Newsline 15 November 2019
|
|
|
This week a report from Humanists International has highlighted the reach of blasphemy and apostasy laws around the world. Sixty-nine countries have blasphemy laws
on the books and blasphemy is punishable by death in six countries. Eighteen countries outlaw 'apostasy', and in 12 of them it's punishable by death.
Elsewhere our communications officer Chris Sloggett warns that religious identity is being politicised during the general election campaign. And our head of
education Alastair Lichten explains why we're opposing proposals to revoke the right to withdraw from RE in Wales – at least for now.
If you value Newsline and the work we do, please consider getting involved in
our campaigning or joining or donating to the NSS. Thank you for your support.
|
|
News & Opinion
|
|
|
Sixty-nine countries have blasphemy laws and penalties have hardened in parts of the world in recent years, according to a report on the status and rights...
Read More »
|
|
|
Chris Sloggett says the major parties in the current election campaign are indulging Britain's division into religious tribes – and we should urgently...
Read More »
|
|
|
The Welsh government is considering removing the parental right to withdraw from religious education. Alastair Lichten argues that despite potential
benefits,... Read More »
|
|
|
Taxpayers are funding a larger proportion of the building costs of faith schools which can potentially select all their children on religious grounds than...
Read More
»
|
|
|
An Islamic school which stocked books promoting support for the Taliban, anti-semitic and anti-Christian messages and misogyny is among nine independent...
Read More
»
|
|
|
Other news: UK
Ministers have challenged a ruling that a
couple's Islamic marriage came within the scope of English law. Last year a High Court judge ruled that a woman was entitled to a decree of nullity after the
breakup of her 18-year marriage. She married a man in a religious ceremony but they never had a civil ceremony.
Lawyers acting for dozens of victims of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests have called for Vincent Nichols, the most senior
Catholic cleric in England and Wales, to resign. NSS vice-president Richard Scorer was one of the two lawyers to make the call, acting in his professional
capacity.
The NSS's No More Faith Schools campaign has criticised a decision
to open a new Church of England primary school in Keynsham in Somerset next September.
|
|
Other news: international
Saudi Arabia's state security agency has declared
feminism, atheism and homosexuality as forms of 'extremism' in an official video. It has since issued a statement which seemed to row back, but only slightly.
Atheism and homosexuality are punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.
New Zealand is to become
the first country in the world to put euthanasia to a binding public vote after its lawmakers passed a bill laying out what the country's assisted dying regime
would be.
|
|
Latest NSS podcast
|
|
|
In this week's episode, Emma Park is joined by the NSS's Megan Manson and Chris Sloggett to discuss the Church of England's privileged role in Remembrance...
Read More »
|
|
|
Election 2019: pledges that should be in the parties’ manifestos
|
|
Visit our Election 2019 page to see how to share the pledges we're encouraging
parties to make in their manifestos.
|
|
NSS speaks out
Our head of education Alastair Lichten commented on school consultations with parents over relationships and sex education in Schools Week. He said
any consultation mustn't undermine comprehensive, non-discriminatory, rights-based RSE by giving ground to religious groups' unreasonable demands.
Our chief executive Stephen Evans discussed collective worship on local BBC radio.
|
|
NSS out and about
Our vice-president Richard Scorer appeared on a panel at an event discussing the relationship between religious freedom and other human rights, hosted by the
Human Rights Lawyers Association.
And our former president Terry Sanderson discussed secularism in an address to Bromley Humanists.
|
|
Upcoming events
Later this month our events will explore topics including our No More Faith Schools campaign and the legacy of the 19th century radical Richard Carlile.
We also have events on the 1944 Education Act and its legacy and our Exploring Secularism resources coming up in 2020.
Find out more on our events page.
|
|
Quote of the week
"As an outside monitor of safeguarding practices in the Catholic Church, the Vatican has fallen short. Refusing to cooperate with IICSA, as it did, was a
scandalous violation of the paramountcy principle – the absolute moral obligation to put the welfare of children before everything else."
Editorial in The Tablet, a Catholic
magazine, criticises the Catholic Church's response to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
|
|
Sign our petitions
Sign one of our petitions to let us know why you support our
campaigning. We aim to feature some of the best comments in Newsline.
|
|
Annual report 2019
|
|
Our annual report for 2019 has now been published. Featuring:
- A lawyer who defended a woman on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan stars at our Secularism 2019 conference
- We highlight the restrictions which faith schools place on school choice
- We make the case for removing 'the advancement of religion' as a charitable purpose
- We stand up for free speech, children's rights and more.
You can read the report on our website.
|
|
Read elsewhere
|
|
|
By Fred Hiatt, for The Washington Post
In western China, the demolition of mosques and bulldozing of cemeteries is a continuing, relentless process.
|
|
|
By Paul Karp, for The Guardian
One of the Vatican's most senior officials will be allowed to argue against his conviction on historical child sexual abuse offences in Australia. This will
look and feel like an appeal, but technically special leave to appeal hasn't been granted.
|
|
|
Support our work
Please support our work so we can make the case for a fairer secular democracy for all.
|
|
|
Click here if you'd rather read Newsline as a PDF.
|
|
|
|
