“Tiktokification of politics” as hustings are cancelled
The Bishop of Blackburn, Philip North, has said hustings have been cancelled in his diocese “with candidates citing instructions from party HQ as the reason for withdrawing. Local accountability is being replaced with national messaging – the Tiktokification of politics”. His Twitter / X post said this was the second day in a row that hustings had been cancelled because candidates did not turn up. The previous day he was “bitterly disappointed” that Tories, Labour and LibDems all pulled out of the Lancaster and Wyre hustings at just a few hours’ notice. He said: “Voters need and deserve these opportunities to meet their potential representatives”. His story led to people sharing similar examples from Norfolk and Sevenoaks.
Jewish community election hustings attract hundreds
Jewish News says election fever has started to grip the community with hundreds of people attending hustings in schools and synagogues.More than 200 people attended an event with deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden at Borehamwood Synagogue, and 150 people registered to attend a Chipping Barnet hustings at JCOSS with Theresa Villiers. Questioning included the 7 October Hamas attack and its aftermath in the UK, as well as concerns on housing, the state of roads and pavements, concerns about pollution and sewage leaks. Story is here
RMC Election coverage
We are publishing articles outlining the voting patterns and intentions of major faith traditions in the UK, together with outlines of their manifestos and key concerns. Latest uploads are “The Jewish Vote” , which explains the swings in party support over the last decade, the rehabilitation of Labour as a voting option and the overriding concern of antisemitism following the 7 October Hamas attack. And “The Hindu Vote” tells the story of changing voting patterns as Hindu communities have become more established and the significance of the first ever manifesto produced jointly by Hindu organisations in Britain.
We are also offering election briefings, looking at key issues of concern to religious communities in Britain – education, poverty, immigration and climate change. Our first was on education and today (Thursday 20 June) at 1200, our briefing is on immigration, with guests including Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain. Details of all our briefings are here
Other news:
900 deaths reported at the Hajj in Mecca this year – four fold increase
The numbers of people who died at the Hajj in Mecca is reported to be at least 900, according the news agency AFP, as reported in Le Monde. This compares with 200 who are reported to have died at the Hajj last year. The number includes 550 dead from Arab countries, whose diplomats briefed journalists. A total of 1.8 million people observed the Hajj, attending daily ceremonies in temperatures reaching 51.8C. AFP reports that friends and family of missing Hajj pilgrims are searching hospitals and appealing for help to trace their relatives online, many of whom are elderly. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims who can afford it, must complete it at least once. A Saudi study found temperatures have risen by 0.4C degrees each decade and there are fears that climate change may accelerate the process.
“Outrageous” and “disgraceful” desecration of Stonehenge by oil protesters
Orange powder paint has been sprayed on the ancient stones at Stonehenge by Just Stop Oil activists, the day before crowds are expected there to mark the summer solstice. Bystanders shouted at them to stop and tried to drag them away from the stones before police arrived. A 21-year-old student and 73-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of causing damage. The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was a “disgraceful act of vandalism” and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the damage was “outrageous” and Just Stop Oil was “pathetic”. The paint is said to be able to be washed off by rain. Our factsheet explains the religious significance of Stonehenge. A factsheet on Pagan traditions which celebrate the summer solstice is here
Britain’s first Orthodox woman rabbi interviewed by The Telegraph
Peter Stanford, writing in The Telegraph, has interviewed Britain’s first Orthodox female rabbi in a congregational role, Miriam Lorie, who is working in a “pop up” synagogue in Borehamwood. After reading theology at Cambridge, she trained at the Yeshivat Maharat seminary in New York, the first Orthodox institution to ordain women in North America. On her return, she wanted to stay within the Orthodox tradition, despite the fact it does not recognise women rabbis. She has found a role in a congregation with some restrictions, in that there are some prayers she cannot lead as a woman and only a man can say. But she says that the understanding of tradition is evolving and there is a “widespread willingness in the Jewish community to evolve attitudes to Jewish law”. The article is here
Uyghur village names and religious references removed by Chinese authorities
Human Rights Watch reports that hundreds of village names in 630 places in Xinjiang, which have religious, historical, or cultural meaning for Uyghurs, have been changed to reflect Chinese Communist Party ideology. The new names translate as Happiness, Unity, and Harmony. Human Rights Watch and the Norway-based organization Uyghur Help, found that between 2009 and 2023 the names of 3,600 of the 25,000 villages in Xinjiang were changed and around one fifth were of a religious, cultural, or historical nature. For example, Islamic terms, such as Hoja and haniqa, relating to Sufism, were removed, along with mentions of shamanism and Uyghur shrines.
Louisiana schools will have Ten commandments posted in every classroom
Louisiana has become the first US state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every school classroom. The Associated Press reports that a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” will be required in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. It was voted through by the GOP dominated legislature and signed off by the governor. Almost immediately, law suits were begun, claiming this breaches laws separating church and state. Last month, a similar proposal failed in Texas.
World Vision warns global shortfall in aid giving is causing hunger and mental health disorders
The charity World Vision is warning that cuts in humanitarian aid forced by a global shortfall in funding appeals, has led to feelings of suicide, violence, neglect, hunger and mental health disorders. It says only 38 per cent of the $56.7 billion needed by aid agencies for humanitarian assistance in 2023 was secured, the lowest percentage since 2019. Nutrition and food security plans were only 36 and 39% funded, respectively. The impact was assessed by a survey of 900 people across six countries which have experienced cuts.
The Pope keeps a Ukrainian soldier’s New Testament and Psalms on his desk
The Pope has revealed that he keeps on his desk a Ukrainian edition of the New Testament and Psalms, from a 23 year old soldier called Oleksandr, who died in the war. The Pope received his rosary and Bible several months ago and explained that Oleksandr had underlined Psalm 130: “Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord! Lord, hear my voice!’.” At the end of Wednesday’s General Audience, the Pope asked for prayers for peace in “the tormented Ukraine, the Holy Land, Sudan, Myanmar and wherever people suffer from war.”
Court orders vicar to find 22 missing oak Victorian pews
A church court has ordered the vicar and churchwarden of St Michael’s church in Bath to find a sample of a set of 22 Victorian carved oak pews which were sold off by mistake. The story began in 2017 when the church was given permission to remove the oak pews on condition they were stored safely. An arrangement was made with Bath Abbey to store them with their own redundant pews in an aircraft hangar and then a storage facility. But they weren’t labelled, and the entire stock was sold to a local man and then sold on, with one said to have been offered on ebay. The church court said this was a breach of church law and a sample number of the missing pews, though dispersed, should be recovered. The story is explained in a Law and Religion guest post by Shirani Herbert here
