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Fri, 09 Apr 2021
C of E and the Catholic Church to provide school leadership qualifications
The Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church have been named as a joint provider of the new school-leadership qualifications for teachers.
Church Times*
Justin Welby says he was 'too risk-averse' on church closures in first Covid lockdown
The archbishop of Canterbury says he 'didn't push hard enough to keep churches available for at least individual prayer'.
The Telegraph*
Council motion wants ‘conversion therapy’ ban and recognition of ‘harm it causes’
A motion before Newry Council also seeks 'a programme of work to help tackle these practices in all their forms'.
Armagh i
‘No religion deserves freedom from ridicule’
Freedom of speech can only exist if we are able to accept the risk of offence that inevitably accompanies the discussion of controversial subjects, says Oliver Buckingham.
The Oxford Blue
Photo of beheaded French teacher found at home of terror suspect
A photo of murdered French teacher Samuel Paty has been found in the home of the main suspect behind a recent terror plot on the city of Montpellier, the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office said.
The Independent
‘French secularism isn’t illiberal’
Letting culture wars drive debate about "laïcité" obscures similarities between France and the United States, says Nicolas Cadène.
Foreign Policy*
Panel advances bill to let Arkansas teachers talk creationism
A House committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would allow teachers to discuss religious beliefs of creationism along with instruction about scientific theories in public schools in Arkansas, over objectors who said the bill puts matters of faith in schools and doesn't match up with the state's curriculum-forming process.
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Malaysia pushes for sharia law to be tougher on LGBT+ Muslims
Malaysia is pushing for sharia law to be tougher against LGBT+ Muslims even as it makes a bid for a spot on the UN Human Rights Council.
Pink News
Former Orthodox Jewish school principal in Australian court on sex abuse charges
A former principal of an ultra-orthodox Jewish school accused of child sexual abuse will remain in custody ahead of her pre-trial hearing in September after appearing in an Australian court Friday.
Mail Online
‘Imran Khan’s cowardly response to Pakistan’s rape crisis’
Imran Khan is now upholding a merger of his personal chauvinism and the wider Islamist marginalisation of women in Pakistan, says Kunwar Khuldune Shahid.
The Spectator*
‘A fierce election tests Modi’s campaign to remake India’
The prime minister's party is vying to dethrone a powerful politician in West Bengal. Even a close race could demonstrate the growing reach of his Hindu nationalist movement.
The New York Times*
Thu, 08 Apr 2021
Council threatened with legal action for blocking humanist from RE committee
Mary Wallbank applied to be a voting member of Southampton's Standing Advisory Council on RE (SACRE) – the body that oversees RE in local authority funded schools. However, following consultation with religious members of the committee, the council voted not to admit her.
iNews
Obeying religious leaders can fuel ‘abuse of power’
Deference to religious leaders can fuel abuse and misuse of power within churches, an academic has warned, adding that obedience towards clergy should no longer be considered a virtue.
The Times*
Jesus House claims it doesn’t ‘engage in conversion therapy’
The evangelical ministry became caught in the crosshairs after Keir Starmer attended the church to promote its pop-up NHS vaccination centre. Years-old accusations that the church carries out conversion therapy quickly resurfaced.
Pink News
‘Gay conversion therapy is still happening in the UK’
Why is this dangerous practice still wreaking havoc on the lives of LGBTQ+ people, asks Molly Greeves.
Cosmopolitan
Convicted terrorist shared extremist videos on social media
A Muslim convert from Luton has admitted sharing extremist videos on social media while subject to a terrorism notification order.
ITV
Alabama revises voter form with religious oath
An atheist group asked a judge Wednesday to end its federal lawsuit against the state of Alabama since officials have revised its voter registration forms, which required an oath to God.
Mail Online
US considering China Winter Olympics boycott, State Dept. says
In the Biden administration's most direct comments yet connecting human rights abuses in China to the upcoming Beijing Games, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Tuesday that a boycott is "something that we certainly wish to discuss" in coordination with US allies.
Sportico
Designer 'sorry' for showing mosque on T-shirt
A US-based designer has apologised for using a portrait of a historic mosque in Kenya's island of Lamu on a T-shirt worn by celebrity Jay-Z, an official in charge of the site has said.
BBC
‘My son’s Yeshiva is breaking the law’
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools must provide a proper education, but US politicians aren't holding them accountable, say Beatrice Weber and Chaim Levin.
The New York Times*
‘I tried to quit the Catholic church, but the Catholic church wouldn't quit me.’
Excommunication is harder than it seems. But if you don't go to church, does it matter if the church still thinks you're part of the flock?
The Guardian
Wed, 07 Apr 2021
Italy ends censorship of films on moral and religious grounds
Hundreds of films have been censored in Italy over the past century, primarily for political, moral and religious reasons.
The Guardian
New survey reveals 67 per cent of religious people have questioned their beliefs
A survey found found 67 per cent of those who call themselves religious have questioned their belief during the pandemic.
Premier Christian News
'Unfair and unjustified': A Jersey man's call for an assisted dying law
A terminally ill islander says Jersey's law on assisted dying is "unfair" and "unjustified" and he is calling for it to be changed.
ITV
'Allergic reaction to US religious right' fuelling decline of religion, experts say
The percentage of churchgoing Americans is steadily falling, and the swirl of rightwing politics and Christianity is playing a key role.
The Guardian
US: ‘Are LGBTQ students at Christian schools discriminated against?’
A new lawsuit backs up what scholars have been saying: LGBTQ students at Christian schools experience higher rates of bullying and harassment as well as clinical depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation in comparison with students at non-religious schools.
Religion News Service
New research documents the severity of LGBT+ conversion practices
New research reveals the harms of religion-based LGBTQA+ conversion practices are more severe than previously thought.
The Conversation
Australia: Push for investigation into Scientology’s charity status
Australia's charity regulator has been called on to investigate Scientology amid concerns it is abusing its not-for-profit status.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Mozambique town Palma 'retaken' from militant Islamists
Mozambique's military says it has regained full control of the coastal town of Palma, more than a week after it was raided by militant Islamists.
BBC
Hindu nationalists tear down Delhi temple statue of Indian spiritual teacher
Delhi Police are investigating the removal of a statue depicting the spiritual leader Sai Baba from a temple in the city's south, after several videos emerged online showing a group of men demolishing the idol and declaring him a "Muslim".
The Art Newspaper
'Every year we dig mass graves': the slaughter of Pakistan’s Hazara Shia Muslims
Decades of persecution has left the Shia minority with little space left in its graveyards but prime minister Imran Khan is in no hurry to listen.
The Guardian
Tue, 06 Apr 2021
NI laws that allow schools to discriminate on religious grounds 'must be scrapped'
Laws that allow schools to discriminate on the grounds of religion when appointing teachers must be scrapped, a conference will hear.
The Irish Times
Franklin Graham: Blackpool bus ad ban 'breached human rights'
A council breached human rights when it banned adverts for an evangelical Christian event, a court has ruled.
BBC
Controversial issues must not be 'closed down', says union in wake of Muhammad row
Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of NASUWT, added that teachers should not be subject to threats for doing their jobs.
The Telegraph*
Sara Khan: ‘There is no right not to be offended’
The PM's new adviser is a Muslim determined to fight intolerance.
The Times*
Keir Starmer apologises for visit to church criticised for LGBT stance
The Labour leader visited Jesus House in London on Good Friday and later shared a video from his visit online.
BBC
‘Pray-away-the-gay’ outfit gets to keep its charitable status – NSS quoted
The Charity Commission told the NSS of its decision in a letter back in January.
The Freethinker (Patheos)
‘I thought I was over my Catholic guilt about being gay. Maybe I was wrong?’
An adolescence of shame about being LGBTQ+ can have lingering effects on our behaviour that stretch well into adulthood, says Antoun Issa.
The Guardian
SNP say annual Citizens' Assemblies could look at assisted dying
The SNP has pledged to hold annual Citizens' Assemblies if the party is re-elected – with the panels potentially looking at assisted dying.
The Herald*
Police break up Good Friday church service over apparent Covid rule breaches
Footage uploaded on YouTube showed Metropolitan police officers addressing worshippers at the Christ the King Polish Catholic church in Balham, south London, late on Friday afternoon.
The Guardian
‘Why I had to choose my own family over being a Jehovah’s Witness’
Her childhood had no birthdays, no parties, no Easter, but Jodie Chapman didn't want her children to have that life. The decision meant she risked being cut off by everyone she loved.
Mail Online
US: ‘An extraordinary winning streak for religion at the Supreme Court’
The Supreme Court has become far more likely to rule in favour of religious rights in recent years, according to a new study that considered 70 years of data.
The New York Times*
Thu, 01 Apr 2021
Christian group promoting conversion therapy won’t be stripped of charitable status – NSS quoted
Northern Ireland's charity regulator has said it will not take action against an organisation that claims to help people "change" their "sexual preference", in response to a letter from the NSS.
Pink News
How conversion therapy impacts trans people
Transgender and non-binary people who are subjected to conversion therapy experience an increase in suicidal ideation, a first-of-its-kind report has warned. The vast majority of those subjected to the conversion therapy grew up in religious households, while religious leaders were those most likely to direct people to the practice.
iNews
Christian broadcaster fined £125,000 for Covid-19 conspiracies
Ofcom has fined a Christian broadcaster £125,000 after it breached the rules by airing "inaccurate and potentially harmful claims about coronavirus".
The Independent
New taskforce calls on NI Executive to urgently improve sex education services
The Northern Ireland Abortion and Contraception Taskgroup has published a report containing 38 recommendations centring on a "new approach to relationships and sex education (RSE), contraception and abortion care".
The Irish News
Batley teacher’s union donated money to charity that accused him of ‘terrorism’
The Kirklees branch of the National Education Union (NEU) gave £3,000 to Purpose of Life, a charity based in west Yorkshire, which has been accused of leaving the teacher, who showed a cartoon of Muhammad to his class last week, in danger of "physical harm" by publishing his name online.
The Telegraph*
‘Lessons to learn’
Courageous educators are being left at the mercy of religious fanatics, says Khadija Khan.
Sister-Hood
BBC to broadcast Archbishop of Canterbury's Easter Sunday service
Justin Welby's service will be broadcast across BBC television and local and national radio.
The Irish News
‘Which social contact is most worthy?’
In a letter, Edinburgh Secular Society's Neil Barber criticises the judicial review that ruled in favour of some Scottish churches' demand uniquely to be allowed to open for communal worship.
Edinburgh Evening News
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