2013 @IHEU Freedom of Thought report

I’ve written previously about the IHEU’s Freedom of Thought report in 2012, that highlighted cases of discrimination against the non-religious across the World. That report was compiled partly via work that the American Humanist Association and others did for the US State Department. And while it captured numerous examples of discrimination, much is happening that wasn’t captured, because a small group of committed people can’t be aware of everything.

To make it possible for all these accounts of discrimination to be captured – hopefully allowing for people with influence in various regions to limit or even end that discrimination – the IHEU has launched freethoughtreport.com, where you can read previous reports, keep up to date regarding cases of discrimination, and most importantly, contribute your own stories or stories from your area that might not otherwise get noticed.

The IHEU tells us that

The new freethoughtreport.com site will serve to support the Freedom of Thought report on an ongoing basis. We’re providing information on the publication for general public consumption, and moreover the site will serve as a platform for us all to collaborate on this year’s edition.

For the 2013 edition we’re inviting all Members and other experts to help create an expanded report with even wider, richer coverage. The dedicated new website will guide you through making a country submission. Your submission would detail discrimination against the nonreligious in your country, or any country for which you have information. Before making a submission you should be familiar with the format of the 2012 report (download, PDF) and the report’s existing entry, if any, on the country for which you want to submit new information.

Something else the IHEU is launching is a monthly newsletter, The Umbrella, focusing on the work of the IHEU and its member organisations. One thing you’ll read in the inaugural issue, for example, is that the South African organisation that I chair (the Free Society Institute) has been awarded a grant to host a conference later this year. I’ll post something more substantial about that in a couple of weeks, but in the meanwhile, if you have any excuse for being in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 1 this year, take advantage of it!