04/01/2025
Dr Benjamin Jones is the Director of Case Operations and Outreach at the Free Speech Union and a former member of staff at the National Secular Society. In a report sponsored jointly by the National Secular Society and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, Doctor Jones explores the need to be careful in drafting laws which define Islamophobic hate speech. The reason for this, he says is that for people living in strongly Muslim areas, it can already be very difficult to exercise their right to leave the religion behind - for example, if they conclude that they can not reconcile their faith and sexuality or leave for any other reason. Doctor Jones writes for the Secular Society's weblog and as part of his evidence, he notes the particular case studies of certain LGBTQIA+, feminist and secularist former Muslims who have elected to live without the religion in their lives. The full essay, with conclusions and recommendations is available from the National Secular Society website.
