Warwick Students' Union takes back its decision and approves Maryam Namazie speaking at Warwick: Thanks to all who spoke up (update from siawi.org)

Dear friends, we won... The Warwick Student's Union has published late yesterday an approval of Maryam speaking and will send her a letter of apology.
Thanks for your help.
More people join us, after we sent out our protest letter.
Here they are, below, for your information:


Ansar Ahmed Ullah, International Forum for Secular Bangladesh, UK

Edip Yuksel, J.D. Author, co-founder of Muslims for Peace, Justice and Progress, US

Dr. Elham Manea, Associate Professor, Zurich University, Switzerland

Hasan Mahmud, Member of Advisory Board, World Muslim Congress and General Secretary, Muslims Facing Tomorrow, Canada

Kenan Malik, Writer, UK

Lisa-Marie Taylor, Chair, Feminism in London, UK

Terry Sanderson, President, National Secular Society, UK

Taslima Nasrin, Author

Sultana Kamal, Bangladeshi Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Bangladesh

Sukhwant Dhaliwal, University of Bedfordshire and Author, UK

Sue Cox, Survivors Voice Europe, UK

Shahla Daneshfar, Coordinator of Workers Solidarity Network of the Middle East and North Africa, UK

Fariborz Pooya, Host of Bread and Roses, UK

Shaheen Hashmat, Writer, UK

Sara Khan, Director of Inspire, UK

Sara Hossain, Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh

Sanal Edamaruku, Author and Founder of Rationalist International, Finland

Dr Rumy Hasan, SPRU, University of Sussex, UK

Dr Rumana Hashem, School of Social Sciences, University of East London, UK

Roy Brown, International Representative, IHEU, UK

Robyn E. Blumner, President & CEO, Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science, US

Richard Dawkins, Scientist and Author, UK

Rahila Gupta, Writer and Journalist, UK

Raheel Raza, President, Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow, Canada

Peter Tatchell, Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation, UK

Pervez Hoodbhoy, Distinguished Professor of Physics and Mathematics Forman Christian College-University Lahore, Pakistan

Nadia El Fani, Tunisian Filmmaker, France

Maggie Hall, Chair of Brighton Secular Humanists, UK



Dear friends,

Our open letter is out. Maryam is sending it right now to the Chancelor of Warwick University. She will later organize for more people to support our initial action.

I posted it on siawi:

http://www.siawi.org/article9755.html

This is for your files.

Thank you all for your solidarity. It is badly needed here.

marieme


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UK: On canceling speaking invitations of secularists in UK universties

Open Letter

Sunday 27 September 2015, by siawi3

26.09.2015

Source: siawi.org, 26.09.2015


To whom it may concern

In support of academic freedom,
On Warwick University Student Union’s decision to bar Maryam Namazie from speaking

We, the undersigned,

Express concern regarding the University Student Union’s barring of Maryam Namazie from speaking at Warwick University on October 28, 2015. Ms Namazie had been invited by the Warwick Atheists, Secularists and Humanists’ Society.

Note with equal concern the growing number of similar incidents in UK universities, in which religious groups are granted the right to disseminate their ideas within universities ( and their practices, including when those break both the law of the land and university rules on gender equality) regardless of the potential ‘risks’ of generating incidents, while other groups are discriminated against, as is the case now.

Urge University authorities to ensure that freedom of speech and academic freedom applies to all, and are not being curbed selectively.

Signatories:

Marieme Helie Lucas, Sociology Department, Algiers University, Algeria ( retired faculty member)

Dr Fatou Sow, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University Paris Diderot, France (retired).

Prof. Nira Yuval-Davis, School of Social Sciences, University of East London, UK

Dr. Neshat Quaiser, Associate Professor Department of Sociology Jamia Millia Islamia, Central University, New Delhi, India

Harsh Kapoor, founder, South Asia Citizens Web (sacw.net)

Dr Anissa Helie, Associate Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, USA.

Ensaf Haidar, President Of Raif Badawi Foundation

Faisal Saeed Al-Mutar, Iraqi founder of the Global Secular Humanist Movement

Prof Lynn Freedman, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA

Dipak Dholakia, People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism, India

Prof. Charlotte Bunch, Board of Governors, Distinguished Professor in Women’s and Gender Studies, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. USA

Mukul Mangalik, Associate Professor of History, Ramjas College, University of Delhi, India.

Prakash Upadhyaya, research scholar, University Grants Commission, India

Dilip Simeon, Historian and Writer, Delhi, India