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secularism.org.uk

Challenging Religious Privilege

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Your daily media briefing - Tuesday 28 April

  

In the Media 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 and listen to our podcasts on our website.

  

Secularism in the media

 

Renfrewshire Council defends plans to prioritise pupils baptised Catholic for admission to denominational schools – NSS quoted

Renfrewshire Council has defended plans to extend the priority given to pupils who are baptised Catholic for admission to denominational schools after the NSS criticised the idea.

The Gazette

 

Orthodox Jewish girls' school is accused of 'censorship' over women in history

A Jewish girls' school has been slammed by Ofsted for cutting out a 'large chunk of history' by gluing textbook pages together.

Mail Online

 

Robert Halfon criticised for defending state faith school which censored Elizabeth I from history books

The chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee has been criticised for appearing to defend a state faith school which censored material about Elizabeth I from a history book.

iNews

 

BBC criticised as Dominic Cummings’s wife uses Thought for the Day to defend him

Dominic Cummings' wife was afforded BBC Radio 4 airtime on Saturday to say how "extremely kind" the maverick Downing Street adviser is, sparking criticism.

Mail Online

 

‘The Lib Dems’ Ramadan stunt is spectacularly bad politics’

The Liberal Democrats' 'solidarity fast' is patronising to Muslims and anyone else who is religious, says Nick Tyrone.

The Spectator

 

‘In Pakistan's fight against Covid-19, religion might not be helping’

Pakistan is entering its fifth week under lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus. But as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan starts this weekend, hundreds of thousands of people will congregate in mosques nationwide to offer special prayers.

CNN

 

Abortion battle rages on in Poland despite coronavirus lockdown

Poland's conservative leaders have come a step closer to their goal of further tightening what are already some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.

CBS News

 

‘Poland's government is leading a Catholic revival. It has minorities and liberals worried’

In Poland, ultranationalists aren't just obsessed with white civilisation and getting rid of foreigners. They're also big on Catholic family values and determined to stamp out what they see as decadent Western liberalism.

ABC News (Australia)

 

Gay Moroccans face blackmail and bullying after they were outed online

Moroccan men on gay dating apps have seen their pictures leaked online in recent weeks, rights groups said, in an 'outing' campaign targeting LGBT+ Arabs.

Reuters

  

Blogs

 

‘Schools: Locked down, separately…’

Even when faced with a global crisis the education system in Northern Ireland seems unable to overcome a parochial preoccupation with maintaining the separation between us and them.

Slugger O'Toole

 

‘The government must dissuade vulnerable Muslims from fasting this Ramadan’

Dr Anwara Ali says the government should issue a message dissuading vulnerable Muslims from fasting.

Conservative Home

  

Latest NSS podcast

 

Ep 23: The NSS at the UN - interview with Josephine Macintosh

In this week's episode, Emma Park speaks to Josephine Macintosh, a solicitor and vice president of the NSS, about her work representing the NSS at the United Nations.

  

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