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Interfaith

• October 27, 2011
• 16:05

  Persecution of Evangelical Christians intensifies in Iran

   » ‎ Interfaith

  There is growing concern that the harassment of Iranian Christians is reaching new levels, with Christian activities increasingly being classified as ‘actions against the security the state’.

  Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), which works for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, has received reports that an official campaign to convert Christian prisoners to Islam is underway.

  Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was imprisoned for apostasy and evangelising Muslims in October last year, is believed to have been given religious Islamic literature by prison officials.

  Prisoners who respond to interrogation about the literature can leave themselves open to charges of blasphemy.

  It is feared that one prisoner, Mehdi Furutan, a member of the Church of Iran, was transferred to an underground cell at the notorious Adelabad Security Prison, after commenting on Islamic religious texts.

  Adelabad Security Prison is believed to be involved in torture.

  The US expressed concern today over the activities of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.

  This was established after the 1979 Iranian revolution to defend the Islamic system in the country.

  It has developed into a major military force with an estimated 125,000 troops and links to the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

  Speaking to BBC Persia, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said: “We’re not quite sure who makes decisions anymore inside of Iran”.

  She expressed concern that the country was becoming a military dictatorship.

• October 26, 2011
• 20:42

  World population could reach 15 billion this century

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Sometime on 31 October the world’s seven-billionth person is expected to be born, on a planet where resources are already stretched to breaking point.

  However, the United Nations has warned that we are heading for a world population of 15 billion by the end of the century, even though population growth has slowed since the 1960s.

  This far outstrips earlier estimates of a world population of 10 billion by 2100.

  While the birth rate has dropped in developed countries, it is still rising in 58 countries, including 39 countries in Africa, nine in Asia, six in Oceania and four in Latin America.

  It has also grown because medical advances mean people are living longer and the mortality rate for infants has fallen.

  If it continues to grow we are heading for an unsustainable future in terms of food and water, according to environmentalists.

  The figures form part of a new study – The State of World Population 2011 – published by the United Nations Population Fund.

  While controlling the population should not be a problem with simple family planning measures available, governments worldwide need the political will and economic ability to ensure that education and health programmes are in place.

  However, cultural and religious factors can make this difficult.

  The United Nations Population Fund said that the Catholic Church’s ban on the use of contraception is not related to the massive growth in population.

  It claims that many of the church’s members ignore the ban and population growth is greatest in non-Catholic countries.

• October 25, 2011
• 17:33

  Church of Scientology denies investigating South Park creators

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The controversial Church of Scientology has vigorously denied claims that it investigated the creators of cartoon series South Park following the screening of episode called ‘Trapped in the Closet’.

  The episode, which poked fun at the Scientology belief system and lampooned its most prominent member, Tom Cruise, was aired in the USA in 2006 but was banned in the UK for several years.

  Marty Rathbun, a former member of the Church of Scientology, now claims that South Park creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, were targeted by investigators working for the religion after the episode aired in the USA.

  On his blog, Rathbun posted a document which he claims was written by the commanding officer from the Church of Scientology’s office of special affairs.

  He claims that Stone and Parker were investigated by private detectives in an attempt by the church to discredit their reputations.

  Last year South Park was criticised after an episode featured the prophet Muhammed.

  Any physical representation of the prophet is considered blasphemous by Muslims and the episode sparked warnings of violent retribution from Islamic groups.

  The Church of Scientology is expected to open The Super Power Building in Clearwater, Florida, shortly.

  The building houses a museum dedicated to the Church’s founder, L Ron Hubbard, and is said to contain high-tech equipment to help the church’s members unleash “superhuman powers”.

• October 24, 2011
• 9:37

  Bible burning disrupts Mass in St Peter’s Square

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Yesterday’s Mass in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square was disturbed by a man who shouted “Pope, where is Christ?” from the upper colonnade and then set fire to a bible.

  He was talked down by Vatican officials while Pope Benedict XVI continued the Sunday Mass seemingly unperturbed by the incident which occurred towards the end of the two-hour service.

  During the Mass, which took place on World Mission Sunday, the Pope canonized Monsignor Guido Maria Conforti, the Reverend Luigi Guanella and Sister Bonifacia Rodriguez de Castro.

  Taking Matthew 22:34-40 as his Gospel message, regarding Jesus’s teaching to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ and to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’, the Pope said the new saints were an “eloquent sign” of “a passionate love for God…and neighbour.”

  Monsignor Guido Maria Conforti (1865-1931), archbishop-bishop of Parma, founded the Xaverian Missionaries; the Reverend Louis Guanella (1842-1915), founded the Congregation of the Servants of Charity and the Institute of the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence; and Sister Bonifacia Rodriguez de Castro (1837-1905), founded of the Congregation of the Servants of St. Joseph.

  World Mission Sunday is a day when Catholics are encouraged to renew their commitment to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice.

• October 21, 2011
• 10:34

  Government criticised for protecting gay people but not Christians

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The outspoken former Tory MP Anne Widdecombe is expected to accuse the government of ignoring the plight of Christians and yet threatening to cut aid to countries which persecute homosexuals.

  In a speech at the annual conference of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) tomorrow, Miss Widdecombe is expected to claim that hedgehogs stand a better chance of ‘earnest representation’ than persecuted Christians.

  According to International Christian Concern an estimated 200 million Christians have been murdered for their faith in the last century, making it the in human history for Christian persecution.

  The organisation lists the top 11 persecutors of Christians last year as: Eritrea, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, India, Iraq, Vietnam, Nigeria, China and Egypt.

  Earlier this month David Cameron said he would slash aid to poor African countries that persecute gay people, an act which Miss Widdecombe claims shows the government’s double-standards.

  UK aid to Malawi has already been cut after two gay men were sentenced to 14 years hard labour.

  Miss Widdecombe is expected to call on the general public to lobby Parliament to prioritise religious freedom in its foreign policy.

  Meanwhile the EU has confirmed that a €500 million food aid programme will be cut by three-quarters.

  The programme helps to feed 18 million of the world’s poorest citizens.

• October 20, 2011
• 21:19

  Protesters deterring visitors to St Paul’s Cathedral

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The previously supportive authorities at St Paul’s have finally asked anti-capitalist protesters to disband the camp they have set up outside the cathedral.

  Thousands of protesters, angry at the way the global economic crisis is being handled, marched on the London Stock Exchange on Saturday.

  When police cordoned off the building, the protesters set up camp outside St Paul’s and the number of tents is now estimated to have grown to 180.

  The size of the protest is making it difficult for worshippers and tourists to access the cathedral, its restaurant has been forced to close and donations from visitors has halved.

  Although the protesters are sympathetic to the loss of income they are planning to raise money to compensate the cathedral, rather than packing up and going home.

  The anti-capitalist protests started in New York but have now spread across major cities worldwide.

  Separately, an enormous model of the Taj Mahal made entirely from food has been unveiled outside St Paul’s.

  The model is made from rice, poppadoms, mango chutney, chillies and chapattis.

  It was made by artist Prudence Staite for Food Network UK, to mark the launch of ‘Reza, Spice Prince of India’ which chronicles the journey of restauranteur Reza Mahammad around Rajasthan’s regal residences.

  If the protesters feel a bit peckish at least they won’t have far to go for a tasty snack.

• October 19, 2011
• 10:45

  Physical abuse unchallenged in UK Islamic schools

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Up to 500,000 students a day attend British madrassas but the physical abuse of pupils at these institutions is slipping through a loophole in the law according to a BBC investigation.

  Figures obtained by Radio 4′s ‘File on 4’ programme show that in the last three years more than 400 allegations of physical abuse against pupils at madrassas were made, but just 10 cases came to court and there were only two convictions.

  Although corporal punishment is outlawed in UK schools it is still legal in part-time education settings in England if pupils attend lessons for fewer than 12.5 hours per week.

  The alarming figures uncovered by the BBC have led to calls for this anomaly in the law to be addressed urgently.

  A report by the Independent Safeguarding Authority’s chief adviser on child safety, Sir Roger Singleton, is being considered by the government.

  Published last year, it recommended that corporal punishment should be banned.

  Muslim children attend madrassas in the UK for around 10 hours each week learning to recite the Koran in Arabic.

  The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, which is responsible for improving standards in mosques, called the figures ‘very, very alarming and shocking’ and said it would address the issue urgently.

  Earlier this month scientist Richard Dawkins attacked Muslim schools for teaching creationism.

  He said the schools were filling pupils’ heads with ‘alien rubbish’.

• October 18, 2011
• 16:21

  War on Want slams UK government’s food policy

   » ‎ Interfaith

  In a new report, War on Want criticises governments in the developed world for food policies which destroy the livelihoods of small farmers and contribute to world hunger.

  2009 was the first year in which over a billion people were officially
  classified as living in hunger and this wasn’t caused by natural disasters but by a food system which is under the control of multinational companies.

  The report, ‘Food Sovereignty: Reclaiming the Food System’, focuses in on the UK’s food policy which prioritises food security through free markets and aid, and compares it with the concept of food sovereignty, which gives farmers control of the food system.

  War on Want claims that new technologies, developed with the help of funding from the Department for International Development (DFID), have increased reliance on highly priced seeds and agrochemicals, leading to an unprecedented level of hunger.

  The charity is calling for a new food system which puts small producers back in control of production and which encourages local communities to develop their own seed banks, reducing reliance on seeds developed by big business.

  In the report, John Hilary, Executive Director of War on Want, says: “The scandal of global hunger is testament to the failure of the capitalist food system.

  “The time for food sovereignty has come.”

• October 17, 2011
• 14:23

  Man jailed after posting anti-Celtic Facebook comments

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Stephen Birrell, who posted abusive comments on a Facebook page called “Neil Lennon Should be Banned” has been jailed for eight months after a trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

  Sheriff Bull Totten said he wanted to out “a clear message to deter others”.

  Birrell’s sectarian comments were posted earlier this year, shortly after he was released early from a 12-month custodial sentence.

  Shortly before a Celtic and Rangers match on 3 March he posted “Hope they (Celtic fans) all die. Simple. Catholic scumbags ha ha.”

  On 4 March he posted: “Proud to hate Fenian tattie farmers. Simple ha ha.”

  A few days later he wrote: “They’re all ploughing the fields the dirty scumbags.”

  His anti-Catholic campaign continued with abusive comments against the Pope.

  As well as a jail sentence, Birrell was banned from attending football matches for five years.

  Sentencing Birrell, the judge made it clear that using Facebook and other communications technology to spread abuse would not be tolerated.

  Earlier this month Celtic manager Neil Lennon said he would consider his position as Celtic manager unless he turns the club’s results around.

  However, despite lagging 3-0 behind to Kilmarnock on Saturday, Celtic fought back and the game ended in a draw with Celtic scoring three goals in just six minutes.

• October 14, 2011
• 9:41

  Catherine Tate is God in King James Bible celebration

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The 400th anniversary of the King James Bible is being celebrated with two 24-performances of ‘Sixty-six Books’, a cycle of plays written in response to each book of the Bible.

  The performances, today and on 28 October, mark the opening of London’s new Bush theatre which has relocated from above O’Neills pub, to the Shepherd’s Bush Library building just a short distance away.

  Sixty-sixty writers have each written a response to each book of the Bible and the impressive list includes Sir Andrew Motion, Carol Ann Duffy, Wole Soyinka, Billy Bragg and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

  The cast of the play is just as exciting, with Catherine Tate as God heading a cast of 130 actors including Juliet Stevenson, Arthur Darvill and Rafe Spall.

  Ms Tate makes a dramatic entrance as God, wearing high heels and accompanied by an angel bearing a laptop so that God can communicate via Twitter.

  Churches across the UK will also be celebrating the Bible’s anniversary this weekend, with coffee mornings, exhibitions and other, more adventurous events.

  Bromham Baptist church and St Owen’s church are jointly holding an eight-day Bible-reading marathon, in which they plan to read the entire book from start to finish.

  Around 150 readers will share 365 slots of around 15 minutes each.

  Dewsbury Minster is holding a multi-media ‘Rock Mass’ tomorrow, complete with spotlights, smoke generators and electric guitars.

  The mass is part of the Biblefresh project which aims to show how the King James Bible is just as relevant today as it was when it was writte in 1611.

• October 13, 2011
• 15:26

  Housing charity warns rent is unaffordable

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Shelter today warned that ordinary working families in 55 per cent of local authorities in England are facing unaffordable levels of rent.

  Rent costing more than 35% of the median average local take-home pay are classified as unaffordable by the housing and homelessness charity’s Private Rent Watch report.

  Living in high-rent areas leaves few options for families who are already priced out of buying their own home.

  Shelter is calling for the government to stem the rise in rent, which grew by one and a half times the rate of incomes between 1997 and 2007.

  Recent research by the charity found that 38 per cent of families with children, living in privately rented accommodation, have had to reduce their food or heating bills in order to pay their rent.

  In eight per cent of local authority areas, average rents cost a prohibitive 50% or more of full-time take-home pay, while less than a third (30 per cent) of local authority areas had ‘affordable’ rents of below 30 per cent of take-home pay.

  The situation was particularly severe in London, where the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom home was £1,360, compared with an average of £568 for the rest of England.

  With the Welfare Reform Bill making its way through Parliament, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that more than a million children and adults will be pushed into poverty by 2013.

  The Joseph Rowntree Foundation funded report said that while the introduction of universal credit would ease poverty by 2021, this would be offset by other proposed changes to the tax and benefit system.

• October 12, 2011
• 21:41

  Ban on non-EU young spouses declared unlawful

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A ban designed to deter forced marriages has been found to interfere with human rights, by the Supreme Court.

  The ban on non-EU foreign spouses under the age of 21 coming to the UK was introduced by the Labour government in 2008, in response to growing concern about British Asian girls being forced to marry men from overseas.

  However the rule was challenged by two couples who claimed that it interfered with their right to a private and family life and therefore contravened the European Convention on Human Rights.

  This view was upheld by Lord Wilson in the Supreme Court, who said: “What seems clear is that the number of unforced marriages which it obstructs from their intended development for up to three years vastly exceeds the number of forced marriages which it deters”.

  Four of five law lords rejected an appeal by Theresa May, the Home Secretary, against scrapping the law, saying the ban was arbitrary and disruptive.

  However, Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood spoke out against the ruling, and said that the ban was needed to combat forced marriage, a practice which he said was “appalling evil”.

  On Monday, in a speech on immigration rules, David Cameron laid out plans to address forced and bogus marriages.

  He announced a consultation into making it a criminal offence to force a person to marry against their will and said that forced marriage was “little more than slavery”.

• October 11, 2011
• 15:35

  79 New Free Schools and UTCs approved

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The government has approved applications for 55 free schools and 13 university technical colleges (UTCs).

  The new educational establishments will be able to open from September next year.

  They include a new Jewish free school in Golders Green, which will become the third Jewish free school in London.

  The Golders Green Jewish Primary School will open with a reception class of 28 children, but will eventually be able to teach up to 196 children, half of whom will be Jewish.

  The school will be run by Rabbi Harvey Belovski from Golders Green Synagogue.

  The Greenwich Free School has also been approved and could open in 2012.

  The school is the brainchild of Greenwich teacher Sarah Jones and will have a ‘no excuses policy’ when it comes to results.

  Students will have personalised timetables with an emphasis on English, maths and science.

  The school day will extend from 8am to 5.30pm and will include tutor-led homework time and extra-curricular activities.

  Other schools securing approval include a Steiner free school in Frome, the Frome Steiner Academy, and the first free school in Oxfordshire.

  The Oxfordshire based Europa School will teach lessons in English, French and German and pupils will take European Baccalaureate exams rather than GCSEs.

• October 10, 2011
• 14:06

  Archbishop calls for national debate over NHS changes

   » ‎ Interfaith

  With peers due to vote on the Government’s controversial Health and Social Care Bill on Wednesday, The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has warned of the dangers of introducing a commercial culture into the NHS.

  Dr Sentamu is calling for a national debate on healthcare, amid opposition to the Bill from both patients and medical professionals.

  He made the comments following the Archbishop of York’s symposium which was created in the wake of the credit crunch, to bring together academics and practitioners to discuss economic and social policies and the values underpinning them.

  “Let us as a nation protect the principles of Bevan that allow each man, woman and child access to health care whenever they need it,” he said.

  The Department of Health “welcomed” Dr Sentamu’s comments and said: “Our bill puts clear safeguards in place against any abuse from the private sector and ensures that all provision of services to NHS patients will be based on the quality of the service to patients, not the cost.”

  Dr Sentamu has also called on the Government to buy more Typhoon jets from BAE Systems after visiting the company’s base in Samlesbury, Lancashire, where 500 jobs are at risk.

  The Archbishop said that Royal Air Force is the UK’s ‘shop window’.

  “I mean the Harrier jump jet sold a lot, because it was seen as a state-of -the-art for the air force. The same was for the Nimrod and the Tornado,” he said.

• October 07, 2011
• 16:40

  Catholics pray for 100 Days of Peace for 2012 Olympics

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Catholic schoolchildren in London have been asked to pray for 100 Days of Peace for the Olympics, as part of their training in the classical virtues of prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice.

  The Archbishop of Westminster made the call for prayer at a mass at Westminster Cathedral today, which was attended by around 1,400 children from the Catholic dioceses of Westminster, Southwark and Brentwood.

  The idea is based on the Sacred Truce, or “Ekecheiria” of the ancient Greek Olympics.

  The Truce, which was believed to have been established in the 9th century BC, allowed people, including athletes, to travel in safety to and from the Olympic games.

  The modern ‘truce’ will commence on 8 June, 50 days before the opening ceremony of the main 2012 games, and will end on 28 October, 50 days after the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games.

  The schoolchildren will also take part in projects designed to help bring peace to local communities in the spirit of the ancient Olympian aim of ‘Peace through Sport’.

  Controversy has already clouded the games, after the BBC’s Newsnight programme claimed that bribes had been accepted to ensure that boxers from Azerbaijan win gold medals.

  The claims have been denied by the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) which has asked the BBC to provide evidence.

  An investigation by the AIBA Special Investigation Committee into the allegations commenced yesterday.

• October 06, 2011
• 21:37

  Ethiopian tribespeople arrested over dam protest

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Around one hundred members of the Mursi and Bodi tribes are believed to have been arrested for opposing the construction of the Gibe III dam in Ethiopia.

  Damning the Omo River will provide water to irrigate sugar cane and biofuel grown on tribal lands in the South Omo region, which are being leased to foreign and state run companies.

  However, the Omo River, feeds Lake Turkana, the world’s largest desert lake, which forms part of a fragile ecosystem relied upon by around 500,000 indigenous people.

  Survival International has received reports that tribespeople living on the land are being intimidated by Ethiopian security forces.

  It is believed that anyone speaking out against the dam is at risk of being threatened with prison, or beaten up, while women are at risk of being raped.

  Herds of cattle have also been stolen.

  Survival International’s Director, Stephen Corry, said: “They want to reduce self-sufficient tribes to a state of dependency, throw all who disagree into prison, and pretend this is something to do with ‘progress’ and ‘development’.

  “It’s shameless, criminal, and should be vigorously opposed by any who care about fundamental human rights.”

• October 05, 2011
• 15:30

  Vatican condemns BBC’s advice on BC/AD usage

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The BBC’s decision to allow producers to use the religiously neutral terms BCE and CE (Before Common Era and Common Era), instead of BC and AD (Before Christ and Anno Domini), has been condemned in the Vatican’s semi-official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.

  Although the BBC said that it was not official policy to use BCE and CE, the paper said that guidance was “enormous nonsense”.

  It also said that the BBC was guilty of “senseless hypocrisy” over the move and that the birth of Jesus was a historically revolutionary moment accepted by Christians, Muslims and Jews.

  The BBC suggested that new terms could be used to avoid offending non-Christians, in line with its commitment to impartiality.

  However the start of the Common Era is dated at the same point as Anno Domini, which translates as ‘Year of the Lord’ so the new term is still based chronologically on the birth of Jesus, even though the explicit reference to his birth has been removed.

  L’Osservatore Romano suggested that the change of terms was part of a wider trend to eradicate Christianity from Western culture.

  Meanwhile the BBC is seeking support from the UK government over the intimidation of relatives and friends of ten BBC staff by police and officials in Iran.

  It wants the government to challenge Iran’s anti-BBC rhetoric, which has increased substantially since the channel aired a documentary on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

• October 04, 2011
• 11:20

  Women bishops could help to humanise priesthood

   » ‎ Interfaith

  As the full inclusion of women in the Church of England draws closer, Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said that this could help to ‘humanise’ the ordained ministry.

  Dr Rowan Williams has advised the Church to prepare for a culture change when the bar to women’s ordination as bishops is eventually removed.

  Before the ordination of women as bishops passes into Church law, there has to be a ballot to ascertain the views of members of the 44 individual dioceses’ local synods or assemblies.

  So far, 19 dioceses have voted and all of them have backed the reforms wholeheartedly.

  This means that four more ‘yes’ votes would achieve a majority, allowing the proposal to be considered by the General Synod.

  Fourteen more dioceses are due to vote this month and if a majority is achieved, final approval could be given in July 2012.

  At a private meeting, Dr Williams emphasised the need for bishops to reflect the full human community, and highlighted a trend for some priests to embrace a bureaucratic approach to priesthood instead of a faith-based approach.

  It was recently reported that Dr Williams is planning to step down as Archbishop of Canterbury in 2012, after holding the position for 10 years.

  Dr Williams plans to take up an academic post at Trinity College, Cambridge.

• October 03, 2011
• 20:55

  Prison separates 17,000 children from mothers

   » ‎ Interfaith

  According to a report from the Howard League for Penal Reform, ‘Voice of the Child’, around 17,240 children in England and Wales were separated from their mothers in 2010, because the mothers were serving a prison sentence.

  This includes 11,000 children of non-violent offenders, who could have remained with their mothers if they served sentences in the community rather than in jail.

  The report was produced to coincide with a discussion on the rights of prisoners’ children by the United Nations.

  The Howard League believes that children suffer severe distress when their mothers are imprisoned, and that this leaves the child emotionally, socially and psychologically scarred.

  It is believed that 65 per cent of children with a convicted parent will become offenders themselves.

  Earlier this week it was reported that the prison population in England and Wales increased by 300 in just one week, to 87,501.

  This was the fourth consecutive week of increase, taking prisoner numbers to just 1,000 fewer than the usable operational capacity of 88,533.

  The figures were inflated by tough sentences being given to people involved it the riots which spread across the UK during the summer.

  Rioters have received sentences of 10.4 months on average for violent disorder, compared with an average of 5.3 months in 2010, while people convicted of burglary received an average sentence of 14.1 months, compared with 8.8 months in 2010.

• September 30, 2011
• 16:47

  Rector bans Goths from posing for photos in graveyard

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Twice a year Goths flock to the seaside town of Whitby in North Yorkshire, but the rector of St Mary’s Church has banned photography around the graves.

  It is believed that the rector found dozens of Goths sitting or lying on the graves and was concerned that this was disrespectful to the families of the people buried there.

  John Hemson, the church’s warden said: “There are people in Whitby who had families there even though it closed in 1861 and they object to it very much”.

  The churchyard features in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, and is where the vampire Count attacks his victim, Lucy Westenra.

  St. Mary’s Church sits on top of a hill above the town and is reached by 199 stone steps.

  The graveyard contains memorials to sailors, fishermen, Royal Navy seamen and lifeboatmen among others.

  The rector’s decision has caused concern that it could jeopardise the future of the festival, which has been held in Whitby since 1994.

  The event attracts thousands of Goths and generates welcome revenue for the town.

  The next Goth weekend will be held from the 3rd to the 7th of November and is organised by Jo Hampshire who runs Top Mum Promotions.

• September 29, 2011
• 11:17

  William Hague asks Iran to spare pastor’s life

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Foreign secretary William Hague has added his voice to calls for Iran to spare the life of Youcef Nadarkhani, who has been sentenced to death for apostasy.

  Mr Nadarkhani, a member of the Protestant evangelical Church of Iran, was arrested in October 2009 after he defied rules requiring non-Muslim students to read the Quran in school.

  His insistence that his decision to raise his children under his own faith rather than Islam, was allowed under the Iranian constitution, led to his imprisonment.

  He was sentenced to death in September 2010 for apostasy, on the grounds that he had converted to Christianity and incited the conversions of other Muslims to Christianity, despite the fact that had never been a Muslim.

  Mr Hague said: “I deplore reports that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian Church leader, could be executed imminently after refusing an order by the Supreme Court of Iran to recant his faith.

  “This demonstrates the Iranian regime’s continued unwillingness to abide by its constitutional and international obligations to respect religious freedom.”

  A similar case is being heard in Algeria, where Siagh Krimo was arrested in April for giving a CD about Christianity to his neighbor.

  In May, he was given a custodial sentence of five years for blasphemy.

  His case has been re-examined and a final verdict is expected imminently.

  Earlier this month www.digitaljournal.com reported a increase in executions in Iran, with 18 hangings taking place in just one week.

• September 28, 2011
• 10:48

  Court of Protection rejects right-to-die case

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Court of Protection has ruled that life-support treatment cannot be withdrawn from a woman in a ‘minimally-conscious’.

  The 52 year-old woman suffered profound brain damage in early 2003 after contracting viral encephalitis.

  Her family pleaded for nutrition to be withdrawn because of their conviction that their relative would not want to live a life dependent on others.

  Mr Justice Baker, who heard the case, said it raised “very important issues of principle”.

  It is believed to be the first ‘right-to-die’ case concerning a person in a minimally-conscious state, although such cases have been heard over people in persistent vegetative states.

  A minimally-conscious state is just above a persistent vegetative state.

  A ‘minimally-conscious’ person may show occasional signs of consciousness, such as opening their eyes and tracking a person around the room.

  They may be unable to communicate at all or may be able to give inconsistent yes/no responses, verbalisation and gestures.

  The relatives’ request for the woman to be allowed to die was opposed by the local health authority, who said her life was “not without positive elements”.

  The lawyer appointed to represent the woman argued that she was “otherwise clinically stable”.

  In a separate case, Michelle Clements has called for assisted suicide to be allowed in the UK, after her husband, Tony Clements, ended his life at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland in August.

  Mr Clements’ health deteriorated substantially over the last six months’ of his life, due to Parkinson’s disease.

  Assisted suicide is illegal in the UK and carries a custodial sentence of up to 14 years.

• September 27, 2011
• 10:29

  BBC in AD/BC controversy

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A report in the Mail on Sunday that the BBC has stopped using the terms BC and AD in case they offend non-Christians, has caused an almighty kerfuffle, with Boris Johnson the latest to wade into the fray.

  The Mail on Sunday reported that the BBC has replaced ‘Anno Domini’ (the year of Our Lord) and ‘Before Christ’ with ‘Common Era’ and ‘Before Common Era’, which are commonly used in historical research.

  According to Guardian blogger Polly Curtis, the BBC has denied that the terms have been dropped, although programme and website editors can use the ‘religiously-neutral’ terms if they so wish.

  However, the use of the new terms on some programmes led to the BBC being accused of ‘absurd political correctness’.

  Christians have spoken out against the alternative terms, which are being used on programmes such as University Challenge and The BBC’s Learning and GCSE Bitesize websites.

  However, Radio 4 presenter John Humphrys said he would continue to use BC and AD.

  Commenting on the adoption of ‘Common Era’ and ‘Before Common Era’, The Rev Peter Mullen, Anglican chaplain to the London Stock Exchange, said: ‘I think it’s an example of the BBC trying to undermine Christianity by pushing an aggressive secularism.”

  Adopting a more neutral tone, a spokesman for the Church of England said that BC and AD ‘more clearly reflect Britain’s Christian heritage’.

  Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester, pointed out that both sets of terms used the birth of Christ as their reference point.

  Writing in The Daily Telegraph this morning, London’s mayor, Boris Johonson said: “This decision by the BBC is not only puerile and absurd. It is also deeply anti-democratic, and I urge all those who are fed up with the advance of pointless political correctness to fight back.”

  Whatever the outcome of the debate one thing is certain, no matter what the BBC decides, it isn’t going to please everyone.

• September 26, 2011
• 19:37

  Dead Sea Scrolls now online

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Parts of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest known biblical texts, have been digitised and made available online, so that anyone in the world can view them.

  The 1,200 megapixel images show the 2,000-year-old scrolls in minute detail and scrolling over the image of the Great Isaiah Scroll generates an instant translation into English.

  Only fragments remain of some of the scrolls, which are written on papyrus or parchment in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.

  Five scrolls were scanned at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem with expert help from Google, including the Temple Scroll, the War Scroll, The Community Rule Scroll and The Commentary of Habakkuk Scroll, as well as the Great Isaiah Scroll, which is the most famous of the artefacts.

  The images were taken by photographer Ardon Bar-Hama, using ultraviolet-protected flash tubes in order to prevent further damage to the fragile documents.

  The scrolls, which were discovered in caves near the Dead Sea, East of Jerusalem, contain secular writings as well as biblical texts.

  It is believed that they were written by a Jewish sect from Qumran in the Judean Desert.

  When the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in 70AD, the artefacts were taken to the caves for safe-keeping.

  And if viewing the scrolls online isn’t quite enough, 20 of them will be part of an exhibition of more than 500 ancient artefacts from Israel at Discovery Times Square in Manhattan.

  It will be the first time that four of the scrolls have been made available for public viewing.

  The exhibition will make its world premiere on 28 October.

• September 23, 2011
• 14:24

  Majority opposed to gay marriage

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Following last week’s revelation that the government plans to make the marriage of same-sex couples legal by 2015, new figures from the Office for National Statistics show that more than half of Britons believe this should not be allowed.

  The figures also show that two thirds of Britons are opposed to the adoption of children by same-sex couples, even though this was legalised by the 2002 Adoption Act.

  The ONS based its figures on a variety of sources including the annual British Social Attitudes survey and research by the European Commission.

  Civil partnerships between same-sex couples have been legal since 2005, when they were introduced to legally recognise same-sex relationships and ensure equality with married couples.

  Speaking at the Liberal Democrat Conference 2011 in Birmingham Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone said: “We are a world leader for gay rights, but as this conference made clear last year with your call for equal marriage, there is still more that we must do.

  “That is why I am delighted to announce today that in March, this Government will begin a formal consultation on how to implement equal civil marriage for same sex couples.

  “And this would allow us to make any legislative changes necessary by the end of this Parliament.”

  The change in legislation is backed by David Cameron who is believed to have pushed for progress to be speeded up.

  The news was welcomed by Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of gay rights group Stonewall, who said: ‘This change will make a difference to a number of gay people who are concerned at the differing status of civil partnerships and marriage”.

  However, Christian groups spoke out against the move amid concerns that it will redefine the concept of marriage and could put people who are unable to accept the validity of same-sex marriages in a very difficult position.

  The latest figures from the ONS suggest that the introduction of same-sex marriages will be unpopular not only with Christian groups, but with the majority of the UK’s population.

• September 22, 2011
• 14:47

  Pope Benedict visits his homeland

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Pope Benedict XVI today, who was born in Bavaria, today began a four day visit to his home country, with the aim of strengthening good relations between Germany and the Holy See.

  At the welcoming ceremony, which was held at Bellevue Castle in Berlin, the Pope said: “I have not come here primarily to pursue particular political or economic goals, as other statesmen rightly do, but rather to meet people and to speak about God”.

  As part of the itinerary for the first day of his visit, the Pope is meeting Jewish leaders at the historic Reichstag parliament.

  Prior to the start of World War II, Berlin’s Jewish community was the largest in Germany, but many Jews left the city due to Nazi persecution and more than 60,000 Jews were deported.

  Today’s meeting is therefore considered by many to be of great historical significance.

  Dieter Graumann, the head of Germany’s Central Council of Jews, told the Associated Press: “I think it is a wonderful sign that the pope is taking time right at the beginning of his busy schedule for us”.

  “It is a signal of friendship, of big-heartedness and underlines that the relationship between the Roman Catholic church and Judaism has improved considerably in the past few decades,” he said.

  Tomorrow the Pope will meet with the Muslim community.

  Prior to his visit the Germany, Pope Benedict sent a telegram to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, calling for an “ethical renewal” in the country where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is currently embroiled in a scandal.

  He was allegedly entertained by lapdancers dressed as nuns at one of his “bunga bunga” parties.

  There is growing unease Italy over austerity measures being imposed on citizens by a political class which is increasingly seen as corrupt.

• September 21, 2011
• 10:47

  Jewish news network launches today

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A brand new 24-hour news network, Jewish News 1, is being launched in Israel today by Mediaset.

  The satellite channel will broadcast round-the-clock news from a Jewish perspective to Europe, North America and the Middle East, from studios in Tel Aviv, Brussels and Kyiv.

  Initially broadcasts will be in English but there are plans to launch Hebrew, French, Italian, Russian and German services at a later date.

  Additional studios are expected to open in Washington, Paris and London shortly.

  The channel will compete with Al Jazeera’s English-language channel, as well as major news networks such as CNN and Sky.

  Alexander Zanzer, the channel’s editor-in-chief, said: “We’ll broadcast everything that is newsworthy.

  “Alongside general news, we’ll offer economic and cultural items, as well as a peek into educational projects. Everything you can see on other global news channels, you’ll be able to see on our channel as well.”

  Closer to home, the UK’s first Jewish heritage centre for children has held its first English Heritage open day.

  Visitors to the centre, in Moortown, Leeds, learned how Jewish traditions, heritage and culture have survived through the years, during the even on 11 September.

  The centre, which opened last year, features a kosher supermarket and a 19th Century East European village.

• September 20, 2011
• 15:56

  Australian play offends Hindus

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A play featuring the Hindu god Ganesh has already caused offence to followers of Hinduism, even though it has not yet been staged.

  ‘Ganesh Versus the Third Reich’ will premiere at the Melbourne Festival on 29 September.

  Ganesh, who is revered as the remover of obstacles, is traditionally represented with the head of an elephant and is revered by Jains and Buddhists as well as by Hindus.

  In the comedy play he travels through Germany to reclaim the swastika, the symbol of the sun and a sacred symbol of good luck to Hindus.

  Yadu Singh, president of the Council of Indian Australians, claims the play’s storyline pokes fun at the Hindu system of belief.

  However the play’s producers claim they have been careful to depict Ganesh and the Hindu culture respectfully.

  “It is not right to use religious symbols, from any religion, in comedy or as a joke, it’s offensive, insulting and inappropriate,” Mr Singh said.

  Rajan Zed, the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, has also expressed concern that Lord Ganesh was being made a ‘laughing stock’ for the purposes of theatre.

  The controversy follows the use of an image of the goddess Laksmi on swimwear in May.

  The image was used by fashion designer Lisa Burke at Australian Fashion Week, appearing across the front and along the rear of a Lisa Blue bikini.

  The swimsuit design was subsequently withdrawn from production and sale.

• September 19, 2011
• 15:31

  Atheism’s ‘cool’ image hampering message of Christianity

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Speaking “In Conversation” to comedian Frank Skinner at Canterbury Cathedral on Friday, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said that a perception of atheism as ‘cool’ was hindering the church’s efforts to convey the message of Christianity.

  Dr Rowan Williams laid some of the blame for this on the popularity of books by atheist Richard Dawkins and antitheist Christopher Hitchens.

  Richard Dawkins is the author of ‘The God Delusion’, which attacks God “in all his forms” and claims that religious fundamentalism is dividing people around the world.

  “I’d want to know how many atheists The God Delusion created,” Dr Williams said to Frank Skinner.

  “The book sold, but did it make a difference to the number of people who were actually committed one way or the other?”

  “I’m not avoiding the point that the coolness of atheism is very much in evidence.

  “The problem is it’s become a bit of a vicious circle. Atheism is cool, so books about atheism are cool,” he continued.

  Dr Williams told Mr Skinner that the Church is trying new ways of boosting attendance, including holding prayer groups in cafés and pubs, but he does not believe there is a ‘quick fix’ to the problem.

  Richard Dawkins is part of a campaign against the teaching of creationism in schools.

  A new campaign website has been launched and Dawkins is one of 30 signatories to a joint statement titled ‘Teach evolution, not creationism!’

  Naturalist Sir David Attenborough has also joined the campaign, which is demanding that creationism and intelligent design should be banned outright from the science curriculum.

  Mr Dawkins is also calling for evolution to be a compulsory part of the primary curriculum.

• September 16, 2011
• 10:43

  Government accused of avoiding scrutiny of Welfare Reform Bill

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The level of scrutiny which peers will be able to give to the Government’s controversial Welfare Reform Bill has been severely reduced by a decision to refer it to a Grand Committee.

  This means that instead of a ‘Committee of the Whole House’ considering the bill and voting on amendments to each clause, it will now be considered by a much smaller number of peers and the committee will not be able to vote on amendments.

  The bill has been brought into question by the public accounts committee which is concerned that plans to cut £2.7 billion from the Department of Work and Pensions’ budget will make it difficult to implement the proposed welfare reforms.

  There is also a high level of concern over plans to replace Disability Living Allowance with a Personal Independence Payment. It is believed that the number of people eligible to receive the pay may fall by 20 per cent.

  The bill also proposed the introduction of a universal credit which would replace many existing benefits.

  Given the level of public concern over the bill, the decision to refer it to a Grand Committee has been seen as an attempt by the Government to minimise opposition and avoid scrutiny, in an attempt to ease the bill’s way through Parliament.

  The logistics of moving the debate to a much smaller room also means that the number of members of the public who can be admitted will be restricted and there will be little room for wheelchair users or those with assistance dogs.

  The leader of Labour peers Baroness Royall of Blaisdon said: “This is a bad day for consensus, a bad day for democracy – and most importantly, a bad day for disabled and vulnerable people. This Government should be ashamed of itself.”

• September 15, 2011
• 21:03

  Police investigate anti-Semitic Facebook page

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Facebook has taken down a page which poked fun at a Jewish community in Giffnock, part of the Greater Glasgow metropolitan area

  Several Facebook users reported the page to the police, who are now investigating the matter.

  Called “Welcome to Israel, only kidding you’re in Giffnock”, the page contained a profile picture of the late Rev Ernest Levy, a Holocaust survivor who was cantor of the Giffnock and Newlands Synagogue

  A humanist and teacher, who wanted to ensure the holocaust was never forgotten, Mr Levy wrote two books – Just One More Dance (1998) and The Single Light (2007) about his war time experience.

  His photograph appeared on the same Facebook page as comments such as “F*** the Jewish Zionist” and “They have a Gaelic translation in the train station, Hebrew would have been more appropriate.”

  Worryingly, nearly 1,000 Facebook users indicated their approval of the page by clicking the like button.

  In related news, an Internet ‘troll’ has been jailed for 18 weeks for posting abusive comments on Facebook pages set up as memorials to children who have died.

  Sean Duffy left obscene messages and videos on a memorial site dedicated to a 15-year-old girl who committed suicide.

• September 14, 2011
• 21:19

  Schools break Christian assembly rules

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A BBC survey has found that most state schools in England ignore a law requiring them to hold broadly Christian collective worship on a daily basis.

  The Comres survey for BBC local radio asked 500 parents if their children attended daily religious assemblies at school and 64 per cent said they didn’t.

  However, the majority of parents don’t seem concerned about this, as of the 1,743 adults questioned about the law, 60 percent said that it should not be enforced.

  ComRes believes that the results of the survey indicate that support for Christian worship in schools is declining.

  In response to the survey, the Church of England said that most primary schools hold either collective worship or a time of reflection, on a daily bases.

  However, whether ‘reflection’ is a substitute for ‘collective worship, is debatable.

  While most primary schools still adhere to the law, around 80 per cent of secondary schools are believed to ignore it, and there are growing calls for the requirement to be dropped.

  Following the recent riots in cities across England, the Archbishop of Caterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, laid some of the blame on schools for failing to teach children “virtue, character and citizenship”.

  Dr Williams said that education was too focused on teaching children to be “consumers” and “cogs” in an economic wheel.

  Perhaps enforcing the daily assembly rule could provide an ideal platform to teach children about moral, social and religious values.

  Schools have also been criticised for failing to organising practical science experiments and trips, because of concerns over health and safety.

  According to a report by the Commons science and technology committee, these concerns are unfounded and are causing pupils to miss out.

• September 13, 2011
• 14:50

  Libya embraces “moderate Islam” under NTC

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The National Transitional Council (NTC) has promised that Libya will become a democratic Islamic state where extremism will not be tolerated.

  Speaking to a crowd of around 10,000 people in Tripoli, the head of the NTC, Mustafa Abdul Jaili, also promised that women will be able to play a part in politics, under the new regime.

  It was Mr Jalil’s first official speech since the NTC took over leadership of the newly-named Libyan Republic, and followed news that Colonel Gaddafi’s son, Saadi Gaddafi, has crossed the border into Niger.

  The location of Colonel Gadafi himself is still not known.

  The NTC was established in Benghazi, the second-largest city in Libya, after Colonel Gadafi met peaceful pro-democracy protests with military force in February, using thousands of sub-Saharan African mercenaries, ground attack jet fighters and helicopter gunships against the protestors.

  Agostino Miozzo, the EU’s international crisis manager, told the Guardian that the leaders of the NTC are determined to decide Libya’s fate themselves, and will not be pressured by International communities into holding early elections.

  The NTC’s first priority is to stabilise the country by securing its borders, and there are some locations where it still faces opposition from Gaddafi loyalist forces.

  However, optimism is high that Libya will have a brighter future under its new leadership.

• September 12, 2011
• 14:23

  Archbishop of Canterbury may stand down

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams is believed to have told friends that he plans to stand down from the role next year in order to take up an academic position at Trinity College, Cambridge.

  Earlier in his career Dr Williams was a chaplain at Cambridge University.

  Dr Williams, who is now 61, was expected to remain as Archbishop of Canterbury until he retired, potentially allowing him to remain in the role for another nine years.

  He has already held the Church of England’s highest office for nine years and has faced pressure from senior clergy to step aside in order to give someone else the opportunity to take up the position.

  He has made a number of controversial moves during his time as Archbishop, including the appointment of a gay bishop in 2003 and his suggestion in 2008 that Britain should legalise Islamic sharia rules.

  Lambeth Palace has deigned to comment on the news of Dr Williams’ possible early departure.

  He is expected to leave after the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June 2012, when legislation will be in place to allow women to become bishops.

  The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, and the Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres are considered potential successors to Dr Williams.

  Dr Sentamu has decided not to support Dr Williams’ recent decision to meet with Robert Mugabe on a visit to Zimbabwe.

  There is also concern that Mugabe may refuse to meet with the Archbishop, who hoped his visit to the country would provide support to Anglicans facing persecution there.

• September 09, 2011
• 10:29

  Roving Rabbis reach out to isolated Jewish communities

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Jewish teenagers have spent the summer bringing Yiddishkeit, or the Jewish Way of life, to small communities of Jews in northern England, who may have become isolated from Judaism.

  The boys, from Yeshivas Lubavitch Manchester, a higher education centre in Salford, are part of the ‘Roving Rabbis’ programme, which involves hundreds of rabbinical students reaching out to small Jewish communities around the world.

  The students, who are chosen for their rabbinic skills and ability to relate well to people, gain experience in outreach work while reuniting Jews with their faith.

  The group visited Jewish homes in York, a city where 150 Jews were killed in a pogrom in Clifford’s Tower in 1190.

  Although Jews were absent from York for hundreds of years after the massacre, the group managed to locate 25 homes with a Jewish resident.

  Many had lost contact with Judaism, but were given a Mezuzah to place on their doorposts – a small case which acts as a reminder of God’s present and his commandments.

  Another group of Roving Rabbis visited the Isle of Man last month, where they showed members of the Jewish community how to put on tefillin and light Shabbat candles.

  It was the first time that one 60-year old man had put on Tefillin, small black boxes containing hand-written biblical verses, which Jewish men strap onto their heads and their arms each weekday morning.

  The Roving Rabbis programme is organised by Chabad-Lunbavitch, the largest Jewish outreach arm of Judaism.

• September 08, 2011
• 13:03

  Archbishop of Canterbury seeks talks with Mugabe

   » ‎ Interfaith

  In an effort to support persecuted Anglicans in Zimbabwe, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is visiting Harare on 9 October, the country’s capital city.

  During his visit, which is said to be pastoral, not political, he hopes to meet Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe.

  He is visiting the country amid the ongoing harassment of Anglicans, but the violence has not deterred Dr Williams, who will be the first prominent British official to visit Harare in ten years.

  He will also visit Malawi and Zambia during his visit to southern Africa.

  Anglicans in Zimbabwe are facing persecution from security forces, including violence and exclusion from churches.

  Anglican Church property was recently seized by the former bishop of Harare, Nolbert Kunonga, after he was granted legal custody of the property.

  Kunonga was excommunicated in 2007 and now heads a breakaway organisation known as the new Anglican Province of Zimbabwe.

  He has served eviction notices on around 30 Anglican clerics including Reverend Dzikamai Mudenda who has been driven from his home in Mabvuku, along with his family.

  On the 24 August, Reverend Jonah Mudowaya was beaten around the head after he refused to leave a church house.

  Speaking to the New York Times, Kunonga said he wanted to take control of all Anglican properties in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Malawi, including churches, schools and hospitals.

• September 07, 2011
• 8:59

  Mobile phone ad mocked Christianity

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Phones4U has been banned from using a mobile phone ad featuring a cartoon-like image of Jesus with the sacred heart on his chest, by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

  Nearly one hundred people complained to the ASA after the image of Jesus winking and giving a thumbs-up sign appeared in a national ad campaign for Samsung Android phones.

  The ASA banned the ad after ruling that it ‘mocked and belittled’ the Christian faith.

  The ad ran during Easter, the most important festival in the Christian calendar, when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, three days after he was crucified.

  It displayed the slogan “Miraculous deals on Samsung Galaxy Android phones”.

  Phones4U said it had hoped to create a “light-hearted, positive and contemporary image of Christianity relevant to the Easter weekend”, but it requires little imagination to realise that comparing a phone deal to the miracle of the resurrection is at the very least insensitive and potentially very offensive indeed.

  Following the ruling Phones4U said it was sorry for any offence caused and would not be running any similar ads.

  Meanwhile the ASA has ruled that an Aldi television advert, in which a woman says her husband likes both Aldi tea and PG Tips, but prefers gin, does not break the advertising code.

  The ASA received 24 complaints that the advert made light of alcoholism and was irresponsible because it suggested gin as an alternative to non-alcoholic drinks.

  Aldi said that this was not the intention of the ad, which was meant to be humorous, a view supported by the ASA which decided that the ad did not encourage irresponsible drinking or take alcoholism lightly.

• September 06, 2011
• 8:44

  Faith-based services perceived as ‘sinister’

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The London-based Christian Legal Centre claims that the expulsion of a Christian debt counselling charity from the Advice UK network highlights a growing perception that there is something sinister about being motivated by faith.

  Christians Against Poverty (CAP), which offers free debt-counselling services from centres based in local churches, left Advice UK, a support network for such centres, following a disagreement over prayer.

  Steve Johnson, the chief executive of AdviceUK, is reported to have claimed CAP placed an ‘emotional fee’ on its service, because CAP’s debt-counsellors invite their clients to pray with them.

  By doing so, the counsellors are imposing their own values, according to Advice UK.

  CAP vigorously denies that willingness to pray is a condition of the service it offers.

  In a statement on its website CAP said: “Whilst CAP is committed to provide impartial help and advice to all members of society, as an expression of our care for clients we do offer to pray with people.

  “We also have the furtherance of the Christian faith as a charitable objective.

  “In order to protect the integrity of both organisations it was amicably agreed that CAP would not continue to be an AdviceUK member.”

  Andrea Williams, director of the Christian Legal Centre, said:
  “This is a very sad development and further highlights how intolerant our society has become to the Christian faith.

  “There is increasingly a chilling notion prevailing that there is something wrong, something sinister, about being motivated by faith.”

• September 05, 2011
• 9:48

  Dale Farm traveller eviction likened to anti-Semitism

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Emotions are running high over the planned eviction of travellers from the Dale Farm site in Essex, with Jewish leaders comparing the eviction to the anti-Semitism of the early 20th century.

  Although the travellers own the site, around half of them are living on the Metropolitan green belt where development is forbidden under planning rules.

  Rabbi Janet Burden has now spoken out in support of the travellers, saying they should be protected under human rights laws.

  “I believe that the obligation to protect this ethnic minority’s way of life is a human rights issue that, in this particular and unusual case, may need to ‘trump’ the planning law designed to protect the Green Belt,” she said.

  There is concern that violence could erupt when efforts are made to evict the travellers.

  The Daily Mail today reports that a 50ft watchtower has been constructed at the entrance to the site, on which anarchists are stockpiling rocks, leading to fears that they could be thrown at bulldozers, or even officials entering the site on eviction day.

  Meanwhile Basildon Council has warned private landowners in the area that it will not become involved in disputes if the travellers occupy private land following the eviction.

  Police and council officials will only become involved in cases where violence or major disruption may occur.

• September 02, 2011
• 15:17

  Universities asked to ‘spy’ on Muslim students

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Staff at UK Universities have been asked to inform the police about Muslim students who appear to be depressed or isolated from their friends and families, as they might be at risk of being targeted by Islamic radicals.

  Students with extreme political views or who use extremist websites are also believed to be at risk of radicalisation.

  It is understood that officials involved in the government’s ‘Prevent’ strategy have been approaching universities and colleges in Lancashire and London over the issue.

  The Prevent strategy, which was launched in 2007, aims to stop people becoming terrorists.

  Following a recent review it now has three main objectives:

  to respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat from those who promote it
  to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support and
  to work with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation that we need to address.

  University staff and student unions are concerned about the latest move to identify potential terrorists, which they believe jeopardises trust between students and staff and is an assault on students’ civil liberties.

  The National Union of Students has advised its officers that they are under no obligation to give police information about students, unless police have a warrant.

  Students reported to the police by universities will be monitored without their knowledge, and will be assessed to see if they pose a terrorism risk.

• September 01, 2011
• 9:34

  Methodist Church adopts Living Wage

   » ‎ Interfaith

  As part of its commitment to justice and fairness in society, the Methodist Church has adopted the ‘Living Wage’ for its employees.

  The Living Wage is an hourly rate which is considered sufficient to allow a worker to provide their family with the essentials of life and is substantially more than the legal minimum wage.

  It is set by the Greater London Authority for workers in the Capital, and by the Centre for Research in Social Policy elsewhere in the UK and currently stands at £8.30 and £7.20 respectively.

  The Methodist Church is the first major denomination in the UK to agree to pay the Living Wage to its workforce, but Christian organisation Church Action on Poverty wants all churches to follow the Methodist Church’s example.

  Rev Leo Osborn, President of the Methodist Conference, said: “As Christians we care deeply about justice and fairness.

  “A long-hours low-pay culture can be found up and down our nation. The reality of low-paid work for many is very long hours and multiple jobs, leaving little time for family, community or leisure.

  “In a fractured society where family and community matter more than ever, paying the Living Wage is one practical way of showing a commitment to these aspects of life.”

• August 31, 2011
• 9:42

  Christian Aid claims tax deal will harm poor countries

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Christian Aid has called a tax deal between the UK and Switzerland ‘a disgrace’ because of its potential impact on developing countries.

  The deal will see the Swiss government taxing the funds in UK taxpayers’ Swiss bank accounts and handing the tax over to the UK treasury.

  While this could generate around £5 billion a year for Britain, the identity of tax-evaders will remain hidden unless the account holder agrees to come clean.

  Christian Aid warns that this amounts to collusion with criminality and significantly reduces the chance of developing countries recouping the taxes owed to them by people with bank accounts in so-called ‘tax havens’.

  Although UK holders of Swiss bank account holders who chose to keep their identity secret will have to pay back-tax on their funds, those who do decide to reveal their identity to UK authorities will be exempt from the back-tax.

  Christian Aid estimates that tax-evasion costs poor countries around $160 billion a year, money which they could use to provide health, education and other services.

  The charity wants the issue to be raised at the G20 November summit, with a view to ending tax secrecy in countries such as Switzerland.

  On the other hand, the UK government believes the agreement is a landmark deal.

  It gives UK authorities the right to ask Switzerland for the banking details of 500 UK citizens annually, if it is believed that further investigation is needed.

• August 30, 2011
• 14:37

  Assisted dying comments go against Christian beliefs

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Government adviser Martin Green has told the Daily Telegraph that the UK law on assisted suicide should be reviewed because it is taking away choice and autonomy from patients.

  Mr Green, a Dementia expert and the chief executive of the English Community Care Association, believes that there should be either a referendum, or a free vote in Parliament on the law, which currently makes assisted suicide illegal.

  Although guidelines issued last year by the Director of Public Prosecutions lessen the chance of relatives being prosecuted for assisting in a suicide, health professionals face a custodial sentence of up to 14 years.

  Mr Green suggests that NHS’s focus on giving choice and control to patients should extend to terminally ill patients who are physically unable to commit suicide but want their suffering, and therefore their lives, to end.

  Mr Green’s suggestions are likely to raise fierce opposition from Christian group who reject the idea of human beings being autonomous as life is a gift from God and only God has the right to take it away.

  There is also concern that a change in the law could put vulnerable people at the risk of being pressurised by relatives.

  Author Terry Pratchett, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, is campaigning for assisted suicide to be made legal in the UK and has considered whether to eventually take this option himself.

  He witnessed the assisted death of an English man at the Dignitas Clinic in Switzerland for the BBC documentary Choosing to Die.

  A recent report by think-tank Demos found that coroners sometimes ‘turn a blind eye’ to assisted suicide in order to avoid causing difficulties for the grieving relatives and friends of the deceased.

  The report found that at least ten per cent of suicides in England are committed by someone with a chronic or terminal illness.

  It will be considered by the Commission on Assisted Dying which is looking at various issues around assisted suicide, such as whether there are any circumstances when it should be permitted, and whether any changes in the law should be made.

• August 26, 2011
• 12:20

  China appoints new governor for Tibet

   » ‎ Interfaith

  China has appointed Chen Quanguo, an ethnic Han official, to govern Tibet.

  He replaces Zhang Qingli as part of a restructuring of senior provincial leaders prior to a change in leadership next year.

  Mr. Zhang oversaw the closure of monasteries in Tibet after riots in 2008, as well as the vilification of the Dalai Lama which eventually led to his exile from the country.

  Many Tibetans believe that China is trying to dilute their culture by developing the region and encouraging large numbers of Han Chinese to move there.

  In his first public speech since taking office, incoming governor Mr. Chen said: “The central task is economic development; the foundation is ethnic unity; the two priorities are development and stability; the focus is to improve livelihood.”

  He refrained from mentioning the Dali Lama, a departure from the style of his predecessor who frequently made verbal attacks on the Buddhist leader.

  “With economic development at the heart, with ethnic unity as the guarantee, with improving people’s lives as our starting point, we must grasp tightly to development and stability as the two major issues,” he said.

  Despite the change in tone, there are not expected to be any significant changes in China’s policies for Tibet.

  During his visit to Germany this week, the Dali Lama granted a special audience to the country’s Tibetan community.

  In his address he mentioned the good Tibetan character based on compassion and human values.

  “Human beings cannot continue to live under repression. This cannot be permanent,” he said.

• August 25, 2011
• 13:42

  Food prices affecting Muslims during Ramadan

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Oxfam has chosen the month of Ramadan, a time when Muslims are required to fast from dawn until sunset, to warn that rising food prices have made fasting even more difficult than usual this year.

  Penny Lawrence, International Director for Oxfam, said: “For many people around the world Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection and remembering those that are less fortunate and hungry.

  “We must ensure that people always have enough to eat, especially at the end of a fast when people need to replenish themselves.”

  Muslim communities across the world have been finding it more difficult to afford the food they need to sustain themselves during Ramadan.

  Traditionally, Muslims start the day with Suhur, a rich meal, often high in protein, which is eaten just before daybreak so that they feel less hungry during the day.

  The fast is broken with a meal known as Iftar, which is eaten at sunset when people need a good meal to replenish themselves after a day without food.

  Oxfam has spoken to Muslim communities around the world and found that price rises are making it difficult for them to afford an adequate diet, particularly during Ramadan.

  The charity reports that in Pakistan the price of staple food items increased by 17 percent ahead of Ramadan, while in Azerbaijan the price of mutton has increased by 20 per cent since Ramadan last year.

  Bangladesh has also seen the price of staple foods rise since the beginning of Ramadan.

  Climate change and the depletion of land and energy resources are all making the problem of hunger worse, warns Oxfam and the charity has joined with MADE in Europe to call on governments to take action now.

  They want governments to improve the way markets are regulated, tackle climate change and invest in sustainable agriculture to stem the growing tide of hunger.

  Saif Ahmad, CEO of MADE in Europe, said: “Ramadan is a time when we reflect on the blessings that each of us have and experience in some small way the hunger that people around the world endure on a daily basis.

  “In the UK we have been fasting for 18-hour days but know that at the end of it, there is going to be enough food and water for us to quench our hunger and thirst.

  “People in other countries have been breaking their fasts with very little simply because there is no food available to eat.

  “As Ramadan draws to a close, I am urging people to reflect about where our food comes from, and how we can together alleviate the food crisis to ensure that everyone has enough to eat,“ he said.

• August 24, 2011
• 14:30

  Amnesty appeals for Irish Traveller eviction to stop

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Amnesty International has launched an appeal in support of Irish travellers who are facing eviction from Dale Farm in Essex.

  The human rights organisation is appealing to Basildon Borough Council, which issued the eviction notice, and the Department for Communities and Local Government, to stop the eviction process going ahead.

  The move would affect 86 families, leaving them without an authorised site on which to relocate their caravans and with no access to medical care or education.

  The families are expected to leave the site by 31 August and the council will then cut off the site’s water and electricity.

  Amnesty International warns that the council’s actions could break international law as it has not engaged in an effective consultation with the travellers.

  Under human rights legislation the council should ensure that alternative culturally adequate housing is available for the Irish Travellers, a culture which is recognised and protected as an ethnic group in English law.

  Although Dale Farm is located on land owned by Traveller, Romani and Gypsy families, some families are living on parts of the site where planning permission for residential use has been denied, in line with local zoning restrictions.

  It is these families who face eviction, although some of them have lived there for as long as 11 years.

  Earlier this month, human rights experts from the UN appealed to the UK government to help resolve the problem.

  In a statement, Raquel Rolnik, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing said: “Evictions constitute a grave breach of human rights if not carried out with full respect for international standards.

  “We urge the UK authorities to halt the evictions process and to pursue negotiations with the residents until an acceptable agreement for relocation is reached in full conformity with international human rights obligations.”

• August 23, 2011
• 10:42

  Church ban reflects Indonesia’s growing religious intolerance

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A proposal to ban Christian churches on streets with Islamic names is the latest indication that Muslim-dominated Indonesia’s intolerance of Christians is growing.

  Diani Budiarto, the mayor of Bogor, a city on the island of Java, proposed the controversial move as part of his efforts to block the construction of the Taman Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church.

  The church failed to open in 2008 as planned, after residents claimed its permit was illegal.

  Even though permission for the church to open was granted by the Supreme Court in December, the Mayor is still trying to stop the church opening.

  Indonesia’President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has been criticised for failing to stop the growth of religious intolerance in the country.

  Although Indonesia is secular, Islam is the dominant religion and extremist groups have increased their attacks on minorities in recent years, including burning houses of worship and physically attacking worshippers.

  According to human rights group, the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, attacks on religiously motivated attacks have grown from 17 incidents in 2008 to 64 in 2010.

  Earlier this month, the leniency of an Indonesian court towards those responsible for murdering members of a minority Muslim group was condemned by human rights groups and the US State Department.

  Twelve men were sentenced to a maximum of six months in prison for their parts in a violent attack on 20 members of the Ahmadiyah sect in Cikeusik, western Java, in February.

  It is believed that more that 1,000 militants were involved in the attack in which three people were killed and several more were injured.

• August 22, 2011
• 9:54

  Equality Commission backs down over religious rights reform

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Equality and Human Rights Commission has watered-down a campaign to support the rights of employees to uphold their religious beliefs in the workplace.

  In July the commission said it would call on the European Court of Human Rights to introduce reforms ensuring that employers would make “reasonable adjustments” to allow workers to follow their religious beliefs.

  It has now revealed on its website that it no longer intends to call for the “reasonable adjustments” principal to be introduced.

  The commission has gained permission to intervene in four cases being heard by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

  Christians Nadia Eweida, Shirley Chaplin, Lillian Ladele, and Gary McFarlane are all bringing legal action against the UK because they believe that their right to freedom of religion has not been protected by UK laws.

  Mrs Eweida, a check-in clerk at BA, and Mrs Chaplin, a nurse, were both banned from visibly wearing a cross at work.

  While the commission’s support for public displays of faith of this type seems set to continue, the position over Miss Ladele’s and Mr McMcFarlanes cases is less clear cut.

  Miss Ladele, a registrar at Islington town hall, and Mr McFarlane, a relationship therapist, both lost their jobs after refusing to provide their services to gay couples because of their religious beliefs.

  The commission has now said that it believes the rulings against Miss Ladele and Mr McFarlane were “correct” and has launched a public consultation on all four cases.

  The Commission’s change of heart has been criticised by Christian organisations, including the Evangelical Alliance and CARE.

  However, the proposals had been met with alarm by Gay rights campaigners as they involved allowing employees to refuse to provide a public service to Gay couples.

  A spokeswoman for the Commission said: “Our job is not to take sides in political arguments between activist groups, it is to make sure people do not face unjustified discrimination.”

• August 12, 2011
• 19:23

  Church leaders condemn riots

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Bishop of London Richard Chartres and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, have all spoken out against the riots that swept across England this week.

  Dr Williams criticised the education system for failing to teach good citizenship in schools.

  “Are we prepared to think not only about discipline in classrooms, but also about the content and ethos of our educational institutions – asking can we once again build a society which takes seriously the task of educating citizens, not consumers, not cogs in an economic system, but citizens,” he said.

  Dr Sentamu spoke out over the breakdown of family and community, and the creation of a “selfish underclass that has little respect for hard work and decency”.

  “In many ways, we have made a god of self and self-interest,” he said.

  “We have created an individualistic, disposable society, with weakened family and community structures, where the interests of me, myself and I have become paramount.”

  The Rt Rev Chartres also said that family breakdown was at the root of the disorder, together with a lack of positive role models

• August 11, 2011
• 13:34

  Christian pharmacists concerned over new morning-after pill rules

   » ‎ Interfaith

  New guidelines on dispensing morning-after-pills and IVF drugs put employers’ rights above an employee’s religious beliefs, according to a report in the Telegraph.

  Christian pharmacists who believe in the sanctity of life from the moment of conception may object to dispensing morning-after-pills because they prevent a fertilised egg being implanted in the womb.

  The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) issued new guidelines last week which require pharmacists to refer a customer to a specified chemist who is willing to dispense the pills, if they do not wish to do so themselves.

  They must also ring the chemist to check that the drug is in stock.

  According to Neil Addison, the director of the Thomas More Legal Centre, the guidance is flawed.

  “What many people do not seem to grasp is the fact that if you are refusing to do something because it is morally objectionable you cannot be obliged to recommend someone else,” he said.

  The new guidelines require a pharmacist to inform a potential
  employer if they do not wish to dispense morning-after-pills on religious grounds and there is concern that this could mean they would be discriminated against in the recruitment process.

  The guidelines also require pharmacists to make drugs available for IVF, a process which often involves embryos being destroyed.

  The guidelines are not mandatory and will be reviewed in a years’ time.

  In related news the US Food and Drug Administration (FD) has warned that a fake morning-after-pill called Evital is on the market.

  The FDA warns that it has not been approved and may not be safe or effective in preventing pregnancy.

• August 10, 2011
• 15:20

  Restrictions on religion increase globally

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Restrictions on religion, either by governments or because of social intolerance, increased for one third of the world’s population between 2006 and 2009.

  Restrictions on religion eased for just one per cent of the world’s population during the same period.

  The findings by the Pew Forum, show that the situation for followers of religions has deteriorated most severely in those countries where
  high levels of restrictions or hostilities were already present.

  The countries where there were substantial decreases in restrictions or hostilities already scored low, suggesting further polarization between the two extremes.

  Restrictions on religion increased in the UK, China, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam mainly due to an increase in social hostilities involving religion.

  In Egypt and France, increases in restrictions on religion were mainly due to government restrictions.

  Europe had the largest proportion of countries in which social hostilities related to religion increased.

  Five of the 10 countries with a substantial increase in social hostilities were in Europe: the UK, Bulgaria, Denmark, Russia, and Sweden.

  The report found Japan to be the most religiously tolerant of the world’s countries, with the fewest number of government crackdowns and social hostilities, followed by Brazil in second place.

• August 09, 2011
• 14:26

  Communities unite in aftermath of riots

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Following a night of violence in cities across the UK, communities are coming together to deal with the damage.

  The Prime Minister returned from his holiday after riots broke out in London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham and Bristol last night and is
  recalling Parliament following a meeting of the government’s emergency committee Cobra.

  Opinion is divided over the motives for the riots, which started on Saturday with a peaceful protest in Tottenham over the fatal shooting of 29 year old Tottenham man, Mark Duggan, by police.

  This soon seemed to turn to a wave of protest against the government’s swingeing cuts to council budgets, leading to the loss of jobs and services for the most vulnerable people in our communities.

  In Haringey, for example, youth services have been cut by 75 per cent after the council’s funding from central government was reduced by £41m.

  Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg claims that the riots have nothing to do with the death of Mr Duggan and are simply “needless, opportunist theft and violence”.

  Christian groups are offering practical support to people caught up in the riots and in Tottenham, Christians and other faith leaders are planning to hold a peace vigil in Monument Way.

  Overnight, Dan Thompson, from Worthing, West Sussex, started operation #riotclean up to co-ordinate volunteers to clean up the damage caused by the riots.

  Mr Thompson is using Facebook and Twitter to mobilise volunteers at locations across London.

  Similar initiatives are now in place in Bristol and Liverpool.

  A number of celebrities, including Jessie J, Wayne Rooney and Stephen Fry have used Twitter to condemn the violence and to call for help with the clean-up operation.

  Footballer Wayne Rooney tweeted: “These riots are nuts why would people do this to their own country. Own city. This is embarrassing for our country. Stop please.”

• August 08, 2011
• 12:15

  Quakers commit to low carbon future

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Britain’s Quakers committed to becoming a low-carbon, sustainable community at their annual Yearly Meeting at the University of Kent in Canterbury.

  The movement is drawing up an action plan and members will offer each other support in helping to achieve this aim.

  In a statement the movement said: “We can no longer ignore the fact that our planet is finite.

  “We have not only inherited the earth from our ancestors: we have borrowed it from our children and from their children.”

  The decision is based on the Quakers’ ongoing efforts to create a peaceful and more equal world and an understanding that the environmental crisis cannot be separated from global economic injustice.

  At the Yearly Meeting, the movement also decided to press the government on consumer capitalism and to push for policies that safeguard both people and the planet.

• August 05, 2011
• 14:46

  Tajikistan bans children from religious worship

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Tajikstan’s latest move against the growth of Islamic fundamentalism in the country is the introduction of a law banning anyone under the age of 18 from worshipping in mosques, churches and synagogues.

  It also requires children to attend secular schools, and anyone providing religious education to children faces a custodial sentence.

  The bill, which was unanimously passed by the upper house of parliament last month, has now been signed by President Emomali Rakhmon, bringing it into law.

  It follows earlier moves by the government to forcibly repatriate Tajik nationals studying at Muslim universities abroad, and issuing guidelines to preachers.

  Umari Hussaini from the opposition Islamic Revival Party, claims that the law is in direct contradiction to the constitution.

  There is also concern that it contravenes laws on human rights.

• August 04, 2011
• 15:37

  Vicar says church doesn’t fit with modern lives

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Dr Jeni Parsons, the rector of St. Katharine’s church in Matson, Gloucester says in an interview for BBC Radio Gloucestershire, that religion ‘no longer fits in with modern day life’.

  Dr Parsons suggests that pressures of modern life, including the need to earn money by working at the weekend, prevent people attending church.

  However, evidence that church still matters to her parishioners in Matson is apparent at occasions such as weddings, baptisms and funerals.

  “People use church like the parlour, it’s for best,” she says.

  “What you do there are the big celebrations and the big sadnesses in your life, but you don’t live there – it’s not your living room.

  The radio series, 21st Century Faith, starts on Sunday 7 August 2011.

  Last month the Church’s national assembly, the General Synod, was urged to launch a campaign to recruit worshippers.

  A report, Mission Action Planning in the Church of England, found that the number of adult churchgoers in the UK has halved over a 40-year period.

  The report says that this poses a significant threat to the continued existence of the Church of England.

• August 03, 2011
• 16:39

  Brits donate £42m to Africa in three weeks

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The desperate struggle to survive facing people in East Africa has touched the hearts of the British public, with £42m already contributed to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal.

  More than £1 million of this was donated via SMS text messages.

  The generosity of people in Britain was praised by the DEC’s chief executive Brendan Gormley, who said: “To raise £42 million in just over three weeks is a wonderful demonstration of public concern for those in need.”

  However he also warned that the crisis continues to worsen, and less than half of the $2.5 billion needed to help the 10 million people at risk of starvation in the region has been raised.

  East Africa is facing its worst drought for 60 years and famine has been declared in Somalia.

  Donations to the DEC appeal will be used to buy food, water and medical supplies.

  The government in Ethiopia is trying to achieve a long-term solution to the problems caused by drought, by resettling its semi-nomadic people in permanent homes.

  While the government claims that resettlement will be voluntary, there is concern that it will end a traditional lifestyle that has persisted for centuries.

  There is also the fear that it could lead to some people losing their lands.

• August 02, 2011
• 9:28

  Vatican suspects political motive for Enda Kenny’s attack

   » ‎ Interfaith

  An unnamed Vatican official has suggested that Enda Kenny’s recent attack on the Vatican over its handling of child sexual abuse cases, was a ploy to divert attention from the euro crisis.

  The publication of the Cloyne Report, which looked into the handling of alleged child sexual abuse by 19 clerics of the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne in the County of Cork, prompted the prime minister to launch a blistering tirade against the Vatican.

  “The Cloyne report excavates the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism, the narcissism that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day,” he said.

  The Vatican signalled its disapproval of the attack by recalling its envoy to Ireland, Giuseppe Leanza, and re-posting him to Prague a few days later.

  An official response from the Vatican is expected this month, and it is expected to point to a new determination to tackle alleged sexual abuse since 2001, when Pope John Paul II put in place an effective policy, a response which the prime minister’s attack failed to acknowledge.

  A senior Vatican official said: “Not to recognise that there has been a learning curve and that things have changed is stupid”.

  While the prime minster received thousands of messages of support, many of them from clergy, others were horrified at his outburst.

  Father Thomas Daly compared his criticism of the Vatican to one of Hitler’s speeches in a leaflet with the provocative title ‘Heil Herr Kenny’.

  The leaflet was handed out to members of Father Daly’s parish in Drogheda, County Louth.

  He later apologised, saying: “I regret the headline and for the misunderstandings that might have arisen out of it. I am not comparing Enda Kenny to Hitler.”

• August 01, 2011
• 12:17

  Nomadic tent offers ‘taste of paradise’ during Edinburgh festival

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A Persian Nomadic Tent will form the centrepiece of this year’s Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh, which runs from 6 – 29 August.

  The Festival of Spirituality offers a spiritual alternative to the main Edinburgh International Festival, which takes place from 12 August to 4 September 2011.

  It aims to ‘put the heart back into the festival season’.

  As well as providing opportunities for cultural exchange, the alternative festival will highlight the dangers facing Nomadic lifestyles from rapid globalisation.

  It is hoped that the Nomadic Tent will foster cross-cultural conversation, peacebuilding, and friendships between people from different ethnic groups.

  The Edinburgh Art Festival is also focusing on spirituality, with a vast religious-themed exhibition by David Mach which took nearly a decade to complete.

  The exhibition, which coincides with the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, will fill every floor of the City Art Centre.

  It includes Crucifixion scenes made from coat-hangers and the faces of Christ and Satan made from match-heads which will be lit by the artist during the festival.

  There are more than 40 collages of Biblical scenes, made from newspaper and magazine cuttings.

  The ‘David Mach: Precious Light, King James Bible 1611–2011’ exhibition runs from 30 July – 16 October 2011.

• July 29, 2011
• 11:16

  Sikh daggers allowed at Olympics

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The organisers of the London 2012 Olympics have decided to allow Sikhs to bring ceremonial daggers into the games.

  A statement by the organisers of the 2012 games said: “At Games-time, small symbolic ceremonial daggers, with a maximum blade length of three inches, carried for religious reasons will be allowed”.

  The Kirpan is usually attached to a cloth belt and is hidden by clothing.

  Earlier this week Gurdev Singh was prevented from entering Lord’s cricket ground because he was carrying a ‘Kirpan’, the ceremonial dagger which is one of the five articles of faith which Sikhs are required to carry at all times.

  Mr Singh later received an apology from officials at the cricket club.

• July 28, 2011
• 13:56

  Interfaith Network warns against using religion to justify terrorism

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Inter Faith Network for the UK, which aims to promote good relations between people of different faiths, has issued a statement following the killing of 76 people in Norway by Anders Breivik.

  Although Breivik has been described as a ‘fundamentalist Christian’, he has been revealed to have nurtured a hatred of Muslims and believed that Islam threated the survival of Europe.

  In the statement the Interfaith Network says “where terrorists justify their actions with reference to positions which they call religious, this reflects ignorance and breeds suspicion and mistrust. This has a direct relevance for all those working for good inter faith relations.”

  The statement condemns the use of religion to justify violence that has “no place in any society, nor any true foundation in any faith tradition”.

  The statement was signed by the Interfaith network’s co-chairs and vice-chairs.

  State prosecutors in Norway are considering charging Breivik with crimes against humanity.

• July 27, 2011
• 14:58

  Anti-Vatican feeling sweeps Irish media

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A wave of anti-Vatican feeling is sweeping Ireland following Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s attack on the Catholic Church’s handling of the child abuse scandal described in the Cloyne report.

  The report describes how the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests in the Irish diocese of Cloyne was covered up.

  Complaints were made against 19 priests over the period from 1996 to 2009.

  Kenny’s remarks, which included the accusation that the church’s concern about its own reputation had led it to downplay the suffering of the victims of the abuse, have been widely applauded by the media across Ireland.

  Following his remarks, the prime minster said he has had thousands of messages of support, with many of them coming from clergy.

  Earlier this week the Vatican recalled the Irish papal envoy, Giuseppe Leanza, back to Rome to discuss the Cloyne Report.

  Vice-director of the Vatican press office Father Ciro Benedettini said the nuncio’s recall “should be interpreted as an expression of the desire of the Holy See for serious and effective collaboration with the (Irish) government”.

  Mr Kenny has promised to introduce new laws making it a crime to withhold evidence of child abuse.

  The law would mean that even if this information was given as part of a confession, it would have to be report to legal authorities, contrary to the rules of the Catholic Church.

• July 26, 2011
• 9:35

  Monsoon threatens Pakistan once again

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Last year’s monsoon caused the deaths of 2,000 people in Pakistan and left 11 million without homes.

  Charities and international agencies are warning that the country is once again facing the monsoon season, but with many flood defences still unrepaired after last year’s floods, the outlook is bleak.

  The United Nations believes that around five million people could be affected if the rains are as heavy this year as they were last year.

  Many people are still living in temporary shelter which will offer little protection from further flooding.

  Christian Aid has voiced its concern that the country is unprepared, with poorer communities expected to suffer most severely, should the heavy rains return.

  The problem has been exacerbated by industry and agriculture diverting the course of rivers, making them more likely to flood.

  Oxfam is calling for reconstruction to be stepped up and for more money to be spent on suitable housing and early-warning systems.

  Neva Khan, head of Oxfam in Pakistan, said: “Pakistan needs to act now. Investing in measures today that reduce the impact of disasters is essential to save lives and safeguard development gains in the future.”

  The charity has releasing a new report entitled “Ready or Not”, which warns that a UN appeal for flood vicitims had a shortfall of $600 million.

  A weak response by Pakistan’s government to last year’s disaster and fear that funds could be diverted by corruption has adversely affected the level of aid.

  With international aid currently focused on the unfolding famine across the horn of Africa, there is real concern that the response to a new crisis in Pakistan could be inadequate.

• July 25, 2011
• 10:23

  Catholic Church apologises to Australia’s adoption victims

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Catholic Church in Australia has issued an apology over the practice of forcing unmarried mothers to give up their babies for adoption.

  The practice took place over three decades, from the 1950s to the 1970s, with many maternity hospitals across Australia forcing mothers to give up their babies against their will.

  It is believed that as many as 150,000 Australian women had their babies taken away from them.

  A statement from Catholic Health Australia and Sisters of Mercy nuns from Singleton said:

  “We acknowledge the pain of separation and loss felt then and felt now by the mothers, fathers, children, families and others involved in the practices of the time.

  “For this pain we are genuinely sorry.”

  Catholic Health is offering counselling to victims, as well as help with accessing medical and adoption records.

  The CEO of Catholic Health Australia, Martin Laverty, says he will apologise in from of the ongoing Senate inquiry in the issue, if this would help the women whose babies were removed.

  Mr Laverty wants the federal government to move more quickly in setting up a national state-funded program to assist the mothers and children who were forcibly separated.

• July 22, 2011
• 12:39

  Irish PM attacks Vatican over child abuse

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Earlier this week Ireland’s Prime Minister, Enda Kenny, fiercely attacked the Vatican’s handling of child abuse allegations in the diocese of Cloyne in Co Cork.

  In a parliamentary debate on a report about the abuse, Kenny, himself a practising Catholic, said that just three years ago the Holy See tried to “frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic”.

  “And in doing so, the Cloyne report excavates the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism, the narcissism, that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day,” he continued.

  A motion which criticised “the Vatican’s intervention which contributed to the undermining of the child protection” was passed without a vote being taken.

  Separately, the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, also spoke out over the cover-up.

  The Archbishop criticised church leaders in Ireland, saying he was “angry, ashamed and appalled” at their behaviour.

  The report was highly critical of the former Bishop of Cloyne John Magee for his failure to protect children and his part in trying to mislead investigations into alleged abuse.

• July 21, 2011
• 10:44

  Amnesty International highlights suffering of Somali Children

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A new report from Amnesty International describes how children in Somalia could become a ‘lost generation’ unless the world stops ignoring their suffering.

  The report, ‘In the line of fire: Somalia’s children under attack’, describes how children are still being recruited by Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government as child soldiers, despite the party having promised to respect children’s rights.

  Children are also being forced to fight by Al-Shabab, the main armed group opposed to the government, which is using schools as its recruiting grounds.

  Al-Shabab has stopped some subjects being taught in schools and blocked education for girls in some areas, as well as imposing restrictions on clothing and listening to music.

  Many refugees are leaving southern and central Somalia because they fear their children will be taken away to become soldiers.

  Meanwhile, the famine spreading across Africa is exacerbating the already critical situation.

  The UN has declared a famine in two regions of Somalia but the political situation in the country makes delivering aid a seemingly impossible task.

  The UK has donated £25m for Somalia, but has not agreed how the money can be channelled without indirectly aiding al-Shabaab.

• July 20, 2011
• 14:52

  Marriage does not influence educational performance

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Placing his faith in strong families as key to mending ‘broken Britain’, David Cameron promised, before the election, to offer tax breaks to married couples.

  He hoped that this would encourage people to marry, redressing the balance of a benefits system which makes it more beneficial for people to cohabit.

  However, the basis for this plan has been called into question by research that suggests having married parents offers little or no emotional or education benefit to children.

  According to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, although children with married parents perform better at school than children whose parents cohabit, this is because married parents are likely to be better educated and more affluent.

  The study suggests that it is the parents’ educational background and financial stability that influences how a child develops, not marriage.

  The IFS said: ‘We can find no strong evidence that marriage leads to better cognitive or social outcomes for children than cohabitation.

  ‘Policies aimed at encouraging parents to get married before they bear children thus require a rationale other than one based on the impact of marriage on child development.’

• July 19, 2011
• 18:03

  Malaysian woman loses appeal against Islamic trial

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A civil court in Malaysia has refused to grant a woman permission to leave Islam, even though she has given up her Muslim faith to become a member of the Sky Kingdom sect.

  The woman, Kamariah Ali, has been tried under Islamic law for apostasy – the rejection of her former religion – and faces a jail sentence.

  However, she argues that she should not be bound by Islamic law because she is no longer a Muslim.

  This argument was dismissed by the civil court, which ruled that because she was born a Muslim, the Islamic court has jurisdiction over her.

  Malaysia’s constitution ensures the freedom to practice any religion and Ms Kamariah wanted the civil court to support this right.

  The Sky Kingdom sect, to which she now belongs, believes in the healing purity of water.

  In related news, Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has met with Pope Benedict XVI.

  The Prime Minister is believed to be trying to strengthen the relationship between Muslims and Christians in Malaysia.

  There are estimated to be 850,000 Catholics in Malaysia, which has a mainly Muslim population of 28 million.

  Recent firebombings of churches in Malaysia have caused unrest and fear among the country’s Christian community.

• July 18, 2011
• 9:45

  Desmond Tutu praises Leicester for multicultural harmony

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Archbishop Desmond Tutu was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the University of Leicester on Friday, in recognition of his work to improve race relations.

  He was instrumental in ending the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and has also fought for an end to homophobia, slavery and sexism.

  In his acceptance speech the Archbishop said that Leicester was an ‘icon of fellowship, comity, different faiths, different ethnicities’.

  He said that the city was an “example to a world that is hungry for togetherness.”

  At the ceremony, Professor Gordon Campbell of Leicester University said: “We in Leicester live in Britain’s rainbow city, the most diverse city in the nation; we stood with the people of South Africa during the long years of apartheid”.

  Archbishop Tutu also told the graduates that they must be God’s partners in tackling hunger, and changing a world where there is extreme economic inequality, a theme that is particularly appropriate when millions are at risk of famine across the horn of Africa.

  He said: “We need you to dream God’s dream of a world, a different kind of world, a compassionate world, a caring world, a sharing world. God says ‘I have no-one, except you.’ God says ‘Help me, please help me to realise my dream’.”

  Separately, the Archbishop has also given his support to a campaign to stop the sale of the Africa Centre in London’s Covent Garden.

  The centre, which was opened by Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first president, in 1964, was once a place which brought all aspects of Africa’s diverse culture under one roof.

  However, earlier this year it was revealed that the charity board appointed to care for the centre were secretly planning to sell it to property developer Capco.

  A campaign to save the building is being led by Chipo Chung, a social activist and actress of Zimbabwean origin.

• July 15, 2011
• 15:30

  London’s homes overcrowed warns Shelter

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Shelter is calling on London Mayor Boris Johnson to tackle the rising problem of overcrowding in the capital.

  Shelter says that the latest English Housing Survey figures show that nearly a quarter of the children living in London are in overcrowded accommodation, compared with just 6 per cent in 2008.

  In the social housing sector, a shocking 43 per cent of children live in overcrowded homes.

  Shelter has also launched a film highlighting the effect of overcrowding on children’s lives.

  The problem could be made even worse if the government goes ahead with plans to cap housing benefit for families at £500 a week.

  It is estimated that 50,000 families would be affected by the cap.

  The government is targeting the construction of 170,000 affordable homes by 2015, with housing associations building 90 per cent of them.

  The previous government had already laid plans for 90,000 affordable homes and the coalition government has now announced that 80,000 more will be delivered under the new affordable rent scheme.

  Rents on the properties will be around 27 per cent lower than current market rates.

• July 14, 2011
• 10:27

  Church of England worshippers on endangered list

   » ‎ Interfaith

  At its National Assembly on Tuesday, the Church of England was issued with dire warnings that it could soon die out unless it attracts new members urgently.

  The average age of the Church of England’s members is 61 and the General Synod in York was warned that membership will soon start to fall dramatically as current members reach the end of their lives.

  An urgent recruitment drive is needed or the Church of England could cease to exist in as little as 20 years time, the Rev Dr Patrick Richmond told the assembly.

  Andreas Whittam Smith, the first Church Estates Commissioner, said that the Church was managing itself into failure and facing a ‘time bomb’.

  ‘One problem may be that decline is so slow and imperceptible that we don’t really see it coming clearly enough,’ he said.

  The provisional Church of England attendance figures for 2009 show that around 1.7 million people attend Church of England services each month, and around 1.1 million attend as part of a typical week.

  The total number of people attending local churches has fallen by 2 per cent in the seven years since 2002.

  The average number of children and young people attending services each week fell to 223,000 in 2009 compared with 225,000 in 2008.

• July 13, 2011
• 13:05

  Group calls for government to tackle Najib on human rights

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Human rights group Amnesty International wants the UK government to challenge Prime Minister Najib of Malaysia on the issue of freedom of assembly, when he visits the UK this week

  The move follows the death of a protestor in Kuala Lumpur at the weekend, amid allegations of police brutality.

  Over 1,600 people were arrested as police tried to stop the electoral reform rally known as Bersih 2.0 from taking place.

  The Bersih 2.0, or clean movement, is a group of several non-government organisations which believes that the current arrangement of electoral districts favours the ruling party, as does the balance of media coverage.

  Demonstrators in Kuala Lumpur were campaigning for electoral laws to be changed before the next election.

  Police were reported to be seen beating protestors with batons and firing tear gas canisters directly at them in order to stop them using a venue, even though they had been granted a permit to use it.

  Police are also said to have tear gassed a hospital compound.

  One demonstrator, 56-year-old Baharuddin Ahmad, died in hospital after collapsing while trying to escape from the gas, and at least a dozen people were injured.

  Amnesty International also wants the Vatican to press Najib on human rights when he visits Rome later this week.

• July 12, 2011
• 10:51

  Human Rights court supports Christians

   » ‎ Interfaith

  There has been much in the news lately about Christians being prevented from following their beliefs in public life.

  Four of these cases have now won the support of the European Court of Human Rights, which has decided that Christians should be able to follow their beliefs in the workplace.

  It is calling for more “compromise” and “accommodation” in the workplace when it comes to workers’ beliefs.

  The court said that judges’ interpretation of equal rights law had been too narrow as regards religious discrimination, and the law was therefore failing to protect religious freedom.

  It has given its support to Nadia Eweida who was dismissed by British Airways from her job as a check-in clerk for refusing to cover up the cross she work round her neck and to Shirley Chaplin, a nurse whose refusal to conceal her cross, led to her being removed from ward duties.

  The court is also supporting the cases of Bristol sex counsellor Gary McFarlane, who was dismissed for refusing to provide therapy to gay and lesbian couples; and Islington registrar Lillian Ladele who faced disciplinary action for refusing to register civil partnerships.

  On its website, the European Human Rights Commission said: “Judges have interpreted the law too narrowly in religion or belief discrimination claims.

  “If given leave to intervene [in these cases], the commission will argue that the way existing human rights and equality law has been interpreted by judges is insufficient to protect freedom of religion or belief.

  “It will say that the courts have set the bar too high for someone to prove that they have been discriminated against because of their religion or belief; and that it is possible to accommodate expression of religion alongside the rights of people who are not religious and the needs of businesses.”

  Earlier this week the Church of England revealed that it has held talks with the government over the need for Christians who express their religious beliefs to colleagues, or wear crosses in the workplace, to be protected by law.

• July 11, 2011
• 14:36

  Church calls for News Corp execs to be accountable

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Church of England’s ethical investment committee has written to Rupert Murdoch calling on him to ensure senior executives at News International are held responsible for management failures relating to the News of the World phone-hacking scandal.

  Murdoch has closed the 168 year-old title down over allegations that it hacked into the voicemails of celebrities, war widows and crime victims, and paid police officers for information.

  The Church of England is also considering whether to withdraw its £4 million investment in News Corp, which owns News of the World publisher, News International.

  In a statement the Church said the paper’s alleged actions were “reprehensible and unethical” and that the closure of the News of the World was not a “sufficient response” to the malpractice that had taken place.

  The scandal has led the British government to consider blocking News Corp’s bid to takeover BSkyB, or at least delaying it until police investigations into the phone hacking scandal are complete.

  The Liberal Democrats have indicated that they would vote with Labour against the proposed deal and Labour leader, Ed Miliband, is calling on Rupert Murdoch to drop the bid.

• July 08, 2011
• 10:31

  Relief agencies launch famine appeal

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Those of us who remember the heart-breaking images on our television screens in 1984, as drought and famine in Ethiopia killed over a million people, hoped never to see them again, but a humanitarian crisis is unfolding across the east and Horn of Africa once more.

  Relief agencies are calling for help to prevent what is already classified as an emergency, becoming a famine of biblical proportions.

  The region has been hit by a complex chain of events, with climate change causing the driest conditions in 60 years, the drought causing the death of livestock and the failure of crops, and soaring food prices around the world making an already difficult situation even worse.

  On top of this there is the problem that much of the developed world is in the grip of an ongoing financial crisis with austerity measures causing domestic hardship and unemployment.

  There is also the problem of donor fatigue, with UNICEF reporting a $250 million shortfall in funding for humanitarian assistance.

  Speaking to Reuters earlier this month a UNICEF spokesman said:
  “The big problem is really among the donors that this region (Horn of Africa) has been in the crisis for quite a while, particularly Somalia.

  “There is always a danger of a certain fatigue. The donors may have given up.”

  However, according to Andrew Hogg, news editor at Christian Aid, the UK is not yet suffering from donor fatigue.

  The group has donated £135,000 to help people in the region and has launched an emergency appeal.

  It has been estimated by Oxfam that £50m will be needed this year to provide water and food to the 10 million people facing famine in the region.

  The UK’s appeal has been launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella organisation for a number of aid agencies including ActionAid, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Save the Children and others.

• July 07, 2011
• 10:12

  Israel to bulldoze last remaining Palestinian village

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A battle is raging over the derelict village of Lifta, a thriving community prior to Israel’s occupation of Palestine during the 1948 war when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled from their homes.

  The village, now comprising 55 derelict stone houses, is a potent symbol of Palestine’s hopes that it might one day reoccupy lands which are now part of modern-day Israel.

  Israel destroyed hundreds of villages during the “nakba”, or catastrophe, as the event is known in Palestine, and the destruction of Lifta is seen as a clear signal of Israel’s intention to finish what it started.

  The Israel Lands Authority is planning to develop the site into a luxury housing development, providing shops, apartments and a hotel, mainly as holiday homes for wealthy Jewish tourists.

  While some of Lifta’s original buildings will be preserved, they would be little more than poignant reminders of former way of life among the bustle of a modern complex.

  The plans have stirred criticism from architects as failing to respect conservation rules, and the former inhabitants of the village are fighting a legal battle to prevent the development.

  While an appeal has been launched to Unesco, for Lifta to become a world heritage site, the cost of the village’s restoration would be prohibitive, according to Israeli conservation groups.

  In September, The Palestine Authority will ask the UN to formally recognize Palestine as an independent nation state.

  Although this move would be largely symbolic it is opposed by Israel and the US has said it would veto the vote.

• July 06, 2011
• 13:49

  Ipsos MORI survey highlights continuing importance of religion

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Living in Britain, which is generally perceived to be a secular society, it is easy to think that religion has little part to play in life today, but 70 per cent of people recently surveyed by Ipsos MORI reported having a religion.

  Over 18,000 people in 24 countries took part in the Global @dvisor survey, which found that 94 per cent of those with a religion and living in a mainly Muslim country said that religion was an important part of their lives, compared with 66 percent in countries where Christianity is the main faith.

  Sixty-one percent of those in Muslim countries said they thought their faith was the only route to salvation, paradise or liberation, while just 19% of those in Christian countries expressed this belief.

  Ben Page, the Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI, said: “The survey is a good reminder to many in western Europe of how much religion matters – and is a force for good – in much of the world.

  “Our analysis shows people would rather keep politics separate from religion, but that in a globalising world, it still matters more than many in old Europe think.”

  The results were welcomed by former prime minister Tony Blair, who is a practising Catholic.

  He said: “This survey shows how much religion matters and that no analysis of the contemporary world, political or social, is complete without understanding the relationship between faith and globalisation.”

  Speaking at an Ipsos MORI event at the British Library as patron of The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, Mr Blair warned of the importance of understanding’s Chinas view on faith and belief as it develops into “the world’s biggest power”.

• July 05, 2011
• 10:09

  Welfare reforms could make 40,000 families homeless

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Government proposals to cap total household benefits at £500 a week could lead to 20,000 families becoming homeless, according to a letter leaked to the Observer newspaper.

  This would double the estimated 20,000 families at risk of losing their homes as a result of other benefit changes.

  The letter, from Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to Prime Minister David Cameron, also suggests that the already depressed building sector would suffer as a result of the housing benefit cap, as it would prevent developers recouping costs through rent.

  This could lead to around 50 per cent less affordable housing being built.

  Ultimately the plan could cost the government more, as it would leave local authorities bearing the burden of having to rehome families who had lost their accommodation because of being unable to meet their housing costs.

  Separate research recently revealed that single mothers will be three times worse off than childless couples under proposed welfare reforms.

  The research, from the Fawcett Society, suggests that single mothers may be unable to afford childcare if the reforms go through, making it impossible for them to work.

• July 04, 2011
• 9:37

  Projects mark King James Bible’s 400th anniversary

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Christian groups are celebrating the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible in projects that range from using the latest technology to modern day scribes.

  Methodist groups have returned to the Bible’s roots to create a handwritten Bible which will be bound in 31 volumes and will be available to view in a nationwide tour.

  30,000 people copied verses from Christian and Hebrew scriptures over the past 12 months, including volunteers in educational establishments, prisons, libraries and even shopping centres.

  The Bible was presented to the Methodist Conference which is currently taking place in Southport.

  The “People’s Bible” digital project, organised by the Bible Society, has taken a more high tech approach to its anniversary celebration.

  Anyone can contribute to the project which is currently touring the UK.

  People are being invited to handwrite verses from the Bible using a digital pen, which are then uploaded to the internet.

  Part of the finished Bible will be bound and presented to the Queen at a service of celebration, to be held at Westminster Abbey in November.

  The first two verses of Genesis were written by the Prince of Wales and Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has written verses from Corinthians about Paul’s sacrifices on behalf of the Church.

• July 01, 2011
• 12:42

  Chief Rabbi warns of erosion of religious freedom

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Over the past week Lord Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, has spoken out against the erosion of religious liberties, both in the UK and in the Netherlands.

  Lord Sacks said that the Netherland’s decision to ban the slaughter of animals according to Jewish and Muslim dietary laws represents “a dark day in the country’s history”.

  The religious practice of both Jews and Muslims requires an animal to be killed while it is fully conscious, but a bill to prevent animals being slaughtered without being stunned first passed by 116 votes to 30.

  The upper chamber of the Dutch parliament will decide whether the bill passes into statute, later this year.

  The European Jewish Congress is considering whether to take legal action against the proposed law, claiming that it goes against the right to freedom of religion, as laid out in the European Convention on Human Rights.

  The Chief Rabbi has also spoken out against the erosion of religious liberties in the UK, claiming that the country’s equality laws could lead to a new ‘Mayflower’ exodus, similar to when the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America in the 17th century to escape religious persecution.

  UK equality legislation has led to Roman Catholic adoption agencies closing because of their unwillingness to place children with gay couples, and employees being dismissed for expressing religious views in the workplace.

• June 30, 2011
• 13:58

  Vatican website launched with Pope’s first tweet

   » ‎ Interfaith

  His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI spread the word about the launch of the Vatican’s website with the first ever papal tweet.

  The new online news service, News.va, brings together information from various Vatican channels of communication, including print, TV, radio and Internet.

  Pope Benedict announced the service with the following tweet: ‘Dear friends, I just launched [the website]. Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI.’

  The video of the pontiff’s first tweet was uploaded to YouTube.

  While Pope Benedict is obviously embracing technology and all the advantages it offers, he recently warned over the dangers of the Internet.

  In his message for the Roman Catholic observance of the 45th World Communications Day he warned that the virtual world could harm day-to-day interactions in the real world.

  He asked: “Who is my ‘neighbour’ in this new world?”

  “Does the danger exist that we may be less present to those whom we encounter in our everyday life?

  “Is there is a risk of being more distracted because our attention is fragmented and absorbed in a world ‘other’ than the one in which we live?”

  “It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives.”

  Today, a day after the 60th anniversary of his ordination as a priest, it seems that Pope Benedict he still has his finger very much on the pulse of social change in the world, as well as on the latest technology.

• June 29, 2011
• 13:59

  Netherlands bans ritual animal slaughter and drug tourism

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Netherlands has deeply offended Muslim and Jewish communities by approving a bill banning the slaughter of animals without stunning them first.

  Both Muslims and Jews require animals’ throats to be cut while they are still conscious, causing them to bleed to death quickly, in order to meet religious dietary rules.

  If the ban is enforced, Muslims and Jews will have to buy Halal and Kosher meat respectively from overseas.

  The only other countries which do not allow the ritual slaughter of animals are New Zealand, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian and Baltic countries.

  While New Zealand introduced its ban relatively recently, bans in other countries are often related to pre-World War II anti-Semitism.

  The proposed law has been criticised for violating religious freedom by the Anti-Defamation League and Christian parties, while Marianne Thieme of the Party for the Animals, which tabled the bill, obviously welcomed its approval.

  The bill has been passed by parliament and must now be approved by the senate in order to become law.

  Separately, the Netherlands is also planning to ban foreign visitors from visiting coffee shops which sell marijuana.

  The so called ‘pot shops’ or ‘cannabis cafes’ will become private clubs open only to adult Dutch citizens if the ban goes ahead.

• June 28, 2011
• 18:45

  UK Muslims work hard at social integration

   » ‎ Interfaith

  While it is Islamist extremism that usually makes the news, the chairman of the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission has redressed the balance a little with the news that Muslims are doing their best to integrate.

  In an interview for the Sunday Telegraph prior to the publication of a report on religious discrimination in Britain, Trevor Phillips said: “Muslim communities in this country are doing their damnedest to try to come to terms with their neighbors to try to integrate.

  “They’re doing their best to try to develop an idea of Islam that is compatible with living in a modern liberal democracy.”

  According to the report, religious discrimination has increased over the last decade.

  However, Phillips believes that while Muslims are more likely than Christians to suffer discrimination, Christians are more likely to complain about discrimination.

  Phillips told the Sunday Telegraph that Christians who complain about issues around homosexuality may only do so in an effort to gain political power.

  Phillips said: “I think the whole argument isn’t about the rights of Christians. It’s about politics. It’s about a group of people who really want to have weight and influence.

  “There are a lot of Christian activist voices who appear bent on stressing the kind of persecution that I don’t think really exists in this country.”

  A separate poll also points towards Muslims’ efforts to be accepted in British society.

  According to research by think-tank Demos, around 80 per cent of Muslims are “proud to be a British citizen”.

  The poll also found that 47 per cent of British Muslims support Britain’s position on gay rights, suggesting that the common perception of Muslims as unenlightened is misguided.

• June 27, 2011
• 11:54

  Church in Wales appoints first female Dean

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Church in Wales is appointing the Rev Canon Dr Sue Jones as Dean of Bangor, following the retirement of the Very Rev Alun Hawkins.

  Dr Jones will be the first female to be appointed by the Church in Wales as a Dean, a role which will make her the chief resident cleric of Bangor cathedral.

  Prior to becoming one of the first women priests to be ordained in Wales, in 1997, Dr Jones was a trainee teacher and had also worked for the Midland Bank.

  A new female deacon has also just embarked on her new career in the church.

  Emmas Rees was ordained as a deacon by the Archbishop of Wales at a service at Llandaff Cathedral on 25 June.

  She will serve as an assistant curate at All Saints Church, Barry.

• June 24, 2011
• 11:13

  Equality Commission’s remarks anger Humanists

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The British Humanist Association (BHA) has criticised the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Trevor Phillips for forgetting the non-religious in a recent comment over the role of EHRC’s role.

  The BHA wants Mr Phillips to apologise for remarks made in a recent interview which it considers to be ‘sectarian and divisive’.

  In the interview with The Sunday Telegraph, which took place before the publication of new report into religious discrimination, Mr Phillips said of the EHRC:

  ‘Our business is defending the believer. The law we’re here to implement recognises that religious identity is an essential part of this society. It’s an essential element of being a fulfilled human being.’

  The BHA’s Chief Executive Andrew Copson said, “Trevor Phillips is the head of a commission which is responsible for the legal rights and interests not just of religious people but of non-religious people too. When he suggests that having religious belief is essential in order to be fulfilled as a human being, he is belittling them”.

  The BHA has made an official complaint to the EHRC about Mr Phillips’ comments.

  Meanwhile, the BHA has been invited by the government to give evidence on the “Big Society” agenda and its effects from a humanist perspective.

• June 23, 2011
• 13:55

  Bishop warns reforms threaten church schools

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd John Pritchard, has spoken out against the government’s education reforms, claiming that they put the existence of church schools in danger.

  The Bishop also criticised the omission of Religious Education from the new English Baccalaureate standard.

  The Bishop’s concerns are expressed in a report on the state of faith schools and religious education which will be debated by the Church of England’s General Synod in July.

  In the report the Bishop writes: “The changes brought in by the present Coalition government present significant challenges to the Church’s continued involvement in the public education system.

  “The changed rationale and growth of academies requires action now to ensure the survival of our provision.”

  He is critical of the speed at which the reforms have been pushed through Parliament, saying: “This is not the best way to build for the future.”

  In related news, the role of church schools in Wales is today being debated in a seminar today led by the Welsh Education Minister Leighton Andrews and two Archbishops.

  A new document called ‘Faith in Education’ will launched at the seminar.

  The document outlines the positive contribution of church schools in the publicly funded school system.

• June 22, 2011
• 15:31

  Christian nuclear weapons protestors convicted

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Three anti-nuclear weapons protestors were convicted under the Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA) yesterday, for their parts in a protest at the Aldermaston atomic weapons site in September last year.

  The Christian peace protesters were arrested at a protest organised by the Catholic Worker movement after they broke into the outer fence of AWE Aldermaston and erected a sign saying ‘Open for Disarmament: All Welcome.”

  Susan Clarkson (64), Chris Cole (47) and Fr Martin Newell (42) received conditional discharges for 18 months and each was ordered to pay £553 for costs and compensation.

  Their convictions coincided with the first day of a three-day ‘Global Zero’ summit in London, which will discuss multilateral nuclear arms reductions.

  As part of the Global Zero campaign a new film, ‘Countdown to Zero’ is being screened.

  The film is produced by Lawrence Bender who hopes it will inspire people to take action.

  The 25 June has been designated ‘Nuclear Abolition Day’ by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

  The day will be marked by demonstrations, marches and events around the world.

• June 21, 2011
• 22:21

  Islam to remain state religion of Bangladesh

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has failed to fulfil her promise to reinstate the secular status of the state under new amendments to the country’s constitution.

  Bangladesh was declared a secular republic in 1972 but Islam became the state religion in 1988 following amendments to its constitution by two military dictators.

  Hasina, who has been Prime Minister for two years, has introduced some changes to support secularism, but faces criticism from religious minorities and civil society groups who are calling for full reform.

  Other religions including Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity will be given equal status and followers will be allowed to practice their faith freely.

  It was decided to keep Islam as the state religion because of the sensitivity of the issue.

• June 20, 2011
• 12:52

  C of E approves appointment of celibate gay bishops

   » ‎ Interfaith

  In new legal guidance on the appointment of gay bishops, the Church of England is expected to approve the appointment of homosexual bishops as long as they are celibate.

  The guidance, called Choosing Bishops, is designed to ensure that the Church is operating policies which conform to 2010 equality legislation which protects against discrimination on the grounds of sexuality.

  The new guidelines confirm that homosexuality is irrelevant as to whether someone is suitable to become a bishop, however unlike heterosexual bishops, homosexual bishops will be expected to remain celibate.

  This distinction has angered gay activists, who claim it is a denial of human rights.

  In related news, the UN has passed a resolution calling for universal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people.

  The resolution, which is the first to focus solely on sexual orientation and gender identity, “affirms that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms … without distinction of any kind”.

• June 17, 2011
• 15:10

  Support wanes for Irish reunification

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The number of Catholics who want Northern Ireland to be reunited with the Republic is slipping, according to the latest figures.

  Four years ago nearly of quarter of people in Northern Ireland favoured reunification, but this figure has fallen to just 16 per cent, according to the 2010 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey.

  The remaining 73 per cent want to stay in the United Kingdom, either under the current devolved arrangements or under direct rule from Westminster.

  The poll shows that 33 per cent of Catholics now favour reunification, compared with 47 per cent in 2007, while 52 per cent want to remain within the UK, compared with 39 per cent in 2007.

  Ninety per cent of Protestants want to remain part of the United Kingdom, with just four per cent favouring a united Ireland.

  The result of the survey was met with scepticism by Sinn Féin which has called for a referendum on Irish unity.

• June 16, 2011
• 14:21

  Al Qaeda names new leader

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Signalling its intention to continue its terror campaign, Al Qaeda has named Egyptian militant Ayman al-Zawahiri as its new leader, six weeks after Osama Bin Laden was killed by the US.

  Ayman Al-Zawahiri served as Osama bin Laden’s deputy, but he is said to be less charismatic than the former leader and is also believed to be behind plots to remove bin Laden.

  Since bin Laden’s death there have been reports of in-fighting among potential leaders of the terrorist group and there is speculation that Ayman Al-Zawahiri’s leadership may be short lived.

  He faces fierce opposition from his rivals within the organisation as well as the threat of a second assassination by US forces.

  Zawahiri, who met Osama bin Laden in the 1980s, has been described as Al Qaeda’s chief organiser.

  He has frequently acted as spokesman for Al Qaeda in videos denouncing the West and is believed to have helped to plan the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre.

  Meanwhile, the US aircraft carrier that buried Osama bin Laden at sea has returned to its hope port of San Diego.

  The USS Carl Vinson received a hero’s welcome on its return.

• June 15, 2011
• 15:40

  al-Qaeda calls on jihadis to attack churches in the west

   » ‎ Interfaith

  In its first video message since Osama bin Laden was killed, al-Qaeda has called for Muslims to attack the West’s sacred places.

  The 100-minute video showed Adam Gadahn, an American-born spokesman for the terrorist group, calling upon jihadis (religious warriors) living in western countries to arm themselves and attack institutions and public figures.

  The video was posted on militant web forums.

  The US-based Christian Emergency Network (CEN) is warning churches in the west about the message and suggests that they could put appropriate safety and security measures in place.

  Suggestions include training a special church emergency team and carrying out emergency drills with congregations.

  After the killing of Osama bin Laden on 2 May, the US buried his body at sea, but a US diver has announced plans to find the body.

  The diver, Bill Warren, plans to search the Arabian Sea to find the body and photograph it to prove he was killed.

  Warren said he is doing it ‘for the world’.

• June 14, 2011
• 10:51

  Report claims Tower Hamlets being ‘Islamicised’

   » ‎ Interfaith

  A report by the Sunday Telegraph suggests that the London borough of Tower Hamlets is been terrorised by Muslims determined to ‘Islamicise’ the area, while their campaign is being covered up the police.

  Fear of being branded ‘racist’ has led police to ignore hate crimes, or hide evidence that could implicate Muslims in them, according to the newspaper.

  Last month four Muslim men were jailed for a vicious attack on local teacher Gary Smith, who gave religious studies lessons to Muslim girls.

  Mr Smith was attacked on his way to work at the Central Foundation Girls’ School, in Bow.

  The men cut Smith’s face with a knife, hit him over the head with a concrete block and beat him with a metal rod, leaving him with a fractured skull and brain haemorrhage.

  The Sunday Telegraph also claims to have uncovered more than a dozen other cases of violence against people for behaviour that broke Islamic rules, including one man who was viciously attacked by a dozen men for smoking during Ramadan.

  The Metropolitan Police claim that they always investigate and take appropriate action against hate crimes.

• June 13, 2011
• 12:07

  Deal promises exploitation-free Olympic merchandise

   » ‎ Interfaith

  An agreement signed in Indonesia could extend the Olympic ideal of fair play to the companies that make merchandise for the games.

  The deal was signed in Jakarta, between brands such as Adidas and Nike, and trade unions.

  It will allow unions to represent workers in Indonesian, who are making the merchandise from the 2012 Olympics in London.

  The TUC is part of the Playfair 2012 campaign, run by ‘Labour Behind the Label’, an organisation that campaigns to improve working conditions for textile workers by raising awareness and encouraging solidarity between consumers and workers.

  The deal raises hope that the exploitation associated with previous Olympic merchandise will be reduced.

  Workers in sweatshops around the world are often prevented from joining trade unions and union leaders face intimidation and dismissal if they try to recruit members from the factory’s workforce.

  Anna McMullen of Labour Behind the Label said:”With the Olympics just around the corner, sportswear brands must now address the poverty wages paid to sportswear workers, and the increasing use of short-term contracts which are used to minimise workers’ legal rights and undermine their ability to organise.”

  The UK Government is facing criticism for the large number of tickets -9,000 in total – it has been allocated for the games.

  It argues that it will give 1,500 tickets to international business guests, hopefully attracting further investment into the country.

  It is also giving some away to children competing in a school games competition.

• June 10, 2011
• 13:06

  Schindler’s list creator dies

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Mietek Pemper, who was responsible for the list of Jewish prisoners saved by Oscar Schindler in World War II, has died at the age of 91.

  Pemper produced the list while imprisoned at the Plaszow concentration camp.

  During his internment he worked as a typist to commandant Amon Geoth where he had access to letters sent from Berlin to Goeth, outlining plans to close factories that were not contributing to the war effort.

  Pemper persuaded industrialist Schindler to produce anti-tank grenade rifles instead of enamel and supplied him with the names of Jews who Schindler recruited to work in his factories.

  With Pemper’s held, Schindler saved the lives of over 1,200 Jews through the work schemes and also by bribing German officers.

  After the war, Mr Pemper testified against Goeth at the Supreme National Tribunal of Poland at Kraków, where he was found guilty of murdering tens of thousands of people and sentenced to death by hanging.

  Pemper became a German citizen and worked in Ausburg, Southern Germany as a management consultant.

  He will be buried in the Jewish cemetery in Ausburg.

  In a statement the Mayor of Augsburg, Kurt Gribl, said: “With Mietek Pemper, the city has lost an important builder of bridges between the Jewish and Christian religions and a contributor to reconciliation”.

  Earlier this month it was reported that there are plans to turn Schindler’s Czech factory in Brněnec into a museum.

  When the SS began evacuating prisoners from the Nazi death camps, in the face of the advancing Red Army, Schindler persuaded them to allow him to move his Jewish workers to Brněnec, saving them from execution.

• June 09, 2011
• 21:25

  Aberdeen church may leave Church of Scotland

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Gilcomston South Church in Union Street, Aberdeen may leave the Church of Scotland because it believes its decision to allow the induction of gay ministers is a move away from the authority of scripture.

  Gilcomston Church has been considering its position since gay minister Scott Rennie was appointed at Aberdeen’s Queen’s Cross Church in 2009.

  In an interview with BBC Scotland Gilcomston South’s minister, Reverend Dominic Smart, said: “Our decision is not a knee-jerk reaction. It is the culmination of careful study, sincere discussion and prayer over the past two-and-a-half years.”

  Further discussions about moving away from the Kirk will be held on 27 June and a vote will be taken later in the summer on whether to leave the Church of Scotland.

  The General Assembly is due to debate the issue of the ordination of gay ministers again in 2013, when a further report will be heard.

• 18:28

  Archbishop of Canterbury criticises government’s reforms

   » ‎ Interfaith

  As guest editor of this week’s New Statesman magazine, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has stirred up more than a few ripples in Westminster.

  In the ‘big society’ issue, Dr Williams is highly critical of the coalition government’s education, welfare and health policies, saying they have caused “bafflement and indignation” among ordinary people.

  He claims that the government is pushing through policies for which no one voted.

  As one of David Cameron’s pre-election promises was to stop “top-down reorganisations of the NHS”, most people will understand where the Archbishop is coming from, but business secretary Vince Cable says he is ‘baffled’ by the comments.

  “The point which he seemed to be making was that there wasn’t enough debate around health reform, for example, which I don’t understand because there’s a very big debate,” Mr Cable said.

  “My party has triggered it, we’re having a pause, rethinking the reforms,” he continued.

  He does seems to have missed the point that some debate before the reforms started to be pushed through would have been more effective in convincing people that the government was listening.

  Prime Minister David Cameron also said he “profoundly disagreed” with Dr Williams’ comments on debt, welfare and education.

  In the article Dr Williams criticises the speed at which free-schools were approved by parliament, and the lack of opportunity for debate.

  He also says that the idea of the ‘big society’ taking on responsibility for public services is perceived as a cover for public spending cuts.

  New Statesman editor Jason Cowley said he is delighted with the issue, which also includes contributions from Philip Pullman, A S Byatt, Gordon Brown, Richard Curtis, the Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, Maurice Glasman and Iain Duncan Smith.

• June 08, 2011
• 10:41

  Turin Shroud signed by renaissance artist

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Italian art historian Luciano Buso claims to have found the signature of Master Giotto on the Turin Shroud, pointing to it having been created in the early Renaissance period.

  The Turin Shroud is believed to have been used to wrap the body of Christ after he was crucified.

  Buso claims that the presence of Giotto di Bondone’s signature on the cloth, along with several occurrences of the number 15, suggests that shroud was created in 1315 by the artist, after he was commissioned to create a copy of the original shroud.

  According to Buso, the original, which was badly damaged by being carried around the Holy Land and Europe, either disintegrated or was lost after
  the copy was created.

  Buso found the signature and the number hidden in the imprint of Christ’s face and hands.

  His theory links with radiocarbon dating tests carried out in the 1980s which suggested it was produced between 1260 and 1390.

  However scientists claimed that these results may have been inaccurate become the shroud had become contaminated over the ages, from water damage and fire.

  The latest claims have been dismissed as ‘ridiculous’ by Professor Bruno Barberis, director of the Shroud Museum.

  The shroud is kept in a climate-controlled case in Turin Cathedral.

• June 07, 2011
• 9:00

  Petition calls for military not education cuts

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The Campaign Against Arms Trade’s Universities Network has presented a petition to David Cameron calling for the government to “cut military spending, not education”.

  Campaign Against Arms Trade is a network of people working together to end the arms trade, and its Universites Network campaigns to break the links between universities and arms companies.

  The petition was launched in December last year after the government scrapped the Educational Maintenance Allowance and raised the cap on university fees.

  As part of the government’s ongoing austerity measures, spending on education is expected to be cut by around 25 per cent, while military spending cuts will be comparatively much lower.

  Yesterday, it was revealed that the cost of operations in Libya is amounting to much more than the ‘tens of millions’ forecast by Chancellor George Osborne in March.

  Newly released figures on the conflict show that Britain is spending £6m a week on bombs and missiles, £285,000 a week on accommodation for RAF crews and £300,000 a week on fuel for British warplanes.

  The UK’s bill for the campaign is already reported to have reached around £75m and there is speculation that this figure has been substantially underestimated.

  The air campaign is expected to continue for around six months.

• June 06, 2011
• 12:52

  New counter-terrorism strategy launched

   » ‎ Interfaith

  The government is launching the latest version of its counter-terrorism strategy this week, and UK universities are coming under fire for being complacent in their attitude to radical Muslim groups.

  In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Home Secretary Theresa May claims that it is too easy for extreme Muslim groups to establish themselves on campuses without universities realising.

  Mrs May is calling for both universities and the Federation of Student Islamic Societies to make a stand against extremism and make it clear that it will not be accepted.

  As part of the new strategy, Muslim groups applying for government funding will have to prove that they do not support extremist views.

  As part of the tougher stance, extremist groups will now be defined as those that fail ‘to reflect British mainstream values’, even if they are non-violent.

  The strategy is designed to stop British people being ‘radicalised’ into becoming terrorists.

• June 03, 2011
• 13:07

  Muslim women form obedient wife club

   » ‎ Interfaith

  Muslim women in Malaysia are trying to tackle social problems such as divorce and domestic violence by being more obedient to their husbands.

  Maznah Taufik, who set up the Ikhwan Polygamy Club in 2009 to advocate the benefits of a man taking multiple wives, has now turned her attention to teaching women how to make sure their husbands are not unfaithful or abusive.

  According to Maznah, it is the responsibility of a wife to obey her husband and to entertain him, as well as keeping house for him.

  Malaysia’s divorce rate doubled between 2002 and 2009, and the rate was higher for Muslim couples than non-Muslim.

  Of course the idea of a wife promoting domestic harmony by catering for her husband’s every need is not a new idea.

  As recently as 2001 Laura Doyle was suggesting a similar idea in her book ‘The Surrendered Wife’.

  In the book Doyle suggests that a wife should relinquish control of her husband’s life and express gratitude for the things he does.

  However there is a fundamental difference between the US-based idea of ‘The Surrendered Wife’ and Malaysia’s obedient wife movement – the issue of power.

  While ‘The Surrendered Wife’ makes it clear that wives should never continue in an abusive, alcoholic, or adulterous relationship, Malaysia’s obedient wife platform suggests that women bring these problems upon themselves by failing to bring joy to their husbands – a very dangerous philosophy.