The Home Office says it will deport Humanists UK member Hamza bin Walayat for his inability to ‘recognise Plato or Aristotle’ in a test of his ‘non-religiousness’ that involved being able to name classical philosophers. The Home Office has badly misunderstood what humanism is and as a result of their ignorance and incompetence, a man’s life is being put at risk: Pakistan is one of 13 countries which execute humanists and other ‘apostates’, and a culture of impunity means vigilante attacks on the non-religious are all-too-common.
The Home Office does not understand that humanism is a non-religious approach to life based on reason, logic, and concern for others, not on canonical philosophers, or that non-religious people are equally protected by human rights law. Hamza shouldn’t have to die because the Home Office doesn’t understand humanism. We’ve organised a petition to Home Secretary Amber Rudd and demand that Hamza’s legal right to asylum be respected… and his life saved.
Our demands:
- Reverse the decision to deport Hamza – your test was not fair, and based on a deeply flawed understanding of humanism.
- Inform all Home Office employees that non-religious people have equal protections in law to religious people. This is a basic principle of equality and human rights law which underpins the basic liberties of the non-religious.
- Working with us, educate your officials about humanism and non-religious beliefs, so that humanists fleeing persecution are not recklessly endangered like this again.