A psychologist who has played a key role in opposing the introduction of relationship and sex education lessons in schools is being investigated by her profession’s governing body over her fitness to practise.
Dr Kate Godfrey-Faussett, who has extensive experience working with young children and families, is a leading figure in Stop RSE, a campaign against relationship and sex education (RSE) lessons in schools.
Continue reading...Muslim groups have demanded the withdrawal of a hard-hitting short film made to help tackle Islamophobic hate crimes, protesting that it promotes violence and fear.
The Martyrs, a four-minute film shot on location in west London in the wake of the Christchurch shootings, graphically dramatises three real-life Islamophobic crimes: a stabbing, an acid attack and the kicking in the stomach of a pregnant woman, leading to the death of her unborn twins. It was made by Rizwan Wadan, a camera technician who has worked on high-profile dramas such as The Favourite, Star Wars and Luther. He enlisted the help of leading cinematographers, camera operators, producers, stunt artists and film companies.
Continue reading...Former party chair says senior Tories are concerned about minister’s views on Muslims
The Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi has said she is fearful of the idea of Michael Gove becoming prime minister, saying she and other senior members of the Tory party are concerned about his views on British Muslims.
The former Tory chairman, who is Muslim, said any party that elected Gove as a leader “has got major problems” in the light of his views.
Continue reading...A fortnight after the murders of 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, the pain is still agonising. The urgency of confronting the violent threat posed by far-right extremists across the world has been brought home in the most horrifying way. Facebook’s announcement this week that it will ban white separatist and nationalist content comes too late for the victims of this attack and others, including that on a Pittsburgh synagogue last year. Governments including Austria’s are investigating links between international far-right groups and the Christchurch killer.
Last week’s announcement by the UK government of additional funding for security at places of worship was a significant gesture. But it falls far short of what the Muslim Council of Britain and former Conservative party chair Baroness Warsi had called for. Reports of a soaring number of anti-Muslim hate crimes, including the stabbing of a teenager in Surrey by a white man screaming abuse, provide disturbing confirmation that fear and anger about Islamophobia – defined by MPs as a prejudice rooted in racism and targeting “expressions of Muslimness” – are grounded in facts.
Continue reading...