Do not ‘co-opt’ the cross to divide: Bishops join church leaders in message after rally 21/09/2025: "As Christians from different theological and political backgrounds we stand together against the misuse of Christianity. The cross is the ultimate sign of sacrifice for the other. Jesus calls us to love both our neighbours and our enemies and to welcome the stranger. Any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable."

A group of Church of England bishops and senior clergy have joined leaders from across denominations in speaking out against any “co-opting or corrupting” of the Christian faith and symbols to exclude others.

The bishops of Winchester, Manchester, Southwark, Croydon, Bradford, Woolwich and Kingston were among the signatories to a joint letter from church leaders voicing concern at the use of Christian symbols, particularly the cross, at last week’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally.

They joined with senior leaders in the Methodist, Baptist and Pentecostal churches; the Church of Scotland; the Salvation Army; the Catholic social action network Caritas and leaders of major cross-denominational groups such as the Evangelical Alliance and Churches Together in England in the letter which appears in the media today. Other signatories include the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams, leaders of Christian charities such as the Bible Society, CARE and the Oasis trust, as well as prominent clergy and theologians.

The letter acknowledges that many of those involved in the rally felt a “deep sense of frustration at feeling unheard and forgotten in the democratic process” but that it also included “racist, anti-Muslim and far right elements”.

“As Christians from different theological and political backgrounds, we stand together against the misuse of Christianity,” they write.

“The cross is the ultimate sign of sacrifice for the other.

“Jesus calls us to love both our neighbours and our enemies and to welcome the stranger.

“Any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable.”

https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/do-not-co-opt-cross-divide-bishops-join-church-leaders-message-after-rally 

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies] 

Full text of the letter

We are deeply concerned about the co-opting of Christian symbols, particularly the cross, during Saturday’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally. Many individuals and communities felt anxious, unsettled and even threatened by aspects of the march.

There were undoubtedly diverse motivations for those engaged in the event. We respect the right to free speech, to hold different views on issues such as immigration, the importance of healthy debate between religious communities and the need to disagree well when consensus is difficult.

We also understand that for many of those involved in the rally there is a deep sense of frustration at feeling unheard and forgotten in the democratic process. We know that we cannot heal this wound unless the Church, and society as a whole rises to do more to address the issues of poverty, inequality and exclusion.

However, this rally included racist, anti-Muslim and far right elements. As Christians from different theological and political backgrounds we stand together against the misuse of Christianity. The cross is the ultimate sign of sacrifice for the other. Jesus calls us to love both our neighbours and our enemies and to welcome the stranger. Any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable.

As Christian leaders we are proud of our country and commit ourselves to work with others building a more United Kingdom where the values of love, humility and compassion shine through in every community; and we do so unapologetically in the name of Jesus Christ.

• Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Winchester
• Gavin Calver, CEO, Evangelical Alliance
• Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary, Churches Together in England
• Revd Richard Andrew, President, Methodist Conference 2025/26
• Jude Levermore, Head of Mission, Methodist Church
• Matt Forsyth, Vice-President, Methodist Conference 2025/26
• Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main, Territorial Leaders, The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland
• Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary, The Baptist Union of Great Britain
• Bishop Tedroy M. Powell, National Presiding Bishop, Church of God of Prophecy Trust. (U.K.)
• Rev Fiona Smith, Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
• Rt Revd Dr Rowan Williams, Honorary Assistant Bishop, Llandaff
• Rt Revd Dr David Walker, Bishop of Manchester
• Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Southwark
• Rt Revd Toby Howarth, Bishop of Bradford
• Chine McDonald, Director, Theos
• Revd Lucy Winkett, Rector, St James’s Piccadilly
• Dr Christopher Baker, Professor of Religion and Public Life, Goldsmiths, University of London,
• Debra Green OBE, Executive Director, Redeeming Our Communities
• Revd Canon Dr Jennifer Smith, Wesley's Chapel and Leysian Mission.
• Rt Revd Dr Rosemarie Mallett, Bishop of Croydon
• Dr Anthony Reddie, Professor of Black Theology, University of Oxford
• Dr Robert Beckford, Professor of Black Theology, Queen's Foundation.
• Kat Osborn, Co-CEO, Safe Families and Home for Good
• Dr Krish Kandiah OBE, Director, Sanctuary Foundation
• Tania Bright, Co-CEO, Safe Families and Home for Good
• Very Revd Dr Mark Oakley, Dean of Southwark
• Paul S Williams, Chief Executive, Bible Society
• Ven. Dr Rachel Mann, Archdeacon of Salford and Bolton
• Raymond Friel OBE, CEO, Caritas, the Catholic Social Action Network
• Lord Rees of Easton
• Rt Revd Rob Wickham, Group CEO, Church Urban Fund
• Rt Revd Alastair Cutting, Bishop of Woolwich
• Ross Hendry, CEO of CARE (Christian Action Research and Education)
• Revd Dr Sam Wells, Vicar, St Martin-in-the-Fields
• Rt Revd Dr Martin Gainsborough, Bishop of Kingston
• Revd Canon Steve Chalke MBE, Founder of Oasis Charitable Trust
  

2024 USC canceled Asna Tabassum's valedictorian speech after receiving a wave of hate online for supporting Palestine.... please read her statement in full

Asna Tabassum: "Although this should have been a time of celebration for my family, friends, professors, and classmates, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all,"

Statement by University of Southern California Student Asna Tabassum, Class of 2024 Valedictorian:

I am honored to have been selected as USC Class of 2024 Valedictorian. Although this should have been a time of celebration for my family, friends, professors, and classmates, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all.

This campaign to prevent me from addressing my peers at commencement has evidently accomplished its goal: today, USC administrators informed me that the university will no longer allow me to speak at commencement due to supposed security concerns. I am both shocked by this decision and profoundly disappointed that the University is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.

I am not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. I am surprised that my own university—my home for four years—has abandoned me.

In a meeting with the USC Provost and the Associate Senior Vice President of Safety and Risk Assurance on April 14, I asked about the alleged safety concerns and was told that the University had the resources to take appropriate safety measures for my valedictory speech, but that they would not be doing so since increased security protections is not what the University wants to “present as an image.”

Because I am not aware of any specific threats against me or the university, because my request for the details underlying the university’s threat assessment has been denied, and because I am not being provided any increased safety to be able to speak at commencement, there remain serious doubts about whether USC’s decision to revoke my invitation to speak is made solely on the basis of safety.

Instead of allowing the campaign of hatred to define who I am and what I stand for, let me therefore take this opportunity to tell you about myself.

I am a first-generation South Asian-American Muslim whose passion for service stems from the experience of my grandparents, who were unable to access lifesaving medical technology because they had been displaced by communal violence.

I am a biomedical engineer who learned the meaning of health equity through developing low- cost and accessible jaundice for babies whose darker skin color conceals the visual yellowing of their complexion.

I am a proud Trojan who loves my campus that has enabled me to go from building a walker to shipping medical gowns to Ukraine to writing about the Rwandan Genocide to taking blood pressure measurements for our neighbors in Skid Row.

I am a student of history who chose to minor in resistance to genocide, anchored by the Shoah Foundation, and have learned that ordinary people are capable of unspeakable acts of violence when they are taught hate fueled by fear. And due to widespread fear, I was hoping to use my commencement speech to inspire my classmates with a message of hope. By canceling my speech, USC is only caving to fear and rewarding hatred.

My identities and experiences inspired me to think outside the box—a mindset I cultivated at USC, and it is this very quality that contributed to my selection as USC Valedictorian.

As your class Valedictorian, I implore my USC classmates to think outside the box—to work towards a world where cries for equality and human dignity are not manipulated to be expressions of hatred. 

I challenge us to respond to ideological discomfort with dialogue and learning, not bigotry and censorship. And I urge us to see past our deepest fears and recognize the need to support justice for all people, including the Palestinian people.

Tabassum, who is South Asian-American and Muslim, said in a statement that as a result of the backlash, she has faced "a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all."  NPR NEWS  https://www.npr.org/2024/04/16/1244990599/usc-valedictorian-speech-canceled

 

USC canceled Asna Tabassum's valedictorian speech after she received a wave of hate online for supporting Palestine.

On Tuesday, April 6, the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism announced on social media that USC student Asna Tabassum was selected as valedictorian for the class of 2024. Shortly after the announcement, she began receiving harassment online from a social media account called 'We Are Tov,' which reportedly launched a dishonest and defamatory attack against Asna and created a petition calling on USC to remove her from the position of valedictorian.  

USC released a statement on Monday, April 15, stating that while Asna would retain the title of valedictorian, she would not be allowed to speak during the commencement ceremony due to the hate campaign against her "to maintain the safety of our campus and students." 

For what may be the first time in USC history, the school's commencement ceremony will not include a speech from its valedictorian. This decision to cancel Asna's speech empowers voices of hate, violates USC's obligation to protect its students, and sends a terrible message to not only Muslim students at USC but all students who dare to express support for Palestinian humanity. CAIR PETITION   https://cair-la.salsalabs.org/usc-cancels-valedictorian-speech/index.html

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages. The UDHR is widely recognized as having inspired, and paved the way for, the adoption of more than seventy human rights treaties, applied today on a permanent basis at global and regional levels (all containing references to it in their preambles).

Understand anti-Semitism, and anti-Muslim bigotry

http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/09/understand_anti-semitism_and_anti-muslim_bigotry.html

Understand anti-Semitism, and anti-Muslim bigotry

By Yaman Salahi
In a recent On Faith posting, Rabbi Shmully Hecht of Eliezer, a Jewish student society at Yale University, criticized a column I wrote for the Yale Daily News. Sadly, Hecht employed a tactic that has become increasingly familiar in American discussions about Arabs, Muslims, and Islam. In my column, I argued that a conference sponsored by the Yale Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of Anti-Semitism undermined the lessons to be learned from anti-Semitism because it hosted a variety of speakers with a reputation for promoting racist ideas about Arabs and Muslims. My message was simple: you cannot fight anti-Semitism without also fighting racism against Arabs and Muslims. Racism is wrong because of what it does, not because of whom it targets.

I refer to the myopic view that asserts that Islam is the main impetus behind everything a Muslim does or believes. Accordingly, nearly every feature of Muslim life and political activity can be attributed primarily if not exclusively to religion. This approach makes the crucial mistake of treating Islam like a rigid, fixed set of norms and practices when, in fact, the way Muslims conceive of their religion is ever-changing and contingent on a variety of other factors. More importantly...READ MORE