Babies and toddlers referred to authorities in anti-terrorism Prevent scheme
Babies and toddlers have been referred to the government’s anti-terror scheme Prevent on hundreds of occasions since 2016. A Freedom of Information request submitted by Hyphen Online revealed that children under two were referred 86 times between 2016-2024 and 59 of these were over Islamist concerns. Among children under three years of age, 70 per cent were referred with Islamist concerns; and among children under 10, 46 per cent were over Islamist concerns. Overall, the scheme has received 2,989 referrals of concern regarding under-10-year-olds, with 1,390 of these being Islamist concerns. There were 500 referrals of children aged two to five over this eight-year period. Hyphen quotes Alexander Gent, the chair of the National Association of Muslim Police, said he was “absolutely shocked” by the findings. Full report by Lucas Cumiskey is here
Concern that BBC crisis risks future of religious broadcasting
The director of the Theos think tank, Chine McDonald, has expressed “deep concern” at the crisis at the BBC which has forced the resignation of the Director General and Head of News. In a blog, she says this is an existential moment for the BBC, facing the crisis brought on by the leaked Prescott report amid uncertainty of the 2027 Charter renewal. She writes that many who care deeply about the role of faith and belief in public life are watching with concern: “The BBC has long been one of the few institutions to take religious broadcasting seriously – not simply as niche programming for the devout, but as a vital part of understanding who we are as a nation. Its religious output has given space for reflection, for celebration, for lament, and for connection across lines of difference.” She cites long running religious programmes which explore meaning, identity and morality and says that they have quietly built bridges in an often fragmented society. “This is a crucial time for those, like us, who believe that the Christian story can provide counter-narratives for the dominant and harmful narratives that exist in our society” and she prays that “the new leadership of the BBC will continue to safeguard the place of religion: because in these challenging times, we need more clear, wise and compassionate religious content, not less.”
Bishop praises BBC for global role amid Lord’s criticism of Israel-Hamas coverage
The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, has praised the BBC World Service for its vital role in countries suffering internal turmoil. He told the Lords that the BBC is highly regarded as a source of information in a country suffering repeated coups, “even in the face of mistakes that have been made”. Baroness Twycross, a minister in the Department of Culture Media and Sport, said the BBC has “an essential role in our global democracy”. In the same debate, Lord Polak honorary president of the Conservative Friends of Israel, said the Prescott report exposed systematic anti-Israel bias, antisemitism at BBC Arabic, and problems with impartiality in the wider coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, and the BBC had been caught out. Baroness Twycross said the government expected standards to improve: “However, the BBC is an incredibly important institution. It is important that we get the standards right, but it plays a crucial role in ensuring that all communities are heard and feel valued as part of our public life.”
Informal religious education needed across society, not just in schools
A report from the Theos think tank says religious education cannot be seen as something that only takes place in a classroom or formal education. “If we are to build compassionate, cohesive societies, we need to understand religious education as something active, lifelong, evolving and to be taken seriously”. The report “Beyond the Classroom: Informal Religion and Worldviews Education in the UK”, lists areas of public life where greater religious literacy is needed, and finds some informal education already taking place. It suggests that toolkits, resources and more confidence are needed to enable more conversations about religion and belief, a religiously literate population and a more cohesive community. Among the recommendations are that SACREs should consider wider religious education across a local authority, parents should be engaged in schools, chaplaincies should be places of encounter not just pastoral care, and local government should see religious education as vital for services, for example, with refugees.
Archbishop reduced to tears on hearing stories of Palestinian Christians in the West Bank
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, who is on a visit to the West Bank, was reduced to tears after hearing stories rom Paletsinian women at a meeting at St Andrew’s church in Ramallah. Francis Martin, from the Church Times, who is accompanying him, reports that there was heightened emotion when a letter from a group of women in the parish was read out loud by Arda Shamshoum, saying Palestinian women have lived under empire and oppression since Roman times, enduring collective punishment simply for being Palestinian, and calling on the church to take action against injustice, and boycott, divest from, and sanction, Israel. At the end of the reading, the report says “a tearful Archbishop Cottrell asked if he could embrace her”. He took a copy of the letter, and assured her that the words of the group would be heard. He said: “Tears are prayers, They are a sign that our hearts have been touched. So please don’t apologise. I am thanking God that you have brought us here.” In a sermon at the same church, the Archbishop apologised for the Church of England’s initial slow response to the bombardment of Gaza, and the escalation of hostilities in the West Bank, but said he was listening now and would tell the story back at home. Church Times report here
British Muslim commentator Sami Hamdi back home after release from US detention
The British Muslim political commentator Sami Hamdi has arrived back in the UK after more than two weeks in a US immigration detention centre. He was arrested by ICE – Immigration and Customs Enforcement – officers, on 26 October after they said his visa had been revoked. Mr Hamdi was on a US speaking tour and is known for his outspoken views on Israel’s war in Gaza and his support for Palestinians. The day before his arrest he addressed the annual gala for the Sacramento, California, chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and he was detained at the airport en route to Florida for another speaking engagement. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said his visa had been revoked because he supported terrorism, the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and had worked to “undermine American national security.” His lawyers argued he was targeted for criticising Israel and its war in Gaza. On his return to the UK, he said he was considering suing US authorities for his detention: “This wasn’t just an attack on me, it was an attack on the freedoms of ordinary Americans and citizens worldwide”.
US Catholic bishops oppose ‘indiscriminate mass deportation’
US Catholic bishops have voiced strong opposition to “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” A statement agreed at their November meeting in Baltimore, said: “We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are grieved when we meet parents who fear being detained when taking their children to school and when we try to console family members who have already been separated from their loved ones.” They were concerned about the “vilification of immigrants” and conditions in detention centres, and said there were threats against the sanctity of houses of worship, hospitals and schools because guidelines restricting immigration enforcement in these places have been removed. The bishops affirmed that nations have the right to regulate borders but stressed the biblical call to welcome the stranger. Religion News Service article here
Ban on gender transition care in US Catholic hospitals
The US Catholic bishops have also made official a ban on gender-transition care for transgender patients at Catholic hospitals. Major medical groups and health organizations support gender-transition care for transgender patients, but most Catholic health care institutions have not offered gender-transition care, which may involve hormonal, psychological and surgical treatments. The new directives will formalize that mandate. Crux now report here
Pope calls for guidance on children’s use of artificial intelligence
Pope Leo XIV has told a Vatican conference that safeguarding children in the age of artificial intelligence demands serious digital education, so it becomes an ally in their growth and not a threat. He said AI is reshaping daily life, raising ethical concerns about how children’s dignity and wellbeing can be protected. Because young people are especially vulnerable to AI-driven manipulation, parents and teachers must understand how algorithms influence choices and use tools that guide healthy digital engagement. Adults must offer continuous guidance on the risks of AI and unsupervised digital access. There was also a responsibility of governments and international bodies to update data-protection laws and set ethical standards for AI.
‘Romeo and Juliet of the Vatican’, fired for getting married, win their jobs back
A married couple sacked by the Vatican bank last year for breaking internal regulations forbidding workplace marriages, have won their jobs back. It follows a negotiated settlement resulting from the couple’s filing of a wrongful termination claim. Silvia Carlucci and Domenico Fabiani married on 31 August 2024, the Bank introduced a rule forbidding the employment of spouses or close family members in September, and they were fired on 2 October. The couple have been dubbed by the Italian media as the “Romeo and Juliet of the Vatican” for defying a rule they considered unjust and outdated, and the outcome is reported as a victory for justice and good sense. NCR story and pic here
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