Beyond Belief

Last month’s attempt on Salman Rushdie’s life brought the world’s attention back on Iran and the death sentence imposed on the writer by Ayatollah Khomeini more than three decades ago.More recently, Iran has been in the news with reports of crackdowns on perceived dissidents: women who choose not to wear the hijab and members of other religions especially the Baha'is. The Islamic Republic of Iran is ruled by a Supreme Leader from the Shia tradition, Ayatollah Khamenei. It is he who ultimately wields the power and imposes limits on the peoples’ rights and freedoms. Given his overruling authority, it is difficult to know what ordinary people believe or how they feel about their system of government. So is this vast country of 86 million people really an Islamic nation? And if it’s not, how religious is Iran?Ernie Rea is joined by Professor Ali Ansari, Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian, Professor Sajjad Rizvi and Khosro Kalbasi, a journalist for BBC Monitoring watching Iran. Producer: Rebecca Maxted Assistant Producer: Peter Everett Editor: Dan Tierney.

Can our morning coffee routines, the Saturday parkrun, or a daily walk in nature be sacred?Ernie Rea explores how ritual, repeated actions done the same way every time, long associated with religion, is being employed by those outside of faith practice. There are now apps that can help build mindful rituals into your day, workplaces are designing ceremonies to build community amongst colleagues. What attracts us to these kinds of practices and without a religious framework do they lose their power?Ernie is joined by Casper Ter Kuile, formerly at the Harvard Divinity School he's the author of 'The Power of Ritual'. Kashori Jani is a Sanskrit teacher at a Hindu faith school and shares ancient Hindu wisdom and Kirtan (musical mantra meditation) with her large following online. Father David Elliot is Catholic Priest and the Head of Theology at the Oratory School in Oxford.Plus Matt Brooke from Tough Mudder tells us how ritual helps competitors complete their endurance challenges.Producer: Rebecca Maxted and Katharine Longworth Assistant Producer: Josie Le Vey Editor: Tim Pemberton

Modest clothing is a multi-billion dollar trend, with designers seeking inspiration from cultures where dressing modestly is the norm. There are millions of images tagged as #modestfashion on Instagram or Tik Tok, from prairie dresses to designer hijabs. Ernie Rea explores the religious reasons from the Abrahamic faiths about why some cover up, and asks if our ideas of modesty are changing.He's joined by Dr Shuruq Naguib a lecturer of Islamic Studies at the University of Lancaster, Dr Lindsay Simmonds a research fellow at the London School of Jewish Studies and Molly Boot, a theologian training for ministry in the Church of England. They discuss what rules they apply to the way they dress and the historic and scriptural basis for their understanding of modesty. What is the requirement of men to dress modestly in faith traditions and what role do sexuality, shame and purity have in the way some people of faith understand they have to dress?Plus, cultural journalist Hafsa Lodi explains why, for her, the modest fashion industry poses a paradox, and we hear from male blogger Zaahid.Producers: Rebecca Maxted and Katharine Longworth Assistant Producer: Josie Le Vey Editor: Helen Grady

How easy is it for autistic people to believe in God? The National Autistic Society describe autism as a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people communicate and interact with the world. They say 1 in 100 of us may be autistic and the diagnosis of autism has risen dramatically in recent decades.How are religious organisations responding to the needs of a growing number of their congregations?Ernie Rae is joined by a panel of three autistic guests to discuss their experiences: Professor Grant Macaskill, the co-director of the Centre for Autism and Theology at the University of Aberdeen; Samantha Stein, a YouTuber with over seven million views, who set up an atheist summer camp; and Iqra Babar, a digital artist with a strong Muslim faith. We also hear from TV quizzer Anne Hegarty, who is autistic and a Catholic, about her relationship with faith.Producer: Rebecca Maxted Assistant Producer: Josie Le Vay Editor: Helen Grady

She wears a necklace of severed human heads with blood dripping from their necks. Her tongue is bright scarlet and sticking out. She carries a bloodied sword.Meet Kali, a Hindu goddess who is one embodiment of the Hindu principle called Shakti, meaning energy, power or force. Who is Kali and what does she represent?We’re embracing some of the ideas of shakti in the West. You can take kundalini yoga classes or meditation courses to access your divine feminine energy. What is the philosophy behind these practices?Join Ernie Rea as he visits the British Museum to see a new statue of the female Goddess, part of a new exhibition called 'Feminine Power: From The Divine to the Demonic'. Curator Belinda Crerer and dancer and devotee of Kali, Indrani Datta, tell him more.Plus Ernie is joined by experts in the Shakti tradition Sumita Ambasta, Lavanya Vemsani and Acharya Vidyabhaskar. Producer: Rebecca Maxted Editor: Helen GradyImage: Kali Murti, Kaushik Ghosh, India, 2022. Image © The Trustees of the British Museum

As Muslims around the world celebrate Eid, Ernie Rea hosts a panel on the beliefs and culture of the Uyghurs, a majority Muslim people in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, North West China. Human rights organisations have accused China of committing crimes against humanity against the Uyghur people and the US government has accused the Chinese government of genocide.For over eight years, there have been reports of mass surveillance of the Uyghur population and abuses including forced incarceration in 're-education camps' and sterilisation against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang. The Chinese government have consistently denied accusations of abuse and insist their camps are vocational facilities, and to combat terrorism. Ernie Rea explores the faith of the majority Muslim Uyghur people. What could be lost from their language, culture and heritage?Ernie is joined by experts on the region, Dr Jo Smith Finley and Dr Rian Thum. Rahima Mahmut, a Uyghur Muslim. grew up in the region and is the UK Director of the World Uyghur Congress. And Abduweli Ayup, a Uyghur poet and linguistic scholar, tells his story of incarceration in Xinjiang. Producer: Rebecca Maxted

In a society that’s becoming increasingly secular, why are some young people embracing a ‘full fat’ version of faith? During the pandemic a UK poll showed that those in Generation Z are more likely to believe in God than their millennial peers. A new study of British Catholics has found that younger believers show a greater degree of religious commitment than their elders.Whilst those ticking ‘no religion’ box on the census is increasing, are those who still identify with a religion more likely to have a strengthened commitment to it? Ernie Rea is joined by a panel representing different faiths, to discuss the pull of religion for young people in 2022. Bhavya Shah is the President of the National Hindu Student Forum, Jasvir Kaur Rababan is a Sikh music teacher, Professor Stephen Bullivant from St Mary's University is about to publish new research called 'Why Younger Catholics Seem More Committed' and Dr Sadek Hamid is a writer and academic with an expertise on Islam and young people in Britain. Producer: Rebecca Maxted Editor: Tim Pemberton

On Easter Sunday, as children hunt for chocolate eggs, the words 'Christ is Risen. Alleluia!' are proclaimed from every church pulpit. The day of Jesus Christ's Resurrection is the most joyous day of the Christian calendar. A message of death defeated, salvation secured, is the cornerstone of the faith of nearly one third of the world's population. But how do the faithful understand this extraordinary story? Do you have to believe Jesus physically rose from the dead for the story to have meaning? And what is it's resonance today, for those of faith, or without?Ernie Rea is joined by scholars Professor Helen Bond, Dr Andrew Boakye, and the Chief Executive of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, Paul Woolley, to discuss the evidence for and understanding of the Resurrection. Plus film critic and host of the 'Girls on Film' podcast, Anna Smith, discusses how the story and themes of the resurrection have appeared in popular cinema throughout the decades. Producer: Rebecca Maxted Editor: Tim PembertonThis programme contains short excepts from the following films: The Greatest Story Ever Told (Dir: George Stevens, 1965) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Dir: Andrew Adamson, 2005)

In the past two years faith communities have lived through an unprecedented experiment. With places of worships closed for long periods, they've been forced to adapt digitally. Not everyone could do so fulsomely, with some acts of worship prohibited by religious teachings. As restrictions have lifted many are finding that the faithful are not rushing back, although there are exceptions. How did it feel to take communion or attend Friday prayers together again in real life? Has the pandemic permanently changed the practice of faith as a congregation or community? And why, for faith leaders and theologians, is it so important we return to the church, synagogue or mosque?To discuss why physical presence has been so important in faith and religion across millennia, Ernie Rea is joined by Dr Mansur Ali, a lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Cardiff who advised his local mosque on the theology of online prayer during Covid. He's also joined by Dr Sara Parvis, a senior lecturer in Early Christian History at the University of Edinburgh and a practicing Catholic, and Dr Samuel Landau, an Orthodox Rabbi at the Barnet United Synagogue and a Clinical Psychologist.Plus Rev. Sean Steele, the vicar of St Isidore Episcopal Church in Texas, explains how he is exploring physical presence in worship through virtual reality services in the metaverse. Producer: Rebecca Maxted Editor: Helen Grady

Days before Russian troops entered Ukraine in late February, President Vladimir Putin gave an impassioned address to the Russian people attempting to justify what he was about to carry out. He referred to Ukraine as 'an inalienable part' of Russia's 'spiritual space'. It's one of many references to faith and religion interwoven into the Russian narrative of the 'special military operation' in Ukraine. Ernie Rea explores the beliefs being used to justify this aggression, and asks why the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has defended Putin's actions.He's joined by Andrew Louth, theologian and Archpriest in the Russian Orthodox Church here in the UK, Geraldine Fagan, an expert in religious affairs in the former Soviet states, and Katherine Kelaidis, a writer and historian whose work focuses on early Medieval Christian history and contemporary orthodox identity. Plus he speaks to the journalist and theologian Sergei Chapnin, who worked for the Russian Orthodox Church for 15 years.Producer: Rebecca Maxted Editor: Helen Grady