Draft and Subject to Change
Saturday 31 August
09:00-10:00
Registration with Refreshments
10:00-10:30
Opening Plenary: A tribute to Blasphemous Women and Shabana Rehman
MCs Fariborz Pooya, Veedu Vidz and Zara Kay: Welcome
Morten Guldburg: ‘Celebrating Dissent and Supporting Ex-Muslims’
Shakeel Rehman: ‘A Tribute to Shabana: The Importance of Equality for Peace’
Maryam Namazie: ‘Defying Boundaries: Women’s Blasphemy and Social Change’
Music by FarAvaz: Premiere of ‘Mohareb’
10:30-10:45
‘Gods and Girls,’ Exclusive Excerpt, GoldenGirlsFilm
10:45-12:00
Plenary Session: Creativity and Humour in Challenging Fundamentalisms and Defending Free Expression
Video: Kiss-In Morocco
Chair: Zara Kay
Opening remarks: Ibtissame Betty Lachgar
Panellists: Haram Doodles, FarAvaz, Inna Shevchenko, Maryam Namazie
12:00-12:10
Music by Yasmine Elbaramawy: ‘Ya Mohamed’
12:10-13:25
Plenary Session: Racism, Identity Politics and Free Expression
Chair: Eirik Løkke
Opening Remarks: Gita Sahgal
Panellists: Rahila Gupta, Siyavash Shahabi, Sohail Ahmed, Taha Siddiqui
Poetry by Rahila Gupta
13:25-14:30
Lunch
Art Exhibition: Blasphemous Women with Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, Haram Doodles, Ibtissame Betty Lachgar and Jenny Wenhammar and Documentary: Art of Resistance curated by Victoria Gugenheim
14:30-15:45
Plenary Session: The Ex-Muslims: Canaries in the Coal Mine
Video: Lloyd Newson’s DV8 Physical Theatre ‘Can We Talk About This: Zena Briggs
Chair: Arnfinn Pettersen
Opening Remarks: Ibn Warraq
Panellists: Aleem, Gita Sahgal, Khadija Khan, Mohammad Hisham
Video: Zanyar Hesami: Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom)
15:45-16:15
We Do Not Accept the Taliban, Madina Darwazi
Video Clip: Woman, Life, Freedom Revolution in Iran
Hijab and Turban-Flying Protest Art Action for Woman, Life, Freedom with Victoria Gugenheim
16:15-16:45
Break
16:45-18:00
Film: Même Pas Mal (No Harm Done) by Nadia El Fani and Alina Isabel Pérez (2012)
18:00-19:15
Plenary Discussion: Laicite as a Cornerstone of Free Expression and Rights
Chair: Veedu Vidz
Opening Remarks: Marieme Helie Lucas
Panellists: Annie Laurie Gaylor, Mariam Oyiza Aliyu, Nada Peratovic and Stephen Evans
Video: Lloyd Newson’s DV8 Physical Theatre ‘Can We Talk About This: Maryam Namazie
19:15-19:30
Music by Shelley Segal: ‘Eve’ and ‘Find our Way to Freedom’
Closing of Day 1
Sunday 1 September
9:00-10:00
Registration with Refreshments
10:00-10:15
Opening Plenary
MCs Fariborz Pooya, Veedu Vidz and Zara Kay: Welcome
Shabana Rehman: ‘Why the hell did I show my butt?’
Music by Shelley Segal: ‘Baraye’ Cover
Video by FarAvaz Feat. Justina: ‘Fatwa’
10:15-10:30
Deeyah Khan’s Islam’s Non Believers Excerpt, ITV Exposure
10:30-11:45
Plenary: Islam’s Nonbelievers: Terror, Trauma, Transformation
Chair: Zara Kay
Opening Remarks: Jimmy Bangash
Panellists: Cemal Knudsen Yucel, Halima Salat, Milad Resaeimanesh, Mouhammad El Jabbari
Poetry by Halima Salat
11:45-13:00
Plenary: Censorship, Offence and Free Speech
Video: Shabana Rehman: ‘I feed cats and make blasphemous jokes and am forgiven’
Chair: Victoria Gugenheim
Opening Remarks: Ahmedur Chowdhury
Panellists: Apostate Aladdin, Sanal Edamaruku, Wissam Charafeddine and Yasmine Elbaramawy
Music by Yasmine Elbaramawy: ‘Zomoroda’
13:00-14:30
Lunch
Art Exhibition: Blasphemous Women with Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, Haram Doodles, Ibtissame Betty Lachgar and Jenny Wenhammar and Documentary: Art of Resistance curated by Victoria Gugenheim
14:30-15:45
Plenary Session: Science and Rationality Challenging Dogma
Chair: Dan Barker
Opening Remarks: Lawrence Krauss
Other Panellists: Ali A Rizvi, Krystel Antoni, Rana Ahmad and Sami Abdallah
15:45-16:15
Break
16:15-17:30
Plenary Session: Blasphemous Women: Touching the Sacred
Video: Adelheid Roosen & Nazmiye Oral: ‘No Longer Without You’ Excerpt
Chair: Maryam Namazie
Opening Remarks: Nazmiye Oral
Other Panellists: Halima Salat, Nadia El Fani and Zara Kay
Video: Shabana Rehman, ‘You cannot laugh and be afraid at the same time’
17:30-18:15
Veedu Vidz: Stand Up Comedy, ‘10 years an Ex Muslim’
Yasmine Elbaramawy: ‘Bastet’ and ‘Ya Mohamed’
FarAvaz: ‘Mullah’
Shelley Segal: ‘Our Resistance’ and Premiere of new song ‘Blasphemy’
Closing of Conference
Monday 2 September
11:00-13:00
Private Meeting of Ex-Muslims International for Member Organisations
Conference Organisers:
Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain was established in June 2007 to break the taboo that comes with leaving Islam, highlight the plight of ex Muslims, and challenge apostasy and blasphemy laws.
Dømmekraft is a secular thinktank established in January 2022. The founders are Morten Guldberg and Lovise Lindtner.
Conference Sponsors:
Center for Inquiry, Civita, Freedom from Religion Foundation, Fritt Ord, Human-Etisk Forbund, Human-Etisk Forbund Akershus, Human-Etisk Forbund Oslo and National Secular Society.
#CDOslo2024
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