NEW HUMANIST VOLUME 122 No5 Tel 0207 436 1151 Fax 0207 079 3588 Email info@newhumanist.org.uk Editorial Offices 1 Gower Street, London WC1E 6HD

Editor Caspar Melville Commissioning Editor Laurie Taylor Associate Editor Sally Feldman Editorial Assistant Paul Sims Designer Nick McKay Cover, illustrations Martin Rowson Cartoons Judy Walker Subscription manager Judith Walker Subscription enquiries judith.walker@newhumanist.org.uk Tel 0207 436 1171 Advertising jamie@cabbell.co.uk Website www.newhumanist.org.uk ISSN 0306-512X

Published by the Rationalist Association RA President Jonathan Miller Vice presidents Baroness Susan Greenfi eld, Paul Kurtz, Laurie Taylor Honorary associates David Aaronovitch, Peter Atkins, Lord Birt, Harold Blackham, Colin Blakemore, Alan Brownjohn, Colin Campbell, Philip Campbell, Noam Chomsky, Bernard Crick, Helena Cronin, Richard Dawkins, Sanal Edamaruku, Paul Edwards, Ekow Eshun, Winston Fletcher, Michael Foot, AC Grayling, Stuart Hall, Tony Harrison, Simon Heff er, James Hemming, Christopher Hitchens, Eric Hobsbawm, Richard Hoggart, Ted Honderich, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Sir Ludovic Kennedy, Richard Leakey, Sir Michael Levey, Sir John Maddox, Haydn Mason, Edwin Mullins, Conor Cruise O’Brien, John Postgate, Claire Rayner, Amartya Sen, David Starkey, Ralph Steadman, DJ Stewart, Ian Stewart, Claire Tomalin, David Tribe, Baroness Turner of Camden, Arnold Wesker, Francis Wheen, Lewis Wolpert

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REGULARS 3] Editorial The perils of partition 6] Parish news 8 ] Yours sceptically Readers’ letters 28] The whiting on the wall Chris Maslanka’s quiz

46] Endgame Laurie Taylor is faking it

FEATURES 12] Only joking Jonathan Miller and guests on how humour makes us human

18] Forced Labour Slavery is on the rise in Britain, says Rahila Gupta

20] Ban the bombers? Should we be worried about radical Islam on campus? asks Paul Sims 24] Out of this world Why is fantasy taking over our TV screens? Natalie Haynes unravels a mystery 26] When worlds collide Scientists must not indulge mysticism, argues Yves Gingras 30] Virtue rewarded Virgins of the world unite, says Sally Feldman. You have nothing to lose 34] God slot Thought for the Day should open up to humanists, says David Hendy 36] Secrets and lies Survivors of abuse in religious schools are finally making their case, reports Francis Beckett

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