30/11/2025
Once again, the real threat to women's rights has been revealed as not some all powerful transgender lobby, but from the religious right wing. Thanks to the National Secular Society, which campaigns for separation of church and state, a new focus has been established on religious conservatives who wish to implement Biblical and Qu'ranic violence against women. In the House of Lords, Liberal Democrat peer Lorely Burt asked the Government what steps it is taking to "ensure charities cannot use 'the advancement of religion' charitable purpose to advance ideologies which promote misogyny, sexism or violence against women". The question was prompted by the NSS report Mission and Misogyny: Religious charities promoting sexism, patriarchy and violence against women, which was published in September. Baroness Burt said that while all charities have "certain responsibilities to fulfil in order to qualify as charities" and receive "generous tax advantages", some charities registered under the charitable purpose of 'the advancement of religion" promote misogynistic ideology in the name of religion. Responding on behalf of the Government, Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Fiona Twycross said the Charity Commission is currently reviewing the NSS's report to determine if it raises "any new regulatory concerns". Last month, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the Telegraph she plans to prohibit anyone convicted of hate crimes from serving as a charity trustee. The proposals would also give greater powers to the Charity Commission to stop charity leaders who promote extremism. During the debate, Lib Dem peer William Wallace raised the issue of many fundamentalist UK charities receiving funding from United States evangelical groups and asked if the Government would insist on greater transparency for the funding of charities. NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson said: "We are grateful to Baroness Burt for raising our report with the Government and urging ministers to back its recommendations. "The Government cannot hope to end misogyny and violence against women while the charity sector continues to promote these harms through 'the advancement of religion'. "Charities which say it is OK for men to dominate, control and assault women are in direct contradiction of the public benefit requirement."If the 'advancement of religion' charitable purpose is enabling charities to effectively bypass the public benefit test, this purpose needs to be removed."
https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2025/11/peer-calls-for-review-of-reli...
