A think-tank report examined the role of faith in the public arena; the benefits that faith had given society as a whole; and why faith would play an increasingly significant role in public life. It identified three trends supporting the importance of faith: the return of civil society, the pursuit of happiness, and the politics of identity.
Source: Nick Spencer, 'Doing God': A future for faith in the public square, Theos (020 7828 7777)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Dec
A think-tank report said that Muslims who chose to live in Western societies had to accept the values of liberal democracy.
Source: Caroline Cox and John Marks, The West, Islam and Islamism: Is ideological Islam compatible with liberal democracy?, Civitas (020 7401 5470)
Links: Civitas press release
Date: 2006-Dec
A paper said that people were more likely to attend religious services if their grandparents did (after controlling for attendance by their parents).
Source: David Voas, The Inter-generational Transmission of Churchgoing, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: ESRC press release
Date: 2006-Dec
The Prime Minister said that Muslims had a 'duty to integrate' into British society, and warned them they could not be allowed to override the country's 'core values' of democracy, tolerance, and respect for the law.
Source: Speech by Tony Blair MP (Prime Minister), 8 December 2006
Links: Text of speech | Downing Street press release | BBC report | Guardian report | FT report
Date: 2006-Dec
The number of offences in Scotland reported by the police which had a religious aggravation increased by 55 per cent between June-December 2003 and June-December 2004.
Source: Kathleen Doyle, Use of Section 74 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003: Religiously Aggravated Reported Crime - An 18 month review, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | SE press release
Date: 2006-Nov
A paper said that faith schools had only a very small effect on pupil educational progression in primary school, this effect being between zero and under 1 percentile on test scores at age 11, conditional on scores at age 7.
Source: Stephen Gibbons and Olmo Silva, Faith Primary Schools: Better Schools or Better Pupils?, DP72, Centre for the Economics of Education/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Date: 2006-Nov
An official report brought together Census statistics on the key demographic, geographic, household, and labour market differences between the main ethnic and religious groups in Great Britain. It analyzed the racial and religious mix of every local authority in England and Wales, based on the likelihood that two people selected at random would belong to different ethnic groups.
Source: Joy Dobbs, Hazel Green and Linda Zealey (eds.), Focus on Ethnicity and Religion: 2006 edition, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Report | ONS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Oct
A think-tank report examined the role of community groups that attended to the needs of particular faith or minority ethnic groups. These groups played an essential part in building bridges between minority communities and wider opportunities within their area, as well as helping to break down the barriers caused by prejudice and discrimination. Rather than being viewed with scepticism or doubt, they should be made part of the wider framework of public services and government, without losing the independence in which much of their credibility rested.
Source: Hannah Lownsbrough, Change Within: The role of black and minority ethnic community organisations, Demos, available from Central Books (020 8986 5488)
Date: 2006-Oct
The government announced that it would bring forward an amendment to the Education and Inspections Bill, in order to enable local authorities to ensure that up to 25 per cent of places in new faith schools were open to families of different or no faith where there was a local demand. But it dropped the amendment after it was rejected by the House of Lords.
Source: Press release 18 October 2006, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release | BHA press release | BBC report | Guardian report | FT report
Date: 2006-Oct
A report said that policy-makers in government, and activists in the voluntary and community sectors, needed to recognize and acknowledge the contribution made by people of faith to rural community vibrancy.
Source: Richard Farnell, Jill Hopkinson, David Jarvis, Jeremy Martineau and Jane Ricketts Hein, Faith in Rural Communities: Contributions of social capital to community vibrancy, ACORA Publishing (024 7685 3060)
Links: Report | Summary | C of E press release
Date: 2006-Oct
A report said that more needed to be done to support those in Northern Ireland wishing to live in mixed communities, where Protestants, Catholics, and ethnic minorities lived together in relative harmony.
Source: Jonny Byrne, Ulf Hansson and John Bell, Shared Living: Mixed residential communities in Northern Ireland, Institute for Conflict Research (028 9074 2682)
Links: Report | ICR press release
Date: 2006-Oct
A report said that many Muslim women experienced economic exclusion, and were prevented from using the skills that they had or from getting advice to find challenging and fulfilling jobs. Many also reported - particularly those who wore the hijab - that they felt they were stereotyped by prospective employers.
Source: Engaging with Muslim Women, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | DCLG press release | Personnel Today report
Date: 2006-Sep
A report said that million people left the Church of England in the period 1998-2005, a much slower rate of decline than in the 1990s. One major reason for this slowing decline was a considerable increase in ethnic minority churchgoers, especially black people.
Source: Peter Brierley, Pulling Out Of The Nose Dive, Christian Research (020 8294 1989)
Links: Christian Research press release
Date: 2006-Sep
A report by a cross-party group of MPs said that urgent action was needed to deal with the growing incidence of anti-semitism.
Source: Report by All Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism, reported in The Guardian, 7 September 2006
Links: Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2006-Sep
An article examined the relationship between religion, education, and social mobility in Scotland. In younger cohorts, there was no religious difference in social status, whereas in older cohorts Catholics were generally of lower status than Protestants and the non-religious.
Source: Lindsay Paterson and Cristina Iannelli, 'Religion, social mobility and education in Scotland', British Journal of Sociology, Volume 57 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Sep
A study found that Muslim pupils in East Lancashire were much more liberal and tolerant than their white counterparts. The study was conducted as part of the Burnley Project, a two-year investigation, funded by the government, in the wake of the riots in Burnley in 2001.
Source: Press release September 2006, Lancaster University (01524 65201)
Links: Lancaster University press release
Date: 2006-Sep
A think-tank report said that the government s main partners in the Muslim community were drawn from the Islamic religious right, rather than the moderate mainstream.
Source: Martin Bright, When Progressives Treat with Reactionaries: The British state s flirtation with radical Islamism, Policy Exchange (020 7340 2650)
Links: Report | MCB press release
Date: 2006-Jul
A new book examined how the events of 11 September 2001 and the subsequent war on terror had affected the lives of British South Asian Muslims. British Muslims had had to face urgent issues of Islamophobia, gender, identity, and media representation.
Source: Tahir Abbas (ed.), Muslim Britain: Communities under pressure, Zed Books (020 7837 4014)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Jul
The government published a progress report on implementation of the recommendations of the 'Preventing Extremism Together' working groups. It highlighted projects focusing on Muslim women and young people, and work aimed at tackling alienation and strengthening civic structures in the Muslim community.
Source: Preventing Extremism Together: Progress Report, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Hansard
Date: 2006-Jul
A report examined the changing attitudes of young Muslims towards radical Islam, and the "war on terror", in the light of British government policy.
Source: Hugh Barnes, 'Born in the UK': Young Muslims in Britain, Foreign Policy Centre (020 7388 6662)
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jul
The government said that it accepted the principle of an amendment to the Education and Inspections Bill giving school pupils aged 16 and above a legal right to absent themselves from collective worship.
Source: House of Lords Hansard, Debate 18 July 2006, columns 1125-1276, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jul
The main Churches issued a statement which said that secondary schools were failing to hold daily acts of collective worship, and so limiting pupils' "spiritual and moral" development.
Source: The Churches and Collective Worship in Schools, Church of England (020 7898 1326) and others
Links: Statement | BBC report | TES report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jun
A report said that the rationale for faith group involvement in civil renewal initiatives was not always clear. It examined how, and to what extent, faith motivated people to get involved in civil renewal, and what sort of support they might need.
Source: Vivien Lowndes and Greg Smith, Faith-based Voluntary Action, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jun
A report examined Muslims? experiences and expectations of the law. There was a widespread feeling that the law neither recognized nor protected Muslims, and that it was hostile to Muslims as a result of their faith.
Source: Saied Ameli, Beena Faridi, Karin Lindahl and Arzu Merali, Law and British Muslims: Domination of the majority or process of balance?, Islamic Human Rights Commission (020 8904 4222)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-May
A report said that mosques in Britain provided a "remarkable range" of social welfare and educational services, and often served as an essential focal point through which many disadvantaged people accessed services.
Source: Shafiur Rahman, Syed Tohel Ahmed and Shaynul Khan, Voices from the Minarets: Empower not control, Muslim Council of Britain (020 8432 0585)
Links: Report | MCB press release
Date: 2006-May
A study examined the nature and extent of relations between the Church of England and the British state. Although the church-state relationship had greatly changed over the years, what remained was more than an inconsiderable residue.
Source: Frank Cranmer, John Lucas and Bob Morris, Church and State: A Mapping Exercise, Constitution Unit/University of London, available from Imprint Academic (01392 841600)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Apr
A report examined the evidence base relating to the demographic, socio-economic, and cultural characteristics of 'emerging' faith communities - specifically the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh populations - together with likely future trends within them.
Source: James Beckford, Richard Gale, David Owen, Ceri Peach and Paul Weller, Review of the Evidence Base on Faith Communities, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Apr
A survey examined action taken by Christian churches in England on child protection. 15 per cent of those surveyed did not use criminal records checks for new children's workers.
Source: Churches, Children and Child Protection, Churches' Child Protection Advisory Service (0845 120 4550)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Apr
A report said that the Muslim community was in denial about possible child abuse in its religious schools ('madrasas'), and that the 100,000 pupils did not have appropriate legal protection.
Source: Ghayasuddin Siddiqui et al., Child Protection in Faith-Based Environments, Muslim Parliament of Great Britain (020 8563 1995)
Links: Report | MPGB press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report examined how far faith communities should engage with government agendas, and what they could contribute to forging links with others engaged in the process. Faith communities of all kinds were creating valuable bridges and links across society: but they could do more if internal and external obstacles to development were overcome.
Source: Robert Furbey, Adam Dinham, Richard Farnell, Doreen Finneron and Guy Wilkinson et al., Faith as Social Capital: Connecting or dividing?, Policy Press for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Report | JRF Findings | JRF press release
Date: 2006-Mar
The Law Lords ruled in favour of a school which excluded a Muslim pupil for wearing a traditional 'jilbab' gown in contravention of the school uniform policy. It overruled a Court of Appeal ruling that the girl had the right to manifest her religion. It said the rules laid down were reasonable, and acceptable to mainstream Muslim opinion.
Source: R (on the application of Begum (by her litigation friend, Rahman)) v. Headteacher and Governors of Denbigh High School, UKHL 15 (Session 2005-06), House of Lords Judicial Office (020 7219 3111)
Links: Text of judgement | IHRC press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar
The government announced that the Lord Chancellor would retain his powers of ecclesiastical patronage - and that they would not (as previously proposed) revert to the Crown, acting through the Prime Minister.
Source: House of Lords Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 30 March 2006, column 116WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard
Date: 2006-Mar
A report examined the factors which had led to the radicalization of Islam in Britain.
Source: Anthony McRoy, From Rushdie to 7/7: The radicalisation of Islam in Britain, Social Affairs Unit (020 7637 4356)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Mar
A study reportedly found that Church primary schools in England were less likely than local authority schools to admit children from poorer homes.
Source: Chris Waterman, Natural Selection?, Institute for Research in Integrated Strategies: reported in The Guardian, 13 February 2006
Links: Guardian report | BBC report | Children Now report
Date: 2006-Feb
The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 was given Royal assent. The Act provided for a new offence of incitement to religious hatred - applying where threatening words or behaviour were used by someone who intended to stir up hatred against a group of people defined by reference to religious belief or lack of religious belief.
Source: Racial and Religious Hatred Act, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | MCB press release
Date: 2006-Feb
The government issued a joint statement with faith communities on the importance of religious education. It said that schools with a religious designation should teach not only their own faith but also an awareness of the tenets of other faiths.
Source: Statement 22 February 2006, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288) and other bodies
Links: Text of statement
Date: 2006-Feb
A report sought to develop a model of faith group involvement in civil renewal.
Source: Vivien Lowndes and Rachael Chapman, Faith, Hope and Clarity: Developing a model of faith group involvement in civil renewal, Active Citizenship Centre/Home Office (duncan.prime@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk)
Date: 2006-Jan
A Church of England working party report proposed arrangements aimed at both permitting women to become bishops and at preserving the maximum amount of unity within the Church. The arrangements would meet the essential needs of those who could not accept that women should be bishops, while avoiding the creation of any new jurisdiction, diocese, or province within the Church.
Source: Women in the Episcopate: The Guildford Group Report, Church of England (020 7898 1326)
Links: Report | C of E press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan