Religious Literacy

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Thursday 9th February 2017 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

I missed a little of the noble Lord’s question, but I think I have enough to go on. He said that the hate crime action plan did not specifically refer to non-Abrahamic faiths, but the tenets of the action plan cover points on hatred on the basis of religious belief, disability, sexuality and so on. It is therefore implicit within it that, for example, Sikh communities are included. As for the understanding of religious literacy within both government and wider society, both the Home Office and DCLG engage widely and often with faith communities. Shortly after the referendum, I myself met people from different faiths, including Sikhs, in Manchester to discuss religious literacy, the outcome of the referendum and the corresponding hate crime attached to it.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

My Lords, will the Minister confirm that there has been no violence and no torture, and no wars have been waged, in the cause of humanism?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

I do not think I can accurately answer that without looking at my history books.