Shamima Begum should not be permitted to return to the UK
Shamima Begum, a British national, left the UK in 2015 when she was 15 years old to join the forces of the Islamic State. Now she wants to leave Syria…
British values
Give me the child for the first seven years and I will give you the transgender-inculcated person
'Give me the child for the first seven years and I will give you the man' is a Jesuit maxim attributed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. He probably never said it, or if he…
Why are there anti-Christian extremists on the Commission for Countering Extremism?
"The Commission for Countering Extremism supports society to fight all forms of extremism", declares the Government website for the Commission for Countering Extremism. "It advises the government on new policies…
Ofsted chief says they have ‘no anti-faith bias’, but does she have anti-Protestant leanings?
Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman gave a speech yesterday evening entitled 'The Ties that Bind', which concerned the need for a little more 'muscular liberalism' in education. She spoke at…
Rowan Williams was denounced for saying Sharia Law in UK was inevitable, so why isn’t Justin Welby being commended for saying it’s not?
Back in 2008, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams delivered a cerebral lecture about society and pluralism to a huddle of lawyers gathered in London. It might have remained fairly…
Regulating sharia councils (ie sharia courts) with a state quango is not the way forward
A government review into the desirability, purpose and functioning of sharia councils (ie sharia courts) has been 18 months in the making. It was instigated by Theresa May when she…
Jo Johnson’s muddled and aimless thinking about freedom of speech in universities
Universities Minister Jo Johnson delivered a much-trailed (..and here, here, here...) speech about the imperative of academic freedom of speech, which he says must be guaranteed on pain of universities…
Prince of Wales to UK Christians: “Do not take your rights of freedom of worship and freedom of expression for granted”
The Prince of Wales has visited London's Melkite Greek Catholic parish, based at St Barnabas Church in Pimlico. Coptic Orthodox Bishop Angaelos was in attendance, along with Syriac Archbishop Athanasius…
Government to establish ‘Commission for Countering Extremism’ – Be afraid. Be very afraid
"A commission for countering extremism will be established to support the government in stamping out extremist ideology in all its forms, both across society and on the internet, so it…
Sorry, left-wing clergy, but God supports strong and stable government
A gaggle of left-wing clergy is a tad upset that the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have used their General Election 'Pastoral Letter' to exhort Christians to consider the need…
General Election 2017: Archbishops call for political stability and religious literacy
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have issued their Pastoral Letter to the Parishes and Chaplaincies of the Church of England for the 2017 General Election, and it's actually rather…
Integration tsar Dame Louise Casey has a problem with ‘religious conservatism’
In 2013 Dame Louise Casey was named by BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour as one of the Top 100 most powerful women in the UK. She was duly appointed by…
The establishment of the Church of England and the Christian Monarchy flourish together or fall together
This is a guest post by the Rev’d Dr Gavin Ashenden, Chaplain to the Queen. __________________________ One of the many reasons I like twitter is for the jokes. “Why should…
Welby dedicates the next year of his ministry to the defence of freedom and Judæo-Christian values
You might almost have missed it – especially if your favourite spiritual sport is Welby Wanging, which is open to all people irrespective of age, sex, sexuality, race, creed, religion,…
Inadequate Christian schools named and shamed; inadequate Muslim school.. censored
When the Durham Free School and Grindon Hall Christian School were excoriated by Ofsted last year for a raft of educational deficiencies (not least of which was failing to promote…
Chobham Academy makes Islamic religious observance mandatory for pupils of all faiths
According to Ofsted, Chobham Academy in the London Borough of Newham is an outstanding school. It is important to begin with that observation, because the school's leaders, governors and sponsor…
There's nothing British about banning the burqa
Not content with a "total ban" on Muslim schools, Ukip leadership candidate Lisa Duffy now wants to ban Muslims from wearing burqas; those Darth Vader-like cloaks which some Muslims…
Ukip's "positive vision" for British Islam: ban all Muslim schools
Ukip has a Muslim problem, which is fine if they're not particularly concerned about courting the Muslim vote, but not fine if it leads to the formulation of policies…
Brexit: a supreme act of foolishness perpetrated by racists, bigots and small right-wing men
Never in a decade of blogging has so much bile and vomit been spewed in this direction. Oh, we've had our fractious moments over the years, but nothing, ever,…
Vote Leave: take control. Believe in Britain, or bow down to Brussels
The debates are done: the hour is come. EU Referendum Day 2016 is here. Like the Church of England, this blog is impeccably neutral on the matter: it is…