That the Parliament notes that South Lanarkshire Council has issued guidance concerning the appointment and input of chaplains and religious organisations in schools; understands that some people believe that God created the world in six days, some people believe that God created the world over a longer period of time and some people believe that the world came about without anyone creating it; considers that none of these positions can be proved or disproved by science and all are valid beliefs for people to hold, and further considers that children in Scotland’s schools should be aware of all of these different belief systems.

That the Parliament expresses its concern regarding the recent rise in anti-Semitism across Europe and considers that this antipathy toward Europe’s Jewish community has sadly been a recurrent theme for hundreds of years; notes Scotland’s traditionally positive relationship with its Jewish population; strongly asserts Scotland’s warm desire that Jewish people living in Scotland should feel safe, completely at home and a key part of the multicultural Scottish community, and believes that Jews, Muslims, Christians, people of other religions and people of no religion should all be treated equally and should all be able to live here free from the threat of violence or other discrimination.

That the Parliament notes what it believes has been the recent understandable emphasis on terrorist events in Europe, but also notes the tragic massacre of over 2,000 people during the razing of the Nigerian town of Baga by Boko Haram and the group’s recent attacks in Cameroon; condemns this campaign of terror, which, it understands, aims to establish a mono-religious state in what has been a religiously diverse region; understands that it has led to the killing of more than 10,000 people in the last year; believes that these incidents merit both pan-African and wider international attention, and urges increased effort to be made so that peace can be returned to Nigeria and the wider region as soon as possible.