Heart and Soul

Sophia Smith Galer, reporter and TikTok creator, speaks to users who have faced discrimination and suppression online based on their religion. We speak to YouTuber Nada Majdy, who regularly faces abuse from Islamophobes whose sexualised comments do not get taken down; the Jewish TikTok creators who try to challenge anti-Semitism, only to have their own videos taken down in the process; and we ask why and how Instagram managed to censor #sikh for nearly three months.

The Druze are a religious minority, living mainly between Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. The religious movement was founded in the 11th Century by Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad, an Ismaili leader, mixing aspects of Shia Islam and Esoterism, among other western philosophies. Because they are an insular community - conversions are forbidden either out of or into the faith - the Druze face a number of existential challenges, in a region where unrest is the norm.

Tamara Rasamny meets young Druze men and women to what pressures young people in the community face, and how they reconcile loyalty to their faith and their country.

For decades, the Catholic Church rarely acknowledged the fact that supposedly ‘celibate’ priests were fathering children. The scale and impact of these secretive births is only now coming to light. The Vatican does not deny that there could be as many as 10,000 children of Catholic priests living around the world. Many who are now adults describe childhoods separated from their fathers, shrouded in secrecy and shame. For this Heart and Soul, three of them – Vincent Doyle, Michael McGuirk and Sarah Thomas – tell their stories.

Produced by Dan Tierney

Since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, taking the knee has become a prominent sight at protests and sports events, signifying opposition to racism and discrimination.

For rapper and football fan Guvna B taking the knee has an added significance. He is a committed Christian, and knows the religious significance of kneeling. To mark the start of the Olympic Games, he explores taking the knee and its relationship to sport, prayer and protest.

Athletes like Colin Kaepernick, who sacrificed his NFL career to take the knee before a game have cited their faith as an inspiration, but many Christian sports women and men have remained upright, refusing to kneel. They say that kneeling is only reserved for God.

Kneeling was meant to be a gesture of solidarity by black and white athletes to show their contempt for racism, but divisions have also formed - footballers have been booed by their own fans because, they say, of its links with the organisation Black Lives Matter.

Guvna B explores the history of taking the knee, speaks to athletes like NBA star Jonathan Isaac who have refused to take the knee because of their love for God, and ask what’s next for taking the knee and for the sporting world’s response to racism.

Uighur poetry is and has been for centuries a fundamental part of the culture and members of the community write poetry and often recite part poems that have been passed down the generations and learn off by heart. As the community face widespread persecution by the Chinese authorities and at a time of great despair and fear for them, Uighurs speak to us about the ways in which poetry offers ways of support, succour and resistance.

The programme features the voices and works of Uighurs, poets and experts from across the world.

In the run up to the Tokyo Olympics professor Robert Beckford explores how cheating in sport conflicts with Christian principles.

He asks how can an Olympic champion stand on the podium with a gold medal and then thank God in an interview if they have taken performance enhancing drugs? Can a footballer celebrate the penalty he has ‘won’ and then point to the sky in honour of God?In this edition of Heart and Soul, featuring Olympic medallist Ben Johnson, Robert explores what the Christianity has to say about fair play and whether by cheating you are dishonouring your faith.

Where does God fit into your sex life? Decades after signing up to remain ‘pure’ until marriage, many Evangelical Christian Millennials are still confused by that question – and some are turning to counselling for help. In the 1990s a sexual abstinence movement became popular in the US and eventually spread to the UK. This ‘purity culture’ recruited young people to wait until marriage before having sex, and wear a silver ring to advertise their pledge. But what effect did it have on the thousands of teenagers who took part.

Journalist Harriet Bradshaw went to a Christian evangelical/Pentecostal youth church as a teenager, and has been fascinated with the movement ever since. She revisits her own past, and hears from others who signed up to find out what their lives are like now.

Colourful temples, bells , incense and a multitude of deities and festivals - journalist Nalini Sivathasan grew up immersed in her parents’ religion, Hinduism. But as she has grown older, she has found it harder to connect with her faith and speaking to her friends, she finds she is not alone.

Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture nor commonly agreed set of teachings – which for some, can make it tricky to navigate.

On her journey to discover ‘her Hinduism’, Nalini talks to the Hindu Academy, which provides online classes and resources on the religion.

It’s seen a rise in engagement among young people over the past few years, yet the number of young people attending temples has fallen across the UK. Nalini visits a temple she grew up visiting to find out why and discovers how it’s trying to engage young people in ways other than worship.

For charity Go Dharmic, which was founded on the Hindu principle of dharma, practising seva - or selfless service - is the best way for young Hindus to connect with their faith and the world around them. While for vlogger Parle Patel, social media is the place to connect with young Hindus. But Parle says he is often criticised for proudly showcasing his Hinduism identity online.

Couple Abhinaya and Rahul are planning their Hindu wedding ceremony. For them the ceremony is more of a cultural event, rather than religious. Will understanding the importance and symbolism of the rituals bring them any closer to their faith?

Nalini also speaks to Indian politician Shashi Tharoor. While unsparing in his criticism of certain elements sometimes linked to Hinduism, he describes himself as a proud, believing Hindu. How is he able to navigate the apparent contradictions he sees within his religion?

Nalini tries to make sense of what it means to be a Hindu today, talks to those practising the faith in their own distinct way and decides whether there is a version of Hinduism out there which best suits her.

Can the prison be a “citizen factory” where the rebellious soul goes in and comes out as a demure, indoctrinated model citizen? Is the God of Punishment the same as the God of Salvation? How do priests, imams and rabbis work with inmates who wish to return to faith?

Lipika Pelham examines whether the Foucauldian phrase “soul is the prison of the body” offers a guideline to the modern criminal system for its rehabilitation programme. Traditionally, religious beliefs have inclined to the opposite, that the body imprisons the soul. Earlier ways of dealing with outlaws often involved extreme physical stress to achieve the docility of the body. This was believed to be the key to making prisoners conform to social norms and become good citizens. Lipika asks representatives of major world religions if they think the pathway to correction is through faith. She hears conversations between an inmate and his Christian worker; reflections of a rabbi, an imam, and a Buddhist meditation teacher about their methods to stop offenders from committing further crimes.

For 18 months reporter Fateh al-Rahman al-Hamdani filmed inside 23 Islamic schools, or khalwas, across Sudan for a BBC News Arabic investigation. He uncovered systemic child abuse, with boys as young as five years old routinely chained, shackled and beaten by the “sheikhs”, or religious men in charge of the schools. The investigation also found evidence of sexual abuse.

We visit some of the nearly 30,000 Sudanese khalwas, where children are taught to memorise the Koran. The schools receive money from the government and private donors both in Sudan and around the world. Because they charge no fees, many families consider them an alternative to mainstream education, especially in remote villages that may not have government-run schools. Students board there, only returning home for the holidays.

We meet two 14-year-old boys, Ismail and Mohamed Nader, who were beaten so badly at one khalwa that doctors worried they might not survive, and hear how their families decide to take legal action. We join Fateh as he confronts the sheikh in charge of the school where they were assaulted. And we hear what Sudan’s new transitional government has to say about reforming khalwas.

Presented by Paul Bakibinga, narrating the words of Fateh al-Rahman al-Hamdani.

Photo: A young boy with his feet shackled and chained. Credit: Jess Kelly/BBC)