IRFN (July 15-29): Turkish Constitutional Court Rules to Not Ban AKP

Feature: The Turkish Constitutional Court has ruled not to ban the AKP, however, they have cut the Party’s treasury funding by half for this year. This court case was the culmination of a series of confrontations between the Islamic AKP and the secularist government. BBC has more.   

 

 

SANA’A –The establishment of the Authority of Protecting Virtue and Fighting Vice, a religious police force comprised of 42 clerics, was announced at a meeting hosted by Sheikh Abdul Majid Al-Zindani, the Yemen Times reported on July 15. The force is tasked with enforcing religious norms both in the public and private square. Originally the force was designed to have government ministers working in collaboration with the religious clerics. However, Hamoud Al-Tharehi, the Supreme Committee member from the Islah Islamic Party, said that communications between the government and clerics may lead to confusion and therefore the sole authority of the force rests with the Yemeni Clerics Association. 

 

 

KIEV – On July 26, the president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, asked the world's Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew, to bless the creation of a Ukrainian church that would be independent of the Moscow patriarchate, AP reported on July 26. Bartholomew has not provided a definitive response. The nation’s attempt to attain autonomy has caused a rift in the Ukrainian Orthodox church, as some members would like to be autonomous while others believe that Ukrainian and Russian Church history are inseparable.         

 

 

MANILA – The Philippine government has signed a joint communiqué with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which will grant the separatist Muslim group an autonomous region in Mindanao, for which they have been fighting for more than a decade, BBC reported on July 28. The Islamic insurgency has cost nearly 100,000 lives, and formal negotiations brokered by Malaysia started in 2003. The Philippines is a Catholic majority nation. Villagers who will be affected by the proposal will be asked to vote on it in within the next twelve months.         

 

 

NEW DEHLI – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Praful Goradia, has submitted a lawsuit to the Supreme Court opposing the grant of subsidy to Hajj pilgrims, Indo-Asian News Source reported on July 28. The government has defended the financial assistance saying that it helps to foster better foreign relations with majority Muslim nations, such as Saudi Arabia. Praful Goradia has countered that the government’s argument is insufficient as similar assistance to other religious groups like Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and Sikhs is not provided. He says this violates the constitution, as the state cannot discriminate between citizens on the grounds of religion, caste or creed.

 

 

CWMBACH – Sarika Singh won her High Court discrimination claim against Aberdare girls' school, which expelled her in November 2007 for refusing to take off her religious bangle, BBC reported on July 29. The High Court determined that the school was guilty of indirect discrimination under race relations and equality laws. Sarika will be permitted to return to Aberdare girls' school in September wearing the religious bangle, otherwise known as a Kara.

 

 

BIRMINGHAM – The Birmingham City Council placed a ban on its staff from viewing websites related to Atheism, witchcraft, the paranormal, sexual deviancy and criminal activity, BBC reported on July 29. Websites related to major world religions such as Christianity, Islam and Hinduism may still be accessed. The National Secular Society president, Terry Sanderson, says that under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations of 2003, workers may not be discriminated against because of their religion or belief.  Because the City Council’s ban effectively discriminates against staff because of their beliefs, Sanderson believes that he has a very strong case against the City Council.