OUR DIVERSE CITY SHOWN IN PICTURES

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Our diverse city shown in pictures

A photography exhibition exploring Leicester's diversity is taking place at an unusual venue – shop windows across the city.

Dozens of pictures will be on display at 20 shops in Belgrave, Highfields and Spinney Hills as part of the From Here and There exhibition until December 16.

Artworks are also on show in the street and at community spaces in the city.

The display looks at Leicester's cultural diversity, our notions of Britishness and also commemorates the 40th anniversary of thousands of Asians moving to Leicester after being expelled from Uganda.

It also marks this year's Olympic Games.

It is a collaboration between Leicester artist Ashok Mistry and award-winning Indian photographer Pablo Bartholomew.

Ashok said: "The exhibition is about celebration and the communities we have in Leicester, the way they co-operate and flourish."

He said it was also about looking at plurality, as Leicester is expected to be one of Britain's first plural cities, where there is no clear ethnic majority group.

Ashok said the pictures were being displayed in shop windows and on the street as the display was aimed at people not normally catered for in galleries.

Pablo, who is based in New Delhi, said the idea of the exhibition was "to bring out something on the streets".

He said that spreading the posters throughout Leicester was a "great way to communicate with different types of audience" and also "different areas of Leicester.

One of the shops which is displaying photographs as part of the exhibition is Milan's, in Belgrave Road.

Manager Kishor Chauhan said the shop took part in the exhibition "because it sounded very interesting".

A celebration event to mark the exhibition will take place tonight from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Chennai Dosa, in Belgrave Road, Leicester.

For the full art trail and more details about the exhibition, visit the website: http://fromhereandthere.info

TALENT MAY NOT BE GOD GIVEN

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Talent may not be God given

In response to claims made by E Letts that "believers find God really helps" (Mailbox, August 18), I would like to rebuff those claims.

I am sure most people would have seen footage from the Olympic Games recently.

Sure enough, at the end of some of the events, we would have seen some of the winners "thank God" for their win.

But did anyone notice that God chose to neglect every other competitor in the same event?

Surely some of those believed that God would help them, too?

Why, E Letts, are you so sure that talented musicians, poets, painters, writers etc have somehow been given their talent from God?

Could it be that they are just extremely talented people?

Who are you to take their achievements away from them?

I would also ask you to consider how many "non-believers" surround you every day.

A non-believer may have built your home or present a radio show you listen to. Maybe they diagnosed your illnesses or designed your washing machine.

All of these things require talent and knowledge but they may not have had any belief that God would help them.

These people are good at what they do and you should not take that away from them.

Sean Coltman, Leicester

CARNIVAL RETURNING TO STREETS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Carnival returning to streets

Caribbean carnival-goers will be back on parade this weekend.Last year, a lack of money meant organisers were unable to hold the procession through Leicester's streets.

But this year, they hope 100,000 people will watch its return or join the celebrations in Victoria Park.

The procession will go from the park to the Clock Tower, while people in the park can enjoy Caribbean specialities such as jerk chicken and listen to steel bands and calypso music.

Organiser Dennis "Sugar" Christopher said the music would reflect the carnival culture of the Caribbean and have more acts aimed at youngsters.

He said: "I've been listening to people who say the carnival does not cater for young people.

"So this year I've taken a leaf out of the book of the Olympics, where the opening ceremony had young people lighting the cauldron.

"On the park, we're going to have more youngsters performing as well as national and international acts and bands."

Many young people will also be among the 1,000 dancers taking part in the carnival procession, which will set off from Victoria Park at 1pm on Saturday and pass down London Road into the heart of the city and back up Gallowtree Gate.

London Road to the south of the park will remain shut throughout the procession, while temporary road closures will affect Granville Road, Northampton Street, Charles Street, Belgrave Gate and Granby Street.

However, the longer-term future of the carnival remains uncertain.Leicester City Council is reviewing how much money it contributes to the event.

The carnival costs about £200,000. The council is considering gradually reducing its contribution from £100,000 to about £60,000 in three years' time.

Mr Christopher said it was important the Caribbean Carnival continued as an annual event.

He said: "People enjoy the carnival – the procession, music, floats, costumes and performances.

"The University of Leicester did research last year and found a wide range of people come to the carnival.

"It also brings a lot of people to the city and helps businesses."The carnival brings serious wealth to Leicester.

"We've got to do a lot of fund-raising ourselves and there will be buckets on Saturday so we ask people to come along and to please give generously."

Councillor Piara Singh Clair, assistant city major for leisure, said: "There is a review going on but we are very keen to promote processions and activities like this in the city.

"I think we do need to keep it going.

"I've been the past couple of years and I'm looking forward to going again on Saturday."

LEICESTER'S FIRST MUSLIM MAYOR SWORN IN

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicester's first Muslim Mayor sworn in

The city's first Muslim Lord Mayor was sworn in at a ceremony held at the Town Hall last night.

In a traditional inauguration, Councillor Abdul Osman was officially made Lord Mayor of Leicester at Leicester City Council's annual meeting, held in the Town Hall's chambers.

Coun Osman, who joined the city council in 1996, takes over from Councillor Rob Wann.

Coun Osman said: "It's an important year, with the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics, so it's a privilege for me to hold office with everything that's going on.

"I want to focus on visiting the communities and raising the profile of the office of Lord Mayor. I'm proud to be the first Muslim councillor to hold the position – we've had Christian, Hindu, Sikh and now I'm able to bring the Islamic faith to the office which is a great honour."

Each year, the new mayor nominates a charity which he will raise money for.

Coun Osman has chosen the stroke unit at the Leicester Royal Infirmary and is aiming to raise £60,000 for the cause.

He said: "I feel as if it's quite a symbolic issue because it affects everyone regardless of their age, colour or background – and our city is one of the most diverse communities in the country."

ST GEORGE'S DAY CAN HELP BIND OUR COMMUNITIES

This press release has been issued today by the Federation of Muslim Organisations.

  

St George’s Day can help bind our communities

The Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO) has repeated its calls to make St George’s Day, an annual public holiday for England.

Suleman Nagdi, spokesperson for the FMO said, “The legend of the patron saint, St George, is celebrated throughout the world including in India, Lebanon, Palestine, Russia and many other areas of the world. The legend of St George can be a way in which we can all demonstrate our commitment to each other. I support calls for a public holiday so that space is created to have celebrations and events throughout the country including the communal sharing of food, sports such as Football and Cricket which are English inventions and other entertainment”.

Mr. Nagdi added, “It is sad that some groups have attempted to hijack St George’s Day for their own narrow, prejudiced purposes. I firmly believe in the good character of English people reside in their values of justice and fair play. The Muslim community would be supportive of any celebrations and participate in the discussions around how we can all properly mark St George’s Day each year. In this Olympic year with our Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, I would go a step further and encourage national government and their partners to look into creating a United Kingdom Day of celebration which unites England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales”.

I've written before on this blog about the good job Leicester City Council has done the past few years, in appropriating the weekend of St George's Day, filling it with multicultural, family-friendly activities and leaving no room for extremist groups to muscle in. I've commended them on that on different occasions, especially in the context of repeated visits to Leicester by the English Defence League. I'm glad to see that theyr'e following the same course this year as we can see in the posters all round the city.

Ramadan: a guide for the perplexed

Here's a nice piece from today's Guardian G2 section, published online in the Comment is free: Belief website.

Ramadan: a guide for the perplexed

I'm fasting for Ramadan. It might be a good time to lay to rest some common myths about the whole business

By Mehdi Hasan

I crawled out of bed this morning at 2.45am, exhausted and bleary-eyed. I wolfed down two eggs, two slices of toast, a croissant, half a banana and several glasses of water. Then I went back to bed.

I performed a similar routine at a similar time yesterday, and the day before that, too. Awoke, ate and slept again. Have I gone mad, I hear you ask? Why do I seem to be having pregnancy-style, middle-of-the-night cravings for fried breakfasts and lots of liquid?

I don't. There's a more prosaic explanation: it is Ramadan and I'm now on to my third day of fasting. Luckily for me, and for the 1.6 billion other Muslims across the world, there are just 27 more days to go. (Is that my stomach I hear groaning?)

Fasting, or "sawm", in Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam – the others being the "shahadah" (declaration of faith), "salat" (the five daily prayers), "zakat" (almsgiving) and the "hajj" (pilgrimage). The fast is considered to be a "wajib" or obligatory act (though there are exemptions that I'll come to in a moment).

Muslims fast for 30 days in Ramadan. Just to be clear: we fast from sunrise (hence the 2.45am wakeup) to sunset (around 9pm at the moment) each day. We don't fast for 30 days as a whole. That, of course, would be impossible. Not to mention suicidal.

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is regarded by Muslims as one of the most holy months: we believe that it was during Ramadan that the Qur'an was first revealed to prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel.

The Islamic calendar has been lunar since its inception in AD622, with each month beginning with the sighting of a new moon. As the lunar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, the start date for Ramadan moves back through the western calendar each year. A few years ago, Ramadan coincided with our winter, when the days were shorter and cooler; this year, to much moaning and griping from British Muslims (yes, me included), it's fallen in the summer, with much longer and hotter days. That means the fasting isn't easy. Imagine, for instance, going on the underground in the sweltering August heat without being able to take a bottle of water with you.

In fact, you're not allowed any liquids: no water, no juice, no milk . . . The list of "banned" items and activities in Ramadan is extensive: no cigarettes, drugs, sex, bad language or bad behaviour, from sunrise to sunset. That, dear readers, is the challenge. (In case you're wondering, chewing gum isn't allowed either.)

"Has it begun?" my colleagues asked me earlier this week, their eyes expressing a mixture of sympathy, pity and – just perhaps – awe. Most (well-meaning) non-Muslims view Ramadan as deeply oppressive. Isn't it dangerous, I'm often asked? Doesn't it damage your health? Weaken you?

The short answer is No. Millions (billions?) of Muslims have been fasting for centuries, without suffering any Ramadan-specific illnesses or diseases. Vulnerable groups – the sick, the elderly, children, pregnant women, travellers – are exempt. And, in recent years, a number of academic studies have demonstrated the health benefits of fasting. According to a paper published in April by the Intermountain Medical Centre Heart Institute in Utah, it can lower the risk of coronary artery disease and diabetes, and keep blood cholesterol levels in check. The researchers found fasting could also reduce other cardiac risk factors such as excess weight, blood sugar levels and triglycerides.

Some of the world's leading athletes and sports stars have managed to fast while performing at the highest levels. Next year, Ramadan starts in July, and will cover the whole period of the Olympics. East London will be home to Muslim athletes from across the world, fasting, competing and – I guarantee you – winning medals.

It's nothing new. In the 90s, Hakeem Olajuwon, a devout Muslim considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of his generation, would often play in the NBA for the Houston Rockets while fasting. "It made me stronger and my statistics went up," he later remarked. "I was better during Ramadan, more focused." In February 1995, Olajuwon averaged an impressive 29 points per game and was named NBA Player of the Month, despite the entire month coinciding with Ramadan.

More recently, Manchester City's Kolo Touré, also a practising Muslim, has had no qualms about fasting and playing top-flight football. "It doesn't affect me physically," Touré argued during last year's Ramadan, which happened to correspond with the first month of the Premier League. "It makes me stronger. You can do it when you believe so strongly in something."

Ramadan becomes an unparalleled, month-long opportunity for personal and spiritual growth – and the fast is a deeply private act of worship. "Of the five pillars of Islam, the fast of Ramadan is perhaps the most personal expression of self-surrender to God," the American writer and convert to Islam, Jeffrey Lang, argues in his book, Even Angels Ask. "We can observe a Muslim performing the other four pillars, but, in addition to himself, only God knows if he is staying with the fast."

So far, I've managed three. Now, what time is it? Noon. Hmm. Just eight hours and 55 minutes to go.

Mehdi Hasan is the senior editor (politics) at the New Statesman, author of the e-book,  Summer of Unrest: The Debt Delusion and co-author (with James Macintyre) of Ed: The Millibands and the Making of a Labour Leader.

V GOOD!

In the afternoon, a quick dash across the road from Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living to Voluntary Action LeicesterShire, for a meeting of the EVDC East Midlands steering group. EVDC is an arm of Volunteering England (though independent of that parent body), and exists to promote volunteering as an expression of citizenship. The East Midlands is the last region of England to establish an EVDC (surprise, surprise); this meeting is an attempt to get one up and running. Since Leicester Council of Faiths had been involved in a major project with Volunteering England earlier this year, looking at the role of volunteering within the faith communities, I'm interested in ensuring recognition for their contribution and strengthening their ongoing involvement. There's a presentation on volunteering challenges and opportunities related to the 2012 Olympics, which I find especially interesting and rather inspiring, if truth be told. Mind you, the one thing that wasn't made clear at any point in the meeting was: what do the initials EVDC stand for? On Volunteering England's website, it appears, they appear to stand for England Volunteering Development Council, but that doesn't really make sense in terms of a regional presence. Hmmm ...