From the Press
This page is for news items from the press that members think would be of general interest to Kingston IFF web site readers. Items for inclusion should be emailed to the WebMaster, Anthony Freedman who retains editorial control over what appears.
The Times 29 July 2008 - Chief Rabbi addresses Lambeth Conference
Almost all of Britain’s social problems are caused by a loss of religion, the Chief Rabbi told Anglican bishops last night.
Societies without religion disintegrated and people succumbed to depression, stress, eating disorders and alcohol and drug abuse, Sir Jonathan Sacks told 650 bishops and their spouses in Canterbury.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4419717.ece
19 July, 2008
7/7 survivor begins 200 mile trek.
Gill Hicks, who lost her legs in the 7 July bombings has started a 200 mile (321km) walk from Leeds to London as part of a campaign to unite communities. Co-founder of the Walk Talk event, Gill Hicks said inspiration for the challenge came from the way people helped her when she was injured. "This is all borne out of the idea of having faith and belief in humanity."
BBC News/ England/ West Yorkshire/ 7/7 survivor begins 200-mile trek.
4 July
Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, the Lord Chief Justice strongly backed Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, over his suggestion earlier this year that aspects of sharia should be adopted. He said that he would be willing to countenance aspects of sharia law as long as they did not conflict with the existing laws of England and Wales, or lead to the imposition of severe physical punishments. "It was not very radical to advocate embracing sharia law in the context of family disputes, for example, and our system already goes a long way towards accommodating the archbishop's suggestion. It is possible in this country for those who are entering into a contractual agreement to agree that the agreement shall be governed by a law other than English law." He added that it was difficult to have a sensible discussion about sharia law in the UK because the issue is "like a red rag" in the public's mind.
The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and other newspapers, 4 July.
9 June
Moral, But No Compass
The government is ‘planning blind and failing parts of civil society' when it comes to faith communities in general and aspects of charity law and social policy in particular, concludes a report by the Von Hugel Institute, St Edmund's College, Cambridge University. Commissioned by the Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, Bishop for Urban Life and Faith, the report was received today by the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England. "We encountered on the part of Government a significant lack of understanding of, or interest in, the Church of England's current or potential contribution in the publis sphere. Indeed we were told that Government had consciously decided to focus its evidence gathering almost exclusively on minority religions".
Cofe.anglican.org/news/prvonhugel.html
3 June
Faithbook aims to get believers talking
Faithbook is the brainchild of the Movement for Reform Judaism (MRJ), and has been launched on Facebook as an area to promote networking and understanding across different faiths. It uses images, videos and content from a range of sacred texts alongside commentary from nine major faiths. Simon Cohen, its director, says the site is for everyone. "This is about sparking debate, not owning debate."
The Guardian (3 June), The Times (3 June), Church of England Newspaper (6 June)
30 May, Tony Blair Faith Foundation launched.
Tony Blair launched his Faith Foundation with a call for the creation of a new coalition to harness the moral leadership of people of faith to do good and to show the relevance of faith to the challenges of the modern world. The goals of the foundation are to promote respect and understanding between the major religions, to make the case for faith as a force for good, and to encourage inter-faith initiatives to tackle global poverty and conflict.
Website, tonyblairfaithfoundation.org.
29 May
Decline of Christian values ‘is destroying Britishness'.
The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali claims that the social and sexual revolution that began in the 1960's led to a catastrophic decline in the influence of Christianity throughout society, which church leaders failed to halt. He argues that the decline in the prevalence of Christian values in contemporary society is destroying Britishness and has created a moral vacuum that is being filled by radical Islam.
The Daily Telegraph, 29 May (and other newspapers that day).
29 May
Cardinal urges Muslim leaders to oppose violent jihad
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the Pope's principal adviser on Islam, said that while the majority of Muslim clerics condemned acts of terrorism, they needed to be more vocal about jihad, especially because of its frequent appearances in the Qur'an. Speaking at a lecture given in London he called for Muslim leaders to become more outspoken about violence in the name of religion.
The Guardian, 29 May
9 May
Cardinal says Britain must not be a ‘God-free' zone
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the head of the Catholic church in England and Wales said he was unhappy about attempts to "eliminate the Christian voice" from the public forum. Speaking in a lecture at Westminster Cathedral, he urged Catholics to prevent the country from becoming a "world devoid of religious faith" through a deeper engagement with God by praying, studying and performing charitable acts.
The Guardian, Friday May 9, 2008. Riazat Butt, Religious affairs correspondent.
22 April, 2008 BBC Website. The Quilliam Foundation is a recently launched think tank, one of a number of attempts in recent years to counter al-Qaeda's world view. Its leading lights are Ed Husain, author of The Islamist, and Maajid Nawaz. They say that Islam in its purest universal form, as the last message of God to mankind, sits perfectly well in modern multicultural societies, provided that Muslims find the right way to express their faith. http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/
