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The Amsterdam Declaration

In 1952, at the first World Humanist Congress, the founders of Humanists International agreed on a statement of the fundamental principles of modern Humanism.

They called it “The Amsterdam Declaration.”

The Amsterdam Declaration was updated in 2002 and most recently in 2022 in order to reflect the modern realities of our times. This is the opening paragraph:

Humanist beliefs and values are as old as civilization and have a history in most societies around the world. Modern humanism is the culmination 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.

Read more

 

 

The Golden Rule

A cornerstone of Humanist belief is something upon which people of all faiths and beliefs can agree.

The Golden Rule asks you to

treat others as you wish to be treated.

At the United Nations headquarters in New York City, there is a beautiful mosaic that recognises the unifying power of the golden rule.

Read more

 

 

We can't control whether we are rewarded for our endeavours, with cash or recognition.

It is not up to us how much cash or time we get on Earth, but it is down to us how we spend it.

Julian Baggini

 

 

"Surround yourself with people who are good for your soul"

 

Photo by Gary Ellis on unsplash

 

 

Some men see things as they are and say why;

I dream things that never were and say, why not? 

George Bernard Shaw

Bernard Shaw encapsulates a philosophical perspective focused on imagination, innovation and questioning the status quo. 

It encourages a proactive, visionary mindset, contrasting with a more reactive or critical approach.

 

 

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world." 

Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi's teachings, particularly regarding truth and non-violence, drew from various sources and applied them to contemporary issues. He didn't claim to invent new principles but rather sought to apply ancient truths to modern life. This approach aligns with the concept of eclecticism, which involves combining ideas from different sources to create something new.

 

Margaret Mead

“Never depend on governments or institutions 

to solve any major problems.

All social change comes from the passion of individuals.”

 

Margaret Mead was an American anthropologist best known for her studies of the peoples of Oceania. 

She also commented on a wide array of societal issues, such as women's rights, nuclear proliferation, 

race relations, environmental pollution and world hunger.

 

 

"You cannot solve a conflict if you only look at history and who did what to whom.

To solve a conflict you have to look into potential futures.

You have to devise ideas about how these fighting parties can live peacefully with each other."

Jan Oberg, founder of TFF, The Transnational Foundation for Peace & Future Research

www.transnational.org

 

HUMANISM UNITES US ALL, IF YOU BELIEVE IN ONE HUMANITY.

An Atheist comes to the conclusion that there is no god. 

A Humanist thinks this is just the beginning.

What about ethics, morality and justice?

What about Human Rights?

It is our responsibility, regardless of belief,

to cast these principles in stone and make them work for everyone. 

 

 

 

"Picking up this book may seem hard because of the subject matter; putting it down is even harder.

The voices of Gaza’s young writers are so moving and varied and astonishing.

You’ll carry We Are Not Numbers in your heart for a very long time."

Kamila Shamsie

 

"With lovingly crafted words and stories, the authors in We Are Not Numbers open portals in Israel’s apartheid wall, inviting readers into the impossible realities of life under siege in Gaza.

The collective commitment to doing whatever it takes to produce this extraordinary symphony of testimony is evident on every page. This book is a jailbreak - and a miracle."

Naomi Klein

 

Ten years in the making, this collection of real-life stories from Gaza was compiled by Palestinian journalist and writer Ahmed Alnaouq.

You can learn more about the WE ARE NOT NUMBERS project here:

WE ARE NOT NUMBERS

 

 

 

"NEVER AGAIN" MEANS NEVER AGAIN FOR ALL

 

Primo Levi (1919-1987) was an Italian Holocaust survivor and author who wrote about the violence of Nazi concentration camps.

In his 1988 book, The Drowned and the Saved, Levi wrote:

"It is amnesia of the past and the erasure of its victims that allows history to repeat itself"

 

 

We cannot look away when something horrific happens just because it is far away or we think it doesn't affect us. Humans are intrinsically linked to each other, so everything affects us, one way or another. We are not made of stone. We are porous, we are flesh and bone, connected across our filaments of DNA, connected by the same mysterious and magical soul. We breathe the same air, warm by the same fire and walk under the same stars. Our evolution as a species means we live and die together.

We share the same love and we feel the same pain.

We also prove distance to be no object. When we live on the opposite side of the wall to a holocaust, our denial is even stronger. (See the 2023 movie, The Zone of Interest ) The closer we get, the more deluded we become. We turn silent when we hear the screams. Maybe this is why we look away. We can see Gaza every day on our phone and it is the worst thing you will ever see. Yet we cannot allow distance to be an excuse. We can no longer say we didn't know. Everything affects us, even when we turn away.

When it comes to our humanity, there is no distance between us.

The only distance between us is right and wrong.

 

 

IN MEMORY OF REFAAT ALAREER

Writer, poet, professor and activist,

martyred by an Israeli airstrike on 7th December 2023 in Gaza.

"During and after Israel's 2014 assault on Gaza, voices within and outside Gaza bore powerful witness to the Israeli attacks - and to the effects of the crushing siege that continued to strangle Gaza's people long thereafter. REFAAT ALAREER and LAILA EL-HADDAD are distinguished Palestinian writers and analysts from Gaza. In Gaza Unsilenced they present reflections, analysis, and images - their own, and those of many other contributors - that record the pain and resilience of Gaza's Palestinians and the solidarity they have received from Palestinians and others around the world. Other contributors include: Ali Abunimah, Ramzi Baroud, Diana Buttu, Jonathan Cook, Belal Dabour, Richard Falk, Chris Hedges, Hatim Kanaaneh, Rashid Khalidi, Eman Mohammed"

BOOK REVIEW FROM GOODREADS.COM

 

Refaat was martyred along with his brother, his brother's son, his sister and four of her children. 

On the 26th April, 2024, the family of Refaat Alareer, the beloved writer, poet and educator who was assassinated by Israel in December, suffered yet more devastating loss when an airstrike killed Refaat's eldest daughter, Shymaa, her husband Muhammad and their 3-month-old son, Abd al-Rahman, less than five months after the murder of Refaat and his family. Baby Abd al-Rahman was the grandchild Refaat never got to meet.

Shymaa and Muhammad had been sheltering with their baby in the HQ of Global Communities, an international relief charity based in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. This multi-generational trauma and loss happens every day to families in Gaza as Israel continues to target civilians, especially children.

The civilian death toll in Gaza is woefully inaccurate. At the time of writing, (28th June 2024), new analysis suggests the number of deaths, directly or indirectly caused by the US-funded genocide on Palestinians, is estimated to be approximately 195,000 people. This number will increase exponentially as famine and disease take hold due to the intentional blockade, the destruction and murder of medical facilties and staff and the lack of shelter, sanitation and medical supplies.

Life in Gaza has become impossible while the world looks on.

You can read more about the devastating number of casualties and victims here

Refaat is survived by his wife and five children.

Rest in peace to all victims of this genocidal war.

 

DONATE TO MEDICAL AID FOR PALESTINIANS

 

Omar El Akkad talks about his new book here:

Democracy Now!

 

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We are Watermelon Pictures, a film production and distribution company rooted in creative resistance.

Our mission is to champion unheard voices, inspire the world to stand up to injustice and imagine our way into a shared, liberated future.

We aim to entertain audiences and enrich the cultural landscape by promoting stories that reflect the perspectives and experiences of Palestinians as well as other marginalized groups around the world.

Watermelon Pictures is more than a distribution label – it is a platform for change.

WATERMELON.COM

SUBSCRIBE TO WATERMELON +

 

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THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS

Wendell Berry

When despair for the world
grows in me
and I wake in the night
at the least sound
in fear of what my life
and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down
where the wood drake
rests in his beauty
on the water,
and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace
of wild things
who do not tax their lives
with forethought of grief.
I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day -
blind stars waiting
with their light.

For a time I rest
in the grace of the world,
and am free.

 

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To the people in Edinburgh,

you can visit HALDEEL on George Street (next door to Tigerlily)

and support Palestinian crafts, producers and writers.

 

 

and discover more about the story of Palestine by visiting

The Palestine Museum on Dundas Street:

 

 

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HUMANISM in SCOTLAND 2026

 

MAKING  MOMENTS  MATTER

 

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worldbeyondwar.org

 

plantbasedtreaty.org

 

 

find support organisations here

 

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PETITION! Urge The City of Edinburgh to follow Toronto and fly the Palestinian flag