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** Your daily media briefing - Tuesday 5 January
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 <[link removed]> and opinion <[link removed]> and listen to our podcasts <[link removed]> on our website.
*= Registration may be required to read the article.
** Secularism in the media
* Places of worship in England escape new lockdown rules <[link removed]>
Places of worship are not required to close and communal worship is permitted under a new national lockdown announced by the Prime Minister.
Church Times*
* Places of worship in Scotland must close as lockdown tightens <[link removed]>
Places of worship in Scotland will be required close from Friday until at least the end of the month, as part of a new lockdown announced by the First Minister.
Church Times*
* ‘Why my Haredi community can't, and won't, deal with sex abusers’ <[link removed]>
Absolving criminals from within the Jewish community of the need to face retributive justice is a crime against those of us who are most powerless, says Yehudis Fletcher.
Haaretz
* Indian comedian charged with insulting Hindu deities after right-wing group crashes show <[link removed]>
A comedian has been charged by the Indian authorities for "hurting religious sentiments" after a group of right-wing Hindus crashed his show and confronted him over jokes he allegedly made about Hindu deities.
The Independent
* ‘In the battle over India’s history, Hindu nationalists square off against a respected historian’ <[link removed]>
Romila Thapar is the subject of attacks by supporters of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, who view her as an opponent to be discredited.
The Washington Post*
* Pakistan coal miners kidnapped and killed in IS attack <[link removed]>
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the killing of 11 coal miners in the western Pakistani province of Balochistan.
BBC
* At least 100 die in Niger attacks blamed on jihadists <[link removed]>
"Terrorists" have killed around 100 people in two villages in western Niger, the latest in a string of civilian massacres that have rocked the jihadist-plagued Tillaberi region, a local mayor has said.
The Guardian
* US: Illinois can't force afterschool ministry to pay unemployment taxes, court rules <[link removed]>
A Christian afterschool is sufficiently religious enough to qualify for an exemption from having to pay into a state insurance program, an appeals court ruled last week.
The Christian Post
* ‘Christian nationalism's Covid vaccine doubt threatens America's herd immunity’ <[link removed]>
Christian nationalist ideology will almost certainly serve as a barrier for a sizable minority of Americans who need the vaccine, say Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry.
NBC News
* ‘Is religious fervour compatible with democracy?’ <[link removed]>
At its most basic, secularism is a formula for social peace in a society composed of a variety of believers and non-believers, says Haldun Gülalp.
openDemocracy
** In case you missed it...
* Places of worship shouldn’t reopen prematurely <[link removed]>
As a group of religious leaders threatens legal action over the closure of places of worship during the coronavirus crisis, Stephen Evans says public health must be the priority in deciding when to reopen them.
** Work for the NSS: Deadline extended
* Digital communications and engagement officer <[link removed]>
We're looking for a digital communications and engagement officer. This is an exciting opportunity for an exceptional communicator with first-rate digital skills. The application deadline is 5pm, 18 January 2021.
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