UPDATE: SEE ACTIONS TAKEN TO MARK THIS DAY HERE.

Countless individuals accused of apostasy and blasphemy face threats, imprisonment, and execution. Blasphemy laws in over 30 countries and apostasy laws in over 20 aim primarily to restrict thought, expression and the rights of Muslims, ex-Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

On 14 March 2013, we, the undersigned, call for an international day of action to defend apostates and blasphemers worldwide by highlighting ten cases though there are countless more.

Alex Aan, Indonesia: 30 year old atheist, in prison for blasphemy for saying there is no god on Facebook. Sign Petition Here.

Abdul Aziz Mohammed Al-Baz (also known as Ben Baz), Kuwait: Blogger and atheist charged with blasphemy. Support him here.

Turki Al Hamad, Saudi Arabia: Novelist in prison for Tweets critical of Islam and Islamism. Write Letter Here!

Raif Badawi, Saudi Arabia: Charged with apostasy for setting up a website that “harms the public order and violates Islamic values”. Sign Petition.

Asia Bibi, Pakistan: 45 year old Christian mother of five, sentenced to death for blasphemy for ‘insulting Mohammad’. Join Save Asia Bibi Facebook Page Here.

Hamza Kashgari, Saudi Arabia: 23 year old Muslim charged with blasphemy for Tweeting about Mohammad and women’s status. Sign Petition Here and Here.

Saeed Malekpour, Iran: Sentenced to death for ‘insulting and desecrating Islam’. Join Free Saeed Malekpour Facebook Page Here.

Shahin Najafi, Iran: A death fatwa for apostasy has been issued by Iranian clerics against Shahin Najafi living in Germany for a song critical of an imam. Support Shahin Here.

Ahmad Rajib, Bangladesh: The well-known 35 year old atheist blogger had his head hacked apart with a machete one day after attending anti-Islamist protests in Bangladesh.

Alber Saber, Egypt: The atheist blogger has been sentenced to three years in prison for blasphemy. Support Him Here.

We urge the public to mark this day by taking action in support of the many women, men and even children languishing in prison or on death row.

We must never forget them.

Take action on 14 March to highlight this intolerable situation, including by Tweeting, signing a petition, writing a letter of protest, drawing a picture, taking a photo, making a video – anything at all to defend free expression and thought and the many whose lives are at stake.

Signed

Aakar Mathur, Electronics Engineer, India, Proud Atheist

Adlin Binti Abd Jalil (Makcik Hajjah Sitt Al-Wuzara), Jamaah Al-Murtadin wal Musyrikin (Murtads in Malaysia and Singapore), Malaysian based in Sweden

Afsaneh Ramez

Alan Cooper

Alan Palmer, Trustee, British Humanist Association

Alastair Lichten

Alexandra Cook, The Brights

Alexandra Schoen, Atheist, Germany

Alison Randall, aka the Reverend Hellbound Alleee, Church of the SubGenius, NCW freethinkers, Washington State

Allan Harmer

Amir Tavakoli, Stockholm

Ana Lucic, Student and Atheist, Canada

Andrew Cummins

Andrew Edmondson

Andrew Mortlock, Staffordshire, England

Andrew Rowe

Andrew Zdenkowski, Australia

Andy Austin

Anita Zawiślak, member of Polish Rationalist Association, Poland

Anna Bergström, Trustee, Swedish Humanist Association

Anne Baker

Annie Sugier, President, Ligue du Droit International des Femmes, France

Anthony B Pinn, Academic, USA

Anwar Bilal, Indian-American ExMuslim

Asad Abbas, UK

Ayse Duygu, 20, Free Minds Münster

Babak Yazdi, Head of Khavaran, Canada

Bala Naidoo

Barry Walker

Behzad Varpushty, Atheist, Secularist, Humanist

Ben Holgate

Ben Six, Student, UK

Bill Jennings

Bjarte Foshaug

Bjørn Johannessen

Brad Garrison

Brendan Maher, Atheist/Secularist Humanist, Ireland

Brian & Helena Wilder

Brian Conklin Jr, Student, USA

Brian Creamer

Brian D. Engler, USA

Brian Leslie

Brian Perkins

Brian Trenbeath

Brian Vroman, Community College philosophy instructor, Minnesota, USA

Bry Outlaw, Atheist

Campbell Rule, Regsitered Nurse

Carlos A. Diaz, President, Atheist Alliance International, Argentina

Carmen Finnigan, member of CFI Saskatchewan

Caroline Fourest, Writer, France

Cathy Oliver

Cathy Oliver, President, Ontario Humanist Society, ON, Canada

Center for Inquiry

Central London Humanists

Charya Hilton, Atheist feminist, UK

Chris Davis

Chris Fiorentino, Student and Atheist, Canada

Chris Mirana

Christian Grass

Christopher Chadwick

Christopher Roche, Bath Atheists, Humanists and Secularists, UK

Colin Jamieson, student, University of St Andrews

Contessa de Metoncula

Cort Greene

Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain

Craig Morgan, Atheist, California, USA

Craig Sanderson

Craig Vikernes, UK

D. R. Khashaba

Dan Boneh, Ph.D – author of “Lo Haya velo Nivra” – the first atheist manifesto in Hebrew, Tel Aviv, Israel

Daniel Abineri

Daniel Bradman

Darell Irving, Australia

Darina al Joundi, Writer and Actress, France

Darren Johnson, London Assembly Member, UK

Dave Gilbert

Dave Watts

David Brindley, Atheist and Humanist, Oxford, New Zealand

David Dubois, Teacher, France

David Gamble – Skeptic and Atheist

David Gray, Australia

David Nicholls, President, Atheist Foundation of Australia, Australia

David Pollock, Trustee, British Humanist Association, UK

David Taylor

Deborah Pimental

Derek Walsh, Regional Officer, Atheist Ireland

Dinesh Dalal

Dirk Verhofstadt, Author, The Third Feministic Wave’

Djemila Benhabib, auteure, Prix international de la laïcité 2012

Dominic Wirdnam, Bristol Secular Society

Don Whitty, ON, Canada

Dr Ant Allan, Atheist, rationalist & humanist; UK

Dr. Shaker B. Srinivasan, USA

Dylan Gray, Athiest – Australia

Edward Sadkowski

Edward Toque-Tanniou

Elaine Ansell

Elham Manea, Writer, Switzerland

Elif Söz, 33, Free Minds Münster

Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran

Eric Hanson, Atheist Chicago, Illinois USA

Ertan Zeki

Esam Shoukry, Organization for Secularism and Civil Right in Iraq, Canada

Eve Beresford, Anthropologist

F. E. Long, RN, United States of America

Fakher Haddaoui, Tunisia

Faraz Ahmad

Fariborz Pooya, Iran Secular Society, UK

Felix Strüning, Stresemann Foundation, Germany

Fouad Boussetta, Montreal, Canada

Franco Pace

Frank Bath

Fredrik Sandberg

Gaylene Wetzel, atheist – former Christian, Centre For Inquiry, Saskatoon, SK., Canada

Gemma Gray

Gene Spencer, Freelance writer/Journalist, Nottingham/London, UK

Gérard Ponthieu

Gita Sahgal, Centre for Secular Space, UK

Glen Carrigan

Graham Piddington

Greg Burke

Greg Lammers

Greg Sharpe, Atheist, UK

Guy Otten, Trustee of the British Humanist Association

Hanne Stinson, UK

Harald Kavli, Atheist

Harold Walter Kroto, 1996 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, USA

Harris Wain

Helen Palmer, Chair of Central London Humanists

Henrik Sundt

Houzan Mahmoud, International Representative, Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, UK

Ian Kirk, Australia

Ian MacKay

Ibn Warraq, Writer, USA

Ileen McDuring, Writer and Atheist, United States.

Imad Iddine Habib, an outspoken Moroccan Atheist, Co Founder of “Masayminch” Movement (We Won’t Fast) against the article 222 of the Moroccan penal code which consider eating in public during Ramadan as a crime

Jaakko Wallenius, Lohja, Finland

Jacek Tabisz, President, Polish Rationalist Society, Poland

Jacqueline Fleischer

James Lindsay

Jan Wojcik

Jane Bursnall

Jean Davies, Ex-Christian

Jeff Parkes, Citizen and atheist, Australia

Jim Craig-Gray

Joe Kelly

John A Wagner

John and Alison White

John Griffin

John Liesch, community-based researcher, Simon Fraser University

John Morton

John Tyrrell

Jordan Opst, Atheist and secular activist

Jordan Stephenson, Student, UK

Joseph Collins

Joseph Gelovani

Josh Altom, American, currently studying in the UK

Josh Kutchinsky, Central London Humanists

Joy SD Charles

Justin Doolittle

Kaja Bryx, President, Wroclaw Branch of the Polish Rationalist Association.

Kamal Fahmi

Karen Lynn, Atheist

Kay Kaufmann

Keith Cardwell

Ken and Elaine Moon

Kendra Getty, atheist, Centre for Inquiry Saskatoon, Canada

Kerry Barnsley

Kim Grais, Atheist, UK

Krista Lomu, United Kingdom

Labi Siffre, Atheist, Secularist, Songwriter, Musician, Poet

Lâra Yudum, 26, Free Minds Münster

Larry Lepthien Former Christian, Atheist

Laurence Villard

Lawrence Krauss, Theoretical Physicist

Lea Tapp

Leonie Fulton, Teacher and Atheist, Australia

Les Mallett

Liam Perry, Atheist and Humanist

Ligue du Droit International des Femmes

Lila Ghobady, Writer & Documentary maker, Canada

Live Lepperød, Norway

LJ Briar, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Lloyd Newson, Producer, DV8 Physical Theatre, UK

Louis Price

Louise Mailloux, Writer, Centre for Inquiry, Montreal, Canada

Lucie Mayer, Opera singer, teacher and social activist, Montréal, Québec

Mahendra Mathur

Malcolm Bradstock

Margaret Kroto, UK

Marieme Helie Lucas, Secularism Is A Women’s Issue, France

Marjan Teal, Atheist, Manchester UK

Mark Mennie, Humanist

Mark Panzarino

Mark Senior

Markian Hlynka

Martin S Pribble

Martine Buffin

Marty McCorkle, Fine artist and painter

Marty Woods

Mary Grove, Central London Humanists (committee member)

Maryam Namazie, Spokesperson, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, One Law for All and Equal Rights Now, UK

Matt Marshall, Atheist, secular humanist in Cleveland, OH, USA

Matthew Alexander

Matthew Schickele, composer, USA

Matthew Willcox

Mehrzad Wolf

Michael Araujo

Michael Bennett, Humanist, London, UK

Michael De Dora, U.N. Representative, Center for Inquiry, USA

Michael Greenwood

Michael Greenwood, anti-theist, Australia

Michael J. Forster

Michael McGrath

Michael Nugent, Chair, Atheist Ireland, Ireland

Mikko Ulander, Finland

Mina Ahadi, International Committee against Stoning and Execution, Germany

Monique Blaize, cartoonist, comic artist

Muhammad Habib, Atheist, Bangladesh

Nadia Duvall, UK

Nahla Mahmoud, researcher and activist, Sudan/UK,

Najat Kessler

Nancy Shuford, Homemaker, United States

Nathan Hevenstone

National Secular Society

Nazanin Afshin-Jam, President and co founder, Stop Child Executions, Canada

Neale Adams

Nicholas Jones

Nicola Duffy, New Zealand

Nima Mashouri

Nina Sankari, President, European Feminist Initiative, Poland

Norense Clive Aruede, London Black Atheists

Oliver Bennett

One Law for All, UK

Ophelia Benson, Blogger

Organization for Secularism and Civil Right in Iraq

P Madhusudanan

Pablo Pastore, Biology student, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Pallab Kalita, Student

Patricia Rogers

Patrick Rentmeesters – coôrdinator Humanistisch Vrijzinnige Vereniging gewest Brussel -Belgium

Patrick Vuiton

Patrik Lindenfors, Stockholm University

Patty Debonitas, Iran Solidarity

Paul Ivanoff

Paul Sellick, Humanist, Secularist, London, UK

Pavel Mahmud, Ex-Muslim from Bangladesh. Currently, grad student in NJ, USA

Peter & Annette Cotterill (former CFO & CEO Learning Through Action Trust)

Peter Bowley

Peter Evans

Peter Tatchell, Human Rights Campaigner, UK

Philip Schröder, protestant Christian

Philip Wagstaff`

Philippe Bérard

Pierre A Renaud, Atheist Freethinkers

Pippa Mitchell, Chair of Imperial College London Atheists, Secularists and Humanists

PJ Floyd

Prue Jinka

Prue Jinka

Rafiq Mahmood, Indonesia

Raheel Khan, Centre for Inquiry Toronto

Rainer Ebert, Rice University & Bangladesh Liberal Forum

Ratul Das, Lawyer, India

Ray Norman

Rebecca Poata-Smith, New Zealand.

Rebecca Watson

René Hack, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Reshad Sergeant

Rev. Dr. John Hunt, ordained atheist minister

Richard Dawkins, Scientist and Atheist, UK

Rob Mallows, Central London Humanists

Robert Ferris, Atheist, Dublin, Ireland

Roger Lowe, Atheist, Australia

Roger Winchester, Atheist and secularist, UK

Ronald Lindsay, President, Centre For Inquiry, USA

Rose-Anna Bleasdale

Samson Salamat, Pakistan

Sarah Brown

Sarah Hague

Secularism is a Women’s Issue

Selin Yesil, 24, Free Minds Münster

Setareh Sharifzade Abdi, Atheist asylum seeker from Iran, Sweden

Shahla Daneshfar, Women’s rights campaigner, Co-ordinator of Free Them Now! Campaign to Free Jailed Workers in Iran, International Labour Solidarity Committee -Iran

Sheila Crosby

Shiva Mahbobi, Women’s rights campaigner, spokesperson of Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran

Siba Shakib, Writer/Filmmaker, Germany

Siddhant Shirodkar, Atheist/Secular Humanist

Sikivu Hutchinson, Editor, blackfemlens.org, USA

Simon Arnall, Australian, Humanist Atheist

Simon Gandevia

Soad Baba-Aissa , President, Association pour la mixité, l’égalité et la laïcité en Algérie, France

Sohaila Sharifi, Women’s Rights Campaigner, UK

Sonja Eggerickx, President, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Belgium

Stefan Detrez

Stellan Svensson

Stephen Howling

Steve Bowen

Steve Caldwell, atheist — Bossier City, Louisiana

Steve Hossen

Steven Howard, Australia

Steven Rowlinson, Unemployed biologist from Manchester UK

Stuart Theobald, journalist, entrepreneur, atheist

Sture Qvarfordt, Member, Swedish Humanist Association

Sue Cox, Survivors Voice Europe, UK

Sundas Hoorain, Human Rights Lawyer, Pakistan

Tarek Fateh, Writer, Canada

Taslima Nasreen, Writer

Terry Sanderson, President, National Secular Society, UK

The Ontario Humanist Society

The Pink Triangle Trust

The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science

Tim Ayres

Timothy Ward

Tom Doherty

Tommi Paalanen, Finland

Ulf Gustafsson, Sweden

Uwe Max Jensen

Victor Franco, Vice President, Atheist Alliance International

Victoria Gugenheim, Atheist bodypainter and fine artist

Vince Quackenbush

Vincent Federico

Yann Ménard, Montreal, Québec, Canada

Z A Akbar

[Please note: You can still add your full name as well as affiliation if any in the comments section below but the above list will not be updated after March 15.]

NOTES:

1. Join the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain at its upcoming events. On 15 March, there is a Muslimish launch in Chicago; evening drinks with Sudanese atheist Nahla Mahmoud on 22 March in London; 24 March Nowrooz Party in Manchester; and a meet-up for apostate refugees and asylum seekers on 26 March in London. Find out more here.

2. See the CEMB’s latest statement against sex segregation at an Islamist-organised event at UCL. The university banned the group IERA from holding future events on its premises. More information is available here.

3. Read Maryam Namazie’s most recent speech at Birmingham University’s Reason Week on Apostasy and Freedom of Conscience and watch her interview on shouting atheism from every rooftop.

4. See the latest media coverage, including a piece in the Washington Post about Muslimish and Maryam’s interview with the Thinking Atheist.

5. To donate to the important work of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, click here.

6. For more information:

Maryam Namazie

Spokesperson

Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain

BM Box 1919, London WC1N 3XX, UK

email: exmuslimcouncil@gmail.com

web: http://ex-muslim.org.uk/

Company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales under company number 8059509.