All Faith Delegation Considers Going to Iran

Labour’s Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) raised the idea of a possible all-faith delegation, saying: “If we want peace we have got to carry on speaking to the Iranians, and all of us who’ve been campaigning for the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and the other prisoners held, believe that perhaps speaking at a level of faith, an all-faith […]

Religious Leaders Must Take Responsibility for Extremists, Says Archbishop

All religions and their leaders must own up to extremist activities within their faith and examine which of their traditional teachings enable followers to commit evil, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said. The Most Rev Justin Welby, the figurehead of the worldwide Anglican Church, told interfaith leaders in Sri Lanka that accepting responsibility is key […]

My Story: Untold Personal Stories of Faith and Spirituality

My Story is a new project launched by Faith Matters, which brings forward the untold stories of faith and spirituality within local, national, and international contexts. If the stories are separated by distance, they are bound by a unifying aim: to promote change and to promote tolerance and understanding in their communities, and in communities […]

China: CCTV cameras and eviction for a ‘house church’ in Beijing

The Zion Church in Beijing, one of the city’s largest unofficial Protestant “house” churches, has operated with relative freedom for years, hosting hundreds of worshippers every weekend in an expansive, specially renovated hall in north Beijing. But in April, city authorities asked the church to install 24 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the building for […]

Extremism is Consolidated Without Due Diligence by UK Groups and Individuals

We are increasingly concerned about the lack of due diligence by some faith leaders in the UK in meeting with preachers coming from Pakistan. In particular, there is a growing Islamist movement in Pakistan which supports violent extremism against ‘blasphemers’, Ahmadi Muslims, Shias, Christians and other minorities. These groups are not just the ones involved […]

Christian Georgia Proposes a ‘Blasphemy Law’

Georgia with its devoutly Orthodox Christian set of communities, is proposing a ‘blasphemy bill’ that will make religious caricaturing and comedic lampooning of faith, punishable in law. The bill, which has been approved at committee stage, has led to critics suggesting that it will cause a chilling effect on those critics of the official church line and more importantly, on dissent regarding religion. Some have suggested that even theatre, art and plays which explored faith could fall of the blasphemy bill. The proposed bill attaches fines to those who target “insults to religious feelings” with a 100 lari fine ($120) attached to any comment deemed to fall foul of the law. This would double if there was a repeat of the incident and desecration of a religious icon would lead to a fine of 1000 laris. Given that the average salary in the country is about 800 laris, the new bill seems to hit those in the pocket willing to take a dissenting line to faith and belief. This bill comes on the back of opposition to the opening of mosques and madrassas in the west of Georgia where groups have been active in lobbying against Muslim institutions.

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Asian, Muslim and Hindu holidays added to school calendars in Howard County, Maryland

A Maryland county will allow Muslim and Hindu students a day off from school to celebrate Diwali and Eid al-Adha. The Howard County Board of Education faced a tough decision: to foster inclusion by removing all religious holidays from the academic calender; Or add extra days to include non-Abrahamic celebrations. A unanimous decision in favour of the latter will result in school closings or professional development days for staff in the 2016/17 academic year. The board also voted to allow staff to take a professional development day off for Lunar News Years Eve, after requests from the local Chinese and Korean communities. As it falls on a Saturday, students remain unaffected. Schools in the county have shut during Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  But a recent motion threatened to end this  tradition. It proved controversial enough to attract more than 300 people to a public hearing in December. State and federal laws prevent schools from closing on religious holidays (unless mandated otherwise). Adjusting academic calenders requires a secular reason. Baltimore County had recorded a large levels of absenteeism during these Jewish holidays. Art Abramson, Executive Director of Baltimore’s Jewish Council, welcomed changes to academic calenders on the [...]

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How faith and non-faith communities helped repair a mosque damaged by arson

On November 14, firefighters responded to a fire at the only mosque in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.  The fire at the Masjid Al-Salaam broke out at around 11pm. Heavy smoke damage inside the mosque could cost more than $80,000 to fix. Nor did the flames injure anyone inside. Around 30 minutes earlier, 70 worshipers had welcomed and celebrated the birth of a young couple’s child. Peterborough Police Service are treating the fire as a hate crime. At a press conference they confirmed that a mosque window was broken and an accelerant was placed inside and then set on fire. It shocked communities of all faiths and none into action. Within hours, thousands had donated to an online crowdfund in support of the mosque. Within 48 hours of the arson, donations had reached $91,000. In total, the appeal raised $110,536. The Kawartha Muslim Religious Association (KMRA) asked to stop the fundraising appeal after meeting its repair goal. Any outstanding money will go to other charitable causes. Canada’s Anglican community also helped raise funds. The clericus of the regional deanery in Peterborough donated $250 and asked other parishes to match the amount. That appeal should help raise thousands of dollars, according to Dean [...]

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What is the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and commemorates the creation of the Earth. During this two day celebration, the traditional greeting “L’shanah tovah”… “for a good New Year” rings loud among members of Jewish communities. Ancient Hebrews relied upon the Torah, which celebrated it on the “seventh month” or Nisan. Passover also begins in Nisan. Today, Rosh Hashanah falls between September and October (or Tishrei). Jews believe that God weighs a person’s good and bad deeds over the previous year, and decides what the year ahead will bring. God records this information in the Book of Life. God seals this book on the festival of Yom Kippur. Rabbi Jonathan Romain, noted that the Book of Life created a  ‘theological catastrophe’ that created false assumptions and blame upon God for human deeds. Romain pointed to Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 3.19 to remind Jews of their free will and agency in decisions that impact the year ahead. Rabbi Naftali Brawer reflected that this time of year creates of a paradox of comfort and fear under God’s scrutiny. He wrote “It is frightening, because under God’s scrutiny there is no place to hide. Indeed, this is the major theme of the [...]

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“The 7/7 London Bombings: A Decade of Reflection,” a Joint Publication Between Faith Matters and the Centre for Trust, Peace & Social Relations.

This report is a set of reflections from key social activists, academics and civil society leaders who experienced the social impacts of 7/7 or who have worked with communities shaped by the experiences of 7/7 and scourge of extremism and terrorism. It is an insight into the private and public experiences of individuals and their […]