LONDON, UK (ANS) – If you think you’ve heard it all from post-Christian Britain, here’s a story that will shock many of you.

A London, UK, church has been effectively “silenced” by a Court after a decision by Magistrates to uphold a noise abatement notice, not to play excessive sound, after just one Muslim neighbour complained about noise levels of worship in a church which was next door to the house he purchased.

Singing Songs of Praise on a Sunday is normal Church activity. Using amplification is a normal part of Church life and it was argued at the Court hearing that the normal use of a Church building entails worship and cannot constitute noise nuisance.

According to the Christian Legal Centre (www.christianlegalcentre.com), Immanuel House of Worship Church (IHOW) has been meeting at 89 Vallentin Road in Walthamstow, London, since it bought the premises in 2006.

“The Church was built in 1894 and was formerly used by the United Reformed Church, when the Church owned all the land on which the current properties are now built,” said a spokesperson for the London-based Christian Legal Centre.

“The property next door to the church, No 87, was formerly the Manse (vicarage) until 1989, when it was then sold by the United Reformed Church. In 2005, No 87 was sold to the current occupants, Mr. and Mrs. Baha Uddin.

“From 2005 – 2006, the property was empty and vagrants frequently hung around church. Currently, the IHOW church offers a nursery to serve the whole neighborhood and has an impressive list of neighbors who welcome the church and who do not regard their worship as a problem.

“However, Mr. and Mrs. Uddin complained about the level of noise of worship coming from the church for just 40 minutes a week and an Abatement Notice was served on the Church Trustees on 6 May 2009 under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 section 79(1) (g). The church appealed to the magistrate court and the hearing took place on 5 and 6 October at Waltham Forest Magistrates Court.”

Mr. Ade Ajike, a trustee of the church said: “When we moved into Valentinn Road in 2007, and we had renovated the property and bricked up the three windows facing house No 87. We also double glazed all the windows, except one stained glass window, and spent £10,000 ($16,000 USD) to carry out sound-reducing. In fact, the Council’s environmental department at the time said it would be enough just to brick up the windows.

“After moving in we invited Environmental Officers to visit the premises and we got the OK. We also visited neighbors and took them potted plants, and had no problem until Mr. Uddin made his official complaint in August 2008.

“Gary Vickers, an Environmental health enforcement officer visited Mr Uddin’s house on 10th August (Sunday worship service time) and on 12 August issued a letter to us saying that in his opinion, the volume from the music was of statutory noise nuisance level throughout the neighbours’ property. He suggested to deal with matter through sensible negotiation, informing our pastor that ‘the church had to keep the noise down so as not to offend the Muslims living in the area’. He told us ‘this is a Muslim borough, you have to tread carefully’.”

According to the Christian Legal Centre, during August, IHOW took action. They reduced hours of Sunday worship from 4 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes, of which music is played for about 45 minutes. They reduced their weekly services to one service on Sunday, and all mid-week services held are skeletal services without music. Sunday evening services were reduced to once a month. The trustees also took the decision not to hire out the premises in case noise would aggravate Mr. Uddin, a move which has cost the church additional revenue. However, the visiting officer changed and questioning got more “hostile”.

Mr. Ajike said: “Officers questioned the church why they needed amplifiers when 50 years ago the Church would not have used drums and amplified music. On 6 May 2009, an Abatement Notice was issued against the church alleging an unreasonable level of noise nuisance caused by excessive loud amplified music and drums.

“Since then we have stopped using drums and further reduced our worship time to 20 minutes beginning from 11.30am on a Sunday morning. We have also restricted church services to once a week. Despite all our action, Mr. Uddin, who actually lives in what was the former Manse (vicarage) to the church, would stand at church’s main entrance door and shout his complaints and demand our pastor come out to speak to him during his sermon.”

Now the IHOW has sought the advice of the Christian Legal Centre over their plight and to appeal this week’s decision. CLC has instructed leading Human Right’s expert Paul Diamond to represent the church at the Appeal.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, barrister and director of the CLC said: “The charge of nuisance in law must involve proving there is a substantial interference with comfort. Surely, any reasonable person would think that singing for 40 minutes or so once or twice a week would not cross this threshold.

“Worship in a Church is to be expected. The Environmental Health Officers do not seem to have taken this fact into account. This is a vibrant Afro Caribbean community of Christian believers whose worship of God is fundamental to the expression of their faith. The richness and vibrancy of groups like the London Gospel Community Choir is based on the Afro Caribbean expression of faith through music.”

For more information, please go to www.christianlegalcentre.com

LONDON, UK ANS — A London-based Christian minister and TV show host has been attacked by Muslims in what police are calling a “faith hate” crime.

Pakistan-born Rev. Noble Samuel, 48, was recently driving to the studio for his Asian Gospel Show in North London, when another car pulled over in front of him. A man got out of the car and asked him for directions in Urdu.

Boyd said that the London Daily Mail reported that according to Rev. Noble, the man then “put his hand into my window, which was half open, and grabbed my hair and opened the door. He started slapping my face and punching my neck. He was trying to smash my head on the steering wheel. Then he grabbed my cross and pulled it off and it fell on the floor. He was swearing. The other two men came from the car and took my laptop and Bible.”

Boyd said, “Following the attack, Rev. Samuel, went on to present his show as usual. The Muslim owner of the TV station came on air during the show to condemn the attack.”

During the last few weeks, Rev. Samuel noted that a number of Muslims had been calling in on his show to oppose his views.

“They were having an argument with me,” he said. “They were very aggressive in saying they did not agree with me. I said those are you views and these are my views.”

Boyd concluded by saying that the police have given panic alarms to his family in the event of similar troubles. The minister said he was afraid for the safety of his wife and 19-year-old son. “I am frightened and depressed … My show is not confrontational.”

Despite the attack and threats, the Rev. Noble Samuel still insisted on carrying on with the hour long live show that is broadcast on the Venus satellite channel and made at studios located in Wembley, North London.

SOMERSET, UNITED KINGDOM – - A Christian nurse from western England has been suspended from her work for offering to pray for an elderly patient.

Caroline Petrie, a community nurse and devout Christian, is facing dismissal for an alleged breach of her code of conduct on equality and diversity in her work in Weston-super-Mare, near Bristol, Somerset, in England’s West Country, according to the Christian Legal Center.

Mrs Petrie, who is married mother of two, has been accused by her employers of failing to demonstrate a “personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity” because of her offer of prayer.

The Christian Legal Center says Petrie was suspended, without pay, on December 17, 2008 and will learn the outcome of her disciplinary meeting this week. She says she has been left shocked and upset by the action taken against her.

Mrs Petrie, who has been a community nurse since 1985 and is employed by North Somerset Primary Care Trust, said she had asked an elderly patient if she would like a prayer said for her after she had put dressings on the patient’s legs. The patient declined and Mrs Petrie took the matter no further.

The CLC says the situation arose at the home of the patient in North Somerset.

Mrs Petrie said: “It was around lunchtime and I had spent about 20 to 25 minutes with her. I had applied dressings to her legs and shortly before I left I said to her: ‘Would you like me to pray for you?’ She said ‘No, thank you.’ And I said: ‘OK.’ I only offered to pray for her because I was concerned about her welfare and wanted her to get better.”

Mrs Petrie was initially confronted the next day by a nursing sister who said the patient had been taken aback by her question about prayer. Subsequently, Mrs Petrie received a message on her home phone from the North Somerset Primary Care Trust telling her that disciplinary action against her would be taken. She was then suspended, the CLC says in a media release.

Caroline Petrie said: “The woman mentioned it to the sister who did her dressing the following day. She said that she wasn’t offended but was concerned that someone else might be. I was spoken to by my manager. She said ‘I’ve got a letter in one hand and an incident form in the other. You won’t be able to work until we’ve investigated this incident. ‘”

Following the events the elderly patient said: “Mrs Petrie was a nice lady, did the job properly and was quietly spoken. Personally I wouldn’t want to see her sacked for something like that.”

Mrs Petrie added: “I have trouble understanding how offering to pray for someone could be upsetting. I feel it’s a nice thing to ask and a way to give hope that circumstances can change.”

Petrie says that she often offers to pray for her patients and that many take her up on it. She either prays with them or after she has left their home.

In October 2008, Caroline Petrie was also warned by The Trust for offering a small, home-made prayer card to an elderly, male patient, who had happily accepted it.

On this occasion, the patient’s carer, who was with her at the time, raised concerns over the incident.

Alison Withers, Mrs Petrie’s superior at the time, wrote to her at the end of November 2008 saying: “As a nurse you are required to uphold the reputation of your profession. Your NMC [Nursing Midwifery Council] code states that ‘you must demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity’ and ‘you must not use your professional status to promote causes that are not related to health.’”

Caroline Petrie was asked to attend an equality and diversity course and warned: “If there is any further similar incident it may be treated as potential misconduct and the formal disciplinary procedure could be instigated.”

Mrs Petrie and her husband Stewart attend Milton Baptist Church every Sunday.

She said: “My faith got stronger and I realized God was doing amazing things in my life. I saw my patients suffering and, as I believe in the power of prayer, I began asking them if they wanted me to pray for them. They are absolutely delighted.”

Caroline Petrie has worked for The Trust since February 2008. The Christian Legal Center is supporting Caroline Petrie in this matter.

Andrea Williams, the founder and Director of the Christian Legal Center, said: “It is of huge concern that Christian citizens, whose desire is to do their jobs well, are increasingly being silenced and pushed out of the ‘public square’ because of Equality and Diversity Policies.

“It is extraordinary, that these policies which purport to ensure tolerance are ushering in a new form of censorship and intolerance which should concern us all.”