LEICESTER SOUTH MP JON ASHWORTH TO JOIN RAMADAN FAST

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth to join Ramadan fast

by Dan Martin

Leicester South MP Jon Asworth is to join Muslims marking Ramadan by fasting for a day.

Mr Ashworth will go without food, from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday, with worshippers at the Masjid Umar Mosque in Evington Drive.

The Labour politician is repeating a fast he took part in last yearHe said: “Last year I fasted during Ramadan because I wanted to have a deeper and more spiritual understanding of Islam.

“It was such a rewarding experience, and that’s why I want to fast again this year.”

“Ramadan is such an important time for so many families across Leicester.

“I want to show my support to the local community, but more than that, I want to experience Ramadan for myself again.”

The MP will start the day with an early meal, called sehri, at the home of Gulam Husain, the secretary general of the mosque.

He will not eat until breaking his fast with dates and water at Masjid Al Falah on Keythorpe Street on Wednesday night.

He added: “I’ll be fasting for the whole day, but like many Muslims I’ll go about my day as usual and will be working from my constituency office.”

“Even though I’ll only be fasting for one day, I’m still glad that I can take part in Ramadan in my own small way.

“I know it’ll be tough, and I wrote a blog about it all last year, but I know this year’s fast will reinforce everything that I took away from the experience last year.”

FIRST PERSON: RESPONSIBILITY THAT EACH OF US MUST SHOULDER

Suleman Nagdi has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Responsibility that each of us must shoulder

Society should come together and oust radical extremists - wherever they are, says Suleman Nagdi

The cold-blooded murder of Drummer Lee Rigby has once again cast a spotlight on radicalisation and raised questions about its causes. The notion of individuals driven by a particular cause to commit acts of murder and destruction is abhorrent to the majority, but what leads these individuals to shun society and and develop this hatred for their fellow human beings?

There is no faith which condones extremist violence, even though faith is quite often used as a mask to further the extremists' geo-political aims.

The radicalised can also include far right extremists, animal rights activists and separatist movements - ultimately, anyone who sees their cause as a justification for their extremist behaviour.

Unfortunately, we all too often associate radicalisation with Islam. But extremists comprise a very small minority and are predominantly detached from the mainstream Muslim majority.

The 2012 Home Affairs Select Committee report on the Roots of Radicalisation, chaired by Keith Vaz MP, identified a number of drivers for radicalisation which we are familiar with but also suggested that "radicalised individuals come from a wide range of backgrounds" and are "demographically unremarkable".

There can be many sources of radicalisation, including institutions. However, as the home affairs report identified, it is most likely to be the internet.

Disillusioned and disenfranchised individuals are more likely to be using private premises to access extremist sources from the internet.

We must adopt a unified approach to tackling extremism. It is a shared responsibility for all in society and not simply the responsibility of one group, faith or organisation.

This responsibility needs to be borne by our many institutions and centres.

We also need to teach our children the dangers of the internet and must monitor their use of internet sites as the shadowy sources of extremist hate and radicalism are only too easily a click or two away.

From an early age, we need to eradicate any opportunity for extremism to take root in the minds of our young people.

It is very difficult to identify an individual who is being radicalised and therefore we all need to remain conscious of our responsibilities.

There are organisations such as East Midlands Community Contact Unit, of which I am part, and the Channel project, which seeks to provide a multi-agency approach to helping vulnerable people who may be targets for radicalisation.

We need to ensure we don't criminalise these individuals and further disenfranchise them from society but rather look to bring them away from the causes of radicalisation.

Suleman Nagdi is chairman of Leicestershire Faith Forum [sic] and spokesman for the Federation of Muslim Organisations.

CENTRE WINS PRAISE FROM EX-LORD MAYOR

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

 

Former Lord Mayor of Leicester Abdul Osman with Sheikh Muhammad Sindi

Centre earns praise from ex-Lord Mayor

The Lord Mayor Abdul Osman has praised the city's Islam Information Centre for promoting good relations and inclusion across all religions.

He made his comments after visiting the centre in Highfields Street on one of his final appointments of his year in office.

He was given a presentation and a tour of the centre's facilities which include an Islamic exhibition, a picture gallery, a library and a room solely dedicated to "Women in Islam".

It was established in 2008 to educate people about Islam and its teachings and is open to the public and all faiths.

It regularly plays host to school visits, delegations, community groups, multi-faith organisations and individuals from across the UK wanting to learn more about Islam and Muslims.

Coun Osman said: "In a close-knit community like Leicester, IIC is another shining example of an organisation working for the common good of the city.

"This project is a magnificent beacon of community cohesion and a platform for promoting good relations and inclusion across all religions."

Imam Mohammed, the founder of IIC, said: "We are very happy to have hosted the lord mayor and this is part of our aim to build strong relationships with all parts of the community."

The IIC is a not-for-profit organisation. It is free to the public and opens from Monday to Saturday.

ARCHBISHOP & IMAM ISSUE APPEAL FOR UNITY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Archbishop and Imam issue appeal for unity

by Dan Martin

The Archbishop of Canterbury today stressed the need for unity among Leicester’s religious communities in the aftermath of the brutal killing of a soldier in a suspected terrorist attack.

The Most Rev Justin Welby, the Church of England’s most senior clergyman, said the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich by two apparent Muslim extremists had “no place in Islam.”

The archbishop spoke about the young soldier’s murder outside the Masjid Umar mosque, in Evington, after rearranging his schedule in a visit to Leicester, planned before Wednesday’s horrific events.He met officials from the mosque, along with the bishops of Woolwich, Bradford and Pontefract as well as Bishop of Leicester Tim Stevens.

he archbishop stood side-by-side with assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain Ibrahim Mogra to address reporters follwing events in the capital.

The archbishop said: “We have all been horrified by the brutal murder of drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich and all of our prayers are with his family, colleagues and comrades, all those who witnessed this crime and members of the community who have been affected by it.

“I want to recognise the response of churches, mosques and other faith and civil society groups, as well as those brave individuals who have done so much to bring our communities together at this time.”

The archbishop, who later signed a book of condolence opened for the murdered 25-year-old at Leicester Cathedral, added: “The strong response from the Muslim Council of Britain and many other organisations have rightly emphasised that these acts have no place in Islam.”

He added: “I think Leicester is a shining example of how communities work together. I am confident because of the very good work Ibrahim (Mogra) has been doing, and we are all doing, that we are in a good position.”

Mr Mogra said: “Muslim communities in Britain are shocked and appalled by the horrific murder in Woolwich.

“The murderers chanted slogans during their heinous crime claiming to do it in God’s name.

“Far from it.

“This is a betrayal of Islam.

“This is a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn it utterly and unreservedly.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Lee Rigby’s family and friends and especially his two-year-old son.

“Drummer Rigby was a serving member of the armed forces.

“Muslims have long served in this country’s armed forces proudly and with honour.

“This attack on a member of the armed forces is dishonourable and no cause can justify this murder.

“This crime has heightened tensions across the country. The MCB calls on all our communities, Muslim and non-Muslim to come together in solidarity to ensure the forces of hatred do not prevail.

“I am immensely grateful for the leadership of our archbishop during this most difficult time and thank leaders of all our faith communities for your support.

“Your local Muslim communities will welcome your support and I encourage you to knock at the doors of every mosque and offer you neighbourly love.

He added: “There is concern about safety in large sections of Muslim communities who live in mixed areas.

“We hope that the police will ensure law and order is maintained.

“We say to the Muslim community: “Let us continue with our lives as normal.

“If we begin to cower and hide ourselves away then we allow the terrorists win. Life must go on.”

Bishop Tim said: “I hope what is clear is that this terrible incident, from driving a wedge between us will bring us closer together.”

Hundreds of worshippers gathered at the mosque for Friday payers and heard Imam Muhammad Sindhi condemn Wednesday’s tragedy.

He said: “Don’t be extremists. In Islam there is no space for terror or terrorism.

“Islam doesn’t teach, in broad daylight, to go out into the streets of London wielding a butcher’s cleaver and hack someone to death.

“This Stone Age savagery is not the message of Islam.”

FIRST PERSON: RELIGION CAN'T BE DEFENCE FOR BRUTAL KILLINGS

Suleman Nagdi has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Religion can't be defence for brutal killings

Suleman Nagdi says the murder of a soldier on a London Street betrays all Muslims

The shocking murder which took place on Wednesday has left me appalled and angry. Appalled at the brutality and savageness of the murder of an innocent man and angry that this wanton act of violence is being labelled as "Islamic".

The Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO) rightly condemned in the strongest terms possible what occurred. I concur with our Prime Minister when he said: "This was not just an attack on Britain. It was a betrayal of Islam and the Muslim communities who give so much to our country."

I must begin by expressing sympathy and condolences to the family of the dead soldier, who have lost their loved one as a result of inexplicable violence.

It is shocking that this tragedy happened in broad daylight.

Eyewitness accounts describe the depth of psychotic callousness with which the killers acted – killers whose motives are irrelevant, as the crime itself demonstrates an extreme level of psychological disturbance.

I am numb and outraged that two people intent on violence have hijacked my faith to such an end. This is a complete distortion of the true meaning of Islam.

It betrays all Muslims who have peace and compassion in their hearts and particularly those in our Muslim communities across the UK who work for the security of our nation.

Such a brutal act of murder cannot be justified using religion as a defence. Islam places the highest value on life and safeguarding a single human life is tantamount to safeguarding all life.

It is truly distressing to see the extreme right opportunistically using this tragedy to spout their vicious racist hatred and sadder still to see that some people are responding to this incident by joining their extreme cause.

Most Muslims I have spoken to have been distressed by the fact they are being made to defend themselves when the deranged killings have nothing to do with them or their religion.

The killers' motives are political and their methods are criminal.

The tensions felt by British Muslims will be exacerbated in the days to come by those who blame all Muslims for the actions of two psychotic men, who may happen to be Muslim.

As reports of two lone attacks on mosques in Britain are covered in the media, it is imperative that all of our communities, Muslim and non-Muslim, come together in solidarity to ensure the forces of hatred do not prevail.

It is important we allow our police authorities to do their job without speculation. We also urge the utmost vigilance and ask the police authorities to calm tensions and ensure this tragedy does not unfold into greater tragedy.

Suleman Nagdi is chairman of Leicestershire Faith Forum [sic] and spokesman for the Federation of Muslim Organisations.

LEICESTER'S MUSLIM LEADERS CONDEMN WOOLWICH SOLDIER KILLING

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Sheikh Ibrahim Moghra

Leicester's Muslim Leaders condemn Woolwich soldier killing

by Dan Martin

Muslim leaders in Leicester have condemned the murder of a soldier in London yesterday in a suspected terrorist attack.

The serviceman was killed in the street near army barracks in Woolwich yesterday afternoon.

Shocked passers-by then took video footage of the two suspected culprits - one of whom said the victim had been attacked because British troops had killed Muslims everyday.

Witnesses reported the soldier was hacked to death after being run over. The suspected attackers were then shot and injured by police before being taken to hospital.

Today religious leaders in Leicester stressed the incident was in no way representative of Muslims here.

Ibrahim Mogra, imam at three city mosques and the assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain said: “We are shocked at this killing as is every decent human being. It was an appalling killing on our streets in broad daylight.

“One of the culprits claims to have done it in the name of God and Islam. Absolutely not. How dare he use the name of God to try to justify this terrible act. There is nothing in Islam that justifies vigilantism.”

Mr Mogra urged people to remain calm in the aftermath of the killing.He said: “We must allow the authorities to carry out their investigation.

“We should be vigilant against those who would use this awful act to try to divide the community. We cannot allow hate-filled people from any side to drive a wedge between us.

“It must be clear that the vast majority of Muslims stand side by side with all other communities in condemning this brutal killing.”

THe Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO) has also condemned the killing in “the strongest terms possible.”

Leicester-based FMO spokesman Suleman Nagdi said "This is a most truly appalling crime.

“Reports about the graphic nature of the incident with the use of a machete to commit murder in full public view, makes this case even more reprehensible. As the situation unfolds, our thoughts are with the family of the victim.

Mr Nagdi added: “The FMO condemns violence for whichever cause in all its hideous guises and it is our sincere hope that the perpetrators of this horrendous crime are brought to justice.

“Muslims historically through the first and second World Wars have contributed greatly to the defence of our country.

“I appeal for all communities to remain calm in the face of this attack and not to allow this evil crime to divide communities in our country.”

The Bishop of Leicester, Rt Rev Tim Stevens, has also called on communities to remain calm following the murder.

He said: “I am deeply distressed by reports of this barbaric attack which took place in front of passers-by in a street in South London.

“It has been confirmed that the victim was a serving soldier and the Prime Minister has said that there were "strong indications that it is a terrorist attack".

“The police now need to be allowed to do their job and ascertain the facts behind what took place.

“Individuals who commit such crimes in the name of religion or politics stand at odds with the compassionate shared values which we stand for as a society.

“Such acts aim to divide our communities and I call upon everyone to remain calm and united.

“At this deeply tragic time, my prayers and thoughts are for the victim and those who knew him, but also those many ordinary people traumatised by this shocking and wholly unjustified event.”

FAITHS UNITED AFTER ACTROCITY

This is (part of) the front page of today's Leicester Mercury. I don't usually comment on articles or readers' letters in the Mercury, but I'm making an exception this time.

Well, this is the kind of headline I like to see, as I'm sure you can imagine, faithful reader. But the title of this short but prominent piece is hyperbolic - as is the first sentence, "People of different faiths stood shoulder to shoulder [...]" When you turn to the full article, it only refers to two faiths: Christianity and Islam. Even then, it's actually the Church of England and Islam. Only Sheikh Ibrahim Moghra, Suleman Nagdi and the Bishop of Leicester are quoted. Three important voices, who should be heard prominently in the city and beyond - but this is hardly comprehensive coverage of a matter that is of major interest and importance to everyone in Leicester who cares about the increasingly polarised debate on the influence of religion or belief on community relations. These three voices have no trouble being heard, because of their well-earned and richly deserved prominence in their respective communities and the place of their religions in the firmament of faiths. I certainly respect their opinions and want to know what they have to say and believe that the rest of the city should hear them too. But does the Mercury really think that the city's Bahá'ís, Buddhists, other kinds of Christians, Jains, Jews, Sikhs - and, for that matter, Secular Humanists - have nothing calming, illuminating or insightful to say about this?

Leicester Council of Faiths issued a brief statement to the Leicester Mercury (amongst other recipients) yesterday morning, but the paper has not used it, referred to it or contacted anyone involved with the Council of Faiths to contribute to any of its coverage of local responses to the incident in Woolwich. Considering our role in the public life of Leicester and our standing in the city, I think that's a pity.

INTER FAITH NETWORK UK STATEMENT RE WOOLWICH INCIDENT

As you can imagine, faithful reader, many comments and statements will be made regarding the incident in Woolwich, Wednesday 22 May 2013. I'm posting a selection of these on the blog, limited to relevant organisations with which Leicester Council of Faiths is involved to some extent. Below is a statement by the Inter Faith Network (UK) issued today in the names of the Co-Chairs:

We learned with deep shock and great sadness of the murder of a young member of the armed forces in Woolwich yesterday afternoon. Such acts of violence and terror have no place in our society.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family.

The attackers linked their actions with the religion of Islam.  Statements from major national Muslim bodies have, in the ensuing hours, condemned the act in the strongest terms and stressed its lack of connection to – and complete contradiction of – teachings of Islam.   Even so, there have been attacks on two mosques over the course of the last 24 hours and concerns expressed about the possibility of further attack.

Our thoughts and prayers are also with any whose places of worship or personal safety are affected.

In the wake of this terrible attack, all who share a commitment to a peaceful, safe and just society have a vital role to play in strengthening community bonds and working for greater understanding and mutual support at times of difficulty.

Dr Manazir Ahsan MBE (Co-Chair)

The Revd Bob Fyffe (Co-Chair)

Dr Girdari Lal Bhan (Vice-Chair)

Mr Mohinder Singh Chana (Vice-Chair)

Mr Dorab Mistry (Vice-Chair)

Mr Vivian Wineman (Vice-Chair)

RELIGIONS BLIND TO BIRTH-RATE DANGERS

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Religions blind to birth-rate dangers

I wonder if your correspondent Francisca Martinez, who seems to think that overpopulation of the planet is not merely acceptable but a positive movement, has ever been to Africa to see the consequences of her misguided views?

If she did then perhaps she would see the devastating effect that overpopulation has upon the lives and health of humans and upon the environment as a whole.

It is not merely poverty that has led to some of the problems we see in the world today. The most fundamental and insidious cause of current world problems is that of overpopulation – and poverty largely stems from this.

Overpopulation frequently leads to the erosion of human rights and restrictions on freedom and gives rise to despotic regimes.

The Earth is only capable of sustaining a finite level of life. Beyond that the ecological system as a whole collapses, along with it its closely-connected food chains, leading ultimately to the destruction of civilisations and human life.

This has been witnessed numerous times throughout history, with the collapse of civilisations through overpopulation leading to a breakdown of the environment that sustained the civilisation in the first place.

Ms Martinez shows her ignorance of history when she claims that Western Europe never suffered from hunger.

In fact, Europe has suffered numerous famines within historical times.

Europe has escaped overpopulation until recently because of the agrarian and Industrial Revolutions, leading to families choosing to have fewer children.

Contrary to Ms Martinez's claims, it is correct to link hunger and civil unrest in the Third World to overpopulation.

There have been 148 wars since the Second World War. Most of these have been population wars.

The evidence of a planetary population problem includes the cataclysmic increase in economic refugees.

It would seem Ms Martinez is basing her opinion on her faith in Catholicism, from which she chooses a credible pro-life stance.

The Vatican has opposed birth control for decades in the face of a global population epidemic and human misery.

In the 1980s, Pope John Paul II went to Nairobi and counselled Kenyans, whose population at the time was the fastest growing in Africa, to "be fruitful and multiply".

Such moral and spiritual irresponsibility marks a failure to respond or recognise the fundamental challenge facing humanity and the environment of the planet.

The Roman Catholic Church believes that contraception is intrinsically evil, regardless of the consequences.

Yet such reasoning appears flawed, based on insufficient firm biblical authority.

The scripture that mentions it refers to abortion or infanticide.

Furthermore, other ancient Christian texts forbidding contraception were themselves inspired merely by hostility to heretical Christian groups rather than to any moral objections to birth control.

The principle reason why the Roman Catholic Church forbids contraception is simply due to Papal attitude and church practice.

There seems more than a little self-interest in an institution that demands total obedience and authority over as many followers as it can control.

Having a demographic superiority over other religions and institutions ensures immense global power and hence why such an institution would wish to ensure the prevalence of as many Catholics as possible, irrespective of the dire consequences to mankind.

If you compare a map of the world's religions with that of regions where there is most overpopulation, there are many similarities.

The same goes for Islam, which not only demands to convert the world through demographic superiority but which is also found largely, though not exclusively, in countries with large populations.

"Unlike plagues of the Dark Ages or contemporary diseases we do not understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered and with resources we possess.

"What is lacking is not sufficient knowledge of the solution, but universal consciousness of the gravity of the problem and education of the billions who are its victim." – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Clive Potter, Leicester

RIPPING KORAN WAS "FREEDOM OF SPEECH"

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Ripping Koran was "freedom of speech"

An atheist who ripped out pages from the Koran in front of Muslims at a stall promoting Islam was simply exercising freedom of speech, a court heard.

Peter James Crawford told police his decision to then throw the holy book on to the pavement at the Clock Tower, in Leicester city centre, was part of his protest against religion.

The 52-year-old is on trial at Leicester Crown Court accused of causing religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress, by demonstrating hostility based on membership of a particular religious group, Islam.

He denies the charge.

Barrister Steven Newcombe, who is representing Crawford, told the jury: "You have to expect that if you set up a stall in the city centre of Leicester advocating views, you are going to get people who have a completely opposite view.

"To do what they did in such a place takes a bit of a thick skin.

"You have to anticipate and expect that somebody is going to take exception and that is exactly what this defendant did.

"This defendant had a right to freedom of expression, just as the two Muslims had a similar right to advocate their religion."

After he had been arrested, Crawford told police he had had the copy of the Koran for two years and had studied it.

Prosecutor James Bide-Thomas told the jury Crawford, of Mere Road, Spinney Hill, Leicester, had approached the Islamic Information Centre's stall run by volunteers under the Clock Tower on Saturday, May 12.

He said at about 1.30pm, Crawford tore out pages of the Koran he had brought with him and then threw the holy book on to the pavement.

Mr Bide-Thomas said: "You the jury have to decide whether he made a valid religious protest or did he go out to upset some Muslims?"He said it was the prosecution case that Crawford had deliberately caused distress and upset to the Muslims on the stall.

Her honour Judge Taylor QC told the jury that the case centred on the balance between the right of Crawford to freedom of speech and the right of the two Muslims to advocate their views without being subject to criminal behaviour.

She said the jury had to decide whether Crawford's behaviour had been insulting and whether the decision to prosecute him was proportionate.

The jury of eight women and four men deliberated for one hour and 39 minutes before the judge sent them to a hotel for the night. They were due to resume their deliberations today.

ATHEIST IN COURT FOR RIPPING UP KORAN

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Atheist in court for ripping up Koran

An atheist shocked Muslim volunteers at a stall promoting Islam when he ripped out pages from the Koran.

Peter James Crawford (52) then threw the holy book onto the ground and told them: "Your religion is a load of b******s."

He is on trial at Leicester Crown Court accused of causing religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress, by demonstrating hostility based on membership of a particular religious group, Islam. He denies the charge.

The incident happened at the Islamic Information Centre's stall, near the Clock Tower in Leicester city centre, on a busy Saturday afternoon, on May 12.

Kamran Qayyum, an employee of the organisation, told the court: "We give out literature to create an awareness of Islam and engage with the public."

He was with four volunteers when Crawford began pacing around nearby.

Mr Qayyum said: "He started tearing up pages from a book and they were going on the floor. He wasn't saying anything. The pages covered a lot of ground, they were everywhere.

"I then noticed Arabic inscriptions and realised it was the Koran. I knelt down and was picking up the papers when he threw the Koran down, just missing me."

Mr Qayyum said: "The Koran is sacred to us and we honour it. We also have a Bible on our stand and we show the Bible the same respect.

"One of the laws of the Koran is it shouldn't be on the floor, it should be high up and our hands should be clean when it's touched. I was shocked."

Mr Quyyum said after the defendant was arrested: "He made a signal to us, shaping his hand in the form of a gun, saying 'See you next Saturday.'

Defence advocate Steven Newcombe said: "There are many who oppose Islam. Did you take it he was expressing anti-Islamic views and disrespecting the religion?"

"Yes," said Mr Quyyum.

Mr Quyyum agreed that apart from a hand gesture – which Mr Newcombe suggested was the pointing of a finger rather than a gun gesture – the defendant did not threaten or provoke any violence.

Another stall volunteer, Zahid Hussein, said: "I saw him ripping up the book. I was in shock, disgusted. It's our life, our way of life and we live by that book – it's very sacred."

He said Crawford told them their religion was "a load of b******s."

Crawford, of Mere Road, Spinney Hill, Leicester, claimed, in interview, he was expressing his disagreement with religion of any kind.

He told the police it was his own copy of the Koran he tore up, and he would have done the same with a Bible as he did not understand either holy book and "hated" all religion.

"I'm not against the people, just their religion," he said.

James Bide-Thomas, prosecuting, said: "The real issue is whether Crawford was insulting and whether it was a crime that we say he committed.

"It's tradition in this country of freedom of speech and people are entitled to say what they want, as long as it's not illegal in relation to the law, which prevents people going out to cause harassment, alarm or distress by insulting behaviour, basically upsetting people.

"It's for you to decide whether what he did was insulting or whether it was a legitimate piece of freedom of speech being exercised or if what he did was deliberately calculated to upset the people from the Islamic Information Centre."

The trial continues.

HUNDREDS IN US FILM PROTEST

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

 

Hundreds in US film protest

Hundreds of Muslims took to the streets of Leicester yesterday to protest at a controversial American film.

Roads were closed off as the protestors congregated outside the Central Mosque, in Conduit Street, at 2.30pm, to complain about the amateur film Innocence of Muslims.

The 400 protestors, many carrying placards, listened to imams from mosques throughout the city condemn the film at the peaceful 30-minute outdoor meeting.

The film denigrating the Prophet Mohammed has sparked unrest in many parts of the Muslim world over the past 10 days, and the deaths of at least 33 people, including the US ambassador to Libya, have been linked to the violence.

Much of the anger has been directed at the US government, even though the film was privately produced in the US and American officials have criticised it for insulting Muslims.

At yesterday's Leicester protest, Mahommed Machar, 24, of Evington, said: "I felt it was important for me to be here.

"I have come down to register my protest against this film and its message. The film is abusing the freedom of speech, not upholding it."

Mohammed Ayub, 43, of Evington, said it was vital to get across the message about non-violence.

He said: "This is the way to protest, not to resort to violence. You can tell by the numbers of people here today, the strength of feeling about this film here in the city of Leicester."

Maulana Shahid Raza OBE, head imam of the Islamic Centre, said the film had caused global unrest in the Muslim world.

He said: "The film is the worst possible violation of freedom of expression.

"We firmly believe that Prophet Mohammed always taught and practiced peace and tolerance and throughout his life he always upheld universal human values.

"To depict him as a violent extremist is disgusting and reprehensible.

"Muslims consider it a gross insult to the Prophet and we call upon all faith leaders to condemn this unjustified action and show their solidarity with the Muslim world in respect of safeguarding the honour and sanctity of all faiths and their founders."

Malik M Salim MBE, chairman of the Islamic Centre, appealed to the Muslim community to remain calm.

He said: "We would like to record the protest and wish to communicate to those extremists that the hatred of Islam through such movies would not harm the great personality of the Prophet or any aspect of Islam, but would only backfire on the people who spread venomous ideas."

Inspector Chris Cockerill, responsible for policing the event, said the protest had passed off peacefully.

He said: "We work closely with the Central Mosque and have done so concerning this event.

"It is part of our duty to ensure that people can take part in a peaceful protest and that is what we had here in Leicester."

Once the meeting was over, the road blocks were lifted.

ACCLAIMED EXHIBITION COMES TO CITY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Acclaimed exhibition comes to city

An exhibition about religious tolerance which is touring European cities has come to Leicester.

The St Philip's Centre, in Evington, is hosting the "Religious Tolerance – Islam" in the Sultanate of Oman exhibition.

Leicester is the next stop on the tour after the exhibition visited Madrid.

Riaz Ravat, deputy director at the centre, said: "It is a great coup for us to be selected to host this exhibition."

The exhibition details how in Oman, which is a predominately Muslim country, the rights of minorities such as Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Jews are guaranteed by the state.

The Rev Canon Dr John Hall, director of St Philip's Centre, said: "We are proud and honoured to be hosting this exhibition."

The exhibition, which is free, is being staged in St Philip's Church at the centre in Evington Road, Evington, from 10am until 4pm up to and including this Friday.

ANTI-ENGLISH DISCRIMINATION

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Anti-English discrimination

On behalf of the English Community Group (Leicester) I wish to thank Nick Knight for his letter regarding our community organisation and asking for evidence concerning how the British state systematically discriminates against the English (Mailbox, February 10).

I wish to list just a few examples:

English ethnicity is excluded in the Census and also from ethnic monitoring forms, essential if the English as an ethnic group are to receive appropriate levels of government funding and policies.The label "White British" not only disenfranchises the English from its legal identity but as an identity based purely on skin colour it provides far less legal protection.

The English have no official bank holiday patron saint's day; no English Parliament; no specific English anthem; no English passport; there is no consultation of the English regarding our inclusion in the European Union and of mass immigration into England.

There is no English Olympic team; English flags are being taken down by councils; local English food produce not marked as English; no original Old English language, history and culture is taught in schools.

English university students are forced to pay full fees while Scottish students receive it free.

The English have higher airport taxes; a health apartheid where English patients are charged for prescriptions while Scottish patients receive theirs free; no English community centres, and where thousands of charities and community groups exist for ethnic minorities, there is only one charity, the Steadfast Trust, for the English.

Finally, to reassure Nick that we are ideologically separate from the English Defence League (EDL), we are focussed entirely upon the needs and concerns of the English community, as opposed to the EDL which is concerned solely with militant Islam.

The EDL does not recognise English ethnicity, preferring to hide behind a false British identity and encompassing a multicultural approach to its movement.

The English Community Group (Leicester) remains a community-orientated and ethnic-specific organisation totally distinct from the EDL.

Clive Potter, chairman, English Community Group (Leicester)

MINDFULNESS & WISDOM 5: THE PLACE OF WISDOM IN THE ISLAMIC TRADITION

At Christchurch, Clarendon Park, for the fifth session in the course, "Mindfulness & Wisdom", offered by Christians Aware as part of their Faith Awareness programme. The eight-week course has been devised by Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons from the Leicester Serene Reflection Meditation Group.

Our topic this evening: "The Place of Wisdom in the Islamic Tradition", presented by Freda Hussain MBE. Freda is retired Head Teacher at Moat Community College and former Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire. Her presentation is peppered with illuminating quotations about the significance of wisdom in the Islamic tradition and the importance of knowledge and learning:

"Acquire knowledge, it enables its possessor to distinguish right from wrong. It is our friend in the desert, our company in solitude and companion when friendless. It guides us to happiness, it sustains us in misery, it is an ornament amongst friends and our armour against enemies." (from Hadith - a compilation of sayings ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad)

"A Muslim who plants a tree or sows a field, from which man, birds and animals can eat is committing an act of charity." (Hadith)

"Who are the learned? Those who practise what they know." (Hadith)

"No man is a true believer unless the desires for his brethren, that which he desires for himself." (Hadith)

"There is no greater wealth than wisdom; no greater poverty than ignorance" (from sayings of Imam Ali)

"The teacher who is wise indeed does not bid you into the house of wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind." (Kahlil Gibran)

Our speaker briefly but helpfully discusses the Sufi thread in Islamic thought and culture and how Sufi poetry expresses the wisdom born from that tradition, which is inseparably linked with spiritual yearning and religious ecstasy.

When we do small group work for 20 minutes or so, we're tasked with thinking of a question to put to our speaker. I don't think that even this group is familiar enough with the kind of Islam which has been described this evening to do that. Many of those attending find it hard to reconcile the contemporary image of Islam with the one which Freda has described this evening. She understands this all too well and acknowledges it as the tragedy of modern Islam.

One interesting question is whether there is an movement or stream of thought within the Islamic world comparable to the Sea of Faith Network. Our speaker says that she doubts it.

Freda differentiates between modern Islamist thinking, which appears to revolve around the fear of God, with Sufi thinking, which revolves around the love of God. In this connection, she quotes another saying from the Hadith: "The ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr."

The authoritative, canonical nature of Hadith seem always to be in dispute. As fashions and passions change, so certain sayings can be ruled in or out, giving backing to different worldviews.

We discuss the apparent equivalence of knowledge and wisdom in the quotations used this evening. These are two distinct terms in Arabic ('ilm and hikmat) which are occasionally conflated when translated into English. But over and above these, Freda emphasises the inseparable relation between faith (iman) and action (aman).

DANGER OF SENSATIONALIST CLAIMS

This letter from Suleman Nagdi appears in today's Leicester Mercury, responding to Manzoor Moghal's First Person column, published in the Mercury on 13 December (and posted in full on this blog).

Danger of sensationalist claims

I write in relation to the article 'Understanding the history of religious conflict' (Mailbox, December 13) by Manzoor Moghal.

Brother Manzoor makes certain claims; I ask from whose history is he writing from? If we learn anything from history, it's that history portrays nothing in a positive light, only that it reports what was depending on which side you were on. Both religion and race have played important and sometimes deeply interconnected roles in Indian history for that matter worldwide. Religion was used to justify both segregation and desegregation.

The writer makes a number of charges against the Deobandi school of thought which require closer examination. The link to the Taliban is an interesting one especially when the vast majority of Taliban foot soldiers as well as the leadership have never set foot in India, let alone Deoband. To simply associate orthodoxy in practice with violent extremism is a very dangerous claim. Most of Al Qaeda's ideology and origins are not in imperialist India but developments in Arabia and parts of Africa in the 20th century.

The author unfortunately makes the sensationalist claim that "Historically Islam and the West have been locked in conflict for centuries". He is locked in a mind-set. For example, nearly three million Muslims perished during the first and second world wars. The recent Remembrance Day commemorations reminded us of their efforts. Islam through science and the arts has contributed a great deal towards enriching the very societies we now live in.

In relation to the division of Islam with Hinduism and Sikhism, the writer is short-sighted because members of these three faiths have lived together, migrated together, worked together and celebrated together for centuries in the Asian sub-continent and Africa.

To do justice to the subject we need to create an unbiased approach at the same time recognising that alternative views exist, it is very easy to blame the "Wahabist founded Deobandi school of thought" or for that matter any other school of thought.

We are already aware that extremists in all their ugly disguises come from many sources, in many cases through vulnerability, be it mental health, environment, change of circumstances or a journey an individual takes. We should be spending our energy in creating an atmosphere of working together to root out extremism in whatever disguise it comes from rather than making sensationalist claims.

Suleman Nagdi, Leicester

INTER FAITH WEEK 2011, DAY 5: ISLAM 101

At 1500 we’ve scheduled the eighth of ten public meetings for Inter Faith Week, under the series title, "Communities of Faith or Belief in Leicester". We're putting on two talks per day in the Adult Education College (or, more precisely, in the Leicester People's Photographic Gallery which is attached to the Adult Education College).

This was to have been a Beginners' Guide to Islam - or Islam 101 - but despite a vigorous search and what I thought were firm promises, the speaker I was hoping would be here hasn't turned up. Thankfully, no one has turned up to listen to the talk either, so there's no need to make apologies this time.

The photo above is one of two images representing the Muslim community included in the Favourite Faiths Photo exhibition launched this week at the People's Photographic Gallery. The picture was taken at an Imams vs Vicars cricket match held at Grace Road, home of Leicestershire County Cricket Club. Just to ramp up the inter faith quotient, the picture includes Hindu and Jewish umpires.

Photo sourced from St Philip's Centre for Study and Engagement in a Multi-FaithSociety, with permission.

FAITHS FILM FESTIVAL FINAL FIVE

This morning the schedule for the film festival at Phoenix Square during Inter Faith Week is made public. Phoenix Square’s November brochure is published online (printed version to follow in two days). I've been particularly keen to see the finalised programme, so that I can get the details into the flyer that we’re having printed this week, listing our main activities during Inter Faith Week.

So, how does the final programme for Leicester's first Faiths Film Festival shape up against what I've been hoping for? At first sight, the result could be thought disappointing. But it ain't necessarily so.

When I first enquired about the possibility of Phoenix Square screening a short season of faith-related films at the same time last year, it was just a wish - and rather formless, as wishes tend to be. A couple of months ago, when making a more formal approach to Phoenix Square, I would have considered it a triumph to get five films on. At one point, I as discussing with Andy Jones (Programme Manager at Phoenix Square) the viability of showing as many as 14 titles: two per day throughout the week. As is the way with Leicester Council of Faiths, we were trying to represent each of our member communities equally. But as you can imagine, faithful reader, it's harder to find movies about, by or from some of those communities than others. I put out an APB, by email, social media and word of mouth, seeking recommendations for titles. Some of the suggestions were innovative, inventive, inspired – although some left me wondering if the respondents had ever been to the movies themselves or even knew what a feature film was. Sifting through a considerable amount of dross, there were a few nuggets of gold.

The ideal situation (from our point of view) would have seen two movies screened per day (half of them in Screen 2, which seats 120 and half in the Screen Room, which seats 30; half of them in English and half in another language with English sub-titles; half of them commercially proven and the other half more of a risk). Phoenix Square has whittled this down to a final five, as listed in the brochure.

I've learned a lot about how a cinema like Phoenix Square goes about its business. It's certainly not a matter of simply presenting a wishlist and expecting to get everything you want. The eventual choice was based on several factors, e.g.

• availability in suitable format for projection;
• having been passed by the British Board of Film Classification and granted an age certificate;
• ownership of current screening rights in the UK by a trading distributor (some of the proposed films have never been licensed for public screening in the UK, while screening rights for others have long lapsed).

So after all that, here's the final selection of films:

Sun 20: Little Buddha (Buddhist - obviously) 

Mon 21: A Serious Man (Jewish) 

Thu 24: Life in a Day (illustrating the Bahá'í principle of world unity) 

Fri 25: My Name is Khan (Muslim - with Hindu connections too) 

Sat 26: Lourdes (Christian)

I should stress here that the final choice was made by Phoenix Square – and in the end, they’ve gone with those films most likely to get patrons out of their homes on a cold dark November evening and parting with £7 for their ticket. Three of the five have been shown at Phoenix Square and deserve another go-round there.

I saw two of these films during their theatrical release (A Serious Man and Lourdes). I've already blogged about the latter.

We’ve been asked to write copy for the A4 cribsheets that are available free at the time of screening. On these we can say something about the relevance of the film to the respective faith communities, something about Inter Faith Week and something about the Council of Faiths. We were also offered, initially, the opportunity for an introductory talk about each film, of no more than three minutes in length. I haven't pursued this - so far.

I would like to find out if we can get a slide shown before each of the films, saying something like:

This film is being screened as part of Phoenix Square's Faiths Film Festival, presented in association with Leicester Council of Faiths, during Inter Faith Week.

A few too many "Faiths" in there? I'll work on it.

Phoenix Square's online brochure has a page devoted to the Faiths Film Festival. This web page has a slide show of still from four of the  movies, each with Leicester Council of Faiths logo added in the bottom right hand corner. That looks very nice. And there’s a paragraph of copy, written by me, linking the Faiths Film Festival with the Council of Faiths 25^th anniversary:

The third national Inter Faith Week is being celebrated from Sunday 20 to Saturday 26 November. Leicester has a positive and widespread reputation for the diverse and cohesive nature of its faith and cultural communities, so when Leicester Council of Faiths asked if Phoenix Square would host the first Faiths Film Festival – of course we said yes! This varied selection of movies showcasing faith, religion and belief also marks the 25th anniversary of Leicester Council of Faiths – which has been working to promote trust, understanding and cooperation among the city’s communities since 1986.

I hope that this is a success and that we get to do it again next year. Now it’s up to you, faithful reader. If you’re within the catchment area of Phoenix Square, then come along to one or more of these screenings during Inter Faith Week, show your support and enjoy a good film with our blessing!