France bans the wearing of the abaya, a loose robe, in schools
France is to ban the wearing in school of the abaya dress, a loose robe, because it violates secular laws in education, according to the French education minister Gabriel Attal. He told a television interviewer on Sunday that he is giving clear rules applying to the whole nation before school starts back on Monday 4 September. He said the abaya was a religious gesture, but when people go into a classroom, they should not be able to identify the religion of the students by looking at them. Islamic headscarves were banned in France 2004, alongside large crosses and Jewish kippas, skull caps. The move comes after lack of clarity over the dress in schools, where it is increasingly worn. A headteachers union representative told France 24 that they welcomed the move, saying it brought clarity. A national body representing Muslims associations, said the abaya was not a religious sign and the policy has been criticised for targetting Muslims.
Birmingham mosque youth project funding pulled
A £2million grant to the Green Lane mosque in Birmingham for youth work, has been stopped by the government after questions were raised over the view of leaders on women, LGBT rights, Judaism and stoning women for adultery. It was to have paid for a youth centre offering courses in mentoring and skills development, with a fully equipped teaching kitchen and a creative arts area. The government’s Social Investment Business Fund has already parted with £60,000 on the project but has paused following the publication of various statements from mosque leaders on social media. The mosque says the 25 second social media clip came from an Imam’s lecture given two years ago and it has been edited out of context.
Conservative Christians call for protection at work
The Catholic Union, Christian Institute, and Evangelical Alliance have called on MPs to ensure freedom of religion for Christians they represent in the workplace. The Christian Institute Deputy Director, Simon Calvert, said: “Many employers show little interest in seeking to understand the challenges faced in the workplace by devoutly Catholic or evangelical staff”. Members of these groups tend to have conservative moral positions on LGBT issues and abortion which are at odds with prevailing trends. He says Christians “who take their faith seriously can feel overlooked, or even marginalised, by the equality, diversity, and inclusion industry”. They have written to the chair of the joint select committee on human rights to make this a key part of their inquiry into human rights at work.
Pope says reactionary US Catholics abandon doctrine for ideology
Pope Francis has spoken in bold terms about the conservative right in the Catholic church in America which is vociferous in its opposition to him. Speaking to Jesuits in Portugal earlier this month, he said there was a very strong reactionary attitude in the United States, which was organised. But being backward looking was useless. Doctrine is always progressing with change developing from the roots up, he said, citing the examples of the ending of slavery, the death penalty and the possession of nuclear bombs. “The view of Church doctrine as monolithic is erroneous. But some people opt out. They go backward”, he said. He explained this led to people becoming closed, disconnected from the roots of the church. But to deal with the serious challenges of morality today there had to be a risk of making change. “Those American groups you talk about, so closed, are isolating themselves. Instead of living by doctrine, by the true doctrine that always develops and bears fruit, they live by ideologies. When you abandon doctrine in life to replace it with an ideology, you have lost, you have lost as in war”. Reported in La Civilta Cattolica
Muslims in Northern Ireland meet in defiance of Nazi protests
The Muslim community at Iqraa Mosque in the Ashley Park area of Dunmurry, Northern Ireland., came together for Friday prayers in defiance of an attack when three flags bearing swastikas were placed outside their mosque. The Belfast Telegraph reports that they were discovered by a woman and her children as they arrived for prayers at around 5.30 on Wednesday morning. Imam Jamal Iweida, president of the mosque, told the gathering that “there is no place for such hatred in this community and this country”. New security cameras would be installed to ensure worshippers feel safe when visiting the mosque
Muslim Council of Britain calls for government action on persecution in India
The Muslim Council of Britain is calling on the government to raises the violence against Muslims in India with the Indian government, and to ensure it is given due attention at the upcoming G20 summit in India from 9 – 10 September. In a letter to the Foreign Secretary, the MCB says it is deeply concerned at the ongoing persecution of Muslims and the recent mob violence in which property was destroyed and people were killed, including an Imam who was targeted. It says that being an ally of India with economic partnerships should not be pursued at the expense of human rights and religious freedoms. The nation had set out to be at home for people of all faiths but now extremists target Muslims, Christians and other minorities. The government should take meaningful steps to protect minorities in India.
Franklin Graham’s old style evangelistic rally still produces converts
More than 10,000 people attended US evangelist Franklin Graham’s rally at The Excel Centre in London last weekend and around 1,000 people walked to the front of the stage to “give their lives to Jesus”. In format it was similar to rallies led by his father, Billy Graham, 50 years ago. After almost two hours of singing from gospel groups and soloists, Franklin Graham spoke for 20 minutes, inviting people to come to the front to dedicate their lives, be prayed with by a counsellor and then be given a wadge of books including the Bible. Next year he is due to hold another rally in Glasgow, Birmingham and possibly the Excel Centre again. Many venues cancelled his last tour in 2020 because of his conservative views on LGBT issues and Islam, but after legal challenges, many were re-instated. The rallies are organised in this country by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in conjunction with local churches.
Courage required to fulfil Martin Luther-King’s dream 60 years on
Thousands of people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther-Ling’s speech “I have a Dream”, with speakers pointing to continuing discrimination in the United States. Here, there were calls for people to continue to pursue his dream to become reality. Richard Reddie, the Director of Justice and Inclusion at Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, described Dr King’s vision as a focus to build a “beloved community”, a society built on twin pillars of economic and racial justice. Martin Luther-King had campaigned by speaking truth to power and was jailed 20 times, his life ending with assassination. Richard Reddie says: “This anniversary is an opportunity for men and women with a similar vision, passion, courage and desire to make his dream a reality”.
