Heart and Soul

Unlike Christianity and Judaism, Islam is not recognised in Italy. There are only eight officially recognised mosques and that is despite being home to the fourth largest Muslim population in Europe.

The recent government crackdown on the estimated 2,000 makeshift ‘garage’ mosques across Italy has led to mass protests.

Helen Grady visits the officially recognised Great Mosque of Rome, Europe’s largest mosque. Speaking to its Imam, he tells her that since February he is now being told he needs to preach his sermons in Italian even though no other religious group is made to do this.

Presenter: Helen Grady

Picture: Claire Press / Helen Grady

Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim country. There are hundreds of indigenous faiths, practised for centuries. They are not recognised by the State and are viewed as unbelievers. Rebecca Henschke travels through some of the world’s last remaining rainforest to meet the Orang Rimba – people of the jungle. She meets those who are trying to preserve their nomadic way of life and those who, after losing their forest, are being forced by the state to convert.

To read more and see Rebecca's report then go to

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41981430

www.bbc.com/indonesia/majalah-41937911

(Photo: Children from the Orang Rimba tribe, whose name translates as 'jungle people', who have been converted to Islam and given up their nomadic ways. Credit: Goh Chai Hin/AFP)

For Martin Luther, music, with its power to move emotions, was an “inexpressible miracle” second only to Theology. When people engage in music, said Luther, singing in four or five parts, it is like a “square dance in heaven.” For Heart and Soul, The Rev Lucy Winkett, Anglican priest, singer and Bach enthusiast, takes a musical tour of the Reformation.

The programme opens in the Georgenkirche in Eisenach, Germany, where Bach was baptised and both Luther and he were choirboys, separated by two centuries. Luther’s ideas about music were to have a decisive influence on its development in Germany. Indeed, as Lucy finds out, the dominance of German music from the 17th to 19th centuries would not have happened without him.

The Lutheran Church, with its hymns and chorales, was the seedbed for the choral and liturgical works of Germany’s greatest composers. No Luther, no Bach. It’s that simple.

Climate change and security concerns are threatening one of Buddhism's most sacred sites. The Bodhi Tree, in northern India, is believed to be descended from the actual tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment, the tree came under attack from suspected Islamist terrorists in 2013. Several bombs exploded around the temple, and there are fears that security is not tight enough prevent a similar attack in the future. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit from around the globe every year, but is their safety being looked after by the Indian authorities?

Anna Lewington tells the story of The Bodhi Tree. She asks if climate change is threatening this sacred site and discusses the place of trees in the spiritual life of India.

(Photo: Sunlight seen through the leaves of a Bodhi tree. Credit: Getty Images)

On the night the Grenfell Tower fire began on 14 June 2017, the mosques and churches which encircle the tower block in Kensington, West London, provided bases for vital relief work. It was Ramadan so many Muslim faithful were returning from prayers when the fire started, and they were able to alert residents and help people get out of the burning building.

Produced by Melissa FitzGerald.

Picture: The burnt-out remains of Grenfell Tower and a church spire, Credit: Samuel Hauenstein-Swan

Christianity has been part of Jamaica for 500 years and it’s said there is a church on every corner.

Christian worship is conducted from the King James bible in antiquated English rather than the native Jamaican patois.

But the number of people - especially young people - actually going to traditional churches is falling. The answer, some believe, would be to translate the King James bible into the local Jamaican language, offering a uniquely Jamaican version that appeals to ordinary people. However many traditional Christians feel it dilutes and disrespects the word of God. Others believe Jamaican patois is inappropriate for a formal setting like church.

To mark Jamaican Independence Day and during the week where Jamaicans celebrate emancipation from slavery, British theologian Professor Robert Beckford travels to Jamaica in an attempt to legitimise the use of the Patois Bible.

Presenter: Robert Beckford

(Image: The Jamaican Nu Testament Credit: Rajeev Gupta)

In March 2017, a High Court Judge in Pakistan made the dramatic declaration that “blasphemers are terrorists.” The declaration is just one part of a growing national campaign to make disbelief socially, publicly and morally not just unacceptable, but one that allows Pakistani people the right to attack those who doubt the importance of Islam.

Mobeen Azhar listens to the intimate, anonymous diary entries of those who call themselves atheists, but daren’t say so publicly.

He also ventures inside the secret meetings and parties safe havens for atheists to come together to hear how it is to live the life of a non-believer, in a country where religion is playing a bigger role in all areas of life.

Presenter and Producer: Mobeen Azhar

To find out read Mobeen’s piece on the BBC website go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-40580196

(Photo: The diary of a Pakistani Atheist, Credit: Mobeen Azhar)

The YouTube generation are re-inventing Kirtan, an ancient form of Sikh worship.

Kirtan, the devotional singing of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, has traditionally been accompanied by tabla or harmonium. Today, a new generation of Sikhs are uploading their own style of Kirtan to the global diaspora.

Nina Robinson meets Kirtan artists Manika Kaur from Dubai and Violinder from San Francisco. With millions of views on their respective YouTube channels, these musicians are pushing boundaries, fusing Kirtan with electronic soundscapes. Manika Kaur believes by providing English translations to her videos, she is reaching many more young Sikhs with the words of the Guru as written in the ancient texts.

In India, Nina visits the Golden Temple in Amritsar, one of Sikhism’s holiest gurdwaras. She meets one of the temple’s official Kirtaniyas, Bhai Nirmal Singh. Bhai Nirmal argues the words of the Guru should not be experimented. He believes fusing Kirtan with contemporary music production techniques is at odds with the true message of Sikhism.

In the long summer, as they enjoy the 22 hours of daylight in the Arctic town of Vadso, Norway, Sami singers and young reindeer herders share their ancient beliefs and culture.

The Sami tradition is that the land, sea, animals and plants are sacred. The gods and spirits within them have been worshiped for thousands of years but today’s young Sami are addressing the effects of climate change, pollution and population growth on their spiritual landscape.

The Sami’s wordless spiritual songs – Yoik – which have travelled back and forth along the Arctic Circle as they migrated, are at the core of this programme. The wolf, the reindeer and the parallel universe of spirits beneath the ground are their subjects. The Sami people have been persecuted by Christians for centuries, forbidden from singing Yoik, but now the young Sami are looking to keep their ancient spiritual traditions alive.

Presenter and Producer: Peter Curran

(Picture: Sami reindeer herder tent Credit: Peter Curran)

Stepping into the Micvah, the ritual pool, is the final stage of a convert's journey to Judaism. After a full body immersion they are officially Jewish. It is a one way street. Reminding a convert of their past lives or their transition is against Hasidic law.

Presenter: Natasha Serlin

(Photo: The Menorah, Credit: BBC)