Daily media briefing
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Mon, 6 Nov 2023
Revealed: plan to brand anyone ‘undermining’ UK as extremist
Leaked documents spark furious backlash from groups who fear freedom of expression could be suppressed.
The Guardian
Met Police cuts ties with adviser Attiq Malik after chant video emerges
Mr Malik, a lawyer, is the chair of the London Muslim Communities Forum, a body that advises the Met.
BBC
Israeli minister suspended for suggesting nuclear bomb on Gaza a ‘possibility’
Eliyahu, a member of the Jewish Power party, has been suspended from all government meetings until further notice.
The Times*
GP in jihad storm said Islam ‘not religion of peace’
After Rigby was murdered in Woolwich in 2013, the activist disagreed with the notion that Islam was peaceful, according to a report on 5 Pillars, a website that has espoused Islamist views.
The Times*
Jewish and Muslim charities report continued abuse
United Synagogue, the Central Oxford Mosque Society and Wiener Holocaust Library have all reported that they had been the victims of abusive incidents.
Civil Society*
Zaghari-Ratcliffe: More action needed over jailed Scot
She said both she and Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, should have been better protected by the UK government.
BBC
Shamima Begum’s lawyer quits over ‘unfair’ secret terror hearings
The lawyer who represented Shamima Begum before the UK's secret anti-terrorism hearings has quit, accusing ministers of failing to support the process.
The Times*
‘Mike Johnson, theocrat: the House speaker and a plot against America’
"Second-in-line to the presidency, the Republican makes claims about the constitution and Christianity, and his wish to impose his faith on others, that do not withstand serious scrutiny", writes Marci A Hamilton.
The Guardian
US: Boston activists demand pardons for all ‘witches’
The Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project is calling for apologies to the almost 200 people accused of being witches.
The Times*
Spain: A new Museum of Prohibited Art shows how censorship evolved
Artworks taking on Islam tend to be more restrained than those targeting Christianity.
The Economist*
Fri, 3 Nov 2023
St Monica's Maternity Home: 'They told me I was disgusting'
A woman who was sent to a church-run maternity home for unmarried women aged 15 has said she was made to feel she was "not worthy of anything".
BBC
Revealed: The Iran-linked groups feared to be stirring up tension over Israel
British officials have identified more than half a dozen UK-based groups with direct ties to Tehran amid fears the hostile state is stirring up tension over the conflict in Israel.
The Times*
Holocaust library condemns graffiti amid pro-Palestinian paint protests
Vandals spraypainted the word "Gaza" across a sign belonging to a Holocaust research library as a number of pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place across London.
The Times*
Don’t delay guidance allowing priests to be in same-sex marriages, say 44 bishops
A group of 44 bishops made a public statement on Wednesday afternoon expressing their hope that pastoral guidance allowing priests to be in same-sex marriages would be issued "without delay".
Church Times*
Australia: NSW to consider action over Catholic church abuse legal tactics
The New South Wales attorney general, Michael Daley, has ordered an urgent briefing on the landmark high court decision over the Catholic church's tactics in abuse cases.
The Guardian
Australia: Religious school backtracks on same-sex formal ban
A no-girlfriend rule at a Catholic girls' school formal has been rescinded, thrilling the woman who put the ban in the national spotlight.
Canberra Times
Iran prison blocks Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi's hospital care over hijab refusal, family says
Iranian prison authorities have blocked jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi's hospital care after she refused to wear a hijab, relatives say.
BBC
Thu, 2 Nov 2023
Should groups that do nothing apart from promote religion get charitable status? – NSS quoted
"There's been a wave of hatred coming from a number of religious organisations in the UK, many of them registered charities. It seems only reasonable to question whether these groups should be allowed to reap the rewards that come with being a charity."
The Mirror
Jewish chaplains’ houses targeted in ‘frightening’ campaign on two university campuses
University Jewish Chaplaincy has said Jewish chaplains' houses are being targeted in a "frightening" campaign on two university campuses.
The Telegraph*
‘Our voices will be heard’: survivors herald court ruling against tactics used by Australian churches to avoid abuse claims
Abuse survivors and lawyers have called on the Catholic church and other institutions to cease using permanent stays to shield themselves from abuse claims and for legislative reform to reopen past cases where the tactic has been used.
The Guardian
‘Justice for Australian victims of child sexual abuse is being blocked by a legal tactic – and it must stop’
In recent years, organisations that are the subject of claims related to historical child sexual abuse have latched on to the legal remedy of 'permanent stays' as a way of avoiding these claims. What is meant to be an "exceptional" remedy is being applied for regularly in the context of historical child sexual abuse claims.
The Guardian
Vatican’s silence on Holocaust was shaped by Antisemitism and caution, archives show
For decades, controversy over why Pope Pius XII didn't speak out against the Nazi Holocaust has troubled the Catholic Church. New research has revealed evidence that an antisemitic Vatican aide played a role in the wartime pope's silence, as did fear of provoking violence against Catholics under Nazi rule and against the Vatican itself.
Wall Street Journal*
Iranian mother jailed for 13 years after denouncing death of son shot at protest
Mahsa Yazdani convicted of blasphemy and 'insulting supreme leader' as Iran regime targets families of those killed in protests.
The Guardian
Afghan refugees forced to leave Pakistan say they have nothing
Pakistan has started to arrest Afghans as the country begins a nationwide crackdown on foreign nationals it says are in the country illegally.
BBC
Wed, 1 Nov 2023
Isle of Man parliament backs bill to legalise assisted dying
The Isle of Man has moved a step closer to legalising assisted dying after its parliament backed a proposal to allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults to choose an assisted death.
The Guardian
‘Islamism is a failed ideology. Muslims must embrace the West’
"Given praise they receive from Progressives, standing against democracy becomes a double prize for many Arabs and Muslims in the West: Loved in the old homeland, and acting like the poster children for authenticity and diversity in their new countries. What Arab or Muslim would not take such a win-win, support-Hamas, deal?"
The Telegraph*
‘When did journalism become a hate crime?’
"Is it now a hate crime to investigate Islamic extremism? The Lewisham Islamic Centre in London certainly seems to think so. It has reported Charlie Peters, GB News journalist and regular spiked contributor, to the police, after he made inquiries about an inflammatory speech that was allegedly given at the mosque."
Spiked
Spain’s bishops apologize for sex abuses but dispute the estimated number of victims in report
Spain's Catholic bishops on Monday apologized again for sex abuses committed by church members following a report by Spain's Ombudsman that accused the church of widespread negligence.
Associated Press
Antisemitic graffiti in Paris worries French leaders
Stars of David have been found graffitied on buildings in the Paris area, in acts that political leaders have said "recall the 1930s".
BBC
Catholic church loses landmark case over tactics that shield it from Australian abuse claims
The Catholic church has lost a landmark case over its controversial use of the deaths of paedophile priests to thwart survivors' attempts at justice.
The Guardian
The FBI director warns about threats to Americans from those inspired by the Hamas attack on Israel
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned on Tuesday that Hamas' rampage inside Israel could inspire violence in the U.S., telling lawmakers that multiple foreign extremist groups have called for attacks against Americans and the West in recent weeks.
Associated Press
Tunisia’s Islamist party leader is sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting terrorism
The leader of Tunisia's moderate Islamist party was sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting terrorism and inciting hatred in the North African country, once seen as a model for democracy in the Arab world but increasingly authoritarian in recent years.
Associated Press
UN experts call on the Taliban to free 2 women rights defenders from custody in Afghanistan
U.N. experts on Tuesday demanded the Taliban immediately release two women rights defenders who have been in detention for more than a month with no reason given for their arrest.
Associated Press
Tue, 31 Oct 2023
Party of Islam registration rejected by Electoral Commission
A spokesperson for the commission said: "We refused the application. The proposed constitution did not satisfactorily set out the structure and organisation of the party."
EU Today
Islamophobia awareness should be taught in every school – report
The effects of Islamophobia should be taught in every school in Scotland, according to a new report by a cross-party Holyrood group.
BBC
Counter-terror chiefs on alert for Iranian activity in UK exploiting Gaza war
British counter-terrorism officers are monitoring closely if Iran will try to exploit the Israel-Hamas war for its own ends in the UK, amid wider anxieties that Tehran is an increasing security menace to dissidents and critics.
The Guardian
Islamist news site editor calls for mobs to welcome ‘Israelis at every airport in Muslim countries’
A UK-based journalist with the hardline pro-Islamist website 5 Pillars has sparked widespread anger and calls for police to investigate his social media post in which he demanded "ALL Israelis" be greeted by mobs "at the airports of Muslim-majority countries".
Jewish News
Twenty Jewish schools in Paris reportedly evacuated after bomb threat
Students at multiple Jewish schools across Paris were reportedly sent home this morning after an anonymous bomb threat was called in.
The Jewish Chronicle
‘This war is prophetically significant’: why US evangelical Christians support Israel
One strand of evangelical theology holds that the return of Jews to the region starts the clock ticking on a seven-year armageddon, after which Jesus Christ will return.
The Guardian
Bible is my rule book says Mike Johnson, newly elected US Speaker
After his victory, the new Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, suggested that his election had been ordained by God.
Church Times*
Kerala blasts: Man arrested after deadly attack on Jehovah's Witnesses
Police in India have arrested a man in connection with a series of explosions at a Jehovah's Witnesses meeting in the southern state of Kerala.
BBC
‘Where’s the solidarity with women of Iran?’
"After years of protests, women in Iran have over the past 12 months stepped up their challenge to compulsory dress codes in what are considered to be the longest-running anti-government protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution. But where is the solidarity? Where are the protests against the Iranian regime?"
The Times*
Mon, 30 Oct 2023
House of Lords appointments commission head: bishops’ bench ‘not necessary’
Ruth Deech, the new head of the House of Lords appointments commission has said she does not believe the bishops bench is "particularly necessary".
The Guardian
Hamas fugitive spouts hate on TV station based in London
A British television station regularly features a Hamas fugitive who recently used the channel to praise the "resistance fighters" who murdered seven Jews in a synagogue on Holocaust Memorial Day.
The Times*
Iran is hijacking UK pro-Palestinian protests, police warn
Iranian agents are creating unrest in Britain by stoking Gaza protests, senior police have said as they prepared for a fresh round of demonstrations on Saturday.
The Times*
Bishop's right to vote in Tynwald important, says retiring bishop
The bishop's vote in Tynwald creates a "spiritual voice in to public life" the outgoing bishop has said.
BBC
CCV church leaders resign amid spiritual abuse probe
Senior pastors of a large County Londonderry church have resigned. It comes amid a church-led investigation into allegations including "spiritual abuse" and "narcissistic behaviour".
BBC
Sikh 'barred from Birmingham jury service' for religious sword
A Sikh man said he felt "embarrassed and discriminated against" after being prevented from taking part in jury service due to his religious sword.
BBC
Spanish Church sexual abuse affected 200,000 children, commission finds
More than 200,000 children are estimated to have suffered sexual abuse from Spain's Catholic clergy, an independent commission has found.
BBC
Pope orders Vatican to reopen case of priest accused of adult abuse but allowed to keep ministering
Pope Francis has ordered the Vatican to reopen the case of a well-known priest-artist accused of sexually, psychologically and spiritually abusing adult women, and removed the statute of limitations that had previously prevented a church trial based on their claims.
Associated Press
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