Lesson video

Hello there, my name is Mr. Robertson, and I'm delighted to welcome you to another RE lesson.

Today's lesson is the final lesson in our unit entitled Freedom: How Far Should Governments Go to Protect Freedom of Religion or Belief?

Today's lesson is entitled Considering Contested Issues Around Freedom of Religion or Belief.

And in this lesson, you are going to take part in a role play, looking at a case study to make a real decision and judgment about whether you think rights are being infringed or violated.

Really look forward to working with you on this lesson.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to make an informed judgment on a contested issue relating to freedom of religion or belief.

So in this lesson, we have some keywords.

Our first word is balanced or balancing, and that means the process weighing one right against another to decide how far each should be protected in a particular situation.

The next word is competing, and that means when two or more rights, interests, or freedoms conflict with each other.

Our next word is violated or violation.

Human rights violations occur when fundamental freedoms and rights are disregarded, restricted, or denied.

And our final word is infringement, and that is the act of violating, limiting, or interfering with a person's rights or freedoms.

These words will become very familiar to you as you progress through this lesson.

So the first part of this lesson is going to be about understanding context and gathering evidence.

I just want to make sure we're really clear at the beginning of this lesson about this whole idea of freedom of religion or belief.

It is a fundamental human right, protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

And at the heart of freedom of religion or belief is the right to have or change your religion or belief without coercion.

So that's the heart of the right.

But what happens in a situation where this right to freedom of religion or belief may compete with other human rights?

These kind of real world situations happen a lot in societies, and so we're going to examine a case study.

And this case study is going to be really helpful because it'll help us to understand competing rights.

Because this is a fictional case study, we can weigh these rights up against each other and we can come to a judgment ourselves about whether these rights have been violated.

So let's be really clear exactly what we mean, so this is gonna help us for the rest of the lesson.

It's important to understand that there are some dimensions within the right to freedom of religion or belief.

So the right to freedom of religion or belief is an absolute right.

But there may be situations where it seemed to be competing with another human right, for example, the right to life or education.

In these cases, governments and courts have to balance the competing rights and decide on the best course of action.

This means there are trade-offs between different rights, and this is the sort of situation we're going to be looking at today.

Let's just check our understanding so far.

Using what we've learned so far, which of these do you think might be an example of competing rights?

A, two different religious groups wanting to use a building.

B, UK government closing places of worship during COVID-19.

C, humanists campaigning for a legal wedding.

Excellent, the answer is B, because in that situation, the competing rights were the protection of the public against the rights of freedom to religion or belief.

Two groups using the same building isn't a competing right, they're just competing with each other to use a building, and the third one is not about competing rights, it's about some rights which have been violated and wanting equality.

So let's get straight into our case study.

In this lesson, we're going to be looking at a place called Peterbridge.

Now, Peterbridge is not a real place in England, but we're going to be using some contextual data about this place.

We're going to be using this to create a role play.

And in this role play, we're going to be looking at situations that have really happened in this country.

So although this actual case study is fictional, it's based on real events.

And then this is going to help us tease out some of the competing rights and help us come to a decision.

So the town we have set this is called Peterbridge.

Peterbridge is a small city in the east of England.

It has a population of 210,000.

The local Council is facing high levels of debt.

It also has a shortage of social housing for local residents.

There's a proposal being looked at by the planning committee.

So all of this information is going to help us bring together and understand the arguments better.

Peterbridge has a small Hindu community.

Since 1996, they have worshiped at the Peterbridge Mandir.

You can see an illustration of it on your left.

The building was leased to the Hindu community by the Council who owned the building.

It was previously a primary school.

So the Hindu community took over the primary school, it was given to them by the Council who owned the building, and it's used as a mandir, as a place of worship for the Hindu community.

You can see an architect's illustration here of a part of the proposal for the planning committee.

I wonder what you can see here.

I wonder what you notice and what you think you might be looking at.

You might notice a block of flats.

You might be thinking that the Council's proposing to build some new flats in the area.

Peterbridge Council is proposing to sell the mandir building to a developer.

The developer will pay a significant amount for the building.

They will demolish it and create new housing of which 30% will be social housing.

That means that will be for people on the housing register with very low incomes who can't afford to buy a normal property.

And this proposal is opposed by the Hindu community.

Let's just check our understanding so far.

What is Peterbridge Council proposing for the mandir?

A, allowing the Hindu community to lease the building.

B, paying a developer to build a new mandir.

C, selling the building to be replaced by flats and social housing.

Think about what we've learned so far.

Excellent, it's C, isn't it?

The Council are proposing to sell the building and replace it with flats and social housing.

Alex and Sofia are interested in this mandir proposal and are discussing it.

Alex says, "This could be a case where rights are being violated.

As citizens, I think we should help to look out for rights violations and support those affected.

" Sofia says, "I agree, but we need to know a lot more about this case before we know if rights are being violated.

What evidence can we gather in order to form a view?

" I wonder what your initial thoughts are about this case, and I wonder what evidence and further context you think would be helpful.

Think about what we know so far.

You might want to pause the video and talk to the person next to you.

So I wonder what you've said so far.

I wonder where you think there may be some possible violations, and I wonder what more information you think would be useful.

Collecting information about the context of Peterbridge will be useful to help us assess the impact of the proposal.

So this could include demographic information about the number of people of different religions and beliefs in the area.

And it could include interviewing community members to find out why the mandir is important to them.

So let's start by looking at some data.

This is the census data on religion for Peterbridge.

You can see a pie chart here, and we've got the different responses to the different religions or beliefs that Peterbridge residents have said.

Again, you might want to pause the video here and think about this question.

What does this data tell us about who is a majority or minority religious or belief community in Peterbridge?

So you may have noticed that the largest group, the majority group were Christians at 46%.

The second largest were people with no religious beliefs at 37%, and then we had some smaller minority religious communities.

Muslims, 7%, Hindus, 3.

5%, Sikhs, 1.

5%.

So we can see that Hindus make up about 3.

5% of the community in Peterbridge, meaning they're a minority community.

Let's talk to some members of the Hindu community, because that will help us understand why the mandir is important to them and what their views are on its possible closure.

Dhanu is a founder member of the mandir community.

She says, "I've been attending the Peterbridge mandir since 1996.

It's not just a place of worship, but a place of connection for the Hindu community.

We've built this beautiful mandir with no public money.

There are services here every day, and many of our congregation are elderly.

It would be devastating to lose it.

" Thinking about what Dhanu says, I wonder if we could summarize her views on the closure and what would happen.

Again, you may want to pause the video here to think about this.

So you might have said that she talks about the fact there's services there every day, and that many of the congregation are elderly so that if they lost it, that would be a really big part of their lives that they would lose.

Arjun lives locally and he's part of the mandir committee.

He says, "Hindus come to this mandir from all over the city and beyond.

It's a focal point for the community.

If this building is closed, we would have to travel 30 miles to the nearest mandir in another city.

For many people, this is not possible.

We would lose the chance to practice our faith together.

" Again, you might want to pause the video here, read it again, and think if you could summarize Arjun's views on the closure.

So again, you may have noticed that he talks about the fact that you would have to travel 30 miles because that's where the nearest mandir is, so that's a very long way away, and that Hindu's come from all over the city to this mandir.

It's the only one in the city.

Finally, let's meet Aarya.

She goes to the local sixth form college.

Aarya says, "At Diwali, hundreds of Hindus gather to celebrate the festival.

Growing up this time has been a time when I feel closest to my Hindu roots.

Although I don't go to the mandir very often, I know that it means a huge amount to my grandparents and their friends.

There are lots of churches in Peterbridge, but only one mandir.

" Again, you may want to pause the video, read Aarya's words again, and see if you could summarize what she's saying.

So Aarya's saying, "Although I don't go very often to this mandir, it's still really important to me and part of my roots.

" She talks about going to Diwali every year where hundreds of Hindus come to celebrate, and she also makes the point that closing this mandir will have much more effect than another place of worship, because there are lots of churches, but only one mandir, so if this is closed, then that's the only place of worship for Hindus in Peterbridge.

Okay, let's have our first task to help us build up to our role play.

I want you to imagine that you're gathering evidence on this case to prepare for the Council committee meeting.

This information is going to be really helpful to prepare arguments later.

I'd like you to summarize what we've learned so far.

First of all, I'd like you to summarize what Peterbridge Council is proposing so we really understand what's going on.

Next, I'd like you to think of any useful data or contextual information, so you might want to think about some of the census data or any other information.

And finally, I'd like you to summarize the views of the Hindu community.

Use those three people who were interviewed to help you.

Can you summarize what they said?

And once you've done that, thinking about what they've said so far, do you think there may be any possible rights violations in relation to freedom of religion or belief based on what they've said so far?

Good luck with this, everybody.

Really look forward to seeing what you come up with.

So you might have said to summarize it, that the Council wants to sell the mandir building that it owns, and it's gonna sell them to a developer, and the developer is going to build some flats, including social housing.

For context, you might have said that Peterbridge has a population of 210,000.

The majority of people are Christian and no religion, Hindus make up 3.

5% of the population.

And finally, you might have summarized local Hindus are very upset.

They say the nearest mandir would be 30 miles away, as this is the only one in the city.

It's an important place for the community.

It's a place where people come to practice their faith and celebrating festivals is important.

I wonder if you mentioned those things or if there was anything else you mentioned as well.

So for the next part of this lesson, we're going to prepare and take part in a role play, and as part of that, we're going to make a judgment.

So the Peterbridge Mandir case is an example where there are rights that seem to compete with each other.

To understand this, we need to look at the different arguments and assess whether there are any rights infringements or violations that might occur.

So in our role play, we're going to have three groups, the Council planners, the Hindu community, and Peterbridge 60+ group.

Let's find out about their different parts of their case.

Each group will need to consider the arguments they're putting forward to support their cause.

They'll need to consider any human rights they believe may be competing or being violated by this decision.

To help you with this, I've put a summary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the additional materials.

I haven't chosen all of the articles, I've just chosen the ones that I think could be possibly relevant.

It might be sensible to have a look at those and have them to hand when you're making your decisions so you can connect them with any rights that might be being violated.

Let's start with the Council.

So this is Rebecca.

She is a planner and she works for Peterbridge City Council.

Now, she believes that the decision is the correct one.

She says that "Council has the opportunity to provide some much needed homes in our city, including 30% of social housing.

This will help reduce our waiting list for housing.

We'll also receive three million pounds from the developer.

" In the additional materials, you'll find, in section B, some more information about Rebecca's argument.

It will be really useful to have this to help you understand a little bit more about the case.

So if you are in Group A for this role play, that means you're going to be acting as Rebecca and the planners.

I'd like you to read this all very carefully, because it's gonna help you with the arguments that you're going to present as part of this role play.

Let's just check our understanding so far, true or false, Peterbridge Council does not need to build any more housing in the city.

That's false, isn't it, and why?

Because, as we've said, Peterbridge Council has over a thousand people on the waiting list for social housing, and so the Council's arguing that it's really important they develop this mandir site because they need to improve the housing in the city.

Some of you are going to be in Group B, which means you're going to be representing the Hindu community.

We've already met Dhanu, but let's just recap what we know about the Hindu community, that they make up three and a half percent of Peterbridge, the fourth largest religion or belief community, that there are a large number of churches or mosques, there are large number of churches, there are five mosques, but only one mandir, so closing this would mean there was nowhere in the city for Hindus to worship.

The nearest mandir is 30 miles away in the next town.

There are a large number of older people who go to the mandir most days and people who go to other festivals such as Diwali, and these festivals can't be carried out in the home.

And closing this would mean a spiritual connection or home was lost for the Peterbridge Hindu community.

So Dhanu says, "I believe this decision is wrong.

We've raised nearly one million pounds to buy this building from the Council.

" So if you are in Group B, using Dhanu's statement and the additional materials, this will give you lots of things to create your arguments in the planning case role play.

Our final group are the Peterbridge 60+ group.

This is Tom.

He's a member of that group.

He also says that the decision is wrong, but he has a different reason for thinking that it is wrong.

Tom has lived in a city all his life, and he's a retired police sergeant.

The 60+ group would like to take the building from the Council, but they'd like to convert it into a community center, providing a cafe, arts activities for afterschool clubs, lunch clubs for older people and other events.

They would rent the space at weekends and evenings for drama groups, scouts and brownies, and for weddings, and the money they raised, they paid back to the Council.

There are a number of other community centers in Peterbridge but the nearest one is one and a half miles away, and Peterbridge has an increasingly older population.

So Tom and the Peterbridge 60+ group also think the Council is wrong, but they want to take the mandir and turn it into a community center.

So if you're in Group C, you're going to represent Tom and the Peterbridge 60+ group, so you can use his statement, the additional materials D, and that will help you in your role play.

Let's just check our understanding of his case.

How far is the nearest community center in that part of Peterbridge?

A, 30 miles, B, five miles, C, 1.

5 miles.

Excellent, it's 1.

5 miles.

So the first thing I'd like you to do in your groups is begin to prepare for your role play.

You'll have been put into groups.

A, representing the Council planners.

B, the Hindu community, or C, the 60+ group.

You've got lots of extra information to help you.

Group A have got the additional material B, Group B have got material C and Group C material D.

I want you to read through it in your groups and decide what evidence you're going to put forwards.

The second thing you'd like, I'd like you to do is to look at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and say, are there any rights that your group might identify that you could use to assist your argument, rights that you think your argument will help promote, or any rights that you think might be violated?

Really looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

So, different groups will have come up with different things.

Group A might be arguing that selling the building the Council can help its residents better.

It might say that Article 16 and 17 refer to a right to a family and property, and that providing social housing will help fulfill this right.

There are over a thousand people on the social housing waiting list, so the Council has a real opportunity to offer some housing to people.

The money from the developer will mean that the Council can spend more money on people in the city and improve their lives more generally.

Group B representing the Hindu community might argue that by selling the building the Hindu community will not be able to freely practice or manifest their religion, and that's a violation of Article 18.

The community will suffer and be forced to travel 30 miles to the nearest mandir and older people will become isolated.

Group C, representing the 60+ group, might say that by allowing the 60+ group to use the building, it will help more people in the community.

Article 27 refers to a right to participate in the cultural life of the community.

The group will provide lots of services to help the community and raise money through renting the building.

You may well have used other arguments or thought of different rights to summarize them.

Now you've prepared for the role play, I'd like you to carry it out in your groups.

I'd like you to imagine you're presenting your case to the Council planning committee, and each group is going to present their arguments in turn.

Remember, when you do this, present your information really clearly and concisely.

Make sure you listen to other arguments as they're spoken.

What competing rights do you notice?

And do you think any rights are being violated?

Good luck with your role play.

I hope you enjoy it and I hope you find it really interesting.

I wonder how your role play went.

Alex says, "I tried to make the case by summarizing the arguments and clearly stating which human rights I felt might be promoted or infringed.

" Sofia says, "I tried to think of what other people would say, so my argument took account of possible objections.

" I wonder how your role play went and whether you managed to do those things as well.

Finally, I would like you to make a judgment on this issue.

Now you've prepped and carried out your role play, I'd like you to think about this case and what final judgment you would make.

Who do you think has made the best case?

Is it A, the Council wanting to sell the building to the developer and build new housing?

Is it B, the Hindu community who want to retain that building as a mandate for their community?

Or is it C, the 60+ group who want to turn the mandir into a community center?

Which rights do you think were competing with each other in this case, and whose do you think were most important?

Were there any rights that you felt were being violated?

And what do you think should happen next?

Are you going to accept the Council proposal and allow the land to be sold to a developer?

Are you going to accept the Hindu community and allow the building to be, continue to be used as a mandir?

Or are you going to accept Group C and allow the 60+ group to take on the building and turn it into community center?

I wonder what you're going to do and why.

So you may well have come up with different ideas.

Here are some possible thoughts you might have had.

Alex says, "My judgment was that the rights of the Hindu community were being violated by this decision.

I thought the Council should allow them to stay as they could not manifest their religion if it was closed.

" Sofia says, "I thought that when I tried to balance the competing rights, the overall rights of all residents were more important than the Hindu community alone.

I think the Council should sell to the developer so people can access housing.

" I wonder what judgment that you made, and I wonder what reasons that you came up with for your decision.

And I wonder if you can imagine any other similar scenarios to this.

As I said, this was a fictional case study, but this case study is based on real events that have happened at times in this country.

Let's summarize what we've learned today.

So we've learned that the right to freedom of religion or belief may sometimes compete with other human rights in some situations.

We've learned that when rights issues are contested, it's important to gather evidence for possible infringements or violations.

We've learned that rights may need to be balanced against each other, and there may ultimately be trade-offs between rights.

We've learned that coming to an informed judgment means weighing up the evidence and any competing rights.

And finally, we've learned that we all have a duty to promote and protect rights to freedom of religion or belief.

I really hope you enjoyed taking part in that role play today.

I hope that's made you think really deeply about rights and how they're competing and about our role as citizens to help notice and protect rights from violations.

Look forward to seeing you in another lesson.

Thank you.