COUNCIL OF DHARMIC FAITHS UK FORMED

In a very interesting development for inter faith relations on a national level in the UK, a Council of Dharmic Faiths has been formed. In the presence of leading figures from the Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh communities, the Council of Dharmic Faiths was launched at the House of Commons on 16 May. Dharma is a word common to all the religions involved and has the meaning of righteous conduct or teaching. The Council of Dharmic Faiths has been established with the aim of encouraging friendship, goodwill, respect, equality and increased understanding within these communities, and between members of these communities and others in the UK. The Parsi (Zoroastrian) community has associate membership of the Council of Dharmic Faiths.

The launch event at the House of Commons marked the culmination of a process that has in its earlier stages seen the national circulation of a discussion paper in 2007 on the "Advancement of Dharma" for all major faith leaders in the UK, followed by the discussion of the desirability of a "Four Faiths Forum" for those religions which historically originated in India. Then there was a historic gathering of leaders of national faith organisations of the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Zoroastrian communities in Finchley at the end of March this year, where arrangements were finalised for the formation of the Council of Dharmic Faiths.

There are estimated to be more than one and a half million followers of Dharmic religions in the UK. The Council of Dharmic Faiths has been established with the intention of promoting education and training,offering advocacy, improving the quality of health and social welfare, encouraging appropriate recreational activities and preserving the cultural heritage and promoting the interests of these faith communities in the UK.

The elected Chair of the Council of Dharmic Faiths is Dr Natubhai Shah, who is certainly well known in Leicester. Dr Shah was a prime movers in the establishment of the Jain Centre here and was prominent in public inter faith work in the city when I arrived here in the late 1980s.

If anyone were to think of this as an odd or innovative development, I would say think of the Family of Abraham grouping, that we've been used to in the inter faith world for donkey's years. I'm impressed by this new Council's public denial of being a caucus of religions who share special interests or who feel the need to define themselves in contrast or opposition to any other grouping of faith communities or any one faith in particular.

The Council of Dharmic Faiths has its own Facebook page.

UK RELIGIOUS LEADERS CALL FOR RELEASE OF BAHÁ’Í LEADERS IN IRAN

It's being widely reported in the religious media today that the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster and the Chief Rabbi are amongst the British religious leaders who have called for the release of the seven Bahá'í leaders currently serving prison sentences in Iran.

In a recently issued statement, the religious leaders say they view the imprisonment of Iran’s Bahá'í leaders as a gross violation of the fundamental human right to freedom of religion. They urge governments to call on the Iranian authorities to review the decision to imprison the Baha’i leaders and to cease harassing the Bahá'í community.

“We are deeply touched by the sympathy and solidarity expressed by the UK’s significant religious leaders for our beleaguered brethren in Iran,” said Dr Kishan Manocha, the UK Bahá'í community’s Secretary of External Affairs. “Bahá'ís across the UK, especially those with family members in Iran, will be encouraged and empowered by this statement.” The text of the statement is as follows:

“We have been informed that following two years of arrest during which the international community has pressed the Iranian authorities to follow humanitarian and legal norms, seven leaders of the Bahá’í community in Iran have each been sentenced to twenty years imprisonment for reasons which in the view of all independent observers are solely based on their faith. These sentences form part of a wider picture over many years of severe harassment of the Bahá’í community

We view this act as a gross violation of the fundamental human right to freedom of religion and call on the Iranian government to fulfil their obligations under article 18 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights to review the case and to ensure that the treatment of these “prisoners” accords with justice and due process as defined in the Iranian constitution and law.

We call upon all governments and people of good will to call upon the the Iranian authorities to review this decision and to cease harassment of the Bahá’í community.

We extend our sympathies to the Bahá’í community at this difficult time and hope that the widespread and growing international concern over this matter will cause the Iranian authorities to correct this flagrant injustice.”

The statement is signed by the following religious luminaries:

• The Most Revd Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
• The Most Revd Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster
• Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks
• Jay Lakhani, Hindu Academy
• Arjan Vekaria JP, President, Hindu Forum of Britain
• Dr Indarjit Singh CBE, Network of Sikh Organisations
• Dr Natubhai Shah MBBS PhD, Network of Jain Organisations, Council of Dharmic Faiths
• Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, Chair, Religions for Peace UK.