Briefing: one can forget than an employer - in this case the local council - has a duty towards its employees. They shouldn't assume accusations are true just because they come from people good at whipping up public support. The same is true of priests accuse of sexual abuse.
From the Daily Mail, in part: A headmistress who was hounded out of her job after being falsely accused of racism was yesterday awarded more than £400,000 in compensation. Erica Connor had run a 'happy and successful' primary school but was driven to a breakdown by the allegations.
The Daily Mail can reveal the school's troubles started when a local mosque decided to pack the governing body with Muslims. Paul Martin - a Muslim convert - and Mumtaz Saleem began monopolising meetings with the aim of turning New Monument in Woking into an Islamic faith school. ...
But when Mrs Connor resisted the new governors' plans - such as the introduction of Islamic worship into the school - she became the target of a smear campaign. An anonymous petition was circulated among parents, stating that those signing 'no longer have confidence in Erica Connor to educate our children in a way that respects and values our faith, culture and heritage'.
An accompanying document accused the headmistress of 'racism and Islamophobia'.
See the full story.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Former Headmistress wins £400,000 over Islamophobia smear
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Islamic students have talk on Mohamed in Catholic chapel
Action: people in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, especially, should complain to Archbishop Vincent Nichols, who has already defended the event, which took place in a supposedly Catholic university, Newman College University, in Birmingham.
Here's his press release: In a statement issued today, Thursday 12 March, Peter Jennings, Press Secretary to the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham, and the Archdiocese of Birmingham, said: "The chapel at Newman University College, Birmingham, was properly prepared for this event which consisted of two talks and a discussion of an interfaith nature."
Mr Jennings added: "Christian/Muslin dialogue is an important part of the Catholic Church's agenda. College authorities were fully aware of what was taking place."
But Catholic chapels are not intended for use as venues where Islam can be promoted. The talks were described in an email promoting the event as celebrating Mohamed's birthday. They were organised by the Islamic Society of the University, with the approval, we assume, of the feral nun who has the title of 'Chaplain' there (contrary to canon law).
H-T to Holy Smoke: see the original post and the response to Archbishop Nichols' statement.
You can e-mail Peter Jennings, the Archbishop's spokesman, here: imc@peterjennings.co.uk
Or write to here:
Archbishop’s House
8 Shadwell Street
Birmingham
B4 6EY
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Muslims and Secularists on collision course
Comment: ethnic minorities, of which Muslims form an important part, are a key part of the electoral coalition which underpins the Labour Party. The thinking is that it is easier to bribe them with economic and cultural goodies, and keep them voting for an intrusive government, than groups who are wealthier or more integrated. Islamic terrorism has put this relationship under strain. But a longer-term problem is that another key part of the Labour coalition is the liberal chattering classes, who, while happy to patronise ethnic minorities, also want to expunge traditional morality and all forms of religion.
From LifeSiteNews: The Guardian reports that a document known as Contest 2 reveals plans to widen the definition of 'extremist' as part of the antiterrorism effort to those who hold views that clash with what the government defines as shared British values. Under the plan Muslims who believe homosexuality is sinful could be considered as 'extremist,' by that fact alone.
The counter-terrorism strategy, reports the Guardian, would consider people as potential terrorists if they are in favour of a pan-Islamic state involving many countries and headed by a caliphate; promote the application of Sharia Law; believe in jihad or support the armed resistance of Palestinians against Israel; and perceive homosexuality as a sin and argue that it is banned by Islam.
The acid test of this counter-terrorism plan is reportedly not whether an individual promotes these views by means of violent action, but, while condemning violence, holds or even discusses these ideas.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, in a speech in December, had said that an effective anti-terror strategy required a mental dimension that includes challenging non-violent extremist groups that 'skirt the fringes of the law ... to promote hate-filled ideologies.'
Advocates of the proposed code say that rigid interpretation of the Qur'an forms the root cause of terrorism which threatens the British people; opponents claim that this strategy would brand the vast majority of British Muslims as extremists and would lead to further alienation of British Muslims from British society.
Homosexualists in Britain are praising the proposed plan. An article in PinkNews, a homosexualist news service in the UK, quoted a 2007 survey of Muslins living in London which revealed that 'less than 5% (of Muslims) thought homosexual acts are 'acceptable,' compared with more than 65% of the general population.'
As an example of the 'extreme' Muslim belief concerning homosexuality, PinkNews quotes Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, who called homosexuality, 'a practice that in terms of health, in terms of the moral issues that comes along in a society, it is not acceptable.'
'Each of our faiths tells us that it is harmful and, I think, if you look into the scientific evidence that has been available in terms of the forms of various illnesses and diseases that are there, surely it points out that where homosexuality is practised there is a greater concern in that area.'
The Guardian report has raised concerns for some that the movement to marginalize those who hold to traditional moral teachings on sexuality is gaining ground. In recent years U.K. law has become increasingly hostile to those who believe homosexual acts are immoral, particularly with the passage of the Sexual Orientation Regulations (SOR's) in 2007.
The SOR's specify that no one may 'discriminate' against homosexuals in the provision of goods and services, including in religious schools, adoption and social aid agencies, hotels or rental facilities. They have been used to force Catholic adoption agencies to deviate from their specifically Catholic nature and begin adopting children to homosexual couples, against Catholic teaching. There have also been cases of couples not being allowed to adopt children merely because they hold to tradition views of sexuality.
One interesting consequence of the new counter-terrorism strategy, however, is that it could see Rowan Williams, the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, under suspicion as an extremist for his defence of the encroachment of Islamic Sharia law into the British legal system as 'unavoidable.'
The titular head of the Church of England said in an interview with BBC Radio 4's World at One program last year that Britain had to 'face up to the fact' that some accommodation for Sharia law would be implemented in Britain. He argued that since British law 'accommodates' the views of Catholics and some others on issues such as abortion, Sharia should be welcomed on the grounds of tolerance for religious viewpoints. 'And anyway,' he said, 'certain provisions of Sharia are already recognized ... So it's not as if we're bringing in an alien and rival system.'
Subsequently, the Sunday Times reported that the government had officially accepted the existence of Sharia law courts to officiate in Muslim civil cases. Since August 2007 the courts have dealt with more than 100 cases, ranging from Muslim divorce and inheritance cases as well as six cases of domestic violence, normally a criminal procedure under British law. [LSN]
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Council forbids 16-yr-old to convert
Briefing.
The girl, in her late teens, was interested in exploring Christianity before she was placed with the foster carer. But when the girl decided she wanted to be baptised, council officials said her carer had failed in her duty to preserve the girl's religion and should have used her influence to prevent the baptism from going ahead.
They said the girl should stay away from church for six months, and later struck the carer off the fostering register. The carer, who has over ten years experience looking after more than 80 children, is now challenging the local authority's decision. Her case is being backed by The Christian Institute's legal defence fund.
The carer is a practising Christian, and made it clear to the girl when she arrived that she could continue to practice her Muslim faith if she wanted to. In assessments before the baptism, the authorities said the girl's emotional needs were being met, and noted that the carer was showing understanding and respect for the girl's culture.
The carer's lawyers say there was no evidence that the change in the girl's religion would harm her, and argue that the authorities failed to listen to the girl's views.
The carer, an Anglican who attends a local evangelical church, said: 'I did initially try to discourage her. I offered her alternatives. I offered to find places for her to practise her own religion. I offered to take her to friends or family. But she said to me from the word go, 'I am interested and I want to come.' She sort of burst in.'
The carer said that the girl's social workers were fully aware that she was going to church and had not raised any objections. The girl had told her auxiliary social worker of her plans to convert before she was baptised in January last year, and the social worker had appeared to give her consent.
The Christian Institute's Mike Judge said: 'All people should be free to change or modify their religious beliefs. That surely must be a core human right in any free society.
'I cannot imagine that an atheist foster carer would be struck off if a Christian child in her care stopped believing in God. This is the sort of double standard which Christians are facing in modern Britain.
'In recent months we have seen grandparents, a nurse, adoption agencies, firemen, registrars, elderly care homes - and now a foster carer - being punished because of the Christian beliefs they hold. It has to stop.'
The carer's solicitor Nigel Priestley said: 'There is no doubt that the event that provoked the council was the decision by the girl to be baptised.
'This girl was 16 and has the right to make this choice, so for the council to react in this way is totally disproportionate. Even at this late hour, we hope that the council will resolve the issue.'
A council spokesman said: 'From the details provided, we believe that this information relates to a child who is the subject of a final care order in favour of the council. In those circumstances, we are unable to pass any comment.' [Christian Institute]
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Damian Thompson: how not to blog
Comment: last week Damian Thompson published some leaked, confidential documents relating to internal discussions in the Latin Mass Society, and supplied commentary on them which turned out to be erroneous. Yesterday he quoted from a leaked early draft of a report about Muslim schools by the thinktank Civitas, including items which were removed from the final draft, which Civitas had to ask him to take off the blog.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Petition for Iraqi Christians
Action: please sign the Petition. Iraqi Christians are suffering while the country is under occupation by the UK and its allies: we have an obligation to tell our government to protect them more effectively.
Hat-tip to Hermeneutic of Continuity.
The Petition reads: We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Acknowledge the plight of the indigenous Christian communities of Iraq and to bring to bear on the American and Iraqi governments the need for adequate and just protection for these ancient Iraqi communities.
Further information: While Iraq is constantly in world news reports the plight of Iraqi Christians goes mostly unnoticed. According to the Society for Threatened People in Goettingen, Germany, Iraq currently experiences the biggest persecution of Christians of our time. In fear of murders, bomb-attacks, kidnappings, and torture Christians have been fleeing the country by the thousands. Approximately 75 percent of the 650,000 Christians in Iraq have been driven from their homes. They have fled mainly to neighbouring Syria or Lebanon. A Christian community with a history of 2,000 years is in danger of becoming extinct, according to the human rights organization. Hundreds of Christians have been kidnapped in the past years. The Society claims that Christians are being driven out of Iraq systematically by Muslim extremists. Security forces and Arab militia do little to protect Christians. Even the US & UK forces do not provide ample protection according to the society.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Muslims support Church against SORs
Background briefing: a useful thing to know.
Press Release from the Muslim Council of Britain: The Muslim Council of Britain fully supports the principled stand taken by the leaders of the Catholic and Anglican churches on the Sexual Orientation Regulations (SOR). The right to practice one’s faith, or the freedom to have no belief, is a cornerstone of our society as is the right of all to live free from unfair discrimination and harassment.
The MCB whilst reiterating its support for anti-discrimination laws will naturally remain vigilant about the potential of any legislation to conflict with our belief. Homosexuality is forbidden in Islam. The Sexual Orientation Regulations as we understand them do not promote homosexuality but would provide protection against discrimination and harassment on account of sexual orientation.
“As Muslims we are obliged to uphold the moral standards and codes of conduct dictated by our faith,” said Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, MCB Secretary-General.
The MCB urges the government to review its position that Sexual Orientation Regulations can have no exemptions. This argument, we believe, is absurd and inconsistent with domestic as well as international legal precedents. Each anti discrimination legislation has exemptions.
The MCB maintains that the Regulations need to take full account of our multifaith, multicultural and multiethnic society and, wherever appropriate, make accommodation to accord with differing beliefs and values.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Muslim-Christian Pro-Life Conference
Background briefing. It should be noted that Muslims have different opinions about the morality of abortion, some schools of though allowing it until certain times after conception.
From SPUC: The Indian Muslim Welfare Society and the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) held a Muslim-Christian conference in Batley, West Yorkshire, England on 27 January. The main speakers were John Smeaton, national director of SPUC, and Dr A Majid Katme, Muslim coordinator for SPUC and spokesman for the Islamic Medical Association in the UK. The topics addressed were abortion, euthanasia and sex education, along with abortifacient contraceptives and secret abortions. Dr Katme called on all Muslims to join the pro-life campaign, while Mr Smeaton condemned the silence about these issues. [SPUC, 29 January]
Monday, December 11, 2006
Hagia Sophia Petition
Current status: please sign, here.
Following the Pope's visit to Turkey, and in light of Turkey's aspiration to join the European Union, please sign this petition to have Hagia Sophia, the great church of Constantinople built by the Emperor Justinian, returned to Christian worship. This petition is to be presented to the European Union, which is urged to make this gesture a condition of membership for Turkey.
Roman Catholic participation in this petition is a fitting gesture towards the Greek Orthodox in Turkey, and especially to Patriarch Bartholomeos, who welcomed the Holy Father so graciously.
The petition organiser's home page has more information about the church and the campaign.
Hat-tip to Catholic Church Conservation.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Muslims attack secularisation of Christmas
Current status: Local action as necessary. Readers may like to quote this when confronting officialdom. The existence of non-Christian religious groups in the UK is being used as an excuse for many anti-Christian policies, but it is a bad one. For some commentary on the Christmas stamp issue, see here.
From the Telegraph: Leave Christmas alone, say Muslims
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
Muslim leaders joined their Christian counterparts yesterday to launch a powerful attack on politicians and town halls that play down Christmas.
They warned that attempts to remove religion from the festival were fuelling Right-wing extremism.
A number of town halls have tried to excise references to Christianity from Christmas, in one case by renaming their municipal celebrations "Winterval". They have often justified their actions by saying Britain is now a multi-faith society and they are anxious to avoid offending minority groups. But the Muslim leaders said they honoured Christmas and that local authorities were playing into the hands of extremists who were able to blame Muslim communities for undermining Britain's Christian culture.
The unprecedented broadside was delivered by the Christian Muslim Forum, which was launched this year by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, with the support of Tony Blair. The forum's reaction reflects growing anger among Christians and other faiths about the efforts of secularists to push religion to the margins of public life. In 1998 Birmingham renamed its celebrations "Winterval", and in 2001 Luton described its Christmas lights as "luminos", taken from Harry Potter. Last week, the Church of England criticised Royal Mail for issuing Christmas stamps with no Christian theme.
The forum, which draws half its membership from senior members of the Muslim community, said in a statement that "as Muslims and Christians together" it was "wholeheartedly committed" to the religious recognition of Christian festivals." Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus and we wish this significant part of the Christian heritage of this country to remain an acknowledged part of national life." The desire to secularise religious festivals is offensive to both of our communities." The statement, signed by the forum's chairman, the Bishop of Bolton, the Rt Rev David Gillett, and its vice-chairman, Dr Ataullah Siddiqui, urged society to promote religious freedom. "Those who use the fact of religious pluralism as an excuse to de-Christianise British society unthinkingly become recruiting agents for the extreme Right. They provoke antagonism towards Muslims and others by foisting on them an anti-Christian agenda they do not hold."
Bishop Gillett said in a separate article that it was strange that so many public bodies were nervous or dismissive about Christmas when 72 per cent of Britons described themselves as Christian in the 2001 Census.Any repetition by councils to rename Christmas so as not to offend other faith communities will "backfire badly" on the Muslim community, he said. "Sadly it is they who get the blame — and for something they are not saying."
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Education and Inspection Bill - victories
Background briefing.
Latest update: Lord Baker's amendment defeated. See the Universe report here.
Members of the British House of Lords have rejected by 173 votes to 85 an amendment to the Education and Inspections Bill which would have made personal, social and health education in schools a statutory part of the national curriculum. The change was backed by many children's charities. [Community Care 25 October]
The government has abandoned plans to force faith schools to admit 25% of their pupils from outside their religion. Lord Baker, the former Conservative Minister for Education, still intends to introduce an amendment to the Bill to that effect. See the BBC story.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
BBC admits bias
Background briefing. See also update.
Update: The Vatican has decided to 'filter' requests from the BBC in the light of the Sex Crimes and the Vatican programme. The Catholic Herald reports that 'all future requests from the BBC and independent television companies for Vatican press accreditation will now be scrutinised carefully.' Withholding press accreditation is one of the few ways in which the Vatican can directly punish specific journalists and organisations.
BBC claims the leaked 'Impartiality Seminar' was intended to be public, and was broadcast on the web. Can we see it again, then, Sue Lawley?
The BBC's new Robin Hood series leaves out Friar Tuck and refers to Maid Marian simply as 'Marian'. The BBC's Christianophobia strikes again.
Thanks to Valle Adurni for the reference to this story.
Key quote: '[At an 'impartiality' summit] executives were given a fictitious scenario in which they were asked to make a judgment. In the illustration, Jewish comedian Sasha Baron Cohen would participate in a studio program in which guests were allowed to symbolically throw in a garbage bin things they hated. What would you do, the executives were asked, if Cohen decided to throw kosher food, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bible and the Quran in the trash. Everything would be allowed, the executives said, except for the Quran, for fear of offending the British Muslim community.'
For the full story, see here for a US source, here for the Daily Mail.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Anglican attack on 'Multi-faith' policies
Current status: background briefing.
The Church of England has launched an astonishing attack on the Government's drive to turn Britain into a multi-faith society. In a wide-ranging condemnation of policy, it says that the attempt to make minority 'faith' communities more integrated has backfired, leaving society 'more separated than ever before'. The criticisms are made in a confidential Church document, leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, that challenges the 'widespread description' of Britain as a multi-faith society and even calls for the term 'multi-faith' to be reconsidered. The document, Cohesion and Integration - a Briefing Note for the House (of Bishops), claims that divisions between communities have been deepened by the Government's 'schizophrenic' approach to tackling multiculturalism. While trying to encourage interfaith relations, it has actually given 'privileged attention' to the Islamic faith and Muslim communities. Written by Guy Wilkinson, the interfaith adviser to the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, the paper says that the Church of England has been sidelined. Instead, 'preferential' treatment has been afforded to the Muslim community despite the fact that it makes up only three per cent of the population. Britain remains overwhelmingly a Christian country at heart and moves to label it as a multi-faith society suggest a hidden agenda, it says. [Sunday Telegraph]
For the full text of the Sunday Telegraph article, see here.
