Atheist Ireland gets Special Consultative Status at the United Nations
Atheist Ireland has been granted special consultative status at the United Nations. We are the first national-level atheist organisation to get this status. It means we can engage with the UN Economic and Social Council, Human Rights Council, General Assembly, and Secretariat, in order to advance our aims. On January ...
Documents about misuse of state funds regarding religious instruction
Since December 2021, Atheist Ireland has been lobbying to vindicate the constitutional right to not attend religious instruction in schools, and to uphold parental authority in the education of their children, which the Supreme Court has described as a foundational pillar of the Constitution. As well as lobbying individual politicians ...
The new Incitement to Hatred Bill fails to define what “hatred” means
The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 fails to define what "hatred" means. It says: 2. (1) In this Act— “hatred” means hatred against a person or a group of persons in the State or elsewhere on account of their protected characteristics or any ...
Atheist Ireland asks TDs to amend Incitement to Hatred Bill
Atheist Ireland is asking TDs to amend the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 as follows: Please amend the above Bill to: (a) give equal protection to people with religious beliefs, and people with positive nonreligious philosophical convictions including atheism and secularism, and (b) ...
Atheist Ireland, Evangelical Alliance, and Ahmadi Muslims update the UN on rights of children
Atheist Ireland, the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland, made a joint submission to the UN Children's Rights Committee as it prepares to question Ireland next January. You can read that submission here. We also met with the UN Committee last week in Geneva, along ...
Atheist Ireland lobbying at the United Nations for the rights of children in Irish schools
Atheist Ireland was at the United Nations in Geneva this week lobbying for the rights of children in Irish schools that discriminate on the ground of religion. We also represented the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland, with whom we made a joint submission to the ...
Religion and Belief in the Charities Amendment Bill
Atheist Ireland has made the following submission to the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands about Religion and Belief in the Charities Amendment Bill. Contents 1. Introduction to Atheist Ireland 2. Our recommendation 3. Amend ‘Religion’ to ‘Religion or Belief’ 4. The Constitution protects ...
Ireland needs a secular constitution, Atheist Ireland tells Seanad committee
Atheist Ireland has made the following submission to the Seanad Public Consultation Committee on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland. Contents 1. Executive Summary 2. Recommendations 3. Remove Specific References to God 4. Replace Religious Oaths for Public Office Holders 5. Amend Articles on Fundamental Rights 1. Executive Summary ...
Robert Troy scandal reminds us why we must strengthen, not weaken, SIPO laws
The Robert Troy scandal is a reminder why we must strengthen, not weaken, the SIPO (Standards in Public Office) laws. They are intended to protect democracy from the undue influence of money on politics, whether that be through politicians having financial conflicts of interest or through wealthy donors influencing political ...
Protecting the rights of children from religious discrimination in Irish schools
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child will be questioning Ireland next year. Atheist Ireland, the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland, have made this joint submission to the UN on freedom of religion and belief in Irish schools. Our Recommendations The ...