The British Humanist Association (BHA) has today launched a new initiative to send copies of The Young Atheist’s Handbook: Lessons for Living a Good Life without God to all secondary school libraries in Northern Ireland. The BHA’s success earlier this year in sending copies of the book to all school libraries in England and Wales gained widespread positive press coverage in local and national news. This newest initiative is in response to incredible demand from students, parents, teachers, and BHA members who would like for all young people in Northern Ireland to have access to books that explore non-religious perspectives on meaning and purpose, and that enable them to come to their own decisions about their values and beliefs.
The Young Atheist’s Handbook was written by science teacher Alom Shaha and tells the story of his upbringing in a Bangladeshi Muslim community in South East London, how he overcame his inner conflict surrounding his atheism, and the lessons he learnt in leading a good life, full of awe and wonder, based on humanist principles.
The Young Atheist’s Handbook was featured in the Religious Education specialist magazine RE Today, and has been endorsed by journalist and broadcaster Samira Ahmed, actor and presenter Stephen Fry, comedians Robin Ince and Tim Minchin, philosopher A.C. Grayling, and theoretical physicist Professor Jim Al-Khalili, among many others.
Terry Moseley, Chair of Humani, the humanist association of Northern Ireland, commented, ‘We are delighted to support the expansion of this initiative to Northern Ireland, and we welcome the fact that hopefully soon, more young people will have the chance to learn that it is possible to have a moral belief system based on compassion and respect for our fellow human beings, without having to believe in a god or gods of any variety.’
Commenting on the new initiative, BHA Head of Education and Promotion Sara Passmore said, ‘After seeing how well received the book was by librarians, teachers, and students in England and Wales, it was clear that Northern Ireland should be the next on our list. We already know that in Northern Irish schools, students will have access to a wide range of texts covering religious perspectives and beliefs, but fewer will have access to non-religious views on life’s bigger questions, nor about how non-religious people find meaning in their lives. It’s important to us that young people across the country, no matter their family background, are able to learn about the full range of philosophies and worldviews represented in the United Kingdom today.’
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For further comment or information, contact Sara Passmore by email at sara@humanists.uk.
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.
Read more about the initiative in England and Wales: https://humanists.uk/2014/04/29/british-humanist-association-sends-copy-young-atheists-handbook-every-secondary-school-england-wales/
Visit the JustGiving page for The Young Atheist’s Handbook for Northern Ireland Schools: https://www.justgiving.com/YAH-Northern-Ireland
The author of The Young Atheist’s Handbook, Alom Shaha, was elected as a trustee of the BHA on 13 July 2013. As such, to avoid any potential conflict of interest surrounding the planned purchase of these books for schools, the BHA has put an agreement in place that Alom will recuse himself from any Board discussions and decisions surrounding this area of activity.