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Fri, 25 Jan 2019
Women and equalities committee visits Northern Ireland on abortion
The House of Commons women and equalities committee visited Northern Ireland on Thursday to speak to campaigners on both sides of the abortion debate.
BT
C of E apologises for its handling of George Bell abuse allegations
The Church of England has said it should not have made public an allegation of abuse against a bishop and has apologised for the hurt caused by its actions.
The Guardian
‘IICSA: How can we hold the past to account?’
Jeremy Morris says arguments that things were done differently in the past can be pushed too far in debates over historical child abuse.
Christian Today
Row over whether crematorium in South Staffordshire will accommodate Sikh and Hindu requests
An inquiry has heard that two groups who propose to build a new crematorium in South Staffordshire have different approaches to the accommodation of requests from Sikh and Hindu groups.
Express & Star
Asia Bibi 'still living like a prisoner' in secret hideout despite being cleared of blasphemy
A Christian woman cleared of blasphemy in Pakistan is still living like a prisoner two and a half months after her acquittal, friends say.
Mirror
Iran arrested 7,000 in crackdown on dissent during 2018 – Amnesty
Amnesty International says Iran arrested 7,000 people last year in a "shameless campaign of repression".
BBC
‘Hindu nationalists take aim at a hallowed Indian university’
Hindu nationalist groups have mounted a fierce campaign against Jawaharlal Nehru University in India.
The Economist
‘A warning from India for European liberals on how to manage relations with Muslim minorities’
Joerg Friedrichs says European liberals should reconsider their coalition building with illiberal minority brokers.
The Conversation
Christian lawmakers push a wave of new bills on Bible classes in US public schools
Proposals from lawmakers in at least six US states would require or encourage public schools to offer elective classes on the Bible's literary and historical significance.
USA Today
Thu, 24 Jan 2019
Children should be free from pressure to wear hijab while at school, head of Ofsted says
Girls from Muslim backgrounds should not be forced to wear headscarves in schools just because they are facing pressures from their families, the head of Ofsted has suggested.
The Telegraph
Twelve abortions carried out in NI last year
Twelve abortions were carried out in Northern Ireland last year, official statistics show.
The Irish News
Tribunal hears man’s case against NHS dismissal for gay adoption remarks
A Christian former magistrate who was sacked from an NHS role for speaking to the press about a row over gay adoption is waiting to hear the judgement of an appeal tribunal.
Kent Online
Former Jakarta governor released from prison after blasphemy term
The former governor of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, has been released early from his jail term for blasphemy.
BBC
Petition against ‘blasphemous’ comic starring Jesus Christ gets over 100,000 signatures
A superhero comic featuring Jesus Christ as a main character has been branded "'outrageous and blasphemous" in an online petition calling on DC Comics to halt its publication.
The Irish Post
US government allows foster care group to keep Protestants-only policy
A US government department has issued an exemption that allows all foster care agencies in the state of South Carolina to discriminate on religious grounds when providing federally funded foster care programmes.
Religion News Service
Saudi Arabia moves to ban child marriage, but loopholes remain
Saudi Arabia is trying to ban child marriage through new regulations but loopholes are leaving young girls in the deeply conservative kingdom unprotected, campaigners have said.
South China Morning Post
‘Never too old to be a maverick’ – NSS mentioned
Barry Duke reflects on the release of a memoir from former NSS president Barbara Smoker.
Euro Weekly News
Wed, 23 Jan 2019
Prevent strategy on radicalisation faces independent review
The government's anti-radicalisation Prevent strategy is to be independently reviewed after ministers gave into longstanding pressure to address concerns about its impact.
The Guardian
Muslim man in West Midlands loses High Court battle over burial rules
A Muslim man has lost a High Court battle to build a raised marble edge at a Walsall cemetery to stop people walking on his father's grave.
Express & Star
Ofsted says Jewish school previously ranked inadequate is improving
Education inspectors have said a state-aided Charedi girls school which was ranked inadequate last summer has an action plan to improve which is "fit for purpose".
The JC
M&S rejects claims its toilet roll has the word ‘Allah’ on it
Some Muslims are calling for people to boycott Marks & Spencer toilet tissue because it is allegedly embossed with the Arabic word for God. M&S has denied the claims, saying the pattern is "categorically of an aloe vera leaf".
Metro
Four held over New York state 'plot' against Muslims
Three men and a teenage boy have been arrested and charged over an alleged plot against a small Islamic community in New York state.
BBC
‘Politician’s release is a reminder that Indonesia’s blasphemy law has been weaponised’
The former governor of Indonesia's capital will be released from prison on Thursday, nearly two years after being jailed for blasphemy against Islam. One expert says it's a reminder that the law has been used to target the Indonesian regime's political opponents.
The Sydney Morning Herald
US judge rules ‘foetal heartbeat’ abortion law is unconstitutional
A judge has ruled that an abortion law in the US state of Iowa which would have forced a ban on nearly all abortions as soon as a heartbeat was detected is unconstitutional.
The Hill
‘Gay conversion’ therapist in Israel convicted of molesting his clients for years
A Jerusalem court has convicted an Israeli "gay conversion" therapist of repeatedly molesting boys he was treating over several years.
The Times of Israel
US jury awards Christian sacked for skipping work on Sundays $21m
A Christian woman who was sacked from her job at a hotel in Miami for skipping Sunday shifts to attend church has been awarded $21m by a jury. She is likely to receive a small fraction of this in reality.
Patheos
Tue, 22 Jan 2019
Prayers have no place in Parliament, say a number of UK MPs – NSS quoted
MPs have moved a motion that says institutional prayers in parliament are incompatible with a society which respects the principle of freedom of and from religion.
The Freethinker (Patheos)
Ruling due on whether Muslim man’s rights were breached in cemetery grave ruling
A Muslim who says his human rights have been breached because he cannot install a raised marble edge around his father's grave is waiting to find out whether he has won a legal battle.
Birmingham Live
‘Rahaf al-Qunun has raised a major taboo: that some Muslims reject their faith’
Fiyaz Mughal says many ex-Muslims feel isolated when they openly come out as atheists.
Metro
Essex mosque holds exhibition on heroes of the Holocaust, defying calls for boycott
A mosque in Essex has held an exhibition on Muslim heroes of the Holocaust which was at the centre of calls for a boycott.
Jewish News
Council leader dismisses opposition to non-stun halal in school meals as ‘racial hatred’ – NSS quoted
The leader of a Yorkshire council that provides non-stunned halal meat products in its schools has slammed efforts to stop the practice.
The Freethinker (Patheos)
Chief rabbi says Labour not doing enough about anti-semitism
The chief rabbi has accused the Labour Party of still failing to take antisemitism among its members seriously enough.
The Times (£)
‘How one Kenyan woman escaped FGM and saved thousands more girls from the cut’
Lucy Anna Gray speaks to Nice Nailantei Leng'ete, who was shunned from her village for avoiding FGM and now campaigns to end the practice.
The Independent
Egyptian TV host jailed for interviewing gay man
An Egyptian TV presenter has been sentenced to one year of hard labour for interviewing a gay man last year.
BBC
US Senate passes ‘religious test’ resolution after questioning of judicial nominee’s membership of Catholic order
The US Senate has passed a resolution saying it would be "unconstitutional" to consider membership in the Knights of Columbus order a disqualifying criterion for public office.
Catholic Herald
Iranian court asks Christian pair to renounce faith
A Christian man and woman appealing against jail sentences for "spreading propaganda against the regime" have refused during a court appearance to renounce their faith.
Premier Christian Radio
In two weeks, five US states advance LGBT+ rights
Through executive orders and state legislatures, five states across the US have increased discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people.
NBC News
Spanish judge rejects complaint over Satan statue
A judge has rejected complaints that a proposed statue of the devil was an affront to religious sensibilities that could make the Spanish city of Segovia a focus of satanic worship.
The Guardian
Mon, 21 Jan 2019
MPs move to scrap parliamentary prayers – NSS quoted
A group of MPs has moved a motion to stop the practice of starting the day in parliament with Anglican prayers on the grounds that they are incompatible with the principle of freedom of and from religion.
Hindustan Times
MPs call for end of parliamentary prayers
A cross-party group of MPs has called for an end to the 460-year-old practice of reading prayers in parliament in a motion which the NSS has backed.
The Times (£)
Contraceptive pill can be taken every day of the month after scientists dismiss 'pope rule'
New NHS guidance says the contraceptive pill can be taken every day of the month after scientists dismissed a seven-day break which was introduced so "the pope would accept it" as natural.
The Telegraph
Charedi Jewish parents and teachers threaten to home school to avoid sex education requirements
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish parents and teachers have said schools may go underground and children be educated at home if the government presses ahead with guidance on teaching about same-sex relationships and gender reassignment.
The Observer
Universities double invitations to extremists, says think tank
Universities and student societies organised at least 200 events with extremist speakers last year, according to the Henry Jackson Society.
The Sunday Times (£)
‘A new definition of Islamophobia could be a recipe for trouble’
David Green says there is a looming risk the government will soon subscribe to a definition of 'Islamophobia' that will function as a backdoor blasphemy law.
The Spectator
‘The hidden torment of British men forced into arranged marriages’
The government's forced marriage unit saw 1,200 forced marriage cases in 2017. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown speaks to some of the men affected.
The Mail on Sunday
Aberdeenshire church to break away amid gay marriage row
An Aberdeenshire church has voted to quit the Scottish Episcopal Church over its acceptance of gay marriage.
The Press and Journal
Pakistani Christian woman still effectively a prisoner despite being freed by the courts
Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian acquitted of blasphemy, still lives the life of a prisoner, nearly three months after her release from death row, awaiting a final ruling on her fate.
ABC News
Mike Pence says criticism of wife's job at school that bans LGBT+ students is 'deeply offensive'
The US vice-president has defended his wife's decision to take on a new job teaching art classes at a Christian school that bans LGBT+ employees and students, as well as the children of gay parents.
The Independent
French far-right author sentenced to jail for inciting anti-semitism
A French court sentenced far-right author Alain Soral to one year in prison for insulting a judge and making antisemitic comments.
Jewish News
Facebook bringing in new rules to govern how employees can talk about religion
A new rulebook is reportedly coming into force at Facebook to govern the way workers at the company can discuss religion and politics.
Christian Today
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