A not-to-be-missed conference

Women's rights, secular and ex-Muslim campaigners will gather in central London on Saturday 26 September for a one-day conference examining freedom of conscience, women's resistance to religious authoritarianism, and recovery from religious trauma.

The conference, organised by Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the National Secular Society (NSS), will bring together speakers to address the urgent challenges facing those who leave religion, challenge blasphemy laws, and defend freedom of expression.

Contributors include: Ana González, Partner and Head of Immigration Law, Willson’s Solicitors; Daisy; Closeted Ex-Muslim; Esme, Ex-Muslim and Ex-Hijabi; Ghizlane Mamouni, Ibtissame Betty Lachgar’s Lawyer; Ex-Muslim artist Haram Doodles; Lamah Al Saif, Ex-Muslim Activist and Feminist; CEMB Spokesperson Maryam Namazie; NSS Head of Campaigns Megan Manson; Southall Black Sisters Chair Rahila Gupta; Counselling Psychologist Savin Bapir-Tardy; Shelley Segal, Singer/Songwriter; Siham Lachgar, Sister of Ibtissame Betty Lachgar and Women’s Rights Campaigner Yasmin Rehman.

The event will mark the official launch of Savin Bapir-Tardy's new book, Leaving to Live: A Psychoeducational Guide for Ex-Muslims. This timely publication is the culmination of years of therapeutic work, research, and support group sessions led by the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB). Drawing on established therapeutic approaches, Savin has adapted them to address the unique psychological, social, and emotional realities faced by those leaving Islam.

Drawing on themes raised in the book, conference discussions will examine religious trauma, social exclusion, identity reconstruction after leaving religion, and the vital role of support networks in helping former believers rebuild their lives. The event will also explore the wider significance of the ex-Muslim movement as a struggle for freedom of conscience, self-determination, and the right to leave inherited beliefs and identities without fear, coercion, or punishment.

A particular focus of the conference will be women's blasphemy, apostasy, and transgression as acts of resistance against systems that seek to regulate belief, speech, sexuality, and personal autonomy. Discussions will examine why women who challenge religious authority often face the harshest forms of social and political control, and how their acts of defiance can become catalysts for wider struggles for equality, secularism, and freedom.

The conference will honour Moroccan feminist activist Ibtissame Betty Lachgar, whose courageous challenges to religious taboos and restrictions on freedom of conscience have made her a leading voice for women's rights, secularism, and freedom of expression. Her work exemplifies the transformative role that women's acts of blasphemy and dissent can play in advancing social change.

The conference comes at a time when attacks on freedom of expression, growing religious authoritarianism, and backlash against women's rights are placing renewed pressure on freedom of conscience and dissent. It will provide a platform to discuss the importance of defending secularism, protecting those who leave religion, confronting religious trauma, and recognising women's blasphemy and transgression as essential components of struggles for equality and human freedom.

BIOGRAPHIES

Ana Gonzalez is a partner and Head of Immigration Law at Wilson Solicitors LLP, with more than two decades of experience in asylum, immigration and human rights law. Originally from Spain, she qualified as a solicitor in the UK in 2003 and has become an internationally recognised expert in gender and sexuality-based asylum claims. Her work has focused on representing refugees and other vulnerable groups, including survivors of trafficking, apostates, LGBTQ+ individuals and transgender asylum seekers. Ana has appeared in cases before the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union, and is widely recognised for her expertise, commitment to her clients and contributions to refugee and asylum law.

Daisy is a mother and has been a closeted Ex Muslim woman for almost two years. Four years after going through one of the most difficult periods of her life and her mental health allowed, she began trying to seek a deeper connection with Allah. Upon her own research, as well as real life experiences she came to the conclusion that she was no longer a believer. Having to deal with the reality of her life and the people around her when making real life decisions, she has since been on a journey of navigating apostasy in secret and living a double life.

Esme is an ex-Muslim and ex-hijabi woman who has been on a long journey of self-discovery since her first significant transgression: moving away from home and living as an autonomous woman without family "surveillance". Esme has been attending the women’s support group over the last few

Description supplied by the event organiser.