News and Opinion

Gentle People, We write as members of the Leicester Secular Society who respect the many contributions Sikhs have made to Britain and to the wider world. The Sikh tradition has long been associated with courage, service, integrity, and a willingness to stand against injustice. As we understand it the Khalsa emerged during a period of oppression, when ordinary people could not rely upon the state to protect them from tyranny. The instruction that Sikhs should be prepared to bear arms was not a call to aggression, but a call to defend the weak, uphold justice, and resist oppression. History records many examples of Sikhs living up to these ideals. Sikh soldiers served with distinction in the World Wars and numerous other conflicts. In Britain, Sikhs have repeatedly demonstrated public spirit and courage, including during periods of civil unrest when members of the community have helped protect businesses, places of worship, and neighbourhoods from disorder. The Sikh community...

  I'm Daniel, editor of the Freethinker magazine, and I thought you might be interested in hearing about our Freethought History Webinar series. These free webinars, hosted by me and lasting around an hour, feature expert guest speakers discussing aspects of freethought history and its enduring relevance, to whom you’ll have a chance to ask your questions.  There is no set schedule for these webinars; the best way to stay informed about when they are happening is to sign up for our free fortnightly newsletter , which will also keep you updated on all other things Freethinker . The webinars will be recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel. The previous webinars can be viewed here . I would like to invite you to the next webinar, which will take place on 15 September at 7 pm UK time (2 pm ET/1 pm CT/12 pm MDT/11 am MST/11 am PT) via Zoom . It will feature historian Bob Forder on the life qand career of G.W. Foote - founder of the Freethinker itself, second President of the...

Our speaker on 7th June  Paul ‘Polyp’ Fitzgerald appealed, from those who can afford to do so, for funding for a richly (and often cheekily) illustrated biographical romp through the extraordinary history, lives, and radical ideas of some of the world’s wildest freethinkers, humanists and rebels... Authored by Paul ‘Polyp’ Fitzgerald and Madeleine Goodall Colour softback, 88 pages, 23 x 16cm The aim is for an affectionate and admiring - but warts and all – tone when examining these pioneering figures from many eras and continents, who challenged not only their cultures, but their ideological peers as well. Most were subjected to hostility, prejudice, censorship and persecution, and responded with courage, determination and wit. You can contribute by clicking here. 

On May 15th Market Bosworth School completed a year 8 "Faith Walk" visiting the Islamic Centre, Leicester Synagogue, the Arch of Remembrance, St. Mary de Castro Church and Secular Hall.  Links Presentation  George Fox and the Quakers  Socrates   Jesus  Voltaire  Tom Paine  Robert Owen  Secular Charter   

A local “progressive” political group has decided not to use Secular Hall as it believes that the Society had been “displaying gratuitously Islamophobic material” when it publicised a talk on Sunday 1st February 2026   “No Hijab Day: The Lived Experience of Female Ex-Muslims”. An edited response from the Society’s chairman and a member from a Muslim background appear below. We are very sorry that *** decided to not use the Secular Hall. We note that whilst you have chosen to move to a venue which serves alcohol, groups of local Muslim women continue to book the Secular Hall. They wear Hajibs and Niqabs and probably engage in the occasional prayer on our premises. The Secular Society will continue to support a woman's right to choose, and it will no doubt continue to offend the sensibilities of the religious, especially those who have misogyny at the core of their theology. On a worldwide scale, the number of women being forced to wear Niqabs, Hijabs etc dwarfs the number...

The Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2022 Leicester violence has published its final report, Better Together: Understanding the 2022 Violence in Leicester, setting out key findings and recommendations to help rebuild trust and strengthen community relations in Leicester and beyond. Click on the image to read the report.