The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

Who are the real leaders behind the current MAGA movement in the US? There's no doubt that Trump has amassed a significant, largely male support base. But there's a growing movement of politically-engaged conservative Christian women who are challenging long-held stereotypes and proving to be a formidable force in right-wing politics. They have modelled themselves on a prominent figure of the Old Testament and are reshaping perceptions of what it means to be on the religious right.  GUESTKatie Gaddini, associate professor at University College London and author of Esther's Army: The Christian Women Who Power the American Right.This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora nation

Australia's Law Reform Commission is due to release its review of surrogacy laws this week. Surrogacy advocates have lobbied hard to allow commercial or compensated surrogacy for women who bear children for couples who cannot, or choose not to, have a natural pregnancy. But the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women is urging the federal government not to liberalise the laws. Reem Alsalem says it will lead to the exploitation of poor women. She was in Australia recently and met the commission to put her case.GUEST:Reem Alsalim  is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women

For the first time since the 1930s, a far-right party is poised to take government in a German state. In the weekend elections in Saxony-Anhalt, the Alternative for Deutschland won 44 per cent of the vote. The party's unmistakably, and unashamedly, anti-Islam but its relationship with the Christian churches is severely strained.GUEST:Jan-Werner Mueller is a Princeton University political scientist and one the world's leading experts on the far right. His latest book is called Street, Palace, Square: The Architecture of Democratic Spaces.

As the war in Sudan continues into its fourth year, with a death toll as high as 400,000, violence has come to the last refuge. In the Nuba mountains, Christian and Muslim Sudanese have traditionally lived in peaceful co-existence, and in roughly equal numbers. But the Sudan People's Liberation Movement has set up a de facto government, principally to control the abundant resources of the mountains. GUEST:Mohaned El Nour is a distinguished Sudanese human rights lawyer who works with the group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.   

Australia's Law Reform Commission is due to release its review of surrogacy laws this week. Surrogacy advocates have lobbied hard to allow commercial or compensated surrogacy for women who bear children for couples who cannot, or choose not to, have a natural pregnancy. But the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women is urging the federal government not to liberalise the laws. Reem Alsalem says it will lead to the exploitation of poor women. She was in Australia recently and met the commission to put her case.PLUSFor the first time since the 1930s, a far-right party is poised to take government in a German state. In the weekend elections in Saxony-Anhalt, the Alternative for Deutschland won 44 per cent of the vote. The party's unmistakably, and unashamedly, anti-Islam, but its relationship with the Christian churches is also severely strained. ANDAs the war in Sudan continues into its fourth year -- with a death toll as high as 400,000 – violence has come to the last refuge. In the Nuba mountains, Christian and Muslim Sudanese have traditionally lived in peaceful co-existence, and in roughly equal numbers. But the Sudan People's Liberation Movement has set up a de facto government, principally to control the abundant resources of the mountains. GUESTS:Reem Alsalim  is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against WomenJan-Werner Mueller is a Princeton University political scientist and one the world's leading experts on the far right. His latest book is called Street, Palace, Square: The Architecture of Democratic Spaces.Mohaned El Nour is a distinguished Sudanese human rights lawyer who works with the group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.   STATEMENT FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LAW REFORM COMMISSIONThe ALRC typically establishes an advisory committee for each inquiry. Advisory committee members are selected for their expertise and experience relevant to the area of law under consideration, including expertise in regulation, research, policy, or practice. An advisory committee is not intended to represent all stakeholder groups involved in an inquiry, as the ALRC consults more broadly through a range of other mechanisms.The role of an advisory committee is solely advisory. Advisory committee members provide feedback and share their views. Their input is one of many sources that inform the ALRC's work. The ALRC always consults broadly and hears from a range of views. We do so through public submissions (open to anyone with an interest in an inquiry), consultations, surveys, webinars, round-tables, and other stakeholder engagement activities. Advisory committee members, like all consultees, have no decision-making role. The views of any consultee or advisory committee are informative but are not determinative.All inquiry decisions are made by the ALRC's President and Commissioners. In developing recommendations, the President and Commissioners consider the totality of the evidence before them, including submissions, consultations, research, and the ALRC's independent analysis.This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora nation

“The scale and suddenness of this flood have left many families facing immense uncertainty and hardship.” says Roslyn Gabriel, World Vision's National Director in Nepal. The death toll from the floods that have swept the border region between Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet continues to rise, along with the intense rescue effort. But Nepal must also rebuild the villages in the path of the flood or rehouse people who've moved to the capital, Kathmandu. Hundreds of children have also reportedly been made orphans.PLUSAlmost every UN member country has signed covenants to guarantee human rights. But what happens when there's a clash of rights, such as personal identity versus religious liberty? Some battles end in the courts but official human rights agencies are trying to balance these claims. The Templeton Foundation is funding a $1.2 million global study of the issue. ANDIt's five years since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, erasing, almost overnight, the human rights gained in the previous 20 years. A western occupation had its problems – a Brown University study found it cost allied powers around $2 trillion – but for two decades it empowered many women and girls to live as full citizens. Now they face what Afghanistan's former human rights chief is calling a “femicide”. GUESTS:Roslyn Gabriel is the National director of World Vision NepalNicholas Aroney is Professor of Constitutional Law at The University of QueenslandShaharzad Akbar is a human rights activist from Afghanistan, currently in exile and a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College, OxfordAustralians can support World Vision's Nepal emergency appeal at the World Vision Australia website: Nepal emergency flood appeal | World Vision AustraliaAlso the ABC is supporting the Emergency Action Alliance member charities and their local partners. Your donation will help provide food, water, financial support, emergency shelter and aid to those in need. Go to ABC.net.au/gives to find out more and donate.Nepal-Tibet Floods - ABC Gives

“The scale and suddenness of this flood have left many families facing immense uncertainty and hardship.” says Roslyn Gabriel, World Vision's National Director in Nepal. The death toll from the floods that have swept the border region between Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet continues to rise, along with the intense rescue effort.But Nepal must also rebuild the villages in the path of the flood or rehouse people who've moved to the capital, Kathmandu. Hundreds of children have also reportedly been made orphans.GUEST:Roslyn Gabriel is the National director of World Vision Nepal based in KatmanduAustralians can support World Vision's Nepal emergency appeal at the World Vision Australia website: Nepal emergency flood appeal | World Vision Australia

It's five years since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, erasing, almost overnight, the human rights gained in the previous 20 years. A western occupation had its problems. A Brown University study found it cost allied powers around $2 trillion. But for two decades it empowered many women and girls to live as full citizens. Now they face what Afghanistan's former human rights chief is calling a “femicide”. GUEST:Shaharzad Akbar is a human rights activist from Afghanistan, currently in exile and a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College, Oxford

Almost every UN member country has signed covenants to guarantee human rights. But what happens when there's a clash of rights, such as personal identity versus religious liberty? Some battles end in the courts but official human rights agencies are trying to balance these claims. The Templeton Foundation is funding a $1.2 million global study of the issue. GUEST:Queensland University law professor Nicholas Aroney is project leader.

Have democratic socialists in the US bagged the biggest catch of all in Pope Leo?

Twenty-five years ago – September 11, 2001 – an Islamist terror group emerged from its refuge in Afghanistan to strike down two symbols of America.

They are, right now, the hottest thing in American politics. 

The conviction of the Catholic bishop of Broome raises new questions about the ability of the church to investigate itself, especially in cases of abuse. A court found Christopher Saunders guilty of 12 counts of sexually abusing two young men and one count of rape. But it took eight years from when the allegations arose to get a criminal conviction. Now one of the world's leading experts on church law says Australia's bishops should establish an independent tribunal of senior jurists to act swiftly against abusive clergy. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, known as the Mormons, is an American original. It's a religion that grew out of the US to become a global church. And for decades, faithful women were its mainstay — well-educated, conservative, committed to family and community. But new research has shocked the overwhelmingly male leadership of the Mormons. More than half of all Gen Z women who grew up in the church have left. What does this mean for the church? GUEST: Dr Jana Reiss, columnist with the Religion News Service, and a member of the Mormon church.

Is there a growing moral crisis among young men? In an essay for the online magazine Quillette, prominent psychiatrist, Tanveer Ahmed, takes a deep dive into statistics about young men who are dropping out of the labour market — and worries about the deeper consequences. Has a generation of men become demoralised — in every sense? GUEST: Dr Tanveer Ahmed, psychiatrist and writer. 

The conviction of the Catholic bishop of Broome raises new questions about the ability of the church to investigate itself, especially in cases of abuse. One of the world's leading experts on church law says Australia's bishops should establish an independent tribunal of senior jurists to act swiftly against abusive clergy. Plus, the female exodus from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). An insider take on what it means for the church. Also, has a generation of men become demoralised — in every sense?GUESTS:Professor Rik Torfs from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, civil and canon lawyer. He's also a former member of the Belgian parliament. Dr Jana Reiss, columnist with the Religion News Service, and a member of the Mormon church. Dr Tanveer Ahmed, psychiatrist and writer. This program is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.

In New South Wales, the Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating claims that the head office of Catholic schools – but not the schools themselves -- employed some staff to work primarily on factional activities for the Liberal Party. There've also been allegations that the organisation paid a consultant who then funnelled his money to a faction known as the Reformers. But first, the ABC's head of religion, Noel Debien, has been watching the proceedings at ICAC and is here with an update.GUESTS:Noel Debien is a religion expert and broadcaster, and heads the Religion and Ethics unit at ABC Radio NationalAnne Benjamin is a respected educator, who was Director of Schools for the Parramatta diocese. 

The ABC's head of religion, Noel Debien, has been watching the proceedings at ICAC and is here with an update.In New South Wales, the Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating claims that the head office of Catholic schools – but not the schools themselves -- employed some staff to work primarily on factional activities for the Liberal Party. There've also been allegations that the organisation paid a consultant who then funnelled his money to a faction known as the Reformers. How have socially conservative Catholics found a home for themselves in the Liberal Party, especially considering its early history as a bastion of Australia's protestant establishment? It's due in large part to the end of long romance between the Catholic Church and the Labor Party. GUESTS:Noel Debien is a religion expert and broadcaster, and heads the Religion and Ethics unit at ABC Radio NationalDr Jeff Kildea is the author of the new book Iron Law No More: The Rise and Demise of the Catholic-Labor Alliance in Australia.Anne Benjamin is a respected educator, who was Director of Schools for the Parramatta diocese. This program is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

How have socially conservative Catholics found a home for themselves in the Liberal Party, especially considering its early history as a bastion of Australia's protestant establishment? It's due in large part to the end of long romance between the Catholic Church and the Labor Party. GUEST:Dr Jeff Kildea is the author of the new book Iron Law No More: The Rise and Demise of the Catholic-Labor Alliance in Australia.

One of the most controversial questions in next week's census is about religious affinity. Over the past two decades, increasing numbers of Australians say they have no religion. In 2021, it reached 39 per cent. But does the way the census poses the question accurately reflect religious identity? GUEST:Dr Dorian von Freyhold from the analytics firm Compass Polling ran an experiment involving 5,000 people.

For six years, a Church of England priest has been trying to uncover the fate of more than 60 Iraqis taken prisoner by Coalition forces during the 2003 Iraq invasion. What makes this search for the truth so compelling is that before becoming a priest, Nicholas Mercer was a Lieutenant Colonel and one of the most senior lawyers in the British military. As part of his search, he wrote repeatedly to the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Forced because Australian troops were involved in detaining the Iraqis. Nicholas Mercer has finally received a response from the Inspector-General.The following statement can be attributed to a spokesperson for the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force:The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force's role includes the examination of matters affecting military justice in the ADF.  The IGADF inquiry into Dr Mercer's concerns did not find any evidence that substantiates wrongdoing on the part of the ADF. GUEST:A former British Army Lieutenant-Colonel, the Rev Nicholas Mercer has been campaigning for the truth about war crimes in Iraq - he is also an Anglican priest

For six years, a Church of England priest has been trying to uncover the fate of more than 60 Iraqis taken prisoner by Coalition forces during the 2003 Iraq invasion. 

"Women religious" have led major education, health and charitable institutions. But they've also been victims of their own church. 

Young voters have a voice in India right now.India's Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Melbourne to receive a rock star welcome at a mass rally at docklands stadium. But not all Australian Hindus are fans - some see him as a divisive figure with potential impact on social harmony. What do they make of the current pulses of anti-immigration rhetoric emerging from figures like Hanson and her party?Meanwhile in India, the Cockroach Janta party or CJP might have started out as an online joke, bit its grown into a mass protests movement, driven by the discontent of millions of younger voters. What of it's future?With an October 27 poll looming for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — security officials warn the Occupied West Bank is a tinderbox, with Palestinian Christian communities among those under sustained attack from armed settlers. We speak with a Christian Palestinian from Bethlehem with family in Gaza.GUESTS:ABC journalist and former ABC South Asia correspondent Meghna Bali - Her new ABC Compass documentary is here.Professor Assa Doron, from the Australian National University's College of Asia and the Pacific.Dr Yousef Al-Khoury is the Academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College in the West Bank. He's currently on a speaking tour Bearing Witness in Australia organised by the group Palestinian Christians in Australia.

India's Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Melbourne to receive a rock star welcome at a mass rally at docklands stadium. But not all Australian Hindus are fans - some see him as a divisive figure with potential impact on social harmony. What do they make of the current pulses of anti-immigration rhetoric emerging from figures like Hanson and her party?GUEST:ABC journalist and former ABC South Asia correspondent Meghna Bali - Her new ABC Compass documentary is here.

With an October 27 poll looming for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, security officials warn the Occupied West Bank is a tinderbox, with Palestinian Christian communities among those under sustained attack from armed settlers. We speak with a Christian Palestinian from Bethlehem with family in Gaza.GUEST:Dr Yousef Al-Khoury is the Academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College in the West Bank. He's currently on a speaking tour Bearing Witness in Australia organised by the group Palestinian Christians in Australia.

Young voters have a voice in India right now.The Cockroach Janta Party or CJP might have started out as an online joke, but it's grown into a mass protests movement, driven by the discontent of millions of younger voters. What of it's political future? And who are the key figures in the movement?GUEST:Professor Assa Doron, from the Australian National University's College of Asia and the Pacific.

The Catholic Church has traditionally been sympathetic to the aspirations of West Papuans.But, over the past year, rebels in the Indonesian province of West Papua have attacked several Catholic institutions. The worst was early July, when they killed an American pilot, whose plane was carrying aid for Catholic charities. What's behind these attacks by anti-Indonesian rebels? GUEST:Ahmad Syarif is a researcher at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. He spent nearly a decade at the Jakarta office of Bower Group Asia. He recently documented the growing violence in a report for The Lowy Interpreter.

Over the past year, rebels in the Indonesian province of West Papua have attacked several Catholic institutions. 

In today's fractured politics, the Pope has approval ratings to die for. An Economist You-Gov poll recently found that among Americans – and not just Catholics --  Pope Leo led Donald Trump in the popularity stakes by 54 points. 

Guardian columnist Peter Lewis has been reading the Pope's encyclical, not as an adherent of the Catholic faith but as someone who's “proudly human”.

The latest flashpoint is a dispute over Islamic burial rites.

The very slow rise of Muslim immigration hasn't slowed the rise of anti-immigration sentiment in Japanese politics and society. 

It's a funeral taking place over six days, five cities and two countries. Crowds have overwhelmed the streets of Iran to mourn or just watch the funeral procession for the late Ayatollah Khamenei. He and other family members died in February in attacks by the US and Israel. Khamenei ran a brutal regime that killed an estimated 40,000 demonstrators earlier this year, but his funeral has become a rallying point for the nation. The man set to become the next prime minister of Britain, Andy Burnham, is best known as the popular and successful mayor of Greater Manchester in northern England. But long before that, he was a pious altar boy in his local Catholic church in Liverpool. Burnham has referred frequently to his Catholic background and values, even if he observes only some of the church's teaching. How much will faith shape his prime ministership? One of the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime is severe restrictions on religious practice. But there's also been a marked increase in religious repression by individuals, sometimes in defiance of more liberal government policies. The Pew Research Center in Washington has been monitoring this situation.GUESTS:Dr Ali Mamouri  is a Middle East specialist at Deakin University and a former adviser to an earlier reform government in neighbouring Iraq.Hannah Rich is a senior researcher at the London-based think tank Theos.Samirah Majumdar is the lead author of Pew Research's recent report.This program is made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

It's a funeral taking place over six days, five cities and two countries. Crowds have overwhelmed the streets of Iran to mourn or just watch the funeral procession for the late Ayatollah Khamenei. He and other family members died in February in attacks by the US and Israel. Khamenei ran a brutal regime that killed an estimated 40,000 demonstrators earlier this year, but his funeral has become a rallying point for the nation. GUEST:Dr Ali Mamouri  is a Middle East specialist at Deakin University and a former adviser to an earlier reform government in neighbouring Iraq. 

Long before being a PM incumbent, Andy Burnham was a pious altar boy in his local Catholic church in Liverpool. Burnham has referred frequently to his Catholic background and values, even if he observes only some of the church's teaching. How much will faith shape his prime ministership? GUEST:Hannah Rich is a senior researcher at the London-based think tank Theos.

One of the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime is severe restrictions on religious practice.But there's also been a marked increase in religious repression by individuals, sometimes in defiance of more liberal government policies. The Pew Research Center in Washington has been monitoring this situation. GUEST:Samirah Majumder is the lead author of Pews recent report. 

It's a funeral taking place over six days, five cities and two countries. Crowds have overwhelmed the streets of Iran to mourn or just watch the funeral procession for the late Ayatollah Khamenei. He and other family members died in February in attacks by the US and Israel. Khamenei ran a brutal regime that killed an estimated 40,000 demonstrators earlier this year, but his funeral has become a rallying point for the nation. The man set to become the next prime minister of Britain, Andy Burnham, is best known as the popular and successful mayor of Greater Manchester in northern England. But long before that, he was a pious altar boy in his local Catholic church in Liverpool. Burnham has referred frequently to his Catholic background and values, even if he observes only some of the church's teaching. How much will faith shape his prime ministership? One of the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime is severe restrictions on religious practice. But there's also been a marked increase in religious repression by individuals, sometimes in defiance of more liberal government policies. The Pew Research Center in Washington has been monitoring this situation.GUESTS:Dr Ali Mamouri  is a Middle East specialist at Deakin University and a former adviser to an earlier reform government in neighbouring Iraq.Hannah Rich is a senior researcher at the London-based think tank Theos.Samirah Majumdar is the lead author of Pew Research's recent report.This program is made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

July the 4th marks 250 years since the founders of the United States ratified the Declaration of Independence. For a nation that was designed explicitly to separate church and state – unlike much of old Europe – the US became remarkably religious. Even as the number of non-religious Americans grows, faith still permeates the culture and, especially, the politics. As part of Radio National's America 250 coverage, we caught up with historian Matthew Avery Sutton.And a longer version of this interview is on our webpage.  Guests:Dr BREANN FALLON is chief executive at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, which runs programmes dealing with genocide education.MATTHEW AVERY SUTTON is author of Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity.  RELATED MATERIAL: God Forbid on The Scofield Bible

Research appears to show teacher fears around teaching students about the Holocaust.Hearings resumed this week at the antisemitism royal commission, with public figures, including MPs, recounting their experience with anti-Jewish prejudice. The hearings coincided with new research showing some high school teachers in New South Wales were nervous about teaching the history of the Holocaust because of a backlash from some students.  Plus July the 4th marks 250 years since the founders of the United States ratified the Declaration of Independence. For a nation that was designed explicitly to separate church and state – unlike much of old Europe – the US became remarkably religious. Even as the number of non-religious Americans grows, faith still permeates the culture and, especially, the politics. As part of Radio National's America 250 series, we caught up with historian Matthew Avery Sutton – a longer version is on our webpage.  Guests:Dr BREANN FALLON is chief executive at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, which runs programmes dealing with genocide education.MATTHEW AVERY SUTTON, author of Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity.   

Research appears to show teacher fears around teaching students about the Holocaust.Hearings resumed this week at the antisemitism royal commission, with public figures, including MPs, recounting their experience with anti-Jewish prejudice. The hearings coincided with new research showing some high school teachers in New South Wales were nervous about teaching the history of the Holocaust because of a backlash from some students.  Guest:Dr Breann Fallon is chief executive at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, which runs programmes dealing with genocide education. 

A litmus test for anyone seeking office as a Democrat in the US is unqualified support for abortion. At the moment, it's popular. Even in Republican states have passed ballot measures to over-ride abortion bans. But can the Democrats forge a long-term coalition to win the congress and the presidency without some pro-life voters, especially Catholics? A growing number of progressive Democrats say the party needs to be a bigger tent. GUEST:TIMOTHY KIRCHOFF is a contributing writer to the liberal Catholic magazine, Commonweal.