The censorious self-righteousness of Imam Qari Asim MBE
Imam Qari Asim MBE (for services to inter-faith relations and the community in Leeds) was sacked last week by Michael Gove as a Government advisor on Islamophobia. The principal reason…
British values
The rising cost of energy is the price of Europe’s liberty
The energy regulator Ofgem has hiked the price cap on household bills by 80%, meaning the average bill will rise from £1,971 to £3,549 a year from October. The average bill is for 2.4 people living in a three-bed semi:…
By sacking its Chaplain, Trent College, Nottingham, rejects fundamental British values
Trent College in Long Eaton, between Nottingham and Derby, is an independent Anglican school, which used to have a chaplain. He was the Rev'd Dr Bernard Randall, a former chaplain…
Call for Evidence: How should the Government engage with faith groups?
The Prime Minister has appointed Colin Bloom (who may be known to some) as the Faith Engagement Advisor at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. He is charged…
English Channel migrants come in search of community and belonging
Earlier this week, I found within the BBC treasure trove of the Alistair Cooke archive a 1992 edition in which he explored the vexed question of immigration and the relevance…
The Islamists amongst us: rehabilitation or indefinite detention?
"Enough is enough," said Prime Minister Theresa May in the wake of the Islamist slaughter of seven innocent people on London Bridge in June 2017. "We must not and cannot…
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…
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…
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,…