(UK) Gender divide in Islamic school + Kim Davis must pay + A church for every estate

[C C]

(UK) School's lunch gender segregation 'in name of religion' blasted
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi...h-15766098

INTRO: A Birmingham MP has hit out at an Islamic school in the city which is still NOT allowing girls to eat their lunch until boys have finished. Khalid Mahmood said he was "astonished" during a segment on talkRADIO's breakfast show on Friday.

Al-Hijrah in Bordseley Green has been told in strong terms that its continued practice of segregating older boys and girls on faith grounds is against the law. The school received a letter from Ofsted in October stating that it was operating an "unlawful discriminatory policy” among secondary students.It was ordered to stop the unlawful practice by the Court of Appeal in 2017.

"They're supposed to be providing a good, sound education for young people, not restrict their horizons," Mr Mahmood said. Young women should "not be oppressed", Mr Mahmood added, before suggesting the school was taking children "backwards".

talkRADIO presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer she said that if the scenario was replaced with black children and white children, it would have been "dealt with three minutes after it happened". "If they were segregating and they were saying all the black children have to wait until the white children have eaten, that would be dealt with thr minutes after it happened," she said. "That would be going to court, people would be prosecuted, people would be out of their jobs. Why are we so slow to act when it involves girls? Is it because we give a free pass to religion?".

Mr Mahmood replied: "I think we do, and this is a big issue." "There are far too many of these schools given licenses to operate and I think we have to get much more stringent about looking at the curriculums they provide and the way that they do it."

MORE: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi...h-15766098

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(US) Kim Davis may be forced to pay $225,000 over gay marriage licence battle
https://www.christiantoday.com/us/kim-da...131628.htm

INTRO: Kim Davis, the Christian clerk jailed after refusing to issue same-sex marriage licences, may be forced to pay $225,000 in legal and court fees incurred by gay couples suing her. Despite publicly praising her, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said she should pay the costs and has lodged an appeal against a court order putting the financial burden on the state's taxpayers.

'Davis represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky when she refused to issue marriage licenses to legally eligible couples. The buck stops there,' wrote US District Judge David Bunning. The case was being heard at the US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Thursday. In his appeal, Bevin said Davis had broken the law in refusing to issue the marriage licences to gay couples and that Kentucky's taxpayers 'should not have to collectively bear the financial responsibility for Davis' intransigence'.

MORE: https://www.christiantoday.com/us/kim-da...131628.htm

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(UK) New plans to plant church in every housing estate in the country
https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Ne...he-country

RELEASE: At the General Synod on 20th-23rd February, the church will discuss a motion which will acknowledge that there has historically been a marginalisation of people in social housing by both the church and the state. Plans drafted by the Estates Evangelism Task Group reveal a desire to change this and 'see a serving, loving and worshipping Christian community on every significant social housing estate in the country'.

The church will discuss urging every diocese to build ministries in estates and involve the residents in their mission strategies, such as considering where they plant churches or deploy clergy to.

Speaking to Premier about this vision, Reverend Helen Shannon, who is part of the Estate Evangelism task group, said they were looking particularly at estates that had around 500 houses in: "If you look at parishes in the Church of England, those make up a fifth of the parishes. Nearly 50% of the population live actually in those parishes but out of those parishes there is only a third whose church building is actually on or near the estate. In London you can have a succesful church...impacting the community, seeing social transformation but actually they're not impacting the estate down the road. And so I think that's where our feeling for 'sent-ness' comes from - that actually we have to go to those communities that can be isolated within great pockets of wealth. We can't just sit and wait for people to come to us."

###

[Magical Realist]

Kim Davis needs to pay every penny back to the courts for her stupid stunt.

[Syne]

One of the first acts of newly elected Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin was an executive order to remove clerks' names from the state marriage licenses. Bevin expressed his hope on November 6, 2015, that the executive order will protect the religious beliefs of officials who are opposed to gay marriage.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Davis#...and_issues

It's the state's fault for instituting a law that potentially violates religious freedom without defining a means to avoid that dilemma. Lack of foresight by the state means the state should pay. This moral conviction is no more a "stunt" than someone refusing to makes a swastika cake or perform female genital mutilation. So you can only call it such, with any moral/intellectual consistency, if you would force people to do the latter two, if legal. And if you would force people to violate their conscience, you're a fascist.

[RainbowUnicorn]

(UK) School's lunch gender segregation 'in name of religion' blasted
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi...h-15766098

INTRO: A Birmingham MP has hit out at an Islamic school in the city which is still NOT allowing girls to eat their lunch until boys have finished. Khalid Mahmood said he was "astonished" during a segment on talkRADIO's breakfast show on Friday.

Al-Hijrah in Bordseley Green has been told in strong terms that its continued practice of segregating older boys and girls on faith grounds is against the law. The school received a letter from Ofsted in October stating that it was operating an "unlawful discriminatory policy” among secondary students.It was ordered to stop the unlawful practice by the Court of Appeal in 2017.

"They're supposed to be providing a good, sound education for young people, not restrict their horizons," Mr Mahmood said. Young women should "not be oppressed", Mr Mahmood added, before suggesting the school was taking children "backwards".

talkRADIO presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer she said that if the scenario was replaced with black children and white children, it would have been "dealt with three minutes after it happened". "If they were segregating and they were saying all the black children have to wait until the white children have eaten, that would be dealt with thr minutes after it happened," she said. "That would be going to court, people would be prosecuted, people would be out of their jobs. Why are we so slow to act when it involves girls? Is it because we give a free pass to religion?".

Mr Mahmood replied: "I think we do, and this is a big issue." "There are far too many of these schools given licenses to operate and I think we have to get much more stringent about looking at the curriculums they provide and the way that they do it."

MORE: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi...h-15766098

---

(US) Kim Davis may be forced to pay $225,000 over gay marriage licence battle
https://www.christiantoday.com/us/kim-da...131628.htm

INTRO: Kim Davis, the Christian clerk jailed after refusing to issue same-sex marriage licences, may be forced to pay $225,000 in legal and court fees incurred by gay couples suing her. Despite publicly praising her, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said she should pay the costs and has lodged an appeal against a court order putting the financial burden on the state's taxpayers.

'Davis represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky when she refused to issue marriage licenses to legally eligible couples. The buck stops there,' wrote US District Judge David Bunning. The case was being heard at the US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Thursday. In his appeal, Bevin said Davis had broken the law in refusing to issue the marriage licences to gay couples and that Kentucky's taxpayers 'should not have to collectively bear the financial responsibility for Davis' intransigence'.

MORE: https://www.christiantoday.com/us/kim-da...131628.htm

---

(UK) New plans to plant church in every housing estate in the country
https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Ne...he-country

RELEASE: At the General Synod on 20th-23rd February, the church will discuss a motion which will acknowledge that there has historically been a marginalisation of people in social housing by both the church and the state. Plans drafted by the Estates Evangelism Task Group reveal a desire to change this and 'see a serving, loving and worshipping Christian community on every significant social housing estate in the country'.

The church will discuss urging every diocese to build ministries in estates and involve the residents in their mission strategies, such as considering where they plant churches or deploy clergy to.

Speaking to Premier about this vision, Reverend Helen Shannon, who is part of the Estate Evangelism task group, said they were looking particularly at estates that had around 500 houses in: "If you look at parishes in the Church of England, those make up a fifth of the parishes. Nearly 50% of the population live actually in those parishes but out of those parishes there is only a third whose church building is actually on or near the estate. In London you can have a succesful church...impacting the community, seeing social transformation but actually they're not impacting the estate down the road. And so I think that's where our feeling for 'sent-ness' comes from - that actually we have to go to those communities that can be isolated within great pockets of wealth. We can't just sit and wait for people to come to us."

###

talkRADIO presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer she said that if the scenario was replaced with black children and white children, it would have been "dealt with three minutes after it happened". "If they were segregating and they were saying all the black children have to wait until the white children have eaten, that would be dealt with thr minutes after it happened," she said. "That would be going to court, people would be prosecuted, people would be out of their jobs. Why are we so slow to act when it involves girls? Is it because we give a free pass to religion?".

or rich and poor
making all the poor children wait for the rich children to eat their lunch first and sit in a different area.

[Zinjanthropos]

One of the first acts of newly elected Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin was an executive order to remove clerks' names from the state marriage licenses. Bevin expressed his hope on November 6, 2015, that the executive order will protect the religious beliefs of officials who are opposed to gay marriage.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Davis#...and_issues

It's the state's fault for instituting a law that potentially violates religious freedom without defining a means to avoid that dilemma. Lack of foresight by the state means the state should pay. This moral conviction is no more a "stunt" than someone refusing to makes a swastika cake or perform female genital mutilation. So you can only call it such, with any moral/intellectual consistency, if you would force people to do the latter two, if legal. And if you would force people to violate their conscience, you're a fascist.

I would think Ms Davis is no less a victim of religion then the people she refused to grant licences to. The snowball effect of belief. Start with one, keep adding more to it, and this is what you get.....FUBAR

[Syne]

One of the first acts of newly elected Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin was an executive order to remove clerks' names from the state marriage licenses. Bevin expressed his hope on November 6, 2015, that the executive order will protect the religious beliefs of officials who are opposed to gay marriage.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Davis#...and_issues

It's the state's fault for instituting a law that potentially violates religious freedom without defining a means to avoid that dilemma. Lack of foresight by the state means the state should pay. This moral conviction is no more a "stunt" than someone refusing to makes a swastika cake or perform female genital mutilation. So you can only call it such, with any moral/intellectual consistency, if you would force people to do the latter two, if legal. And if you would force people to violate their conscience, you're a fascist.

I would think Ms Davis is no less a victim of religion then the people she refused to grant licences to. The snowball effect of belief. Start with one, keep adding more to it, and this is what you get.....FUBAR

That just sounds like anti-religious bias. You know, the same justification fascists would use to deny people freedom of religion. If you can't see how forcing anyone to violate their own conscience is wrong, maybe a conscience isn't in your wheelhouse of experience. If you were drafted to fight in a war, would you consider it wrong to be ordered, under threat of prison, to murder children? Same thing. You being forced to do what you consider wrong is evil and fascist.

[Zinjanthropos]

That just sounds like anti-religious bias. You know, the same justification fascists would use to deny people freedom of religion. If you can't see how forcing anyone to violate their own conscience is wrong, maybe a conscience isn't in your wheelhouse of experience. If you were drafted to fight in a war, would you consider it wrong to be ordered, under threat of prison, to murder children? Same thing. You being forced to do what you consider wrong is evil and fascist.

You’re saying she is a victim too then. Call it ‘of fascism’ if you want.

[Syne]

That just sounds like anti-religious bias. You know, the same justification fascists would use to deny people freedom of religion. If you can't see how forcing anyone to violate their own conscience is wrong, maybe a conscience isn't in your wheelhouse of experience. If you were drafted to fight in a war, would you consider it wrong to be ordered, under threat of prison, to murder children? Same thing. You being forced to do what you consider wrong is evil and fascist.

You’re saying she is a victim too then. Call it ‘of fascism’ if you want.

No, I won't call religion fascism. But I will point out the fascism against religious freedom.

Are you cool with forcing people to violate their conscience?

[Zinjanthropos]

Are you cool with forcing people to violate their conscience?

Hahaha....I’m cool with being casual. If you allow your conscience to be violated, are you a victim of force?

[Syne]

Are you cool with forcing people to violate their conscience?

Hahaha....I’m cool with being casual. If you allow your conscience to be violated, are you a victim of force?

If you vote for people wanting to punish others for following their conscience, you are one of those applying force.
In a free society, no one should have to choose between their conscience and freedom.