Rites & responsibilities
The appalling case of Kristy Bamu, tortured to death for being a witch, suggests belief in malign spirits is becoming widespread in Britain. Sarah Ditum explores what is being done…
Human Rights & Ethics
Cult following
Exploitative religious fringe groups are on the rise in the UK. What should we do about it? James Gray reports
Purring sycophants with an agenda
Gods, devils, self-centred ingrates? Ralph Steadman decodes the aloof allure of cats
Never ending story
Helen Bamber has been listening to the victims of torture, cruelty and genocide for more than 60 years, but she retains her faith in humanity. Caspar Melville meets her
Saint for all seasons
The front runners are men, but could a woman born more than half a millennium ago hold the key to the French elections? asks Sally Feldman
How I became the poster-boy for polygamy
In their increasingly desperate fight against equal marriage, Christian campaigners will use any argument to mask their homophobia. Which is why they're holding me up as the figurehead of an…
Phony war
A motley minority of moralists have launched an assault on British secularism. Bad move, says Paul Sims
The growing threat to abortion rights
Nadine Dorries may have suffered defeats in Parliament, but the anti-choice lobby continues gain in strength, warns Sarah Ditum
The triumph of Rushdie’s censors
The response to the latest threats against Salman Rushdie shows that we have become dangerously accustomed to the erosion of free speech, says Kenan Malik
How to defend free speech
With the persecution of Salman Rushdie, the continuing furore over ‘offensive cartoons’, and polluters, dictators and terrorist bagmen using British libel law to shield their misdeeds from public scrutiny, the…