religion – Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire

Peter Hegseth’s message is one of violence with a religious justification

April 2026

The message of our vigils, the 122nd of which was held on Saturday 4th, is one of peace in the region not violence which seems to be never ending. This is set against the speech (sermon?) given by the Secretary of State for Defense, Peter Hegseth, last week in the Pentagon. Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a conservative network co-founded by the self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. CREC pastors have appeared at Hegseth’s Pentagon services at least three times, including Wilson who preached there in February.

The US Constitution was clear that church and state should be separate. George Washington was himself a devout Anglican and was keen for religious tolerance to be available to all faiths. He and the founding fathers were also keen for the state to be distinct from religion – a lesson they had learned from Europe. Hegseth’s bringing his faith into the political sphere is alarming. In his latest speech he speaks of ‘ … overwhelming violence of action to those who deserve no mercy’ a quote from the Psalms.

Critics such as Ronit Stahl, author of “Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America,” said referring to God in broad language is not unusual in this context. “But the shift towards the specificity of Jesus Christ and therefore Christianity and in Hegseth’s case, a particular form of Protestant Christianity, is new, especially coming from the defense secretary.”

The tone of his speech is troubling and couching it in religious justification especially so. It can be seen here. For many, Christians or no, the appropriation of religious faith to justify the killing and destruction of country which is now largely defenceless is profoundly saddening. The Christian message is based partly on forgiveness not vengeance. The Guardian reported that Pope Leo spoke for many beyond the Catholic church at a Palm Sunday mass in Rome in forcefully rejecting attempts by zealots such as Hegseth to conscript Christianity. “No one can use [Jesus] to justify war,” he said, quoting Isaiah. War-makers’ prayers would go unanswered. “Your hands are full of blood.”

Over 30 attended the vigil and there was a pleasing number of ‘honks’ from passing motorists. A video can be viewed here courtesy of Peter Gloyns.

Sources: PBS, CNN, Air Force Magazine (US), Guardian, HuffPost, The Independent.

Members of the Salisbury group took part in Humanist protest in 2022

February 2024

Pictured: Humanists UK’s #FreeMubarakBala protest outside the Nigerian High Commission, London, 2022. Two members of the Salisbury group can be seen, centre. Picture: Humanists

MPs have raised the case of Mubarak Bala, imprisoned President of the Nigerian Humanist Association, at a debate in Westminster Hall on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Nigeria. The debate was secured by Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party), Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief (APPG FoRB) – of which Humanists UK is a stakeholder.

Humanists UK has been calling for Bala’s release since he was arrested in April 2020. Two years later, Bala was convicted and sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment for posting ‘blasphemous’ content on Facebook following an unfair trial: it was repeatedly delayed and the charges against him were duplicated. Procedural irregularities were rife. Bala remained incarcerated without charge for well over a year. He was denied access to his lawyers and family for an extended period. He was denied medical attention. The Abuja High Court’s ruling that he be released on bail was ignored by Kano State authorities. His case exemplifies the need to abolish blasphemy laws, which intrinsically contravene the right to freedom of religion or belief.

During the debate, Jim Shannon said that he, alongside other members of the APPG FoRB has visited Nigeria in 2022:

‘We used our visit to speak to some of the judiciary and judges in Nigeria… and made a very good case for the release of Mubarak. We thought we had made some headway on that, and the indications coming from the judiciary seemed to say that, but he is still in prison.’

Shadow Foreign Minister Lyn Brown said:

‘I can understand the anxiety about states in Nigeria continuing to imprison people for exercising religious freedoms. We all know the case of Mubarak Bala.’

Humanists UK campaigns for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) around the world, particularly for non-religious people facing persecution. In many countries it is impossible to be openly non-religious. Laws that criminalise blasphemy and apostasy are often the source of such persecution – as they were in Mubarak Bala’s case. The repeal of such laws is therefore a vital step in guaranteeing FoRB for all.

Director of Public Affairs and Policy Kathy Riddick commented:

‘We thank Jim Shannon MP for securing the debate and raising the case of our colleague Mubarak Bala who has been imprisoned simply for expressing his humanist beliefs.

‘The situation for humanists in Nigeria is dire. Blasphemy and apostasy are punishable by death and this is used to falsely justify the social persecution of the non-religious. Particularly worrying is that Nigeria is on the ‘safe country list’ under the Illegal Migration Act, which means that non-religious asylum seekers may face great risks if they are deported there.

‘We continue to call on the government to use all channels available to advocate for the repeal of all blasphemy and apostasy laws, and to secure not only the release of Mubarak, but the release of those convicted or imprisoned under such laws.’