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Mon, 06 Jun 2022
‘Would the Church of England survive under a new monarch? Its prospects are bleak’
We are a society in the process of secularisation, or at least the decline of formal and traditional Christianity, says Eliot Wilson.
iNews
Anti-extremism Prevent strategy 'failing to engage Muslim communities'
Dame Sara Khan said a "vacuum" of information about its purpose had been left by the government, which was then being filled by Islamists. She also said fears of racism accusations made some local authorities uncomfortable with tackling extremism.
BBC
Muslims protest against ‘provocative’ film
Protests had also been planned in other towns and cities where local Muslims are concerned the storyline 'negatively depicts' Islamic religious figures.
Lancashire Telegraph
Concern over 'hate preachers' in Belfast City Centre
Police are investigating a number of recorded hate incidents involving street preachers in Belfast City Centre.
Belfast Live
Woman to receive £150k damages over claims she suffered clerical abuse as a child in Banbridge
A woman who claimed she suffered clerical abuse as a child nearly 50 years ago is to receive £150,000 damages, the High Court has heard.
Belfast Telegraph
US donors are helping push anti-abortion agendas in British schools
A British anti-abortion group that gives talks in schools has received over £72,000 from the US over the last 2 years.
VICE
'The Scottish Government is failing women when it comes to abortion'
Since 2019, 170 Scottish women – including children under the age of 16 – have been sent across the border into England to have an abortion.
The Scotsman*
‘Theocratic’ US abortion bans will violate religious liberty, faith leaders say
The anti-abortion side has monopolised arguments based on religion. But some say their faith supports the right to choose.
The Guardian
Nigerian man burned to death after argument with Muslim cleric
A man was burnt to death in Nigeria's capital on Saturday following an argument with a Muslim cleric who allegedly rallied his supporters against the man, said local police.
The New Arab
Nigeria Owo church attack: Gunmen kill Catholic worshippers in Ondo
The armed men entered St Francis Catholic church in the town of Owo during a Sunday service. They fired into the congregation and then kidnapped a priest as well as some other church-goers, witnesses said.
BBC
Hindus flee Kashmir amid spate of targeted killings
Hundreds of minority Hindus have fled from Indian-administered Kashmir, and many more are preparing to leave, after a fresh spate of targeted killings stoked tensions in the disputed Himalayan region.
The Guardian
Russian Orthodox head escapes EU sanctions thanks to Orban
Thanks to the insistence of Hungary, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church has been removed from the latest round of European Union sanctions to punish Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Associated Press
Wed, 01 Jun 2022
Charedi Jewish protest against Schools Bill attracts large gathering in Stamford Hill
Under measures proposed in the new Schools Bill, Jewish religious schools run by the Charedi Jewish community which are currently not defined as schools would be required to register with the Department for Education, forcing them to teach secular lessons and subjecting them to inspections from Ofsted.
The Jewish Chronicle
Archbishop of Canterbury forced to backtrack over claims Prince Andrew should be 'forgiven' following sex attack scandal
The Archbishop of Canterbury has been forced to backtrack after he claimed Prince Andrew should be forgiven following his sex scandal.
Mail Online
More than half of abortions in Scotland happen at home, figures show
More than half of abortions in Scotland are now taking place at home as women access early medical terminations away from a clinic, new figures have shown.
The National*
Plans to open place of worship in converted pub at 4am
A religious trust which is converting a 200-year-old pub into a place of worship has submitted a bid to open as early as 4am.
Echo News
‘Hate preacher’ speaks at Irish mosque
Ibrahim Halawa, a Dubliner who spent more than four years in prison in Egypt after being caught up in a siege at a mosque in 2013, has acted as an intermediary for Omar Abdelkafi, an Egyptian cleric who has been described in Britain as a "hate preacher".
The Times*
EU to impose sanctions against Patriarch of Moscow
The new sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia includes Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, who was a strong supporter of the Russian president and the war in Ukraine.
Orthodox Times
US: Woman reveals what it was like being raised in ultra-religious cult
A woman who grew up in an ultra-conservative Christian sect has detailed how she left the fundamentalist group, came out as a lesbian, and wrote her first novel after her therapist helped her realise she was in a 'cult.'
Mail Online
US: ‘Christian nationalism on the rise in some GOP campaigns’
Doug Mastriano, a state senator and retired Army colonel, has not only made faith central to his personal story but has woven conservative Christian beliefs and symbols into the campaign — becoming the most prominent example this election cycle of what some observers call a surge of Christian nationalism among Republican candidates.
The Associated Press
‘The truth behind Indian extremists’ anti-Muslim “great replacement theory”’
Hindu nationalist fears of demographic erasure by Muslims have been stoked by supremacists for years. But new official data reveals a very different story.
The Guardian
‘The UN in Xinjiang: a grave error’
"The UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, failed to adequately address terrible abuses in the region".
The Guardian
‘Why do we treat white supremacists differently to Islamist extremists?’
We need to ask why some men get radicalised, regardless of their race or religion, asks Rabbil Sikdar.
The Independent
Tue, 31 May 2022
East Renfrew Council called to ban church representatives from voting
Leaders of Scotland's humanist movement have called on East Renfrewshire Council to ban church representatives from voting on issues affecting schools.
Barrhead News
Create no-protest zones at abortion clinics, say doctors
New laws are needed to prevent patients and staff being harassed outside abortion clinics, medical leaders have said.
The Times*
Strike suspended at John Fisher Catholic School
The strike began on 28 April, with six days of action in protest at the Archdiocese of Southwark's ban on a visit to the school by the gay author Simon James Green, and its sacking of governors who had approved the visit.
The Tablet*
‘Compulsory religious worship is a breach of the basic human right to freedom of belief'
The majority of people would be shocked to hear that the Scottish Government ignores the recommendations of the United Nations Convention on Children's Rights, but in the case of religious worship in schools this is the reality, says Fraser Sutherland.
The Scotsman*
‘The suggestion that I, as archbishop, should not be political is a nonsense’
In an interview Justin Welby defends his political statements and indicates the Church of England is unwilling to allow same-sex marriages.
The Times*
Former Irish soldier guilty of Islamic State membership
Lisa Smith, 40, had pleaded not guilty to being a member of the group between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019.
BBC
Ireland: Archbishop Eamon Martin attends clerical abuse survivor's book launch
The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland has attended the launch of a book by a survivor of clerical abuse.
BBC
French police will open antisemitism probe into killing of Jewish man, 89 after U-turn
French prosecutors have made a dramatic U-turn and will now investigate whether antisemitism was a motive in the killing of an 89-year-old Jewish man.
The Jewish Chronicle
US: Amish 11-year-old girls were given pamphlets normalising incest
'Sins of the Amish' follows four women from different Amish backgrounds as they share their personal stories of sexual abuse and search for justice.
Mail Online
Japan to approve morning-after pill – but partner’s consent will be required
Women in Japan could be forced to seek their partner's consent before being prescribed the morning-after pill, which will reportedly be approved late this year – almost four decades after it was made available to women in the UK.
The Guardian
Mon, 30 May 2022
Religion still has a profound role to play in the monarchy
Biblical ideas of kingship have also powerfully influenced British notions of monarchy.
The Times*
Southern Baptist leaders release sex abuser database they kept secret for years
Southern Baptist leaders on Thursday evening released a list of alleged church-related sexual abuse offenders that denomination heads had kept secret for more than a decade.
The Washington Post*
Iranian religious song seen as attempt to indoctrinate children
Iran's clerical establishment is promoting a new religious song as part of what critics say is an attempt to indoctrinate children.
Radio Free Europe
Italy Church's limited sexual abuse investigation disappoints victims
Italy's Catholic bishops said on Friday they would commission a report on clerical sexual abuse in the past two years and a separate analysis going back to 2000, disappointing victims who wanted a thorough investigation going back many decades.
Reuters
A Religious Team Refused to Play With a Girl. Now She’s Taking Them to Court
A religious boys' team from a West Bank settlement refused to play basketball against 11-year-old Ayala Yamin. Now she's taking the Israeli youth league to court, challenging its discriminatory by law.
Haaretz
‘The Hinduization of India is nearly complete’
Narendra Modi's ethnonationalist rule is unraveling the country's constitutional commitment to its Muslim and Christian minorities, says Yasmeen Serhan.
The Atlantic*
Indian child gets 'no religion, no caste' certificate
A couple in Tamil Nadu, India has got a 'no religion, no caste' certificate for their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Vilma. Naresh Karthik and his wife Gayatri approached several schools for their daughter to get admitted to Kindergarten and to put the religion and caste column blank.
The New Indian Express
Reaction to “Blasphemy” Killing Illustrates Complicated Role of Religion in Nigeria’s Democratic Transition
Horrendous killing of college sophomore highlights the country's ethnoreligious fault line, but interdenominational rivalry in the south is of no less moment.
Council of Religion Relations
Fri, 27 May 2022
Gove: ‘Religious freedom and ethos’ of Stamford Hill Jewish schools must be ‘respected’
Michael Gove has said the "religious freedom and ethos" of Jewish schools in areas such as Stamford Hill who refuse to teach their pupils on LGBT issues should be "respected."
Jewish News
Church of England 'too slow' to tackle child abuse after cathedral’s former music director conviction for sexual offences
The Church of England has been "far too slow" in tackling child abuse following the conviction of a Kent cathedral organist who invited kids back to his flat to watch porn.
Kent Online
Scotland’s women’s health minister visits hospital staff to discuss anti-abortion protests
Staff at health facilities which provide abortion care have the right to do their job without "fear or intimidation", says the women's health minister.
The National*
African human rights group salutes Church of Scotland for apologising for role in witch hunts
Advocacy for Alleged Witches says it received the news with much excitement and hope for the future of its campaign to end witch-hunting in Africa.
Sahara Reporters
Afghans ‘largest group’ fleeing to the UK by crossing the Channel, figures show
The rise has prompted concerns from campaigners that the government's scheme to resettle Afghans in the wake of the Taliban takeover is failing, and raised questions over whether Afghans could be at risk of being deported to Rwanda because they could be deemed to have arrived in the UK illegally under new immigration rules.
ITV
US: School district pays $225K to end atheist group's lawsuit over Bible class
Mercer County Schools agreed to the settlement with the Freedom From Religion Foundation last week, ending litigation that began in 2017 over its Bible in the Schools program.
Christian Post
‘The next US abortion battle is over pills, and it's already begun’
The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet released its decision that looks set to dramatically scale back abortion rights, but one of the next legal battles has already begun in a Mississippi court.
Reuters*
Canada: More federal government workers were exempt from COVID-19 vaccinations for religious reasons than medical concerns, data shows
The government says it allowed workers to be exempt from the vaccination requirement if they had a "sincerely held individual belief that is rooted in religion," that they couldn't take a COVID-19 shot.
Toronto Star
Australia: Occult club registration rejected after complaint it may summon Satan to University of Adelaide
A club for pagans, witches and Satanists says its affiliation with the Adelaide University Union has been rejected because of a complaint its members may summon the devil onto campus.
ABC News
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