UNIT 1: Community Cohesion

CHANGING ROLES

Attitudes to the role of men and women have changed greatly:

  • Women now have equal rights
  • Men and women are expected to share roles in the home

Attitudes have changed because of:

  • The feminist movement
  • Social and industrial changes.
  • The effects of the world wars.

ROLES OF MEN AND WOMEN

Christianity and Women's Rights

  1. Traditional Protestants believe only men should be religious leaders because this is what the Bible teaches.
  2. Liberal Protestants believe men and women should have equal roles in religion because Jesus had women disciples.
  3. Catholics believe men and women should have equal roles, but only men can become priests because Jesus was a man

Islam and Women's Rights

  1. Traditional Muslims believe that men and women should have different rights in religion because of tradition and the teachings of the Qur’an.
  2. Modern Muslims believe that men and women should have equal rights in religion because of the teachings of the Qur’an and the example of the Prophet.

MULTI ETHNIC

The nature of the UK as a multi-ethnic society, including the problems of discrimination and racism.

  1. Britain has many ethnic minorities and so is a multi-ethnic society.
  2. Multi-ethnic society needs equal opportunities and treatment to work, so prejudice and discrimination cause major problems in such a society because they do not treat everyone equally

Government action to promote community cohesion in the UK, including legislation on equal rights for ethnic minorities and religions.

The UK is promoting community cohesion by

Passing laws against racism and discrimination

Making community cohesion part of the national curriculum

Community cohesion is important because without it a multi-ethnic society will become violent and divided.

RACIAL HARMONY

Christians should help to promote racial harmonybecause ......

  1. The example of Jesus
  2. The teachings of the Bible against racism

Muslims should promote racial harmony because....

  1. Islam teaches that racism is wrong because of the teachings of the Qur’an
  2. They should follow the example of Muhammad.

MULTI FAITH

  1. Britain is a multi faith society because several religions are practiced here and everyone is free to practise their religion.
  2. A multi-faith society has many benefits such as religious freedom and the opportunity to find out about, and think more deeply about, different religions.

Issues around Multi-Faith

  1. A multi-faith society needs to have laws giving equal rights to all religions and to those who have no religion (religious pluralism). However, a multi-faith society can raise problems for religious people in areas such as:
  2. Conversion attempts by other faiths because it is like discrimination
  3. Bringing up children because they may leave their parent’s faith
  4. Interfaith marriages because of having to decide which faith the children should be brought up in.

Why Christians should help to promote racial harmony.

•The teachings of the Bible against racism

•The teachings of the Churches against racism

•The example of Jesus

Why Muslims should help to promote racial harmony.

•All Muslims are part of the ummah (Muslim family) and come from every race.

•The Qur’an teaches that no race is better than another

•All races are loved by Allah

•Prophet Muhammad declared that all people were descended from Adam and Eve.

HOW MUSLIMS PROMOTE UNITY

  1. Muslims pray together in Arabic
  2. Muslims from all over the world make pilgrimage (Hajj) to the Holy City of Mecca.
  3. All Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan.
  4. All Muslims pray facing Mecca.

WHITE GIRL

You need to know about how the media shows religion; including whether the treatment was fair to religious beliefs and religious people.

WE WATCHED WHITE GIRL

This is a story of a girl from a troubled family. Her step-dad is violent and uses the children to help sell drugs. The mum cannot read and has a problem with alcohol. They move to Bradford where they seem to be the only white people. The family regard themselves as Catholic, but do not go to church. Leah becomes a Muslim and her family are not pleased. In the end the mum gets rid of the dad and although they have nothing left they are shown as a family who will try and get through bad times together.

Issues
  • Prejudice
  • Discrimination
  • Multi – faith
  • Religious Freedom
  • Religious Pluralism
  • Multi- ethnic
  • Ethnic - minority