Under fire Christian school fights back on BBC Radio 4
A threatened Christian school has defended itself on BBC Radio 4, saying a critical Ofsted report ‘contradicts’ clear evidence. The Durham Free School is set to be closed after Education Secretary Nicky Morgan restated that its funding would be withdrawn. However, the leader of the governors at the school, John Denning, said the Ofsted report which led to the funding decision ‘contradicts a whole raft of evidence’. He also addressed accusations of bullying at the school, saying pupils who had been targeted elsewhere are happy at The Durham Free School. Answering questions on Friday’s Today programme, Denning said the school was taking legal advice. He commented that parts of the schools’ watchdog’s critical report were ‘inaccurate’ and ‘just plain wrong’. The flagship BBC radio programme also heard from parents who praised the school, with one saying the school was a ‘lifeline’ for her child.
Churches urged to get tech-savvy to tackle self-harming
Churches and youth workers are being encouraged to get up to speed with social media and the internet to support those who are self-harming. A new poll, commissioned in the run up to Self-Harm Awareness Day, has shed light on the number of 11-21 year olds exposed to online self-harm images. Organised by ChildLine, SelfharmUK, YoungMinds and YouthNet, the research found that over half of 11-14 year olds have either self-harmed themselves or know someone who has self-harmed, whilst eight out of every ten 18-21 year olds say they have self-harmed or know someone who has self-harmed. Speaking on Premier's News Hour, Rachel Welch called on those in churches to do more to understand what's happening so they can make a difference. She said: ‘They're all engaging with social media so it's critically important that youth workers and other people from within the church are using those same places. It's important we go to where the young people are.‘
Oxfordshire grooming victims may have totaled 373 children
As many as 373 children may have been targeted for sex by gangs of men in Oxfordshire in the last 16 years, a serious case review found. The investigation came after a sadistic sex gang of seven men were jailed in 2013 for abusing six girls in Oxford, between 2004 and 2012. Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council made ‘many errors’ in that case and could have acted sooner. A victim of the gang said the issue had been ‘swept under the carpet’. Of the 373 cases, the council said about 50 victims were boys. Speaking at a press conference, the chair of Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (OSCB) Maggie Blyth said: ‘What happened to the victims is deeply disturbing. It is shocking that these children were subjected to such appalling sexual exploitation for so long.’
Iran: A problem of nuclear proportions
On Monday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, reminding them of Iran’s support for terrorist organisations and its stated goal to destroy the Jewish State. He asked the crowd to ‘imagine what Iran would do with nuclear weapons.’ Shortly afterwards President Barack Obama disparaged his comments. On Tuesday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a much-anticipated speech to Congress regarding the Iranian nuclear deal. Again his comments revealed opposition to President Obama’s views. Meanwhile in Iran individuals in leadership positions are propagating poisonous agendas against the USA and Israel. An aide to Iran’s supreme leader vowed to 'raise the flag of Islam over the White House’ and said that taking over Washington would be part of a 'resistance front' in revenge for the deaths of members of the militant group Hezbollah.’ The USA is often mentioned in the same breath as Israel because of its financial and diplomatic support for the nation. See:
Nigeria: Boko Haram beheadings echoes IS
The Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram released a video on Monday showing militants beheading two men. It’s their first online posting using the advanced graphics and editing techniques associated with IS. Past Boko Haram films have been cruder, often featuring a man identified as the leader Abubakar Shekau discussing local gripes. The latest one preaches ‘global jihad.’ The footage will stoke concerns that Boko Haram, which evolved out of a clerical movement focused on north-east Nigeria, is expanding its scope and seeking inspiration from global militant networks including al-Qaida and IS. Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, said ‘Boko Haram is allied to both al-Qaida and IS’, though it has not been confirmed by the militants who have killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds in a drive to carve out an Islamist state in Nigeria.
Syria: Update on situation in north-east
Last week you prayed into a developing situation in north-east Syria involving the abduction of Assyrian Christians by Daesh. We are pleased to report that nineteen hostages were released on 1 March. However an estimated 200+ are still being held. The nineteen released were taken to the Church of Our Lady in Hassaka. Most are men and all are over fifty years old. There is speculation that an Islamic court ordered their release after 'tax payments' were made on their behalf. In the days following the abductions all sources increased their initial estimates of how many fled and how many were seized. Most sources now agree the number of abductees is over two hundred. The Assyrian Church of the East reported that fifty-one families escaped – but in fact they failed to escape. The number of families who have fled is expected to reach 1,200. Church leaders have appealed to the international community to redouble efforts to stop the killing and systematic displacement of Christians, and to promote a peaceful settlement in the region.
South Africa: Christian initiative to break debt cycle
A group of Christian leaders in the Eastern Free State town of Harrismith aim to help people get out of debt and into ‘a spacious financial space’ through an innovative programme that will provide interest free loans and financial mentoring. It’s called Fruits of Righteousness Programme. The vision is to empower the Body of Christ and to bring freedom in the financial sphere. Debt is a huge problem affecting many people in South Africa. After apartheid ended the international development community promoted the microcredit model to bring new jobs, incomes, empowerment and dignity to the poorest black communities and townships. However, the microcredit model has inflicted untold damage on the South African society. Unemployment is high, many of the poorest were forced to repay their microloan by selling household assets, borrowing from friends and family or taking out new microloans to repay old ones. Many are in chronic poverty. See also:
Afghanistan: Women’s shelters - legacy of the West in Afghanistan
A young woman running away from her Afghan village and an arranged marriage is comparable to crossing a busy street blindfolded - there is a strong likelihood that she will be killed for bringing shame on her family. Over the last decade about 20 emergency women’s shelters have sprung up. They have cared for and protected several thousand women across Afghanistan from abuse or death at the hands of their relatives. As the shelters have grown, so has the opposition of powerful conservative imams and the Afghan government. They see shelters as Western assaults on Afghan culture. As the Western presence in Afghanistan dwindles this clash of ideas of the place of women means many gains women made after 2001 are at risk. Although the Taliban’s harsh restrictions on women alienated many Afghans, the idea that women must submit to men remains widely held.
Laos: Pastors in prison for praying for the sick
Five church leaders in Laos were imprisoned last week for being ‘illegal doctors’ after they prayed for a sick woman who later died. They are currently in Savannakhet Provincial Prison serving a nine months sentence. They were also fined for emotional damages and forced to pay for funeral expenses. On the day the woman died, her family received permission from the village chief to hold a Christian burial ceremony on private property. (Christians are denied burial rights in village cemeteries). However the chief suddenly reversed his decision and banned the burial ceremony until the family recanted their Christian faith, which they refused to do. Laos is a landlocked country surrounded by Burma, the People's Republic of China, Vietnam and Thailand to the west. It is ruled by a Marxist and communist government. Its population was estimated to be around 6.8 million in July 2014 and 3.1% is Christian.
Global: Racism and equality
Following unrest in Ferguson in America when an unarmed black man was killed by a white police officer, an inquiry reported that black residents routinely have their constitutional rights violated through unjustified arrests, traffic stops and other actions carried out by a racially biased police department. But USA is not the only country that needs to crack down on racism. In France recently a mayor was in a racism row after a dead Roma baby was refused a cemetery place. The Telegraph reported this week that British Sikhs are often the silent victims of backlash against Islamic extremism. In Russia a report by two anti-discrimination organizations said there had been more than 200 cases of discriminatory behaviour linked to Russian soccer over two seasons, while English police are probing reports of soccer fans' racism on trains and in Switzerland UEFA has charged Feyenoord with racist behaviour by fans. See also