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Understanding Humanism
Understanding Humanism is an easy-to-read and informative overview of

the beliefs, practices, and values of humanism as a non-religious worldview.
This short and lively book explores humanism both as a broad historical
tradition of thought and as a stance embodied in organised institutions. It
sets out clearly and systematically the beliefs and values of humanism as
well as the reality and personal experience of living as a humanist today.
Questions discussed in this book include:
• How do humanists see the relation between science and religious belief?
• Is humanism wedded to science as the only valid form of knowledge?
• What value do humanists place on the arts, and can they value religious
art?
• Does the emphasis on human responsibility depend on an unten
able belief in ‘free will’, and is this undermined by psychology and
neuroscience?
• Do humanists think that life is sacred?
• What account would humanists give of the basis of human rights, and
why they are important?
• Does humanism entail that human life is meaningless and pointless?
• Can humanists meet the challenge of nihilism?
Understanding Humanism provides a reliable and easily digestible

introduction to the field. By exploring these questions and inviting readers
to engage with the arguments, it serves as the ideal textbook for those
approaching the topic of humanism for the first time.
Andrew Copson has been Chief Executive of Humanists UK since 2009 and
President of Humanists International since 2015. A former director of the
Religious Education Council, the Values Education Council, and the National
Council for Faiths and Beliefs in Further Education. With Alice Roberts, he
is author of the The Sunday Times bestseller The Little Book of Humanism
(2020), the author of Secularism: a very short introduction (2019), and editor,
with A.C. Grayling, of The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Humanism (2015).
Luke Donnellan is the Director of Understanding Humanism at Humanists
UK, where he manages their programme of teacher training and education
resources. He has worked as a primary school teacher and as a TV producer
of video resources for teachers and students. He has written two online
courses on humanism: Introducing humanism and Humanist lives.
Richard Norman was formerly Professor of Moral Philosophy at the

University of Kent, UK. He is a member of Kent Humanists and a Patron
of Humanists UK. His book On Humanism is also published by Routledge
(2nd edition 2012).
Understanding Humanism
Andrew Copson, Luke Donnellan, and

Richard Norman
Cover image: iStock / Getty Images Plus
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2023 Andrew Copson, Luke Donnellan, and Richard Norman
The right of Andrew Copson, Luke Donnellan, and Richard Norman
to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-0-367-50604-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-50605-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-05050-6 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003050506
Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Interspersed through the text of this book are personal
statements and testimonies from many individual
humanists who bring the humanist worldview to life
by saying what their humanism means to them. We
are grateful to them for all their contributions. They
reflect the great diversity of situations, in many different
countries, in which humanists seek to put their humanist
beliefs and values into action, sometimes in extremely
challenging and difficult circumstances. To all of them,
this book is dedicated.
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
1 Humanist organisations 1
2 A shared humanity 33
3 Human reason 58
4 Human imagination 76
5 Human responsibility 97
6 Human values 111
7 Is life sacred? 132
8 Human rights and secularism 159
9 Life and meaning 180
10 Humanism and religion 196
Index 214
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following people for their contributions: Gio
vanni Gaetani, Isabel Russo, David Savage, Lindsay van Dijk, Amy Walden,
Anthony Lewis, Sarah Jones, Didrik Søderlind, Leo Igwe, Gulalai Ismail,
Uttam Niraula, Kato Mukasa, Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury, Eva Quiñones,
Madeleine Goodall, Ethel Maqeda, Alice Roberts, Frank Turner, Natalie
Haynes, Naomi Phillips, Lisa Hallgarten, Paul Lamb, Diane Munday, Lori
Marriott, and Francesca Stavrakopoulou.
Humanism has no doctrine or creed. Definitions typically describe the
beliefs, values, and goals shared by humanist individuals and organi
sations. In 2022 the General Assembly of Humanists International
agreed on a set of principles which they felt encapsulated modern
humanism: The Amsterdam Declaration. This replaced previous dec
larations in 1952 and 2002.
Humanists International is the global representative body of the
humanist movement, uniting a diverse community of non-religious
organisations from over sixty countries. It was founded in 1952.
The Amsterdam Declaration (2022)

Humanist beliefs and values are as old as civilization and have a history
in most societies around the world. Modern humanism is the culmina
tion of these long traditions of reasoning about meaning and ethics,
the source of inspiration for many of the world’s great thinkers, artists,
and humanitarians, and is interwoven with the rise of modern science.
As a global humanist movement, we seek to make all people aware
of these essentials of the humanist worldview:
1 Humanists strive to be ethical

• We accept that morality is inherent to the human condition,
grounded in the ability of living things to suffer and flour
ish, motivated by the benefits of helping and not harming,
enabled by reason and compassion, and needing no source
outside of humanity.
• We affirm the worth and dignity of the individual and the
right of every human to the greatest possible freedom and
fullest possible development compatible with the rights of
others. To these ends we support peace, democracy, the rule
of law, and universal legal human rights.
• We reject all forms of racism and prejudice and the injustices
that arise from them. We seek instead to promote the flourishing
and fellowship of humanity in all its diversity and individuality.
• We hold that personal liberty must be combined with a
responsibility to society. A free person has duties to others,
and we feel a duty of care to all of humanity, including future
generations, and beyond this to all sentient beings.
• We recognise that we are part of nature and accept our respon
sibility for the impact we have on the rest of the natural world.
2 Humanists strive to be rational
• We are convinced that the solutions to the world’s problems lie
in human reason, and action. We advocate the application of
science and free inquiry to these problems, remembering that
while science provides the means, human values must define
the ends. We seek to use science and technology to enhance
human well-being, and never callously or destructively.
3 Humanists strive for fulfillment in their lives
• We value all sources of individual joy and fulfillment that
harm no other, and we believe that personal development
through the cultivation of creative and ethical living is a life
long undertaking.
• We therefore treasure artistic creativity and imagination and
recognise the transforming power of literature, music, and
the visual and performing arts. We cherish the beauty of the
natural world and its potential to bring wonder, awe, and
tranquility. We appreciate individual and communal exertion
in physical activity, and the scope it offers for comradeship
and achievement. We esteem the quest for knowledge, and the
humility, wisdom, and insight it bestows.
4 Humanism meets the widespread demand for a source of mean
ing and purpose to stand as an alternative to dogmatic religion,
authoritarian nationalism, tribal sectarianism, and selfish nihilism
• Though we believe that a commitment to human well-being is
ageless, our particular opinions are not based on revelations
fixed for all time. Humanists recognise that no one is infal
lible or omniscient, and that knowledge of the world and of
humankind can be won only through a continuing process of
observation, learning, and rethinking.
• For these reasons, we seek neither to avoid scrutiny nor to
impose our view on all humanity. On the contrary, we are
committed to the unfettered expression and exchange of
ideas, and seek to cooperate with people of different beliefs
who share our values, all in the cause of building a better
world.
• We are confident that humanity has the potential to solve
the problems that confront us, through free inquiry, science,
sympathy, and imagination in the furtherance of peace and
human flourishing.
• We call upon all who share these convictions to join us in this
inspiring endeavor.1
1 The Amsterdam Declaration, Humanists International (2022): humanists.international/

policy/declaration-of-modern-humanism.
1 Humanist organisations
What is humanism? We begin with a simple answer, whose details will

be unpacked in the remaining chapters of this book. Humanism is a non
religious worldview. By a ‘worldview’, we mean a framework of beliefs and
values, which structures how people live and think, and gives meaning and
purpose to their lives. As such, humanism plays a role in the lives of non
religious people analogous, in some important ways, to the role a religion
may play in the life of a religious person. But it does so without entailing any
belief in a god or gods or spiritual beings, without appealing to sacred texts
or holy books, and without the practices and rituals of churches and religious
institutions. Humanists are people who believe that we – all human beings –
can live good, ethical, and fulfilling lives simply on the strength of our human
capacities and our shared human resources, and who try to do so.
We can distinguish between two kinds of humanist. One is the person
whose approach to life is the one described in this book but who has never
heard the word ‘humanism’. Their humanism is a sort of commonsense
which is the product of their upbringing, the values they have learned from
others or developed for themselves, and assumptions they may never articu
late. The second is the person who does know of the word ‘humanism’, who
has discovered that it describes what they believe, and who may even iden
tify themselves as ‘humanist’ as a result. This second category is far smaller
than the first. Surveys in the UK, for example, have shown that although
almost 30% of the population have completely humanist beliefs and values,
only 7% of the population self-identify as humanists. Of this second type,
some will join and support humanist organisations, and in this chapter, we
are going to survey the work of those organisations. Not all humanists are
members of humanist organisations, and not all those who support them are
actively engaged in their work, but a review of that work will provide a way
of showing in concrete terms what humanism means in practice. Succeed
ing chapters will then explore in more depth the beliefs and values which
underpin those activities.
Although they operate in a wide diversity of national and local contexts,
humanist organisations share four main concerns:
DOI: 10.4324/9781003050506-1
• they provide community and fellowship for people with humanist
beliefs and values – an especially important function in countries where
holding humanist beliefs is a crime;
• they are educational – they work to boost public understanding of the
humanist approach to life;
• they are campaigning bodies, advocating for social, political, and legal
change in a number of areas based on humanist values;
• they provide services to non-religious people, often the type of services
that religious organisations within their society provide to religious peo
ple but sometimes distinctive services developed by humanist organisa
tions themselves.
A global phenomenon
Humanists International, a global umbrella organisation for national
humanist groups, was formally founded in 1952 as the International
Humanist and Ethical Union by five Humanist organisations (the American
Ethical Union, American Humanist Association, British Ethical Union (later
the British Humanist Association and now Humanists UK), Vienna Ethical
Society, and Dutch Humanist League) and individual humanists from Asia
and Africa, at a congress in Amsterdam.
This founding congress resolved that the concerns of humanist organisa
tions were both internal, concerned with the “philosophical and moral edi
fication and fortification” of their members, and external, concerned with
“action on the political fronts vital to humanist concerns”. These internal
and external missions were said to be “reciprocally conditioned and vitally
united”.
In 2020, Humanist International reported that it had 120 member organ
isations in over 60 countries. Because of the different cultural traditions
in different parts of the world, not all these organisations use the word
‘humanist’ or one of its translations. Other banners include ‘rationalist’,
‘secular’, ‘ethical’, ‘skeptic’, ‘atheist’, and ‘freethought’. But all the organisa
tions, beyond their different official names, are committed to the humanist
approach as described in this book, and their membership of Humanists
International reflects that.
The oldest member organisations of Humanists International date from
the late 18th and 19th centuries. They are typically based in western coun
tries, where there are longer traditions of both civil society and popular
humanist thought. In such countries – most prominently Belgium, Germany,
Norway, the UK, and the US – members of the national humanist organisa
tions have been prominent in public life, and they and their organisations
have been responsible for significant progressive social and legal change
over the centuries. Younger organisations are found in Africa and Asia, both
of which global regions have seen rapid growth in humanist organisation
in recent years, assisted by social media. In July 2021, the newest member
Humanist organisations 3
Box 1.1 Founding figures
Jaap van Praag was born in Amsterdam in 1911. He was one of the
founders of the Dutch Humanist League and its Chairman from 1946
to 1969. Playing a major role in the creation of the International
Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), he held the role of President,
where he worked to consolidate and enlarge the organisation. Van
Praag was also one of the first professors in humanist studies at the
University of Leiden. In 1978, he was presented with a Special Award
in recognition of his importance to IHEU.
“One must first have a hand before making a fist. Our first task is
to give international humanism hands now . . . . So our first duty
is to develop our national movements and to gather the scattered
sparks of humanism all over the world”.
Harold Blackham was born in 1903 near Birmingham in the UK. He

played an influential role in the British Ethical Union and its formation
into the British Humanist Association (today Humanists UK), becom
ing its first Executive Director in 1963. He also worked to establish
a moral education programme independent from religion. Blackham
was a key figure in the founding of the International Humanist and
Ethical Union and was its Secretary until 1967. In 1974, he received
the International Humanist Award “for his long and creative service
to humanism in England and in the world”.
“Human life is in human hands. . . . Personal life is choice, not

obligation, a work of art, not a set task, an offering not a require
ment, a creation, not a prize”.
organisations of Humanists International were from Barbados, Estonia,

Malawi, Myanmar, and Zimbabwe.
The Dutch historian of humanist organisations Hans van Deukeren dis
tinguished ‘four generations’ of humanist organisations:
The oldest generation is formed by the ‘atheists’, including ‘freethink

ers’, ‘rationalists’ and ‘secularists’, who explicitly rejected all religion.
This movement originated in the mid-nineteenth century in Western
Europe and America. The various organizations of freethinkers soon
met at international congresses and in 1880 they founded the World
Union of Freethinkers.
The second generation is formed by the so-called ‘free-religious’ or
‘ethical culture’ groups, which sprung up in the last decades of the nine
teenth century. Historically, these groups have Jewish and Protestant
roots but they became progressively more liberal, until at last they iden
tified religious feelings with a sense of belonging to one great cosmic
unity and no longer recognized a personal God. In 1896, at a Zürich
congress, ethical societies from the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Aus
tria, Switzerland and France united themselves in the International
Ethical Union. From 1908 until 1932 this organization held a congress
every four years. However, when the Second World War broke out [it]
ceased to exist.
The third generation is that of the American ‘humanists’ from the
interbellum, a group sprouting from the Unitarian denomination who,
in the graphic words of Nicolas Walter, “having discarded the second
and third persons of the Trinity . . . discarded the first person too,
replacing supernaturalism and theism with naturalism and humanism”.
Finally a fourth generation arose in the aftermath of the Second
World War and gave the actual impetus to the founding of the Interna
tional Humanist and Ethical Union. It consists of two synchronous but
fully distinct movements, one in the Low Countries and one in India.
In the Netherlands Jaap van Praag, himself of Jewish descent, won
dered why Western civilization had not put up more resistance against
Nazism and Fascism. As a major cause he pointed at widespread ‘nihil
ism’ (moral indifference) in spite of the fact that most people consid
ered themselves to be ‘religious’, and he stressed the importance of
a moral awareness based on human values. . . . Van Praag became
the key force behind the founding of the Dutch Humanistisch Ver
bond (‘Humanist League’) in 1946, designed as a broad and pluriform
humanist movement. In Belgium a comparable Belgian Humanistisch
Verbond was founded in 1951. In India, the process of decolonization
that followed the end of the Second World War led Manabendra Nath
Roy to found the Indian Radical Humanist Movement. Originally this
had been a political party striving for independence, but Roy arrived at
the conclusion that politics was corruptible (you have to make conces
sions to win votes) and so in 1948 he decided to reconstruct his party
into a social movement.1
Today Humanists International itself has four basic areas of work:
one is in campaigns to promote humanist values such as reason, empa

thy, freedom, and secularism around the world; the second is advocacy,
representing humanists at the United Nations and other international
forums; the third is supporting the growth and nurture of new human
ist organisations in the developing world; and the fourth is supporting
humanists at risk around the world.2
The breadth of this work is made necessary by the very wide range of con
ditions in which humanist organisations round the world operate. The
two extremes can be illustrated by Norway and Pakistan. In Norway, the
national humanist organisation, Human-Etisk Forbund, is state funded and
recognised alongside the Norwegian state church. It has over 100,000 mem
bers and a quarter of the Norwegian population self-identify as humanist in
surveys. In Pakistan, it is illegal to even set up a humanist organisation, and
individuals who have publicly identified as humanists have been arrested
or brutally murdered. Between these two extremes, humanist organisations
exist in a range of circumstances.
In many countries, formal registration of humanist organisations is
unnecessary. In other countries, under national laws concerned with secu
rity or the regulation of civil society, it is a strict requirement. Organisations
have to officially register to hold membership records and receive dona
tions. Where organisations can be registered, the legal framework varies
from country to country. In some states, humanist organisations will be rec
ognised as registered charities or not-for-profit organisations. Some states
allow humanist organisations to be recognised as ‘lifestance organisations’,
a non-religious equivalent to organised religious groups.
Even in some countries where registration is legally possible, it can be
hard in practice to register because of social prejudice against those with
non-religious beliefs. It took the Humanist Association of Nigeria 17 years
to achieve legal registration and in countries as far apart as Kenya and Italy,
humanist organisations have been refused legal recognition.
In places where humanists and others with non-religious views are
actively persecuted, humanist organisations may exist underground as
unofficial networks to avoid the identities of the people who are involved
being known and leading to their investigation, arrest, harassment, and even
death. Humanists in Malaysia, Egypt, and Bangladesh have all suffered such
consequences in recent years. In countries like this, humanist organisations
primarily offer support and fellowship for like-minded people and organise
some limited activism to work for the social acceptance of their thoughts
and opinions. They may also organise activities that, although counter-
cultural, are not unlawful in the way that humanism would be, such as girls’
education, democratic and judicial reform, or racial equality.
The vast majority of humanist organisations are voluntary associations,
funded by their members and supporters. In a few places – most notably
Norway, Germany, Belgium, and some states of Germany – humanist organ
isations are funded by the state. Such funding is controversial for many
humanists, who generally believe that it should not be the role of the state
to fund religious and philosophical organisations. Humanists International
has said:
Usually a state-funding arrangement exists where countries used to sup

port only a state religion or several religious groups, and the funding
Box 1.2 Giovanni Gaetani worked at Humanists

International from 2017 to 2022 on the organisation’s
growth and development, most recently as their
Membership Engagement Manager.
It is really important to think about

humanism as something global.
The world humanist community
is becoming more aware about
the challenges in each country and
what interconnects them all. If we
only think about the challenges
that we face in our city, region, or
nation, we are losing perspective.
We need to think about what bet
ter organisations are doing, and
what less fortunate organisations
are doing, in other countries.
Every time I receive feedback
from people whose lives have
improved thanks to our support, it
is a joy. It is a personal fulfilment.
We may sometimes think that our campaigns are abstract, but they
have an impact on the everyday lives of people – for example, when we
manage to help someone who is escaping from a country or someone
who is simply trying to find a community to belong to. Many human
ist organisations are growing year by year thanks to our help. We are
funding organisations in Latin America, in Africa, and in Asia and we
are seeing tangible progress. It is not only about providing them with
financial support but also about providing them with a method, a way
of thinking, a way to identify themselves. The burden of tradition can
be hard and to show them that it is possible to think freely, to define
themselves openly as atheist or humanist, is progress in itself.
I would love to live in a world where individual freedom and dignity
are respected, where universal human rights are not simply words on
paper but are something upheld and defended effectively, and where
democracy and secularism are flourishing. I don’t want to live in a
world where humanism is the only way of living for people. I want to
live in a world where diversity exists but where everyone respects each
other regardless of their disagreements. I firmly care about freedom of
expression and freedom of thought so in the future I would love to see
a world where these values are not only defended as abstract ideas but
are also embodied in the life of everyone.
has more recently been extended to humanist organizations on the basis
of arguments from equality and non-discrimination.
State-funding for different ‘religion or belief’ groups is usually
metered out according to some measure of how many people hold the
worldviews associated with each organization or church.
Humanists will have a range of views on the idea of the state providing
funding for organizations to enable them to represent the worldviews
(religious or nonreligious) found in society. Some humanist organiza
tions even believe that such state-funding arrangements are not the best
way for things to work, but that while they do exist then humanists
should be treated equally under such systems.3
In other nations, humanist organisations do not receive state financial sup

port in grants but do provide specific services or functions on behalf of
the state for which they may be paid. In Germany, for example, humanist
organisations run state-funded kindergartens and hospices and in the Neth
erlands, care homes and international development aid programmes.
Campaigning and advocacy

In their own lives, individual humanists might campaign and work for a
wide variety of causes, all aimed at improving human well-being and flour
ishing. They are often active campaigners for human welfare, peace, and the
protection of the environment and against poverty, violence, and injustice in
its many forms. Through education, politics, and the media, they make the
case for what they believe would be a better world.
Humanist organisations typically focus their attention on campaigns rel
evant to freedom of thought and belief and to ethical issues in which the
humanist voice can make a real difference. Jaap van Praag, the former chair
of the Dutch Humanist Association, described a distinction between ‘the
little fight’ and ‘the great fight’.
By ‘little fight’, he meant the justifiable but limited interests of humanists
themselves: the campaigns against religious privilege in society and hostil
ity towards the non-religious. By ‘great fight’, he meant the more universal
challenges that must be overcome for the benefit of all people. This was the
work that needed to be done to build a society in which every citizen has
the capacity to make free and informed choices about what makes their lives
meaningful and has the opportunity to live out their lives accordingly. It is
a world in which democracy flourishes and authoritarian and totalitarian
regimes have no chance of coming to power. It is a world in which we have
minimised the restrictions placed on human beings through poverty, war,
and disease.
Which fight is the priority depends on where humanists find themselves.
Peter Derckx, a professor of humanist studies in the Netherlands, observes,
the little fight is still a priority for many:
One difference in humanist views, priorities and coalition building
has repeatedly popped up and has too often divided the humanist
movement. It is the difference between a humanist movement fighting
for the legitimate but limited interest of humanists themselves and a
humanist movement fighting for its view and take on the public inter
est, the good of all humanity and the world. . . . So for humanists
the question of which issues deserve the highest priority keeps posing
itself. It is obvious that in socio-historical contexts in which atheists
and agnostics are repressed by a religious majority and even by the
government, for example in Pakistan and Bangladesh, for humanists
the little fight will be of utmost importance and deserves priority.4
Even in a society as western as the US, the American Humanist Association

sees the need for action on the ‘little fight’:
In a society where prejudice and discrimination against those who don’t

believe in gods or other intervening supernatural powers is common,
it is important for advocates to defend their equal rights. Humanists
and other nontheists are victims of discrimination in many aspects of
life including: the workplace, pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes,
hospices, community centers, institutional chaplaincies, the military,
academia, schools, prisons, the media, sports, scouting, government
buildings, politics, elections, the courts, memorials, holidays, and even
within our own families. Many Americans still hold on to prejudice
against nontheists and for some in political power, the concept of ‘reli
gious freedom’ is twisted into a right to discriminate based on religious
beliefs in a way that affects all aspects of life. Equal treatment for
humanists is thus crucial to achieving full equality.
However, in much of the west, humanist organisations need to consider

where their energies are now best focused. Many focus on the ‘great fight’,
where dialogue and cooperation between liberals and humanitarians of all
persuasions are of the utmost importance in response to those tasks that are
crucial to the future of humanity.
This dual mission is present in the stated mission of Humanists UK, which
says it wants to see both “more non-religious people living happier, more
confident, and more ethical lives” and “more people enjoying greater free
dom of thought, of expression, and of choice over their own lives”. For
all people, Humanists UK says it wishes to see “freedom of thought, con
science, and religion or belief; freedom of expression; and freedom of choice
to the extent compatible with the rights and freedoms of others in a fair and
equitable society”.
Humanists International describes its campaigns as focusing:
on those rights that are threatened, abused or undermined by harm

ful traditional, cultural and religious practices. We have a specific
concentration on freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief,
the rights of women, LGBTI equality and the rights of the child. We also
speak out against forms of discrimination based on race and nationality.
The four general headings under which it organises its policies are ‘Human
Rights and Non-Discrimination’, ‘Government’, ‘Education and Scientific
and Cultural Endeavour’, and ‘Human development and the environment’.
National humanist organisations in different countries and cultural contexts
have their own particular ways of describing their agendas and policy plat
forms, but these four headings will do for a brief survey of the campaigning
and advocacy activity of humanist organisations in general.
Human rights and non-discrimination

For reasons which we shall explain at greater length in Chapter 8, the notion
of human rights has general importance for humanists. Humanist organisa
tions all promote the full realisation of human rights for all people, without
discrimination, and they often work in particular for the human rights of
those who are marginalised because of their beliefs, their sex, gender iden
tity or sexual orientation, their social status, or their race.
They often focus on the human right to freedom of expression:
we consider this freedom to be the principal safeguard for all other

human rights and freedoms. Without freedom of expression people
cannot expose superstition, corruption, cruelty, violence, and tyr
anny in our societies. Criticism of received views, an open mind, and
the right to speak your mind freely in discourse with fellow men and
women are the engines of human advancement; and though some views
freely expressed may be false or harmful, yet others will expose the false
and harmful, as well as open the door to new truths and to progress.
Freedom of expression is often threatened in the name of protection
of religion or tradition, as with laws on ‘blasphemy’ or so-called defa
mation of religion. But the law should never be used to suppress free
speech, including criticism and mockery, about any religion or other
ideology or doctrine, or its figureheads or prophets or of the actions of
its leaders.5
They also defend the human right to freedom of thought and conscience,
which includes the absolute right to adhere to or change one’s religion

or belief (the latter including Humanism and other non-religious world-
views) or to have no professed worldview of any kind. No religion,
belief, or requirement for religious observance should be imposed. The
right to manifest one’s religion or belief may be limited only to protect
the rights of others and for narrow and strictly defined prudential rea
sons for the good of the community; but manifesting a religion or belief
does not include all acts prompted by or done in accordance with it.
Threats to freedom of belief today are motivated mainly by a wish to
protect the local monopoly of a religion or a political dogma. Too often
the dominant religion is imposed by law, as in some Islamic countries
where the secular penalty for apostasy can be death.6
Campaigns such as those for legal abortion, legal assisted dying, and eco
nomic and social equality, which will be further discussed in Chapter 7, are
also typically seen by humanist organisations as human rights issues, and
campaigns are framed for them on that basis.
Government
In relation to government, humanist organisations pursue secularism, which
we shall discuss further in Chapter 8, but they pursue other political aims
as well. As Humanists International’s General Policy says, these aims arise
from “the need to reconcile individual autonomy and human rights with the
need to live together despite the recognised differences between us – differ
ences the existence of which we value as part of our freedoms”.
Humanist organisations advocate for democratic governance, by which
they mean “decision-making that is based on collaboration, discussion and
mutual respect, not least of minorities by majorities” but that is also built
on “equality before the law for all, without regard to factors such as race,
ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, disability, religion or belief, except where
they are strictly relevant”.
They advocate for government transparency and for “honesty and integ
rity in international institutions, national and local government and admin
istration and the general conduct of society” and mechanisms by which
“those in office can be held to account and removed from office by peace
able means, even at other times than at a scheduled election, should the law
or democratic consensus require it”.
Humanist organisations also advocate for the rule of law, against capital
punishment, and for rehabilitation of criminals.
Education and scientific and cultural endeavour

In Chapter 3, we shall discuss the particular value of science and the scien
tific method to humanists and in Chapter 4, the role of the arts. Humanist
organisations work for their enjoyment by all so that society will:
enable people to live fulfilling lives, to achieve their ambitions and to

help others to do so too. There is huge variety in what individuals find
fulfilling, what ambitions they have, and this variety is welcome, both
because people are inherently different in their talents and inclinations
and because it allows different experiments in living, trying different
models that feed off each other and lead to a diverse and interesting and
flourishing human society.7
In particular, humanist organisations campaign for education systems to be

organised on that basis:
Education for children and young people is justified not only by provid
ing useful knowledge and skills but for those who wish it by achiev
ing academic excellence and scholarship – and for all by imparting the
knowledge and skills needed to make good citizens and to enable them
to live fulfilling lives. The communication of values by schools should
be strengthened and developed by emphasising the ethical ideals that
many religious or philosophical groups have adopted. Education must
also seek to overcome the nationalistic bias and lack of historical per
spective found in too many countries.
The purpose of education is to fit the individual for life as a full par
ticipant in society and to teach self-respect and respect for others.8
Human development and the environment

In Chapter 7, we shall discuss the big global issues of poverty and of cli
mate change, and these feature prominently in the agenda of Humanists
International:
Humanists assert the value of the individual living in society and accept
a responsibility for cooperating in building a more humane society
for all based on social and economic justice. Every member of society
should be equipped to participate in the life of the community to the
fullest extent that they are able. It is thus a requirement on the commu
nity and our social responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to
food, safe water, shelter, education, employment and healthcare.
Humanists deplore the present grossly unequal distribution of wealth
and resources, not just on the principle of fairness, nor just from the
duty we accept to relieve suffering and destitution, but because of the
growing empirical evidence that inequitable distribution of incomes in
itself produces damaging results for all concerned, including the rich.
We realise that we are all totally dependent on the natural world for
our life and well-being. Furthermore we acknowledge an obligation to
bequeath to our descendants an earth that offers as good or better an
environment for living as we enjoy. But unless we learn to take better
care of the Earth’s environment we will put at risk the health and well
being of many living today, and the very survival of those who come
after us.9
In furtherance of all of these policies, humanist organisations campaign in
line with their values – by lobbying democratically and by taking action
through courts to achieve their ends.
Services
A wide range of services are provided by humanist organisations around
the world in response to the differing needs of the non-religious. For exam
ple, in countries where many social services such as the relief of poverty or
housing are not provided by the state but instead by religious organisations,
humanist organisations might provide the same services. Those services
include care homes for older people, orphanages, adoption services, legal
services, healthcare (including contraception), and schools.
Two types of service, however, are particularly prominent everywhere in
the work of humanist organisations: the provision of ceremonies and the
provision of pastoral care.
Ceremonies
Ever since the creation of modern humanist organisations, one of their most
popular services has been the provision of non-religious ceremonies.
Humanist ceremonies are available in many different countries around
the world. Most typically, these are naming ceremonies, weddings, and
funerals. Although they have often been provided since the 19th century,
demand for such services has grown significantly in the 21st century, as
people have become more aware of their availability and the non-religious
have felt increasingly confident to make a choice that genuinely reflects their
own belief system.
Of course, humans have engaged in cultural rituals and ceremonies since
long before modern organised religions arrived, and humanist organisations
typically see what they are doing as fulfilling a human need that may have
traditionally been fulfilled by religious practices but need not be. Nonethe
less, the most striking things about a humanist ceremony to many guests
will be the absence of any reference to a deity. This creates a profoundly
significant shift of focus and of purpose as, in each case, it is the person
who has died, the couple getting married, or the baby who has been born
that is put at the centre of the ritualising. At the same time, the community
of family and friends is invested with the responsibility of ‘bearing witness’,
humanising instead of, as was previously the case, deifying the experience.
Humanist celebrants have described crafting non-religious rituals as “an
intimate, challenging, and profoundly rewarding act of creation”. It is tai
lored to be personal and meaningful to the people involved and provides
an opportunity to articulate the connections that are important to us in our
lives. Humanists typically see our relationships with other people as central
to the human experience and it is these relationships that are often acknowl
edged in a humanist ceremony.
There is no such thing as a prescribed order of service for ‘humanist ritu
als’. Instead, they are personal ceremonies that people have chosen because
they have meaning for them. What is important to humanists is that everyone
should be free to choose how they mark the special moments in their lives.
Isabel Russo is a humanist celebrant who performs

humanist weddings, funerals, and naming ceremonies.
She was Humanists UK’s Head of Ceremonies from
2013 to 2020.
The central thing that’s

different about a human
ist ceremony is the
absence of reference to a
god or any other super
natural being. It is based
around the people who
are central to that specific
ceremony and focuses on
their family, friends, and
community.
A humanist naming
ceremony is an opportu
nity to welcome a child
into the world and to acknowledge the community of family and
friends around that child. Because humanists don’t believe that there is
a wider support network from a supernatural force, a humanist nam
ing ceremony speaks to the shift in relationships and the responsibility
that the wider circle of friends and family will be taking on for the
child. Key to the humanist philosophy is the feeling that this is the one
life we have and our responsibility to make the very best of it, and that
certainly comes across I think in a humanist naming ceremony. It’s
also very important to acknowledge that we’re not labelling the child
in any way. It is for the child to choose their own path, guided by those
who are important to them. The tenets of free choice, responsibility,
and understanding the consequences of our actions are underscored
within the ritual that creates a naming ceremony.
As with all humanist ceremonies, a humanist wedding is a very
creative process. The couple will work for a long period of time with
the humanist celebrant who is taking the ceremony to create a cer
emony that has heart and meaning for them, that reflects who they
are and the things that they value and want to build their marriage
on together. A humanist wedding really reflects freedom of choice
and freedom to be who you want to be. We always encourage the

couple to write their own vows. They’re not repeating a set text by
rote, they’re speaking words that they’ve thought about and created,
edited, and finally agreed to with each other, these are the words
that they are building their life together with, and that’s incredibly
powerful.
A humanist funeral manages to encapsulate what might seem to be
quite opposing factors. We recognise that this is the end of a life – we
are grieving and saying goodbye – while at the same time we are cel
ebrating the fact that this person lived. When we ‘commit’ somebody
within a humanist funeral ceremony, we’re not committing them to
god, we’re committing them to the hearts, minds, and the memories of
those people who loved them, and whose lives they impacted and will
continue to impact. For us, in a sense, that’s the afterlife. In listening
to their story there is comfort and healing. My best friend died earlier
this year and I took her ceremony. Before she died, she asked me to
transcribe something that she wanted to impart to the people at her
funeral. She said: “I hope that the experience of my illness and death
has taught you to enjoy your life even more, to relish each moment,
and to be inspired by the friendship that we shared”. Almost every
body at the funeral said they felt hugely uplifted and hugely reignited
by these words.
Being a humanist celebrant is an incredible privilege and a wonder
ful experience. Not only do you get to witness some extraordinary
aspects of humanity, joy, wonder, and courage in the face of tragic
circumstances, but also you really get to communicate on a profound
level with so many different types of people from all walks of life.
I always come away from a ceremony feeling very fulfilled and very
connected. It engages all parts of you as a human being, intellectually,
physically, emotionally, and so it’s a tremendously fulfilling role if you
like people. It’s a very human thing to do.
Pastoral care
Humanists pioneered non-religious and non-directive counselling in the
20th century. Today, however, these practices have become a secular pro
fession open to people of many different worldviews – religious or non
religious. Today, what humanist organisations typically provide directly is a
form of pastoral, existential, or moral support.
Pastoral support is a model of care that can be found in most cultures and
traditions. At its most basic level, it provides individuals with the opportu
nity to share their thoughts and feelings with an objective and empathetic
listener. Modern healthcare models define good health as a positive interac
tion of physical, psychological, social, and ‘spiritual’ factors. While human
ists are concerned with promoting all aspects of well-being, in this area
of work, their main concern is to contribute to good outcomes for those
in need, by helping them make sense of their situation in relation to their
beliefs and values. These services are offered in different contexts in differ
ent countries: in schools, universities, prisons, hospitals, and armed forces.
David Savage was Humanists UK’s first Head of

Pastoral Support and was the Chair of the Non-
Religious Pastoral Care Network from 2016 to 2018.
About five or six years ago,

most pastoral care was pro
vided by religious chaplains.
This was problematic. We
found that people with non
religious beliefs wanted pasto
ral care, but the vast majority
wanted it provided by a person
with non-religious beliefs in a
like-minded way. So, to provide
pastoral care for everybody
and give people choice, we had
to develop a network of non
religious pastoral carers.
In the beginning we faced a
number of challenges. One of
the more significant problems
was that recruitment into this
area, particularly into paid posts, was limited to people with reli
gious beliefs. We wanted to set up training programmes and create
the opportunity for non-religious people to also go into paid posts as
a career.
The other day I went into the ward to see a patient who was on the
list. She wasn’t there – she must’ve been doing tests somewhere else –
but there was a lady in the next bed, and she smiled at me. I smiled
at her and said “I’m from the pastoral care department”. She pulled
back and said “I’m not religious, I don’t want that, thank you”. And
I was able to say to her “Well, I’m not religious either, I’m just a mem
ber of the team because there are lots of non-religious patients in the
hospital”. She’d been in the hospital for many weeks. She came from
a different county. She’d had no visitors. She’d been in intensive care

for a while, and had had a very difficult experience in hospital, and she
wanted to talk. I listened, and she was able to explore and articulate a
lot of things that had gone on in her mind, in her current situation, and
she wouldn’t have done that if a non-religious pastoral care worker
was not present. I just wonder how many people there are like that in
our hospitals, in our prisons, who do want to talk to somebody but
not a religious chaplain – who want to talk to somebody who’s non
religious. Surely we need to create that opportunity for them to do so.
Lindsay van Dijk is currently the head of Sheffield

Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s
Chaplaincy and Pastoral Support Team and the first
non-religious person to manage a Chaplaincy and
Pastoral Support team in the National Health Service.
Chaplaincy was originally

a Christian concept, and as
humanists, we are the newcom
ers here in the UK. In the Neth
erlands, we’ve had humanist
pastoral care since the 1950s,
so it’s more established there.
They have had the time to
integrate it. Here in the UK,
it’s emerged in the last two to
three years, so it will take some
time to be normalised within
society – but we just need to be
very patient and explain why
we want to do what we do.
By demonstrating compassion
and working alongside our col
leagues from the various faiths,
we can provide a service to meet the needs of each person, whatever
their worldview.
It’s very important to provide that like-minded care within pastoral
support. It’s about offering that choice to patients, to care users, and
giving them the opportunity to have a like-minded person support

ing them in times of need. Having the option to talk to someone who
shares your worldview, your morals and values, and how you look at
life, is of crucial importance.
That connection we have to each other, that human connection,
is very powerful. We can have an internal dialogue, a conversation
with ourselves, but vocalising our thoughts and being able to express
them to another like-minded person is very significant. It helps you to
reflect on what’s going on internally if you can explore it with another
human being.
In 2011 Amy Walden initiated humanist pastoral

support in prisons with a pilot project at HM Prison
Winchester. She is now part of a team training
Humanists UK members to deliver pastoral support in
prisons and hospitals across the country.
I’m a probation officer by trade and,

when I was seconded to the prison ser
vice, I noticed that the non-religious
prisoners weren’t using the chaplaincy
support available because they didn’t
feel it was relevant for them. I also
noticed that the religious prisoners were
getting more time out of their cell and
more support from a network of other
prisoners who shared their faith by
attending Bible study, Qur’an study, and
meditation sessions. I felt that wasn’t very fair – there wasn’t anything
equivalent for non-religious people and so I decided to do something
about it.
I took this issue to our diversity team and the governor agreed
that I could do some research with the prisoners and staff to find
out if a non-religious service was needed and, if so, what would
they want that to look like. The feedback was overwhelmingly posi
tive. They felt that it would be beneficial to have an equivalent to
a chaplain to speak to on a one-to-one basis about their problems
and also to have some kind of alternative to the religious services.
I came up with the idea of having discussion groups. Any non-reli

gious person could attend and we would talk about anything and
everything. It gives them the chance to talk to people who’ve got a
similar worldview to them and to feel that they have some sense of
belonging.
There was one case that really sticks with me. One prisoner had just
lost his grandmother – he was really close to her, she’d brought him
up – but due to the risk that he posed to the public, he wasn’t allowed
to attend the funeral. He told me he was feeling a bit lost and angry,
but also he felt like he’d let his grandmother down because he couldn’t
do anything to mark her death.
We decided to provide an alternative to going to the funeral. Prison
ers get the opportunity to go to the chapel and light a candle and say
a prayer but that was not going to help him because he didn’t believe
in any god. We went to the multi-faith room instead. We played his
grandmother’s favourite song and we read poems that he chose. We
talked about his grandmother, his memories of her, the things that she
used to cook for him, and the stories she used to tell him, reflecting on
what she meant to him. Afterwards he said to me that he really found
it useful because he got to mourn, but he also got to tell his family that
he’d done something too.
Sometimes people do ask me: “Why do this for prisoners? They’ve
committed offenses against other people, sometimes some very seri
ous ones. Why do you feel they deserve support?” And I think my
answer to them is that, as a humanist, I see people as a whole human
being – not just their behaviour. I feel that, as a human being, they
deserve some support and care and to be valued as a person because
if we don’t value people as people that isn’t going to help them to be
rehabilitated.
Community and fellowship

In Chapter 10, we shall discuss the benefit which many religious believers
derive from the sense of belonging to a community of like-minded people.
Many secular organisations, communities, and networks exist from which
people similarly benefit. Many humanists get all the community they need in
this way: from friends and family, work colleagues, local sports clubs, and
through the many other ways human beings group together under shared
interests and goals.
For others, humanist groups, whether local, regional, national, or inter
national, provide a very particular sense of community based on shared
beliefs and values. People leaving high-control religions can suffer a loss of
their support network, mental health problems, and even physical violence.
Many humanist groups see themselves as providing a community for such
people and helping them realise that they are not alone. This is especially
so in humanist organisations in countries where to have humanist beliefs is
to risk social isolation or official persecution, and can also be the case in a
generally non-religious society like the UK.
In countries where being non-religious is unremarkable, humanist groups
still offer something important to some humanists.
Sarah Jones, Chester Humanists
Our members belong to our

humanist group because it
enables discussion and social
engagements with like-minded
people, something that many
of us have struggled to find
elsewhere. We are a support
ive group of people and our
conversations are important to
us because we share a similar
worldview and similar values.
This understanding creates a
space for humanists to express
their feelings or concerns, ask
questions, and learn from each
other. We hold monthly meet
ings which can sometimes be
a speaker on a defined subject
or a general discussion evening,
and we also host socials in pubs and family walks.
As a group, we also look to engage with other worldviews in order
for us to learn more about each other. We have had fascinating discus
sions with people of faith, and those who have left a faith, which have
offered interesting perspectives. Our speaker programme is a varied
one, ranging from talks about the palm oil initiative at Chester Zoo to
local homeless projects.
What is becoming more important to us as a group is our connec
tion and involvement with our local community. Within our group we
have a number of trained humanist celebrants, pastoral carers, and
school speakers, which has brought us into contact with many differ
ent people and organisations. We are the organisers for the Chester
Great Get Together (a celebration of what we all have in common

in remembrance of Jo Cox MP), an event that saw over 300 people
attend in 2018. We have just started a Death Café, which is a space for
people to gather and discuss death with a view to helping them make
the most of their lives. We also have plans to deliver a monthly Sun
day Gathering which will offer an opportunity to connect with other
humanists (but you don’t have to be a humanist to come!) and enjoy a
meaningful connection through music, poetry, and conversation.
All of these different aspects enable our Chester Humanist members
to find something they enjoy. Our group offers a sense of belonging
that understands, respects, and supports our members and our local
community, and we try to positively help others where we can.
To us, that’s what humanism is all about.
Anthony Lewis, Windsor Humanists
Having spent 30 years

travelling the world work
ing for a global energy
company, I now find
myself working from home
focused on my new passion
of creating and producing
electronic music! I found
this new existence fulfill
ing but isolating and real
ised that I had never really
made any friends in my
local Windsor area, hav
ing been very career-driven
most of my life. I missed
being part of a community.
I missed feeling like I belonged.
In 2014, my husband and I took the opportunity to attend the
World Humanist Congress in Oxford. We met so many lovely friendly
people with whom we had so much in common. We realised we both
would like to get more involved as we had probably been humanists
for most of our lives!
We decided to set up a humanist group in our local area. It’s been
a great success story for us personally as we have made some real,
like-minded friends in the local area, who we would not have met any
other way. It’s also been a success in other ways: both of us feel more
connected with the wider religious and political community through
being involved locally with humanism.
We have several members trained up as school speakers. We are
invited to speak in local schools to provide pupils with a non-religious
perspective to their ethical, religious, and moral questions. Speaking
to young people has been a revelation for me on how energising it is
and how it really connects me back to young people, teachers, and the
local school communities.
Windsor Humanists are active members of the two local interfaith
groups. Together we have organised an annual series of successful
Community Street Showcases on the high streets of Slough, Windsor,
and Maidenhead. We are part of an initiative to support the religious
and non-religious to work together to help foster dialogue and friend
ship between different communities.
Through getting involved with Windsor Humanists, I feel much
more connected to my local area and community in ways I could never
have envisaged when I started this journey. Local groups go a long way
to meeting the deep need within us all, as human beings, to belong.
Education and public understanding

As well as the broad range of activities we have now discussed, human
ist organisations also promote humanism as such, producing materials and
information to raise awareness about the humanist approach. As Humanists
International says:
Some organizations have dedicated officers whose role is to produce

resources on Humanism for schools and the general public, examining
the whole worldview, or philosophy, or individual issues of concern to
humanists. Some organizations publish books on humanism, or create
magazines or websites designed to raise awareness of humanism, as well
as to provide a forum for debate within the humanist movement.10
Humanists around the world

We have, in this chapter, sketched the commitment of humanists to free
dom of thought and belief, not only for the non-religious, who are often
in danger of persecution, especially in strongly religious societies, but also
for human beings generally. We have seen that this is one aspect of a gen
eral commitment by humanists to human rights, which extends also to the
challenging of discrimination and rights to legal abortion and legal assisted
dying. Many humanists champion the value of education, of science and the
arts, and work to combat poverty, to protect the natural environment, and
to enable all human beings to live fulfilling lives. They contest the privileges
of religious institutions. They arrange and take part in ceremonies to mark
in meaningful ways the profound experiences of the birth of a child, mar
riage, and bereavement. In the chapters to come, we shall look at the case
humanists make for these beliefs and values. We conclude this chapter with
several stories from individual humanists around the globe, each demon
strating how those commitments are played out in diverse circumstances.
Didrik Schjerven Søderlind is a journalist and author

and advisor for the Norwegian Humanist Association.
Since its founding in

1956, Human-Etisk
Forbund (HEF, The
Norwegian Human
ist Association) has
grown to over 100,000
members. This is a sub
stantial number consid
ering Norway has just
over 5 million inhabit
ants, making it both
the largest humanist
organisation in the
world and the largest
faith or lifestance group outside the Church of Norway.
There are several reasons for this success. One is that the Nor
wegian state has a policy of funding the Church of Norway and
compensates other faith and lifestance groups accordingly. This has
given HEF a generous and secure economic framework. Another
reason for HEF’s success is that humanism is in line with how the
average Norwegian thinks. A majority of Norwegians report that
they do not believe in god. Many Norwegians have little interest
in religion, a Norwegian cliché being ‘nature is my church’. Thus,
the average Norwegian humanist is in many ways an average
Norwegian.
Another reason for humanism’s mainstream acceptance is that HEF
delivers ceremonies that are remarkably popular. Confirmations are a
big deal in Norway, and while a majority of young people still choose
to be confirmed in the Church of Norway, humanist confirmations
are chosen by almost 20% of Norwegian 14-year-olds. The number is
growing. Humanist weddings and funerals are also gaining popularity.
Another field that HEF is venturing into is that of humanist chap

laincy. Work is beginning to place humanist chaplains in hospitals,
universities, and within the penal system.
Part of HEF’s way of being a humanist organisation is to not only
keep a watchful eye on religious organisations and practices but also
tackle subjects such as extremism, populism, conspiracy thinking, and
the demonisation of minorities. One result of this was that during the
trial against the far-right mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik, a key
moment in modern Norwegian history, a number of expert witnesses
had links to HEF.
Humanism is now firmly entrenched in the cultural mainstream of
Norway. A potential danger for HEF as a membership organisation
is that humanism actually becomes the mainstream to such an extent
that Norwegians don’t see any need to join HEF. However, so far that
does not seem to have happened, as HEF continues to receive a steady
stream of new members.
Leo Igwe is the founder of the Nigerian Humanist

Movement and is a Board member of Humanists
International. In 2017, he received the Distinguished
Services to Humanism Award.
What being a humanist

means to me is taking a
stand with humanity, tak
ing a stand inspired by
human rights and human
values. Being a humanist
means campaigning for the
betterment of humanity, for
human emancipation.
As a child growing up
in a village in southeast
ern Nigeria, I was appalled
by some of the cultural
practices going on in my
community, like the caste
system, ritual killings,
and witchcraft accusa
tions. I asked myself what kind of value system I could use to express
solidarity with people who were suffering innocently. I searched for
principles that could help me make a strong case against these prac
tices, and I found that within the humanist framework.
When I was growing up, we had cases where people were beheaded,
people had their hands and limbs and private parts chopped off. We
were told that people wanted to use those parts for rituals: to make
money, to succeed in the election, to spiritually fortify themselves. I was
shocked – these people were being killed for nothing. I put in place a
campaign to educate people and highlight the fact that ritual or human
sacrifice is just criminal behaviour.
In Nigeria, we have a mixed history in terms of religion. We have
Christianity, Islam, and the traditional religion as the dominant reli
gions. These religions are not just beliefs, they are also the basis of
power, rulership, and control. When you challenge them, when you
express sceptical views, those views threaten the power base of reli
gion. So sceptics are seen as rebels – they are seen as deviants, sinners,
people who betray the society.
Europe didn’t get its Enlightenment on a platter of gold. They got
it through struggle, through effort, and this is the way I think that we
will succeed in spite of the challenges we are facing, building a society
characterised by tolerance – freedom to embrace religion and freedom
to renounce religion without fear.
There are so many people that our campaigns have made a dif
ference to. That gives me some kind of fulfilment and it motivates
me to continue. Even though we have a long way to go, we have
departed, and we are making progress and I hope that the progress
will continue.
Gulalai Ismail is an advocate for human rights and

women’s empowerment and is the Chair of Aware
Girls. She lived in Pakistan where she was arrested
repeatedly for her work. In 2019, with her security
under threat, she fled the country and now lives
in New York. She is an Ambassador of Humanists
International and a recipient of the International
Humanist of the Year Award.
Being a humanist means different things in different parts of the

world. In the West, you have the right to live your life according to
what you believe. But in Pakistan it is very different. Human rights
violations are deeply rooted in

the culture. It is not a secular
country. The religious cler
ics define the narrative of the
society, which leaves less space
for people who are human
ists. My human rights work
can be discredited by claiming
that the work I do is a game
plan to bring Western ideas
to Pakistan. Blasphemy laws
can be used against me. Being
a humanist in Pakistan means
putting your life at risk every
day because you have certain
beliefs which are different
from mainstream society.
For me, being a humanist is a responsibility. It is my responsibility to
use my privilege, my power, and my resources to advocate for human
rights for everyone. I have the responsibility to challenge unequal power
structures and to make sure that everyone, especially young people and
women, have the right to participate in the political processes.
The aim of Aware Girls was to provide a platform for young
women, where they can learn about their human rights, they can dis
cuss the issues they are facing, and together they can build a strategy
for changing their communities. We work on girls’ rights to educa
tion, advocating so that all girls can go to school. We work on the
sexual and reproductive health rights of women because we believe
they should have the right to control their own bodies. We also work
on the political empowerment of young women because we believe
that if women are not at the policy table, then their rights will not be
protected. We’ve seen hundreds of women standing up for their right
to vote. Many women have run for local elections and at least ten of
them have won. Because of the work I do, young women are becom
ing more empowered. They are taking charge of their own lives and
they’re changing their own communities.
When I leave the world, I want to leave it in a better shape. I don’t
want the generations that come after me to face the same challenges
that my generation has faced. I believe in celebrating life. I want to be
able to explore the culture and beauty that exists in this world, and
I believe every person has the right to explore that, rather than waiting
for some uncertain time which will never come. This is our life and we
should enjoy it!
Uttam Niraula is a founder and Executive Director of

SOCH (Society for Humanism in Nepal) and a Board
member of Humanists International.
Being a humanist, for me, means

becoming a human being rather
than dividing my identity into
different sects in the name of
religion, nationality, or culture.
Nepal, as the birth place
of Buddha, has a deep root of
humanism. Some ethnic groups
practice humanist-like cultures
in Nepal. There are local cul
tural traits which are completely
humanist because they reject the
idea of god but they embrace
the existence, and preservation,
of nature. Great philosophers
such as Buddha, Brihaspati, and many more, not only write but also
institutionalise this philosophy in society. This has made Nepal one of
the ancient sources of humanist philosophy.
Though it has a deep root in Nepal, lately humanism is deterio
rating due to rising religious indoctrination. Our indigenous human
ist values are being threatened by extremist Hindus and imported
proselytising Christianity. Hindu and Christian fundamentalists have
become the key challenge to flourishing humanist values in Nepal.
However, we see small rays of hope among the younger generation,
who are becoming more science driven and rational in mind. They
openly challenge religious superstition. The COVID-19 pandemic
completely closed religious pilgrimages but put pressure on scientists
to invent a ‘nectar’ to save humanity. No single god was helpful to
humanity in this crisis, but a single dose of vaccine invented by human
scientists. This has generally made Nepali society critical about the
‘holy shrines’.
There are many harmful traditions still followed in our society.
These include inhuman practices such as untouchability (prejudice
against those considered to be of a lower caste), witch-hunting, deuki
(offering a young girl to the local temple), chaupadi (isolating women
during menstruation), and dowry (the forced transfer of money and
property from a bride’s family to the groom). These have a long his
tory of harm, and helpless people have been murdered, beaten, or
exploited. The victims are always dalit (‘untouchables’), women, chil

dren, and the poor.
SOCH Nepal is working with survivors to support their dignity
and happiness as human beings. We organise awareness programmes
against these harmful traditions. Victims are organised to speak up
for justice. SOCH Nepal also helps survivors with their health and
with their access to the courts. This gives the victims the strength to
fight back. In one case, we supported ‘untouchables’ in one village
to free themselves from bonded labour. We helped them to establish
a co-operative, a micro-financing institution, and modernised their
education, infrastructure, and agricultural system. The village was
transformed.
SOCH Nepal is creating a humanist community in Nepal, which
will gradually spread the message of science and humanity. The organ
isation was established by half a dozen people in 2006. Today, the
number of directly affiliated people has risen to more than 2,000, and
many other organisations are starting to work together with us and
supporting our philosophy. We also work with the government to end
these harmful practices.
Kato Mukasa is the founding Chairperson of the

Humanist Association for Leadership, Equity and
Accountability, Chair of the Uganda Humanists
Association, and a former Board member of Humanists
International.
Being a humanist to me
means being a person that
puts human beings first – a
person that doesn’t look at
humans in terms of their
religions, in terms of their
tribes, in terms of their
races – a person that looks
at people because they are
human beings like you. It’s
being a person concerned
with human rights, a per
son concerned with the
entire humanity, because they are humans and because you respect the
values humans should stand for.
Being a humanist in Uganda is quite a challenge because being
humanist is also equated to being an unbeliever. It’s a country where
people are extremely religious, extremely superstitious. People believe
in all sorts of gods, myths, and superstitions. So a humanist in Uganda
is looked at as an infidel by some people, is looked at as a Satanist
by other people. There are dangers involved because a humanist is
going to promote practices that sometimes are contrary to common
practice.
For example, a humanist is going to say: “Why should you hate a
homosexual? Why don’t you love a homosexual like you love your
brother and sister? Why should you hate a person because you don’t
agree with them? Why don’t you find a way of tolerating them, accept
ing them, allowing them to be what they are so that all of you can co
exist?” A humanist is going to preach unity, is going to preach love,
is going to preach tolerance, which sometimes some other faiths don’t
accept.
We campaign for an open society that is tolerant for each and every
person, including human rights: the right of women to inherit land;
the right of women to not go through female genital mutilation; the
right of prostitutes to negotiate safe sex. I live in a country where
homosexuality is criminal and even supporting those who are homo
sexual is criminal. We have been able to fight the anti-homosexual
law in my country. We campaigned against the law, and the law was
quashed about three years ago.
We’ve been able to campaign for secular education by opening up
the first humanist schools in Africa. We have over 13 humanist schools
in Uganda, where we are teaching children not only religion, because
it’s compulsory, but also critical thinking so that they are having a bal
anced view in terms of education.
Once people are informed from the grassroots, they’ll be able to
empower themselves. They’ll be able to raise children who are able
to think for themselves, who will ask questions. We believe that the
moment we have a society of humanists, people loving each other
regardless of their skin colour, regardless of their race, regardless
of their sexuality, what we have is a society that is free, equal,
and purposeful, and helpful for everyone, not for individuals – a
country working for everyone not just individuals with power but
serving everyone regardless of who they are, a country responsible
for the environment, for today, and for tomorrow, and for a better
future.
Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi writer,

editor, and publisher. He lives in Norway.
“Above all is humanity,

nothing else exceeds it”.
In this quote by the
medieval Bengali poet
Baru Chandidas, the
secular, liberal, and
humanistic character and
consciousness of the Ben
gali people are captured.
The line also illustrates
how the core principle
of Bengal’s own folk reli
gion, Baul, is what we
could describe today as
humanism.
Despite existing out
side societal institu
tions and despite facing
economic insecurity, the Bauls of Bengal are a grassroots group that
have espoused a form of humanism for generations. They represent
an early form of humanism that can be found at the heart of today’s
modern understanding. The main aspect of Baul philosophy is empiri
cism, and they trust only what can be perceived with their senses.
Therefore, when Bauls use words such as God, Ishwar, and Allah in
their poetry and music, they use them in a metaphorical rather than
a spiritual sense. In Baul poetry and songs, the underlying message is
one of human kindness. This ideology is flanked by scepticism and
a rejection of organised religion, which is believed to breed division
and discrimination in society. Western liberalism and humanism have
espoused a similar ideology since the Renaissance and the Enlighten
ment. However, it’s clear that the promotion of rationalism, open-
mindedness, secularism, and atheism can be traced back to ancient
Bengali and Indian philosophy as well. And it is these values that form
the basis of humanism in the Bengali region.
Until recently, the Hindus and Muslims of Bangladesh (as well as
Buddhists and other religious minorities) had coexisted peacefully while
observing their separate religious rituals. There were even shared festi
vals. Unfortunately, this congenial situation has deteriorated in recent
years. In contrast to the harmonious coexistence of previous centuries,
the current political and financial ambitions of some members of Bang

ladeshi society have led to communalism and religious divisions.
I see the continuity of humanism in Bengal as part of my heritage
and my own humanity. The more I study humanitarian and humanist
values across the world, and the more I observe, the more passionate
I become about the humanism of Bengal itself. I firmly believe that
if people are able to understand each other, without hate, and reflect
creatively and empathically with each other, they will be able to live
and truly thrive together.
Unfortunately, humanism is under attack today in Bangladesh. Reli
gious fundamentalist politics is becoming increasingly powerful in the
country – indeed, around the world – and is clamping down on all its
opponents. Fundamentalist ideologies have taken hold of grassroots
movements due to a lack of education and economic opportunity. The
spread of youth unemployment and the narrowing scope of demo
cratic and left-wing political parties and institutions have all con
tributed to this outcome. The outrage of Islamic extremists has been
gathering pace since 2013 and has resulted in concentrated attacks
on atheists and humanists. The religious extremists have encouraged
more attacking and killing of bloggers, writers, publishers, academ
ics, minorities, and Baul artists. Many have been killed, and many
more brutally injured. Many have had to flee the country without
any jobs or academic possibilities. For publishing my thoughts and
promoting the books of other humanists and rationalists, I have also
been threatened. My office was attacked and an attempt made on my
life. I survived, but all my activities in Bangladesh had to be stopped,
and I had to choose the exile’s life. Bloggers, writers, publishers, and
artists of free-thinking Bangladesh have had to wrap themselves in
self-censorship or flee from their homes and communities to survive
the killers’ machetes.
Humanism is the only approach I can see that would interrupt this
dangerous spread and the only one that could bring about the possibil
ity of a better society.
Eva Quiñones is President of Humanistas Seculares de

Puerto Rico.
A ‘humanist’ means that I have a logical, rational, loving, compassion

ate framework from which I can be a better human – not only person
ally but also as a contributor to my community, because for me it is
important that my commu

nity is improved through
humanism so everybody
can be a better part of the
processes that are hap
pening in our embattled,
hurricane-stricken island.
Humanism, compassion,
rationalism, science are the
proven best ways for nation
building to make a decent
future for everybody.
Puerto Rico constitu
tionally has a law in the
Bill of Rights that says that
there shall be freedom of
religion. It also says that
there shall be complete separation of church and state which is very
positive. However, the situation in Puerto Rico right now is that the
politicians are pandering massively to religious leaders so they can get
their votes. The other problem is that we have theocratic, religious peo
ple that are invading the government and compromising the separation
that’s in our Constitution. They are constantly promoting laws that
undermine and violate that complete separation that has served us quite
well so far.
It’s a very bad brand of evangelicalism. They say that the Bible is
over the Constitution, that their version of god is the real leader of
the island, and that everything has to be compatible with his word.
We don’t know what his word is, but we do know what the preach
ing politicians want, and they just want to consolidate power. What
they claim is that the state should have a religion and that the religion
should be the religion of most people, but Puerto Rico has a lot of reli
gious diversity and not everybody is an evangelical. There are many
people that, even though they are religious, they understand and sup
port us in our fight for the complete separation of church and state as
we have it in our Constitution.
What motivates me to do what I do? Humanism does! What else?
It is the position that logic, reason, and the best ideas should be pro
moted and really adopted by every decent, sane human being. The
good thing about humanism is that it has this little flavour of compas
sion that has to colour and move every action, every opinion that we
have, and every fight that we fight on behalf of truth, of equality, of
decency, and justice.
Notes
1 Hans van Deukeren (2002) ‘From theory to practice – a history of IHEU 1952–
2002’. In International Humanist and Ethical Union 1952–2002 Past, Present
and Future, edited by Bert Gasenbeek and Babu Gogineni (Utrecht: De Tijd
stroom Uitgeverij).
2 www.humanists.international (accessed 4 January 2021).
3 Humanists International, https://humanists.international/wp-content/uploads/2019/
01/How-to-run-a-humanist-organization-guide-lowres.pdf
4 Peter Derckx (2015) ‘The Future of Humanism’. In The Wiley Blackwell Hand
book of Humanism, edited by AC Grayling and Andrew Copson (Oxford:
Wiley).
5 Humanists International’s General Statement of Policy.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Humanists International, https://humanists.international/wp-content/uploads/2019/
01/How-to-run-a-humanist-organization-guide-lowres.pdf
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
“(5) The British Government will communicate without
delay to the Amir of Afghanistan the arrangements herein
agreed upon, and the Imperial Government of Russia will
enter into possession of the territory adjudged to them, by the
present Protocol, from the 1st (13th) October of the present
year.
“(6) The frontier agreed upon shall be locally demarcated
by a mixed Commission according to the signed maps. In
case the work of demarcation should be delayed, the line
traced on the maps shall nevertheless be considered binding
by the two Governments.”
This letter, which is generally referred to as the letter from the

[45]
Foreign Secretary, dated July 20, 1880, is known to have been
sealed by Mr. Griffin and delivered by him on July 31, 1880.
[46] “Forty-One Years in India.”—Roberts.
APPENDIX V
a.—summer service of the oxus flotilla
KEY:
B: Number of versts from Charjui to Patta Hissar.
C: Cost of transport of 1 pood of baggage from Charjui.
D: Cost of transport of 1 pood of baggage from Patta Hissar.
E: Number of versts from Patta Hissar.
Cost of Cost of
passage passage
for Voyage from Charjui to Voyage from Patta Hissar for
Points touched
B passengers C Patta Hissar. to Charjui. passengers D E
from at. from Patta
Charjui. Hissar.
1 Cl. 3 Cl. Arrive. Depart. Arrive. Depart. 1 Cl. 3 Cl.
R K R K Kop. R K R K Kop.
56 1 68 - 56 5,6 Thur. & Mon. Wed. & Sun. Charjui ⎫ ⎫ 12 99 4 33 43,3 433
109 3 27 1 09 10,9 ” ” Thur. & Mon. Natizin ⎪ ⎬Sat. & Mon. 11 31 3 77 37,7 377
126 3 78 1 26 12,6 ” ” ” ” Burdalik ⎬Sat. & Mon. ⎪ 9 72 3 24 32,4 324
151 4 53 1 51 15,1 Fri. & Tues. ” ” Polvart ⎪ ⎭ 9 21 3 07 30,7 307
212 6 36 2 12 21,3 ” ” Fri. & Tues. Bashir ⎪ Fri. & Sun. 8 46 2 82 28,2 282
233 6 99 2 33 23,3 ⎫ ⎧Karki ⎭ ⎫ 6 63 2 21 22,1 221
225 7 65 2 55 25,5 ⎬Wednesday Wednesday ⎨Kundalem ⎫ ⎪ 6 00 2 00 20,0 200
271 8 13 2 71 27,1 ⎪ ⎪Mukri ⎬Sunday ⎬Sunday 5 34 1 78 17,8 178
303 9 09 3 03 30,3 ⎭ ⎩Ak Kum ⎭ ⎭ 4 86 1 62 16,2 162
322½ 9 98 3 33 33,25 Thursday Thursday Charshangu ⎫ ⎫ 3 90 1 30 13,0 130
358½ 10 76 3 59 35,85 Thursday Thursday Kelif ⎪ ⎪ 3 02 1 10 10,05 100½
385 11 55 3 85 38,5 ⎫ ⎫ Kuyu Kara Mazar ⎬Saturday ⎬Saturday 2 24 - 75 7,45 74½
399 11 97 3 99 39,9 ⎬ Friday ⎬ Friday Chushka-Gisar ⎪ ⎪ 1 44 - 48 4,8 48
404 12 12 4 04 40,4 ⎪ ⎪ Shur Ob ⎪ ⎪ 1 02 - 34 3,4 34
433 12 99 4 33 4,33 ⎭ ⎭ Patta Hissar ⎭ ⎭ - 87 - 29 29,9 29
b.—winter service of the oxus flotilla
Voyage from Charjui to Patta Hissar. Voyage from Patta Hissar Charjui.
Points touched at.
Arrive. Depart. Arrive. Depart.
Monday Sunday Charjui Tuesday Tuesday
Tuesday Monday Narizim Tuesday Monday
Tuesday Tuesday Burdalik Monday Monday
Wednesday Wednesday Polvart Monday Sunday
Friday Wednesday Bashir Sunday Sunday
Friday Friday Karki Sunday Saturday
Saturday Saturday Kundalem Saturday Saturday
Sunday Saturday Mukri Saturday Saturday
Sunday Sunday Ak Kum Friday Friday
Monday Monday Charshangu Friday Friday
Tuesday Monday Kelif Friday Thursday
Tuesday Tuesday Kuyu Kara Mazar Thursday Thursday
Wednesday Wednesday Chuska Gisar Thursday Thursday
Wednesday Wednesday Kuyu Shur Ob Thursday Thursday
Wednesday Wednesday Chur Ob Thursday Thursday
Wednesday Wednesday Patta Hissar Thursday Thursday
APPENDIX VI
return of articles exported from russia to khorassan
during the period
march 21, 1903, to march 20, 1904, compared with 1900-03
Value. 1903-04.
Articles. Destination of Imports.
1900-01. 1901-02. 1902-03. Quantity. Value.
Khorassan only, though many
£ £ £ £ of the camels go to
Animals—
Azerbaijan. Specification of
Camels 592 858 8,198 Number 293 1,806⎫ various animals was only
kept at Meshed. Those here
Donkeys — 56 832 ” 47 73⎬
entered as “Unspecified” are
Horses — 584 2,901 ” 155 649⎪ animals that entered at
Kuchan, and of which no
Unspecified — — 94 ” 1,626 6,386⎭ detail was kept
Animal Khorassan. Chiefly intestines
products, — — — Lbs. 232,700 2,926 and some silkworm eggs
crude from France
Beer, vinegar,
and other 360⎫
122 221 319 ” 32,273
fermented
beverages ⎬Khorassan
Butter and
other edible 62 195 967 ” 75,754 2,059⎭
fats
Khorassan, Seistan, Birjand,
Candles 2,283 2,139 2,726 ” 59,898 1,836 Yezd, Kerman, and
Afghanistan
Khorassan. Chiefly Turkoman
Carpets 506 348 248 ” 5,018 618
carpets
Chemical Khorassan, Afghanistan,
— — 299 ” 85,593 1,086
products Birjand, and Seistan
Cochineal 385 228 573 ” 34,775 1,377 Khorassan and Birjand
Copper and
nickel, in Khorassan, Birjand, and
— — 85 ” 1,697 58
sheets, bars, Afghanistan
&c.
Chiefly brasswork. Goes to
Copper, brass, Khorassan, Afghanistan,
and — — 355 ” 38,279 2,669 Birjand, Yezd, Kerman,
nickelwork Seistan, and samovars (tea-
urns) even to India
Cotton, raw — — — ” 6,045 126 Khorassan
Khorassan, Afghanistan,
Drugs 226 1,004 160 ” 15,048 640
Birjand, and Seistan
Dyes and
83 171 165 ” 14,600 321 Khorassan and Birjand
varnishes
⎫⎬
Earthenware 2,343 1,236 1,090 ” 123,507 3,208⎫ ⎬Khorassan, Afghanistan,
and crockery Seistan, Birjand, Yezd, and
Fabrics of Kerman
hemp and 4,746 2,764 3,858 ” 302,310 8,026⎭
flax
Fish, fresh and 45⎫
61 69 — ” 1,528
salted
Flour — — 232 ” 55,983 317⎬ Khorassan
Fruits— ⎪
Dried — — 620 ” 1,242 19⎭
Khorassan. Lemons, oranges,
Fresh 27 51 — ” 17,167 162 &c., brought from Resht via
Russia
Khorassan, Birjand, and
Furniture 432 839 1,612 ” 76,174 1,994
Seistan
Glass, mirrors, 732⎫ ⎬Khorassan, Birjand, Seistan,
— — 1,077 ” 57,585
&c.
and Afghanistan
Glassware 7,127 4,330 1,591 ” 148,909 3,520⎭
Gold and silver 127⎫
— — 22 ” 1
work
⎬Khorassan
Grain, wheat, 1,888⎭
556 849 1,430 ” 408,909
and barley
Iron in bars,
&c., and 7,084 5,248 4,671 ” 1,084,090 7,646⎫
scrap-iron
Iron and steel, 5,845⎬ Khorassan, Birjand, Seistan,
4,784 3,308 2,483 ” 225,713
manufactured
and Yezd
Lead, zinc, and
tin in sheets — — 399 ” 32,474 972⎪
and ingots
Leather work — — — ” 4,316 543⎭
Lemonade and
194 261 147 ” 28,966 214 Khorassan
fruit syrups
Matches 573 5,127 2,005 ” 221,423 3,616 Birjand, Seistan, Yezd, and
Kerman
Mercery and Khorassan, Afghanistan,
1,276 7,786 4,697 ” 25,266 2,590
hardware Birjand, and Seistan
Minerals not
98 45 16 ” 3,679 61 Khorassan
specified
Musical
— — — ” 410 269 Khorassan and Birjand
Instruments
Oil—
Afghanistan, Khorassan,
Petroleum 14,847 14,618 14,375 ” 4,007,985 19,619
Birjand, Seistan, and Yezd
Other 14 37 248 ” 17,889 153 Khorassan
Papers and Khorassan, Afghanistan,
1,123 1,928 1,044 ” 71,189 1,908
wares thereof Birjand, and Seistan
Printed matter — — 110 ” 5,480 270⎫
⎬Khorassan
Provisions 4 7 2,217 ” 6,819 120⎭
Comes from Resht in Persia
via Enzeli and Krasnovodsk
Rice — 4,247 3,682 ” 2,329,587 22,878
to Khorassan, Afghanistan,
Rope, &c. 87 89 134 ” 8,769 164 Khorassan
Rubber goods — — 5 ” 3,195 532 Khorassan, Afghanistan,
Birjand, Seistan, Yezd, and
Kerman
Silk, raw 72 332 515 ” 4,830 1,630 Khorassan and Yezd
Skins
Untanned 50 633 921 ” 11,206 585⎫
Other 1,748 2,074 1,532 ” 23,713 1,186⎬
Soap 101 88 187 ” 9,322 352⎭
Khorassan, Birjand, and
Spices — 448 92 ” 531 40
Seistan
Spirits 187 227 469 ” 6,176 245⎫
Stones, ⎬Khorassan
precious and — — — ” 2,782 73⎭
other
Sugar—
Loaf 107,032 118,422 132,090 ” 12,696,665 107,978⎬
Other 19,259 26,203 38,444 ” 4,330,320 37,694⎭
Largely Indian tea. Khorassan,
Tea 961 925 353 ” 110,949 7,937 Afghanistan, Birjand, and
Seistan
Thread—
Cotton 222 356 177 ” 8,457 604⎫
Imitation gold 1,325⎬
1,112 — — ” 7,326 Birjand, Seistan, Yezd, and
and silver
Kerman
Other 449 3,565 610 ” 169 66⎭
Tissues—
Cotton 70,305 115,799 65,521 ” 1,682,447 604⎫
Silk 1,498 3,978 997 ” 1,245 1,175⎬ Khorassan, Afghanistan,
Birjand, Seistan, Yezd, and
Woollen 1,405 2,548 3,361 ” 17,383 4,175⎪ Kerman
Other 476 2,600 — ” 2,009 296⎭
Tobacco and
2,345 1,794 3,634 ” 54,113 3,120 Birjand, Seistan, Yezd, and
cigarettes
Kerman
Vehicles 82 410 653 Number 111 844 Khorassan
Vegetables and
vegetable — — — Lbs. 28,048 1,134 Khorassan and Birjand
substances
Watches 139 47 79 Number 83 146 Khorassan and Afghanistan
Wearing Khorassan, Birjand, and
1,145 1,350 842 Lbs. 3,811 1,223
apparel Seistan
Wines 98 127 297 ” 3,211 95 Khorassan
Wood,
— 126 44 ” 35,516 99 Khorassan and Seistan
manufactured
Miscellaneous 2,523 752 137 ” 293 56
Total £260,844 £341,447 £316,642 — — £405,028
APPENDIX VII
return of articles exported from khorassan to russia
during the period march 21, 1903, to march 20, 1904,
compared with 1900-03
Value. 1903-04.
Articles. Remarks.
1900-01. 1901-02. 1902-03. Quantity. Value.
£ £ £ £
Included in “Fruits,
Almonds and dried”; separate
3,017 1,166 1,639 — — —
pistachio nuts figures not
obtainable
Animals—
Camels 540 — 94 Number 8 46
Cattle 1,719 7,913 13,702 ” 5,764 8,496
Donkeys — — 19 ” 14 18
Horses — — 136 ” 43 199
Sheep 429 2,008 1,905 ” 22,879 8,434
Unspecified 2 201 313 ” 8,947 178 Poultry, &c.
Animal products,
— — — Lbs. 38,590 505
crude
Butter and other
— 3 — ” 2,919 114
edible fats
For Constantinople,
Carpets 20,855 15,600 32,958 ” 66,125 6,233 American, and
European markets
Exported chiefly from
Charcoal 15 — 134 ” 421,512 928
Sarakhs district
Chiefly basins, ewers,
Copper-work — — 317 ” 1,846 149
and trays
Some for European,
Cotton, raw 162,318 74,330 121,906 ” 10,839,589 196,081 greater part for
Russian, markets
Drugs 270 212 245 ” 4,921 135
Chiefly henna and a
dye made from the
Dyes 2,783 1,918 1,999 ” 89,245 1,280 pistachio-tree and
used for dyeing
skins
Earthenware and
146 61 35 ” 1,547 99
crockery
Fodder — — 23 ” 132,392 91
Fruits, dried and fresh 5,219 10,281 2,966 ” 10,244,286 54,716[47]
Glassware 16 1 40 — — —
Gold and silver work — — 6 Lbs. 2 30
Grain 696 765 2,378 ” 33,365 163
Gums 279 14 151 ” 13,462 181
Gut 233 627 195 — — —
Entered as “Animal
Indigo 717 352 241 Lbs. 761 53
products, crude”
Iron, manufactured 39 11 580 ” 1,243 73 Entirely Indian
Mercery and
365 1,823 656 ” 9,438 1,859
hardware
Minerals, not specified 273 418 57 ” 1,287 74
Oils 128 286 89 ” 1,950 24
Opium 36 6,681 2,975 ” 18,532 8,553
Precious stones 492 595 5,592 ” 1,638 4,597 Principally turquoises
Provisions, fresh and
96 37 302 ” 15,457 1,245
preserved
Included in “Fruits,
dried”; separate
Raisins 2,948 20,483 37,041 — — —
figures not
obtainable
Rope, &c. 6 51 37 Lbs. 130 4
Chiefly from
Shawls 12,763 16,579 12,833 ” 45,065 6,134 Khorassan, some
from Kerman
Silk, raw 361 204 278 ” 72,326 5,074
Skins—
Untanned 29,006 26,466 18,951 ” 1,841,815 48,164
Other 2,270 6,070 3,448 ” 29,029 1,509
Spices 914 443 240 ” 32,050 684 Almost entirely Indian
Sugar—
Loaf — — 1,029 ” 114,862 1,302
Other 326 2,683 71 ” 41,757 293
Tea 25,197 34,062 10,255 ” 170,840 11,569 Entirely Indian tea
Thread—
Cotton 201 340 56 ” 345 21
Silk 211⎫ ⎧425 ” 1,547 561
⎬480⎨
Wool 10⎭ ⎩ 59 ” 13,429 218
Timber 106 38 175 ” 460,025 320
Tissues—
Chiefly turbans.
Cotton 15,721 21,110 13,703 ” 142,578 12,615 Coarse locally made
cloth
From Khorassan
Silk 3,540 10,129 11,255 ” 460,764 28,030 chiefly, but also from
Yezd and Kerman
Woollen 291 1,874 2,853 ” 27,399 5,253
Other 39 199 — — — —
Tobacco and
462 152 181 Lbs. 559 36
cigarettes
Vegetables and
vegetable — — 1,929 ” 893,009 5,372
substances
Wearing apparel 1,032 372 1,403 ” 11,025 1,167
Woodwork — — — ” 7,781 154
Largely Afghan wool,
Wool 62,770 34,498 68,121 ” 5,477,771 104,166 vide “Imports from
Afghanistan”
Miscellaneous 1,078 3,415 170 ” 1,378 52
Total £359,935 £304,951 £376,166 — — £527,252
[47] Chiefly raisins.
APPENDIX VIII
return of articles exported from afghanistan to khorassan
and seistan during the period march 21, 1903, to march 20,
1904, compared with 1900-03
Value. 1903-04.
Articles. 1900- 1901- 1902- Remarks.
Quantity. Value.
01. 02. 03.
£ £ £ £
Almonds and Included in “Fruits, dried”; separate
404 3,297 1,479 — — —
pistachio nuts figures not obtainable
Animal
products, 22 68 25 — — —
crude
Decrease of importation in 1903-
Butter and other
2,070 14,100 6,486 Lbs. 38,318 1,231 1904, due to mortality among the
fats
sheep owing to drought
Camels — 188 351 — — —
Carpets 1,291 1,091 2,524 Lbs. 18,857 1,285
Cattle — — 357 — — —
Cotton, raw 18 388 358 Lbs. 57,779 1,061 Re-exported to Russia
Drugs 1,759 741 1,189 ” 78,072 1,742 Partly Indian
Fruits, fresh and
16 171 15 ” 69,999 607
dried
Grain 594 889 671 ” 4,355 56
Gum 5 — 21 ” 131 7
Horses — 33 1,116 — — —
This is entirely indigo come through
Indigo 77 161 231 Lbs. 6,747 720
Afghanistan from India
Iron,
— — 17 ” 3,419 58
manufactured
Leather work — — — ” 208 58
Mercery and
229 819 391 ” 2,399 400
hardware
Oils 47 118 — — — —
Decrease due to heavy increase of
Opium 682 865 197 Lbs. 104 46
duty under new tariff
Packing These are woollen sacks for
164 630 1,015 — — —
materials packing wool, &c.
Provisions — 436 650 Lbs. 28,756 285
Raisins 1 440 201 — — — Included in “Fruits, dried”
Rice 5,791 5,737 2,426 Lbs. 74,302 731
Rope — 43 24 — — —
Decrease due to mortality among
Sheep — 2,039 12,223 Number 8,388 2,048
the sheep
Skins—
Tanned 3,493 1,635 8,638 Lbs. 11,363 833 These are chiefly postins (sheep-
skin coats)
Untanned 1,548 1,640 7,526 ” 324,617 8,235 Large part re-exported to Russia
Spices 24 1,347 305 ” 87,126 1,060 Come chiefly from India
Thread 62 113 702 ” 2,783 380
Tissues 1,062 1,703 774 ” 6,815 271
Tobacco 230 307 174 ” 1,762 22
Wearing apparel 781 1,184 1,120 ” 1,534 275
Re-exported to Russia, and to
Wool 11,245 29,156 45,113 ” 3,240,692 90,366 United Kingdom and America via
Russia
Miscellaneous 37 420 156 ” 80 3
Total £31,652 £69,759 £96,475 — — £111,780
APPENDIX IX
return of articles exported from khorassan and seistan to
afghanistan during the period march 21, 1903, to march 20,
1904, compared with 1900-03
Value. 1903-04.
Articles. 1900- 1901- 1902- Remarks.
Quantity. Value.
01. 02. 03.
£ £ £ £
Animal
products, — — — Lbs. 12,670 196
crude
Camels — — 120 Number 7 43
Candles 50 32 139 Lbs. 4,713 154 Entirely Russian candles
Carpets — — 28 ” 12,428 989
Cattle — — — Number 8 15
Chemicals — — 67 Lbs. 2,425 52
Copper in bars — — 2 ” 1,950 27⎫ Comes from Russia and is made into trays,
water vessels, &c., in Khorassan and
” work — — 125 ” 9,562 475⎭ exported to Afghanistan
Drugs 39 120 158 ” 12,883 228
Dyes 5 298 205 ” 3,003 27
Earthenware
71 27 197 ” 3,081 96 Comes from Russia
and crockery
Fruits, fresh
36 23 145 ” 24,649 192
and dried
Glass, mirrors, 40⎫
— — 166 ” 2,340
&c. ⎬Comes entirely from Russia
Glassware 102 2 170 ” 11,213 364⎭
Gold and silver
— — 39 ” 5 34
work
Grain 1 — 2 ” 14,359 73
Lamps, boxes in wood and metal, needles,
Hardware 248 515 1,324 ” 17,986 1,248 &c., buttons and beads; mostly from
Russia
Horses — — 19 Number 34 115
Indian. Export ceased owing to heavy
Indigo 72 71 572 — — —
customs duty in Persia
Iron in sheets, 229⎫
260 152 38 Lbs. 28,900
&c. ⎬Comes entirely from Russia
” and steel, 151⎭
108 128 101 ” 5,259
manufactured
Leather-work — — — ” 1,287 120 Both Russian and Indian
Oil— ”
Petroleum 31 27 428 ” 137,163 818 Entirely from Russia
Other — — 273 ” 3,553 87
Paper 10 106 102 ” 780 15 Chiefly Russian
Provisions — — 162 ” 1,346 8 Butter, flour, and salt
Sheep — 2 4 Number 1,067 195
Silk, raw 66 — 96 Lbs. 2,977 1,580
Skins— ”
Furs — — — ” 13 33
Tanned and
100 180 54 ” 1,742 91
untanned
Spices 255 524 801 ” 20,753 602 Almost entirely from India
Sugar— ”
Loaf 3,747 — 4,925 ” 615,180 7,743⎫
⎬Entirely Russian
Other 1,982 450 2,600 ” 357,494 4,751⎭
Tea 1,155 802 1,898 ” 1,112 88 ndian green tea
Thread— ”
Cotton — 144 266 ” 3,458 182
Imitation gold — ⎫ 9
⎬ ⎧ ” 533 115
and silver
601⎨
Silk 42⎭ ⎩2,547 ” 423 175
Tin and lead in
— — 51 ” 2,301 192 Russian
ingots
Tissues— ”
Cotton 9,588 12,713 24,550 ” 387,777 29,792 Chiefly Russian
Silk — 622 1,865 ” 9,065 4,635 ” Persian
Woollen 5,102 336 97 ” 17,108 2,843
Turquoises — — — ” 384 591
Vegetables — — — ” 4,589 117
Two Russian carriages exported for
Vehicles — — 24 Number 2 84
Commander-in-Chief, Herat
Wearing
2 162 94 Lbs. 2,460 221
apparel
Wood,
— 4 63 ” 1,755 37
manufactured
Miscellaneous 215 204 129 ” 468 40
Total 23,287 18,245 44,655 — — 59,903
APPENDIX X
return of articles exported from india to khorassan via the
seistan route during the period march 21, 1903, to march 20,
1904
Value. 1903-04.
Articles. Khorassan and Seistan. Khorassan only.
1900-01. 1901-02. 1902-03. Quantity. Value.
£ £ £ Lbs. £
Camels — — 246 — —
Candles — 115 19 — —
Drugs 9 150 45 — —
Dyes — 32 21 — —
Earthenware and crockery — 83 35 1,750 37
Fruits, dried 2 — 389 — —
Glassware — 1,508 34 — —
Indigo 1,825 8,226 3,575 47,097 5,531
Iron and brass in bars and sheets — 96 3 1,120 64[48]
Leather work — — — 3,250 409
Machinery — — 121 — —
Mercery, &c. — 2,487 840 3,350 2 9[49]
Provisions, preserved — 113 69 — —
Rice — — 102 — —
Skins 89 195 721 10,925 1,463[50]
Spices — 556 183 7,345 236
Sugar — 64 131 — —
Tea — 9,011 434 79,579 4,134[51]
Thread (cotton) and yarn — 2 101 6,500 818
Tissues— —
Cotton — 4,427 3,281 — —
Silk — 155 — — —
Woolen — 206 109 — —
Tobacco — 83 109 840 74[52]
Wearing apparel — 245 464 — —
Wines — — — 728 49
Miscellaneous — 148 71 227 26
Total £1,925 £27,902 £11,103 — £13,060
[48] Entirely brass sheets used for manufacturing tea-urns.

[49] Chiefly palm-leaf fans.
[50] Largely fox-skins, which are mostly re-exported to Russia.
[51] Of this, £517 worth was green tea and the rest black.
[52] Entirely snuff.
APPENDIX XI
return of articles exported from khorassan to india via the
seistan route during the period march 21, 1903, to march 20,
1904
Value. 1903-04.
Articles. Khorassan and Seistan. Khorassan only.
1900-01. 1901-02. 1902-03. Quantity. Value.
£ £ £ Lbs. £
Almonds and pistachio nuts 261 44 37 ” 87,750 1,039[53]
Butter (ghi) — 1,039 — ” — —
Carpets — 134 273 ” — —
Copper, brass, and nickel work (tea-urns) — — — ” [54] 10
Drugs 153 507 316 ” — —
Earthenware and crockery — — 32 ” 700 94
Fruits, dried — 62 8 ” 10,400 87[55]
Grain — — 179 ” — —
Horses 862 2,493 3,631 Number 192 1,792
Mules 338 162 — ” — —
Silk, raw — — — Lbs. 312 218
Skins, untanned — — 429 ” — —
Tissues— ”
Cotton 50 — 55 ” — —
Silk 1,255 2,046 7,336 ” 7,598 3,658
Woollen — 2 106 ” — —
Turquoises — — — ” 180 326
Miscellaneous — 179 32 ” — 32
Total £2,919 £6,668 £12,434 — £7,256
[53] Almonds only.

[54] Not stated.
[55] Plums.
APPENDIX XII
trade value of the seistan route compared with competing
routes
By the—
Trebizond-Tabriz- Baghdad-Kermanshah-
Year Quetta-Seistan Route. Bunder Abbas Route.
Teheran Route. Teheran Route.
Imports. Exports. Total. Imports. Exports. Total. Imports. Exports. Imports. Exports.
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £
1900-
1,925 2,919 4,844 [57] [57] — [57] [57] [57] [57]
01[56]
1901-
27,902 6,668 34,570 85,813 [57] — 18,060 — [57] [57]
02[56]
1902-
11,103 12,434 23,537 108,319 [57] — — — [57] [57]
03[56]
1903-
13,060 7,256 20,316 80,261 38,165 118,426 21,780 — 20,800 —
04[58]
[56] For Khorassan and Seistan.

[57] Not recorded.
[58] For Khorassan only.
APPENDIX XIII
agreement between the united kingdom and japan
Signed at London, August 12, 1905
Preamble.
The Governments of Great Britain and Japan, being desirous of
replacing the Agreement concluded between them on January 30,
1902, by fresh stipulations, have agreed upon the following Articles,
which have for their object—
(a) The consolidation and maintenance of the general peace in
the regions of Eastern Asia and of India;
(b) The preservation of the common interests of all Powers in
China by ensuring the independence and integrity of the Chinese
Empire and the principle of equal opportunities for the commerce
and industry of all nations in China;
(c) The maintenance of the territorial rights of the High
Contracting Parties in the regions of Eastern Asia and of India, and
the defence of their special interests in the said regions:—
Article I.
It is agreed that whenever, in the opinion of either Great Britain or
Japan, any of the rights and interests referred to in the preamble of
this Agreement are in jeopardy, the two Governments will
communicate with one another fully and frankly, and will consider in
common the measures which should be taken to safeguard those
menaced rights or interests.
Article II.
If by reason of unprovoked attack or aggressive action, wherever
arising, on the part of any other Power or Powers either Contracting
Party should be involved in war in defence of its territorial rights or
special interests mentioned in the preamble of this Agreement, the
other Contracting Party will at once come to the assistance of its ally,
and will conduct the war in common, and make peace in mutual
agreement with it.
Article III.
Japan possessing paramount political, military, and economic
interests in Korea, Great Britain recognises the right of Japan to take
such measures of guidance, control, and protection in Korea as she
may deem proper and necessary to safeguard and advance those
interests, provided always that such measures are not contrary to
the principle of equal opportunities for the commerce and industry of
all nations.
Article IV.
Great Britain having a special interest in all that concerns the
security of the Indian frontier, Japan recognises her right to take
such measures in the proximity of that frontier as she may find
necessary for safeguarding her Indian possessions.
Article V.
The High Contracting Parties agree that neither of them will,
without consulting the other, enter into separate arrangements with
another Power to the prejudice of the objects described in the
preamble of this Agreement.
Article VI.
As regards the present war between Japan and Russia, Great
Britain will continue to maintain strict neutrality unless some other
Power or Powers should join in hostilities against Japan, in which
case Great Britain will come to the assistance of Japan, and will
conduct the war in common, and make peace in mutual agreement
with Japan.
Article VII.
The conditions under which armed assistance shall be afforded by
either Power to the other in the circumstances mentioned in the
present Agreement, and the means by which such assistance is to
be made available, will be arranged by the Naval and Military
authorities of the Contracting Parties, who will from time to time
consult one another fully and freely upon all questions of mutual
interest.
Article VIII.
The present Agreement shall, subject to the provisions of Article
VI., come into effect immediately after the date of its signature, and
remain in force for ten years from that date.
In case neither of the High Contracting Parties should have
notified twelve months before the expiration of the said ten years the
intention of terminating it, it shall remain binding until the expiration
of one year from the day on which either of the High Contracting
parties shall have denounced it. But if, when the date fixed for its
expiration arrives, either ally is actually engaged in war, the alliance
shall, ipso facto, continue until peace is concluded.
In faith whereof the Undersigned, duly authorised by their
respective Governments, have signed this Agreement and have
affixed thereto their Seals.
Done in duplicate at London, the 12th day of August, 1905.
LANSDOWNE.
(L.S.) TADASU HAYASHI.

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