Daily media briefing
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Fri, 26 Apr 2024
Exposed: the ‘illegal school’ teaching children conspiracy theories
At a grimy former nightclub pupils are told how to survive a 'plot against humanity'. This is what our undercover reporter saw.
The Times*
Headband was worn in support of Hamas, judge finds
A man has been found guilty of wearing a headband in support of Hamas at a pro-Palestine rally in central London.
BBC
Lack of action on Iran could lead to more threats and attacks in UK, says journalist
A former BBC journalist has said the UK government will "pay a heavy price" for its lack of action against the Iranian regime, which could lead to more "threats" and "operations" in Britain, after the stabbing of an Iranian journalist in London.
The Guardian
Abuse survivors could be paid £660,000 in C of E’s four-stage redress scheme
The Church of England's redress scheme for survivors of abuse will be able to make awards ranging from £5000 to £660,000, it was announced on Thursday evening.
Church Times*
US: Police serve search warrant on New Orleans archdiocese in child sex abuse case
Louisiana state police went into the office of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans on Thursday to begin the process of collecting records from the organization spanning the history of its decades-old clerical abuse scandal, as troopers investigate whether the local church hierarchy illegally covered up systemic child molestation.
The Guardian
Canada: Legacy Christian Academy considering closing its doors in wake of abuse allegations
A controversial Christian school in Saskatoon may close its doors at the end of June in the wake of abuse allegations and ongoing criminal court cases, according to a letter.
CBC
Russian Orthodox Church suspends priest who prayed at Navalny's grave
A Russian Orthodox priest who led a memorial service last month at the grave of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been suspended from clerical duties and ordered to serve three years of "penance".
Premier Christian News
Thu, 25 Apr 2024
Islamic charity warned by regulator after ‘inflammatory and divisive’ sermon
The Charity Commission has issued an official warning to an Islamic charity after it hosted a sermon that discussed party politics and included "inflammatory and divisive" content.
Third Sector
Church of England branded ‘feudal’ landowner in row over leasehold reform
The Church of England has been branded a "feudal" landowner in a row over leasehold reform in the House of Lords.
Independent
Bid to remove Isle of Man bishop's vote takes step forward
Politicians have progressed a bill to remove the bishop's vote from Tynwald, despite the move being branded "bizarre" by the chief minister.
BBC
Couple who ran illegal Park Royal school banned from teaching
A man and woman who ran an illegal secondary school in Park Royal have been banned from teaching.
Kilburn Times
Headband was statement of faith, not pro-Hamas, court told
A man accused of wearing a headband in support of Hamas told police it was a "statement of faith", a court heard.
BBC
Bishop investigated over misleading accounts claim
A charity watchdog is reviewing fresh allegations against Scotland's first female bishop.
BBC
US archdiocese must submit clergy-abuse documents to police
The criminal investigation into child sexual abuse in New Orleans' Roman Catholic archdiocese has entered a major new phase, after a judge ordered the church to turn over records to Louisiana state police showing how it responded to abuse allegations over the last several decades.
The Guardian
Iranian women violently dragged from streets by police amid hijab crackdown
Harrowing first-hand accounts of women being dragged from the streets of Iran and detained by security services have emerged as human rights groups say country's hijab rules have been brutally enforced since the country's drone strikes on Israel on 13 April.
The Guardian
Wed, 24 Apr 2024
Terry Sanderson, 1946-2022: a celebration of his life
Keith Porteous Wood writes about the life of former National Secular Society President Terry Sanderson, a giant of the secularist and gay rights movements, among others, died in June 2022.
The Freethinker
Admission of child sex abuse errors at monk island
Mistakes were made over the handling of child sex abuse allegations at an island inhabited by monks, the woman in charge of safeguarding there has admitted.
BBC
Barking school apologises after pupil put up 'art project' banner calling for hijab to be banned
An Essex school says they are "extremely sorry" after a GCSE student put up a banner which called for hijabs to be banned. The banner was put up by a Year 10 pupil at Greatfields School in Barking as part of an art project, they said.
Essex Live
Police to pay Bristol street preacher's £80,000 legal bill after imposing 'disproportionate' restrictions
The taxpayer is paying an £80,000 legal bill after police chiefs in Bristol agreed they acted 'disproportionately' in trying to restrict the activities of a Christian street preacher who uses a loudspeaker to speak out on controversial subjects.
Bristol Post
Controversial law allowing anti-abortion activists into clinics reaches Italy's Senate
Protests have erupted in Rome after the lower house of Italy's parliament passed new legislation allowing anti-abortion activists to enter abortion clinics.
Euro News
Spain approves plan to compensate victims of Catholic Church sex abuse. Church will be asked to pay
Spain on Tuesday approved a plan aimed at making reparation and economic compensation for victims of sex abuse committed by people connected to the Catholic Church.
Associated Press
Bishop will argue video of his Sydney church stabbing should not be removed from Elon Musk’s X, court hears
The bishop who was allegedly stabbed in his Sydney church last week has written an affidavit for Elon Musk's X arguing video of the attack should not be censored as ordered by the Australian online safety regulator, the federal court has heard.
The Guardian
Tue, 23 Apr 2024
Law Society of Northern Ireland warns Justice Minister over hate crime legislation – NSS quoted
The Law Society has fired a warning shot across the bow of Justice Minister Naomi Long as concerns rise that she may give the PSNI powers to question people about conversations in their own homes under new hate crime legislation.
Belfast News Letter*
Review of ‘A Dirty, Filthy Book’ by Michael Meyer – NSS history
Michael Meyer has produced a splendidly researched and written account of the 1877 trial of Charles Bradlaugh and Annie Besant for republishing the infamous birth control pamphlet The Fruits of Philosophy.
The Freethinker
NI Justice Minister says “no intent to criminalise thought” in proposed hate crime Bill
Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long has insisted there is "no intent to criminalise thought" in a proposed hate crime Bill.
Belfast Live
Muslim MPs urge government to reject Islamophobia definition
Former home secretary Sajid Javid and Labour's Khalid Mahmood, the UK's longest-serving Muslim MP, have urged the government not to adopt a definition of Islamophobia put forward by a parliamentary committee.
The Jewish Chronicle
Outcry as Narendra Modi calls Indian Muslims ‘infiltrators’
Narendra Modi has referred to India's Muslims as "infiltrators" on the general election campaign trail, prompting accusations of using hate to promote his brand of Hindu nationalism.
The Times*
Iran's Israel strike coincided with crackdown on dissent at home, activists say
The same day Iran launched its first ever direct attack on Israel it embarked on a less-noticed confrontation at home, ordering police in several cities to take to the streets to arrest women accused of flouting its strict Islamic dress code.
Reuters*
Netzah Yehuda, the ultra-Orthodox battalion dividing US and Israel
The wild Israeli soldiers from the "Haredi unit" were never punished for the death of the elderly Palestinian-American man they blindfolded, beat and left out in the winter cold.
The Times*
Mon, 22 Apr 2024
Regulator examines whether charitable funds were sent to Hamas-supporting news outlet
The Charity Commission has opened an inquiry into whether charitable funds raised by a sanctioned individual were sent to a news outlet that supports Hamas.
Third Sector
Met Police treatment of Jewish man at protest ‘indefensible’, says government adviser
The government's adviser on political violence and disruption said the Metropolitan Police's threat to arrest a Jewish man at a Palestinian rally is "indefensible."
The Times*
How Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is working to gain a foothold in Britain
Accused of more than a dozen assassination attempts and kidnaps, the IRGC appears to be spreading its influence through groups in the UK
The Times*
Six UK charities which backed IRGC received £700k under furlough scheme
Six British charities that openly supported the feared Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps received hundreds of thousands of pounds from the government under the pandemic furlough scheme.
The Jewish Chronicle
Teaching assistant loses Christmas Grinch award religious discrimination claim
A Muslim teaching assistant who claimed that being given the Christmas Grinch prize at a staff award ceremony amounted to religious discrimination has lost his employment tribunal case.
Shropshire Star
Canada: Trudeau announces halal mortgages to help Muslim Canadians get onto property market
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to introduce 'halal mortgages' in a bid to help Canadian Muslims onto the property market.
Daily Mail
US: Catholic officials in Brooklyn agree to an independent oversight of clergy sex abuse allegations
An independent monitor will oversee the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn's handling of sexual abuse allegations under a settlement between the diocese and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Associated Press
'War against women': Iran ramps up crackdown as regional tensions rage
Executions of convicts, arrests of dissidents and a resurgence in patrols enforcing the obligatory wearing of hijabs: Iran is stepping up repression at home as tensions flare with its arch-foe Israel, activists say.
France 24
Fri, 19 Apr 2024
Funding from the State for church buildings – NSS letter
"Clearly many, but by no means all, churches have architectural, historical and cultural value, and there may be some case for maintaining them. The most obvious source of further funds was, however, omitted: the Church Commissioners for England, who manage the C of E's funds", writes NSS president Keith Porteous Wood.
Church Times*
‘Birbalsingh is right – make schools secular’
"Selecting pupils by faith is bad for social cohesion and should be banned", writes Emma Duncan.
The Times*
Regulator probes sanctioned business owner’s fundraising over ‘pro-Hamas’ links
The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into fundraising activity by a sanctioned business owner over alleged "links to a pro-Hamas media outlet".
Civil Society
The push to decriminalise abortion in Britain heats up
Opening a fresh debate also creates an opportunity for anti-abortion campaigners to push for reform. There are plenty of them in Parliament, where a comparatively high number of MPs are religious.
The Economist*
Abortion is not a right, European bishops tell MEPs
Roman Catholic leaders have strongly criticised a European Parliament resolution demanding that "access to safe and legal abortion" be recognised as a fundamental right throughout the European Union.
Church Times*
Iran morality police arrests dead protester's sister, mother says
The elder sister of Nika Shakarami, a 16-year-old girl who was killed during the 2022 anti-government protests in Iran, has been arrested for allegedly not covering her hair, her family says.
BBC
Voting begins in India’s election with Modi widely expected to win third term
The rise of the BJP has been seen to come at a cost to India's minorities, particularly its 200 million Muslims, who have faced increasing persecution, allegedly discriminatory laws and documented violence by the state and rightwing Hindu outfits affiliated with the BJP.
The Guardian
Sydney church stabbing: police charge 16-year-old boy with terrorism offence
The victim, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, who has a popular online presence and a large following, has previously criticised Islam and the prophet Muhammad in public sermons.
The Guardian
Nigerian woman rescued 10 years after kidnap by Boko Haram in Chibok
Nigerian troops have rescued a pregnant woman and her three children 10 years after she was abducted by Boko Haram militants when she was a schoolgirl in the town of Chibok.
The Guardian
Thu, 18 Apr 2024
Church schools unaffected by Muslim prayer-ban ruling, says Genders – NSS quoted
A ruling that upheld a school's decision to ban prayer rituals does not challenge the principle of freedom of religion or belief, the CofE's chief education officer has said.
Church Times*
Religious groups divided over school prayer ban ruling – NSS quoted
The CofE's chief education officer has backed the ruling. However, Muslim leaders have blasted the decision as 'divisive'.
Daily Mail
Reclaiming free speech in academia – NSS quoted
RA24-E2 requires strong statements of support from an institution for an academic facing death threats because of comments about a particular religion (a wider phenomenon, not only in universities, rightly identified by the National Secular Society as a "de facto blasphemy law").
The Critic
Schools teaching too many religions in RE lessons, Ofsted warns
Watchdog says 'superficially broad curriculum' does not always provide pupils with the knowledge they need.
The Telegraph*
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