Universal Declaration of Atheist Rights

It can be a difficult and dangerous world for atheists. In many countries, abandoning or denying the official religion of the state can result in imprisonment, torture or various draconian restrictions of rights including denial of the right to inherit or own property, or to receive an education. In 13 countries apostates can be subjected to the death penalty.

According to the latest report of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, in many countries, atheists are forced to lie to obtain their official documents without which it is impossible to go to university, receive medical treatment, travel abroad or drive.

In 1948 the United Nations approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which sets out basic human rights and freedoms. However, it is not legally binding and while it explicitly confers the freedom to practice a religion of choice, it does not explicitly grant the freedom to have no religion. Consequently, it is of little help to the atheists.

All international human rights laws and conventions that now exist, spell out the rights of the religious to practice their religions as they see fit. The freedom of religion is well protected. What is not well protected is the freedom from religion. Accordingly, we intend to catalog the rights we as atheists should enjoy, and we intend to take the resultant Universal Declaration of Atheist Rights to the United Nations and other international bodies. We believe these organizations need to urgently and courageously defend our rights as non-believers, rights that require that religious practices not be imposed on us by either state or non-state interests.

In the coming weeks AAI will reach out to secular organizations around the world to form a coalition to take this initiative forward.

This is as important as it is long overdue.

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Get involved!

We atheists need to get involved—to get out into the world, to be seen, to be heard and to support secular causes. Our featured Call To Action highlights a project that needs your help, either as a volunteer or with a donation.  All donations, minus the transaction fees, go directly to these projects. It’s our way to show the world that atheists care and will ensure there are alternatives to religion. Here is our current Call To Action:

Atheists Sue State Governor in Nigeria

What should atheists do when they find a State Governor is promoting a project to build an enormous 8,500-seat Christian worship centre and is contributing state funding?

This is happening now in Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria, a country with a Federal Constitution that explicitly mandates separation of religion and state. Our affiliate, the Atheist Society of Nigeria, instructed lawyers to write to Governor Udom Emmanuel, to demand the cessation of the project, and for the contributions made by the government to be publicly disclosed.

The Governor has failed to respond to either letter. So what next?

With AAI’s help, the Atheist Society of Nigeria will take the matter to court and let a Judge rule on the legality of the Governor’s involvement in this overtly religious project. This will be the first time in history that atheists have sued a state government in Nigeria and the ruling will be a crucial test case that will clarify the law and is likely to impact many other instances of state-religion entanglement across the country.
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To help with this project, please contact
the President of the Atheist Society of Nigeria

or make a donation towards our legal fund:

Combatting Godmen in India

According to the World Bank, in 2016, 67% of Indians lived in rural areas. These people don’t have much, but they tend to be very superstitious which makes them easy targets for exploitation. And there is no shortage of tricksters, Swamis, and godmen traveling from village to village using magic tricks to demonstrate their ‘powers’, and promising villagers a better life, in return for their money.

Since 2004, Professor Narendra Nayak (pictured above) has made it his job to expose these charlatans. He travels the villages of India holding workshops at his own expense, showing how the tricks are done, how to detect fraudsters, and how to think critically, all presented with his trademark sense of humor. Now, at the age of 67, after conducting well over 2000 workshops, Narendra is thinking about retirement.

We, at Atheist Alliance International, have the greatest respect for Narendra’s dedication to the people of India and his commitment to rationality. So the AAI board decided to make a financial contribution to help fund his recent tour and we sent AAI member, Rustam Singh, along to learn the trade. Perhaps, we’ll be able to keep these wonderful workshops going after Narendra finally hangs up his spurs.

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Join Us!

Atheism should be as unremarkable as the sun rising in the morning. But randomly stick a pin in a map of the world and, chances are, you will land on a country where atheists are excluded, disparaged and discriminated against—maybe worse.

Atheist Alliance International works to combat discrimination against atheists and to make the world a safer and more rational place for everyone. We support, fund and advise on campaigns around the world to defend atheists and resist the encroachment of religious dogma into public policy.

You can help. Join us. Become a member, a volunteer or a donor. Do it today.

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