Daily media briefing
Stay informed with our daily media briefing newsletter. Every weekday morning we'll bring you the most relevant news and updates related to secularism directly to your inbox.
* = Registration may be required to read the article
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*
Cameron backs Bill for Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief
The Bill would put the post of Special Envoy and an office to support their work on a statutory footing.
Church Times*
Nigerian mega-pastor pushing malaria vaccine conspiracy theories
In August last year, he warned in a sermon of "an evil agenda that has been long in the making".
BBC
Once a fringe Indian ideology, Hindu nationalism is now mainstream
Hindu nationalism, once a fringe ideology in India, is now mainstream. Nobody has done more to advance this cause than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of India's most beloved and polarizing political leaders.
AP News
‘I am not a Satanist!’: meet the great blasphemer of contemporary art
One of his best-known sculptural tableaux consists of a wax statue of Pope John Paul II crushed by a meteorite. "Sacrilege!" cried Cattelan's critics, who vandalised La Nona Ora (1999) when it was shown in Poland.
The Telegraph*
Wed, 17 Apr 2024
'A victory for all schools': Katharine Birbalsingh hails High Court prayer ruling – NSS quoted
Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society, said: "Given the disruption experienced by the school, a ruling that the ban on prayer rituals was lawful is welcome."
The Standard
Education Secretary: Prayer policy ruling should give headteachers ‘confidence’ – NSS quoted
"Where the manifestation of religion is deemed divisive or disruptive, a balance must be struck. We're pleased the school's actions have been vindicated", said NSS chief executive Stephen Evans.
Independent
School prayer ban upheld as pupil loses High Court challenge – NSS quoted
Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society, said the case "serves as a useful reminder that claims of religious freedom do not trump all other considerations."
The Times*
Muslim pupil at leading London school loses challenge against ban on prayer rituals – NSS quoted
"Schools should be environments where everyone feels welcomed and valued, but that doesn't mean students have untrammelled religious freedom", said NSS chief executive Stephen Evans.
Daily Mail
Regulators assessing concerns over charities referring to ‘black magic’ and ‘witchcraft’ – NSS quoted
"No charity, religious or otherwise, should be allowed to promote ideology which fuels spiritual abuse", said NSS campaigns officer Alejandro Sanchez.
Civil Society
Scottish church leaders rally against assisted dying legislation
Rev Andrew Downie of the United Free Church of Scotland and Rev Bob Akroyd of the Free Church of Scotland have called on MSPs to oppose Liam McArthur's Bill on assisted dying.
Premier Christian News
‘#BringBackOurGirls fought to keep global attention on Nigeria’s stolen Chibok girls. Ten years on it is still fighting’
"Some have gone on to get their master's and others are working on PhDs. Other girls are now studying in Nigeria. This, for me, is perhaps the biggest achievement of the #BBOG movement. They have scuttled Boko Haram's core task, which is to deny girls education", writes Helon Habila.
The Guardian
Tue, 16 Apr 2024
‘Our son didn’t get into his first choice primary school – because we missed church’
"I explained that I missed attending church one month due to my mother's death but there was no compassion or understanding", says Sarah Atta.
iNews
Ruling due in Muslim student’s High Court challenge against ‘prayer ban’
A high-achieving north London school is set to discover whether a Muslim student has won a challenge against its ban on "prayer rituals".
The Standard
Iran-backed groups ‘tried to intimidate Charity Commission’
Watchdog was branded Islamophobic and targeted by activists including figures at Press TV, a state-funded channel that back Iran's attack on Israel.
The Times*
Man accused of knifing pensioner called Christian convert housemates 'devils’, court hears
The jury has heard how Mr Nouri and Alid had previously fallen out about religion.
Teesside Live
Disclaimer: Links are provided to external websites for information and in the interests of free exchange. We do not accept any responsibility for the content of those sites, nor does a link indicate approval or imply endorsement of those sites.