The UK has today brought into effect a law which marks forced marriage as a criminal offence. New legislation means that anyone found guilty of forcing another person into marriage in England and Wales faces a prison sentence of up to seven years, and the law also applies to British nationals forced into marriages without their consent abroad. A proposed change in law was first announced in 2012, when Prime Minister David Cameron declared: ‘Forced marriage is abhorrent and little more than slavery. To force anyone into marriage against their will is simply wrong.’ He continued: ‘I want to send a clear and strong message: forced marriage is wrong, illegal and will not be tolerated’. Home Secretary Theresa May, who has condemned forced marriage as ‘a tragedy for each and every victim’, has now welcomed the new legislation, saying the UK is at the forefront of the campaign to end the practice, which is particularly prevalent in South Asian cultures.

The Scottish NHS has written to parents saying that all future correspondence and medical reports about their children will be shared, without their consent, with a ‘Named Person’ appointed by the State to oversee their children’s interests, reports Christian Concern for our Nation. The Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill has been described as ‘sinister’ for introducing a 'Named Person' scheme to take effect in 2016, which it is claimed will potentially criminalise good parents and undermines the family. The Archbishop Cranmer blog makes the accusation and says SMPs have ‘effectively passed a bill which nullifies parental rights and endows the state with higher baby-sitting authority’ than parents.'

The Birmingham academy trust at the centre of the so-called 'Trojan Horse' allegations was accused of running schools that took the Islamic focus too far. A highly-critical report found a classroom culture which was not welcoming to non-Muslim pupils. It described a ‘madrassa curriculum’ in personal, social, health and economic lessons, and ‘posters written in Quranic Arabic in most of the classrooms visited’. Loudspeakers were used to broadcast the call to prayer and there were posters in classrooms encouraging children to begin lessons with a Muslim prayer. There were also claims of an inappropriate external speaker being brought in to talk to pupils. In RE lessons, the few pupils taking a Christian unit in the GCSE course, rather than the Islamic Studies paper, had to ‘teach themselves’ because the teacher had to concentrate on what the majority were studying. As far back as 2010 the Department for Education was warned that Muslim hardliners were trying to take control of Birmingham schools. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27476643

At this time of preparation for the Referendum, Members of the Scottish Parliament are hard pressed; keeping all their normal remit running, plus attending many extra husting meetings and trying to keep a life balance so that family is not neglected. Remember especially the front runners with the extra responsibility of every word weighed and reported in the Press. Intercessors at Pray For Scotland (who take a completely neutral stance) and whose prayer for the result of the Referendum is ‘God’s will be done in our Nation’ ask that we pray that leaders will arise who speak with authority, clarity and integrity. Christian members of the Scottish parliament include Dave Thompson, Nigel Don and John Mason (SNP); Ruth Davidson and Murdo Fraser (Conservative); Johann Lamont, Jacquie Bailie, and Anne McTaggart (Labour).