Chief Rabbi condemns BBC for not halting ‘vile Jew hatred’
The Chief Rabbi, who earlier condemned “vile Jew hatred” broadcast live from Glastonbury at the weekend, yesterday said that the BBC’s “ability to treat antisemitism seriously” had reached a new low. Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the broadcaster’s failure to stop rap duo Bob Vylan chanting slogans calling for death to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) made it appear that “outright incitement to violence and hatred” was considered acceptable if it was portrayed as “edgy political commentary”. About 95 per cent of the IDF are believed to be Jewish. Yesterday, Bob Vylan said they were “not for the death of Jews, Arabs, or any other race or group of people”, but were calling for the “dismantling of a violent military machine”. Police have launched a criminal investigation into the chants. Sky report here.
Istanbul erupts in violence over ‘Prophet cartoon’
Protests have erupted in Istanbul after the Turkish magazine LeMan allegedly published a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad shaking hands with Moses — a reference to the conflict between Israel and Iran. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters who claimed the drawing insulted Islamic beliefs. Istanbul’s chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of the magazine’s editors, and the cartoonist has been taken into custody. One editor-in-chief, Tuncay Akgun, told the AFP news agency from Paris that the image had been misinterpreted and was of a Muslim killed in the bombardment. Last night, President Erdogan said the cartoon was a vile provocation and vowed to hold those responsible “accountable before the law”. The Times report here.
Televangelist Swaggart, brought down by sex scandal, dies aged 90
The televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who fell spectacularly from grace in the late 1980s after being found with a prostitute in New Orleans, has died aged 90. At the height of his popularity, the Pentecostal preacher attracted huge viewing figures and operated a multimillion-dollar ministry. Swaggart was one of several TV preachers exposed in the 1980s and 1990s for their association with sex workers. In his 1988 sermon after he was caught on camera with the woman, Swaggart wept and begged his congregation to forgive him. He announced his resignation from the Assemblies of God that year, shortly after the church said it was defrocking him for rejecting punishment it had ordered for “moral failure”. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience. AP report here.
Dalai Lama posts message about his successor
The Dalai Lama, who is approaching his 90th birthday, makes a key speech today about who will succeed him. China annexed Tibet in 1951, and eight years later the Dalai Lama fled across the border to India after a failed uprising against Communist rule. He will release a video message in three languages to resist efforts by China to ensure a successor pliant to China. His message will speak about how he will — in accordance with Buddhist beliefs — be reincarnated. Tenzin Lekshay, a spokesman for the Central Tibetan Administration, told The Daily Telegraph: “His Holiness says that if the Tibetan situation remains the same, critical as ever, then his Holiness [his successor] would never be born in Tibet.” The Reuters agency carries an explainer on how the Dalai Lama’s successor will be chosen.
Evangelical priest ‘sexually assaulted a staggering number of women’
The leader of an evangelical church group abused his position to sexually assault a “staggering number of women from his congregation”, Inner London Crown Court was told. Chris Brain, 68, who led the Nine O’Clock Service in Sheffield in the 1980s and 1990s, denies one charge of rape and 36 indecent assaults allegedly involving 13 women. The cult-like group, the prosecution said, presented itself as a “progressive force for good”, involved with the community and in environmental concerns, but in reality “became a closed and controlled group which the defendant dominated and abused his position, first as the leader and then as an ordained priest, to sexually assault a staggering number of women from his congregation”. The case continues. Report here.
Knife amnesty ‘a sticking plaster’ says Christian charity
A national knife amnesty that allows weapons to be surrendered anonymously has been criticised by a Christian youth charity as “like putting a plaster over a deeper wound”. XLP, which works with young Londoners to address issues of unemployment, antisocial behaviour and gangs, said the government initiative to provide “surrender bins” at 37 places across the country was focusing on the wrong part of the problem. Tom Pickering, the charity’s communications manager, said: “These actions feel like putting a plaster over a deeper wound, rather than asking why the wound got there in the first place.” The initiative comes in advance of next month’s ban on “ninja swords” frequently used in gang violence. Premier Christian News report here.
Arson attacks on mosque and chapel
Police are investigating two fires in places of worship. Firefighters were called to the Masjid Aqsa Mosque in Blackburn early on Saturday and swiftly put out a blaze. Then at 5pm the same day, a team spent two hours putting out flames in Kingsthorpe Methodist and Baptist Church in Northamptonshire. No one was hurt in either incident.
