Role of SACREs key to proposed changes to Religious Education
The government’s “Curriculum and Assessment Review” for England, looking at state education for children and young people up to the age of 19, is due to be published today and has been widely leaked. Among the broad recommendations, it is said to consider the future of Religious Education, which is compulsory for all students up the age of 18, with a syllabus designed by SACREs, local groups reflecting the religious make-up of the area. RE professional groups have been calling for change including a National Content Standard to ensure all students receive their entitlement to high-quality teaching. The Guardian reports that the review will advocate an expansion of RE: “Religious education should be made part of the national curriculum at all stages, taking its content out of the hands of local advisory councils. The review heard evidence that RE provision in many schools ‘is not good enough and does not prepare pupils adequately for life beyond school’.” Schools Week reports that the review will recommend the setting up of another task group to consider the current legislative framework and the curriculum design and the role of SACREs; removing the statutory requirement for sixth formers to study RE; and proposing short term fixes while legislation is considered, alongside formal consultations.
Lord Khan says urgent need to define Islamophobia as anti-Muslim hate crime rises
The former Minister for Faith, Lord Wajid Khan, has said that he is hopeful the government will soon reach an agreement on the definition of Islamophobia, as it awaits the verdict of the working party set up to determine agreed wording. Speaking at the inaugural conference of “Hyphen”, an online platform telling the story of British and European Islam, he referenced the rise in anti-Muslim hate crime and said: “If you’re going to tackle the problem, you need to define the problem”. He said it was important to realise the importance of freedom of speech and the ability to criticise Islam, but shared frustration at the slow rate of progress in defining terms. Lord Khan, who lost his role in the recent re-shuffle, said he had visited more than 200 faith organisations in his one year in office, which included the summer riots following the murder of three girls in Southport. He felt his team had reset the relationship between the government and faith communities and spoke of the importance of encouraging young people to take an active part in politics and realise their ambition. View the whole conference including Lord Khan’s interview with Hyphen Online editor Burhan Wazir here. We will be publishing a report on the festival on our website soon.
New York’s first Muslim mayor?
In the early hours of this morning, an announcement is expected as to who has been selected as the next Mayor of New York. The likelihood is that it will be Zohran Mamdani, aged 34, progressive Democrat and ‘proud Muslim’, who has consistently polled way ahead of other contenders in this election race. If elected, he will be the city’s first Muslim mayor. The Religion News Service reports on how he garnered the under 50s vote and at the same time, alienated some Jewish voters over his attitude to Israel.
CofE group accepts all 27 recommendations in Makin review into John Smyth (three partially)
The Church of England will accept all 27 recommendations from the Makin review into abuse by John Smyth and the church’s handling of disclosures. Smyth, a barrister and lay leader in the conservative evangelical wing of the Church of England, groomed boys and young men at public schools and a Christian summer camp, beating them in his shed until they bled. The CofE set up the “Makin Recommendations Task and Finish Group”, chaired by the Bishop of Tewkesbury, Robert Springett, who has said that 24 recommendations would be fully accepted and three partially. The partially accepted recommendations concern victims’ participation in core groups and disclosure procedures. The group, which includes survivors and safeguarding experts, has met four times and its progress will be considered in an interim report, by the general synod in February 2026. In a joint statement with the Bishop of Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Dr Joanne Grenfell, Bishop Springett apologised for the Church’s failures to protect vulnerable people. Other accepted proposals include protections for whistle-blowers and removing time limits in clergy discipline cases. Press statement here
Unification church leader aged 82 released from detention for eye surgery
Han Hak-ja, aged 82 and head of the Unification Church, has been temporarily released from detention in Seoul, on charges including violations of the political funds act. Her legal team applied for a suspension of detention on health grounds and she has been released into hospital for three days, until Saturday. Her lawyer said she was in the final stages of glaucoma and is scheduled for eye surgery, so three days is the minimum necessary for surgery and recovery. Han is the wife of Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies, who died in 2012. She was indicted and detained last month over allegations that the organisation bribed South Korea’s former first lady, Keon Hee, in exchange for business and political favours. Keon Hee is the wife of ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol
Christmas stamps with pictures of the nativity story
The Royal Mail has issued Christmas 2025 stramps, which include scenes of the nativity story, with designs of the Virgin and Child, Mary and Joseph, shepherds, an angel and the Wise Men. The designs are by illustrator Paula Doherty and the prices are set here.
