National Rally: 20th of November to defend freedom of religion,
conscience and thought
20th November 2006, Methodist Central Hall Westminster,
London. SW1H 9NH. 6.00 pm to 9.30 pm
Click here for
the e-flyer.
Click here for the youtube ad.
Freedom of religion is one of our most precious democratic
rights. It took hundreds of years, including international and civil wars,
to establish the
right of every individual to freely pursue their religious beliefs subject
only to their conscience and to the necessary and proportionate protection
of the rights and the freedoms of others. It must be defended against every
challenge.
Britain today faces a systematic campaign by sections of the media and
some politicians, fanned by the BNP, to undermine this right by sowing
hatred against Muslims. This has culminated in physical attacks, fire
bombings and assaults on women. This campaign constitutes an attack on
civil and
religious liberties including an attempt to suppress the right of persons
of all faiths to dress in accordance with their religious convictions.
It must be strongly opposed – as indeed should any attack on the
rights of Christians, Jews, Sikhs or any other religious group.
It is necessary
for all democrats, of all faiths and none, to come together to defend these
basic principles of freedom of religion and culture.
As the first step, Faith groups are coming together with all political
parties and communities to a central London public rally to Defend freedom
of thought, conscience and religion and to call for an end to the recent
attacks on Muslims.
The aim is to develop a national campaign to defend freedom
of religion and culture and to combat the rise of Islamophobia.
Confirmed Speakers:
Ken Livingstone - Mayor of London
Lord Nazir Ahmed - Labour Peer
Jon Cruddas MP - Labour MP
Alex Salmond MP - the Leader of the Scottish National
Andrew Stunell MP - the Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Community and Local
Government and former Baptist preacher
Jeremy Corbyn - Labour MP
Tony Benn - former Labour MP and Cabinet Minister
Jean Lambert MEP - Green Party MEP
Dr Abdul Bari - the Secretary General of MCB
Shami Chakrabarti - Director of Liberty
Sayeeda Warsi - Conservative Party vice Chair
Bruce Kent - Catholic peace campaigner and Vice-President of Pax Christi
Sir Iqbal Sacranie – Former
Secretary General of MCB
Anas Altikriti - the spokesman of the British Muslim Initiative
Salma Yaqoob - Vice Chair of Respect Coalition
Cristina Odone - was editor of the Catholic Herald and deputy editor of
the New Statesman
Billy Hayes - Communications workers union General Secretary
Paul Mackney - Joint General Secretary University and Colleges Union
Professor Tariq Ramadan - President of the European think tank: European
Muslim Network (EMN) in Brussels.
Edie Friedman - Director of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality
Kate Hudson - Chair CND
Karen Chouhan – the Director
1990 trust
Soumaya Ghannoushi - Research Director of IslamExpo
Lindsey German - Convenor of Stop the War Coalition
Mohammed Ali - CEO Islam Channel
Dabinderjit Singh OBE - from the Sikh Secretariat
Ismail Patel - Chair Friends
of Al Aqsa
Muhammad Habibur Rahman - the Central
President of the Islamic Forum Europe
The rally is called by the British Muslim Initiative and Liberty and supported by: Mayor of London, Muslim Council of Britain, Pax Christi, Stop the War coalition, Muslim Association of Britain, CND, UNISON, University and College Union, Communication Workers Union, National Assembly Against Racism, the 1990Trust,Sikhs in England, National Coalition of Black Led Organisations, Islamic Forum Europe, The Cordoba Foundation, JUSTPEACE, Islamic Human Right Commission, Islam Channel, Islamic Times, Dawatul Islam, Assembly for the Protection of Hijab, Friends of Al Aqsa, IWitness, Muslim Safety Forum, Operation Black Vote, Black Londoners Forum, The Society of Black Lawyers, IslamExpo, Muslim Voices, National Black Student Alliance and IslamExpo.