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The Chronicle of the Internaltional Committee to Protect Freethinkers (ICPF)
Brave Minds: The Journey Continues |
| Note for the history of ideas and to present and future readers: |
| Brave Minds is the extension of the journal Mafkar, which I founded in the spring of 2000
as a journal for Free Thought and Human Rights. Three issues were published before my civil
life was deracinated by death threats from Muslim fundamentalists. The cold storms from the
dark realm of Muslim fundamentalism continue to affect my life. Despite the disruption to my life and the fact that I have been forced to become a near-recluse, I have produced several other publications to prove that while the dark winds of religiosity may have succeeded in breaking the social and material aspects of my life, they failed miserably to extirpate my pen or dry out the ink of my ideas. The outpouring of love and caring from my family of the heart, the Canadian Humanists, and other friends worldwide allowed the seeds of ideas to continue to blossom in my heart and mind. Starting with this issue, Mafkar will be transformed in name and mission. Its name will be Brave Minds, because that is more understandable for English-speaking readers than Mafkar, while the essential meaning is retained. Its new mission will be to publish the Chronicle of the International Committee to Protect Freethinkers. The Chronicle will encompass the basic documents of the ICPF. I am solely responsible for choosing the name Brave Minds and for the idea of the chronicle. If it fails, it is because of my demerit. If it succeeds, it is through the virtuous efforts of my friends. The philosophy of Mafkar shall be maintained, continued, and enhanced by this transformation. Hence, I am reiterating the rudiments of its philosophical ideals as they were and still are by: • Re-Asserting its Philosophy of DiaHumanism for Freethought’s Living Issues. • Re-Preserving its Commitment to the Secular Principle of Mosque/State separation, and its Four universal pillars of Humanity not Sacredness, Creative Cogito not Koran, Freedom not Masters, and Dia-/Dialogue not Jihad. It is not enough for any person to claim to be a Humanist, but she/he has to live through (=dia) the ideals of humanism. It is also not enough to be an intellectual with a well-trained Mind, but she/he has to be Brave enough to rationally and critically stand against the age of darkness that is veiling human civilization. If criticizing the Church is the norm against which any freethinker of the Mediaeval Age should be measured, then, by the same token, criticizing the Mosque is the norm against which any freethinker in our age should be measured. It is not enough to have a Mind, but your Mind has to become a Brave Mind to defend the Enlightenment against Darkness. An educated mind without bravery is worse than an ignorant mind without knowledge. Dr. Marvin F. Zayed July 18th, 2004 |
Published by DiaHumanism Institute for Studies in Freethought (DISF)