Program

Richard Dawkins

EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST AND AUTHOR

He is an Emeritus Fellow of New College, Oxford and was the University of Oxford’s Professor for Public Understanding of Science from 1995 until 2008. Dawkins first came to prominence with his 1976 book “The Selfish Gene”, which popularised the gene-centred view of evolution and introduced the term “meme”. With his book “The Extended Phenotype”, published in 1982, he introduced into evolutionary biology the influential concept that the phenotypic effects of a gene are not necessarily limited to an organism’s body, but can stretch far into the environment. In 2006, he founded the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Dawkins is an atheist, and is well-known for his criticism of creationism and intelligent design. In his most popular book, “The God Delusion”, published in 2006, Dawkins contends that a supernatural creator almost certainly does not exist and that religious faith is a delusion. He has been awarded many prestigious academic and writing awards and he makes regular television, radio and internet appearances, predominantly discussing his books, his atheism, and his ideas and opinions as a public intellectual.

Maryam Namazie

SPOKESPERSON – COUNCIL OF EX-MUSLIMS OF BRITAIN

Spokesperson for One Law for All and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, Maryam Namazie is an Iranian-born writer and activist. She is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Raif Badawi Foundation for Freedom and a National Secular Society Honorary Associate. The Islamic regime of Iran’s media outlets have called Namazie ‘immoral and corrupt’ and she has been barred and no platformed for speaking out against Islam and Islamism and defending the right to apostasy and blasphemy. She was awarded the 2016 International Secularism (Laïcité) Prize from the Comité Laïcité République and was honoured by the National Secular Society for her campaigning work defending free speech at universities (2016). She was also awarded Atheist of the Year by Kazimierz Lyszczynski (2014), Journalist of the Year at the Dods Women in Public Life Awards (2013), selected one of the top 45 women of the year by Elle magazine Québec (2007), one of 2006′s most intriguing people by DNA, awarded the National Secular Society’s Secularist of the Year Award (2005), amongst others.

Ensaf Haidar

COFOUNDER – RAIF BADAWI FOUNDATION

Ensaf Haidar is a Saudi-Canadian human rights activist and wife of Raif Badawi, a Saudi blogger who was sentenced to ten years in prison and a thousand lashes in 2014 by the Saudi authorities, on the basis of blasphemy accusations. She left Saudi Arabia to Lebanon with her children when a fatwa was issued against her husband, before his arrest, then to Canada, where she resides since then. In 2015, Haidar accepted, on her husband's behalf, the Sakharov Prize for human rights awarded by the European Parliament. Haidar supported the right-wing populist People’s Party of Canada upon its foundation in 2018, and was nominated as a candidate in the 2021 federal elections by the Bloc Québecois. Ensaf Haidar and Raif Badawi share the honorary membership at the Cambridge Union since 2019, and were awarded the International Laïcité Award in 2018 by the Comité Laïcité République, and the Deschner Prize in 2016 by the Giordano Bruno Foundation. Ensaf received the Goldene Victoria Prize in 2017 from the VDZ night publisher, Henry Zumach Award in 2018 from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, as well as other awards.

Ibn Warraq

SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW - WESTMINISTER INSTITUTE

Ibn Warraq studied Arabic and Persian at the University of Edinburgh and is the best-selling author of “Why I am not a Muslim” (1995). This book was a warning to the West about the dangers of political Islam and multiculturalism. Since 1998, Ibn Warraq has edited several books of Koranic criticism and on the origins of Islam: “The Origins of the Koran” (1998), “The Quest for the Historical Muhammad” (2000), “What the Koran Really Says” (2002), “Which Koran?” (2011), and “Christmas in the Koran” (2014). Ibn Warraq’s “Defending the West: A Critique of Edward Said’s Orientalism” (2007) was described by Paul Berman as “a glorious work of scholarship and it is going to contribute mightily to modernizing the way we think about Western civilization and the rest of the world.” In “Why the West is Best” (2011), Ibn Warraq again defends Western civilization and seeks to regain Western civilizational self-confidence and to alleviate the Western burden of guilt about slavery and colonialism pointing out that Islamic civilization was a greater slaver, greater colonialist, and destroyed many cultures when it imposed Islam. The West, on the other hand, was the first to abolish slavery, and preserved, and encouraged the study of, non-Western cultures.

Sami Abdallah

PRESIDENT – FREETHOUGHT LEBANON

A diligent Lebanese civil society activist residing in Germany, Sami Abdallah is a theoretical physicist by profession. He has worked extensively to fight against discrimination and the negative social stereotypes that vilify atheists in Lebanon and the Arab World, and has been closely involved in offering protection to those who have been threatened because of their atheism. Sami is the cofounder and president of Freethought Lebanon, created in 2007 as an initiative that aims to empower freethinkers in Lebanon in order to promote humanism, encourage critical thinking, disseminate secular values, and protect freethinkers at risk.

Mazen Abou Hamdan

COFOUNDER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – FREETHOUGHT LEBANON

Mazen Abou Hamdan is a civil rights activist and a leading expert on Peacebuilding and Good Governance in Lebanon. He is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of “Freethought Lebanon”, an initiative that aims to empower freethinkers in order to promote humanism, encourage critical thinking, and disseminate secular values. Mazen has been highly involved in the struggle to legalize civil marriage in Lebanon and has worked extensively on projects related to nonviolent strategies for social change, human rights education, and conflict resolution in Lebanon and the MENA region

Mina Ahadi

COFOUNDER – CENTRAL COUNCIL OF EX-MUSLIMS, GERMANY

Mina Ahadi is an Iranian-Austrian communist political activist and member of the Central Committee and Politburo of the Worker-communist Party of Iran. She is opposed to faith-based laws and promotes citizenship rights and one secular law. Ahadi is also the main figure of International Committee Against Executions and International Committee Against Stoning. She is also the main founder of the German Central Council of Ex-Muslims, which aims to break the taboo that comes with renouncing Islam and to oppose apostasy laws and Islam.

Rana Ahmad

FOUNDER – ATHEIST REFUGEE RELIEF

Rana Ahmad is a Syrian/Saudi-Arabian ex-Muslim activist, women’s rights campaigner, and founder of the Atheist Refugee Relief. She is a pop science blogger and editor, a member of Giordano-Bruno-Stiftung, and a member of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Germany. After she discarded her religion, she had to escape because she was threatened with death by her family and the government in Saudi Arabia. Rana hopes to help all girls to be free.

Sohail Ahmad

WRITER AND ACTIVIST – REASON ON FAITH

Sohail Ahmad is an ex-Muslim, ex-Ahmadi writer who is more commonly known by his social media alias “Reason on Faith”. Sohail began his activism in 2016. In 2019, after years of activism and organizing behind the scenes, Sohail released his first video entitled ‘Why I am Leaving Islam and Ahmadiyyat’. Sohail’s journey of questioning had begun at the age of 19. Until recently, Sohail has co-organized the Toronto Chapter of Ex-Muslims of North America and organized the Toronto Chapter of Muslimish. Currently, he is an organizer in Ex-Muslims of Toronto

Jimmy Bangash

PSYCHOTHERAPIST, SPOKESPERSON FOR CEMB

Jimmy Bangash is a Psychotherapist specialised in working with ExMuslims and Muslim heritage LGBT in an international context. His current research explores how ExMuslims experience psychotherapy and the effects it has on them. He is a Spokesperson for the Council of ExMuslims of Britain and works with several other organisations providing mental health support and bringing awareness to the plight of apostates and LGBT in Islamic communities.

Savin Bapir-Tardy

LECTURER IN PSYCHOLOGY - UNIVERSITY OF WEST LONDON

Bapir-Tardy conducted her doctoral research at City University into how traumatic events are experienced. She has worked with adolescents, adults and older adults in a variety of mental health settings. She worked for 8 years as a Counselling Psychologist at the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) providing psychological therapy to women who have experienced “honor”-based violence, forced marriage, domestic violence and female genital mutilation. Bapir-Tardy also provided training to professionals in mainstream mental health services on “honor”-based violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

Dan Barker

COPRESIDENT – FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION

Co-president of Freedom From Religion Foundation, Dan Barker is also a contributing editor of Freethought Today, the foundation’s newspaper, cohost of Freethought Radio, and is involved with the foundation’s state/church lawsuits. He travels the world giving lectures, performing concerts, and participating in debates with theists, many at college and university campuses. He was a teenage evangelist at age 15, was ordained in 1975 as a preacher, served as associate pastor in three Californian churches, and maintained an ongoing touring musical ministry for 19 years. Barker is also an accomplished pianist, record producer, arranger and songwriter, who worked with Christian music companies such as Manna Music and Word Music. Following five years of reading, Dan gradually outgrew his religious beliefs. He announced his atheism publicly in January 1984. He tells his story in the books “Losing Faith in Faith” (1992) and “Godless” (2008).

Wissam Charafeddine

COFOUNDER – MUSLIMISH

Wissam Charafeddine is an Arab-American thinker, activist, author, entrepreneur, educator, and engineer. He has a Masters Degree in Software Engineering from the University of Michigan Dearborn, and is an Optimization Expert at W Design and Development. He is also a Family and Community Engagement Liaison at HES School District. He is a published poet, with three published works: The Opposite Swings, Climbing Leaves, and Pains. He is also the author of the “Awaited Arab State: The Awaited Confederation Project of the Arab World”. Wissam is also a hyper-entrepreneur, and a founder of multiple nonprofit organizations. In addition to his academic background, he has an extensive background in Islamic Studies, activism, Arabic history, and identity issues.

Yahya Ekhou

FOUNDER – LIBERALS NETWORK MAURITANIA

Yahya Ekhou is a secular humanist writer, an ex-muslim activist and human rights campaigner, and member of Atheist Refugee Relief. Ekhou is the founder of Liberals Network Mauritania.

Nadia El Fani

FILM DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, AND SCREENWRITER

Nadia El Fani is film-maker living in France, who risks arrest and up to five years in prison if she returns to Tunisia after Islamists filed a complaint against her for her film “Neither Allah nor Master”. The film is an account of Tunisian life immediately before and after the fall of Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. Others films she made include “Ouled Lenine” and “Our Breasts, Our Weapons!”.

Annie Laurie Gaylor

COPRESIDENT – FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION

Co-president of Freedom From Religion Foundation, Annie Laurie Gaylor is the author of several books, including “Woe to the Women: The Bible Tells Me So” and “Betrayal of Trust: Clergy Abuse of Children”. She is the editor of “Women Without Superstition: No Gods, No Masters”, and was the editor of Freethought Today, FRFF’s newspaper, until 2015. Gaylor received the Humanitarian Heroine Award in 2010 from the American Humanist Association. She is on the Speakers’ Bureau of the Secular Student Alliance, and has participated as a speaker in conferences, such as the 2012 Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia.

Ana González

LAWYER, ASYLUM SOLICITOR, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

Ana is a lawyer (solicitor) and partner at Wilson Solicitors LLP in London. She defines herself as an ex-Catholic, atheist and freethinker. An internationally recognized expert in gender and sexuality-based asylum claims, Ana also trained in British Nationality, European and Public Law. Ana has an extensive expertise in representing vulnerable and marginalized individuals, such as victims of human trafficking, apostates, and transgender individuals. Over the last 20 years, Ana has secured refugee status for hundreds of clients, including ex-Muslims and other freethinkers. Ana has been involved in advising EEA nationals on Brexit at a number of public events, including a session at the Houses of Parliament and the London School of Economics. She is also a volunteer lawyer for the Council of Ex Muslims of Britain as well as for Micro Rainbow International.

Mohamed Hisham

BOARD MEMBER – ATHEIST REFUGEE RELIEF

Mohamed Hisham is an Egyptian Electronics Engineer who appeared in a live Egyptian television talk show to talk about atheism, which led to abuse and vilification during the show form the host and other guests, and to threats to his life in Egypt afterwards. He delved into Islamic studies incentivized by the Sharia sentence on his sexual orientation, and eventually left Islam. He aspires for a Middle East that respects human rights and civil liberties through embracing science and humanistic values instead of dogmatic doctrines.

Fauzia Ilyas

FOUNDER – ATHEIST AND AGNOSTIC ALLIANCE PAKISTAN

Fauzia Ilyas is a human rights activist and ex-Muslim. After an arranged and unhealthy marriage, she started to doubt the existence of God. She became known for founding Atheist and Agnostic Alliance Pakistan where the state religion is Islam and apostasy leads to death. Since then, she has been a subject of several death threats. In 2015, Fauzia sought asylum in the Netherlands because her family members and religious fanatics threatened her life. Instead of protecting her, the authorities threatened to arrest her for blasphemy. Fauzia won the Kazimierz Lyszczynski Foundation Atheist of the Year (2017) in Warsaw.

Rishvin Ismath

COFOUNDER – COUNCIL OF EX-MUSLIMS OF SRI LANKA

Rishvin Ismath is an ex-Muslim from Sri Lanka, formerly an active Islamist involved with Jama’athe Islami, Thawheed, and Salafi movements before 2013. He is the only ex-Muslim activist to write criticism in Tamil language with real identity, through his Facebook account and his blog: allahvin.com. Rishvin is an activist in several causes, such as the rights of children, women, labors, and war victims (disappearances). He fought justice for Darun Nusra Childern’s Home sexual abuse case together with his Muslim friend Fayaz A. Razack. He has faced a near death experience when ISIS attempted to kill him months before the Easter Sunday suicide attacks. He is a Rugby Union referee in Sri Lanka. He is the cofounder and spokesperson of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Sri Lanka.

Zara Kay

FOUNDER – FAITHLESS HIJABI

Zara Kay is a Tanzanian ex-Muslim atheist activist, based in Australia. Zara is the founder of Faithless Hijabi, a platform to enable Ex-Muslim women to share their stories about their journey from religion to reason.

Khadija Khan

JOURNALIST AND COMMENTATOR

Pakistani journalist and commentator based in the UK, Khadija Khan writes about human rights, mainly women’s rights, as well as minorities, extremism, and Islamism. She is an advocate for women’s rights, who strongly believes that religion infringes on women’s rights and Islam is no exception. She denounces the idea of Islamic feminism, since finding refuge for women’s rights under organized religion is not more than a myth. Being a humanist, she believes in tolerance and equality for all human beings. She criticizes the usage of blasphemy laws as a tool to crackdown on dissent and supports freedom of and from religion. She stresses the need of having freedom of speech to counter extremist ideologies in her write ups. She believes that freedom to challenge bad idea is the most effective way to counter extremist narratives.

Nuriyah Khan

YOUTUBER – HOLY HUMANIST

British Pakistani aspiring lawyer and activist who mostly grew up between Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Nuriyah has a YouTube channel called Holy Humanist. Holy Humanist is a platform dedicated to exploring the dogma of Islam, human rights, freedom, oppression, and the surrounding socio-political issues, with a strong emphasis on women’s rights.

Betty Lachgar

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, LEADER - M.A.L.I

Betty Lachgar is a clinical psychologist specialized in violence against women and sexual violence. She is the Leader of M.A.L.I (Mouvement Alternatif pour les Libertés Individuelles - Alternative Movement of Individual Liberties), a universalist, feminist, and secularist movement. She initiated the first LGBT movement in Morocco in 2012, the IDAHOT. Her work is censored by the majority of organisations in Morocco, even progressive and feminist ones. Ibtissame has been the victim of sexual assault by the police whilst in custody for her protests in Sept 2016. There is a trial in progress against her and she has faced numerous threats as a result of her work and fight against the socio-religious inquisition.

Lilith Raza

EX-MUSLIM AND LGBTI+ ACTIVIST

Lilith Raza is a queer trans activist from Pakistan who has lived in Germany since 2012. She promotes the rights of LGBTIQ+ refugees, works for the LSVD’s “Queer Refugees Deutschland” project (Gay and Lesbian Federation in Germany), and is active in queer networks throughout Europe.

Marieme Helie Lucas

FOUNDER – SECULARISM IS A WOMEN’S ISSUE

An Algerian sociologist, political theorist, and author, Marieme Helie Lucas was born in Algeria to a ‘family of feminists’ and had been active in the liberation struggle of Algeria. She is founder and former International Coordinator of Women Living Under Muslim Laws, a solidarity network that provides information, support and a collective space for women. She is also the founder of Secularism Is A Women’s Issue, which focuses on the threat of the erosion of secular spaces and of formal secularism, and challenges all forms of fundamentalisms.

Houzan Mahmoud

COFOUNDER – CULTURE PROJECT

Houzan Mahmoud is a women’s rights campaigner, public lecturer and co-founder of Culture Project, a transnational project aiming to to raise awareness about feminism and gender in Kurdistan and diaspora. She has an MA in Gender Studies from SOAS, London University. She worked as a representative of the Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq for many years. She was born in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1973 and currently resides and works in London. Her articles have been published in The Independent, The Guardian, The Tribune, The New Statesman and others. Houzan has led many campaigns internationally, including campaigns against the rape and abduction of women in Iraq, and against the imposition of Islamic sharia law in Kurdistan and the Iraqi constitution. She has also led other campaigns against so called honour killings, and against violations of freedom of expression. She is the winner of 2016 Emma Humphrey’s Memorial Award.

Ali Malik

REFUGEE RIGHTS ACTIVIST – COUNCIL OF EX-MUSLIMS OF BRITAIN

Ali Malik is an ex-Muslim human rights activist, mainly interested in activism for refugee rights. He is a member of the Council of Ex-Muslims in Britain.

Susanna McIntyre

PRESIDENT – ATHEIST REPUBLIC

Raised in a conservative Catholic family in the midst of a very liberal city, Susanna left religion around the age of 15, after she realized that she was bisexual and had attempted suicide, “therefore earning herself two fast-passes to hell and damnation”. The decision was clear for her: “cognitively suffer under the belief that she would be eternally tormented, or leave religion entirely and live free!” She’s president of Atheist Republic, which aims to providing community to atheists around the world. She’s most passionate about promoting secularism around the world, and protecting those activists brave enough to undertake this fight under the most dangerous of conditions.

Mimzy Vidz

YOUTUBER

Ex-Muslim YouTuber who discusses issues that Muslims and non-Muslims face. She is part of the movement to normalize ex-Muslims, put an end to blasphemy and apostate scrutiny in Muslim communities, and raise awareness of these problems. She is featured in the CEMB film “Women Leaving Islam”.

Armin Navabi

FOUNDER – ATHEIST REPUBLIC

Armin Navabi is a former Muslim from Iran and the founder of the Atheist Republic, a non-profit organisation with over one million fans and followers worldwide, that is dedicated to offering a safe community for atheists around the world to share their ideas and meet like-minded individuals. Armin was was indoctrinated in the Muslim tradition and has attempted suicide when he was 12, believing that this would get him into heaven. The devastation of that event motivated him to seek a better understanding of the nature and concept of God and religious belief. Armin’s journey led him to leave Islam and to become an atheist and to seek interaction with others to engage in thought-provoking and educational discussion. Armin is the author of the bestselling book “Why There Is No God: Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God”.

Helen Nicolls

HEAD OF OPERATIONS – NATIONAL SECULAR SOCIETY

Helen Nicholls is a law graduate. Whilst studying for her law degree she gained an interest in law and religion. She has previously worked for a human rights organisation and in business. She was an NSS member and volunteer before she joined the staff in 2017. In her spare time, she runs a monthly group for fans of the author Terry Pratchett.

David Orenstein

ANTHROPOLOGIST, MEMBER OF THE ADVISORY COUNCIL – AAI

A tenured full professor of Anthropology at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, David Orenstein is the co-author of two books: the 2015 “Godless Grace: How Non-Believers are Making the World Safer, Richer and Kinder” and the 2019 publication of “Darwin’s Apostles”. A primatologist by early training he has written for numerous national and international freethinker and science publications. Dr. Orenstein is a civil and human rights activist, formally representing the American Humanist Association at the United Nations through the NGO/DPI program. He is also a sought-after speaker on human rights, science education, and evolution acceptance. Dr. Orenstein currently serves on the board of several local and national freethought and science organizations. Most notably as President of The Secular Humanist Society of New York, as a member of the Advisory Council of AAI, and as a member of the Broader Social Impacts Committee of the Hall of Human Origins at the Smithsonian Institution. He also has served on the board of the Center for Freethought Equality.

Pragna Patel

COFOUNDER –SOUTHALL BLACK SISTERS

Pragna Patel is the ex-director and founding member of Southall Black Sisters, a leading advocacy and campaigning center for minority women, and Women Against Fundamentalism. She was coordinator/caseworker and director for Southall Black Sisters (SBS) from 1982 to 2022 with a break in 1993 when she left to train and practice as a solicitor. For 40 years, she was at the helm of SBS and has been centrally involved in some of SBS’ most important cases and campaigns involving domestic violence, immigration and religious fundamentalism. She is also a member of Feminist Dissent and has written extensively on race, gender and religion.

Faribroz Pooya

TV PRODUCER – “BREAD AND ROSES” SHOW

Faribroz Pooya took part in the 1978 Iranian revolution before moving to the UK in 1979, where he studied economics and politics at Oxford Brookes and Birkbeck College, University of London. He founded the Iranian Secular Society and was a founding member of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. Pooya writes and comments on politics and secularism, and is the producer and co-host of the weekly political-social TV show “Bread and Roses” in Persian and English.

Milad Resaeimanesh

LEADER - COMMITTEE OF EX MUSLIMS SCANDINAVIA

Milad Resaeimanesh is a Leader in the Central Committee of the Ex-Muslims in Scandinavia. He also hosts a weekly TV program for the organisation.

Ali Rizvi

WRITER AND PODCASTER

Ali Rizvi is a Pakistani-born Canadian ex-Muslim writer and podcaster who explores the challenges of Muslims who leave their faith. Rizvi is the author of “The Atheist Muslim: A Journey From Religion to Reason”, published in 2016. It is a combination of personal biography and analysis of arguments in favour of rejecting Islam.

Halima Salat

EX-MUSLIM POET

Halima Salat is an ExMuslim Kenyan-Somali living in the Netherlands. She is an international journalist, poet and activist with a keen focus on sex-based rights for minority women. Halima left Islam in her late 20s motivated by the fact that she could not reconcile Islam's doctrines and the need for individual women to steer their own paths. She is the founder of the online community “Ex-Muslim Somali Voices” which supports apostates from the Somali community.

Nina Sankari

VICE PRESIDENT – KAZIMIERZ LYSZCZYNSKI FOUNDATION

Nina Sankari is a secular, atheist, and feminist activist and the vice president of the atheist Kazimierz Lyszczynski Foundation (Poland). Sankari is also cofounder and spokesperson of the International Association of Freethought. She writes and translated articles for the Polish and French freethinkers and feminist centers, such as Fakty I Mity, 50/50, ReSPUBLICA, La Raison, and Charlie Hebdo. She is the initiator and co-organizer of the yearly event Atheist Days in Warsaw, and has participated in several international conferences related to secularism, rationalism, atheism, women’s rights, and other political and social issues.

Amed Sherwan

ACTIVIST AND BLOGGER

Amed Sherwan is an Islam-critical activist and blogger from Erbil, Kurdistan (Iraq). He writes articles for Jungle World and the Humanist Press Service and participates in discussion panels promoting tolerance in Muslim communities and LGBTQI+ rights. He is a member of the Central Council of Ex-Muslims in Germany, where he resides since 2014. He was granted asylum in Germany in 2017 after fleeing his home country due to persecution, arrest, and torture for blasphemy. Sherwan published his autobiography together with Katrine Hoop in 2020 in “Thank God I am an Atheist”.

Inna Shevchenko

LEADER – FEMEN

Leader of Femen, topless activists against various manifestations of patriarchy, including dictatorship, religion, and the sex industry, Inna Shevchenko has published “Anatomie de l’Oppression” with Pauline Hillier. She was kidnapped and threatened by the Belarus KGB in 2011 and was granted political asylum in France. In July 2013, Shevchenko was the main inspiration for a new French stamp depicting Marianne. In December 2012, the French magazine Madame Figaro included Shevchenko in its list of the World’s Top 20 Iconic Women of the Year. Shevchenko is a speaker at conferences and a columnist for the international press. She was a speaker at a debate on freedom of speech in Copenhagen on 14 February 2015 with cartoonist Lars Vilks. During that speech a terrorist opened fire in the lobby of where the debate took place. Surviving the attack, Shevchenko later said: “Liberal voices should be louder than Kalashnikovs”.

Michael Schmidt-Salomon

GERMAN AUTHOR, PHILOSOPHER, AND PR MANAGER

German author, philosopher, and public relations manager, Michael Schmidt-Salomon is chairman of the Giordano Bruno Foundation since 2006, a humanist organization that is critical of religion, and has been referred to as Germany’s Chief Atheist by the press. He earned his PhD in educational theory in 1997 at the University of Trier, where he was a lecturer and a research assistant for 9 years, then joined the Institut d’Études Éducatives et Sociales in Luxembourg in 2022 as a lecturer. From 1999 to 2007, Schmidt-Salomon was editor of the journal MIZ (Contemporary Materials and Information: The Political Magazine for Atheists and the Irreligious). The main focuses of his work are science theory, anthropology, aesthetics, society theory, futurology, religious criticism, and ideology criticism, as well as practical ethics. His books include the “Manifesto of Evolutionary Humanism: A Plea for a Contemporary Culture” (2006) and “Die Kirche im Kopf” (The Church in the Head, 2007), but his most controversial book was “Wo bitte geht’s zu Gott? fragte das kleine Ferkel” (Which is the way to God, please? Little Piglet asked, 2007), a book for children described by the press as “Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion for children”, due to its criticism of religion. Schmidt-Salomon co-inspired Mina Ahadi’s foundation of the Central Council of Ex-Muslims in 2007, and co-organized the Kritische Islamkonferenz in 2008 and 2013.

Harris Sultan

AUTHOR AND PODCASTER

Harris Sultan is an Australian ex-Muslim atheist of Pakistani descent. Harris moved to Australia at the age of 19 and was exposed to the big wide world other than his hometown of Lahore, Pakistan, which eventually led him away from Islam. He published his book “The Curse of God” in December 2018.

Lisa-Marie Taylor

CEO AND COFOUNDER - FILIA

Lisa-Marie came to feminism in her late 30s and is quickly making up for lost time! Proud of the work that FiLiA does in creating and strengthening connections between Women locally, nationally and internationally Lisa-Marie believes that we are in the midst of the global Feminist revolution. “Feminists opened my eyes and ears. There was no going back. With immense respect and thanks to our foremothers. Sisterhood and Solidarity!”

Arif Hussain Theruvath

PRESIDENT – NONRELIGIOUS CITIZENS INDIA

A clinical researcher by profession, also an ex-homeopath, ex-Muslim and ex-communist, from the state of Kerala, India, who is actively engaged in science communication and promotion of freethought. Has delivered multiple lectures on various topics ranging from criticism of Islam to debunking homeopathy. Runs one of the best weekly live shows on YouTube titled HelloFreethinker which has witnessed many far-right Hindutva activists openly admitting their journey to freethinking and atheism. The medical council registration was revoked by the state Homeopathic Medical Council as a reactionary measure for criticizing homeopathy and exposing its futility and wasting public funds. Received the EsSense Global Award 2021 as a recognition for the contributions made to the society. Along with Liyakkathali CM, cofounded the Ex-Muslims of Kerala, the first registered ex-Muslim organization in India and is the President of NonReligious Citizens of India Organization. Has faced death threats multiple times for criticizing Islam but is now spearheading the ex-Muslim movement in India without any resentment.

Hazar Kahera Watts

EX-MUSLIM AND LGBTI+ ACTIVIST

Hazar Kahera Watts is a ex-Muslim and LGBT activist based in the US.

Cemal Knudsen Yucel

PRESIDENT – COUNCIL OF EX-MUSLIMS OF NORWAY

Born and raised in Turkey, Cemal Knudsen Yucel was active in the youth branch of an Islamist movement, Milli Gorus, which is a part of the Muslim Brotherhood. He is now an ex-Muslim atheist activist and founder and chair of Ex-Muslims of Norway. He writes articles, participates in debates and conferences related to apostasy, blasphemy, women’s status in Islam, Islamic reform, and political and social issues. He is helping to build the ex-Muslim community and promoting enlightenment work.