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Tue, 17 Mar 2020
Church of England accused of 'marking own homework' after dean returns to work following safeguarding scandal
The Church of England has been accused of "marking its own homework" after a cathedral dean left her post amid an abuse scandal – but was allowed to return to work following extra training.
The Telegraph
True numbers of FGM victims globally could be far higher as countries fail to record cases
The number of women and girls who have undergone female genital mutilation could be much higher than previously estimated, as a new report shows the practice is carried out in more than 90 countries around the world.
The Guardian
Faith groups warned over burial backlog if coronavirus kills large numbers
Religious groups' wishes to bury their dead as soon as possible may have to be denied if the steep rise in deaths under a coronavirus pandemic leads to a severe backlog of funerals, government guidance has warned.
The Telegraph
Coronavirus: possible religious exemption from facial hair ban in ambulance service
NHS officials have considered telling paramedics they must be clean shaven to protect themselves from coronavirus. But a memo suggests staff with religious beliefs could be exempt.
BBC
Defrocked French priest jailed for abusing scouts over 20-year period
A defrocked French Catholic priest has been sentenced to five years in jail for sexually abusing scouts in his care several decades ago, ending a case in which it was claimed his superiors shielded him from prosecution.
The Guardian
Charedi school which did not teach about homophobic bullying still earns good Ofsted
A Charedi girls' primary school in Stamford Hill has won a good rating from Ofsted despite inspectors noting it did not teach about homophobic bullying.
The Jewish Chronicle
Kenya split over campaign to give women the right to safe abortions
A campaign for reproductive rights has provoked a backlash from conservative groups in Kenya, where 85% of the population is Christian.
The Guardian
‘Trevor Phillips, Islamophobia and the death of free speech’
Stuart Walton says Trevor Phillips's suspension from Labour has shown there is little or no space in British society to have a mature, nuanced debate about culture and religion without being denounced as a racist heretic.
The Herald
Mon, 16 Mar 2020
Church of England primary school in Lancashire to expand
St Peter's Church of England Primary School in Blackburn with Darwen will almost double in size from 295 pupils to more than 500.
This is Lancashire
Merger between church school and community school set to proceed despite local opposition – NSS quoted
Feedback from local residents in Surrey shows that most disagree with a plan to close a Church of England school and a community school and open a new church school on the site of the latter.
Eagle Radio
Assisted dying law 'lacks compassion', says former lord chancellor
A terminally ill man who campaigned to change the law on assisted dying has won the support of the former head of the judiciary.
BBC
Sweden abortion: Nurses fail in European court case
Two nurses denied jobs as midwives in Sweden because of their refusal to perform abortions have lost their legal action against Sweden at the European Court of Human Rights.
BBC
FGM survivors recount horror of practice: 'I was sobbing, it was brutal'
A report has found that official data on the global prevalence of FGM "woefully" underestimates the nature and scale of the problem.
The Independent
Jewish school ‘inadequate’ over science and geography lessons – NSS quoted
Bnois Jerusalem Girls School in Hackney in north London has been slammed by education watchdog Oftsted for teaching creationism as science in geography and science lessons.
The Freethinker (Patheos)
More anti-Muslim hate crimes reported in wake of Christchurch attacks
More incidents were reported to Tell MAMA in the wake of the Christchurch mosque killings last March.
Manchester Evening News
Met police says forcing woman to remove hijab at airport was wrong
Police have said requiring Muslim women to remove their headscarves at UK airports could be unlawful.
The Observer
A British court ruling may change laws for LGBT+ people around the world
Through a quirk of history and law, a court in London could help end sodomy laws and bring in same-sex marriage in dozens of countries.
Gay Star News
‘The betrayal felt in the still-recovering areas hit by the Delhi riots makes coronavirus more of a threat’
At a time when citizens need to be listening to the advice given by the government, trust in politicians is at a new low. That could have consequences.
The Independent
Hindu group offers cow urine in a bid to ward off coronavirus
A Hindu group hosted a cow urine drinking party in India on Saturday as they believe it wards off the coronavirus.
Reuters
Fri, 13 Mar 2020
House of Commons to begin serving halal and kosher food following MPs' appeal
The House of Commons has announced it will start serving halal and kosher food following an appeal from MPs.
PoliticsHome
Trevor Phillips: Islamophobia has been warped by ‘orcs’
Trevor Phillips appeared at an event run by the Quilliam Foundation after his suspension from the Labour party this week.
UnHerd
‘Religious belief is a choice’
A letter from Neil Barber of Edinburgh Secular Society in response to the Trevor Phillips row (scroll down).
The Courier
Christchurch mosque attacks: NZ has 'fundamentally changed' says PM
New Zealand has "fundamentally changed" since the Christchurch mosque attacks one year ago, its prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said.
BBC
‘The GP's View: Let's ask the public about changing the laws on assisted dying’
We are at a pivotal moment in the discussion on whether the UK should legalise medically assisted dying.
The Irish News
Fears for uncontacted tribes as evangelical missionaries plan helicopter drops into Amazon
Evangelical Christians are preparing helicopter missions to remote parts of the Amazon, prompting fears for the future of uncontacted tribes under Brazil's ultra conservative president.
The Telegraph
Thu, 12 Mar 2020
Anti-choice ‘bullies’ face ban from abortion clinic buffer zones
An MP is calling for buffer zones around abortion clinics to stop "bullying" protesters picketing them.
Evening Standard
‘Anti-abortion protesters harass women – I’m proposing to stop them protesting outside clinics’
Sarah Olney MP explains why she's proposing a new law to prohibit anti-abortion protests within 150 metres of all abortion clinics in the UK.
The Independent
George Pell: high court reserves decision on granting special leave for an appeal
The full bench of the high court in Canberra has reserved its decision about whether to grant Cardinal George Pell special leave to appeal his case for a final time, after listening to two days of arguments from his barrister and the prosecution.
The Guardian
‘Islamophobia, Trevor Phillips, and free speech’
A range of responses to the recent row over Trevor Phillips's suspension from the Labour party, from Guardian readers.
The Guardian
Peer Eileen Paisley condemns sale of ‘blasphemous’ Derry Girls T-shirt
Eileen Paisley, a life peer and the widow of Ian Paisley, has condemned a Belfast sports shop's decision to sell a Derry Girls-themed shirt which she describes as "blasphemous".
The Irish Post
Wed, 11 Mar 2020
Jewish private school in London rapped by Ofsted for teaching creationism and not letting students take GCSEs – NSS quoted
Inspectors rated Bnois Jerusalem Girls School 'inadequate' after they discovered it was teaching creationism in geography and science.
iNews
Failing Jewish school doesn't let pupils take GCSEs because teachers 'can't censor the exam papers' – NSS quoted
Pupils at a failing Jewish school in north London are never entered for GCSEs, because its leaders 'cannot censor the exam papers'.
Hackney Gazette
George Pell: Court hears cardinal's final bid to quash sexual abuse verdict
The former Vatican treasurer George Pell's final bid to overturn his convictions for child sexual abuse has begun hearings in Australia's top court.
BBC
Lisa Nandy says she's 'troubled' by Trevor Phillips's comments on Islam
Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, the Wigan MP has become the first of the three Labour leadership candidates to comment publically on the row over Trevor Phillips's suspension.
Mirror
Jewish women want equality and opportunities, research finds
Seventy-seven per cent of Jewish women feel the community has not reached gender equality, according to a study.
The Jewish Chronicle
Witchcraft beliefs blamed for halting drive to end FGM in Guinea
Belief in witchcraft is hampering efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation in Guinea where almost all girls are cut, campaigners said on Tuesday.
Reuters
Islamists disrupt International Women’s Day rally in Pakistan
Demonstrators belonging to Islamist groups attacked an International Women's Day rally in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Sunday, hurling rocks, chunks of mud and even their shoes.
NPR
‘Far-right extremists still threaten New Zealand, a year on from the Christchurch attacks’
There is a tendency to see the Christchurch attacks, which killed 51 people, as a one-off or an aberration – rather than something we still need to guard against.
The Conversation
Canada seeks to ban LGBTQ conversion therapy
The Canadian federal government introduced new legislation on Monday to criminalise LGBTQ conversion therapy, as Justin Trudeau's Liberal government moves to fulfil one of its 2019 election promises.
Reuters
‘Outrageous’ – UK taxpayers are to fund a new Catholic school – NSS quoted
Campaigners including the NSS have criticised the fact the first new Roman Catholic state school in England for more than a decade is to be established in Peterborough without the church contributing a penny to its costs.
The Freethinker (Patheos)
‘Tom Rosenthal stand-up comedy review – circumcision made funny’
Veronica Lee says stand-up comic Tom Rosenthal's new show is frank about the effects circumcision had on him as an awkward teenager.
The Arts Desk
Finnish MP now facing four investigations after speaking about Christian beliefs
A member of the Finnish Parliament and former minister of the interior, Päivi Räsänen, faces four police investigations after expressing anti-gay sentiments.
Premier Christian News
Tue, 10 Mar 2020
‘Our approach to tackling anti-Muslim prejudice must be reconsidered’ – NSS letter
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans responds to the Labour party's decision to suspend Trevor Phillips.
The Times (£)
Jewish school rapped for issuing own-brand qualifications instead of ‘uncensored’ GCSEs – NSS quoted
An Orthodox Jewish independent school has been rapped for making pupils sit qualifications of "no value" which result in the school issuing its own certificate – because leaders would have to break exam rules and "censor" GCSEs.
Schools Week
Calls for 'buffer zones' around abortion clinics in Birmingham after protests
The government is being urged to implement a buffer zone to protect staff and patients at abortion clinics in Birmingham from being targeted by protesters.
Birmingham Live
Labour leadership candidates silent over Trevor Phillips suspension
Trevor Phillips has called on the three Labour leadership candidates to pick a side as senior party figures on Monday condemned the decision to suspend him over alleged Islamophobia.
The Telegraph
‘Trevor Phillips’s suspension shows how far Labour has fallen’
James Bloodworth says Labour MP Khalid Mahmood is right to call Trevor Phillips' suspension "outlandish".
CapX
‘Trevor Phillips’s fate should scare us all’
Hardeep Singh says the suspension of Phillips shows that those who criticised the APPG definition of 'Islamophobia' were right.
The Spectator
‘We won’t eradicate FGM if we keep misunderstanding its history’
With a proper understanding of the history behind FGM, it need not take another century to finally eradicate this global problem.
The Guardian
‘Why we didn’t circumcise our second son’
Yagi Morris, a secular Israeli Jew, reflects on her and her husband's decision not to circumcise their second son.
Tablet
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