Chief Rabbi says suspension of arms to Israel ‘beggars belief’
The Chief Rabbi has said the British government’s decision to suspend some arms licences to Israel “beggars belief”. Thirty of Britain’s 350 arms export licences were suspended over concerns that the weapons could be used against civilians in Gaza in breach of international law. In a statement on Twitter/X, Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: “It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licences, at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on 7 October, and at the very moment when six hostages murdered in cold blood by cruel terrorists were being buried by their families”. He said the announcement “feeds the falsehood that Israel is in breach of international humanitarian law, when in fact it is going to extraordinary lengths to uphold it”. It would encourage shared enemies and do nothing to secure the hostages’ release. The Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu condemned the decision as “shameful” and said the move would only embolden Hamas.
…‘Ashamed’ Jewish group asks Welby to demand a halt to killings in Gaza
A group of British Jews who describe themselves as “from a wide spectrum of perspectives”, have written an open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, asking him to meet them to hear their views on the “murderous oppression of Palestinians” by Israel. The writers, from the Campain group, deplore the “unfailing backing Israel receives from the supposedly official voices of British Judaism” and say they feel “shame and horror” at being represented as approving the atrocities. They say that the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Chief Rabbi “represent only a minority of the British Jewish community”, whose views on Israel are rejected by many not in mainstream synagogues including the 70,000 strict orthodox Charedis in the UK. The letter urges the Archbishop to demand a halt to mass killings in Gaza and asks for a meeting to discuss their views in more detail.
…Stay calm, say progressive Judaism leaders
Two Progressive Jewish leaders, Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, called yesterday for calm response to the arms decision. After meeting foreign secretary David Lammy, and attorney-general Richard Hermer, they said: “This is a time for calm … Just as our Israeli friends, family and colleagues are living with complexity, so can we. We can disagree with some of the actions of the UK government while also recognising its support for the Jewish community and Israel. Most of all, we should recognise that we live in a country where Jewish life thrives and where we have unprecedented access to making our diverse thoughts and beliefs clear to government.” Jewish News report here
…Zara Mohammed says arms suspension is ‘small but important step’
The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain, Zara Mohammed, has welcomed the decision to suspend some arms licenses as a “small but important step to ensure adherence to international law”. But in a statement, she pointed out the restriction applies to a small proportion of arms sales and called for “full clarity on arms sales to a state that openly flouts international law”. She objected to comments in the media which have used Islamophobic tropes, suggesting the decision was “appeasing Muslims” and “giving into an Islamist lobby”. She said the situation in Gaza is of global concern, not just of one community.
Evangelical benefactor Sir Paul Marshall ‘poised’ to own The Spectator
Sir Paul Marshall, an evangelical Christian and committed member of Holy Trinity Brompton, who is worth around £800 million from his work as a hedge fund manager, is said to be closing a deal to become the new owner of The Spectator. It’s widely reported that he is in exclusive talks with the publication. His name has also been linked to prospective bids to buy the Telegraph from the Barclay brothers, but there is competition with at least four others in the frame. Sir Paul founded the conservative news website “UnHerd”, and has given money to many Christian projects including St Pauls’ Theological Centre, St Mellitus training college, the Centre for Cultural Witness based at Lambeth Palace, and the Church Revitalisation Trust. Author Andrew Graystone has written for Prospect magazine on Sir Paul and his wide influence, saying his vision is of liberalism, freedom and the sovereignty of the individual. He suggests Sir Paul’s acquisition of media outlets means he is acquiring a place as a major influencer on the right and kingmaker of the Conservative party. Podcast here
Ayatollah Dr Sayyid Fadhil Al-Milani, the heart of Britain’s Shia community, has died aged 80
Ayatollah Dr. Sayyid Fadhil Al-Milani, an Iraqi-Iranian Shia academic, considered to be a figurehead for the Shia Muslim community in the UK, has died aged 80. He moved to the UK in 1986 to further his Islamic studies and founded the Al-Khoei Foundation, based in London, to offer education, social welfare and community to Shia Muslims. He was the principal head of the Imam Al-Khoei Islamic Centre in Brent, north-west London, leading the Shia community and building bridges between different groups within Islam, and with Christian and Jewish groups. He studied in Najaf, Mashhad and Oxford and published dozens of books in English and Arabic, with key works on Islamic jurisprudence, theology and ethics, and he introduced Shia Islam into the GCSE curriculum. In a tribute, the Foundation said he lived a life of exemplary service to religion and the community. His funeral is on Thursday and thousands are expected to attend. Aliya Azam, Interfaith Officer at the Al-Khoei Foundation, said he was “the heart and soul of our community”.
Pope starts 11-day tour among biggest Muslim population
Pope Francis touched down yesterday in Indonesia, the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, at the start of a tour to encourage its Catholic community to celebrate interfaith harmony. The Pope, 87, who is in a wheelchair, will spend the next 11 days zigzagging across time zones to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. Today he will visit the country’s political leaders and speak to Indonesian clergy who are helping to fuel the growth of the Catholic church in Asia. Catholics make up only three per cent of Indonesia’s population, but the sheer number of Indonesians — 275 million — makes the archipelago home to the third-largest Christian community in Asia, after the Philippines and China. AP report here
Church inspectors praise Ofsted move
Church education bodies have welcomed the decision to scrap Ofsted’s simple grading — outstanding, good, requires improvement, or inadequate — for schools. The system had been criticised as lacking sensitivity and respect, particularly after one Ofsted inspection had contributed to the death of a head teacher. Yesterday, Dr Margaret James, director of the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools, said: “This is enabling the provision of meaningful and targeted training and support instead of a less valuable focus on arbitrary grades.” Church Times report here
Relic of ‘computer geek saint’ in Westminster festival
Westminster Cathedral Eucharistic Festival of 14 September will feature a relic of “the computer geek saint”, Carlo Acutis. He was born in London 1991 to Italian parents, who then moved to Milan when he was still a baby. He died from leukaemia, aged 15, in 2006. Acutis, described as a “cheerful lad”, designed websites maintaining a list of the approved Marian apparitions and in 2020 the Catholic church recognised a miracle attributed to his intercession. Fr Alan Robinson of Westminster Cathedral said Acutis’s life was “totally focused on his Eucharistic Lord, his ‘highway to Heaven’”. Catholic Herald report here
Cathedral’s LGBTQI+ support condemned as blasphemous
At a time when some LGBTQI+ faith venues in the United States are being attacked, the Anglican Cathedral of St John the Divine in Manhattan has illuminated arches in the colours of the Pride flag. It also staged Divine Pathways, an installation by Anne Patterson, and a display called Queer Religion, which aimed to “force a conversation between the two greatest paradoxes that exist today: queerness and religion”. Many comments under a complimentary Twitter/X post — which was viewed more than a million times — were anti- LGBTQI+ and some accused the cathedral of blasphemy. Pink News report here
Bus launched to reassure north London Jewish community
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a new bus service in response to complaints from the Jewish community of abuse and antisemitism on public transport. He said he hoped the start of the single-decker 310 service from Golders Green to Stamford Hill would “reassure the Jewish community they are safe”. Mr Khan told Jewish News: “I have listened and heard the concerns of Jewish Londoners and these concerns are real.” He had been told of Jewish families frightened by abuse when changing buses at Finsbury Park en route from Golders Green to Stamford Hill and the new service would provide a direct link for them.
Arson-hit church raises £10k to rise from the ashes
The minister of the Northern Ireland church destroyed by an arson attack just after it had celebrated its 70th anniversary has spoken of her “shock and sadness”, but promised that it will “rise out of the ashes”. The Rev Dr Isy Hawthorne-Steele, who has worshipped at the church in Greenisland, East Antrim, since she was seven, said parishioners were determined not to let the arsonist win. Her niece, Avril Hawthorne, set up a Go Fund Me fundraising page to support the rebuilding costs, which has reached £10,675 already, exceeding its target within 24 hours. A parish spokesperson said the congregation had been overwhelmed by promises of help. Police are investigating. Report here
