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Tue, 02 Oct 2018
Judge’s ruling allows Kentucky’s last abortion clinic to stay open
A federal judge in the US has struck down a Kentucky law that had put the state's last abortion clinic at risk of closing.
CBS News
Jehovah’s Witnesses must pay $34m to US abuse survivor
A jury in Montana has ruled the Jehovah's Witnesses organisation must pay $34m to a woman who says the church covered up her sexual abuse as a child at the hands of a congregation member.
US News & World Report
Mon, 01 Oct 2018
C of E wants £30m a year for church maintenance
The outgoing head of the Church of England's buildings division has called on the government to provide unconditional financial support amounting to at least £30m a year to maintain church buildings.
Church Times
NSS says judges should keep theology out of the courtroom
Following a judge's remarks about the peaceful nature of Islam, the NSS has asked the justice secretary to ensure judges keep theology out of their courtrooms.
The Freethinker
FGM cutters 'being flown into UK to mutilate girls to order', survivor warns
So-called cutters are being flown into the UK to perform female genital mutilation (FGM) on young girls, a campaigner has warned.
The Independent
FGM survivor describes what she went through
Campaigner Hoda Ali has described what happened to her when she underwent FGM as a child and explained why she fights to end the practice.
The Independent
‘Which vision do C of E schools follow?’
Tim Wyatt looks at the arguments behind church schools' purpose and admissions criteria.
Church Times
Independent Jewish school is inadequate in all areas, says Ofsted
An independent Jewish boys' school in Golders Green has been rated inadequate in all areas in its first inspection as a registered institution.
The JC
Sikh protesters claim heavy-handed police treatment
Hundreds of British Sikhs have gathered outside the Conservative Party conference to protest against anti-terror police raids on activists campaigning for a Sikh homeland in India.
Huffington Post
Irish voters urged to remove ‘medieval’ blasphemy offence from constitution
Atheist Ireland has urged voters to remove the "medieval" offence of blasphemy from the Irish constitution in next month's referendum as it launched its campaign.
The Irish Times
International Blasphemy Rights Day marked
The annual International Blasphemy Day was marked yesterday. Multiple countries continue to dole out convictions for free speech on religious issues.
Newsweek
India's top court revokes ban on women 'of menstruating age' entering Hindu temple
India's Supreme Court has ruled that one of the country's holiest Hindu temples must open its doors to women.
The Telegraph
‘Religious freedom for me, but not for thee’
Katherine Franke says the Trump administration is not defending a neutral constitutional principle — religious liberty — for all people, but rather only for those who share its political perspective.
The Washington Post
Religious freedom must not allow discrimination, says top Australian judge
One of Australia's former top judges says there must be no laws that pave the way for discrimination of minorities on the grounds of religious freedom.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Fri, 28 Sep 2018
FGM in England and Wales 'not being properly investigated' due to lack of data
The scale of female genital mutilation in England and Wales is not being properly investigated due to a lack of consistent high-quality data, according to new research.
The Independent
Council gives London eruvs the go-ahead
Plans for eruvs – areas which symbolically extend the boundaries of Jewish homes into public spaces – have been given the green light by a council in north London.
The JC
Tory MPs join campaign to ease abortion laws in Northern Ireland
Three Conservative MPs who back abortion reform in Northern Ireland will be in Belfast later to hear experiences of women impacted by the region's restrictive laws.
Aberdeen Evening Express
Jewish education chiefs suggest ‘minimal impact’ of Labour free schools policy
Jewish school leaders have suggested the Labour Party's new policy of bringing free schools and academies back under local authority control will change little.
Jewish News
‘It’s time to debunk the nonsense about Prevent’
Claims that the UK's counterterrorism strategy targets Muslims and harms free speech are 'nonsense', says Prevent coordinator Chris Sybenga.
Times Higher Education
Judge to prosecute actor for insulting God and Mary in Spain
A Madrid judge has decided to press ahead with a court case involving Spanish actor and activist Willy Toledo, in which he is accused of offending religious sentiments by insulting God and the Christian virgin Mary on Facebook.
El Pais (in English)
Bill banning conversion therapy in Nova Scotia passes
Politicians in Nova Scotia have unanimously passed a bill which makes the province the third in Canada to introduce a ban on conversion therapy.
CBC News
Danish parliament to consider ban on infant circumcision in October, says pressure group
Intact Danmark, a lobby group opposed to circumcision of healthy children, has said it expects the Danish parliament to vote on whether to ban the circumcision of children under 18 in October.
The Local (Denmark)
Netherlands police arrests foil 'major terrorist attack'
Police in the Netherlands have arrested seven men over an alleged plot to carry out what they describe as a major terrorist attack involving guns and explosives.
BBC
Anger at Dutch plan to ask race, religion and political views of gun licence applicants
The Dutch government is facing criticism over plans to register the race and religion of people seeking a firearms licence. The plans would also require the state to compile information on an applicant's political and philosophical views.
The Guardian
Malaysian to be caned for prostitution under Islamic law
A Malaysian woman has been sentenced to be caned and jailed for six months for prostitution in violation of Islamic laws, weeks after the flogging of two lesbians sparked outrage.
Mail Online
‘China and its war on Christianity’
Benjamin Haas says China is cracking down on unofficial churches just as the Vatican and Beijing sign a deal on appointment of bishops.
The Guardian
Thu, 27 Sep 2018
Trustees of Islamic charity replaced after terrorism convictions
The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to Fazal Ellahi Charitable Trust, a mosque charity which is under investigation after an imam was convicted of six counts of encouraging terrorism in sermons and classes to children.
Civil Society
Heterosexual divorce in England and Wales is at lowest level since 1973
The number of heterosexual couples getting divorced in England and Wales is at its lowest since 1973.
The Guardian
Pope claims Catholic Church being judged unfairly on sexual abuse
Pope Francis has claimed the Catholic Church is being singled out for special treatment on sexual abuse.
Business Insider
Scotland’s hate crime campaign erasing sectarianism, says Catholic Church
The Catholic Church has said a hate crime campaign in Scotland has "glaringly missed an opportunity to highlight anti-Catholicism".
The Times (£)
Jewish groups accuse Corbyn of failing to tackle anti-semitism in conference speech
Jewish groups have accused Jeremy Corbyn of failing to tackle anti-semitism in Labour adequately in his keynote party conference address. In his speech Corbyn said he wanted to "draw a line under" the issue.
Politics Home
UKIP MEP quits over party’s lurch to the anti-Muslim right
A UKIP MEP has quit the party, accusing leader Gerard Batten of "hijacking" the party to "campaign against Islam as a religion" and associating himself with "outlandish people and extreme right-wing groups". Lord Dartmouth also said UKIP was "widely perceived" as homophobic.
Sky News
Germany’s hard-right AfD introduces Jewish section
Germany's AfD party is introducing a group known as 'Jews in the AfD'.
DW
Muslim mob ‘stones Christians to death in Kenya’
Three Christians in western Kenya have been stoned to death by a Muslim mob, according to International Christian Concern.
Christian Post
Former Indian PM calls on judiciary to ‘save secular spirit of the constitution’
Former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has said the country's judiciary should never lose sight of its "primary duty to protect the secular spirit of the Constitution".
The Indian Express
Wed, 26 Sep 2018
Government mustn’t neglect LGBT+ issues in sex education, say campaigners
Campaigners are urging the government not to let "another generation of LGBT students slip through the cracks" by failing to include relevant information to them in an updated Relationships and Sex Education curriculum.
iNews
‘A survivor’s story of grooming gangs in Newcastle’
A year on from the jailing of 18 people as part of Operation Sanctuary in Newcastle, an abuse survivor tells her story. She says she believes the authorities missed "warning signs".
BBC
Religious group accused of distributing anti-Pride leaflets could be banned from council premises
A religious group accused of distributing homophobic leaflets has been told it may not be allowed to use Aberdeen City Council's premises in the future.
Aberdeen Evening Express
Gay pride march to go ahead in Inverness despite protests
A gay pride march through the centre of Inverness has been given the go-ahead.
The Inverness Courier
Corbyn backs Christian group’s guidelines for Labour
Jeremy Corbyn has backed a campaign by Christians on the Left, a group with a presence at the Labour party conference.
Premier Christian Radio
Rastafarian bus driver’s case on religious headscarf resolved
London bus company Metroline has resolved a case involving a Rastafarian driver who it asked not to wear a colourful headscarf at work. The driver objected to the request. The union Unite says Metroline has backed down, which the company disputes.
Huffington Post
Christian couple accused of flouting planning rules ‘quoted Bible at council’
A Christian couple are on trial accused of flouting planning rules by running their Devon farm as a campsite. The court heard that they told their local council the only authority they recognised was God.
Mail Online
Jehovah’s Witnesses subject to EU data protection laws
Members of a religious community who collected personal information about people they contacted when engaged in door-to-door preaching were subject to European Union data protection laws.
The Times (£)
Armed police in Maldives destroy sculpture of teenager because it ‘undermined Islam’
A sculpture of a Bolton-born teenager has been destroyed by police in the Maldives armed with axes, concrete saws and ropes.
This is Lancashire
Germany’s Catholic bishops apologise for abuse
The head of the German Bishops' Conference apologised on Tuesday for the "pain and suffering" caused by the Catholic Church's decades-long failure to take abuse of children at the hands of clergy members seriously enough.
The New York Times
Tue, 25 Sep 2018
Labour promises no new free schools or academies
Labour would "immediately" end the government's academy and free schools programme in England, the shadow education secretary has said. Religious groups are among those who have set up state-funded free schools.
BBC
Five Whitehall buildings held by wealthy businessmen now operating under sharia rules
The historic Admiralty House and four other Whitehall buildings are now operating in accordance with some sharia rules – including a ban on alcohol – after they were used as part of an Islamic bond scheme.
The Independent
DUP expresses reservations over Westminster abortion inquiry
The DUP has expressed reservations about a Westminster inquiry into Northern Ireland's abortion ban.
The Times (£)
Modern marriage only for the rich, says former judge
Marriage rates have halved in 50 years and the institution is now only for the rich, a former High Court judge said last night. Sir Paul Coleridge, chairman of the Marriage Foundation, called for marriage to be made modern and relevant at an event hosted by The Times.
The Times (£)
NI boxer settles discrimination case over Commonwealth Games non-selection
A Belfast boxer has settled his discrimination case against the Ulster Boxing Council over his claim that he wasn't selected for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in 2015 because he is Protestant.
ITV
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