Concern has been expressed after figures showed there have been more than 600 attacks on places of worship in Northern Ireland in the last five years. According to police statistics, there have been 601 incidents of criminal damage to religious buildings, churchyards or cemeteries since 2014/15. The number of attacks has remained relatively consistent each […]
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As the COVID-19 lockdown has progressed, Mosques and other religious venues have been eerily empty. Ramadan has started and the COVID-19 induced disruption of the rituals that Ramadan usually consists of, has given Muslims a unique opportunity to examine the religious status quo. Religion is like marmite; there are those who love it, those who […]
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By Rashad Ali Prologue From wild conspiracy theories to denial of the extent of the spread of the disease known as Covid19, to zealous and dangerous displays of religious fervour, to behaviour betraying complete ignorance of maintaining safe distancing across Muslim countries and even in the UK irrational edicts have lead to Mosques endangering their communities […]
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In 2018 in modern day Britain, there are religious leaders who think that believers of their faith are so weak that different sects may ‘affect’ believers in their faith. Forget the fact that social media, access to the Internet, Daesh, unemployment and reduced life chances may affect the faith of the congregation, today, they are […]
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The Daily Star on Sunday must print a clarification that its investigation into UK mosques raising funds for terrorism was significantly misleading. A journalist for the newspaper had posed as a man wanting to transfer money abroad “with the help of a group of Bradford-based Isis sympathisers”. The original print headline published on November 22,
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A school in Guernsey made headlines after a homework assignment about Islam went viral. Miss Stables, a Religious Education teacher at Les Beaucamps High School in Guernsey, had asked students to complete a letter to their parents about their choice to convert to Islam. This creative writing exercise sought to test their knowledge and argue objectively. The homework assignment asks students to focus on how their parents would react to the news. It sought to engage their emotional and critical faculties. It had little to do with prosletyising Islam. But asked students to empathise with others of a different faith. Complete the letter you started or started planning in class to your family on how you are converting to Islam. Include: How you’re feeling, how becoming a Muslim has changed your life, how much you love your family and hope they can accept your choice. Focus: How would it make you feel having to tell your parents this?? How would/could they react? **Please also note this is a piece of creative writing and completely fictional YOU ARE NOT ACTUALLY CONVERTING TO ISLAM. It is purely to test your knowledge of what we have learnt this year and how well you [...]
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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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Sometimes, many of us forget about Northern Ireland and the social dynamics that make up this part of the United Kingdom. Recently Northern Ireland has been in the news for a series of racist attacks in South and East Belfast, by the Ulster Group – the Ulster Volunteer Force. A Muslim woman reported into us last
The post Intimidation in Northern Ireland Towards Muslims is Deeply Worrying appeared first on TELL MAMA.
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We thought that we would bring you a monthly round-up of cases that have been referred to IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. These are complaints made on topics including Islam, mosques, Muslim communities and events that have involved people from Muslim communities. 0048-14 Adams v Metro – Not Upheld (02/12/14) Daniel Adams complained that
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Faith Matters undertook the fieldwork and write up on the ‘Mosques in the Community‘ programme which was conducted on behalf of MINAB (the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board). This report builds good practice and ensures that mosques become not just institutions but living parts of their local communities, thereby ensuring that they play constructive […]
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