A think-tank report examined the relationship between religion and law in Britain.
Source: Nick Spencer (ed.), Religion and Law, Theos
Date: 2012-Dec
Key statistics were released from the 2011 Census in Northern Ireland. One-sixth (17 per cent) of the usually resident population either had no religion or did not state one. The prevalence rates for the main religions were: Catholic (41 per cent); Presbyterian (19 per cent); Church of Ireland (14 per cent); Methodist (3 per cent); other Christian or Christian-related denominations (5.8 per cent); and other religions and philosophies (0.8 per cent). In total 48 per cent were either Protestant or had been brought up Protestant, a drop of 5 per cent from the 2001 Census.
Source: Census 2011: Key Statistics for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Links: Report | NISRA press release | Evangelical Alliance press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Dec
An article examined how engagement with Muslims by the state had been conducted under the government's counter-radicalization 'Prevent' agenda. The coalition government's new Prevent strategy operated with a much thinner conception of engagement than under the previous Labour government, and stipulated that Prevent and cohesion work would be kept separate. This new strategy signalled less community engagement and a hardened line on the types of Muslim groups that could be engaged with. However, local actors driven by operational or normative concerns were pursuing somewhat different objectives, often outside central funding streams. Such unintentional localism might sustain more participatory and inclusive modes of engagement with Muslims.
Source: Therese O'Toole, Daniel Nilsson DeHanas, and Tariq Modood, 'Balancing tolerance, security and Muslim engagement in the United Kingdom: the impact of the "Prevent" agenda', Critical Studies on Terrorism, Volume 5 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
A second set of key statistics were published from the March 2011 Census for England and Wales:
• The resident population was 56.1 million, a 7 per cent (3.7 million) increase since 2001. 55 per cent (2.1 million) of this increase was due to net migration.
•The number of residents who stated that their religion was Christian decreased from 72 per cent (37.3 million) in 2001 to 59 per cent (33.2 million) in 2011. The size of the group who stated that they had no religious affiliation increased by 10 percentage points from 15 per cent (7.7 million) in 2001 to 25 per cent (14.1 million) in 2011.
• Most residents of England and Wales belonged to the white ethnic group (86 per cent, 48.2 million) in 2011, a decrease from 91.3 per cent in 2001 and 94.1 per cent in 1991.
• Of the 13 per cent (7.5 million) of residents who had been born outside the United Kingdom, just over half (3.8 million) had arrived in the previous 10 years.
• 64 per cent (14.9 million) of households owned their own home in 2011, down 4 percentage points since 2001.
• In 2011 there were more people with level 4 or above qualifications (such as a Bachelor's degree) (27 per cent, 12.4 million) than with no qualifications (23 per cent, 10.3 million).
Source: 2011 Census: Key Statistics for England and Wales, March 2011, Office for National Statistics
Links: Report (key statistics) | Report (religion) | Report (ethnicity) | ONS press release | BHA press release | Carers UK press release | Catholic Church press release | C of E press release | Evangelical Alliance press release | Methodist Church press release | Migration Watch press release | NSS press release | OCSI briefing (housing) | RSS press release | Runnymede Trust blog post | Theos press release | BBC report | Daily Mail report | Ekklesia report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Guardian report (3) | Inside Housing report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Dec
A paper examined the recent decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in the 'headscarf' cases. These decisions had been widely criticized as adopting a militantly secularist approach to the presence of Islamic religious symbols in the public sphere: but the headscarf cases turned less on the balance between state neutrality and religious belief than on an understanding of certain religious symbols as a threat to public order and as harbingers of sectarian strife that undermined democracy.
Source: Nehal Bhuta, Two Concepts of Religious Freedom in the European Court of Human Rights, Working Paper Law 2012/33, European University Institute (Florence)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Dec
A new book provided a comprehensive review of research in the area of sexuality and religion.
Source: Stephen Hunt and Andrew Yip (eds), The Ashgate Research Companion to Contemporary Religion and Sexuality, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Dec
A new book examined the contrast in contemporary Europe between relatively high levels of secularity on the one hand, and the marked resurgence of religion in public debates on the other.
Source: Peter Cumper and Tom Lewis (eds), Religion, Rights and Secular Society: European perspectives, Edward Elgar Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Dec
A think-tank report said that the traditional division of people into religious and non-religious camps was unsustainable. Britain was marked by religious and spiritual pluralism rather than by secularism. Over one-third of people who never attended a religious service expressed a belief in God or a 'Higher Power', nearly one-quarter of atheists believed in a human soul, and around one-fifth of non-religious people believed in the supernatural powers of deceased ancestors.
Source: Nick Spencer and Holly Weldin, Post-Religious Britain? The faith of the faithless, Theos
Date: 2012-Nov
An article examined individual combinations of religious believing and belonging in Europe from a cross-national and longitudinal perspective. In western societies, the popularity of secularity and consistent religiosity had persisted. In former communist societies, the popularity of consistent religiosity had increased whereas secularity had decreased. A crucial hypothesis derived from modernization theories, stating that financial and social security would decrease consistent religiosity, was empirically supported.
Source: Jan Reitsma, Ben Pelzer, Peer Scheepers, and Hans Schilderman, 'Believing and belonging in Europe: cross-national comparisons of longitudinal trends (1981 2007) and determinants', European Societies, Volume 14 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
A new book examined the integration of Muslim communities within European societies.
Source: W Cole Durham, David Kirkham, and Tore Lindholm, Islam and Political-Cultural Europe, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Nov
An article examined the work of local faith-based organizations (FBOs). Practitioners, policy-makers, and FBOs needed to work together to establish foundations for productive partnership working into the future; and best practice needed to be shared, and support given, to help FBOs to establish robust governance structures.
Source: Hannah Lambie-Mumford and David Jarvis, 'Building better neighbourhoods? Insights into the contributions of local faith-based organisations', Voluntary Sector Review, Volume 3 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
A small-scale review examined previous research on child abuse linked to faith or belief.
Source: Antonia Simon, Hanan Hauari, Katie Hollingworth, and John Vorhaus, A Rapid Literature Review of Evidence on Child Abuse Linked to Faith or Belief, Working Paper 15, Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Oct
An article said that despite the many positive aspects of the case law on religious freedom that had emerged from the European Court of Human Rights, the Court had not provided an adequate protection of individual religious or moral identity, especially when it was expressed in particular actions in ordinary life, beyond traditional expressions of religiosity such as rites or preaching.
Source: Javier Martinez-Torron, 'The (un)protection of individual religious identity in the Strasbourg case law', Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, Volume 1 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined public feelings towards religious groups, using thermometer scores from nationally representative survey data. There were common factors underlying less positive feelings towards religious groups. These included being male, holding no or lower-level qualifications, supporting a minor political party or having no partisan attachment, and lower levels of political engagement. Age, religious affiliation, personal importance of religion, and ideological beliefs showed a more complex set of relationships with feelings towards religious groups.
Source: Ben Clements, 'The sources of public feelings towards religious groups in Britain: the role of social factors, religious characteristics, and political attitudes', Journal of Contemporary Religion, Volume 27 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined the 'faith schools debate'. The author said that the continuing existence of a distinctive dual system of educational provision in England, of which the Catholic sector was a paradigm, provided a bulwark against a creeping tide of 'weak pluralism', in which societal attitudes that once championed legislation supporting minority communities now seem to be leaning towards marginalizing or even suppressing the contribution of such groups to the common good.
Source: Andrew Morris, 'Faith schools and the plural society: exploring notions of diversity in school provision in England', Policy Futures in Education, Volume 10 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
A new book examined the role played by faith-based organisations in the provision of social services to combat poverty and exclusion in cities across Europe.
Source: Justin Beaumont and Paul Cloke (eds), Faith-Based Organisations and Exclusion in European Cities, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined the role of state-funded Catholic schools in debates about the causes and manifestations of sectarianism in Scotland. It highlighted the need to recognize the specific social, spatial, and political contexts (both national and local) within which faith schools were situated. Educational policy responses to sectarianism in Scotland had focused on disrupting the spatial ordering of faith schools.
Source: John Flint, 'Catholic schools and sectarianism in Scotland: educational places and the production and negotiation of urban space', Policy Futures in Education, Volume 10 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined the role of faith-based groups in social and public policy. It analyzed the conflicts that could arise between the culture and values of different faith-based groups and welfare provision.
Source: Alison Green, Adrian Barton, and Nick Johns, 'Religion, public policy and equalizing opportunities', Critical Social Policy, Volume 32 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
A new book examined how diverse religious practices and laws could be accommodated in Europe within a secular framework. It said that traditional models of secularism, focusing on the relationship of state and church, were out-dated, and that only by embracing a new picture of what secularism meant could Europe move forward in the public reconciliation of its religious diversity.
Source: Lorenzo Zucca, A Secular Europe: Law and religion in the European constitutional landscape, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined the interrelationship of rights related to religion and sexuality, in the context of Church of England guidance on appointing bishops. The precedence in the Equality Act 2010 for religion rights over sexuality rights implied by the discrimination exemptions for organized religions, and the Act's definition of religious conviction, amounted to a de-prioritization of sexuality rights reflecting the 'prevailing structural inequalities of heteronormative secular and religious social worlds'.
Source: Rob Clucas, 'Religion, sexual orientation and the Equality Act 2010: gay bishops in the Church of England negotiating rights against discrimination', Sociology, Volume 46 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
A new book examined the role of religious values, actors, and institutions in the development of state and non-state social welfare provision. It called for an analytical shift in the definition of well-being through a new concept called 'ways of being': this reflected the moral, ideational, and cultural underpinnings of social welfare.
Source: Rana Jawad, Religion and Faith-Based Welfare: From wellbeing to ways of being, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Sep
A new book examined religious education in schools. It called on teachers, researchers and educators to rethink their approaches to religious education, and to see their work in a larger context that included pedagogical ideas and political forces.
Source: Mark Chater and Clive Erricker (eds), Does Religious Education Have a Future? Pedagogical and policy prospects, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Sep
A new book examined the role and significance of churches and religion in contemporary Europe.
Source: Detlef Pollack, Olaf Muller, and Gert Pickel (eds), The Social Significance of Religion in the Enlarged Europe: Secularization, individualization and pluralization, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Sep
A paper examined the interaction between Muslim groups and other political actors in seven European societies (including the United Kingdom). Analysis of news media suggested that the construction of Muslim groups as a politically relevant category was largely done by non-Muslim political actors. The frames used in claims about Muslims differed significantly from those used for other immigrant groups. Whereas the most common frames for immigrants more generally were instrumental, for Muslims identity-based arguments were invoked more frequently. Muslims were talked about almost exclusively in connexion with integration rather than immigration.
Source: Didier Ruedin and Joost Berkhout, Patterns of Claims-Making on Civic Integration and Migration in Europe: Are Muslims Different?, Working Paper 2012-08, Support and Opposition to Migration Project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Sep
A themed section in a journal examined trends within social policy and welfare provision in the light of the re-emerging role of religion.
Source: Social Policy and Society, Volume 11 Issue 4
Links to abstracts:
• Rana Jawad, 'Religion, social welfare and social policy in the UK: historical, theoretical and policy perspectives'
• Christopher Baker, 'Spiritual capital and economies of grace: redefining the relationship between religion and the welfare state'
• Adam Dinham, 'The multi-faith paradigm in policy and practice: problems, challenges, directions'
• Grace Davie, 'A European perspective on religion and welfare: contrasts and commonalities'
• Sheila Furness and Philip Gilligan, 'Faith-based organisations and UK welfare services: exploring some ongoing dilemmas'
• Rana Jawad, 'Thinking about religious welfare and rethinking social policy in the British context'
• Dilwar Hussain, 'Social policy, cultural integration and faith: a Muslim reflection'
Date: 2012-Sep
A new book examined the treatment of issues of religious diversity in workplaces in Europe.
Source: Katayoun Alidadi, Marie-Claire Foblets, and Jogchum Vrielink, A Test of Faith? Religious diversity and accommodation in the European workplace, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Aug
The coalition government published an action plan designed to tackle ritual child abuse and neglect in the name of witchcraft, spirit possession, the supernatural, and faith.
Source: National Action Plan to Tackle Child Abuse Linked to Faith or Belief, Department for Education
Links: Action plan | Summary | DE press release
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined the differential experiences of Muslims in the labour market as both minority- and majority-group ethnicities.
Source: Nabil Khattab, '"Winners" and "losers": the impact of education, ethnicity and gender on Muslims in the British labour market', Work, Employment and Society, Volume 26 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined the practices of family law by Muslims in contemporary Britain. It challenged the exclusive focus on positivist state law as the sole legal framework within which western conceptions of citizenship were being imagined. It analyzed practices of British-Muslim family law as an incipient 'legal field' that was developing a corresponding market of Islamic legal services.
Source: Lisa Pilgram, 'British-Muslim family law and citizenship', Citizenship Studies, Volume 16 Number 5-6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A report for the equal rights watchdog examined the state of the law in England and Wales in relation to equality, human rights, and religion or belief. It looked at different groups' responses to the law; approaches to preventing discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in the workplace and in public services; and situations where interests conflicted (or were perceived to conflict) between the different equality 'strands' or different human rights. It also considered equality or human rights concerns that arose in relation to the role of religion or belief groups in the formation of law and public policy.
Source: Alice Donald (with Karen Bennett and Philip Leach), Religion or Belief, Equality and Human Rights in England and Wales, Research Report 84, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined specific legal approaches to secularism in western countries. In contemporary democracies secularism had to find a balance between the universal need for a peaceful co-existence and the protection of religious-cultural rights – not only the rights of a group to be different, but also the rights of individuals within these groups.
Source: Francesco Alicino, 'Western secularism in an age of religious diversity', International Review of Sociology, Volume 22 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A new book examined Muslim integration in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In some areas Muslims were more integrated than popularly assumed: instead of failing to integrate, Muslims found their access to integration blocked in ways that reduced their life-chances.
Source: Pamela Irving Jackson and Peter Doerschler, Benchmarking Muslim Well-Being in Europe: Reducing disparities and polarizations, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jul
A new book examined the lives of British Muslim women, exploring issues of femininity, Britishness, inter-communal relations, and social cohesion.
Source: Sariya Contractor, Muslim Women in Britain: De-mystifying the Muslimah, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jul
A report said that the BBC was over-considerate towards Islam – in marked contrast to its treatment of Christianity, in particular evangelicals.
Source: Dennis Sewell, A Question of Attitude: The BBC and bias beyond news, New Culture Forum
Links: Report | Christian Institute report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jul
A report examined the role being played by clergy and churches in the urban communities affected by widespread public disorder in August 2011. It reported that people in poorer areas spoke of a sense of increasing pressure and despair as services disappeared. The rise in youth unemployment meant that young people were undeterred from risks that, in a different economic climate, might have damaged their chances of accessing work.
Source: 'Testing the Bridges': Understanding the role of the church amidst riots, disturbances and disorder, Church of England
Links: Report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jul
An article examined the link in west European countries between religious belief and opposition to income redistribution. It was found that both Catholics and Protestants were more likely to exhibit strong opposition to income redistribution by the state. The overall level of support for redistribution was lower in cases where the polarization between religious and secular groupings was greatest.
Source: Daniel Stegmueller, Peer Scheepers, Sigrid Rossteutscher, and Eelke de Jong, 'Support for redistribution in western Europe: assessing the role of religion', European Sociological Review, Volume 28 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jul
An article challenged the idea that increased interest in religion in public and political life in Europe, as manifested particularly in education, was evidence of counter-secularization. It said that rather than representing counter-secularization, such developments represented an emergent and secularizing European civil religion facilitated through European religious education.
Source: Liam Gearon, 'European religious education and European civil religion', British Journal of Educational Studies, Volume 60 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined how the European Court had understood and evaluated various legal cases before it on the interaction between secular states, public education, and notions of religious symbolism and influence. It highlighted the risks attached to the use of an ideological conception of secularism that could lead to the complete removal of the religious as a 'vital cultural and intellectual dimension' of public education.
Source: James Arthur and Michael Holdsworth, 'The European Court of Human Rights, secular education and public schooling', British Journal of Educational Studies, Volume 60 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined the role of faith-based organizations in the coalition government's 'Big Society' project. There was a potential conflict between (on the one hand) maintaining standards of delivery and promoting social justice, and (on the other) protecting the characteristics that enabled faith-based organizations to meet the needs of their local community effectively in ways that they felt were appropriate.
Source: Hannah Lambie-Mumford and David Jarvis, 'The role of faith-based organisations in the Big Society: opportunities and challenges', Policy Studies, Volume 33 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
A report examined case law relating to religious discrimination and freedom of religion under Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights. It considered the ways in which the right to manifest religion or belief could generally be limited, including in the field of employment, education, the provision of goods and services, and in public spaces (such as the ban on veils covering the whole face). It then discussed the ways in which the right to manifest religion or belief could specifically be limited where it conflicted with the rights of others.
Source: Equality Law in Practice: A Question of Faith – Religion and belief in Europe, Equinet (European Network of Equality Bodies)
Links: Report
Date: 2012-May
A new book examined the position of Muslims in Britain, and how they were changing and making social, political, and religious 'space'.
Source: Waqar Ahmad and Ziauddin Sardar (eds.), Muslims in Britain: Making social and political space, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
An article examined fears in a number of European countries that foreign, particularly Islamic, family law was becoming entrenched.
Source: Andrea Buchler, 'Islamic family law in Europe? From dichotomies to discourse – or: beyond cultural and religious identity in family law', International Journal of Law in Context, Volume 8 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
A new book examined the relationship between changes in state security regimes and the right to religious freedom in the European Union.
Source: Karen Murphy, State Security Regimes and the Right to Freedom of Religion and Belief: Changes in Europe since 2001, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
A new book said that although decline was happening in some parts of the church, this needed to be balanced by recognition of the vitality of 'large swathes' of the Christian church. Rebalancing the debate in this way required wholesale change in the understanding of contemporary Christianity.
Source: David Goodhew (ed.), Church Growth in Britain: 1980 to the present, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
A think-tank report investigated the different relationship between religion and politics in the United Kingdom and Europe. It said that religious people were more active citizens: they volunteered more, donated more to charity and were more likely to campaign on political issues. Religious people were also more likely to be politically progressive: they put a greater value on equality than non-religious people, were more likely to be welcoming of immigrants as neighbours, and were more likely to put themselves on the left of the political spectrum. The report recommended that progressive politicians should work more closely with faith groups: faith group members would be key to any future, election-winning, progressive coalition.
Source: Jonathan Birdwell and Mark Littler, Faithful Citizens, Demos
Links: Report | Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined the extent to which Muslim migrants in developed (OECD) countries brought their culture with them or (alternatively) acquired the culture of their new home. On average, the basic social values of Muslim migrants fell roughly midway between those prevailing in their country of origin and their country of destination. Muslim migrants did not move to western countries with rigidly fixed attitudes: instead, they gradually absorbed much of the host culture, as assimilation theories suggested.
Source: Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart, 'Muslim integration into western cultures: between origins and destinations', Political Studies, Volume 60 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
A report said that every single faith school proposed for fast-tracking through the opening process without competition in the previous five years had been approved. This 100 per cent success rate contrasted with the results of other schools trying to open without competition, fewer than one-half of which had been successful. When faith schools had faced competition from non-religious proposals, barely one-third had succeeded. These results revealed a system where religious groups were uniquely and reliably able to avoid allowing local parents the choice of a viable alternative.
Source: Freedom of Information Report on Organisation of Faith Schools in the Maintained Sector, British Humanist Association
Links: Report | BHA press release
Date: 2012-Apr
An article said that religious groups saw the coalition government's 'Big Society' agenda as an opportunity to reverse a long-term process of waning social influence and to reshape the role of faith in the public sphere. In the way of these objectives being achieved, however, were a number of serious problems, including the existing economic and political situation, the particular characteristics of faith groups themselves, and general attitudes towards religion in public life. Given the importance attached to the participation of faith-based organizations in the Big Society project, these issues had significant implications both for the future role of religion in the public sphere and for the unfolding of the programme itself.
Source: Steven Kettell, 'Religion and the Big Society: a match made in heaven?', Policy & Politics, Volume 40 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined patterns of admission for cohorts of pupils entering state-funded secondary schools in London during 2003-2008 by reference to indices of local social segregation. Sizeable differences were found in the proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals recruited by apparently competing schools, with selective schools and faith schools under-recruiting such pupils.
Source: Richard Harris, 'Local indices of segregation with application to social segregation between London s secondary schools, 2003-08/09', Environment and Planning A, Volume 44 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A report by eleven prominent Christians of different denominations explored different gaps or examples of inequality in society, and highlighted Christian teaching on the need for social justice.
Source: Rt Revd John Packer et al., It's Time to Close the Gap Between Rich and Poor: The Basic Case, Church Action on Poverty
Links: Report | CAP press release
Date: 2012-Mar
A new book examined religion in Britain since 1945, with a particular focus on diversity and change. It explored: relations between religious and secular beliefs and institutions; the evolving role and status of the churches; the growth and 'settlement' of non-Christian religious communities; the spread and diversification of alternative spiritualities; religion in welfare, education, media, politics, and law; and theoretical perspectives on religious change.
Source: Linda Woodhead and Rebecca Catto (eds.), Religion and Change in Modern Britain, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined human rights conflicts between religious groups and individuals under the European Convention on Human Rights. There was evidence of a new contextual approach at the Strasbourg level: but this needed to be applied in a way that recognized the special contribution and diversity that religious groups brought to civil society.
Source: Ian Leigh, 'Balancing religious autonomy and other human rights under the European Convention', Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, Volume 1 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined some of the common assertions made in the public debate about the merits and disadvantages of faith schools, and tested them against actual research findings. There was a growing body of evidence showing that existing policy and practice in relation to faith schools created social division, and that faith schools needed to do more to respect the rights and beliefs of staff, pupils, and their families.
Source: Paul Pettinger, 'The evidence base on the effects of policy and practice in faith schools', FORUM: for promoting 3-19 comprehensive education, Volume 54 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
An article said that religious welfare provision was key to a more historically accurate account of social policy, and was a potentially good example of the 'Big Society' in practice.
Source: Rana Jawad, 'Serving the public or delivering public services? Religion and social welfare in the new British social policy landscape', Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Volume 20 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined the relationship between immigration and religiosity, comparing Europe and the United States. Immigrants were more religious than the populations in the receiving countries: this, combined with higher fertility rates and also a continued inflow of immigrants, would lead to major changes in the religious landscape on both continents.
Source: Teresa Garcia-Munoz and Shoshana Neuman, Is Religiosity of Immigrants a Bridge or a Buffer in the Process of Integration? A comparative study of Europe and the United States, Discussion Paper 6384, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
A new book examined how the Islamic population of Europe had altered its cultural, political, and security landscape (focusing on Britain and France).
Source: Robert Leiken, Europe's Angry Muslims, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the way in which the legal systems in Europe and the United States of America resolved the tension between protecting the rights of religious employers and the labour law rights of their employees. The complexity of the competing rights arguments had led each jurisdiction to some solutions that were not optimal, and each could learn from the other in working towards more nuanced methods for resolving these legal disputes.
Source: Carolyn Evans and Anna Hood, 'Religious autonomy and labour law: a comparison of the jurisprudence of the United States and the European Court of Human Rights', Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, Volume 1 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
An article said that religious organizations constituted a distinct 'faith sector' – because, unlike the rest of the voluntary sector, they were subject to the external authority of a deity. Faith-based organizations were linked to the faith sector: but they also shared, to a greater or lesser degree, characteristics of other sectors (voluntary, public, and private). This highlighted the need for research and debate on the practical activities of faith-based organizations, and on the trajectories they followed 'across intersectoral spaces'.
Source: Malcolm Torry , 'Is there a faith sector?', Voluntary Sector Review, Volume 3 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A report published by the Church of England said that Church schools were 'at the heart of the nation' and should robustly assert their Christian ethos and foundation. The challenge for Church schools was to maintain their distinctive Christian character in an increasingly fragmented education system and amid strong attacks from secularists. 200 more Church schools should be created over the next five years.
Source: The Church School of the Future Review, Church of England
Links: Report | C of E press release | Accord Coalition press release | BHA press release | NSS press release | BBC report | Ekklesia report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Mar
A new book examined the central issues facing young Muslims in British society.
Source: Mohammad Siddique Seddon and Fauzia Ahmad (eds.), Muslim Youth: Challenges, opportunities and expectations, Continuum International Publishing
Links: Summary | Chester University press release
Date: 2012-Mar
A report by an all-party group of MPs and peers said that the problems faced by Christians in the United Kingdom in living out their faith had been 'mostly caused and exacerbated' by social, cultural, and legal changes over the previous decade. The frequency and nature of a series of court cases on non-discrimination indicated a narrowing of the space for the articulation, expression, and demonstration of Christian belief. Court decisions had relegated religious beliefs below other equality strands.
Source: Clearing the Ground Inquiry: Preliminary report into the freedom of Christians in the UK, Christians in Parliament
Links: Report | BHA press release | Ekklesia press release | NSS press release | PinkNews report
Date: 2012-Feb
The Court of Appeal ruled that two guesthouse owners had been guilty of discrimination under the Equality Act 2006 when they cancelled a booking made by a gay couple on the grounds that if conflicted with their Christian faith.
Source: Bull and Bull v Hall and Preddy, Court of Appeal 10 February 2012
Links: Judgement | BBC report | PinkNews report
Date: 2012-Feb
A new book examined how contemporary cultural and religious diversity in Europe challenged and redefined national constitutional and legal frameworks and concepts, within the context of education. It offered a critical reflection on the extent and meanings given to religious freedom in education across Europe.
Source: Myriam Hunter-Henin (ed.), Law, Religious Freedoms and Education in Europe, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Feb
A new book examined the challenges that the European legal system faced in adapting to the spread of Islamic belief in European countries.
Source: W Cole Durham, Rik Torfs, David Kirkham, and Christine Scott (eds.), Islam, Europe and Emerging Legal Issues, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Feb
An article examined the study of children, young people, and religious identity.
Source: Peter Hemming and Nicola Madge, 'Researching children, youth and religion: identity, complexity and agency', Childhood, Volume 19 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Feb
An article examined patterns of religiosity across the generations, drawing on the Home Office Citizenship Survey. The data suggested a complex pattern of religious transmission over a sequence of three generations, and a higher transmission of Islam than any of the other religious categories.
Source: Jonathan Scourfield, Chris Taylor, Graham Moore, and Sophie Gilliat-Ray, 'The intergenerational transmission of Islam in England and Wales: evidence from the Citizenship Survey', Sociology, Volume 46 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Feb
A new book examined the interaction between native majorities and Muslim minorities in various European countries, with a view to highlighting different paths of integration of immigrant and native Muslims.
Source: Anna Triandafyllidou (ed.), Muslims in 21st Century Europe: Structural and cultural perspectives, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Feb
A new book examined the role of the churches in Northern Ireland's peace process.
Source: John Brewer, Gareth Higgins, and Francis Teeney, Religion, Civil Society, and Peace in Northern Ireland, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jan
A new book said that there was a trend in Europe and other advanced countries for courts to curtail religious freedom in favour of other social priorities such as equality and non-discrimination.
Source: Roger Trigg, Equality, Freedom and Religion, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary | Oxford University press release
Date: 2012-Jan