Religious hate crime soars by 25 per cent
A Home Office report has revealed a 25 per cent increase in religious hate crime in England and Wales to the year ending March 2024, coinciding with the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict. 10,484 instances of police-reported anti-religious incidents were recorded, the highest number since hate crime records began in 2012 and up from 8,370 in the previous year. The number of antisemitic incidents doubled to 3,282, accounting for a third of all religious hate crimes. Islamophobic attacks increased by 13 per cent in comparison. Other religious groups were also targeted with 702 hate crimes recorded against Christians, 216 against Sikhs, and 193 against Hindus. Home secretary Yvette Cooper called the figures “appalling” and “a stain on our society”. Read Maira Butt’s article here
Assisted suicide “absolutely prohibited” in Islam, posing ethical dilemma for Muslim doctors
A Religion Media Centre briefing on the place of religion in the assisted dying debate, heard that in Islam, the response is unequivocal – assisted suicide is absolutely prohibited. The Assisted Dying Bill will be put before the Commons on 16 October, and voted upon at its Second Reading on Friday 29 November, the first vote by MPs for 9 years. Dr Azim Ahmed agreed it would pose an ethical dilemma for the 10 per cent of medical professionals and 17 per cent of doctors who are Muslim. The discussion showed that resistance is as entrenched as ever, with CofE bishops, who have voted against the measure repeatedly in the Lords, remaining opposed amid concern that disabled and vulnerable people will feel under pressure and safeguards will slip over time. The briefing addressed the theological argument that life is sacred, a meaning not limited to the existence of God, but extending to things held sacred in society such as a commitment to one another. Dr Ahmed said: “Once the red line has been crossed, it’s gone”. But supporters of assisted dying said there is a divided religious view on the issue, and their key point is that individuals should have a choice. MP Kit Malthouse told the briefing that the current reality needs to be faced – people are already killing themselves or dying agonising deaths and doctors are already making decisions which end life, such as switching off life support machines. View the briefing again, listen to the podcast, or read our backgrounder via links on our website here.
Cardinal: “Careful what you wish for. A right to die can become a duty to die”
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Westminster, has issued a pastoral letter on assisted suicide that will be read in the churches of his diocese this weekend. He urges Catholics to engage in the public debate to stop the Assisted Dying Bill being rushed into law. He says in countries which have adopted the law, the circumstances in which the taking of a life is permitted have been widened and this is a slippery slope. Once assisted suicide is approved in law, he says, a key protection of human life falls away and pressure mounts on people to end their life. Fear of dying must be met with better palliative care. He continues: “For people of faith, life flows from God and is a gift of the Creator, so this bill goes to the heart of how we understand ourselves”. He ends: “Please remember: be careful what you wish for; the right to die can become a duty to die; being forgetful of God belittles our humanity.” His pastoral letter is here
Catholics ashamed by clerical abuse have stopped going to mass
Catholics have been so traumatised by their church’s clerical abuse scandal that a third of previously regular mass-goers have stopped attending — and many are so ashamed of their church’s track record on abuse that they do not admit to being Catholic. These are the findings of a survey by Durham University which also shows that the drop in mass attendance means a drop in income from collections — at a time when the Catholic church is spending more money on safeguarding and has also been financially hit by paying compensation to victims of abuse. The survey, commissioned by the Centre for Catholic Studies at Durham University, also found that more than three-quarters of Catholics thought the church needed to make further reforms to prevent more cases of child sexual abuse, while a third of regular mass-goers think the bishops have not handled the crisis well. The findings come from 3,000 Catholics questioned by YouGov on behalf of the Centre for Catholic Studies. Read Catherine Pepinster’s article here
US diocese prepares for bankruptcy over historic child abuse claims
The Guardian reports that the Catholic diocese of Alexandria, in north west Louisiana, is preparing to file for bankruptcy protection, as it faces claims over historic clergy sex abuse victims. The paper has obtained a letter outlining that the diocese intends to reach a global settlement with claimants and then go for financial re-organisation in a deal which would avoid huge professional fees to lawyers. Dioceses in the New Orleans larger archdiocesan area are pursuing different schemes and scales of compensation running into millions of dollars.
Report into religious identity among Britain’s minority communities
A report by the think tank UK In a Changing Europe looks at the diversity of political opinion, social values and economic preferences between Britain’s white and non-white population, and between different ethnic and religious groups. Among the findings are that the importance placed amongst minority respondents on their personal religion is out of step with the growing secularism of white Britain. Just 6 per cent of the white population says that being part of a religious community is important to how they see themselves, with 2 per cent saying this is the most crucial element of their identity. In contrast, the figures for ethnic minority respondents was 28 per cent and 8 per cent respectively. Around 12 per cent of Muslim respondents indeed see their religion as the most important part of their identity. On the economy, Muslim respondents were the most Left-leaning (71 per cent) with Hindus and Christians the most to the Right on economic issues (48 per cent). The report is here
US churches set up field kitchens after Hurricane Helene
The Religion News Service rounds up news of relief efforts to help people displaced by Hurricane Helene which hit Florida and southern states yesterday killing 52 people and causing widespread destruction. Reporter Bob Smietana explains that the Southern Baptist Convention has shipped food and other essentials to the region, setting up field kitchens to provide meals. Working in tandem, the Salvation Army has set up a system to distribute 10,000 meals a day in Georgia and Florida. The report says that relief workers have arrived from the mid West to help, and quotes Jeff Jellets, Salvation Army disaster relief coordinator, saying the hurricane hit an area 500 miles wide across eight states: “In my more than 20 years of disaster experience, I can’t think of a time when such a large area was at risk and The Salvation Army could be called to support so many people.”
