Places of worship and LA wildfires; Nobody Wants This Jewish romcom and grooming gangs

This week France marked the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which had a history of lampooning Muslim leaders, including the prophet Mohammed. To discuss the long term impact of these events we are joined by Nabila Ramdani, a writer and commentator known for her strong views on the position of Muslims in France.

‘Nobody Wants This’ is a lauded new Netflix series that tells the story of a rabbi falling in love with an agnostic sex podcaster. Rabbi Deborah Blausten from Finchley Reform synagogue in North London tells us how the show has sparked conversations about interfaith marriage in her community.

Nazir Afzal was the former Chief Crown Prosecutor who led successful prosecutions in landmark sexual abuse cases. He responds to Elon Musk’s calls for a national grooming gangs inquiry. (NOTE: This programme item has been subject to a complaint partly upheld by the BBC Executive Complaints Unit, which you can read about here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/ecu/sunday-radio-4-12-january-2025)

Churches, synagogues and a mosque are among the thousands of buildings damaged in wildfires sweeping through Los Angeles. We hear stories from various faith communities.

Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Katy Davis and Saba Zaman Editor: Tim Pemberton Studio Managers: Helen Williams and Liam Juniper