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** Your daily media briefing - Friday 20 March
In the Media <[link removed]> is our daily collection of news and commentary related to secularism, available delivered to your inbox. You can also read the latest news and opinion <[link removed]> and listen to our podcasts on our website.
** Secularism in the media
* Coronavirus: Bangladesh mass prayer event prompts alarm <[link removed]>
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Bangladesh for a mass prayer session on Wednesday, despite fears it posed a risk of spreading the new coronavirus.
BBC
* Coronavirus UK: How will Covid-19 affect church weddings and civil ceremonies? <[link removed]>
The Church of England has imposed new measures saying weddings held in its churches can only include the legal minimum amount of people. Meanwhile civil ceremonies will be judged on a case by case basis.
Metro
* ‘Close the churches in the US’ <[link removed]>
State and local shutdown orders shouldn't exempt religious gatherings, and those communities should comply, says John Inazu.
The Atlantic
* Holyrood passes new law against female genital mutilation <[link removed]>
New legislation passed by Holyrood takes Scotland a step closer to the goal of eradicating the practice of female genital mutilation, MSPs have been told.
STV News
* Muslim charity pays its own chairman £25k a year in rent <[link removed]>
Bolton Council of Mosques has paid £25,000 a year to lease a building owned by its chairman Asif Patel and his family for more than a decade. It has spoken out to defend the arrangement.
Manchester Evening News
* Government adviser wins damages over false accusation he supported hanging of Christian woman in Pakistan
Leeds imam and government adviser Qari Asim has been awarded damages and a full apology after the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online falsely accused him of supporting the hanging of a Christian woman in Pakistan.
The Yorkshire Post
* Primary teacher banned from schools after he described Islam as ‘cancer of the world’
A primary school teacher in Somerset has been banned from profession after anti-Islamic comments were found on his Facebook page and he shared "unacceptable" and "inappropriate" views in the classroom.
The Independent
* ‘This week we brought New Zealand's abortion laws into the 21st century’ <[link removed]>
Seeking an abortion was a crime until now, but new legislation has removed the stigma and given women a choice, says justice minister Andrew Little.
The Guardian
* ‘Research finds gender bias in textbooks of Indonesia and other Muslim majority countries’ <[link removed]>
Indonesia's education system – while accessible for all – employs teaching curriculum and learning materials that fail in challenging traditional roles and changing social attitudes towards women.
The Conversation
* Pastor says only “sissies” & “pansies” wash their hands to prevent coronavirus <[link removed]>
A conservative Christian pastor issued an angry rebuke of churches taking measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, calling them "sissies" and "pansies" who have been "neutered."
LGBTQ Nation
** Latest from the NSS
* Protect all children from ritual genital cutting, NSS tells UN <[link removed]>
The NSS has called on the UN Human Rights Council to ensure protections from forced genital cutting encompass all children equally.
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