“We attended one of the largest gatherings of atheists and freethinkers in the world, Celebrating Dissent. An event with a very special tone – the aggression against Salman Rushdie on everyone’s minds. More than ever, these atheists wanted to show that they are more and more numerous and determined to win the battle against obscurantism.” – Charlie Hebdo, 24 August 2022

Celebrating Dissent 2022, held in Cologne, Germany on August 20-21 2022, to coincide with International Apostasy Day, was an extraordinary event with over 50 exceptional speakers from 30 countries worldwide.

The two-day event is the largest gathering of ex-Muslim and freethought organizations and activists celebrating dissent and freedom. It was organized by the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and Freethought Lebanon.

Celebrating Dissent 2022 included speeches, discussions, poetry, theatre, film, music and art and a march through Cologne City Centre in support of the courageous Salman Rushdie.

At the opening of the conference, Sami Abdallah, President of Freethought Lebanon, said: “we stand for ideas and words while they stand for daggers and guns; we stand for humour and satire while they stand for state sponsored incitement to murder… We are the future, and they are the past.”

Also at the opening, Maryam Namazie, Spokesperson of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, called the ex-Muslim movement the “new civil rights movement of our times” and said: “[Salman Rushdie] is not the first nor will he be the last. The best of our best, cut down by the likes of the Iranian regime (directly responsible for Rushdie’s attack), by fundamentalists of all stripes and by, of course, inhuman ideologies… As Chilean poet Pablo Neruda said, however, ‘You can cut all the flowers but you cannot stop the Spring’.

Receiving a standing ovation, Scientist Richard Dawkins was interviewed by Maryam Namazie and awarded the Freethought Champions Award. He described the ex-Muslim movement as “one of the most important political movements of our time“.

Iranian atheist Soheil Arabi who was on death row for blasphemy and is currently in internal exile after 8 years in prison in Iran was awarded the Freethought Champions Award. In his acceptance video, he said: “I have no regrets that I have been in prison for 8 years, despite the fact that I have lost my health because I think we have paved the way collectively together for liberation. I am a drop in this sea and glad to be part of the society of enlightenment. Algerian secularist Marieme Helie Lucas also won the Freethought Champions Award.

MCed by Fariborz Pooya and Veedu Vidz, discussions during the two days included topics such as: Atheists and the Human Right to Protection, Asylum and Apostasy Workshop for ex-Muslims asylum seekers, Hijab, Bodily Autonomy and Women’s Rights, Blasphemy, Islamophobia and Free Expression, On Gods and Religious Morality, Terror, Trauma and Survival, The Ex-Muslim Movement, Identity Politics, Racism and Fundamentalism, and Creativity in Challenging Fundamentalism and Defending Secularism.

Celebrating Dissent 2022 adopted resolutions in defence of Salman Rushdie, for an end to Germany’s Code 166, an International Day of Secularism or Laïcité and a Declaration on the Celebration of Dissent.

Media coverage included extensive reporting by Charlie Hebdo. Some coverage:

Cologne : Les mécréants célèbrent Salman Rushdie et préparent l’avenir, Charlie Hebdo, August 24, 2022

Maryam Namazie : « Les islamistes ont peur de nous », Charlie Hebdo, August 24, 2022

Portraits d’Athées : « Pour vivre libre, j’ai dû fuir mon pays », Charlie Hebdo, August 24, 2022

Darum haben sie den Islam verlassen, Celebrating Dissent 2022 in Köln, Bild, August 22, 2022

“Celebrating Dissent 2022” – Ex-Muslims report: That’s why they left Islam, Detail Zero, August 22, 2022

Sri Lanka’s tourism is set to get a new impetus with digital marketing –related inputs for the first time to leapfrog the present setback owing to economic crisis and youth protests for system change , says Tourism Development Authority Chief Priyantha Fernando.

The dollar starved country will be able to overcome the ill effects of the present economic downturn and unfavourable situation for the tourism industry as a result of short sighted and inconsistent policies taken in the past , he added.

The Digital Marketing Association of Sri Lanka (DMASL) has partnered with the Ministry of Tourism to provide consultation and insight on digital marketing to promote tourism in Sri Lanka, he disclosed.

The partnership aims to assist the Tourism Ministry to revitalise and enhance the tourism industry by maximizing its reach and results through digital marketing, which in turn is expected to help alleviate the prevailing forex crisis.

The partnership comes as part of the DMASL’s continuous efforts to drive and promote digital marketing in Sri Lanka’s Government organisations and related institutions.

The Executive Committee of DMASL met with Tourism Minister Harin Fernando and newly appointed Sri Lanka Tourism Brand Ambassador Sanath Jayasuriya recently to strategies how best to implement digital marketing strategies that will help augment the tourism sector in Sri Lanka.

Digital Marketing Association of Sri Lanka President Umair Wolid said: “The DMASL, as Sri Lanka’s official association for digital marketers expects to help Sri Lanka tourism with digital marketing-related inputs via this partnership in a bid to revive the economy.

The Association is also looking at helping Sri Lanka recover from the prevailing forex crisis, and the entire industry is geared up to take on the challenge , he added.

” Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said, “the tourism ministry is confident that digital marketing industry is lucrative and full of amazing talent, who are skilled and capable to help Sri Lanka turn the prevailing economic crisis around and revitalize the tourism industry in Sri Lanka

He said that he looks forward to working with DMASL to help revitalize tourism industry via digital marketing.”

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Priantha Fernando said they will revise the tourist arrival targets in line with the Government’s policy plans.

“We accept the challenging target of 2.5 million arrivals next year, though the target was set at 1.6 million after a thorough analysis of global trends,” he added.

He also said Sri Lanka Tourism has already stepped up its efforts to boost promotions, whilst expediting processes to resolve certain bottlenecks that are critical to wooing visitors.

“We will expand our offerings, especially the up-market products which have not been developed with the support of the industry stakeholders. There is a lot of scope for wellness and marine tourism,” he said.

Fernando said they have identified over 5,500 tourist attractions countrywide and have established Provincial Sustainable Tourism Units targeting all provinces to decentralize tourism development.

As a traditional friendly neighbour of Sri Lanka and a major shareholder of the International Monetary Fund, China has always been encouraging the IMF and other international financial institutions to continue to play a positive role in supporting Sri Lanka’s response to the current crisis .

It will assist the debt ridden country to overcome difficulties and efforts to ease the debt burden and realise sustainable development, the Chinese embassy said in a statement.

The statement said after the Sri Lankan government announced to suspend international debt payments in April 2022, Chinese financial institutions reached out to the Sri Lankan side and expressed their readiness to find a proper way to handle the matured debts related to China.

It has offered help Sri Lanka to overcome the current difficulties a spokesperson of the embassy said adding that China hopes that Sri Lanka will work actively with China in a similar spirit and work out a feasible solution expeditiously.

China is willing to help Sri Lanka cope with the economic crisis plaguing the country, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

Sri Lanka is going through its worst economic crisis in seven decades and the foreign exchange deficit is making it difficult for millions of people to buy food, medicine, fuel, and other necessities.

Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Shu Jueting noted that “China will continue to support Sri Lanka to the best of its ability amid the country’s difficulties so that it can recover its economy as soon as possible and improve the people’s living conditions.”

The Chinese official referred to the China-Ceylon Rice Rubber Pact, signed in 1952, which reflects both nations’ spirit in fighting hegemony and power politics. “We will together maintain a healthy and stable development of relations under our trade agreement,” the spokesperson said

Meanwhile the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Sri Lanka should kick off debt restructuring talks with its bilateral lender China, while the island state’s Government reaches staff level agreement ona bail out loan from the Washington-based fund.

“China is a big creditor and Sri Lanka has to engage proactively with it on a debt restructuring,” IMF’ official said.

The country owes Beijing some $ 6.5 billion in financing including development bank loans and a central bank swap, according to data from the Institute of International Finance (IFF).

The country defaulted on a bond payment debt earlier this year on its $ 12 billion overseas debt with private creditors, as it struggles to pay for imports of basic goods.

An Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program from the IMF, which would be the fund’s 17th plan for the nation, requires countries to make structural economic reforms.

Former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka at midnight yesterday (02) and was received by a group of ministers including members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.

Samagi Jana Balavegaya Member of Parliament Kumara Welgama says that, according to what happened to the former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, he does not think that he will enter politics again.

Kumara Welgama said this while speaking to the media while leaving after the parliamentary meeting yesterday (02).