Concerns voiced over proposals to combat extremism in places of worship
-07/11/05
The
Concerns voiced over proposals to combat extremism in places of worship
-07/11/05
The Methodist church has voiced ‘serious misgivings’ about the government’s legislative proposals to combat extremist behaviour in places of worship.
Their comments come in the church’s response to the recent government consultation document ìPreventing Extremism Together: Places of Worshipî.
The Methodist Church welcomed the opportunity to comment on the document, but also expressed its grave concerns that the effect of legislation would be to target mosques, and exacerbate religious and social tension. It also suggested that such legislation would be counter-productive.
Anthea Cox, Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice said; ìWe consider that action in this area is both unnecessary and counter-productive as there are very few instances where a place of worship has been used to foment terrorist behaviour.
“If the discussion of these issues is removed from places of worship, there will be no opportunity for those in the mainstream teaching of the faith to argue for alternative interpretations of the texts. Because of such matters, we are strongly urging the government not to implement these proposals.î
“There are also concerns that while the proposals cover all places of worship, they will be seen as being targeted specifically at mosques, exacerbating religious and social tensions. There seems to be a real danger that the proposed measures could be more harmful than helpful.”
The Methodist Church is the third-largest Christian church in Great Britain, with nearly 300,000 members. It has over 6,000 churches in Great Britain, and also maintains links with other Methodist churches totalling a worldwide membership of 70 million.
It supports the government’s Race and Religious Hatred Bill, which has been opposed by many Christian groups.
Concerns voiced over proposals to combat extremism in places of worship
-07/11/05
The Methodist church has voiced ‘serious misgivings’ about the government’s legislative proposals to combat extremist behaviour in places of worship.
Their comments come in the church’s response to the recent government consultation document ‘Preventing Extremism Together: Places of Worship’.
The Methodist Church welcomed the opportunity to comment on the document, but also expressed its grave concerns that the effect of legislation would be to target mosques, and exacerbate religious and social tension. It also suggested that such legislation would be counter-productive.
Anthea Cox, Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice said; ‘We consider that action in this area is both unnecessary and counter-productive as there are very few instances where a place of worship has been used to foment terrorist behaviour.
“If the discussion of these issues is removed from places of worship, there will be no opportunity for those in the mainstream teaching of the faith to argue for alternative interpretations of the texts. Because of such matters, we are strongly urging the government not to implement these proposals.’
“There are also concerns that while the proposals cover all places of worship, they will be seen as being targeted specifically at mosques, exacerbating religious and social tensions. There seems to be a real danger that the proposed measures could be more harmful than helpful.”
The Methodist Church is the third-largest Christian church in Great Britain, with nearly 300,000 members. It has over 6,000 churches in Great Britain, and also maintains links with other Methodist churches totalling a worldwide membership of 70 million.
It supports the government’s Race and Religious Hatred Bill, which has been opposed by many Christian groups.