The Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill was given a second reading. The Bill contained a proposal to outlaw actions which incited religious hatred.
Source: Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 7 December 2004, columns 1044-1137, TSO | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 7 December 2004, columns 81-84WS, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | HOC Library research paper 1 (pdf) | HOC Library research paper 2 (pdf) | Hansard | Hansard (WMS) | Home Office press release | JUSTICE briefing (pdf) | Liberty briefing (pdf) | Methodist Church press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Dec
A report said that many Muslim women received inappropriate maternity care, putting them and their babies at risk. The most common complaints were about lack of privacy, and being treated by male doctors. Many problems were caused by a lack of understanding about the Muslim faith: but some were due to discrimination.
Source: Nasreen Ali with Helen Burchett, Experiences of Maternity Services: Muslim Women s Perspectives, Maternity Alliance (020 7490 7639)
Links: Report (pdf) | BBC report
Date: 2004-Dec
Two reports described the ideas of Muslims regarding their religion, their affiliation to Britain, and their experiences of discrimination. The reports were based on a nationwide survey, interviews and case studies.
Source: Saied Ameli and Arzu Merali, Dual Citizenship: British, Islamic or Both? - Obligation, recognition, respect and belonging, Islamic Human Rights Commission (020 8904 4222) | Saied Ameli, Manzur Elahi and Arzu Merali, Social Discrimination: Across the Muslim divide, Islamic Human Rights Commission
Links: IHRC press release (1) | IHRC press release (2) | Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Dec
A report examined British Muslims' feelings of loyalty and satisfaction with life in the United Kingdom, as well as their loyalty to their faith and religious laws. Almost 80 per cent of respondents saw little or no problem in combining British citizenship and Islamic values. Discrimination, poor media representation and British foreign policy were the main barriers to social cohesion.
Source: Saied Reza Ameli and Arzu Merali, Dual Citizenship: British, Islamic or Both?, Islamic Human Rights Commission (020 8904 4222)
Links: IHRC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
A report contained a survey of the theological issues the Church of England needed to consider as it decided whether or not to ordain women bishops.
Source: House of Bishops Working Party on Women in the Episcopate, Women Bishops in the Church of England? ('Rochester Report'), Church of England, available from Church House Publishing (020 7898 1451)
Links: Report (pdf) | C of E press release | Church Society press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
A report said that 15 per cent of people in Great Britain (8.6 million people) said they had no religion, according to the 2001 Census. 72 per cent of people (41 million) identified themselves as Christian, making it the largest religious group. Muslims were the second largest religious group (1.6 million) and the information provided by them shows a young, tightly clustered, and often disadvantaged, community.
Source: Focus on Religion, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Oct
The government launched the first non-statutory national framework to support the delivery of high-quality religious education in schools.
Source: Religious Education: The non-statutory national framework, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (020 7509 5555)
Links: Framework (pdf) | DfES press release
Date: 2004-Oct
A report examined ways of healing divisions within the Anglican Church on the ordination of gay bishops.
Source: Lambeth Commission on Communion, The Windsor Report 2004, Anglican Communion Office (020 7313 3900)
Links: Report (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Oct
A statistical compendium for the Church of England included new maps showing the geographical spread of infant baptism and of rural and city parishes, combined with attendance statistics for 2002.
Source: Church Statistics 2002, Church of England, available from Church House Publishing (020 7898 1451)
Links: Report (pdf) | C of E press release
Date: 2004-Sep
The government announced that new laws would be introduced to combat discrimination on the grounds of religion. The measures would outlaw religious discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities, services and premises.
Source: Press release 28 September 2004, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release | CRE press release | MCB press release
Date: 2004-Sep
The government announced plans to outlaw incitement to religious hatred. It said that religious and political extremists were a scourge of modern society, who preyed on the most vulnerable and insecure.
Source: Press release 7 July 2004, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release | MCB press release | Christian Institute press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
Muslim organisations published a position paper on education issues. It criticised slow progress on the creation of Muslim faith schools, and argued that separate schooling did not lead to social division. It also called for more single-sex schools, and for tax incentives for parents wishing to educate their children at home.
Source: Muslims on Education: A position paper, Association of Muslim Scientists (020 8948 9510) and others
Links: Paper (pdf) | Summary | Guardian report | Children Now report
Date: 2004-Jun
The Methodist Church published a report which explored the principles and practice of inter-faith relations.
Source: Faith Meeting Faith, Methodist Church (020 7467 5191)
Links: Methodist press release
Date: 2004-Jun
The High Court ruled that a Muslim schoolgirl in Luton did not have the right to wear the jilbab (traditional Islamic dress) to school. A Muslim organisation described the ruling as 'very worrying and objectionable'.
Source: Press release 15 June 2004, Muslim Council of Britain (020 8432 0585)
Links: MCB press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2004-Jun
A report said that the government deserved 'a degree of credit' for combating and reducing Islamophobia.
Source: Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia, Islamophobia: Issues, challenges and action, Trentham Books (01782 745567)
Links: Summary | MCB press release | Children Now report
Date: 2004-Jun
A report argued for a greater degree of separation between the state and the Church of England, while maintaining the Church s status as the national church in England. It advocated both the removal of political control over Church affairs - allowing it a degree of self-governance - and the removal of the bishops from the House of Lords and any successor body. It called for the creation of a United Kingdom Council of Faith, thus giving all faith groups both political recognition and a fair mechanism through which their voice could be heard at Westminster, and in society as a whole.
Source: Iain McLean and Benjamin Linsley, The Church of England and the State: Reforming establishment for a multi-faith Britain, New Politics Network (020 7278 4443)
Links: Review
Date: 2004-Jun
A report assessed the extent to which the activities of Church of Scotland congregations contributed to social capital in Scottish communities. It said that the churches needed to redefine their identity, in ways compatible with a highly diverse and unpredictable society.
Source: John Flint and Ade Kearns, The Role of Church of Scotland Congregations in Developing Social Capital in Scottish Communities: Enabling and cohesive or irrelevant and divisive?, CNR Paper 16, Centre for Neighbourhood Research (0141 330 5408)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-May
A report provided baseline data about faith communities in England and Wales. Almost 4 out of every 5 people expressed a religious affiliation. The largest number (74 per cent) described themselves as Christians. Muslims (2 per cent) and Hindus (1 per cent) were the largest of the remaining faith communities.
Source: Maria O Beirne, Religion in England and Wales: Findings from the 2001 Citizenship Survey, Research Study 274, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Study (pdf) | Home Office press release
Date: 2004-May
A report described a research project designed to see how support services could help to ensure that the religious needs of adults with learning disabilities were met.
Source: Chris Hatton, Susannah Turner, Robina Shah, Nabela Rahim and Julie Stansfield, Religious Expression, A Fundamental Human Right: Report of an action research project on meeting the religious needs of people with learning disabilities, Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities (020 7802 0300)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Apr
The High Court rejected a challenge to an exemption (in statutory regulations) that allowed a small number of religious organisations to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Source: The Queen on the application of: Amicus MSF Section, National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, UNISON, NASUWT, Public and Commercial Services Union, NURMT, NUT v. Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Christian Action Research Education, Evangelical Alliance and Christian Schools Alliance, High Court 26 April 2004
Links: Text of judgement | Stonewall press release
Date: 2004-Apr
An openly gay but celibate canon (Jeffrey John) was appointed to an important Church of England post as Dean of St Albans. He had previously been forced to resign as Bishop of Reading.
Source: The Guardian, 18 April 2004
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2004-Apr
The government announced (in the Budget) that it would pay grants to cover all the VAT on the repair and maintenance of listed places of worship.
Source: Prudence for a Purpose: A Britain of stability and strength - Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report, HC 301, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 17 March 2004, columns 321-336, TSO
Links: Report (pdf links) | HMT press releases | Budget speech | Methodist Church press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
A report highlighted how government departments could identify key policy areas which would benefit from faith communities experience, and said that faith communities should be able to work more closely with the government to build strong active communities and foster community development and civil renewal.
Source: Working Together: Co-operation between Government and Faith Communities, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Report (pdf) | Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
A Christian organisation said it had received legal advice that religious liberty would be threatened by the Gender Recognition Bill (which would give transsexual people legal recognition in their acquired gender), by taking away the right of churches to discriminate against transsexual people.
Source: Press release 26 March 2004, Christian Institute (0191 281 5664)
Links: Christian Institute press release | Text of legal opinion (pdf) | Church Society press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Mar
A think-tank report said that, as well as teaching children about different belief systems (including the major faiths, atheism, agnosticism and humanism), religious education in schools should also develop their ability to debate ethical dilemmas. The Catholic Church expressed its opposition.
Source: What is Religious Education For?: Getting the national framework right, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100) | Press release 19 February 2004, Catholic Church in England & Wales (020 7901 4875)
Links: Report (pdf) | IPPR seminar paper (pdf) | Catholic Church press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Feb
The average number of people attending Church of England services on Sundays declined by 4 per cent to 1,002,000, according to provisional figures for 2002. The average number of church attenders over a typical week fell by 3 per cent. However, the average number of children and young people attending church each month increased by 1 per cent, to 421,000.
Source: Statistics for Mission 2002 (Provisional), Church of England (020 7898 1000)
Links: Report (pdf) | C of E press release
Date: 2004-Jan