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Fri, 12 Aug 2022
Government tries to reassure Stamford Hill over regulation of Jewish faith schools
The government has tried to reassure members of the Charedi community that moves to regulate yeshivas are not intended to undermine their religious beliefs.
The Jewish Chronicle
LGBT+ Afghans call on UK to save them from Taliban violence in Pakistan protest
A transgender Afghan has called on the UK Government to offer asylum to members of the LGBT+ community in her country after a year of oppression, rape and violence under the Taliban's rule.
The Independent*
Police Service continues to urge NI victims of alleged abuse in mother and baby institutions to come forward
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is continuing to appeal to victims of "alleged criminality" at mother and baby institutions, work houses and Magdalene Laundries to come forward.
Police Professional
‘Can the Kirk still claim to be the country’s national church?’
A continued insistence on access to schools, local government and a privileged exemption from tax and equality laws will only propagate the public resentment towards the Church of Scotland, says Edinburgh Secular Society's Neil Barber.
The Herald*
‘Why are so many British Muslims getting seduced by Andrew Tate?’
Tate has become a cult-like figure to young men and boys, especially with his horrific views on women and feminism, says Rabbil Sikdar.
The Independent*
US: Louisiana child kicked out of class because parents are same-sex couple
A Louisiana five-year-old was allegedly forced out of her kindergarten class at a religious school because her parents are a same-sex couple.
The Guardian
People who refuse marriage proposals in Chad to be fined
The Higher Islamic Council in the eastern town of Mangalmé has decreed that men must pay £12 and women up to £30 for refusing to marry.
The Telegraph*
Most Pakistanis prefer democracy over theocracy and military rule
An ongoing survey of the Islamabad based Pakistan Institute of Development found the majority favour a democratic system over a religious government without elections.
India Narrative
‘India at 75: dreams of a Hindu nation leave minorities sleepless’
Right-wing calls for the country to be declared a Hindu nation and Hindu supremacy to be enshrined in law are growing rapidly louder, making its 210-million-odd Muslims increasingly anxious about their future.
Mail Online
‘How Indonesian Islamic politics shape mandatory hijab rules and uniform policies in schools’
Since 1990, there have been a growing number of national and regional laws regulating uniforms for Muslim girls and women in Indonesia's education system.
The Conversation
Malta: 'I was scared to even search the word abortion'
Abortion is an imprisonable offence in Malta, with a woman facing up to three years in jail and a doctor up to four - as well as losing their medical license.
BBC
‘LGBTQ+ and the culture of violence in education’
There is not enough emphasis on LGBTQ+ inclusive education policies in schools many different countries, says Namrata Shokeen and Shivani Chunekar.
Psychology Today
Thu, 11 Aug 2022
RSPCA renews calls for ban on non-stunned meat exports from UK
The RSPCA has renewed its calls for a ban on exporting non-stunned meat from the UK, as new figures show that such exports have increased.
Farming UK
Manchester kosher slaughter operation goes into liquidation
Manchester Beth Din has pledged to continue providing fresh kosher meat despite its shechita (religious non-stun slaughter) arm going into liquidation last week.
The Jewish Chronicle
Aine Davis: Alleged fourth IS 'Beatle' arrested in UK on terror charges
A man accused of being part of a notorious Islamic State group cell which murdered hostages, has been arrested on terror charges in the UK.
BBC
Liz Truss campaign hints at U-turn on conversion therapy ban
Liz Truss "hates" her own plan to ban anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, the director of her leadership election campaign suggested last night.
openDemocracy
‘Inside the South Korean “doomsday cult” recruiting young Black Christians in the UK’
When Joshua Adeyemi's bible study leaders eventually told him the name of the church he was attending, he says the information came with a request – do not research it.
The Independent*
‘Why are women being arrested for having abortions in the UK?’
As reports emerge of women facing imprisonment for having abortions in the UK, Olivia Petter examines why they are being punished for something that is their constitutional right.
The Independent*
US: Mother and daughter charged with illegal abortion after Facebook hands over messages
A woman in Nebraska has been charged with helping her teenage daughter obtain an illegal abortion after Facebook turned over private messages in which they discussed using medication to terminate the pregnancy and plans to burn the foetus.
The Times*
‘The US Supreme Court wants to end the separation of church and state’
Justice Alito doesn't think society is Christian enough. Recent court decisions show how he intends to remedy that, says Kimberly Wehle.
Politico
‘Iranian women who need certificates to prove they are virgins’
Sometimes men demand a virginity certificate - a practice that the World Health Organisation deems to be against human rights. But in the past year, more and more people have been campaigning against it.
BBC
‘Blaming empire for homophobia in Asia and Africa is absurd’
It is certainly the case that many laws that make homosexuality a crime in countries once colonised by Britain were imposed during imperial rule. But the curtain came down on the British Empire decades ago and since then many of these independent nations have chosen to enact ever more repressive anti-homosexuality laws, as well as increase penalties for existing offences, says Jawad Iqbal.
The Times*
Wed, 10 Aug 2022
More than 30 church buildings in Scotland could be closed under plans
More than 30 historic church buildings could be closed under proposals set to be considered by the Church of Scotland.
STV
Islamist terrorists ‘refuse to be deradicalised in prison’
Britain's most dangerous convicted Islamist terrorists are boycotting prison work, education, training and deradicalisation programmes that could rehabilitate them, a watchdog has revealed.
The Telegraph*
Union: NI teachers are ill-equipped for sex ed
Many Northern Ireland teachers feel 'ill-equipped' to deal with sensitive issues around sex and relationships education, according to a local union.
News Letter
UK government deleted abortion rights from gender statement ‘to be inclusive of all perspectives’
The UK government has said it deleted references to abortion rights from an official statement on gender equality to be "inclusive of all perspectives and views".
The Independent / MSN
Abortion clinic buffer zones: Good idea or is Scotland living in the 'Stone Age of free speech'?
Supporters of the move say it would de-escalate an often fractious atmosphere that is intimidating for patients; while opponents say it clamps down on their freedom of speech and freedom to protest.
Euronews
US: Afghan Muslim arrested for killings that shook New Mexico's Islamic community
Authorities said the killings may have been rooted in a personal grudge, possibly with intra-Muslim sectarian overtones.
Reuters*
‘The American faith I was raised in’
Growing up in the Bible Belt, I was taught that Church and state should never have been separate, says Caleb Gayle.
The Atlantic*
Sharia law returns to Afghanistan as Taliban confirms public whippings
Five people, including two women, have been whipped in Afghanistan in the first confirmed public punishment under Sharia law since the Taliban returned to power last August.
The Telegraph*
‘A year after Taliban's return, some women fight for lost freedoms’
Women meet in homes in private acts of defiance, discussing women's rights and encouraging people to join the cause. Such gatherings would have been virtually unthinkable the last time the Taliban governed Afghanistan.
Reuters*
‘The rise and rise of anti-Muslim hate music in India’
Chaturvedi's songs are part of a growing trend of music on YouTube and other social media platforms where supporters of the Hindu right-wing spew venom at Muslims, says Raghvendra Rao.
BBC
Tue, 09 Aug 2022
Religious fundamentalist lawyers ‘preyed on’ Archie Battersbee’s family
A fundamentalist Christian Right organisation "preyed on" the family of tragic Archie Battersbee to whitewash its reputation for opposing equal rights and abortion while providing advice that was not fit for purpose, legal and medical experts have claimed.
openDemocracy
Justin Welby says it is ‘very difficult’ to hold church together over sexuality
The archbishop of Canterbury has acknowledged the near-impossibility of a divided global Anglican church reaching a consensus on issues of sexuality, after he faced sharp criticism for affirming a 1998 declaration that gay sex is a sin.
The Guardian
Over half of Jewish Spurs fans in survey disagree with club’s attempt to stop Y-word
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust say 52 per cent of fans identifying as Jewish who completed their poll 'strongly disagreed or disagreed' with club's attempt to get their fans to 'move on' from using the Y-word.
Jewish News
Scotland has become ‘secular society’ says church moderator
Church of Scotland moderator, the Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, says he believes Scottish society "feels little need for God".
News Letter
‘How to fight jihadism’
Sunak's idea is rubbish but there is still much to do, says Rakib Ehsan.
The Critic
France: We will change the law to expel radical imam, says Macron minister
President Macron's government has reiterated its determination to fight radical Islam, saying that it was prepared to change the law to expel an imam accused of antisemitism.
The Times*
Biden condemns ‘serial killings’ of Muslim men in New Mexico
Investigators say three of the men killed in the state's largest city appear to have been targeted because of their religion and race.
The Independent*
‘My nonreligious children shouldn’t worry Justice Alito’
Alito and other Christian parents may have answers supplied by their faith traditions to complicated questions such as, "Who is that man on the cross?" or "What happens when we die?" Nonreligious parents don't, which can be worrying, but at the same time liberating, says Paul Thornton.
Los Angeles Times*
‘Unsafe abortions contributing to high maternal mortality rate in Nigeria’
Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation, a non-profit organisation, has identified unsafe abortions as one of the factors contributing to the high maternal mortality rate in Nigeria.
Daily Trust
‘They beat girls just for smiling’: life in Afghanistan one year after the Taliban’s return
Despite their promises of peace and stability, the country is on its knees, and its people are desperate, says Emma Graham-Harrison.
The Guardian
Mon, 08 Aug 2022
Terry Sanderson, 75: Compassionate gay rights activist, secularist and Dietrich devotee
Remembering former National Secular Society president Terry Sanderson, who died in June.
The Times*
NSS writes elsewhere: Experts identify “serious weaknesses” in medical guidance on circumcision
Experts have criticised "serious weaknesses" in guidance issued by the British Medical Association on the non-therapeutic male circumcision of children.
Politics.co.uk
Doctors urge MPs to decriminalise abortion as two British women face life in prison
Doctors have called on MPs to decriminalise abortion as two women face life in prison for charges under archaic Victorian laws dating back to the 1860s.
Mail Online
Archie Battersbee group calls for ‘urgent review’
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said there needs to be a "urgent review and reform of the system".
Echo
‘Archie Battersbee: how third parties can further complicate tragic life support cases’
Government said to be considering inquiry into new ways of handling decisions, as religious groups accused of inflaming tensions.
The Guardian
Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán declares at CPAC that "a Christian politician cannot be racist"
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called on conservatives in Europe and the U.S. to take back power from liberals, declaring a "clash of civilisations" is underway.
CBS News
US: Indiana becomes 1st state to approve abortion ban post-Roe
Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a new abortion ban into law on Friday, set to take effect on Sept. 15.
NPR
US: ‘“Christian Nationalism” used to be taboo. Now it’s all the rage.’
What was, not long ago, a scholarly term used to describe an ideology that holds that the U.S. was founded as—and should be governed as—an explicitly Christian nation has been reclaimed as an identity, says Molly Olmstead.
Slate
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