Interfaith:   Home  /  Archive by category 'News'

October 14, 2008

‘Islam is the light’ says toy doll

by David Masters

A toy doll that apparently says ‘Islam is the light’ has been criticised as inappropriate by American parents.
The Fisher Price doll with fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes, is meant to be a realistic baby that cries when it is hungry and asks for ‘Mama’.
However, some parents have raised concern that one of the […]



October 13, 2008

Archbishop: Christians and Muslims must make peace

by David Masters

The leader of the Church of England has said that Christianity and Islam are so different that people from both religions find it difficult to understand each other.
Speaking at an interfaith conference in Cambridge yesterday, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said that despite the differences between the two religions, there are many points at which […]



October 10, 2008

Sikh fury at inmate’s haircut

by David Masters

Religious and humans rights groups around the world have expressed outrage that a Sikh prisoner in Florida was forced to have his hair cut.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Florida is considering taking legal action against the Sheriff’s Office in question.
According to the ACLU, cutting Jagmahon Ahuja’s hair violated the state’s laws on religious […]



October 9, 2008

Tight trousers ‘disturb the peace’ in Sudan

by David Masters

More than 30 young women in south Sudan were arrested this week for wearing tight trousers.
The arrests - part of a crackdown on youth gangs in the South Sudan’s capital, Juba - prompted outrage from the Sudanese government.
Police in the region said local officials ordered a ban on ‘bad behaviour’ and on importing dress codes […]



October 7, 2008

Sex-crazed Muslim censored from BBC comedy

by David Masters

TV comedian Harry Enfield has been told to scrap a sketch in which he plays a sex-crazed Muslim hoodie.
Enfield wanted to include the character in his new Friday night sketch TV show ‘Harry and Paul’, the first programme for eight years in which Enfield works with his comedy partner Paul Whitehouse.
The BBC warned off the […]



October 6, 2008

Muslim cleric calls for one-eyed veil

by David Masters

A Saudi Arabian cleric has said that Muslim women should wear a full veil that reveals only one eye.
Speaking on television, the conservative sheikh Muhammad al-Habadan said veils that reveal two eyes encourage women to wear make-up and act seductively.
The level to which women should cover up is a controversial issue in Muslim societies.
Some clerics […]



October 3, 2008

Eastenders complaints soar with Ramadan failure

by David Masters

The BBC’s favourite soap has received over 100 complaints because it portrayed a Muslim man breaking his Ramadan fast.
Masood Ahmed, an Asian postman in Eastenders, was caught out by another character having a secret daytime snack.
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims are supposed to fast from sunrise until sunset.
Complaints to the BBC claimed the […]



Death threat for female priest

by David Masters

An Anglican priest in south west England has fled her job, following a death threat on a postcard that she found inside her Bible.
Rev. Yvonne Hobson discovered the postcard after Sunday communion, at her parish church in Paul, Cornwall.
She had just returned to her job at St Pol de Leon church after months away, following […]



October 1, 2008

Muslim employee sues Tesco

by David Masters

A devout Muslim who was forced to carry alcohol whilst at work in a supermarket is suing his employer for religious discrimination.
Mohammed Ahmed, 32, was employed as a fork-lift truck driver at Tesco’s Lichfield depot in September last year.
The Saudi Arabian national worked at the depot for 8 months before resigning ‘in protest’.
He says […]



September 30, 2008

Politics from the Pulpit

by David Masters

More than 30 pastors across 22 US states preached politics from the pulpit this Sunday, endorsing their preferred presidential candidate and asking their congregations to vote according to the Scriptures.
In the US, pastors who make political speeches disqualify themselves from tax-exempt status.
The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) wants the ban on politics in church lifted, […]