FIRST PERSON: BREAK DOWN BARRIERS FACING OUR COMMUNITY

Habib Akram (on right in photo below) has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Break down barriers facing our community

Habib Akram says Ahmadi Muslims are committed to peace and the UK but face prejudice from many people

Today is an historic milestone for my community - marking 100 years since our establishment in the UK. We have much to celebrate. We are committed to Britain and its prosperity. Our ethos Love for All, Hatred for None underpins our belief and is manifest in a nationwide peace campaign. In addition:

We have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for UK charities.

• We support the annual Poppy Appeal and organise drives to join the Armed Forces as well as blood donation drives throughout Britain.

• We have engaged in widespread interfaith events and celebrated the Queen's Diamond Jubilee at each of our mosques across the country.

• We constructed the first purpose-built mosque in London, which opened in 1924, and was used as a bomb shelter during the war.

• We run western Europe's biggest mosque, in Surrey, with capacity for 10,000 worshippers.

• We have translated the Holy Koran into more than 70 languages, including braille. 

Britain has provided a home for thousands of Ahmadi Muslims over the past century. Our duty as Muslims is to be grateful to God and to give thanks to Queen and country for allowing us to practice [sic] our faith freely.

Islam teaches us to be loyal citizens and we believe it is our duty to serve the country, contribute to society and promote peace for all. When we say Islam means peace, we practice [sic] that.

Today will be a day of thanksgiving for us - the day falls during the blessed month of Ramadan.

However, the occasion also serves as a reminder of the acts of terror committed by extremists on my community.

Hundreds of Ahmadi Muslims have been murdered in Pakistan, where we are not allowed to practice [sic] Islam, and we continue to be persecuted in Indonesia and other countries where an extremist clergy is able to wield influence.

Even in Britain, there have been attempts to foment hatred against us through satellite Asian news channels or by firebrand clerics.

The result of this is that my community remains isolated from other Muslim communities, even in Leicester, and despite speeches and opinion pieces in this paper about the need for community cohesion, no attempt is made to reach out to us.

Invitations for other Muslims to join us at our interfaith events are ignored by all but a few.

So the need to build bridges and remove the barriers of prejudice is greater than ever. If the words that appear in this paper about building communities are not to be mere platitudes, real action needs to be taken now to break down the barriers of ignorance and prejudice.

As loyal citizens, we enter our second century here in the UK with much optimism. We hope to build on our achievements and, God willing, be of even greater benefit to this country.

Dr Habib Akram is president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Leicester

A TRIBUTE TO THE POWER OF SHARED VALUES

Riaz Ravat's First Person column appears in today's Leicester Mercury (but not on the website):

A tribute to the power of shared values

Riaz Ravat looks back over an eventful year that has brought faith communities closer together

This year will surely go down as one of the most remarkable in the history of the UK. On a spring day in March , Leicester paid a colourful and vibrant tribute to the Queen on the first stop of her Diamond Jubilee tour. The royal party was treated to a show that will live long in the memory.

The Church of England is interwoven into the fabric of this country and the leadership shown by the Diocese of Leicester, with Leicester Cathedral as the centrepiece, enabled a mosaic of faith communities to join in the celebrations to show they too are firmly rooted in the identity of this country.

2012 as also marked as the Year of Service. Launched in January, the initiative encouraged faith communities to work collectively to deliver charity efforts to needy causes.

"Confirm us in service to the world of humanity so that we may become the servants of Thy servants, that we may love all they creatures and become compassionate to all thy people."

These words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the eldest son and successor of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, were delivered in 1912 and it was fitting the Bahá'í community was instrumental in launching a year of service.

One of the many points to note from the release of the 2011 Census is how the definition of "minority" is being redrawn locally.

The presence of smaller groups, such as the Bahá'í and Jewish communities, poses challenges to larger communities and defines the true meaning of a decent and progressive society. The challenge is how we enable these minorities to express their confidence and to contribute their fullest, to the life of the city, county and country.

Throughout the year, we witnessed Bahá'ís, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and those of no professed religions belief coming together for the selfless service of others.

Whether this motivation is inspired by God, political doctrine or human concern, we must begin to address what wee mean by  shared values, purposes and the nature of "good", not only for today's world, but for tomorrow's.

As we reflect on service, let us not forget the dedication and decency of the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

The impact of the General Synod voting against female Bishops is not restricted to the Church of England. Far from observing these developments, those from other persuasions must now take stock and ask, how much longer will we accept the gap between the principle and practice of equality?

The spiritual richness of service and compassion which faith communities possess, undergirded by their respective "golden rules", is all too often tainted by humanity's thirst for selective salvation.

Riaz Ravat is deputy director at St Philip's Centre, Leicester

IS THE DIOCESE "TURNING ITS BACK" ON FOUR HISTORIC CITY CHURCHES?

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Is the diocese "turning its back" on four historic city churches?

The Leicester Citizen, journal of the Leicester Civic Society, is always an interesting read and its thought-provoking articles are never afraid to broach difficult subjects.

In his chairman's page, Stuart Bailey states the visit to Leicester by the Queen at the start of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations was "a highlight of recent months".

He observes the Queen visited Leicester Cathedral for the first time and that "from her reaction (she) was suitably impressed by this beautiful building and its setting".

Mr Bailey then goes on to say that our cathedral, "while not one of the great historic cathedrals with monastic origins and world heritage status… can claim an intimate connection with the ancient city".

He says: "When you enter the cathedral closes at Exeter, Lichfield or Wells, you are instantly in a world apart. In Leicester, however, the cathedral has always felt to be an integral part of our city."

Mr Bailey states that the society is working with the cathedral authorities over the proposed Cathedral Gardens that will, it is hoped, "create a truly attractive open space and undo the damage inflicted by the poor 1980s design, which itself replaced the churchyard".

This is all very positive and encouraging. However, Mr Bailey adds a sobering paragraph: "Of course, it's not all sweetness and light.

"In being welcomed at our cathedral, the Queen would have been unaware of the Diocese of Leicester's heritage at risk, in the form of no fewer than four historic churches, all listed buildings, three Victorian and one early Medieval – St Saviour's, St Paul's, St Barnabas and the 12th century St Peter's Belgrave – now closed for worship."

Elsewhere in the journal we read: "One church building at risk is one too many, but Leicester now has four.

"Their plight is the result of the Diocese of Leicester deliberately turning its back on its own built heritage."

So how does the diocese answer this?

"In no sense has the diocese 'walked away' from these beautiful buildings," says a diocese spokesman.

"It is always a matter of sadness when a church building is no longer able to be used for its original purpose, because these places have always played a very important part in the life of the community and carry vital memories for many.

"This sense of loss is heightened when the building also has significant architectural or historical features.

"The diocese, which has responsibility for seeking alternative uses for closed Church of England buildings, works very hard to safeguard this heritage, even though it is often very difficult to find a suitable new use.

"Meanwhile, we do all we can to protect and maintain these empty buildings against the ravages of time, the weather and, increasingly, thieves and vandals.

"At the same time, we face the challenge of resourcing the churches which remain open.

"We welcome such practical and financial support as is available from other agencies, but the majority of the money has to come from the Church's own resources. We never shirk our responsibilities."

MAPPING FAITH & PLACE IN LEICESTER CONFERENCE

The Grand Hall in St Martins House is the venue for this conference, concluding the first phase of the University of Leicester's Mapping Faith and Place project. I haven't been in the Grand Hall before, but it's a setting that lives up to its name, one fit for a queen. Literally, in this case, as HM Queen Elizabeth II was served lunch here on her recent visit to Leicester which kicked off her Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. Some of those attending today were guests on that occasion.

Deirdre O'Sullivan (Lecturer in Medieaval Archaeology at the University of Leicester) welcomes attendees and introduces the project. The rest of the day is taken up with a number of presentations:

Heritage and Multi-Faith in Leicester, Canon Dr John Hall, Director, St Philip's Centre for Study andEngagement in a Multi-Faith Society

English Heritage Policy on Faith Buildings, Dr Lind Monckton, English Heritage

History and Interpretation, Surinderpal Rai, Chair, Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara

Leicester Perspective, CllrManjula Sood, Assistant Mayor (and Chair, Leicester Council of Faiths)

Jain Heritage in Leicester, Dr Atul Shah, CEO, Diverse Ethics

The Church of St Mary de Castro: a Document in our Midst, David Lamb, St Mary de Castro

An Archaelogical Approach to Understanding Religious Buildings, Neil Finn, Archaeological Consultant

The Story of Leicester, Sarah Levitt, Leicester City Council Arts and Museums Service

An interesting variety of presentations, to be sure, but it wouldn't be unfair to say that they're something of a mixed bag. Although the conference is sponsored by the University of Leicester, it's not, strictly speaking, an academic occasion, so it would be wrong to hold all the contributions to the kind of rigorous standard. Let's just say that the standards of preparation and delivery vary today.

Mapping Faith and Place in Leicester has been funded by the Art and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) within their funding stream, "Care for the Future: Thinking Forward Through the Past". After the end of this initial period of funding, the project moves into a new phase, focusing on the past, present and future uses of one faith-related site in particular: Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara on East Park Road.

The Council of Faiths has lent a hand at various stages of the Mapping Faith and Place in Leicester project (although if we'd grasped how significant it is, we'd surely have done more to help). I've posted entries about the launch event in October 2011 and the first, second and third seminars for the project in this blog. We borrowed the project's pop-up banners for our display at Highcross during Inter Faith Week 2011, when we also distributed many copies of the Leicester Faith Trail booklet (the second, updated edition of which is published today). Members of staff Deirdre O'Sullivan and Dr Ruth Young (Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Director of Distance Learning Strategy) and students from the School of Archaeology and Ancient History took part in that exhibition. There are several members of the Council of Faiths here today and, of course, our Chair, Cllr Manjula Sood, is one of the platform speakers. But I can't help wishing we'd been able to make a more formal presentation. There were some questions from the floor about inter-faith issues in Leicester that some of the platform speakers were unable to answer, that would have surely been part of a proper presentation by the Council of Faiths (regarding consultation with the city's decision-making bodies, for example).

I've enjoyed being involved in this project. It's opened some doors for me and introduced me to some good people I might otherwise never have met. I hope that I (and Leicester Council of Faiths) can play an active part in the project's future development and even find new ways to contribute and collaborate.

As I do at the end of all my blog posts referring to St Martins House, I refer any reader wondering about the omission of the possessive apostrophe from the building's name to a letter from Rev. Peter Hobson, Director of St Martins House, published in the Leicester Mercury, 29 March 2011.

BBC RADIO LEICESTER: DISCUSSING RECONCILIATION WITH MONICA WINFIELD

On BBC Radio Leicester this morning with Monica Winfield, talking about reconciliation. John Florance contacted Jan McDonald, Secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Leicester earlier this week to ask if a Bahá'í could take part in the show, speaking to the topic from a Bahá'í point of view. Jan asked me and I said yes. Our topic arises from the "highly symbolic" handshake between the Queen and Martin McGuiness that took place on Her Majesty's recent visit to Northern Ireland as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebration.

The other two guests on the panel are Canon David Monteith from Leicester Cathedral, who was born in Northern Ireland and is newly appointed Chair of Trustees at St Philip's Centre for Study and Engagement in a Multi-Faith Society and Denise Carter, who is a director of local company, AIM, which offers mediation services to families in crisis. They're in the photo below with Rebecca Bryers, producer of Monica's show. I'm introduced on air as both being a Bahá'í and working for Leicester Council of Faiths. Monica asks me questions that draw on both those threads.

I appeared on Monica's Sunday morning show back in February this year, on a panel of three discussing the topic of forgiveness (blogged here). When we're off-air, I tell her that next time she has to get me on to speak about something juicier, such as - vengeance!

1950s TEA PARTY AT LEICESTER CATHEDRAL

There’s a full programme of activities and events at Leicester Cathedral for the Diamond Jubilee extended weekend. This afternoon it’s a 1950s-themed tea party (catered mostly by Barry and Julie-Ann Heath).

As I approach the Cathedral, I can hear Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire: not actually from the 50s of course, it was written and first recorded in 1963 (I'm only saying that, so you don't have to, faithful reader).

There’s a band of four young fellows, smartly dressed in white shirts and black ties, playing favourite songs from the period; songs that would have been labelled devil’s music in the 1950s and wouldn’t have been allowed anywhere near a church. No one seems to know what the band’s called. Maybe they don’t actually have a name. I press the bass player when they’re finished and packing away, asking for a name I can put in the blog. Indeed, they don’t appear to have one, but he offers me “Hotel Zulu”. That’ll do.

There’s a good mix of ages, from toddlers up to more mature folk who may well have bought some of these songs on 78s. One old lady in a wheelchair joins in the dancing. There’s more than one person who looks like they’ve never set foot inside the Cathedral before, some wearing a self-ironising smile as they work their way through the refreshments. I’d like to think everyone feels welcome here. I certainly do.

There’s a nice spread of sandwiches and cakes, and some tea with a lovely old China tea service. I have some of the nicest chocolate cornflake cakes I’ve ever tasted (thanks to Julie Ann’s mum) and enjoy several biscuits made in the shape of crowns, with decorative icing.

If you're wondering what I've brought with me that's 1950s-based, well that would be me! I was born with the last 33 days of the 50s still to go. Wow, what a decade! If you can remember it, then you weren't really there. No, erm, hang on ...

LEICESTER CATHEDRAL PREPARES FOR QUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE

Leicester Cathedral is making a major contribution to local celebrations of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee over this extended holiday weekend. The Diamond Jubilee began in earnest with the Queen's visit to Leicester on Tuesday 8 March. She spent much of that day in and around the Cathedral, so there are many mementoes of that day on show here, comprising the foundation of the Cathedral's activities over the next few days.

The display above commemorates the visit of the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Cambridge to the Cathedral. It's a collage, made up of a myriad tiny pictures of scenes from the visit and portraits of Leicester people, taken on the day. You can see how it works on the video I made with Beverley Farrand giving a short tour of the Cathedral, pointing out things related to the royal visit and the Diamond Jubilee, which I've posted on the Council of Faiths YouTube Channel.

One of the most interesting things I see today is the Corona, made from willow branches by Sue Pyecroft. Sue is an artist, puppeteer, teacher and theatre designer. She's an Artistic Director with Bamboozle Theatre. The Corona is suspended over the spot where the royal visitors sat during the Cathedral service on 8 March. It's so light and ethereal that it appears to float there, unsupported. The Corona will be on display at least until the end of Jubilee Week.

And here's Julie Ann Heath, Chaplain at the Cathedral (and member of Leicester Council of Faiths), arranging flowers near the Cathedral entrance. The arrangement (she tells me) is inspired by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - the gift that keeps on giving.

ISLAM: DESIGNED FOR LIVING

Fronting a table for the Islam Information Centre this afternoon is my friend Zubair Sidat. I got to know Zubair in his capacity as a Director at De Montfort University Students' Union. He and I have worked together on a few projects over the past couple of years, such as Discover Islam Week at De Montfort University, DMU Students Community Fair and the Inter Faith Week 2011 exhibition in Highcross.

I admire Zubair’s relaxed, personable way of interacting with members of the public. He’s able to put people at their ease and impart a good amount of information without making it feel like he’s lecturing them. One woman spends some time chatting with him and flicking through the literature on display. Her sister has recently converted to Islam after marrying a Muslim and she wants to know more about their beliefs.

The table is set up outside Clark's Shoes in Humberstone Gate and yes, I deliberately caught that text in the top left corner of the picture. That’s my kind of coincidence and it fits in with the style and tone of this blog, wouldn't you agree faithful reader? Got to love those Union Flags too, one at each corner of the table. It's Diamond Jubilee Weekend after all and everyone is flying the flag, all over town.

On the table is a wide range of pamphlets on diverse topics. Many of these are new to me and I'm glad to add them to my growing collection of such material. Now I should make time to familiarise myself with the contents. They're all published by Islamic Dawah Centre International. The titles on display are:

• Answers to Non-Muslims' Common Questions about Islam
• Concept of God in Islam
• The Hijab: Reflections by Muslim Women
• Human Rights in Islam
• Islam at a Glance: Muslims' Belief in a Nutshell
• Jihad in Islam
• Life After Death
• The Mercy of Allah
• The Muslim Woman's Dress: According to the Qur'an and Sunnah
• The Position of Women in Islam
• Three Men, One Mission: Moses, Jesus, Muhammad (Peace be upon them)
• The Truth About Jesus: A Muslim Perspective
• What does Islam say about Adultery and Fornication
• Who was Jesus? (Peace be upon him)

I mentioned at the top of this piece that this display is being done for the Islam Information Centre. Here's some information about the Centre, taken from its Facebook page:

The centre is located at 45 Highfield Street in the heart of the multicultural city of Leicester. It’s within a short walking distance of the railway station, City Centre and both Universities.

When the property was acquired it was in a very poor structural state. Through the will of Allah, the help of generous private donations and efforts of the local Ulamma (Islamic Scholars) the property has been transformed into a purpose built Islam Information Centre.

The centre consists of a large ground floor area accommodating a reception area and a permanent Discover Islam exhibition area with a kitchen and ablution area to the rear.

The first and second floor consists of spacious seminar rooms and a resource centre.

The IIC is operated entirely on a voluntary basis and is funded through regular donations from Muslims both locally and nationally. It is principally operated by a group of local Ulamma (Islamic scholars) who are articulate and possess a wealth of knowledge between them about Islam and modern day issues affecting Muslims and non Muslims alike. The centre consists of a large ground floor area accommodating a reception area and a permanent Discover Islam exhibition area with a kitchen and ablution area to the rear.

The first and second floor consists of spacious seminar rooms and a resource centre.

The IIC is operated entirely on a voluntary basis and is funded through regular donations from Muslims both locally and nationally. It is principally operated by a group of local Ulamma (Islamic scholars) who are articulate and possess a wealth of knowledge between them about Islam and modern day issues affecting Muslims and non Muslims alike.

I hope to be able to visit the Islam Information centre before long. When I do, I'll write it up here of course.

WE ARE PROUD TO BE MARKING QUEEN'S JUBILEE

Habib Akram's First Person column appears in today's Leicester Mercury (though not on the paper's website).

We are proud to be marking Queen's Jubilee

Habib Akram on why British Muslims are proud to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee

As a British Muslim, I am proud to be a citizen of this country and to lead my community in Leicester in celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. That is why our mosque will be lit up for the extended Jubilee weekend and will display a large banner congratulating Her Majesty.

Every Ahmadi Muslim who lives in Great Britain is an extremely loyal citizen of the country and loves it. This is because the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed us that the love of one's country is an integral part of one's faith.

Our mosques throughout the UK will say prayers for the Queen as part of a programme of activities to mark the occasion.

Many members of my community from Leicestershire have already taken part in our own sponsored Jubilee walk around the Tower of London, which has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for British charities, including the Queen's Jubilee charities.

Our mosques throughout Britain are celebrating this historic occasion with street parties, programmes to feed the homeless and blood donor drives.

In the history of the British monarchy, there have only been two diamond Jubilees and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been involved with both.

We have launched 200 Jubilee buses in London - buses with congratulatory messages to the Queen from the community. Women in our community held a regional sponsored walk and a fete to raise money for the Jubilee charities.

We share in our country's pride and joy at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. We are proud of this country's values of tolerance and respect.It is our heartfelt prayer that may God [sic] continue to protect the Queen and we look forward to the festivities of the Jubilee weekend and to make those as inclusive as possible.

We are not unique in our belief that that we should contribute to the society in which we live to make it a better place for future generations - many other Muslim communities and other faith groups share these values.

The Jubilee provides a splendid occasion to remind us of our common values and the need to stand united against those that seek to cause dissension and rancour.

I look forward to meeting many members of the region's faith groups at our interfaith peace conference this year and hope and pray the goodwill and sense of community cohesion the Diamond Jubilee generates is a lasting one.

Find out more about my community at: www.MuslimsForPeace.org.uk

Dr Habib Akram is president of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Leicester

FLAGSHIP DIAMOND WOOD

To celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Woodland Trust is helping millions of people across the UK come together and plant six million trees. With HRH The Princess Royal as Patron, the Jubilee Woods project aims to create hundreds of Jubilee Woods and 60 special Diamond Woods, transforming the landscape in a generation and providing a lasting and meaningful tribute for many years to come. This includes the Trust’s exciting new flagship Diamond Wood in the heart of the National Forest in Leicestershire, which will be a haven for wildlife and open for all to enjoy.

After all the bunting has gone, the trees planted for the Jubilee will leave a lasting legacy that will leave a lasting legacy that will transform neighbourhoods, school playing fields, hospital grounds, rural and urban areas – creating homes for wildlife and areas for people to relax, explore and enjoy.

A delegation of seven from Leicester Council of Faiths is attending the event at the National Forest today, at which HRH The Princess Royal is guest of honour. There they are outside Pilgrim House, about to board a minibus and head off (left to right: Ajay Aggarwal, Gursharan Kaur Thandi, Cllr Manjula Sood, Tony Nelson, Sewa Singh, Inderjit Singh Gugnani, Keyhar Singh). They're all well enough turned out to meet a royal personage; I'm not sure how they'll get fare if they're asked to wield a spade or push a wheelbarrow today! Still, to coin a phrase, "Any sleeve can be rolled up." I just made up that ancient Chinese proverb, but I think it's “Pretty good; pretty, pretty good.”

I'm not going on this trip today. I have an hour's worth of Stronger Communities Partnership Self Assessment Sub-Group at the City Council this morning. I just wanted to make sure I got this photo for the blog. But seeing me here this early, one of my colleagues asks if I slept in the Welcome Centre, adding that he wouldn't be surprised. Perish the thought! I'm clearly overdoing it - and I should take heed of that, today of all days, being my fifth anniversary in post.

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."

BY GEORGE! WE KNOW HOW TO CELEBRATE PATRON SAINT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

By George! We know how to celebrate patron saint

A bumper weekend of events to celebrate England's patron saint is to take Leicestershire by storm – whatever the weather.

St George's Day will be marked on Saturday with an afternoon of music and activities in and around Leicester's Cultural Quarter.

This year's theme, Kings and Queens of England, is to herald the forthcoming celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Youngsters dressed as knights and princesses, craft events, maypole dancing and circus skills sessions will feature as part of the festivities which centre on Orton Square, outside Curve.

Assistant city mayor Councillor Piara Singh Clair said: "This will be a wonderful celebration in the city and I'm sure lots of people will enjoy the attractions on offer."

The celebrations will be launched at noon by Leicester's Lord Mayor, Coun Rob Wann and a performance from the Leicester Morris Men.

Walkabout characters, street arts and performers, a ceilidh hosted by Leicester's Red Fox Band and dancers will also be in the Cultural Quarter.

Musicians of all ages can bring instruments to join in a session at the LCB Depot, in Rutland Street.

A prize dragon hunt will take visitors to all the venues, key sites and main events in the area.

In the county, Hinckley will host a children's craft workshop, street theatre featuring St George and the dragon, morris dancing and a town centre Find the Flag hunt.

Coalville's celebrations include St George, his dragon and damsel in distress in the Belvoir shopping centre from 10.30am to 2.30pm, tunes from Leicestershire Co-op Brass Band and a dragon mask-making workshop.

In Loughborough, all-girl morris dancing group Bare Bones Morris will perform at the market.

On Sunday, two Scout groups will parade in Leicester to renew their promise, in honour of their founder and to show respect to the Queen.

Celebrations continue on Monday at Leicester Market from 11am, with displays, a knight tournament, medieval craft demonstrations, authentic medieval games and a re-enactment of St George rescuing a maiden from the dragon at 12.15pm and again at 2pm.

Andrew Cardwell, 37, of Thurmaston, said: "It's good to see so many things organised for St George's Day. Compared with St Patrick's Day, there is usually nothing at all."

David Garnett, 60, of Oadby, said: "I'll probably wear a red rose and go down to the pub and celebrate."

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.

DISABLED MISSED OUT

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Disabled missed out

Now that all the excitement of the royal visit is but a happy memory to many, I would like to say I experienced my own disappointment about the lack of access to the cathedral.

Though I was invited by the Bishop and the Dean of Leicester to represent my congregation at the multi-faith service and celebration of the Diamond Jubilee, I was unable to attend, due to my having walking disabilities, and access to get to the venue, without immense difficulty, was not available.

Car parking near enough was not allowed and dropping off was also forbidden in "the immediate environs of the cathedral".

Nor could I take a carer in with me to push me in my wheelchair if I parked further away at the multi-storey car park.

Even the arrangements for refreshments afterwards were held at an upstairs venue.

Due notice of this was given in a letter to me.

There may no doubt have been very valid reasons, but it does not reflect well on our city when equality of opportunity for all was not properly considered and planned for.

The same applies to the many city streets which are now totally pedestrianised and more are planned in the future.

At one time, disabled drivers could drive and park in Market Street at restricted times and this facility was highly appreciated. Can we have this back, please, or do we have to go out of town for our shopping?

Name and address supplied

THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BUILD A SECULAR STATE

The Rt Revd Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, writes the First Person column each Saturday in the Leicester Mercury. Here's the one that appears in today's paper.

This is not the time to build a secular state

The Bishop of Leicester considers public faith in a week of mixed fortunes for religion

Public faith has been much in the news this week. The story began with a judge's ruling about Bideford Council. Although he did not forbid the saying of prayers in the council chamber, he ruled it to be unlawful that such prayers should be part of the formal council proceedings. The ruling seems to have triggered an outcry from many quarters. It is mostly regarded as another step on the long journey towards removing any religious acts or rituals from our public life.

Many have seen this judgement as part of a process of marginalising Christianity which has shaped and coloured our national story.

The Queen spoke at Lambeth Palace this week of the important role of the Church of England as creating a space in which faith can be celebrated and shared as part of our national life. She, of course, is aware that prayers are said in both Houses of Parliament before the start of each day's proceedings. And she is aware too, that most of our great national occasions are marked by public acts of worship.

That will certainly be the case on many occasions during this jubilee year, and especially in St Paul's Cathedral during the national celebration of the jubilee in June.

It raises the question, what would a secular culture look like? If there were no public prayers said before any Government proceedings, if there were no great services in our cathedrals, and if there was no monarch to act as head of the Established Church, would our lives be more free and fulfilled? What if the spires and towers of our parish churches were removed from our cityscapes and landscape? What if every village no longer had an ancient iconic building at its heart?

What if the mosques, temples and gurdwaras were removed from Leicester?

It seems that the practice of religion is so fundamental to human beings that it is impossible to eradicate it.

So I hope we might all become more relaxed about this in this country. No-one is forced to worship against their own conscience.

The great majority of people in this country are quietly sympathetic to the Church while not practising their faith in any committed way.

But there is no general desire to see a secular State from which all signs of human believing have been removed.

And here in Leicester I have no doubt at all that when the Queen comes to town in three weeks time, she will be feted by people of all faiths and none. Many of us will wish to join her celebration, giving thanks for her faithfulness and Christian witness, and we shall want to pray both privately and publicly for her immense contribution to our national life over 60 years. This surely is not the time to build a secular state, but rather an opportunity to make those who are secular feel at home in a country which is comfortable with celebrating its heritage of faith.

A SYMBOL OF UNITY AND NATIONHOOD

The Rt Revd Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, writes the First Person column each Saturday in the Leicester Mercury. Here's the one that appears in today's paper.

A symbol of unity and nationhood

The Bishop of Leicester looks forward to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee visit to Leicester

In the midst of harsh weather and bad economic forecasts, we have all received good news this week. Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh will be visiting Leicester on March 8 at the beginning of their series of regional visits throughout the UK to mark the year of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

This will be a day of rejoicing for us all in the city and the county and we are honoured that Her Majesty has chosen to visit us as the first of their many visits during the spring and summer of this year.

All of us, whether Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, other religion or those of no particular religion, feel a common loyalty as British citizens and what better place could there be to demonstrate that than the city of Leicester?

In particular, there seem to me to be three reasons for us to honour this very special figure in our nation's history. First because she so evidently demonstrates in her life and character the concept of public service and duty. It is hard to imagine what it must have felt like as a young woman in her 20s taking on the responsibility laid upon her at her coronation when her father had died so suddenly. For Christians, that sense of duty is symbolised in the coronation service when the Sword of State is laid on the altar at Westminster Abbey.

Secondly, the Queen has been an example of continuity through change. Her presence represents to us our long history of monarchy which has changed and adapted over the years and allowed stable democracy to flourish.

Thirdly, the Queen has embodied the human face of the nation with extraordinary effectiveness. Those who greet her along the road here in Leicester and those who strain forward to see her do so because they sense a connection with this human being who represents the whole nation. Wherever she goes in the world, that same reaction is to be found. We saw it last year in particular in Ireland where the Queen made history by her enormously successful visit. Her office has been nicknamed "the Department of Friendliness". It is a department of government unlike any other. It transcends politics and breeds friendship. Friendship between nations, friendship between generations, friendship between faiths, friendship between the different nations of our United Kingdom.

These are values beyond price. The Queen has reigned for the greater part of all our lives, even the very oldest of us, and for the whole of the lives of the vast majority of our people. Millions of us have reason to be grateful to her. Most of us will pray for her on the day of her visit. And all of us will want to be part of a special, memorable and historic day in which Leicester and Leicestershire shows the world how much we value this symbol of our unity and nationhood.