Newsline 4 March 2016

Newsline 4 March 2016

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“Denial” in Bradford Council over illegal religious schools

News | Fri, 4th Mar 2016

Naz Shah MP has told Bradford Council that they are in "denial" over unregistered religious schools that are operating illegally.

Her comments came after Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw suggested to council staff that they were being "naive" about the standards of education in the city and after he challenged them over the lack of "intelligence" the council had accumulated on unregistered schools in the area, the Yorkshire Post reported.

The Ofsted chief was so concerned about children in supplementary schools and illegal religious schools that he held a series of three meetings in Birmingham, Bradford and Luton.

In the meeting in Bradford Sir Michael also raised with council staff the significant numbers of children in the city who are 'missing' from the local education system.

Across the country it is thought that thousands of children have 'vanished' from the school system and entered into unregistered religious schools. At the end of 2015 Ofsted announced that it was preparing to prosecute the staff of several unregistered religious schools and Sir Michael warned at the time that "hundreds of children" in England were in unsafe conditions.

Bradford West MP Naz Shah said: "Mr Wilshaw called it naivety. I feel that would be a nice way to put it. I would say that there's some denial here."

In response to their concerns Bradford Councillor David Green said the council was "not aware of any" unregistered and illegal schools.

Despite widespread reporting of concerns about unregistered schools and a recent Department for Education consultation on the regulation of supplementary schools, Councillor Green said "Ofsted are concerned that there is a tendency for groups of parents to get together to jointly educate their children in an establishment or somebody's house, and that would be an illegal and unregistered school - and we are not aware of that happening".

He said he was not in denial or being naive, but was "concerned", and that Bradford had "real challenges" related to child safeguarding.

He conceded Sir Michael's point that "that there were questions about whether we were getting information and intelligence, and acting on that intelligence".

Councillor Green added, "Having seen that information and evidence, if [Ofsted] feel there are any shortcomings in our processes we will act on their advice.

"I am not naive or in denial, I am concerned about it. We need to be clear that Bradford in terms of education and child safeguarding has got real challenges, and we are tackling this issue."

Stephen Evans, campaigns manager of the National Secular Society, said that "across the country it is very clear that a deeply troubling number of students are being denied their right to a proper education, and that many are studying in unregistered schools and in unsafe and unhygienic conditions. We have been warning about this for some time and welcome government plans to tackle this unacceptable state of affairs."

Religion-based Scottish education system needs to adapt to social change, say academics

News | Tue, 1st Mar 2016

A report into the influence of religion in Scottish law has said that Scotland's education system is out-of-step with society, despite progress in other areas in establishing rights for the non-religious.

The new report, produced by three academics under the sponsorship of the Humanist Society Scotland, is described as a "snapshot" of the current position of religion within Scottish law. It has a particular focus on education, the exact position of the Church of Scotland, and marriage.

Of the law as a whole, the authors say that there is "relatively little evidence of current religious influence" despite significant "remnants of earlier systems where religion, generally, and Protestantism and the Church of Scotland more specifically, had much stronger and more clearly defined legal standing".

While these legal remnants were "few", they found that for a secular system "religion is surprisingly present in various aspects of law."

They noted examples of where these holdovers had a direct impact on people – particularly in the education system.

"While parents have the right, currently in terms of the 1980 Education Act, to withdraw their children from religious observance and religious instruction, there is no comparable right for the child to undertake this for her/ himself," they noted.

The authors also argue that there is a case for "scrutiny" of the separation between religious education and other subjects in the timetable. They suggest that the "separation of religious from secular subjects might be an area worth scrutiny for those concerned with the preservation of this longstanding principle."

Despite residual religious privilege in the law the authors argue that "there has been distinct movement to protect the position of those without a religion in a way that had formerly been inadequately considered in Scots law.

"As society and its values have changed, so new freedoms have been envisaged and enacted." But this has not been wholly reflected in the education system.

Given this social change, the report argues that much of the law governing the Scottish education system does not have sustainability. "The legal framework in Scotland is based around a structure of 'non-denominational' and 'denominational' public-funded schools; drawn up in an era (1872 and 1918) when that division matched a perceived social need.

"Since then, a newer social reality has now dawned, manifest in the results of the national censuses of 2001 and 2011 in which there is revealed a large bloc in Scottish society composed of people who have indicated that they do not adhere to any church or religion.

"This group is currently without a clear place in education law (with the exception of the longstanding conscience clause), where the assumption remains that religion is present in all state schools and the choice is simply between 'denominational' and 'nondenominational'."

Aside from education, in a "General Audit" of Scottish law, the authors note that blasphemy is still a common law offence in Scotland – though it has not been prosecuted for over one-hundred years.

Laws to tackle sectarianism and religious hatred were said to be controversial and potentially threatening to freedom of expression. "While the trend through much of Scots law is towards the disappearance of religion as a factor, this is one area where its presence is growing," the authors conclude.

The full report can be read here and a summary here.

See also: Glasgow University investigates impact and extent of religious privilege

Students launch #Right2Debate campaign, as protest planned against NUS no-platform policies

News | Mon, 29th Feb 2016

A student-led free speech campaign supported by the counter-extremism think tank Quilliam is urging for reform of campus debate, as the NUS faces calls from secularists and ex-Muslims to revise 'safe space' policies.

In a statement on the '#Right2Debate' initiative's vision for reforming free speech on campus the group accuses Student Unions of "resorting to censorship and no-platforming" rather than allowing students to challenge extreme views themselves.

The movement calls for extremist speakers to be contested rather than 'no-platformed' and says that "Resorting to censorship should only be done by SUs in the extreme cases that speakers are breaking the law of inciting hatred or violence."

The initiative warns that allowing "extremist and divisive speakers to lecture on university campuses without any challenge means their harmful, but sometimes persuasive, views can contribute to an atmosphere of intolerance" but argues that censorship is the wrong response.

"Banning individuals means compromising free speech and leaving these ideologies uncontested - pushing those wishing to discuss difficult issues towards other platforms and potentially falling under negative influences (for example social media and online forums). The only way to deal with these issues is to empower the campus community through civil dialogue and debate. This means supporting students to challenge extremist and divisive views with the values of mutual tolerance and respect.

"Few disagree that universities should be bastions of free thought and ideas. It is clear that many views can, and do, cause offence and that this can lead to frank discussion. However, this does not, on its own, constitute grounds for censorship. Instead, students need to feel confident that they have the means to counter extremist and divisive views in a safe and civil manner.

"The university environment's greatest asset is its rich tapestry of ideas. Debating these ideas equips students with the capacity to think critically and expand their horizons. They should not be pushed towards conforming to a particular viewpoint."

While students signed up to the '#Right2Debate' scheme are challenging their specific Student Unions to reform and defend freedom of expression, the National Union of Students was strongly criticised by a range of free speech campaigners, including the National Secular Society, for its restrictive free speech policies.

In an open letter the NUS was blasted by campaigners for silencing dissenters "including feminists, apostates, LGBTI rights campaigners, anti-racists, anti-fascists and anti-Islamists – through its use of No-Platform and Safe Space policies."

It was announced that a protest would be held against the NUS on 17 March, with demonstrators calling on the national students' organisation to revise its no-platform policies.

Signatories to the letter include the National Secular Society, the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, One Law For All, Maajid Nawaz, Nick Cohen, Maryam Namazie, Richard Dawkins, Peter Tatchell, editor of Spiked Brendan O'Neill, and the author of the Jesus and Mo cartoons.

"Educational institutions must be a place for the exchange and criticism of all ideas – even those deemed unpalatable by some – providing they don't incite violence against peoples or communities. Bigoted ideas are most effectively defeated by open debate, backed up by ethics, reason and evidence," the letter says.

Bradford imam praises ‘martyr’ who murdered anti-blasphemy law governor

News | Fri, 4th Mar 2016

An influential British imam has praised the killer of the former governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, who was murdered in Pakistan in 2011 after calling for reform of the country's blasphemy laws.

Following the carrying out of Mumtaz Qadri's death sentence for the murder, a post on Facebook by the Bradford based Imam Muhammad Asim Hussain, said it was a "dark day in the history of Pakistan; the day … Mumtaz [Qadri] was wrongfully executed and martyred in the way of Allah, when he did what he did in honour of the Prophet."

Asim is described as a "popular Imam and speaker amongst Muslim youth in the UK" and is the founder of a registered youth charity that aims to give young people a "deeper, more positive awareness of their faith". According to his website he "tirelessly travels throughout the UK to inspire the youth to the way of Islam through his lectures".

Imam Asim told his over 100,000 Facbook followers that the murderer was a "true servant of Allah" and a "lion" of Islam and described him as a "ghazi" – a Muslim fighter against non-Muslims.

Nearly four thousand people 'liked' the post and many commented on it endorsing what the imam had said – though other Muslims challenged him.

One response said "Stop teaching your version of Islam. The Islam I've learned promotes peace and love to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Another response said that "what [Qadri] did was right" while others said the man was not a martyr. Other comments said that the murder was wrong but that Salman Taseer, the secular Muslim governor of Punjab, should have faced some form of punishment in Pakistan's judicial system.

Imam Asim added later that "to honour the Prophet … is the greatest of acts, to dishonour him … is the worst of acts".

Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 by his bodyguard, Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri. Qadri reportedly shot his victim twenty-six times with a sub-machine gun.

The governor had recently spoken out in support of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy.

Friends said that Taseer knew he was endangering his own life by criticising the blasphemy law.

In 2010 Taseer told the BBC that he wanted to see a "liberal" Pakistan rather than a Pakistan of "darkness and persecution and of cutting off hands and cutting off heads."

Stephen Evans, National Secular Society campaigns manager, said: "Salman Taseer was a brave and principled advocate for religious tolerance in Pakistan. Support for his murderer within Britain, and the religious fanaticism it reveals, paints a disturbing picture of the future of free expression and social cohesion. It's clear that freedoms we have long taken for granted are not universally supported and we're going to need a strong civil society response, including from Muslims, against those promoting this sort of religious fanaticism."

Qadri was executed in Pakistan on 29 February 2016 and vast crowds numbering in the tens of thousands attended his funeral to show their support.

A court in Lahore is expected to decide the fate of Asia Bibi on March 26.

Airline to be sued for asking woman to move seats to accommodate Orthodox male passenger

News | Tue, 1st Mar 2016

An 81 year old holocaust survivor is suing El Al airlines after she was asked to move seats because an ultra-Orthodox male passenger said he would not sit next to a woman.

Renee Rabinowitz was seated in the business-class section of a flight to Tel Aviv when a "man in Hasidic or Haredi garb" arrived and refused to sit next to her because contact with women is forbidden under strict interpretations of Jewish law.

A flight attendant offered Rabinowitz an alternative seat but she said that she was treated by the flight attendant as if she was "stupid" when she was asked to swap. The flight attendant spoke to the passenger who made the complaint in Hebrew, meaning Rabinowitz could not understand what was being said.

When the flight attendant was challenged over whether the moves was simply because the man wanted Rabinowitz to move they said "yes".

When Ms Rabinowitz returned to collect her possessions she challenged the other passenger over why it mattered and he answered "it's in the Torah".

Ms Rabinowitz said "For me this is not personal. It is intellectual, ideological and legal. I think to myself, here I am, an older woman, educated, I've been around the world, and some guy can decide that I shouldn't sit next to him. Why?

"When did modesty become the sum and end all of being a Jewish woman?

"The idea of having a Haredi population is wonderful, as long as they don't tell me what to do," she added. She said that members of her family were Haredi.

Campaigners have long sought a legal case against what they see as a spate of similar incidents. The Israel Religious Action Centre told the New York Times that they "needed a case of a flight attendant being actively involved" in moving a passenger and said that the airline had "internalised the commandment, 'I cannot sit next to a woman.'"

The group wrote to the airline stating that Ms Rabinowitz had been pressurised into moving and that asking a passenger to move because of her gender was degrading. They are seeking compensation of around £9000.

The airline said that discrimination against passengers is prohibited.

Read Elsewhere

Separation of Church and State benefits all

Separation of Church and State benefits all

Nick Park, Executive Director of Evangelical Alliance Ireland, writes: "Religions and ideologies are at their best as part of a secular pluralist society where we can all share our faith, or lack of it, on a level playing field. I want the best for my country, and I want the best for my faith, so I thank God for secularism."

NSS Speaks Out

An article in the Economist on Britain's "odd coalition of free-speech advocates" noted the NSS' past successes in campaigning for free speech and the dangers ahead for freedom of expression in the UK. Our executive director Keith Porteous Wood was quoted in the article on the danger posed by 'Extremism Disruption Orders' and our joint Defend Free Speech campaign, run with the Christian Institute and others, was also mentioned by Christian Today.