Around half of teachers polled in a recent survey want religious symbols banned from British schools (unsurprisngly reported as a ‘ban on headscarves’ by The Torygraph).
Banning ‘religious symbols’ is, generally, a waste of time.
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thabet
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Fatemeh
A Moroccan lawyer is suing a Salafi Islamist leader for issuing a fatwa that permits marrying off nine-year-old girls. The lawyer is charging Al Maghrawi of violating the laws of the country encouraging the sexual violation of children. He also charged him of defaming Islam with such fatwas.
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thabet
A new campaign group, Accord, has been launched to “stop state-funded faith schools from discriminating against students and teachers on the grounds of religion”. Accord includes (progressive) Christian, Hindu and Jewish groups and individuals as well humanist and secular campaigners. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers also backs Accord. I expect Simon Barrow of Ekklesia will be one of the main figures campaigning for the group.
The opening shots in this battle have been fired over the past week by Accord’s opponents, including Christian and Jewish representatives who say criticisms of faith schools do a “disservice to the huge value that faith schools add to our state education sector and the extent of appreciation that parents and students have for these schools”.
No word, yet, from any of the main Muslim groups.
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thabet
From the home of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques: Saudi Arabia has deported 13 Afghan children between the ages of 5 and 11, forcing them to leave their parents behind.
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thabet
A court in Saudi Arabia is “reported to be preparing to hear a plea for divorce from an eight-year-old girl who has been married off to a man in his 50s”.
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thabet
8-year-old Yemeni girl asks for divorce in court.
Follow up: Yemeni Parliament refuses to legislate minimum age for marriage.
