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Thu, 23 Jan 2020
Tory councillor slammed for saying Jewish faith schools don't need Ofsted 'giving children ideas of homosexuality'
Hackney Conservatives are investigating after a councillor said unregistered Jewish faith schools don't need Ofsted "giving children ideas" about homosexuality or atheism.
Hackney Gazette
‘State education should be secularised’
A letter from the CEO of the Independent Schools Association says state education should be secularised. (Today's page also features a letter from Tim Farron MP criticising efforts to abolish parliamentary prayers.)
The Times (£)
FGM cases identified in Staffordshire
Fifteen new cases of female genital mutilation have been identified in Staffordshire, according to newly-released figures from NHS Digital.
Derby Telegraph
Assisted dying sparks five-hour debate on Isle of Man
A five-hour debate has taken place in the Isle of Man parliament on assisted dying.
Manx Radio
In presidential first, Trump will attend anti-abortion March for Life
The first in-person presidential appearance at an annual anti-abortion event is President Trump's latest gesture of support for a cause dear to his evangelical base.
The New York Times
US Supreme Court hears oral arguments on major religious school choice case
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday for a case that may put to rest decades of debate over government funding for private, religious schools.
Religion News Service
Pakistan suspends film release after religious uproar
Pakistan has suspended the release of an award-winning film, after an Islamist political party objected to its portrayal of a struggling cleric.
BBC
Ten years after Vatican reform, Legion in new abuse crisis
A sexual abuse crisis within a Catholic order has highlighted failings which reach up to the Vatican.
AP News
Wed, 22 Jan 2020
Ofsted boss criticises government for inaction over protests against LGBT+ equality lessons
Ofsted's chief inspector has criticised the government for a lack of action over protests against LGBT+ equality lessons in primary schools, warning that tensions remain "unresolved".
The Independent
'No real progress' in Hackney Council campaign to ensure Jewish faith schools become registered
Children attending unregistered Jewish faith schools will continue to be exposed to an "unacceptable" lack of safeguarding until the government changes the definition of a school, say council bosses in the London borough of Hackney.
Hackney Gazette
Government seeks opinions on same-sex marriage in NI
The government is seeking public opinions on same-sex religious marriage and conversion entitlements in Northern Ireland.
4NI
Scottish Christian charity must pay more than £100k after tribunal ruling
Arbroath Town Mission unfairly dismissed a former centre manager who blew the whistle on it to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, a tribunal judge has ruled.
Third Sector
‘Europe’s far right and India’s Hindu nationalists are getting closer’
An unofficial visit by nationalist European leaders to Kashmir highlights the solidarity of far-right movements across the globe.
Foreign Policy
India's top court gives government more time to explain citizenship law
India's Supreme Court declined calls to suspend the implementation of a new citizenship law which discriminates against Muslims on Wednesday.
Reuters
Most Americans want abortion to remain legal, but back some state restrictions
President Trump wants Roe v. Wade overturned, while many of the candidates vying for the Democratic nomination would seek to codify abortion rights into law. A new poll shines a light on the American public's more complex views.
The Washington Post
Three men fined $400,000 in the UAE for insulting Islam online
Three Sri Lankans who worked as security guards at a local five-star resort in Dubai have been fined and are set to be deported after they insulted Islam online.
StepFeed
Aussie Sikhs and Muslims no longer have to wear a helmet on bikes - while other riders still face fines for cycling without one
Police in Canberra will no longer issue fines to riders who wear a headdress for religious reasons caught riding without a helmet.
Daily Mail Australia
Tue, 21 Jan 2020
'New faith schools will create more division'
If Boris Johnson wants to unite Britain he should be wary of backing a policy that allows discrimination by religion, says Rachel Sylvester in response to council officials' recommendation that a new Roman Catholic primary school in Peterborough be opened.
The Times (£)
Sex education and religious education to be made compulsory in Wales
Parents will no longer have the right to withdraw children from lessons about relationships, sexuality and religion, the Welsh Government has confirmed.
BBC News
Northern Ireland pastor demands right for same-sex couples to hold religious weddings
A Co Antrim church has criticised the new same-sex marriage arrangements, as couples who wish to marry in a religious ceremony are currently "being denied the right to do so".
Belfast Telegraph
We need repair fund, churches tell Government
Representatives from CofE churches have requested a dedicated repair fund from the government to help maintain buildings.
Church Times
Transgender woman ends bid to see her ultra-Orthodox Jewish children
An ultra-Orthodox Jew who left her community to transition from male to female has abandoned a family court fight to see her five children.
The Guardian
Ofsted presses Charedi Jewish school over LGBT-inclusive education
Ofsted said Gateshead Jewish Primary School, now known as Keser Torah Boys' School, did not meet independent school standards because its leadership confirmed that "pupils would not be taught about different sexual orientations or gender identity".
The JC
Teacher Andrew Moffat at centre of LGBT Birmingham schools protests moves to new job
Andrew Moffat faced protests from hundreds of Muslim parents over inclusive education
iNews
Jess Phillips: 'There can be no going back on abortion rights'
Labour leadership candidate Jess Phillips says "for every step forward - from the earliest birth control clinics in the 1920s to the referendum result in Ireland in 2018 - there have been people wanting to pull us backwards."
The Mirror
UK’s failure to ban far-right groups undermines fight against online extremism, report finds
Islamists jailed for three times as long as far-right extremists for online offences, report finds
The Independent
LGBTQ+ hate crimes double in 10 years in Scotland
Last year, according to statistics released under Freedom of Information legislation, there were 1205 crimes recorded by Police Scotland where sexual orientation was an aggravator.
The National
Mon, 20 Jan 2020
New Catholic school in Peterborough set to be approved – NSS quoted
A new Roman Catholic school in Peterborough is set to be approved by the city council, despite vocal opposition.
Peterborough Telegraph
Secular groups 'hugely disappointed' after first state-funded Catholic school in England for 10 years gets go-ahead – NSS quoted
The first state-funded Catholic school in England for over 10 years is set to get the green light.
iNews
‘Church hypocrisy in outing troops’ – NSS letter
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans notes that Catholic clergy were willing to break the seal of confession to 'out' gay and lesbian military personnel, and yet reject the idea of the mandatory reporting of child abuse applying to priests in the confessional.
The Sunday Times (£)
Bradford man jailed for downloading terrorism manuals had 'ISIS ideology'
A man who downloaded guides on how to make explosives has been jailed for more than four years for terrorism offences.
Leeds Live
Edinburgh MP to lead debate at Westminster on assisted dying
Edinburgh West Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine is to lead a debate at Westminster on assisted dying in a bid to keep the issue on the agenda.
Edinburgh Evening News
Review law on assisted dying, says Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner
Existing law on assisted dying does not offer enough protection to potentially vulnerable people, Gwent's Police and Crime Commissioner has warned.
South Wales Argus
Catholic Church opposes gender recognition reform in Scotland
The Catholic Church has called on its congregation to oppose proposed reforms to gender recognition laws in Scotland, which it called "troubling".
Pink News
Worcester Muslim Cemetery 'a risk to city's water' says Environment Agency
Major concerns have been raised over whether the land at a cemetery is suitable to bury people in, with fears coffins could leak into the city's water.
Halesowen News
Offence of blasphemy officially scrapped from Irish law
The offence of blasphemy has been official removed from the Irish constitution.
The Irish Post
‘Trump’s ‘religious freedom’ initiative is mostly a rehash of current law — yet still finds a way to be troubling’
This editorial says President Trump is again trying to score political points with his evangelical supporters by unveiling a "religious freedom" initiative that suggests, cynically, that Christianity in America is under sustained attack and that the federal government must come to its rescue.
Los Angeles Times
US Supreme Court to hear Trump appeal in Obamacare contraception fight
The US Supreme Court has taken up an appeal by the Trump administration seeking to enforce new federal rules allowing employers to obtain religious exemptions from an Obamacare requirement that health insurance that they provide to employees pays for women's birth control.
Reuters
Cult ‘anointed by God’ killed pregnant woman and five of her children in Panama by forcing them to walk through fire, locals say
A religious sect whose members professed to be "anointed by God" forced a pregnant woman and five of her children to walk through fire as part of a cult ritual, according to local residents.
The Independent
Fri, 17 Jan 2020
Rebecca Long-Bailey 'personally' supported stricter abortion rules
Labour leadership candidate told Catholic priests she would ensure their "views are heard".
Huffington Post
Woman obtains 'Jewish divorce' document after launching private prosecution against husband
A woman in London has obtained a get (Jewish 'divorce' document) after launching a private prosecution against her husband, in what lawyers say is a landmark case.
The JC
Jewish faith school's texts 'do not teach respect for women,' Ofsted says
Education inspectorate finds 'parables talked about how to manage women'
The JC
Motion to adopt Islamophobia definition proposed at Hackney Council
If voted through, the motion would commit the Town Hall to endorsing and adopting the definition, as well as speaking out against the rise in recent years of racism targeting "Muslimness or perceived Muslimness".
Hackney Citizen
Retired priest fails to block sex abuse extradition bid
A retired Scottish priest accused of offences against boys at Fort Augustus Abbey School has failed in his bid to block an extradition order.
BBC News
'One year on, it’s clear that the new Irish abortion services have serious limitations'
In so many ways, Ireland's new abortion law is a progressive one. But major limitations have been built into the law.
The Conversation
UN court to rule next week in Rohingya genocide case
The United Nations' top court announced Wednesday that it will issue a decision next week on a request to order Myanmar to halt what has been cast as a genocidal campaign against the southeast Asian country's Rohingya Muslim minority.
AP News
Trump's new aid rules will boost religious organisations at expense of secular counterparts
The Trump administration is proposing new rules that will boost faith-based organisations at the expense of their secular counterparts under the guise of protecting the organisations' religious freedom.
The Independent
'An old debate over religion in school is opening up again'
As the 2020 election approaches in the United States, President Donald Trump is adding school prayer to the list of contentious issues up for debate.
The Conversation
Uganda: Bamasaba leaders warn against forceful circumcision
At least five people have been forcefully circumcised in Mbale town since the beginning of the year.
New Vision
Christian school expels girl ‘after seeing photo of her with rainbow birthday cake’
A Christian school in the US has reportedly kicked out a pupil after she celebrated her birthday with a rainbow cake while wearing a rainbow jumper.
The Independent
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