Proposed UK Islamophobia definition allows for right to criticise religion, source says

Proposed UK Islamophobia definition allows for right to criticise religion, source says

Source says working group stuck to requirement that definition must not interfere with freedom of speech

Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent

Mon 20 Oct 2025 16.11 BST 

A new definition of Islamophobia being considered by UK ministers is expected to protect the freedom to criticise Islam, the Guardian understands.

The government launched a working group in February to “define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim.”

It is understood the working group submitted its report this month to the communities secretary, Steve Reed, laying out a non-statutory definition of Islamophobia.

The report is private and the government may choose not to publish it or to drop the project entirely. If it goes ahead, the proposed definition is expected to be put to a consultation.

Critics have raised concerns that the definition could limit freedom of speech and the ability to criticise Islam.

In 2019, the Labour party adopted a working definition of Islamophobia from the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on British Muslims, which included the statement: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”

More than 50 English councils also adopted the APPG’s definition, research by the thinktank Civitas found, but the then Conservative government did not.

A source with knowledge of the matter said the 2019 definition “could be interpreted as being a mechanism by which freedom of expression to criticise Islam could be closed down” and that the working group knew it “must avoid” that.

The source said the working group stuck to its terms of reference that “any proposed definition must be compatible with the unchanging right of British citizens to exercise freedom of speech and expression – which includes the right to criticise, express dislike of or insult religions and/or the beliefs and practices of adherents”.

Chaired by the eminent barrister Dominic Grieve KC, who served as attorney general for England and Wales between 2010 and 2014, the working group on anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia definition comprises Muslim community representatives, experts and academics, including the crossbench peer Shaista Gohir and Akeela Ahmed, a co-chair of the British Muslim Network.

A source said: “This is a non-statutory definition and anybody who bothers to look at the terms of reference will that see that it is explicitly made clear that it must not interfere with freedom of expression and that it must not be a blasphemy law through the back door.”

Data released by the government this month showed hate crimes against Muslims had increased by nearly a fifth. In England and Wales, where 3.9 million people identify as Muslim, anti-Muslim hate crime rose to 3,199 offences in the 12 months to March 2025, from 2,690 offences in the previous year.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We do not comment on leaks. The department is carefully considering the independent Working Group’s advice on a definition of anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia, and no government decisions have been made.

“We will always defend freedom of speech, including fiercely protecting the right to criticise, express dislike of, or insult religions and the beliefs and practices of those who follow them. This will remain at the front of our minds as we review the definition.”

Discussion part

1.      Read the article, write out words in bold, be ready to explain the meaning and give examples of your own with these words.

2.      Divide the text of the article into logical parts and write down the sentence that best expresses the very thought of each logical part. Make up a question to each logical part.

3.      Think of the rubric the information comes from and the author’s intention to inform the reader. Mind the key words.

4.      Study the plan of rendering and provide a rendering of the article.

5.      Learn by heart the new vocabulary.

Аббревиатуры и сокращения в английском языке

n. (noun) — cуществительное
v. (verb) — глагол
adj. (adjective) — прилагательное
adv. (adverb) — наречие
prep. (preposition) — предлог
conj. (conjunction) — союз
e.g. (for example — от лат. exempli gratia) — например
p. (page) — страница
pp. (pages) — страницы
p.t.o. (please turn over) — перелистните, смотрите на обороте
par. (paragraph) — параграф, раздел
etc (от лат. etcetera) — и так далее
arr. (arrival) — прибытие
dep. (departure) — отбытие
Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, Jun., Jul., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. — месяцы
Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat., Sun. — дни недели
in. (inch) — дюйм
sec. (second) — секунда
gm. (gram) — грамм
cm. (centimetre) — сантиметр
qt (quart) — кварта
cc (cubic centimetre) — кубический сантиметр
m.p.h. (miles per hour) — миль в час
kph (kilometres per hour) — км/ч
ft. (foot) — фут (30 см 48 мм)
lb (libra) — либра (400 гр)
oz (ounce) — унция (28 гр)
Tel. (telephone) — телефон
No., no. (number) — номер
a.m. (от лат. ante meridiem) — до полудня, в утренние часы
p.m. (от лат. post meridiem) — после полудня, пополудни
i.e. (от лат. id est) — то есть
A.D. (от лат. Anno Domini) — нашей эры, после Рождества Христова
B.C. (от лат. before Christ) — до нашей эры, до Рождества Христова
AC (alternating current) — переменный ток
DC (direct current) — постоянный ток
A 1 — первоклассный
a/c (account current) — текущий счет
ad (advertisement) — объявление
app. (от лат. appendix) — приложение
Co. (company) — компания, общество; (county) — округ, графство
Ltd. (limited) — компания с ограниченной ответственностью
C.O.D. (cash on delivery) — наложенным платежом
deg. (degree) — степень
Dept. (department) — отдел; управление
Ed. (editor) — редактор; (edition) — издание
esp. (especially) — особенно
F.A.P. (First Aid Post) — пункт первой помощи
hr (hour) — час
Hy (heavy) — тяжелый
ib.; ibid. (от лат. ibidem) — там же
id. (от лат. idem) — то же самое
IOU (I owe you) — долговая расписка
ital. (italics) — курсив
N.S. (new style) — новый стиль
obs. (obsolete) — устаревший
p.c. (per cent) — процент %
pl. (plural) — множественное число
quot. (quotation) — цитата
S.O.S. (save our souls) — международный радиосигнал бедствия
Sr. (senior) — старший
Jr. (junior) — младший
vy (very) — очень
wt (weight) — вес
attract. (attractive) — привлекательный
corresp. (correspondent) — ведущий переписку
div. (divorced) — разведен(а)
f'ship (friendship) — дружба
gd-lkng (good-looking) — привлекательный
gent (gentleman) — мужчина
gfrnd (girlfriend) — подруга
GP (general practitioner) — практикующий врач
med (medium) — среднего роста
mting (meeting) — встреча
N/D (no-drinker) — непьющий
N/S (no-smoker) — некурящий
pls (please) — пожалуйста
poss. (possible) — возможно
U (you) — ты
LTR (long-term relationship) — длительные отношения
WLTM (would like to meet) — хотел(а) бы встретиться
yr (years) — год, годы
sis (sister) — сестра
Dr., doc (doctor) — доктор
telly (television) — телевизор
phone (telephone) — телефон
vator (elevator) — лифт
zine (magazine) — журнал
specs (spectacles) — очки
fridge (refrigeration) — холодильник
flu (influenza) — грипп
comfy (comfortable) — удобный
imposs (impossible) — невозможный
mizzy (miserable) — жалкий
St (Street) — улица
Rd (Road) — дорога
c/o (care of) — заботиться о
Mr (Mister) — обращение к мужчине
Mrs (Mistres) — обращение к замужней женщине
Ms (Miss) — обращение к девушке
Pref. (preface) — предисловие
P.S. (от лат. post scriptum) — послесловие, постскриптум
w/o (without) — без
w/ (with) - с 

https://skillset.ru/abbreviaturyi-i-sokrashheniya-v-angliyskom-yazyike

Prince Harry says ‘sources intent on sabotage’ behind reports of strained meeting with King

Prince Harry says ‘sources intent on sabotage’ behind reports of strained meeting with King

Spokesperson says claims Harry felt like an ‘official visitor’ were fabricated as duke seeks reconciliation with father

Kyriakos Petrakos

Sat 27 Sep 2025 17.15 BST

Prince Harry has suggested that people are seeking to sabotage his reconciliation with King Charles as he hit back at “invention fed” media reports on the pair’s recent meeting. Harry met the king for the first time in almost two years at Clarence House in London on 10 September.

The Sun reported on Saturday that the meeting was “distinctly formal”, claiming that Harry joked he felt more like an “official visitor” rather than a member of the royal family.

The newspaper also cited sources close to Harry which denied he said he felt like an “official visitor”. A spokesperson for the prince went further, describing the quotes attributed to Harry as “pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son”.

The spokesperson did not specify who the information might have come from. The Sun said Harry had confirmed parts of its report, telling the Guardian he “was given full right of reply yesterday in advance of publication and opted not to give a response to the Sun’s carefully sourced account of the meeting”.

Harry’s spokesperson also corrected part of the Sun’s report about gifts that had been exchanged between the king and him. The Sun had initially said a framed photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s family was exchanged.

But Harry’s spokesperson denied the claim, saying: “While we would have preferred such details to remain private, for the sake of clarity we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over, however the image did not contain the duke and duchess.”

The duke carried out several charity events in Nottingham and London during his recent four-day visit to the UK this month. The private tea between Harry and Charles, which lasted 54 minutes, came after the Duke of Sussex told the BBC in May he would “love a reconciliation” with his family.

Harry attended the Invictus reception at the Gherkin in London after the meeting. Asked how his father was during the event, he replied: “Yes, he’s great, thank you.” The pair’s last engagement together took place in February 2024, soon after the king’s cancer diagnosis last year.

Harry, Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, now live in California. The last known meeting between Charles and his grandchildren was at the late Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee in June 2022.

 

Part I

1. Read the article, write out words in bold, be ready to explain the meaning and give examples of your own with these words.

2. Divide the text of the article into logical parts and write down the sentence that best expresses the very thought of each logical part.

3. Think of the rubric the information comes from and the author’s intention to inform the reader.

4. Study the plan of rendering.

Planet names

Functional styles

Genres

UK government urged to introduce GCSE in Ukrainian for child refugees

UK government urged to introduce GCSE in Ukrainian for child refugees

Children’s commissioner joins Kyiv in asking DfE to create new qualification to cope with ‘immense upheaval’ of fleeing war

Matthew Weaver

Thu 22 May 2025 11.00 BST

The children’s commissioner has joined Kyiv in lobbying the UK government to introduce a new GCSE in Ukrainian to help child refugees cope with the “immense upheaval” of fleeing war in their country.

In December, the Guardian revealed that Ukraine was “deeply concerned” to discover many Ukrainian teenagers are being pressed into learning Russian in British schools because no GSCE in Ukrainian is available.

Since then Ukraine’s education minister, Oksen Lisovyi, has met the UK education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, to underline his government’s fear that being taught Russian is retraumatising Ukrainian teenagers who have fled Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Vitalii, now 18, who fled to London from Ukraine in April 2022, said: “Why should I study Russian – I’m Ukrainian and I want to show it. The language is paramount for all us.”

Since the meeting with Lisovyi, Phillipson confirmed on Instagram this week that she has written to exam boards urging them to reintroduce an exam that was scrapped in 1995 owing to a lack of demand. The Department for Education (DfE) has also set up a working group to help implement the move. One of the exam boards, AQA, said it was carefully considering reintroducing the qualification. But education sector insiders are sceptical about the practicalities of the move.

It has also emerged the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza, has been urging the government to reintroduce a GCSE in Ukrainain.

She intervened after visiting St Mary’s, a network of 13 Ukrainian language schools in the UK, founded at the trust’s headquarters in west London.

De Souza said: “I’ve seen for myself the great work St Mary’s Ukrainian School is doing with the children who attend. It has become a sanctuary for families, helping displaced children reach their goals and aspirations in spite of the immense upheaval they’ve experienced.

De Souza said she was encouraged by the DfE’s decision to take up the issue with exam boards. She said: “I have long called for the DfE to consider making qualifications available in Ukrainian for these children, who rightly want an opportunity to feel proud of their culture and their language, so I am really pleased to see this.

“Ukrainian children living here in the UK are the future of their country and will play a vital role in its recovery, so we must match their level of ambition and make sure they receive all the support possible to thrive in their education.”

An AQA spokesperson said: “We’ve every sympathy with Ukrainian students who, through no fault of their own, find themselves many miles from home and want to gain formal accreditation of their language.

“As an education charity, we stand ready to do what we can to support Ukrainian students. We have received a letter from the education secretary about developing a GCSE in the Ukrainian language and are considering it carefully.”

But an education industry source said: “Realistically it takes two years to develop a qualification, it takes another two years to teach it. So a GCSE is not going to help students who are currently here who have fled Ukraine.”

St Mary’s has proposed becoming a hub for both GCSE and A-level qualifications in Ukrainian.

In a letter to Phillipson, Ukraine’s ministry of education backed this suggestion. It said: “Establishing a Ukrainian GCSE centre will provide these children with opportunities to take Ukrainian GCSE and A-level exams, supporting their educational and professional goals.”

It also pointed out that demand for the qualification has soared owing to the number of children that have fled to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

It said: “As of now, the number of potential students of Ukrainian descent interested in pursuing Ukrainian GCSE is at an all-time high: about 27,000 displaced Ukrainian children and around 7,000 diaspora children.”

It added: “Maintaining proficiency in Ukrainian is crucial for displaced children’s transition back to Ukraine, especially as many families may decide to reunite when it is safe.”

A DfE spokesperson said: “This government has set out our decisive support for our Ukrainian friends. That’s why we have, last week, asked exam boards to consider introducing a Ukrainian GCSE – giving these young people the chance to celebrate their heritage and their native language.”