An article examined the party political basis of attitudes towards gay marriage. Most sections of the public showed increased support for such a measure, with consistent findings over time on the basis of sex, age group, education, and religious affiliation. The effects for partisanship were only significant in the last year considered (2012), which might reflect the growing public prominence and party politicization of the issue.
Source: Ben Clements, 'Partisan attachments and attitudes towards same-sex marriage in Britain', Parliamentary Affairs, Volume 67 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
An article examined how young Muslims differed from older Muslims and non-Muslim peers in terms of religiosity, and their attitudes on both Islam-specific and broader social issues. Islam played a greater role in defining young Muslims' personal identity, even though they prayed and read scripture less; and they supported plural interpretations of Islam more than their elders. Like other young people, young Muslims showed liberalizing social attitudes on gay marriage and legal abortion. Notably, like young Christians, young Muslims expressed stronger support for including religion in public debates than their elders.
Source: Ridhi Kashyap and Valerie Lewis, 'British Muslim youth and religious fundamentalism: a quantitative investigation', Ethnic and Racial Studies, Volume 36 Number 12
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
The schools inspectorate said that the potential of religious education was not being realized fully in the majority of the schools surveyed. It identified barriers to better RE and suggested ways in which the subject might be improved.
Source: Religious Education: Realising the potential, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | BBC report | C of E press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Oct
A new book examined the way young people related to religion in their education and upbringing.
Source: Elisabeth Arweck and Robert Jackson (eds), Religion, Education and Society, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Oct
A new book examined the place of Muslims in western Europe. It proposed an analysis based in institutions, including schools, courts, hospitals, the military, electoral politics, the labour market, and civic education courses.
Source: John Bowen (ed.), European States and their Muslim Citizens: The impact of institutions on perceptions and boundaries, Cambridge University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Oct
An article suggested two possible explanations, behavioural and economic, for the differences in children's outcomes related to differences in parental engagement arising from differences in religion, incorporating knowledge from the field of parental engagement.
Source: Janet Goodall, 'Parental belief and parental engagement: how do they interact?', Journal of Beliefs & Values: Studies in Religion & Education, Volume 34 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined some of the concepts that were central to the process of radicalization among Muslim young people, as it was described in the literature. It looked at the emergence of new trans-cultural identities and generational change.
Source: Orla Lynch, 'British Muslim youth: radicalisation, terrorism and the construction of the "other"', Critical Studies on Terrorism, Volume 6 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
Campaigners found that the most socio-economically selective state secondary comprehensives in England were 'overwhelmingly dominated' by religiously selective schools – highlighting the segregating effects of faith-based admissions criteria. Of the 100 most selective comprehensives (on the basis of eligibility for free school meals), 69 had admissions criteria that were religiously selective.
Source: Press release 21 September 2013, Fair Admissions Campaign
Links: FAC press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Sep
A think-tank report said that faith issues had played a more prominent and open role in politics in the previous 16 years (since the start of Tony Blair's premiership in 1997) than they had at any time since the late nineteenth century, and arguably ever.
Source: Zaki Cooper, God in Government: The impact of faith on British politics, 1997-2012, Demos
Links: Report | Demos blog post
Date: 2013-Sep
A report examined church-based responses to the issue of food poverty. It explored the degree to which churches were supporting people in crisis situations who were unable to buy food, or helping to tackle the underlying causes of those crises and so contributing to a long-term solution to food poverty. 81 per cent of survey respondents indicated that their parish church supported a food bank in one or more ways.
Source: Bethany Eckley, Hungry for More: How churches can address the root causes of food poverty, Church Urban Fund
Date: 2013-Sep
A new book examined the role of religion in modern British public life. It discussed practical problems such as the accommodation of religious dress, discrimination against sexual minorities, and state support for historic religions. It considered legal frameworks of equality and human rights, and ideas of neutrality, pluralism, secularism, and public reason.
Source: Gavin D'Costa, Malcolm Evans, and Tariq Modood (eds), Religion in a Liberal State, Cambridge University Press
Links: Summary | Bristol University press release
Date: 2013-Sep
A think-tank report examined a range of studies on the impact of faith schools in England. It said that although there was evidence about faith schools' social and educational impact, it was rarely simple or straightforward, and conclusions drawn from it should be tentative. Faith schools did favour middle-class families, but they did not damage social cohesion. There needed to be more 'honest' debate about what the evidence said, and faith schools should not be treated as a proxy debate for the wider question of faith and secularism in public life.
Source: Elizabeth Oldfield, Liane Hartnett, and Emma Bailey, More than an Educated Guess: Assessing the evidence on faith schools, Theos
Links: Report | Summary | BHA press release | C of E press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Sep
A collection of essays examined issues surrounding child poverty from a theological perspective.
Source: Angus Ritchie (ed.), The Heart of the Kingdom: Christian theology and children who live in poverty, Children s Society
Notes: Chapters included:
Tess Ridge, 'Poverty and the experience of children'
Jonathan Bradshaw, 'The impact of child poverty on future life chances'
Ilona Pinter, 'Hidden poverty: refugee and migrant families in the UK'
Date: 2013-Aug
A new book examined the extent to which religious symbols should be protected in the public sphere and the workplace, following the landmark judgment in Eweida v UK (ECHR 2013).
Source: Daniel Hill and Daniel Whistler, The Right to Wear Religious Symbols, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Aug
A report examined the wide range of Muslim identities in the United Kingdom. It said that a failure to understand diversity among Muslims had led to badly thought-out government policy.
Source: Claire Alexander, Victoria Redclift, and Ajmal Hussain, The New Muslims, Runnymede Trust
Links: Report | Runnymede Trust press release | NSS press release
Date: 2013-Aug
A series of articles examined issues of religious faith in relation to healthcare provision.
Source: Health Care Analysis, Volume 21 Number 3
Links to abstracts:
Jagbir Jhutti-Johal, 'Understanding and coping with diversity in healthcare'
Jean McHale, 'Faith, belief, fundamental rights and delivering health care in a modern NHS: An unrealistic aspiration?'
Chris Swift, 'A state health service and funded religious care'
Stephen Pattison, 'Religion, spirituality and health care: confusions, tensions, opportunities'
Date: 2013-Aug
An article examined whether recent social and political developments had transformed religious organizations' involvement in welfare activities, based on evidence from England, Israel, Germany, and the Netherlands. Although in some countries welfare state restructuring created opportunities for faith-based organizations to expand their role, in others the combination of secularization and restructuring created unfavourable conditions for these organizations.
Source: Amos Zehavi, 'Religious supply, welfare state restructuring and faith-based social activities', Political Studies, Volume 61 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Aug
An article examined how two central government policies, in both conception and expression, had promoted the growth of Islamophobia – policies of community cohesion developed in response to the riots in northern cities in 2001; and counter-terrorist polices that emerged following the bombings in 2005. These policies were mutually contradictory in practice, and the penetration of social cohesion initiatives by the logics of surveillance had resulted in a breakdown of trust between large sections of the Muslim population and the agents of the state.
Source: Yunis Alam and Charles Husband, 'Islamophobia, community cohesion and counter-terrorism policies in Britain', Patterns of Prejudice, Volume 47 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jul
A think-tank report said that the government should recognize the Church of England's social action role, and harness it for the common good. The Church of England needed to become an enabling institution focused on holistic, interpersonal, and local social action. Local government and churches should work together to fight deep-seated poverty and 'social dysfunction'.
Source: James Noyes and Phillip Blond, Holistic Mission: Social action and the Church of England, ResPublica
Links: Report | ResPublica press release | Evangelical Alliance press release
Date: 2013-Jul
A report examined the impact that social security reforms were having on people's everyday lives, and considered how churches could best support those affected. Many people were experiencing real difficulties as a result of recent benefit cuts. However, churches could be a valuable source of practical support: this could be delivered on a very short-term basis by providing much-needed resources, or on a more long-term basis, helping people to build strong relational networks or secure better-paying jobs that would ultimately reduce their dependence on benefits.
Source: Bethany Eckley, The Human Cost of Welfare Reform: Practical recommendations for church-based responses, Church Urban Fund
Links: Report | Summary | CUF press release
Date: 2013-Jul
A new book examined how religious and/or secular beliefs were formed at school and in the family in five countries with very different educational systems (Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Malta, and Scotland).
Source: Emer Smyth, Maureen Lyons, and Merike Darmody (eds), Religious Education in a Multicultural Europe: Children, parents and schools, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jun
A report by an all-party group of MPs and peers said that the capacity of faith groups to engage in local authority structures should be enhanced.
Source: Faith in the Community: Strengthening ties between faith groups and local authorities, Christians in Parliament
Links: Report | BHA press release | NSS press release
Date: 2013-Jun
An article examined the social welfare roles of faith-based organizations in France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Neither the extent of change in the position of faith-based organizations in social welfare, nor the main mechanisms triggering change, was the same for the different welfare states.
Source: Ipek Gocmen, 'The role of faith-based organizations in social welfare systems: A comparison of France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom', Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Volume 42 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jun
An article examined Muslim residential segregation, using data on religion rather than Census ethnicity data. Although Muslim segregation in the area studies (Birmingham) was high, there had been a significant if spatially constrained movement away from concentrated inner urban areas.
Source: Richard Gale, 'Religious residential segregation and internal migration: the British Muslim case', Environment and Planning A, Volume 45 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jun
A report examined the experience of women converts to Islam. Conversion was a multi-faceted experience that was characterized by both acceptance and rejection, inclusion and exclusion, and integration and isolation.
Source: Yasir Suleiman, Narratives of Conversion to Islam in Britain: Female Perspectives, Centre of Islamic Studies (University of Cambridge)
Links: Report | NSS press release
Date: 2013-May
A new book examined public discourse on race in Europe, focusing on the position of Muslims in the United Kingdom.
Source: Katy Sian, Ian Law, and Salman Sayyid, Racism, Governance, and Public Policy: Beyond human rights, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-May
A new book examined the lived experiences of around 70 young adults from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and mixed-faith backgrounds, exploring how they perceived and 'negotiated' their religious, sexual, youth, and gender identities.
Source: Andrew Kam-Tuck Yip and Sarah-Jane Page, Religious and Sexual Identities: A multi-faith exploration of young adults, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-May
An article examined why legal judgments concerning equality/human rights and religion/belief had frequently provoked controversy. Debate about religion or belief and its place in society had been unduly dominated by particular – and sometimes partial – understandings of legal judgments. In the long term an approach based on human rights principles was likely to be more satisfactory than one based principally on equality.
Source: Alice Donald, 'Advancing debate about religion or belief, equality and human rights: grounds for optimism?', Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, Volume 2 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
A report from a Church of England commission set out how Christians understood and valued marriage, arguing that marriage between men and women 'continued to provide the best context for the raising of children'.
Source: Faith and Order Commission, Men and Women in Marriage, Church of England
Links: Report | C of E press release
Date: 2013-Apr
A special issue of a journal examined public discourses in Europe about Muslims and Islam.
Source: Ethnicities, Volume 13 Issue 2
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined state-funded faith schools in England, and how opposition to them had been mobilized and negotiated. It focused on the role of community cohesion policy – a policy adopted to combat social and ethnic divisions after 2001 – and the contested parameters of this policy when introduced to monitor schools. Faith school providers were able to interpret the policy in ways that challenged government articulations and reworked dominant meanings, revealing the political and spatial instabilities of the policy. But these challenges were less successful in shaping mechanisms to monitor admissions practices in faith schools – producing some unanticipated entanglements of state and religious authority, with implications for the shaping of communal religious life.
Source: Claire Dwyer and Violetta Parutis, '"Faith in the system?" State-funded faith schools in England and the contested parameters of community cohesion', Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, Volume 38 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined the long-term impact of separate and integrated education on relations between the two religious communities (Catholics and Protestants) in Northern Ireland. In comparison to their previously separate counterparts, individuals who attended an integrated school were more likely to be understanding and respectful of the culture and traditions of others. A segregated school system, rather than ameliorating intolerance and division, might end up exacerbating and reinforcing it.
Source: Bernadette Hayes, Ian McAllister, and Lizanne Dowds, 'Integrated schooling and religious tolerance in Northern Ireland', Journal of Contemporary Religion, Volume 28 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
A think-tank report said that claims regarding the rise of right-wing religious groupings in Britain were greatly exaggerated.
Source: Andy Walton (with Andrea Hatcher and Nick Spencer), Is There a 'Religious Right' Emerging in Britain?, Theos
Links: Report | Summary | Guardian report | New Statesman report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jan
A think-tank report said that local authorities should make greater use of faith groups to deliver public services. A 'faith-service ethos' among volunteers and staff could mean greater cost efficiencies – religious beliefs motivated volunteers and staff to work long hours for little pay and to persevere over the challenges encountered when working with vulnerable people in their community. Faith-based providers were highly effective in areas where a 'spiritual' or 'holistic approach' was beneficial, such as drug rehabilitation programmes. Greater service provision from faith groups would foster stronger links between residents and local community organizations, and aid cohesion though greater co-operation between providers of different faiths.
Source: Jonathan Birdwell, Faithful Providers, Demos
Links: Report | Summary | Demos press release | Theos press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Jan
The European Court of Human Rights issued a preliminary judgement in four (consolidated) cases involving practising Christians who had alleged that their rights at work had been unfairly infringed. It dismissed three applications – by a nurse who had complained that her employer placed restrictions on visibly wearing a Christian cross while at work; and two cases (by a registrar of births/deaths/marriages and by a relationships counsellor) who had been dismissed for refusing to carry out duties that they considered would condone homosexuality. But the Court accepted a fourth complaint, from an airline employee, that also related to the wearing of a cross. The Court said that the rights of Christians should be balanced against other rights, including those relating to health and safety and to sexuality.
Source: Eweida and Others v The United Kingdom, European Court of Human Rights
Links: Judgement | Court press release | HOC research brief | Downing Street press release | Amnesty press release | CARE press release | Catholic Church press release | CoE press release | EHRC press release | EP LGBT Group press release | Evangelical Alliance press release | Liberty press release | NSS press release | Relate press release | Stonewall press release | Theos press release | BBC report | Christian Institute report | Daily Mail report | Ekklesia report | Guardian report | Strasbourg Consortium report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jan