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Fri, 02 Aug 2019
Schools and religion: ‘Non-believers treated like second-class citizens’
Ireland: Many State-run schools ignoring guidelines for accommodating non-religious students.
Irish Times
Terrorists boost fundraising on social media, warns think-tank
Members of Islamist and white supremacist groups have raised funds via Facebook, GoFundMe and YouTube, and encrypted messengers such as WhatsApp and Telegram are also exposed.
The Times (£)
Netherlands 'burka ban' comes into force in schools, hospitals and on buses
The Netherlands has introduced a so-called burka ban which prevents people from wearing face coverings in hospitals, schools and on public transport.
Wessex FM
Saudi Arabia allows women to travel independently
Women in Saudi Arabia can now travel abroad without a male guardian's permission, royal decrees say.
BBC News
Thu, 01 Aug 2019
Anti-abortion group to mount legal challenge against planned reforms in NI
An anti-abortion group is to mount a legal challenge against plans to decriminalise terminations in Northern Ireland.
The Irish News
‘Forced marriage, murder and miscarriages of justice: 40 years of Southall Black Sisters and the battles ahead’
Pragna Patel, founding member of Southall Black Sisters and an NSS honorary associate, discusses past and future battles on gender violence, criminal justice and religious fundamentalism.
The London Economic
Iranian women face 10 years for sharing videos of hijab removal
Iranian officials have warned that posting video footage of women removing their mandatory headscarves in public could lead to up 10 years imprisonment, according to media reports yesterday.
The Telegraph
New Jersey to allow assisted dying for terminally ill people
Terminally ill adults in the US state of New Jersey will be able to decide when it's time to die from today, when the state begins allowing patients to self-administer lethal drugs.
New York Post
Irish schools refusing tuition for students who opt out of religion
State secondary schools are refusing to implement a directive which requires them to provide students who opt out of religious instruction with access to another subject.
The Irish Times
Reported antisemitism hit record high in first half of 2019, says report
The first six months of the year saw the highest number of antisemitic incidents ever recorded in the UK in the same period of any year, according to a new report by the Community Security Trust.
The JC
China orders Islamic symbols and Arabic language signs be ripped down in Beijing in latest crackdown on Muslims
China has ordered the removal of Arabic script and symbols associated with Islam from halal restaurants and food stalls in the latest crackdown on its Muslim population.
The Sun
Catholic diocese criticised over list of priests accused of abuse
The Roman Catholic diocese of Manchester in the US state of New Hampshire has released a list of priests accused of sexually abusing children. Survivors have criticised the list as it provides no details of the allegations or the dates when the events happened.
Mail Online
President Joko Widodo says Islam in Indonesia is 'tolerant' as rights groups warn of rising fundamentalism
Indonesian president Joko Widodo has denied being concerned about the rise of fundamentalism in his country, saying that the Islam practiced there is tolerant and progressive.
CNN
Twitter account which protests against same sex education in schools mass blocks LGBT rights advocates
Advocates for LGBTQ+ rights have found themselves mass-blocked by a Twitter account which protests against same sex education in schools.
ITV News
Wed, 31 Jul 2019
Catholic archbishop urges action to keep school voting privilege- NSS referenced
Scots law states that there must be three church representatives on council education committees. Secularists say it is undemocratic to give unelected church members a unique legally binding role in education policy.
The Times (£)
Schools offered support for LGBT lessons by Lambeth Council to counter homophobia fears
Lambeth Council is writing to schools across the borough in support of LGBT-inclusive sex and relationship education.
SW London
Charedi organisations begin to lobby new Education Secretary
Chinuch UK, the campaign group for strictly orthodox Jewish education, has written to the new minister to request a meeting, while the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations has invited him to visit some of the community's schools.
The JC
Non-stun slaughter critic George Eustice gets ministerial post
George Eustice, who has returned as a minister to the department after resigning earlier this year because of delays over Brexit, is a critic of religious methods of slaughter without stunning.
The JC
Catholic priest who repeatedly raped two schoolboys is jailed for 18 years
Michael Higginbottom was a Catholic priest at St Joseph's College in Lancashire.
Mail Online
UK 'has responsibility' to prosecute IS fighters
The failure to bring Britons who fought for the Islamic State group to justice in the UK is a "dereliction of responsibility", a top US counter-terrorism official says.
BBC News
'Historic' day as India outlaws 'triple talaq' Islamic instant divorce
Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist administration has been pushing to criminalise "triple talaq", under which a man can divorce by uttering the word "talaq", meaning divorce in Arabic, three times in his wife's presence.
The Guardian
"The False Demonization Of Secularism"
"A desperate, panicked, and openly theocratic evangelical movement is falsely demonizing secularism and those who believe in the separation of church and state as a threat to religion."
Above The Law
Tue, 30 Jul 2019
Muslims join official talks over pork-derived gelatine in flu vaccine
Public health chiefs have held talks with Muslim leaders after families raised concerns about allowing their children to have the flu vaccine because it contains pork products.
The Times (£)
No plans to change Catholic representatives’ voting rights, says Glasgow City Council
Representatives of Glasgow City Council say they have no plans to change the arrangement allowing two representatives from the Catholic Church to vote on education matters.
Evening Times
Archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh urges Catholics to resist removal of church school board voting rights
A leading Catholic clergyman has called on parishioners to oppose a move to block voting rights for religious representatives on schooling issues in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Evening News
LGBT people are 'being made homeless due to religion'
Nearly half of young LGBT people who are left homeless after coming out are from religious backgrounds, according to research by the Albert Kennedy Trust.
BBC
Birmingham has highest female genital mutilation rate in UK
Nearly six new victims of female genital mutilation are being identified in an average week in Birmingham.
Birmingham Live
Raped vicar reveals tragic tale of sexual abuse in the church
A vicar at the centre of the Anglican Church's sexual abuse scandal has told how the alleged abuse of schoolchildren in his Rotherham parish sparked his battle to get justice for himself and others.
Examiner Live
Woman arrested over shouting “shame on you” during Pride march
A 38-year-old woman has been arrested after the phrase "shame on you" was shouted at people taking part in a Pride march.
The Guardian
‘MPs can no longer hide from the mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims in China’
Yasmin Qureshi and Alistair Carmichael say they aim to initiate a short inquiry into the incarceration of Muslims in China after parliament returns from recess.
New Statesman
Rapist inmate claims he was discriminated against because unit failed to offer Christian worship
A convicted Christian claims he suffered religious discrimination by the NHS as he was denied the right to Sunday worship while Muslim inmates were allowed Friday prayers.
The Telegraph
Muslim teenager set on fire in India ‘after refusing to chant Hindu slogan’
A Muslim teenager has claimed he was set on fire by a gang after he refused to chant a Hindu slogan in the Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh, India.
The Independent
‘Church of Ireland marks 150 years since end of role as state church’
Patsy McGarry considers the legacy of the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland.
The Irish Times
New South Wales abortion decriminalisation delayed after conservatives resist
A bill to decriminalise abortion in New South Wales has been delayed by a week after resistance from the conservative wing of the coalition government.
The Guardian
Mon, 29 Jul 2019
Parents launch court action over Christian school assemblies
A couple who say their children are being religiously indoctrinated during Christian school assemblies are to launch a high court challenge.
The Guardian
Government put ‘extreme pressure’ on primary school to stop giving LGBT-inclusive lessons, says CEO
The government put "extreme pressure" on a primary school to stop giving lessons on LGBT relationships after parents staged weekly protests against them, the school's chief executive has said.
The Independent
Government’s minister for faith resigns
Nick Bourne has resigned as Minister for Faith over the possibility of a no deal Brexit.
Premier Christian Radio
Muslim parents refuse to let their children take part in nationwide flu vaccine drive 'because treatment is not halal'
Muslim parents are reportedly refusing to allow their children to have a nasal flu vaccine after the Muslim Council of Britain said the treatment was not halal.
Mail Online
Police probe 'homophobic abuse' video from Pride event in north London
Police are investigating suspected homophobic abuse after footage of a woman in a niqab shouting "shame on you" at people on a Pride march was shared online.
BBC
NI Catholic school hopes integrated sector switch can save it from closure
A Catholic primary school in Northern Ireland has backed a plan to transform to integrated status.
The Irish News
Italian town introduces blasphemy law with £360 fines for those who 'offend any faith or religion'
The Italian town of Saonara is introducing a new law making it illegal to 'blaspheme against any faith or religion'.
Mail Online
‘Circumcision: My penis causes me constant pain’
An interview with a man who feels constant pain after being circumcised.
BBC
Charities allowed to promote infant mutilation if it ‘advances religion’ – NSS cited extensively
An opinion piece from the NSS has drawn attention to the fact organisations which carry out medically unnecessary circumcisions can claim charitable status.
The Freethinker (Patheos)
Christian preacher accused of hate speech wins £2,500 payout from Met Police for wrongful arrest
A preacher who was halted from expressing his Christian views and driven four miles away by police in London has been awarded a £2,500 payout for wrongful arrest, according to reports.
Evening Standard
‘The struggle for LGBT equality: Pride meets prejudice in Poland’
Two weeks after 1.5m people celebrated gay rights in London, marchers in the Polish city of Białystok met only rage and violence, with Catholic propaganda playing a notable role.
The Observer
Fri, 26 Jul 2019
Inclusive teaching row: Boris Johnson urged to step in
The boss of a primary school which faced protests over LGBT teaching has urged the new prime minister to step in or risk further divisions in communities.
BBC
Cabinet's voting record shows lack of support for abortion and gay rights
A significant number of ministers in Boris Johnson's new government have been either hostile to or ambivalent about abortion and gay rights, according to their voting records.
The Guardian
Government reveals what grants it gives to faith and interfaith projects
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has revealed what grants it gives to Jewish, Christian, Muslim and inter-faith projects.
Jewish News
‘Critiquing Islamist fundamentalist practice is not an “attack on Muslim women”’
Munira Mirza critiques the hysteria created by Boris Johnson's comments about the burka last year.
Conservative Home
Court in Poland bans 'LGBT-free zone' sticker from sale
A Polish court has ordered a conservative newspaper to halt the distribution of "LGBT-free zone" stickers it included in this week's issue.
BBC
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