New Humanist - January/February 2007

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IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURES

14SEXUAL CLEANSING Islamist death squads are targeting Iraq’s gays and lesbians. Peter Tatchell tells their story

22LOSING OUR RELIGION Don’t let anyone convince you religion is on the rise in the UK. Andrew Copson on a new poll

24LOVE,LIFE,GOETHE Poet,novelist,politician: the great German writer had a lust for life,writes John Armstrong

26SEALED WITH A KISS Sally Feldman looks forward to Valentine’s Day

30WHO TURNED OFF THE LIGHT? Many core ideas of the Enlightenment originated in the Islamic world,says Abdelwahab Meddeb

32BLUES AND THE NATURAL TRUTH Marybeth Hamilton on the lonely passion of the record collector

16GENTLE ROTTWEILER Richard Dawkins talks to Laurie Taylor about the reception of his best-selling atheist bible The God Delusion

BOOKS

34MICHAEL BINYON visits the Victorian spiritualists with Deborah Blum

PHILIP WOMACK is unilluminated by Richard Powers

BILL THOMPSON investigates bio-computing with Martyn Amos

DANIEL MILLER reconsiders post-structuralism with Peter Dews

JIM HERRICK dances the amalgamation polka with Stephen Wright

COVER STORY

8 ROGUE STATE The Pope is a malign influence,so let’s abolish the Vatican,says Fred Halliday

Opportunities at New Humanist – see inside back cover

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