Newsline 27 January 2017

Newsline 27 January 2017

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News, Blogs & Opinion

Northern Ireland: Secularists support moves to integrate education

News | Fri, 27th Jan 2017

The National Secular Society has called for more efforts to integrate education, promote citizenship education and reduce discrimination against pupils and teachers in Northern Ireland.

The Society welcomed proposals by Alliance MLA by Kellie Armstrong to boost integrated education, which brings children, staff and families from different religious and non-religious backgrounds together into the same schools.

Currently, the "extent to which state education is religiously segregated in Northern Ireland is unique both in the UK and among developed nations", the NSS said.

In a response to a consultation on a Private Members Bill proposed by Ms Armstrong, the Society said that "efforts to integrate Northern Ireland's education system remain woefully slow" and offered its support to her proposals to accelerate the integration of the Northern Ireland education system.

Armstrong proposed the bill to provide for the "increasing number of parents and children want to attend an integrated school", noting that "integrated education is still seen as an integral part of healing a divided society."

But at the moment the process for a school to transform is "lengthy and complex", which has "created an extra barrier for those who wish to see integrated provision in their area."

She also pointed out that integrating schools would have financial benefits for taxpayers: "It can help reduce the cost of maintaining empty school places, it enables funding to be directed toward pupils rather than sustaining a divided school estate, and it improves sustainability, making it easier to fund the modernisation of the school estate."

In 2015 the Audit Office calculated that there were 71,000 empty school places in Northern Ireland – one fifth of the total. The Society said that "a segregated system of any type is by its nature inefficient."

The NSS has said that the Northern Ireland Department of Education should have a duty to work with schools and authorities to ensure that a school becomes integrated within five years of proposing the transition.

In 2016 the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child called upon Northern Ireland to promote "a fully integrated education system and carefully monitor the provision of shared education, with the participation of children, in order to ensure that it facilitates social integration".

The proposed bill would require the Department of Education to "actively promote" integration, and Armstrong said the Department should "set minimum targets for children being educated in integrated schools within the next decade."

To speed up the school transformation process, the NSS suggested that the threshold of parents required to petition for integration to be lowered, and that school governors are required to give consideration to integration at a regular interval. The NSS also proposed new mechanisms to trigger the transformation process where it was clear that segregation was causing significant school capacity problems, and also to "include the views of potential parents that are excluded from the (potentially integratable) school due to their religion or belief".

The National Secular Society said that citizenship education plays an essential part in "fostering good community cohesion and children's rights" and welcomed proposals to increase the prominence of citizenship education which it said would help Northern Irish schools meet their public sector equality duty and duties under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The consultation comes at the same time that the Integrated Education Fund have launched the Integrate My School initiative to support grassroots transformation movements, along with resources to help lobby on integrated education in the upcoming election.

On the question of teacher discrimination the NSS said that no qualified teacher should ever be discriminated against in a state school on religious grounds.

NSS campaigns officer Alastair Lichten said, "Today's schools are where tomorrow's sectarianism or tolerance will be fostered. We hope that these issues are taken seriously by all parties in the upcoming election and the new assembly acts to increase integration across Northern Ireland's schools."

Government must not prop up the Church of England, says NSS

News | Fri, 27th Jan 2017

The National Secular Society has urged the Government to allow the Church of England to find its own level of sustainability, in a response to a Government-led review.

The English Churches and Cathedrals Sustainability Review was commissioned by the Government in March 2016 to consider the challenges faced by Anglican church buildings and their long term sustainability.

Over 2000 Anglican churches have congregations of fewer than 10, and two-thirds of church buildings are in rural areas, home to just 20% of the population.

Attendance at Church of England services has plunged to its lowest level ever with official figures showing that only 1.4% of the population of England now attend Anglican services on a typical Sunday morning.

The Government's church buildings task force is seeking to explore "creative and innovative ways" of using available resources more effectively to ensure churches "continue to be an integral part of local life" while not increasing the overall level of Government funding.

Since 2014 the Government has allocated around £221 million to repairing places of worship, with the vast majority of the money going to the Church of England – despite it having estimated assets of over £20bn.

The survey asks whether the local community – whether they attend their local Church of England church or not – has a "responsibility" for the preservation or upkeep of church buildings, and asks what churches need to offer in order to be attractive as venues for wider events and ventures.

In a response to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, which is coordinating the survey, the NSS said it would be wrong for the Government to excessively subsidise buildings if there was little local demand.

Churches are not ideal substitutes for community buildings, the Society said, and may prove alienating to some.

A spokesperson for the NSS said: "While there is a secular case for protecting buildings of cultural and historical significance, the Church of England is an extremely wealthy organisation which should not shirk its responsibility."

Arguing that the Review should not support claims that church buildings are unsustainable without wider financial and community support, the NSS pointed to the Churches' assets and priorities, stating that: "If the Church chooses to continue to withdraw support in order to focus on mission and church growth, then it should expect to lose control of such assets – which may be of interest to some community, local government or private developers."

You can respond to the English Churches and Cathedrals Sustainability Review here. The survey will close at noon on Tuesday 31st January.

Council declines £11,000 donation, to avoid opening a sports centre on the Sabbath

News | Wed, 25th Jan 2017

Campaigners have criticised Lewis Council after councillors declined a donation of over £11,000 intended to fund the opening of a popular swimming pool on Sundays.

Local people launched the fundraising effort after the Council declined to open the facility, citing cost reasons. The National Secular Society stepped in before the deadline to provide the remainder of the required sum for a one year trial, so that the Council would have no justification for not opening the pool on the Sabbath, which campaigners say is the real reason for the Councils decision.

The Council now say that the decision not to implement a pilot was not only based on the financial implications but the "need to represent the views of the majority of people in our wards."

Families into Sports for Health (FiSH) said it was "difficult for us to understand why the funds are not being readily welcomed."

FiSH are to hand over a cheque for the money at a public event in front of the council building on 3 February. They said: "We feel it is necessary to hold a public event for this offering as throughout this campaign there has been public confusion. The community saw the crowdfunder as a solution to the stated financial problem as precedent had been set with the swim club."

They said an "official and public statement" is now needed to explain why the Council is declining the funds, after citing a lack of money as the reason for not opening the pool on Sundays, which a survey suggested had overwhelming support.

"The Chief Executive … stated that while there were staffing and operation concerns, these had not been fully investigated at the time and could be overcome. Finances were deemed the main concern, a £11.4k shortfall was declared and the community stepped in to help."

FiSH have said the cheque presentation will go ahead whether or not the Council is prepared to accept the funds.

"FiSH currently feel let down by the council's persistent efforts to keep the facilities closed on Sundays instead of reasonably considering the possibility of opening - especially with the many years of community demand to extend this service to 7 days."

One supportive councillor said it was "apparent" that religion was the real reason behind the Council's obstinate refusal to open to sports centre.

Alistair McBay, vice-president of the National Secular Society, wrote to Hebrides News that the Council "seems to wilfully ignore the fact that its job is to cater for all its citizens on equal terms."

"Councillors are supposed to represent all their electorate and not just those of a particular philosophical belief which they may happen to share.

"The very least we should expect of our elected representatives is that they judge and decide on key issues having given them due consideration based on reason, rationalism and the wider public interest. When instead individual councillors appear to make decisions based on personal religious belief and narrow personal conscience, then there is a democratic deficit that needs to be addressed."

“All schools” must provide sex education, says Labour MP in appeal for Conservative support

News | Wed, 25th Jan 2017

Labour MP Stella Creasy has written in Conservative Home appealing for cross-party support to make sex and relationships education (SRE) mandatory in all schools, including faith schools.

Recent efforts to secure mandatory SRE in schools have failed and some Conservative MPs were accused of filibustering an attempt by Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas to make PSHE compulsory in all state schools.

Writing for Conservative Home, Stella Creasy MP wrote that she wanted to offer an "olive branch" to Conservative MPs.

"Opportunities for progress" in other areas shouldn't be lost while Parliament grapples with the process of exiting the European Union, she argued.

The Labour MP urged Conservative politicians to consider supporting her amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill, which is "about giving every child a legal right to learn about sexual consent as part of safeguarding them."

"For the benefit of the kids, I'm asking you to do something uncomfortable and work with your opponents," she wrote.

"Across the House there are members who support the provision of sex and relationship education (SRE) to all young people. Concerns about children living in a world of Snapchat, Tinder and sexting are widespread, as is recognition that teaching them about healthy relationships and what abuse is can help victims come forward. Several Select Committee Chairs from both Labour and Conservative have pledged their support."

She said that "attempts at cross-party consensus are breaking down as time runs out to get this right."

Creasy said that the Government was "prevaricating" on a pledge to bring forward proposals on mandatory SRE, and without amendments to the Children and Social Work Bill "it is difficult to see when or how else any statutory guarantee of provision of SRE can be introduced."

The Labour MP offered to withdraw her amendment to the Bill "if the Government offers alternative legislation that covers all kids and all schools in an inclusive and age appropriate way."

The amendment specifies that "For the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children a local authority in England must ensure that pupils educated in their area receive appropriate personal, social and health education."

The National Secular Society advocates for all children and young people, including pupils at faith schools, to have a statutory entitlement to impartial and age-appropriate SRE, with no parental opt-out.

Don’t force the hijab on young girls, says Muslim women’s rights campaigner

News | Fri, 27th Jan 2017

Shaista Gohir of the Muslim Women's Network has criticised Muslim parents who make their young daughters wear hijabs.

Her comments came after controversy over a Catholic faith school which said that a four-year old pupil could not wear a hijab to school because it breached the school's uniform policy.

Under the policy hats, scarves and large headbands are clearly prohibited, along with certain hair styles.

The St Clare's Catholic Primary School home-school agreement also requires parents to support the school in the application of the uniform policy.

Gohir said that making very young girls were the hijab should not be normalised.

"The school is as entitled to tell children not to wear [a hijab] as they are to stop a child wearing trainers or even a Superman costume.

"Let them be children, they've got their whole life to wear a headscarf if they want to."

Gohir said in her view that there was "no Islamic requirement for a four-year-old to wear a headscarf."

"We challenge parents who spray tan or give pole dancing classes to seven-year-olds, so we should be challenging Muslim parents who make young children wear the hijab.

"I've seen girls of two wearing them. We should let children be children. I would personally not like to see it normalised for four and five-year-olds to be wearing headscarfs."

Gohir added that the purpose of the hijab is to "prevent unwanted male sexual attention" and she asked "what message" was being sent by making a four-year old wear it, arguing that it amounted to "sexualising a child".

MP calls for urgent action after killer of Asad Shah incites anti-Ahmadi violence from prison

News | Wed, 25th Jan 2017

An MP has urged the Scottish Government to take action after Tanver Ahmed, who killed Ahmadi Muslim shopkeeper Asad Shah, released another anti-Ahmadi recording from prison.

Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh has written to the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson MSP, urging him to ensure that Ahmed's "access to media and recording equipment" is "curtailed immediately."

McDonagh wrote: "You will be aware that Mr Shah was targeted by Ahmed for his peaceful Ahmadi beliefs. Mr Asad Shah was the first Ahmadi Muslim to be killed in the UK for his beliefs, targeted as a result of his peaceful posts on social media.

"And yet, despite Tanveer Ahmed's incarceration, he continues to spread his message of hate, recently recording a message for extremist websites in Urdu calling on his supporters to 'eliminate enemies of Islam'."

The MP, who is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, has also written to the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service.

She added that "groups or Imams who support this hateful cause operating and preaching" in Scotland "must be stopped."

McDonagh said it was "unfathomable" that Ahmed "can spread his message of hate from prison" and that the Scottish Prison Service "must act".

Two recordings have been released by Ahmed from his cell, the first in September. The most recent recording praises Mumtaz Qadri, the terrorist who murdered Pakistani politician Salman Taseer, a vocal critic of the country's blasphemy law.

In the new recording Ahmed says, "Anyone who disregards the respect and honour of Ghazi Mumtaz Qadri, he is the one who announces his enmity with Islam openly.

"Whoever calls the martyr an assassin, he is vicious, unclean and false."

In the recording the killer urges his followers to "eliminate all of the enemies of Islam and uplift the flag of Islam."

Ahmed said he killed Shah to defend the "honour" of Mohammed.

Shah's family said they were still being "traumatised" by the killer's actions. Their lawyer said that Ahmed "continues to taunt the family from inside a Scottish prison with calls supporting terrorism.

"If he has access to a phone and is able to get recordings to his supporters, that is surely something that could be easily stopped by the Scottish Prison Service. Can't they simply take his phone away?

"It is our understanding that anti-terror police have already been in touch with the prison service to try to put a stop to this. But these messages of hate are still being broadcast."

NSS Speaks Out

We were quoted in the Daily Post on our support for local people campaigning for an inclusive new secular school to be opened, rather than a faith school. Our vice-president Alistair McBay wrote to Hebrides News on the democratic deficit of a council ignoring the wishes of local people for religious reasons.