His warning over Empire ‘fixations’

CHURCH of England guidance issued earlier this year said paintings and mosaics in churches with links to slavery could be altered or removed as part of a review into ‘offensive’ memorials.

Sculptures and artworks that use racist terms or ‘glorify’ those who profited from the slave trade risk making people from ethnic minorities feel unwelcome, the document stated.

At the time, Dr Nazir-Ali warned against ‘blanket judgments’ on figures connected to the Empire, and said supporting cashstrapped congregations reeling from the pandemic was a higher priority. He said: ‘The Church of England is fixated on the dark and the bad side of the Empire.’

Also earlier this year, a Church of England anti-racism task force set up following George Floyd’s death in the US called for all church shortlists to have at least one ethnic minority candidate, one of 7 recommendations.

In a second article for the Daily Telegraph in May, Dr Nazir-Ali wrote about how the Church had become embroiled in identity politics. He said there was no question racism must be taken seriously ‘but conceding ground to divisive identity politics is no way to do so.’