination

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/eph.v20i1.47

Keywords:

humanism, fundamentalism, religion, Islamic World

Abstract

Recent protests in Iran (and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa) have clearly shown the extent of humanism there. Whilst resistance to dictatorship and Islamism has always been in existence, the 2009 Twitter revolution in Iran gave people everywhere an insight into a social movement that is deeply humanist, modern, and secular. What it has also shown is the irrelevance and antithetical character of Islamism with people’s demands and desires. This is what many of us have been saying for a very long time. Recent events, broadcast via citizen journalism, however, have given the world an opportunity to see it for itself. There are several factors contributing to this rise.

Author Biography

  • Maryam Namazie, Equal Rights Now - Organisation against Women's Discrimination

    Maryam Namazie is the spokesperson for Equal Rights Now - Organisation against Women's Discrimination in Iran, the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain, and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. She is a National Secular Society Honorary Associate and the NSS' 2005 Secularist of the Year award winner. Her blog has been rated one of the top 100 atheist blogs and she was selected as one of the top forty-five women of the year 2007 by Elle Quebec.

References

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Hekmat, Mansoor. “Islam is part of the ‘lumpenism’ in society,” Interview with Hambastegi Radio, June 13, 1999: http://www.mhekmat.com/en/1810en.html

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Macleod, Ken. “Discovering Mansoor Hekmat,” December 3, 2003: http://kenmacleod.blogspot.com/2003/12/discovering-mansoor-hekmatperry.html

Namazie, Maryam. “The Islamic Inquisition,” Dublin Atheist Conference Speech, June 5, 2011: http://maryamnamazie.blogspot.com/2011/06/islamicinquisition.html

Namazie, Maryam. “The rise of humanism and secularism in Iran,” June 10, 2005 speech: http://www.maryamnamazie.com/articles/rise_humanism_secularism_mid east.html

Pooya, Fariborz. “On a Left and Progressive Criticism of Islam,” Interview with TV International, November 2004: http://maryamnamazie.com/tv/on_left_progressive_critique_of_Islam.html

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Soroush, Bahram. “On a left and progressive critique of Islam and political Islam,” Interview with TV International, November 7, 2004: http://www.maryamnamazie.com/tv/on_left_progressive_critique_of_Isla m.html

Taqvaee, Hamid. “Ending terrorism in Europe,” Interview with TV International, July 24, 2005: http://www.maryamnamazie.com/tv/ending_terrorism_in_Europe.html

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Tehrani, Dabir. “Humanist Heroes: Omar Khayyam,” July 30, 2010: http://www.humanistlife.org.uk/2010/07/humanist-heroes-omar-khayyamby-dabir-tehrani/

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Published

2013-10-09

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2012)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Namazie, M. (2013). An Uncompromising Humanism in Iran and Beyond. Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism, 20(1), 47-56. https://doi.org/10.1558/eph.v20i1.47