The National Secular Society (NSS) claims that 12,000+ charities exist solely to promote religion, with some using public money to promote extremism and harmful practices, and calls for the advancement of religion to be removed from the list of charitable purposes. Although benefits provided by most of the charitable purposes relieve poverty, promote good health, save lives and protect the environment, the NSS said the benefit to the public by advancing a religion is far more contestable and based on the outdated presumption that religion is inherently a good thing. It believes religious fundamentalism has demonstrated that religion can exacerbate tension, division, segregation and conflict in Britain, and ’as such there is a clear need to consider whether religion should be regarded as an inherent public good deserving the status of a charitable purpose’. The NSS has written to the charities minister, calling for the removal of the advancement of religion as a charitable purpose.

Last week we prayed for sex education to be the responsibility of parents not schools. This week four more schools in Birmingham have stopped teaching about LGBT rights following complaints. The No Outsiders programme in Birmingham will now be suspended until an agreement with parents is reached. The debate began when Parkfield Community School suspended the lessons following parents’ protests. Campaigner Amir Ahmed said some Muslims felt ‘victimised’, but an LGBT group leader said No Outsiders helped pupils understand it is OK to be different. Leigh Trust said it was halting the lessons until after Ramadan, which finishes in June. Also, seven primary schools in Manchester, which have been contacted by parents unhappy over sex and relationships lessons that teach children about LGBT rights, have asked school management to discuss the inclusion of the lessons in the curriculum.

Children are taught about crossing the road safely. Talking to them about staying safe from sexual abuse is just as easy with the NSPCC’s new PANTS rules. With the help of a friendly dinosaur called Pantosaurus, talking PANTS is a simple way to teach a young child how to stay safe from abuse. The singing dinosaur video and fun activity pack can help parents teach the key messages without using any scary words. There are also PANTS teaching resources for schools and teachers that include lesson plans, class activities, and a catchy song ‘Not in My Pants’. It is not known exactly how many UK children experience abuse, because it is hidden from view. Adults may not recognise the signs, or the child may be too young, too scared or too ashamed to say what is happening. See

The Government estimates that tens of thousands of people are slaves in the UK. Most are trafficked from Albania, Vietnam, Nigeria, Romania and Poland. There are also significant numbers of British national slaves. Forced labour is in agriculture, construction, hospitality, manufacturing, and car washes. Women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation or domestic slavery. Children are forced into cannabis production, petty theft and begging. In 2009 the Government set up a mechanism to which potential cases were referred to access relevant support. It wasn’t fit for purpose. Slavery victims were not supported, and traffickers got away with their crimes. A new Modern Slavery Act was introduced in 2015. Research has found that the number of potential victims of trafficking and modern slavery reported to the authorities has risen by over 80% in two years, and the number of modern slavery cases involving UK children is alarming. See

The arrest and subsequent release of street preacher Oluwole Ilesanmi in Enfield on 23 February (see) prompted outrage on social media, and prompted questions in parliament. Theresa Villiers MP asked the Home Office what guidance is provided to the police on street preachers, what lessons have been learned from this incident, and what steps are being taken to ensure that church groups can preach on the street. The Government replied that freedom of expression is a vital part of a democratic society, and it is a long-standing tradition that people are free to share their views with others. On 21 March Christian Concern reported that London mayor Sadiq Khan is to face questions over the incident, especially since the the police have changed their story on Olu's 'de-arrest'. See

On 21 March, five mosques in Birmingham were targeted in a string of violent attacks overnight and into the morning. Reports of a man smashing windows with a sledgehammer were received at 2:30 am. Officers were then alerted to four similar attacks nearby. West Midlands police said it has yet to establish a motive, and officers from its counter-terrorism unit are investigating. Since the tragic events in New Zealand, police officers and staff have been working closely with their faith partners across the region to offer reassurance and support at churches, mosques and places of prayer.

It was recently said that Europe, in its diversity, has the commission of the Creator to seek unity, otherwise it breaks into an infinite number of dwarfs fighting each other. Wikipedia states that religion in Europe has been a major influence on today's society, art, culture, philosophy and law, and the largest religion in Europe is Christianity. But irreligion and practical secularisation are strong. In the 2011 census 96% of Kosovo residents and 58% of Albania residents were Muslim. Modern revival movements of other religions include Heathenism, Rodnovery, Romuva, Druidism, and Wicca. Smaller Indian religions linked to Buddhism are also found in their largest groups in Britain, France, and Kalmykia, Russia. Pray for the various Christian mission agencies commissioned by God to reach and revive faith in the one Almighty God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. See

Macedonia has launched a renaming of the country’s institutions after a deal with Greece that changed its name to North Macedonia. The deal came into effect on 12 February, after ratification by Greece’s parliament. Following the name change of this former Yugoslav republic, voters will elect a new president. Political rancour and ethnic division among political forces remain rife, yet many hope that offers of accession talks by the EU will end political dissension and stalemate. North Macedonia’s main opposition party, VMRO-DPMNE, nominated law professor Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova as its candidate. He is a harsh opponent of the deal with Greece and of the adoption of the law that made Albanian the second official language in the country. The first round of the election will be on 21 April. The governing SDSM party still has to decide on its candidate. See

The UN estimates that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people were affected by Cyclone Idai; the world does not yet realise the enormity of the situation. Six days after its 106 mph winds and rain hit southern Africa, thousands are still cut off. Beira, where the storms first made landfall, was not reached for three days. Every building in the city (population 500,000) was damaged. The whole region is without power. Food, clothes and medicine are needed immediately, but flooded, damaged roads need repairing before assistance can reach them. Save the Children warned on 18 March that 100,000’s of children are at risk as rivers burst their banks. Malawi was flooded by torrential rainfall before Idai made landfall in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Whole villages were swept away in the three countries. Pray for the military and humanitarian agencies trying to gain access to thousands of stranded people. Pray for abundant donations of food, drinking water, medicine and clothing to reach victims quickly, after what is believed to be the worst ever natural disaster in the southern hemisphere.

Sudan is among the world’s worst for gender inequality, with many women deprived of their rights. Now, a new SAT-7 Arabic show is offering women a platform for their voices to be heard. Hosted by three female Sudanese presenters, ‘Woman and Mirror’ is giving women hope by letting women view themselves through the mirror of the Bible. Sudan’s gender discrimination begins in childhood. The country has one of the highest rates of female genital mutilation in the world (87%). A quarter of Sudanese girls stop attending school early in secondary education, and can be legally be married at age ten. Soaring inflation, public protests, and a security crackdown under a state of emergency have made life difficult and unsafe for many. Pray for the country’s people. Pray that ‘Woman and Mirror’ will offer guidance and reassurance to women and families in these unstable times.