Daily media briefing
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Tue, 9 Apr 2024
Retired rabbi of London's Central Synagogue returns £2.35m to two charities
A retired rabbi has agreed to return £2.35m to two charities after he failed to distribute the money over a number of years.
BBC
Vatican blasts gender-affirming surgery, surrogacy and gender theory as violations of human dignity
The Vatican on Monday declared gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy as grave violations of human dignity, putting them on par with abortion and euthanasia as practices that it said reject God's plan for human life.
Associated Press
Vatican opposes anti-LGBTQ legislation, top cardinal says
The Vatican is against laws that criminalize same-sex acts, as enforced by a number of countries with the support of Catholic groups, the head of the Vatican's doctrine office said on Monday.
Reuters
Russian ‘Holy War’ declaration condemned
Ukrainian churches have urged Christian organisations to condemn a Russian Orthodox declaration that called for a "Holy War" that would, they say, wipe their country from the map.
Church Times*
Gambia MP defends bid to legalise female genital mutilation
Gambian lawmaker Almaneh Gibba started his campaign to overturn a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation after the West African country imposed its first fines on those found guilty of the practice last year.
Reuters
Anger in Malaysia over shoes bearing logo resembling Arabic word for God. Company head apologizes
A Malaysian shoe company has apologized and stopped selling some of its footwear after some Muslims said the logo resembled the Arabic writing for the word God.
Associated Press
Mon, 8 Apr 2024
Faith schools could win right to choose all their pupils
Faith schools in England would no longer have to offer a proportion of their places to children who do not follow their religion under plans being considered by Downing Street.
The Times*
Three years on, the lessons of Batley are yet to be learned – NSS opinion
The Batley affair exposed the Islamist threat to UK schools. We're still yet to come to terms with its implications, says Jack Rivington.
The Freethinker
‘Extreme’ US anti-abortion group ramps up lobbying in Westminster
A rightwing Christian lobby group that wants abortion to be banned has forged ties with an adviser to the prime minister and is drawing up policy briefings for politicians.
The Guardian
‘I’m not scared’: the stabbed Iranian journalist who’s already back on air
Pouria Zeraati was attacked in London a week ago by thugs suspected to be acting for the Tehran regime. It wasn't the first time the Iran International presenter and his family have been threatened.
The Times*
Ministers change scheme to let churches claim a free portrait of the King
Ministers are reviewing a scheme which lets public bodies receive a free framed portrait of King Charles to include churches.
Daily Mail
MS questions suitability of former Post Office head to remain ordained minister
Jack Sargeant has questioned the suitability of former Post Office head, Paula Vennells, to continue in her role as an Ordained Minister of the Church of England.
Nation Cymru
‘France’s schools are succumbing to the Islamist threat’
"In the last month, 150 schools across France have received menacing messages from Islamists. Teachers feel targeted. A survey last year reported that 48 per cent self-censor in the classroom to avoid confrontations, an increase of 11 points on a similar study in 2018."
The Spectator*
NYC to pay $17.5M to settle suit over forced removal of religious head coverings during mug shots
New York City has agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by two Muslim women who were forced to remove their head coverings to be photographed after they were arrested.
Associated Press
‘Women have found their voice in Turkey, and given hope to others fighting for democracy across the globe’
Big opposition wins in last week's elections, notable for a huge rise in female representatives, reasserted the country's liberal, secular values
The Guardian
Fri, 5 Apr 2024
Charity bankrolling London Ramadan lights funded extremism-linked group
The current deputy chief of the MCB praised Hamas's founder during a visit to Gaza as a "holy warrior" and has hosted a cleric who compared Jews to pigs and monkeys.
The Jewish Chronicle
Doctor to say if New Orleans priest with rape charges is competent to stand trial
Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker, 92, was evaluated by psychiatrist after defense attorneys said he's too sick to be tried.
The Guardian
US: Lawsuit challenging Indiana abortion ban survives a state challenge
The Court of Appeals gave an incremental win to a group suing the state over its near-total abortion ban, arguing that it violates a law protecting religious freedom.
AP News
‘Surviving Ramadan: An ex-Muslim’s journey in Pakistan’s religious landscape’
"I have not publicly declared myself an ex-Muslim because doing so could easily cause my death", writes Azad.
The Freethinker
Germany’s robotic stores must rest on Sundays, too
Protestant and Catholic Churches have formed an alliance with Germany's unions to defend the status quo for years, and spearheaded the campaign against the Sunday opening of automated stores.
Financial Times*
‘I will never join the army’: ultra-Orthodox Jews vow to defy Israeli court orders
As their military exemption ends, tensions divide the country and threaten to topple Netanyahu's government.
The Guardian
Russian ‘Holy War’ declaration condemned
The declaration was issued by the World Russian People's Council, approved by Patriarch Kirill, and circulated by Russian Orthodox media.
Church Times*
Thu, 4 Apr 2024
Dame Prue Leith issues renewed call for action on assisted dying
Discussion around the need for a law change has grown in recent months with moves towards one progressing in Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
Irvine Times
Sunak threatens to remove UK from European Convention on Human Rights
The Prime Minister has previously resisted such calls.
The National / Yahoo! News
‘Allah’ socks lead to Malaysian stores being petrol bombed
The ethnic Chinese owners of KK Mart say they were unaware a delivery contained the socks that caused outrage among Muslims on social media.
The Times*
US: ‘New Hampshire legislators should oppose the “unkind cut” of circumcision’
"With all the information now available online, a growing number of men realize that something of value was taken from them without their consent. Many have come to view it as a human rights issue", writes Adrienne Soti.
New Hampshire Journal
Uganda court rejects petition against harsh anti-gay law
Uganda's Constitutional Court on Wednesday rejected a bid to overturn its highly contentious Anti-Homosexuality Act – one of the toughest such laws in the world.
RFI
Online hate sows Muslim fears as India votes
Critics accuse the BJP's sophisticated social media apparatus of also fanning the flames of division.
France 24
Florida takes centre stage in US abortion battle after two rulings
Florida's Supreme Court delivered two rulings on abortion on Monday, with competing consequences.
BBC
Wed, 3 Apr 2024
Curriculum ignites row over France’s subsidised faith schools
During Bible study, pupils had been taught homosexuality was a "sin". They were also taught that abortion was wrong.
The Times*
Christian influence grows as Britain’s Conservative party shifts rightward
A clutch of vocal Tories first elected in 2019 have placed religion at the heart of a number of policy debates in Westminster.
Financial Times*
How Britain lost faith in the Church of England
According to a Telegraph analysis, Sunday attendance remains down a fifth on pre-pandemic levels, exacerbating a longer term fall by half in the past 40 years from 1.2 million in 1986.
The Telegraph*
‘Mind Your Ramadan!’
Khadija Khan reports from a recent protest against compulsory Ramadan participation.
The Freethinker
‘Islamism is dead in Erdogan’s Turkey’
"Erdogan encouraged public religiosity, boosted religious schools ... systematically converted museums into mosques and quietly cracked down on alcohol consumption", writes Owen Matthews.
The Telegraph*
Trainee FGM ‘cutter’ who fled the Gambia fights renewed risk to girls
A woman who stood up against her community and refused to be a female genital mutilation "cutter" is launching a campaign to protect tens of thousands of girls who are at renewed risk of female circumcision in her home country, the Gambia.
The Guardian
New York prisoners, denied a solar eclipse viewing, sue the state
Six men at an upstate New York prison said that the eclipse has religious significance and that a statewide lockdown order preventing them from watching it violated their rights.
The New York Times*
MHKs given time to consider assisted dying report
Members of the House of Keys will have "lots of time" to consider a "significant report" into proposed assisted dying laws, the politician behind the bill has said.
BBC
Tue, 2 Apr 2024
How a 96-year-old law could stop Easter hopping around the calendar – NSS quoted
"Instead of waiting indefinitely for the elusive consensus from church leaders, the government should press on and fix the date so the rest of us can benefit from the certainty of a fixed spring break", said NSS chief executive Stephen Evans.
The Times*
Watchdog reports dozens of charities to police over extremism concerns
The National Secular Society reported 44 charities to the Charity Commission for publishing extremist lectures, social media posts and other online content in the wake of the October 7 attack.
The Telegraph / Yahoo! News
‘What a teacher in hiding can tell us about our failure to tackle intolerance’
"A class about free speech was cynically exploited by activists to incite fury in a local community", writes Kenan Malik.
The Guardian
Labour cuts ties with organisation named as Islamist by Gove
Party tells The Telegraph it has adopted a policy 'to not engage' with Muslim Engagement and Development.
The Telegraph*
A new hate-crime law in Scotland causes widespread concern
"Discussion or criticism" of protected characteristics is acceptable, and a carve-out has been made that allows Scots to voice "antipathy, dislike, ridicule or insult" for religion.
The Economist
Muslim teacher who told pupils Islam was going to take over is banned from teaching
A panel sacked Aqib Khan, 30, for 'undermining fundamental British values'.
Daily Mail
Armed guards at French schools after headscarf-row terror threats
Pupils, staff and parents at a school in Nantes were sent videos showing beheadings.
The Times*
Taliban edict to resume stoning women to death met with horror
Afghan regime's return to public stoning and flogging is because there is 'no one to hold them accountable' for abuses, say activists.
The Guardian
Ultra-Orthodox conscription deepens rift at heart of Israel
In plans to draft more soldiers for the war against Hamas, the Haredi community will no longer be able to claim exemption for religious studies.
The Times*
Charity lied to raise funds for Clapham chemical attacker’s funeral
The Muslim Burial Fund raised more than £6,000 for Abdul Ezedi's funeral service after using a false name in an appeal for donations.
The Times*
Thu, 28 Mar 2024
Poll: Will you attend church this Easter? – NSS quoted
With Christianity and church attendance on the decline in the UK, Yahoo News asks readers just how religious this weekend will be.
Yahoo! News
Met facing calls to cancel notorious pro-Iran Islamist Quds Days rally in London
The Metropolitan Police are facing calls to ban the notorious annual Al Quds Day march as the government's adviser on political violence warns it could provoke "serious disorder" and fan the flames of antisemitism.
The Jewish Chronicle
Assisted dying backed by large majority of Scots, poll finds
A large majority of voters in Scotland believe the law should be changed to allow assisted dying, according to a new poll.
The Herald
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