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** Your daily media briefing - Wednesday 6 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
* Covid Scotland: Lockdown ban on church services 'unfair', Catholic bishops claim <[link removed]>
A ban on daily church services during the second coronavirus lockdown has been branded as "arbitrary and unfair" by Scotland's Catholic Bishops.
The Herald*
* Faith leaders in England urge caution over Covid lockdown exemption <[link removed]>
Some clergy expressed anxiety over the exemption in the face of the virus's spread.
The Guardian
* Entire congregation must self-isolate after Covid-19 case discovered <[link removed]>
An entire congregation in Stafford has been forced to self-isolate after a single church member tested positive for Covid-19.
Premier Christian News
* Jacob Rees-Mogg ‘broke Covid rules by crossing tiers to go to church’ <[link removed]>
The Leader of the Commons was spotted at a Latin mass in Glastonbury Somerset, which is under tier four rules, 15 miles away from his home in West Harptree, which is in the less severe third tier.
Metro
* Reading stabbings: Man motivated by 'religious jihad' <[link removed]>
A man who stabbed three people to death in a Reading park believed he was carrying out "an act of religious jihad", a court has heard.
BBC
* Ampleforth, the ‘Catholic Eton’, admits it failed to protect its pupils <[link removed]>
One of England's most famous Catholic boarding schools, which has been surrounded by abuse scandals for years, has accepted it has "very serious" safeguarding failings as it fights to stave off closure.
The Times*
* Greek Church tells priests to ignore pandemic closure order <[link removed]>
Greece's powerful Orthodox Church is rebelling against a government order to briefly close places of worship under a weeklong drive to tighten virus restrictions before the planned reopening of schools.
Associated Press
* Austria calls for European register of Muslim imams <[link removed]>
Austria has already adopted an obligatory imam registry among other measures aimed at reducing terrorism after a November terror attack in Vienna.
Deutsche Welle
* Pakistan court outlaws 'virginity tests' in rape examinations <[link removed]>
The ruling, which applies in Punjab province, will end the practice of physical checks for an intact hymen and the invasive "two-finger test".
BBC
* ‘Denied a chair, Dalit women confront discrimination on Indian village councils’ <[link removed]>
Priya Periyasamy is among at least 16 women village council leaders in Tamil Nadu state who have filed complaints in the last six months over discrimination for being Dalits - considered India's lowest caste in an ancient social hierarchy.
Reuters
** The latest from the NSS
* The lockdown exemption for communal worship represents a dangerous double standard <[link removed]>
With the country again plunged into a strict lockdown, Stephen Evans questions the rationale behind and wisdom of an exemption for religious worship in England.
** 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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