Writeback, Belfast Telegraph. Published 30 November 2002.

Malachi O’Doherty is right to warn against uncritical religious faith and the blind loyalty which religious education tries to inculcate (18 November). People in the West tend to think that religious fanaticism is peculiar to Islam and that Christianity is completely different, but in fact those two great rival religions are not so very different at all.

Islam and Christianity both demand that their followers revere without question the ancient holy books, the Bible and the Koran, and that they bring up their children with the same uncritical attitudes. Faith without doubt or question, which would be ridiculous in any other human enterprise, is set as the standard and thus the management, known as the clergy, make their public pronouncements without fear of contradiction.

Both religions are male chauvinist in their assumptions, relegating women to secondary status, particularly where the church hierarchy is concerned. Of course, Islam is more blatantly male chauvinist, forcing women to wear the burka from head to toe, and discriminating against them in the strictures of Shariah law. But Christianity also elevates the Father and the Son over mothers and daughters and most church leaders are male.

Tony Blair thinks that he will bring great benefits to Britain by giving financial preference to faith schools over ordinary state schools. He has increased the funding for all kinds of faith schools: Church of England, Roman Catholic, Islamic, etc. His critics, however, say that he has thereby increased social division and that his policy will result in bigotry, discrimination and riots in years to come.

Anyone who would like to discuss this issue further is welcome to a public debate on faith schools on Monday 2 December at 8.00 pm in the Senior Common Room, 1 College Gardens, Belfast.

Les Reid

Secretary

Belfast Humanist Group