Fears of Islamophobia gave activists free rein in Birmingham schools
A scathing report has prompted a call for a rethink of schools oversight as MP threatens to name council officials who took no action. A group of fundamentalist ‘activists’, mostly men of Pakistani origin, infiltrated the management of at least ten schools in Birmingham, sometimes breaking the law in order to introduce Muslim worship and sex segregation, according to a highly critical report. Their activities were unimpeded by council officials who were fearful of allegations of Islamphobia, and who forced ousted teachers to sign gagging clauses rather than treat their complaints seriously as whistleblowers, Ian Kershaw, the authority's independent adviser, concluded. Sir Albert Bore, leader of the city's Labour-run council, apologised on Friday to the people of Birmingham ‘for the way the actions of a few, including some within the council, have undermined the great reputation of our city’.
High Court to decide whether Boris Johnson acted improperly
This week, a High Court judge considered whether fresh evidence from the Mayor of London’s office shows that Boris Johnson personally ordered Transport for London to ban a bus advert by Christian charity Core Issues Trust (CIT), and whether he did so for an improper purpose during his re-election campaign in 2012. Mrs Justice Lang upheld the ban on the CIT slogan, ‘Not Gay! Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud. Get over it!’ at the original High Court hearing. (See also Prayer Alert 05-2014) Following the decision, CIT submitted a Freedom of Information request which revealed emails suggesting the Mayor had personally instructed TFL to ban the adverts. One email from the Mayor’s Director of Communications at the time, Guto Harri, states that the Mayor personally ordered the Christian advertisement to be pulled. CIT took the case to the Court of Appeal which sent it back to Mrs Justice Lang to consider the new email evidence which she had not seen at the first hearing.
Israel: Public and political figures push for further military action.
The media in Israel have gone on a war footing, with retired military men dominating the airwaves and corresponding sympathetic coverage in print. Dissenting voices have largely been pushed to the pages of Haaretz and online. Within the government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has found support - albeit temporary. Last week he was under intense pressure from the right wing of his coalition, particularly Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, to launch the current ground invasion. He sacked Danny Danon, his deputy defence minister, because of his vocal criticism. There have been no major opinion polls yet on the war, but dozens of interviews over the past two weeks suggest the public is broadly supportive, a sympathetic shift that is unsurprising in a country with mandatory conscription for most of its citizens. Younger Jewish Israelis are increasingly right-wing and hold negative views of Palestinians. The shift was more evident with anti-war demonstrators shouted down and attacked.
International: Protests supporting Gaza
Hundreds of thousands of people marched, waved flags, raised placards and wore PLO t-shirts to demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians last weekend. From Australia to France, from India to England, thousands rallied to support Palestinians and protest against Israeli military action in Gaza in marches and sit-ins. In Aberdeen and Glasgow demonstrations and marches were organised by Scottish Friends of Palestine, the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Stop the War Coalition. In England Stop the War Coalition organised campaigns or transport to campaigns in Batley, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Bradford, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cardiff, Coventry, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Frome, High Wycombe, Keighley, Leicester, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford and Rochdale. The demonstrations in High Wycombe illustrate the speed and strength of these campaigns - their protest was Buckinghamshire's largest ever peace protest. Within 24 hours of going live their Facebook page grew to 1100 followers. See also http://stopwar.org.uk/events/coaches/coaches-to-london-19-july-national-gaza-demonstration and http://www.mix96.co.uk/news/local/1345018/peaceful-protest-in-wycombe-over-gaza-airstrikes/
Iraq: Christians told ‘convert or die’
By 1 pm last Friday almost every Christian in Mosul had heard the message that they had until noon on Saturday to leave the city. Men, women and children piled into neighbours’ cars. Some begged for rides to the city limits and hoped to get taxis to the nearest Christian villages. They took nothing more than the clothes on their backs. The order from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) came after Christians decided not to attend a meeting that ISIS had arranged for Thursday night to discuss their status. They were too afraid to go. Since Saddam Hussein was ousted, Mosul's Christians have one of the oldest communities of its kind in the world, has seen their numbers dwindle from over 30,000 to just a few thousand. However, once ISIS swept into the city in early June there were reports that the remaining Christians had fled. Friday's edict was probably the real end. While a few may still find a way to stay in secret, the community will be gone.
Australia: More compassion needed for asylum seekers
The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia has urged the government and opposition to revise immigration policy, particularly offshore detention. A motion moved by the Synod recognises ‘the moral complexities of the task’ but says asylum seekers should not be called ‘illegal’, should not be detained for more than three months and women and children should not be placed in detention facilities. The Synod urged the Government to work with regional neighbours and the UNHCR to develop a compassionate and workable regional response to refugees and asylum seekers and to develop immigration policies that are more just and compassionate. The Rev Peter Lin, whose parish includes the largest number of asylum seekers in Sydney said, ‘We come into contact with frightened, traumatised yet relieved people. Whatever we think about how they arrived, they are among us, hurting, vulnerable and powerless in many ways.'
Nigeria: Christians mourn 150 killed including pastor
Christians in north-eastern Nigeria are mourning an evangelical pastor and at least 150 others. Attacks began on July 14 when Boko Haram attacked Dille village, killing Pastor Taiwo Dokun of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and 44 other villagers. The whereabouts of the late pastor's wife and their three children remained unknown. The family could have been abducted by the insurgents who took away many of the residents of the town. The pastor’s family members have not called any one' a church member told reporters, without revealing his name. The pastor’s residence was completely razed by the insurgents. Other homes and shops were also torched, forcing villagers to flee the area into nearby hills. Soon after the violence spread to other areas in and more than 100 people were killed. Militants were seen hoisting their black and white flag over the north-eastern town of Damboa. Hundreds are fleeing Askira Uba after receiving letters from Boko Haram threatening to attack and take over their villages. Nine villages are on the run.
Afghanistan: The war widows
Marzia grew up under the Taliban and was not allowed to go to school. She was a carpet weaver. Her husband, also an illiterate weaver, joined the army but was killed in 2010. They had two children. ‘For the 40-day mourning period I stayed with my in-laws then I moved to my parents' house. I can’t live on my own, I don't have a job. People think when a woman becomes a widow she becomes loose and immoral. They think we are like a pot with no lid, uncovered and ready to do anything. I can’t remarry because my in-laws might take my children away. My son is six. I've admitted him to school. I want him to fulfil his father's dreams. Whenever he went on duty he said, ‘If anything happens to me, don't let my son be illiterate. I want him to become an engineer or a doctor.’