Chief Rabbi & Imam Qari Asim to address Religion Media Festival
The Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, will address the Religion Media Festival on 29 June on the theme, “How the media should challenge hate crime and promote social cohesion”. His keynote will be followed by an interview with Imam Qari Asim, exploring the same issues. As co-signatories of the Drumlanrig Accords, an agreement aimed at strengthening relations between Muslim and Jewish communities in the UK, both men will reflect on the role of the media at a time of heightened social tension. The session will be hosted by former BBC Home Editor Mark Easton, who will chair the discussion.
Other sessions at the festival include a keynote speech by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, on “Protecting the place of religion in the media in a digital age”. This will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by Roger Bolton with Gareth Barr, ITV Director of Policy & Regulation; Daisy Scalchi, head of religion and ethics, and Prof Adam Dinham.
Later, Tim Wyatt will interview Prof Sir John Curtice and Prof Bobby Duffy, on the reporting of statistics, following the Quiet Revival story. Details of the festival programme are available to view on our website, with a link to book tickets here.
‘Profound sense of shock and shame’ in British Sikh community
Tan Dhesi, the Labour MP for Slough, has said the murder of teenager Henry Nowak by a Sikh man, has left many in the British Sikh community “feeling a profound sense of shock and shame that such a devastating act could have been carried out by someone of our faith”. Writing in The Telegraph, he accused the hard Right and the far Right of stigmatising one particular community and then picking on others – so far their target had been British Muslims, he said. He pointed out that the attack was not made with the ceremonial Kirpan knife, which baptised Sikhs are required to carry as part of their faith, but with another longer blade. The answer to knife crime, he said, was to enforce existing laws, not “by scapegoating a religious article that played no part in this horrific crime”. He continued: “We cannot allow the Kirpan to be misrepresented in this way, and we must continue to uphold the right for Sikhs to practise their faith freely in an open, inclusive and fair society.”
Review into antisemitism says NHS staff should not wear political badges
A review into antisemitism and racism in the NHS is recommending that NHS staff should be banned from wearing political badges on their uniforms, such as pro-Palestinian symbols. The review, by the government’s adviser on antisemitism Lord Mann, said he had heard evidence of routine ostracism of Jewish people, continuous negativity to people because of their identity and extreme behaviours including serious race hate incidents. He told the BBC: “An ‘I support Palestine’ badge is a problem for some people, just in the same way as an ‘I support Israel’ badge is a problem for some people. Don’t wear either”. He said he is not suggesting there is an issue with people wearing religious symbols, such a crucifix or Star of David. And on badges such as the rainbow flag, it was up to the NHS to decide its policy. The Department of Health and Social Care said the government is supporting the recommendations in full “subject to consultation and further engagement with key stakeholders”. BBC report here
Parliamentary launch of Equi report into mental health among young people
The Muslim think tank, Equi, held a parliamentary launch of its report highlighting the importance of faith literate approaches to mental health among young people. “Beyond the Clinic: Faith and Young People’s Mental Health” warns that the NHS is overlooking faith, which it says is one of the strongest protective factors in young people’s lives. Speaking at the launch, Prof Javed Khan OBE, Managing Director of Equi, said: “Until the NHS accepts that faith is not a cultural footnote but a public health asset, the crisis will continue and the cost, both human and economic, will keep rising. It is a public health necessity.”
Law Commission recommends regulating new funeral methods
The Law Commission is recommending new methods to dispose of bodies after death, including human composting and water cremation. Currently, only burial, cremation, and burial at sea are regulated in England and Wales, but this recommendation would allow other methods to be regulated alongside. Scotland has already allowed water cremation, a process that uses water, heat and alkaline chemicalsto break down soft tissue and bones. Human composting involves placing the body with woodchips, breaking it down into soil. Two draft bills, one for England and one for Wales, accompany the report.
Cathedral deans to lobby MPs as report warns most cathedrals face financial peril
Cathedral Deans from every Anglican cathedral will meet MPs on Tuesday, to discuss the future financial sustainability of cathedrals in light of new research which reveals more than 80 per cent of them are in financial peril. The report, by the religion and society think tank Theos, Living Stones: English Cathedrals as Sacred Spaces in Changing Times was commissioned by the Association of English Cathedrals for a conference in Bristol last month. It said cathedrals serve as places of worship as well as centres of civic life, community outreach, education, music and the arts. Research suggested that 74 per cent of English adults have visited a cathedral in the last three years with 37 per cent visiting more than once in the last year, a figure comparable to museums and galleries, and more than live sporting events.
Sunderland Minster deletes post about transgender women and the use of toilets
Sunderland Minster’s parochial church council has issued a statement saying that it did not support a social media post showing a sign that said: “All women are welcome to use these toilets, including transgender women”. The post has been deleted and the sign removed after criticism that that it was against the UK Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of sex under the Equality Act, and subsequent guidance on single-sex spaces. The Minster’s Provost, Clare MacLaren, explained that the sign had been taken down “to safeguard our volunteers from the risk of abuse” and noted that the facilities consist of individual cubicles with a shared handwashing area. She said the church wanted to ensure that transgender people, as well as other visitors, were treated with dignity and respect. Church Times story here
75-year-old Methodist local preacher completed cycle ride to John O’Groats
A Methodist preacher who set out to cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats to mark his 75th birthday, has completed the 874 mile journey after three weeks. Geoff Dickinson, accompanied by his wife Jane, cycled 80 miles a day, and travelled via Truro, Bristol, Hereford, Edinburgh, Perth and Inverness. He said they arrived on 29 May amid bucketing rain: “It was an interesting arrival…celebrations were a little muted, as we were drenched!” The couple undertook the journey in aid of Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum of Primitive Methodism in Cheshire and have raised just over £1,700 so far. He said: “The ride had many highlights. The hills in Cornwall and Devon were challenging, but riding up Cheddar Gorge was amazing.”
Catholic priest removed as exorcist after saying UFO sightings were ‘work of demons’
The Catholic archdiocese of Washington DC has removed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti as an exorcist after he said UFO sightings were the work of demons. It has also cut ties with the St Michael Centre for Spiritual Renewal, a Washington-based non-profit headed by the priest. Cardinal Robert McElroy said Rossetti’s statements “linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism”.
The latest American trend – Christian-themed energy drinks
Christian-themed energy drinks have emerged as a niche market in the United States, with brands including Agape Energy, maker of Preachin’ Peach and Blessed Berry; Yahweh Energy; 4GVN Energy’s Gospel Gummy range, and Praise Energy, whose mascots are Zion the Lion and Heir Lion. The Guardian’s reporter found and sampled the drinks produced in cans and sometimes marketed in boxes with Bible verses, Christian imagery, evangelistic words and faith-based branding. Preachin’ Peach got the reporter’s vote with bonus that it’s less than 10 calories per can.
