Central London discussion to spotlight LGBTQ+ ex-Muslim rights and persecution

By A Representative

On June 13, 2025, the Dissident Club in Central London will host a public discussion to mark the 18th anniversary of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) and to commemorate World Refugee Day. The event, scheduled from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, will feature speakers Ali Malik, Maryam Namazie, and Taha Siddiqui, who are expected to address the intersecting challenges faced by LGBTQ+ ex-Muslims globally.

Organized by Ex-Muslims International and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, the event takes place during Pride Month and aims to highlight the often overlooked realities of those who face persecution both for their sexual orientation and for leaving the Islamic faith.

According to the organizers, LGBTQ+ individuals who renounce or question Islam face compounded risks, particularly in Muslim-majority countries where both apostasy and homosexuality are often criminalized. Currently:

- Apostasy and blasphemy carry the death penalty in at least 12 countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Mauritania, and Afghanistan.

- More than 30 countries with Muslim-majority populations criminalize same-sex relationships.

- At least six countries impose capital punishment for homosexuality.

Speakers and organizers argue that these legal frameworks are grounded in traditional interpretations of Islamic jurisprudence, which view same-sex relationships and religious dissent as severe moral violations. The resulting environment, they say, leads to marginalization, violence, and lack of access to healthcare, education, employment, and legal protection for those affected.

The event also seeks to raise awareness about the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ ex-Muslims within diasporic communities, where individuals may continue to face familial and community-based pressure, discrimination, or coercion, including practices such as conversion therapy.

In connection with Pride Month, Ex-Muslims International has issued a call to action, encouraging the public to support LGBTQ+ ex-Muslims by listening to their stories, advocating for secular and inclusive refugee policies, and challenging bigotry—especially when framed as religious or cultural norms.

The gathering in London is expected to serve as a platform for voices that are often silenced, and to promote greater visibility, safety, and rights for LGBTQ+ ex-Muslims around the world.

The 'Dr' debate masks a larger crisis in allied-health education

By Dr P K Gupta* India’s allied-health professions have long operated in a fragmented landscape of universities, hospitals, State authorities and private institutions, each with its own nomenclature, curriculum and standards. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 was meant to correct this by creating a unified national framework for education, professional regulation and institutional recognition. Few dispute the need for such oversight. The real question is whether standardisation is quietly becoming synonymous with longer courses, additional internships and new professional titles—changes that risk masking deeper gaps in clinical training, institutional capacity and affordability.

Arrival of USS Lincoln: A ‘leisure trip’ to Thailand or a neo-colonial move to commodify women?

By Benyasiri Eimviriyapong The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) for a ‘leisure trip’ in Thailand before returning to its campaign of destruction against the people of West Asia demands immediate interrogation and opposition. For us Thai people, and those in sites of American plunder across the globe, this a rattling of the US’ cold war colonial chains on its most loyal lap dog, while conducting a war of aggression in Iran and the ongoing genocide in Palestine. In allowing the USS Lincoln to dock, the Thai ruling elites are once again facilitating a system of imperial violence that extends far beyond Southeast Asian borders, a system which in our case, is predicated on sexual violence and femicide.

Pilgrimage or pollution? The waste crisis of Indian faith

By Raj Kumar Sinha* In today's times, there are certain issues that are constantly talked about and discussed, yet no visible impact seems to be made. Beyond water, soil, and pollution, one crisis that continues to be overlooked is waste. Like other life-threatening problems, waste too is gradually moving toward burying and obliterating us. After the Kanwar Yatra in Haridwar, approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste were left behind on the riverbanks, including bottles filled with urine.

Counterview

Search This Blog