News from the OR’s Acorn Hollow: 

Greetings Everyone~!

This year’s camp was a great success. We hosted 15 children from ages 2 years to 17 years old. One child came all the way from Texas!!

The camp focused on Scandinavian Heritage. Every day we learned something a little more about our Northern Folk. The classes this year were: History; Icelandic Language; Havamal and Religion; Mythology, Folklore, and Sagas; Arts and Crafts; Music; Heraldry, and finally Drama. During the week the kids learned about several aspects of “Viking Culture”, but didn’t limit their learning to just that short period of time. We discussed how the “Vikings” were only a drop in the historical ocean of the Scandinavian people. The kids learned Icelandic Language, performed a skit, created a “Viking Settlement”, played traditional Nordic games such as Tafl and Charades, and created Huldafolk and Thor’s Hammers. Near the end of their week with a special Children’s Invocation that many of the kids said were the most powerful Blot of which they had been a part!

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France has denied citizenship to a veiled Moroccan woman on the grounds that her ‘radical’ Islam is incompatible with French values, a legal ruling revealed.

The case will re-ignite debate about how to reconcile religious freedom with other rights, which many in France feel are being challenged by the way of life of some Muslims.

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An update to our previous item about the Cheshire school children given a detention for refusing to kneel and pray to Allah during a religious education lesson.

The following is a statement released by the Director of Children’s Services on Cheshire County Council:

Cheshire County Council today (Monday) suspended a teacher at Alsager High School whilst inquiries into allegations of unprofessional and inappropriate teaching practice take place.

The inquiries will involve parental complaints about methods of education on the Islamic faith and also ongoing inquiries centred around other practice issues.

It should be stressed that suspension is not in itself a disciplinary measure.

Children’s Services Director Joan Feenan said: “This authority is naturally concerned about complaints we have received from parents.

“Together with the school, we will be thoroughly investigating those complaints, in a careful and considered manner, and informing parents of the conclusions reached.

“Educating children in Christian and other religious beliefs is part of the national curriculum in secular schools and I’m sure that the great majority of our parents welcome any efforts to further mutual understanding.

“Having said that this authority also accepts without question that such teaching should be carried out with awareness, sensitivity and sound common sense.

Added Mrs Feenan: “Alsager is a high performing school with very supportive parents. I am confident that this matter will be resolved equitably. “

Police sniffer dogs will soon have to wear bootees when searching Muslim households to avoid causing offence.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) has drawn up guidelines, due to be published later this year, urging religious sensitivity when using dogs to seek out contraband.

The recommendation was originally drawn up to cover police searches of Mosques but has now been extended to Muslim homes, The Sunday Times reported.

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Two schoolboys were given detention after refusing to kneel down and ‘pray to Allah’ during a religious education lesson.

Parents were outraged that the two boys from year seven (11 to 12-year-olds) were punished for not wanting to take part in the practical demonstration of how Allah is worshipped.

They said forcing their children to take part in the exercise at Alsager High School, near Stoke-on-Trent - which included wearing Muslim headgear - was a breach of their human rights.

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The Indiana Department of Corrections, sued by and Odinist inmate in federal court, has been given 30 days to comply with RLUIPA. Odinists must now be afforded the rights of group worship in Indiana state prisons. Indiana is one of several states to recently lose in federal court over its failure to comply with the act.

A bear-worshipping indigenous minority of northern Japan are to receive official recognition, a move that will end 140 years of enforced assimilation and discrimination.

The Ainu, the original inhabitants of Hokkaido island, were conquered by Japan in the mid-1800s and forcibly assimilated into Japanese culture.

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This years theme will be based around the concept of “Life as a Viking”. Classes will focus on the lifestyles of the Vikings; we will look at traditional foods, clothes, shelters and modes of travel and trade. We will also learn about the Vikings Pre-Christian faith, called Odinism, in classes such as Havamal and Religion.

Classes include:

Language, Havamal, Textiles, Art, Music, Mythology/Folklore/Legends, Drama, Nine Noble Virtues, Cooking, Religion, and plenty of Recreational activities (swimming, hiking, games, etc…) just for fun!

At the end of the week we will open up the camp to the community to showcase the children’s accomplishments!

For full details please see event flyer and brochure.

Please note that this camp is open to non OR/Acorn Hollow children.

A row has erupted within the Church of England over calls for British Muslims to be converted to Christianity.

The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, accused the Church of failing in its duty to “welcome people of other faiths” ahead of a motion at July’s General Synod in York urging a strategy for evangelising Muslims.

However, his comments were condemned by senior figures within the Church. The Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, the former Bishop of Hulme and the newly appointed Bishop of Urban Life and Faith, said: “Both the Bishop of Rochester’s reported comments and the synod private members’ motion show no sensitivity to the need for good inter-faith relations. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs are learning to respect one another’s paths to God and to live in harmony. This demand for the evangelisation of people of other faiths contributes nothing to our communities.”

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