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A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week

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Sunday: Hajj bookings, Ukraine army chaplains, Jewish divorce

11/06/2023

Hajj bookings, Ukraine army chaplains, Jewish divorce

BBC Radio 4 - Sunday, Hajj bookings, Ukraine army chaplains, Jewish divorce

Emily Buchanan takes a look at some of the ethical and religious issues of the week.

Scores of UK Muslims have had difficulty booking their Hajj pilgrimages this year. Ukrainian military chaplains return to the front line after British army spiritual training.

Scores of British Muslims have had difficulty booking their Hajj pilgrimages on the new Nusuk app which was designed to manage travel arrangements for pilgrims. The service has been beset by technical glitches, slow customer service and poor communication. We hear about the problems it's caused to Muslims in the UK and speak to the Labour MP, Yasmin Qureshi, who has taken up the issue with the Saudi authorities. 

Ukrainian armed forces have identified spiritual support as essential to their fight, as their counter-offensive against Russian forces gets underway.  Ten military chaplains were sent to the UK for a fortnight of training with British Army chaplains, the first ever training of its kind. We hear from Rev Robin Richardson who developed the programme for chaplains working with troops on the front line. We also speak to Ukrainian military chaplain and mother-of-five Kateryna Semenyuk as she sets off to provide support to people affected by the humanitarian crisis in the flood-affected Kherson region.

The office of the Chief Rabbi and the United Synagogue are launching a commission to overcome some of the difficulties Jewish women face in obtaining a divorce.   Some Jewish women's groups are concerned that any reforms may not go far enough.  Emily Buchanan speaks to Raime Smith, the founder of Gettoutuk, a charity which supports Jewish women seeking a divorce, and Nicola Rosenfelder, a trustee of the United Synagogue.

Presenter: Emily Buchanan
Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Louise Clarke
Editor: Jonathan Hallewell
Production Coordinator: Kim Agostino
Studio Managers:   Helen Williams & Jonathan Esp

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Hajj bookings, Ukraine army chaplains, Jewish divorce

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