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

BIG LUNCH WITH SANT NIRANKARI MISSION

Nav Aurora, GMB, Cllr Manjula Sood, Debbie from Asda

Late morning and early afternoon today I'm at Sant Nirankari Bhawan, for a Big Lunch event, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation.

This is the first time I've visited the group's centre in Prebend Street, on the site of an old Quaker Meeting House - the second to be occupied by the Society of Friends in Leicester (built 1877, closed 1956).

Sant Nirankari Mission styles itself "an all-embracing spiritual movement dedicated to peace, love and human fraternity. ... The mission is a platform for spiritual awakening with the simple philosophy that God is for all humanity irrespective of age or background, age, gender, political ideology or any other differentiating factor."

On entrance, the first thing I see is an interesting exhibition showing a range of community activities: blood donor drive; Easter egg donation; Universal Oneness Community Games; Mystical Musical Events; street shows. 

The programme begins with half an hour of Bhangra dancing, that starts out as a demonstration and ends up a bit of a rammy. There's a nice photo above, taken around the halfway point. A couple of minutes later, I'm up dancing in the circle (I'd time the rammy as starting from that point). I'm not often seen dancing in public, but I'm dragged on to the floor by Cllr Manjula Sood and she's my boss, so how could I refuse? This is followed by a demonstration of Dandiya (below). No way am I getting involved in that: those women have sticks!

After this demonstration, I make my way to the langar and share in the vegetarian food and soft drinks. In the main hall, there's a "laughing yoga" session going on, with audio piped into the room where we're eating. It takes me a few minutes to figure out just what the bizarre noises are for - and when I do, it's a bit of a relief!

I'm moved to say that this is one of the most genuinely diverse, harmonious, joyous inter faith events that I've attended, in Leicester or elsewhere. The congregation here is remarkably varied. Going on visual cues alone, some are distinctly Hindu; others Muslim; others still, Sikh; a few are Christian. This could prompt a debate about the relationship between conventional markers of culture and geographical origin, spiritual belief and religious practice - but everyone's too busy getting along and being happy together for that.

A couple of Police Community Support Officers attending today appear to have resolved that hoary old chestnut about whether members of the emergency services should remove their shoes in a place of worship.

Given that this is my first visit here, I'll be back in just a few days' time. There's a talk on the Bhagavad Gita, given by Mrs Jaya Rowe this coming Wednesday (5 June, 1830).

WOMEN BISHOPS DISCRIMINATION

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Women bishops discrimination

The much maligned Human Rights and Equality Acts ban among other things gender discrimination, so how does the General Synod of the Church of England, whose head is our Queen, justify its refusal to allow women bishops?

This glass ceiling is illegal and the CofE should be prosecuted.

This ludicrous ruling comes hard on the heels of the death of a 31-year-old pregnant woman in a Belfast hospital who was refused a life-saving abortion on, would you believe it, religious grounds.

I wonder if the doctors responsible for this poor woman's death sleep well at night and would they have made the same decision if one of their own children was in a similar predicament?

Truly, God works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.

Don Tallis, Wigston

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."

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!

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.

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

FAITH IS STILL THE WARP AND WEFT OF OUR SOCIETY

David Johnson's First Person column appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Faith is still the warp and weft of our society

David Johnson considers how the legacy of religion still affects our lives in many ways

During a recent visit to Canterbury I saw Antony Gormley's new sculpture, Transport. Shaped in the form of a human body, it is made entirely of old nails removed from the cathedral roof during restoration.

Suspended in the crypt over the site of Thomas Becket's first tomb, Gormley's "body" represents a transitory place briefly housing the spirit for the duration of earthly life. For me it made an optimistic statement, looking both backwards to the many lives the cathedral has touched over 1,000 years, and forwards to life in another place.

It is just one modern example of religion's influence upon society over 2,000 years. Just think how Christianity has shaped the English language and literary heritage, our artistic, architectural and musical treasures. The church was promoting education, social well-being and charitable endeavour long before the welfare state, and the interplay between church and people has in large part created our national identity.

Of course over the centuries religion has had its less glorious moments. But the role of faith changes with time. So the Queen has chosen to interpret her role in the 21st century as not merely head of a sectarian Church of England, but to promote tolerance as protector of the free expression of all faiths in Britain.

To appreciate this you don't have to be a practising member of a faith. But there is danger in enjoying the fruit without looking after the roots. For if you do abandon the rituals, ceremonies and prayers, then where do you find inspiration or moral guidance? The secularists and atheists too often adopt an illiberal and negative stance. It is easy to destroy what is precious, but hard to replace it.

As Gormley says of his new sculpture: "We are all the temporary inhabitants of a body. It is our house, instrument and medium. Through it, all impressions of the world come and from it all our acts, thoughts and feelings are communicated." It is a reminder that there is more to life than just us.

And while I hold no particular brief for prayers before council meetings, I can think of nothing so sublime as attending cathedral evensong where voices, organ and prayer mingle together amid the soaring arches and pillars. This outpouring of devotion happens daily in cathedrals up and down the country; attendance is free, requires no participation and is massively under-appreciated. Yet it is invariably an uplifting and mystical experience. It may not be heaven in a literal sense, but for me it is very close nonetheless.

David Johnson is an honorary fellow of the School of Historical Studies, University of Leicester

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.