Places of worship are the coolest places in town during a heatwave
The Green Christian organisation is calling on churches to open “cool sanctuaries” in the heatwave, saying high ceilings and thick walls make churches ideal places to get away from the heat outside. It says rough sleepers, people who live in upstairs flats and children and elderly people are at greatest risk. A guide suggests offering cold water and squash, fans, shaded windows and if possible access to a shower. ITV news reports that churches and mosques in north west England have opened their doors with Makki Masjid mosque, in Longsight, Manchester, inviting people to sit in its air-conditioned space. The Jewish Chronicle reports that air conditioned synagogues have been opened to cool off. And Pudsey Parish Church, West Yorkshire, opened in response to an appeal from Leeds Public Health. It says “One of the advantages of being a big stone building with a very high ceiling is that when it’s very hot outside, we’re the coolest place in the town”.
Islamophobia called out in Conservative leadership campaign
The Muslim Council of Britain has accused the Daily Mail of “peddling negative tropes” against Muslims, by re-telling the story that Tory leader hopeful Penny Mordaunt met their new secretary general Zara Mohammed in 2021. It was reported at the time that Mordaunt was slapped down by Number Ten because the government did not engage with the MCB, maintaining a public standoff since 2009 over comments said to have condoned attacks on British troops. Zara Mohammed said: “It is sad to see how this Islamophobia is now weaponised in the Conservative Party leadership contest”.
Allowing unethical leadership is serious failure
Andy Flannagan, executive director of Christians in Politics says serious ethical questions were raised by all Tory leadership candidates saying they would not give Boris Johnson a place in their cabinet. He told Premier Christian news that if a whole culture is allowing unethical leadership, that is a collective failure. In a church, if people allowed a leader to twist the truth, they should call it out together for the sake of accountability. Interview reported here
Row over Reform Jewish suggestion to stun animals before slaughter
A report by the Assembly of Reform Rabbis and Canters Report includes a suggestion that animals should be stunned before slaughter, a break with Shechita tradition which has caused anger. The Jewish Chronicle explains that Jewish law says animals should be killed by a swift cut in order to be kosher. The author, Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead Synagogue, insisted the report was not advocating change, simply laying out possibilities. Jewish News reports that the organisation upholding Shechita described the Reform report as “woefully ignorant” and “a reckless disgrace”.
Doctors should address spiritual needs of seriously ill patients
An American study on the treatment of people who are seriously ill, has found that addressing spiritual needs leads to better quality of care and medical care outcomes. The study, published in the JAMA Journal, found that people who regularly attended religious services were 27 per cent less likely to die early and 33 per cent less likely to suffer symptoms of depression. It suggested doctors should talk to patients about spiritual needs and offer access to a chaplain. Kaya Burgess report in The Times here
Anti-Muslim discrimination reason for high unemployment rates
Research supported by the Economic and Social Research Council says higher unemployment rates for Muslim men and women is due to anti-Muslim discrimination, rather than their so-called sociocultural attitudes such as a commitment to traditionalism. The Guardian reports that Samir Sweida-Metwally, doctoral researcher at the University of Bristol, used 10 years of data from the UK Household Longitudinal study, an annual survey of about 100,000 people from 40,000 households on their socio-economic situation. He concluded that the country of origin of Muslims was a significant factor in unemployment levels.
Dispute over “sect” running Muslim community station in Australia
A dispute over who should own the licence of a Muslim community radio station in Sydney, Australia, has ended up in the courts. The Australian National Imams Council says it should hold the licence because Muslim Community Radio does not represent the wider community. And it has criticised the Australian Communications Media Authority for showing a lack of “candour and trustworthiness” and mishandling its application for the radio licence. The Guardian reports that the radio station offers news and talk shows in Arabic and is “backed by representatives of al-Ahbash, a fringe Sunni movement described in court as a sect. Judgment will be handed down in a few months.
