so secularism is an important idea but
as we see in France it - like religion
can be hijacked their extremists Madame
lepen invokes secularism not as a means
of bringing equal rights to all but as a
stick for beating Muslims it's not
difficult to rabble rousers in a country
that suffered so tragically from the
actions of the fanatics who threaten us
all but what she is proposing is not
sexual ism or laser day as we would
understand it in reality she's appealing
to a kind of Christian triumphalism
Christianity for her lo represents what
she calls real friends in truth she
means white firms per day definition of
Christianity amounts to simply not
Muslim it will be a shame if those who
are misusing secularism in this way try
and because it will the whole concept
into disrepute secularism does not take
religious sides it has no theological
favorites under a real secular
Constitution religion gets on with it
the business separately from the state
and vice-versa neither should interfere
with the other unless the bounds of law
and justice are being breached I'm
particularly pleased this afternoon that
we have a secularist who's also a Muslim
to present prizes she's living proof
that secularism and was they exist
happily if given half a chance she
co-founded a British Muslims for secular
democracy in 2006 she's a journalist and
a commentator and upon lit and earlier
this week she won the broad sheep
columnist of the Year title at the press
Awards she's gained her reputation by
not always being active all she trades
sometimes controversial opinions and
we're all for free speech and the free
exchange of opinions
so please welcome Yasmin Le barón know
so many people would be gathered and I
would have dressed up a bit more to
compete with you but obviously thank you
very much it's a really important things
the thing I find interesting frankly at
the moment especially when I talk to
young Muslims is how few of them
understand what secular means and I
think if there's one job the society
probably needs to do is to make sure
everybody understands secularism is not
atheism if he is some part of the
secular whatever we call it but you can
have faith and be a secularist
and I don't know how in our education
system this fundamental message has
failed to get through to young people so
a plea really if you can come up with
something so that people don't fear it
as irreligious it might be very good
especially for the younger generations
of in some ways very troubled and
confused young Muslims to other very
important points after the ruling last
week from the Court of Human Rights
I've been so shocked by their again the
misunderstandings the problem is not
that you know Muslims are being attacked
Muslims are being attacked holistic I'm
attacked every minute of my life
it's the exceptional isms that have
grown and grown so Muslim exceptionalism
whether it's school uniform or I mean
hundred different things has taken root
Jewish ships but exceptionalism
certain Christian exceptionalism is the
norm if one thinks about the history and
I think it's the exception ISM and that
needs to be challenged and the
universalism needs to be promoted I said
we went to school in Delhi not that long
ago a thousand young girls in the school
is a very Muslim City ladies bar I was
in there wasn't a single girl with a
headscarf so ask the young headmistress
said nobody wears a headscarf and she
looked at me very puzzled and she said
well why would they as I said it's the
uniform
she said you understand the meaning
beautiful I said yes I know but has
anybody asked and she said yes once
family from Blackburn
so and then two other very quick boys
when when faith I grew up with faith was
in your heart
faith was your relationship with God
faith was indoors after the Satanic
Verses and that wasn't the fault of
Muslims I think there were a lot of
things that happen then that created a
hold them in our situation but it's my
faith anyway
started coming outdoors and becoming
very noisy and very demanding and very
political and in a sense the saddest
thing is the inner faith the faith that
was indoors and in our hearts seems to
have been replaced by this almost
totally and constantly disgruntled
paranoid noisy thinking that called
herself religion of faith but it's
actually a kind of political religion I
find this very depressing and big
recently to India I've been to India a
lot in my last visit which is four weeks
ago five weeks ago I was truly shocked
and how this was secular nation in the
fanaticism
it has crept up at every level at every
level of society it took no time what he
came a movie was a banned person
remember and it is now at every level of
society so every everything what's
happened in Turkey and we have to also
remember here how religion churches lest
a lot of churches
black churches blessed Trump never
forget that as with many Muslims of the
like 23 percent of American Muslims
voted for this man okay because they
thought he was religious when I talked
about it we have the daughter of a
churchman year the missus
the mrs. nae who refuses the fundamental
prison principle of Christianity refuses
you to take in refugee children okay
Christ the baby was a refugee child and
so the way religion has become
privileged and powerful and the way
secularism is now cast as the enemy we
have a lot of work to do and I wish you
much luck with the project because like
so many other struggles we thought
things are going to get better that we
have receded into a very dark age
wherever we are
I'm sorry to make you miserable laughter
the building
