Britain is fast becoming a breeding ground for Islamic radicalism as British-born Muslims flock to the Middle East to join the growing jihad. An average of seven Britons a week are travelling to Syria and Iraq along a wide stretch on the Turkish border which has come to be known as the ‘Gateway to Jihad.’ In total, 2,000 British Muslims have travelled this route to fight in the jihad, Khalid Mahmood, MP for Perry Barr, has warned. Concern is increasing that when these British citizens return home they could unleash terror on UK streets. Once in the Middle East, these British citizens have been joining the brutal terrorist group IS (also known as ISIS and ISIL), a successor group to Al-Qaeda with strong roots in the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Qaeda has recently distanced itself from IS because of its unimaginable brutality, which the BBC reported includes atrocities such as ‘targeted killings, forced conversions, slavery, sexual abuse, and the besieging of entire communities.’
The government wants to know how difficult it is to be a Christian at work – so let’s tell them
19 Sep 2014You can almost guarantee these days that every couple of months there’ll be another ‘Christian persecution’ story making its way into the papers that tells of a Christian trying to get on and do their job, but because they choose to stay true to their beliefs they end up being accused up of being intolerant and awkward. Christians in Parliament and the Church of England have asked for an online questionnaire on this issue to be promoted amongst Christians. If you have something to share about faith at work, whether it is big or small, it will take about 30 minutes to fill the online form in. http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/our-work/key-projects/religion-or-belief-tell-us-about-your-experiences If you know someone who has an experience that has affected them then please pass the link on. We have until October the 14th to tell the government what is really happening up and down the country in our places of employment.
United Kingdom: After the vote
19 Sep 2014Whatever the result, the Referendum will have a profound impact on the whole of the UK. It remains to be seen what effect the emotions and forces released by this campaign will have on the unity of the British state, as parts of England are now calling for strong regional assemblies with devolved powers similar to those enjoyed by the Scottish Parliament and, to a lesser extent, by the Assemblies that exist in Wales and Northern Ireland. Please pray for the spiritual life of our nations after the vote. Pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our nations, that Church leaders will rise again, empowered to be bold, fearless and to speak with wisdom and authority into every level of society. Pray that the chorus of recent intercession ascended to heaven will bring about a situation that whatever the result, the atmosphere over these nations will be changed for the better, and permanently.
Scotland: After the vote
19 Sep 2014The question YES or NO will have far-reaching consequences, alienated communities, divided families and even separated church congregations. In a recent TV debate the candidates for both sides agreed on the need of justice and fairness but disagreed on how it could be achieved. In the coming months we can pray that there will no longer be us and them, only us in the communities that have recently become divided. The eyes of the world are on us, perhaps wondering how we deal with our differences.On Radio 4 Thought for the Day on Wednesday the Rev Lorna Hood suggested that we look at Jesus’s disciples. Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot were divided in their politics and opinions of how Jesus’s mission could be accomplished. Yet with His guidance they took God’s message of love and hope to the ends of the earth.
Make mental health bigger priority
18 Sep 2014Mental health needs to be more of a priority, with targets for waiting times and more protection for funding, says England's chief medical officer. Dame Sally Davies said there were signs that funding was being cut at a time when the cost to the economy was rising. Her annual report said mental illness led to the loss of 70 million working days last year - up 24% since 2009. As well as calling for greater emphasis on mental illness in the NHS, she also said employers could play a role too. She recommended they allowed people with mental health problems the option of flexible working to keep them in employment and maintaining regular contact during sickness leave. Overall, mental illness costs the economy between £70bn and £100bn in lost productivity, benefit payments and absence from work. In terms of NHS spending, it accounts for 13% of the budget despite causing 28% of illness.
A softer approach to tackling bad behaviour in schools could help reduce the number of young people not in education, work or training (Neets), it has been claimed. The so-called ‘restorative approach’ encourages pupils to talk about why they misbehave instead of excluding them. This has resulted in a 91% drop in the number of exclusions at one Monmouth school. Teachers said it changes attitudes. The scheme, being trialled in a number of Welsh secondary schools, has also resulted in a reduction in crime in some areas. At Fitzalan High School in Cardiff the approach has resulted in a significant drop in the number of days lost to pupil exclusions - from 1,000 three years ago to 112 days this year. Teacher Jane Holland Lloyd said the initiative helped pupils feel more involved.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, joined faith leaders and representatives from faith-based NGOs last week for a vigil showing solidarity with the people of Iraq and affirming the message that #WeAreAllHuman. Archbishop Welby joined Imam Ibrahim Mogra, Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner and Ayatollah Dr Sayed Fazel Milani at the vigil outside Westminster Abbey by the Innocent Victims Memorial. Speaking at the vigil, Archbishop Justin said he joined the other faith leaders in ‘unreservedly’ condemning the way that minority faith communities are being ‘wiped out’ in IS-controlled areas. ‘This must stop. We are all human,’ he said. ‘What we are seeing in Iraq violates brutally people’s right to freedom of religion and belief, as set out under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.’ The vigil was jointly organised by Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and World Jewish Relief in partnership with the Church of England, the Muslim Council of Britain and the Movement for Reform Judaism.
IPSO, the new Press regulator, begins work today with a commitment to be 'rigorous, independent, fair and transparent'. The Independent Press Standards Organisation, whose chairman is the retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Alan Moses, will oversee editorial standards for the majority of national and regional newspapers and magazines. It has far tougher rules than the previous regulator, the Press Complaints Commission. The watchdog will have the power to impose fines of up to £1million for serious and systemic wrongdoing and can require editors to publish up-front corrections. IPSO will also include a standards and compliance arm, with investigative powers to call editors to account. It will require all newspapers to have their own effective complaints-handling procedures. Sir Alan said: 'IPSO aims to help rebuild public trust in the Press through independent, fair and transparent regulation. Its role as an independent regulator is to provide support and redress for victims of Press abuse.