Daily media briefing
Stay informed with our daily media briefing newsletter. Every weekday morning we'll bring you the most relevant news and updates related to secularism directly to your inbox.
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Wed, 9 Aug 2023
Tories could campaign to leave ECHR if Rwanda flights blocked
Senior Conservatives say their party is likely to campaign to leave the European Convention on Human Rights if Rwanda flights continue to be blocked.
BBC
Church treasurer jailed after stealing £24,000 for 'retail therapy'
A church treasurer has been jailed after stealing £24,000 from a church in Hertfordshire.
Premier Christian News
Lifetime ban for antisemitic Chelsea fan who called Jews ‘vermin’
A Chelsea fan who referred to Jews as "vermin" in a lengthy series of racist social media posts has been handed a lifetime ban by Chelsea Football Club.
Jewish News
Iraq bans media from using term ‘homosexuality’
Iraq's media regulator ordered all media companies operating in the state not to use the term "homosexuality" and instead to say "sexual deviance".
Reuters
Ohio vote delivers win for abortion-rights supporters
Ohio has rejected a Republican motion to make it harder to change the state's constitution - a move seen as a defeat for anti-abortion groups.
BBC
US: Judge orders attorneys to take ‘religious liberty training’ from ADF
The lawyers must take an eight-hour session from Alliance Defending Freedom, an influential legal group behind anti-abortion and anti-LGBT+ litigation.
Independent
Tue, 8 Aug 2023
Sex education: 'False information' being spread about lessons
A "false information campaign" is circulating about relationship and sex education in Northern Ireland, the Department of Education has said.
BBC
Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary appears in court
Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary has appeared in court accused of leading banned militant network Al-Muhajiroun.
Daily Mail
Investigating the 'spiritual healers' sexually abusing women
Spiritual healing, also known as "Quranic healing", is a popular practice in the Arab and Muslim world.
BBC
Australia: Catholic Church challenges family's Pell child abuse claims
The Catholic Church is challenging a ruling that would allow the father of a choirboy to sue over allegations of child sexual abuse by Cardinal George Pell.
Canberra Times
Judge: Texas’ abortion ban is too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications
A judge ruled the state's abortion ban is too restrictive for women with serious pregnancy complications.
AP News
Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly getting prison perks after declaring herself Jewish
Jewish inmates are entitled to kosher food, time off for Shabbat and access to a rabbi for counselling purposes as well as grape juice and bread for prayers.
The Jewish Chronicle
IOC could ban Iran from Olympics over human rights abuses
The International Olympic Committee stands ready to ban Iranian athletes next year's Olympic Games in Paris if human rights abuses in the country continue.
City A.M.
Mon, 7 Aug 2023
Bishop and ex-chair of Soul Survivor investigated for ‘ignoring abuse’
Church of England look into allegation Bishop Graham Cray did not act on safeguarding concerns over Mike Pilavachi's behaviour.
The Telegraph*
Regulator criticises Jehovah’s Witness charity as it concludes long-running inquiry
The Charity Commission says responses from the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain were not as 'straightforward and as transparent as they should have been'.
Third Sector*
Documentary: Religious views in British politics – NSS featured
NSS president Keith Porteous Wood (1:45) explains in this City University documentary why we should be as free to express, and criticise, religious beliefs as any other beliefs.
Solape Alatise
Iran forces women defying hijab laws into psychiatric treatment
Iranian judges recently "diagnosed" Iranian actress Azadeh Samadi with an "antisocial personality disorder" after she wore a hat instead of a hijab at a funeral.
France 24
'Blasphemous Barbie': doll dressed as Jesus causing fury
Two artists in Argentina have come under fire after creating Barbie dolls depicting Christ and a number of Catholic saints.
Premier Christian News
‘Evil does exist’: Louisiana victim of Catholic priest abuse urges reform
Tim Gioe, who was groomed as a child, is pressing for parental consent to be obtained before priests are left alone with children.
The Guardian
Defence minister: Niger coup weakens fight against terror in Africa
Several terror Islamist terror groups including Boko Haram, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and Al-Qaeda's local branch are regaining strength.
France 24
Taliban bans girl students from attending school beyond third grade
Taliban local officials in some regions asking school authorities to send girls over third grade home.
Independent
Jamie Foxx apologises after antisemitism accusations
Foxx's post – on Instagram – read: "They killed this dude name Jesus … what do you think they'll do to you???! #fakefriends #fakelove".
The Guardian
Fri, 4 Aug 2023
NHS chaplain triggers outrage as he poses with the Taliban
Suliman Gani visited the brutal regime's leaders while on annual leave from his job at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south London.
Daily Mail
IRGC chiefs tell UK students to join ‘apocalyptic war’ on Jews
Commanders from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps are using a London-based student organisation to pipe extremist antisemitic propaganda and calls for violence into British universities.
Jewish Chronicle
Letters - Safeguarding: the ISB and Synod business rules
"Such is the chaos in the Church's safeguarding structures that not only can the Church not treat survivors with justice and mercy: it doesn't even have a mechanism to learn from its own failings."
Church Times*
Video: Religious vilification outlawed in New South Wales
Religious vilification has been banned in NSW by amending the state's Anti-Discrimination Act, but there's community debate over the scope of the new laws.
ABC News
Koran burning unleashes fierce debate over freedom of speech
Denmark and Sweden struggle to balance long-held adherence to progressive politics with demands of national security.
Financial Times*
Leah Remini: The King of Queens star sues Church of Scientology
Leah Remini is taking legal action against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, for harassment and defamation.
BBC
US appeals for ‘calm’ in India as six die in religious clashes near national capital
Violence broke out on Monday after a Hindu religious procession passed through the Muslim dominated Nuh region in northern Haryana state, Indian officials said.
Independent
He raised millions for bibles but spent it on gambling and gold, US says
Prosecutors issued a warrant for Jason Gerald Shenk, saying he defrauded Amish and Mennonite communities of $30 million he claimed would be used to spread Christianity in China.
New York Times*
The reason Israel’s reserve army force is laying down arms
It is also symbolic of a deep and bitter rift between the country's secular liberals - who stiffly oppose the reforms - and religious conservatives who support them.
Telegraph*
Thu, 3 Aug 2023
Diocese of Bristol reviews Ugandan link after Anti-Homosexuality Act
The Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Revd Vivenne Faull, has announced that she is reviewing her diocese's link with Uganda because of the Anti-Homosexuality Act recently passed in that country, and its endorsement by the Ugandan Archbishop, Dr Stephen Kaziimba.
Church Times*
Qatar terror case will go to ECHR
Britain faces a European court challenge after judges ruled that victims cannot sue foreign governments accused of financing terrorist groups.
The Times*
‘Everyone should have the right to insult Islam’
"Criticism of religion should never be punished. Not even burnings of the Koran. I find the idea of a government trampling on the speech rights of its citizens far more offensive than protesters trampling on a copy of the Koran. It's the bonfire of the liberties, not the occasional burning of a religious text, that should horrify us."
Spiked
Portugal: 'Censorship' claim as billboard pulled before Pope addresses sex abuse scandal
Pope Francis has called on Portuguese clergy members to listen to Catholic child sex abuse victims as he addressed the scandal in the country for the first time, hours after a billboard highlighting the thousands of victims was covered up during his visit.
9 News
In Muslim-majority Indonesia, Islamic preacher charged with blasphemy for unorthodox views
Indonesian police have brought blasphemy and hate speech charges against the head of a controversial Islamic boarding school, following public uproar over its teachings, including unorthodox treatment of women and use of Hebrew.
Reuters
India: Days after Nuh, Gurugram violence, victims count losses
"Policemen in riot gear, burnt cars and piles of debris. Three days after violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims killed six people, parts of the northern Indian state of Haryana remain tense."
BBC
Indian court allows survey of a 17th-century mosque to see if it was built over a Hindu temple
An Indian court on Thursday ruled that officials can conduct a scientific survey to determine if a 17th-century mosque in the country's north was built over a Hindu temple.
Associated Press
Australia: Queensland mulls options after court overturns ban on religious weapons in schools
Queensland will explore all legal options after a court found the statewide ban against carrying religious weapons on school grounds to be racial discrimination.
The Guardian
Australia: Muslims criticise ban on Islamic state flag over fears it will criminalise displays of their faith
Australian Muslim groups have hit back at a push to ban a flag used by Islamic State amid fears it could lead to criminalisation of legitimate displays of Islamic imagery. The Albanese government recently introduced legislation that would ban the display of Nazi symbols which was quietly extended to include the IS group's flag.
Daily Mail
Israel's Orthodox Haredim seek to avoid being pulled into national crisis
As Israel's government pushes through judicial reforms that have convulsed the nation with mass protests and warnings of civil unrest, a core component of the fragile governing coalition has little interest in pursuing the policy.
Reuters
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