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Thu, 28 Apr 2022
‘It cost £13,000 to help my terminally-ill husband die on his own terms at Dignitas’
"If you are dealt the blow of a terminal diagnosis, it can feel that all control has been cruelly taken from you. But assisted dying can give that back."
Metro
Russian court dissolves country’s main LGBTQ rights organisation
A Russian court has effectively shut down the country's largest LGBTQ rights organisation after a failed attempt by the government to liquidate the Russian LGBT Network and its parent organisation, the Charitable Sphere Foundation, in February.
NBC News
‘The real reason the Russian Orthodox Church’s leader supports Putin’s war’
Homophobia is at the heart of Patriarch Kirill's endorsement, says Janine di Giovanni.
Foreign Policy*
US: ‘The decline of church-state separation’
In his new book, Separating Church and State: A History, legal scholar Steven K. Green provides a comprehensive backstory to the fraught and turbulent historical relationship between religion and government in the United States.
Religion & Politics
‘How bulldozers in India became a symbol of Hindu nationalism’
As religious tensions rise, the ruling BJP party orders demolitions in largely Muslim neighbourhoods.
The Washington Post*
‘Why the West is reckoning with caste bias now’
India's constitution and courts have long recognised lower castes and Dalits as historically disadvantaged groups and offered protections in the form of quotas and anti-discriminatory laws. Now Dalit activists and academics are trying to bring in similar recognition in the West.
BBC
Wed, 27 Apr 2022
Bengali diaspora come together for secularism at NSS event
Campaigners have warned that increasing communal religious division is eroding the inclusivity of Bengali identity at an event organised by the National Secular Society. The same story is available in Bengali here.
Bangla Mirror
Prisons failing to tackle Islamist gangs – report
The prison service has failed to recognise the dangers Islamist gangs and convicted terrorists pose inside jail, a report warns.
BBC
Legal marriage age raised from 16 to 18 - and adults to face jail for aiding underage weddings
The new law also applies to religious or cultural marriages not registered with a council but only pertains to England and Wales, not Northern Ireland and Scotland where the minimum age remains 16.
Sky News
Church of Scotland presbyteries back conducting same-sex marriages
The majority of Church of Scotland presbyteries are in favour of allowing parish ministers and deacons to marry same-sex couples if they wish, a new report shows.
The National*
Ireland: Parents ‘appalled’ at school’s refusal to teach about ‘same-sex friendships’
A group of parents of children attending a Co Wicklow primary school have expressed anger at the school's decision to exclude teaching about "same-sex friendships" and contraception from relationships and sexuality education (RSE).
The Irish Times*
A top French court overturns government-ordered mosque closure, a first
France's highest administrative court dismissed on Tuesday an appeal from the Interior Ministry that aimed to close a mosque in the southwestern town of Pessac for six months.
Reuters*
US: Arizona's new adoption law sparks outcry
A new law in Arizona empowers faith-based foster care and adoption agencies to reject prospective parents based on their religious views without fear of a lawsuit.
Phoenix New Times
‘Will the Supreme Court once again favour the rights of Christians over everyone else?’
The court may privilege a coach's Christian practice over the U.S. Constitution itself, says Caroline Mala Corbin.
NBC News
US panel calls on Biden to sanction India over sliding religious freedom under Modi
A US panel has urged the Joe Biden administration to impose targeted sanctions on India over what it called the erosion of religious freedom under the leadership of prime minister Narendra Modi.
The Independent
India: ‘Desire for pan-Hindu identity, hatred for Bangladeshis – Why teens joined Jahangirpuri riots’
For one poor, lower-caste community in Jahangirpuri, 'Hindutva cause' represents a path to social mobility, including for the younger generation, says Tanushree Pandey.
The Print
Tue, 26 Apr 2022
David Cameron backs calls to save Prevent after 'Islamist-led' campaigns to bring it down
The Prevent anti-terror programme is at risk of 'dying the death of a thousand cuts' because of failure to defend it from critics, claims a think-tank.
Mail Online
‘We can’t let strategy be defeated by extremists’
Just as we need to counter the Islamist extremist narrative we also need to counter the anti-Prevent narrative, says David Cameron
The Times*
Parents take legal action against Welsh Government over compulsory sex education
Parents are taking legal action against the Welsh Government over plans for compulsory relationship and sex education in schools.
Wales Online
US Supreme Court: Should this coach have been punished for praying?
The US Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in the case of an American football coach suing for the right to pray at mid-field after his high school team's games. The court's conservative majority could use the lawsuit to expand the boundaries limiting religious expression in public schools.
BBC
US: The Satanic Temple sues elementary school as after-school club rejected
The Satanic Temple has filed a lawsuit against a Pennsylvanian elementary school after the school board voted to deny the establishment of the After School Satan club.
Global News
US watchdog says Afghanistan belongs on religious freedom blacklist
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom also recommended the State Department designate Syria as a "country of particular concern" and place Egypt, Iraq and Turkey on a special watchlist for religious freedom offenders.
Al-Monitor
‘Fellow Muslims: The West accepts blasphemy – get used to it’
Islamists promote the notion that to prevent Muslims from engaging in violence, the government must prevent anything that offends them from taking place, says Wasiq Wasiq.
Focus On Western Islamism
‘Why Delhi chief minister's silence on violence is jarring’
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's stand on recent religious violence in India's capital and the subsequent police crackdown on Muslims may be politically expedient, but critics question whether it's moral, writes Geeta Pandey.
BBC
Mon, 25 Apr 2022
Assisted Dying Bill now backed by most MPs, Baroness Meacher insists
A majority of MPs in the House of Commons are in favour of a law change on assisted dying, a peer leading the campaign has said.
The Times*
School in ‘Operation Christmas Child’ row after complaint over sexual orientation views
A Ramsgate school has removed its support for a charity campaign after a couple with a child at the school complained about the connection with American Evangelist Franklin Graham, who is known for his views and comments against same-sex relationships and Islam.
The Isle of Thanet News
Antarctica same-sex wedding first on British territory
The first same-sex wedding has taken place on British Antarctic Territory.
BBC
Alliance candidate warned to leave 'Protestant area' while canvassing
An Alliance Party candidate has been warned to leave a street while canvassing after being told it was a "Protestant area".
The Irish News*
Police Federation appoints Liam Kelly as first Catholic chairman
The Police Federation for Northern Ireland has appointed Liam Kelly as its new chairman. His appointment comes amid continued debate about how more Catholics can be encouraged to join the PSNI.
The Irish News*
Catholic primary school with just one pupil to close
A West Cumbrian faith school, which has just one pupil, will permanently close in August.
CumbriaCrack
British public 'much less hostile towards religion'
The British public has become much less hostile towards religion over the past two decades even as the number of people who identify as religious has fallen sharply, a study has found.
The Times*
Afghanistan: Taliban orders TikTok, PUBG ban for 'misleading' youths
The Taliban has ordered a ban on video-sharing app TikTok and online multi-player game PUBG, insisting they were leading Afghan youths "astray".
BBC
At least 33 dead in mosque explosion in Afghanistan
At least 33 people have been killed after a bomb was detonated at a mosque and religious teaching school in Afghanistan, a Taliban official has said.
Evening Standard
Islamic State claims Nigeria bombing, says about 30 killed or hurt
Islamic State claimed responsibility for an explosion that it said killed or injured 30 people at a market where alcohol was sold in Taraba State, Nigeria, marking an expansion of the area where the extremist group operates in the country.
Reuters*
US: An Alabama couple can’t adopt a child because they’re non-religious
Private adoption agencies won't work with non-religious couples like Alaina Browning and her atheist husband.
OnlySky
‘Is Hungary’s Viktor Orbán the US Christian Right’s new Vladimir Putin?’
The fall of Putin's star among US evangelicals leaves a void they may seek to fill with another strongman leader devoted to 'family values', says Chrissy Stroop.
openDemocracy
Fri, 22 Apr 2022
Man who called for jihad 'by sword' at busy Brighton mosque jailed for 4 years
A man from Brighton, who made a stabbing gesture as he called for jihad 'by sword' at a busy Brighton mosque, has been jailed for four years.
ITV
Death threat to Jews sung openly at rallies across the UK
Crowds of anti-Israel protesters have repeatedly chanted a chilling Arabic death threat to Jews under the noses of police without a single person being charged, a JC investigation has revealed.
The Jewish Chronicle
Salvation Army in UK accused of ‘rogue landlord’ attitude
Christian charity ignored for years complaints of 'unforgivable' hazards in rental properties in Hadleigh, Essex.
The Guardian
Nicola Sturgeon says 'complex legal issues' around anti-abortion buffer zones in Scotland remain
The First Minister said she condemns any attempts to intimidate women accessing abortion services as anti-abortion buffer zones are not yet implemented in Scotland.
The Scotsman*
Scottish Conservatives candidate dropped after branding Catholic school a 'bigot factory'
Greg Turner, who is standing to become a councillor for the Barrhead ward on East Renfrewshire Council, referred to a local Catholic high school as a "bigot factory" in a discussion about catchment areas.
Daily Record
Ireland: LGBTQ and atheist teachers live in fear of being themselves in Catholic schools
Almost 90% of Irish schools remain under Catholic patronage. Conference delegates said this still creates issues for teachers whose beliefs and sexuality do not align with Catholic values.
The Irish Examiner
Tensions over race, religion in France’s presidential race
French voters head to polls on Sunday in a runoff vote between centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron and nationalist rival Marine Le Pen, wrapping up a campaign that experts have seen as unusually dominated by discriminatory discourse and proposals targeting immigration and Islam.
The Associated Press
Sweden: Far-right anti-Islam politician taps into backlash against immigration
A recent outbreak of violence in Sweden has drawn attention to a little-known politician who stages offensive provocations against Muslims. Experts say his rise comes amid a hardening of attitudes towards immigrants.
Deutsche Welle
Archbishop resigns from Anglican Church of Canada over sexual misconduct
An archbishop in the Anglican Church of Canada has resigned due to "acknowledged sexual misconduct," according to a letter from the denomination's top official.
Religion News Service
US: Doctors facing challenges to provide abortion access "even when Roe is still the law of the land"
Nearly two dozen states have severely restricted access to abortions. The new laws come as the Supreme Court decides on a Mississippi abortion law that could overturn Roe v. Wade.
CBS News
US: Abortion training under threat for med students, residents
For many US medical students and residents seeking abortion training, options are scant and under threat.
The Independent*
‘Russian Orthodox Church lends legitimacy to Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine’
Many in Ukraine outraged over Moscow church's silence about fate of its parishioners there.
The Irish Times*
Thu, 21 Apr 2022
Higher suicide rates in seriously ill ‘prove law must change’
Assisted dying campaigners have called for a change in the law after statistics showed that those with severe and terminal health conditions were twice as likely to take their own lives.
The Times*
‘I found out I have terminal cancer on the day doctors told my daughter she had months to live’
"I realised during her final excruciating days before her passing in July 2021 – when she was just 46 years old – that terminally-ill people deserve the choice to access assisted dying."
Metro
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