News Archive

Worldwide Day of Genital Autonomy [2]

Demonstration for genital self-determination i.a. with Necla Kelek, Kamran Ganai and Victor Schiering on May 7 in Cologne

2018/04/29

This day marks the sixth anniversary of the judgement by the Cologne Regional Court, which considered the medically not indicated removal of the foreskin (circumcision) from boys to be a bodily injury and thus a punishable offence. On the occasion of this anniversary, a broad alliance of organizations (including MOGIS, intaktiv, IBKA, pro familia NRW, Atheist Refugee Relief, Terre des Femmes, Zentralrat der Ex-Muslime, and gbs) is once again calling for a rally at the Cologne Regional Court (starting at 10:30 a.m.) to demand the right of all children worldwide to genital self-determination regardless of gender, origin or religion.

"A First Step in the Right Direction" [3]

Campaign "Against religious discrimination in the workplace" welcomes ECJ verdict on church labour law

2018/04/17

Launched in 2012, the campaign "Gegen religiöse Diskriminierung am Arbeitsplatz" (GerDiA) fights against church labour law, which violates fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of religion and belief, sexual self-determination, and the right to strike. The campaign's spokeswoman, Ingrid Matthäus-Maier, therefore welcomed the ruling on church labour law in Germany today by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

March for Science 2018 [4]

On April 14, the "March for Science" will take place in 15 German cities

2018/03/28

The "March for Science" last year brought more than one million people to the streets worldwide. In Germany alone over 37,000 people in 22 locations demonstrated for the freedom of science and research. This year on April 14 demonstrations and events will take place in at least 15 German cities. As in the previous year the Giordano Bruno Stiftung will support the "March for Science 2018" not only idealistically but also financially.

Majority Against Religious Symbols in Schools [5]

Results of a representative study on the Berlin Neutrality Act

2018/03/21

49 percent of Germans support a law prohibiting teachers from visibly wearing religious symbols or clothing in public schools, 43 percent are against such a law, 7 percent are undecided. This is the result of an EMNID survey commissioned by the Giordano Bruno Stiftung and the Forschungsgruppe Weltanschauung in Deutschland (fowid) following the debate on the "Berlin Neutrality Act".

Saving the Little Piglet [6]

Ten years ago it was "legally" confirmed that children are allowed to laugh about religion

2018/03/06

Gunnar Schedel (Alibri Verlag), Herbert Steffen (Gründer der Giordano-Bruno-Stiftung), Helge Nyncke (Illustrator) und Michael Schmidt-Salomon (Autor) feiern 2008 die erfolgreiche Rettung des kleinen Ferkels.

On March 6, 2008, the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons decided on the application of the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs to put the religion-critical children's book "Wo bitte geht's zu Gott? fragte das kleine Ferkel" ("Which is the way to God, please?, asked the little piglet") on the "Index for Media Harmful to Young Persons". If the ministerial proposal had been successful, the "little piglet" would have been remembered as probably the first "R-rated children's book" in history. On occasion of the 10th anniversary of the "piglet rescue", Alibri Verlag published a book documenting the "great dispute on the little piglet".

"It's Time to Revise the Legislation on Abortions!" [7]

The deletion of §219a of the German Criminal Code should only be the first step of a comprehensive legal reform

2018/02/21

This Thursday, the German parliament will debate the abolition of the criminal offence known as "advertising for abortion" (§ 219a StGB). The Giordano Bruno Stiftung would much appreciate, "if this old clause from the Nazi era were to fall," says gbs spokesman Michael Schmidt-Salomon. "But this deletion alone would not eliminate the ideological imbalance in the legislation. Unfortunately, the laws on abortion in their entirety are neither rational nor evidence-based nor ideologically neutral. It is time to revise them fundamentally."

Internationalization of the Evokids Project Progresses [8]

Translations of the educational material in all EU languages can now be requested

2018/01/30

The Evokids educational material for teaching evolution in primary schools has been admitted to the "Scientix" programme of the European Commission. Teachers can now request translations of the teaching material into all European languages without charge. "This brings us one step closer to the ambitious goal of establishing the teaching of evolution not only at German but also at international schools," say the heads of the Evokids project Dittmar Graf (Institute for Didactics of Biology in Giessen) and Michael Schmidt-Salomon (Giordano Bruno Stiftung).

Help for Secular Refugees [9]

A newly founded association supports fugitive ex-Muslims in Germany

2017/11/20

"I felt like I never left Saudi Arabia". With these words, ex-Muslim Rana Ahmad characterized her situation in the Cologne refugee camp where she had been accommodated after her escape from Saudi Arabia. The special problems of ex-Muslims, who fled from political Islam to Germany and have to live with strictly religious Muslims in refugee camps, are still being ignored. In order to address this problem, the association "Atheist Refugee Relief" was founded in Cologne, which was presented to the public last Friday at the international ceremony "10 Years of Ex-Muslims".

"We Must Resolve the Ideological Imbalance in our Legal System!" [10]

Institut für Weltanschauungsrecht advocates neutrality of the state

2017/09/04

As early as 1965, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the Basic Law obliges the state as the "home of all citizens" to "philosophical and religious neutrality". In practice, however, this legal principle is frequently violated. The "Institut für Weltanschauungsrecht" (ifw - Institute for Secular Law) seeks to counteract this deficiency.

The Great Harari Confusion [11]

Were the Nazis actually "humanists"?

2017/08/01

Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari published international bestsellers such as "A Brief History of Humankind" and "Homo Deus". Tragically, he made some hair-raising mistakes in his analysis, which cannot go unchallenged. A commentary by Michael Schmidt-Salomon.

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