Lord Harries calls for national plan for Religious Education to bring radical improvement
The former Bishop of Oxford, Lord Richard Harries, has called for a national plan to bring about radical improvement in Religious Education. He told a Lords Grand Committee that local SACREs, standing committees on RE, had worked well as enablers of co-operation between the different faith communities, but they had not been able to bring about the radical improvement in RE that had been shown to be needed for many years. The time had come for much more direction at a national level to address challenges outlined in the 2023 Oftsed report on RE, which he said was damning. He said in too many schools, lessons were of poor quality or not offered at all, pupils were leaving school with a lack of knowledge, there was a shortage of teachers and no government money had been put in, so RE had continued to deteriorate. Lord Warner, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, said there were question marks over the way in which religious belief was taught in schools and curriculum change was inevitable. The Education minister, Baroness Diana Barran, confirmed it was vital that children receive high-quality religious education to gain knowledge, understanding and tolerance of a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs. She recognised the challenges outlined in the debate but said the Government was committed to ensure that every school fulfilled its statutory duty to deliver Religious Education: “It is mandatory now and there are no plans to change this”.
Sir James Dyson offers £6 million to CofE primary school in Malmesbury
The Times reports that education ministers are poised to approve a £6 million donation from Sir James Dyson to Malmesbury Church of England primary school in Wiltshire. It will be used to build a centre for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, seven classrooms and a school hall, expanding pupil numbers from 420 to 630. He offered the money in 2022 but Wiltshire County Council raised concerns over the impact neighbouring schools. The Times reports that the headteacher is grateful for the offer and Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, is “understood to be supportive of the project”.
British Sikh report gives insight on community
The British Sikh Report 2023, published this week, provides an insight into social attitudes, financial security and voting intention among the 525,865 Sikhs in England and Wales. In this its tenth anniversary edition, statisticians collected their data from a survey of 1,500 people. Among the findings are 52% of people aged 35 to 49 have found it difficult or very difficult to pay their household bills compared to previous years; 29% of Sikhs attend the Gurdwara weekly, and 23% attend monthly; 58% of females and 49% of males consider the Police to be institutionally racist and voting intentions in a General Election are 43% Labour, 20% Conservatives and 4% or under for other parties. The full report is here.
School Muslim prayer ban court case is “test for multifaith democracy”
Fraser Nelson, the editor of The Spectator, has suggested that the High Court action against a school head teacher who refused to allow pupils to hold Muslim prayers, is a test of what a multifaith democracy should look like. Writing in The Telegraph he says the head, Katharine Birbalsingh, was trying to run a school without faith divisions, where all groups gave up something to get along: “Christian parents complain about the Sunday revision sessions; Jehovah’s Witnesses about Macbeth (they dislike the study of witches), Hindus about plates that touch eggs”. He says this is a battle between a secularist school leaving religion out of certain areas, and “the grievance industry, preaching minority rights” using arguments about the freedom of religion. The court ruling will be known at a later date.
Renowned Islam scholar says Muslims have no excuse to be indifferent to environmental issues
Prof. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, regarded as a world renowned scholar on Islam, the environment, science and philosophy, has given a wide ranging interview on shifts in religious and secular values. Now the Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University, Washington, DC, he explained his belief in “re-sacralisation”, the realisation that everything in creation is sacred because it is created by God. He says Muslims have no excuse to be indifferent to environmental issues: “To sleepwalk through life, sitting on treasures while looking for pennies in the sand, and to sit on boxes of gold in ignorance of what is within them, are not acceptable actions. We have to open our eyes”. Reviewing shifts in religious adherence, he says the spread of modernism and secularism in the East is diluting “our religion, our beliefs, our cultural values”. But in parallel, there is a desire to “go back to our roots and to cling to what is at risk of being lost”. He regards this as the cause of revivalism “from Malaysia to Morocco” and in the revival of Christianity in America, which he says is often in favour of Trump. The interview was by Kaleem Hussain, honorary fellow at the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, in Birmingham.
Franciscan Friar advising the Pope on AI
The Associated Press tells the story of Franciscan Friar Paolo Benanti, who advises the Vatican on Artificial Intelligence. With a background in engineering and a doctorate in moral theology, he teaches students preparing for the priesthood the Pontifical Gregorian University. Benanti is a member of the UN’s Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence and on a government commission looking at how to safeguard journalism from fake news and disinformation. He tells AP that he clarifies technical terms for the Pope and regards as a pressing issue, how to govern artificial intelligence so that it enriches and doesn’t exploit people’s lives. He says the greatest question of the times is: “What is the difference between a man who exists and a machine that functions?”
