"FORGIVE? FORGET? WHY I STILL TEACH THE HOLOCAUST"

At the University of Leicester's Chaplaincy Centre this lunchtime, for the summer term lecture sponsored by the World Faiths Advisory Group (WFAG).

The World Faiths Advisory Group exists to promote understanding and co-operation among faith groups on campus, by

• exploring spirituality in a multi-faith context
• welcoming students and staff of all faiths
• working towards equal opportunities in relation to all faith groups

This lecture is part of WFAG's programme of encouraging people of different faiths associated with the university to meet, mix and get to know each other better. Stephen Foster (Co-ordinating Chaplain) tells us that WFAG recently organized a "speed dating" event in this very room, involving representatives of several faith societies on campus (he apologises for using that term, but he can't think of a better one right now - and at least we all know what he means by that).

The title of today's lecture is "Forgive? Forget? Why I still teach the Holocaust". The speaker is Aubrey Newman, Emeritus Professor of History and Past Director of the Stanley Burton Centre for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Leicester.

Prof. Newman speaks in the Octagon from 1300, following a light lunch, in front of an audience two dozen strong, with Bahá'í, Buddhist, Sikh and several denominations of Christian representation.

Prof. Newman asks us to consider his talk as an Apologia pro vita mea: a defence of one's life. Technically speaking, he is still an academic historian of the 18th century. Even at this late stage, he ponders whether he has taken the right path or should return to a biography of George III that has languished, two-thirds finished, in a drawer for many a year.

He was first invited to teach a special course on the Holocaust at the University of Leicester in the early 1980s. He muses that we'd be hard pressed to find someone who has spent so long teaching a subject which he abhors.

Two quotations feature prominently in the presentation:

"Those who do not know history's mistakes are bound to repeat them." (George Santayana, 1863-1952)

"You are not obligated to finish the work, neither are you free to give it up." (Rabbi Hillel, c.110 BCE - 10 CE)

Turning to the title of his talk, he asks: can he forgive? No. Can he forget? Definitely not.

The refusal to forgive does not denote any kind of vindictiveness on the part of the speaker. Prof. Newman doesn't accept the notion of vicarious forgiveness, any more than he accepts the notion of vicarious sin. As we are responsible for our own behaviour, so the only people who can forgive are those against whom the act has been perpetrated. Therefore the only people with the right to forgive the Holocaust are the victims themselves - and forgiveness cannot be obtained from the dead.

And as far as forgetting goes, it appears that much of Europe has forgotten the lessons of the Holocaust, if the rise of far right extremism is anything to go by.

During the Q&A I ask Prof. Newman a question. In his answer he refers to the Jewish community in Scotland with what sounds like first hand knowledge. After the meeting is over, I push him a little on this and he tells me that his family went up to Glasgow to escape the Blitz (arriving just in time to experience Glasgow's own), that he was educated at Queen's Park School and took his first degree at the University of Glasgow.

FIRST PERSON: WE MUST "BOX CLEVER" TO BEAT THE EXTREMISTS

Simon Bennett has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

We must "box" clever to beat the extremists

Dr Simon Bennett, an expert in safety and security, examines the aftermath of Lee Rigby's murder

The murder last week of Drummer Lee Rigby shocked all right-minded people, whatever their faith or ethnicity. What impressed me was the country's determination not to be intimidated or demoralized by the misguided act of two disturbed individuals.

The public's response reminded me of a poster issued by the government in 1939: Keep Calm and Carry On. This is always the best response to threats and intimidation. By keeping calm and carrying on we prove terrorism doesn't work.

I'd like to make two comments: First, I believe ethnic, religious and cultural diversity is a strength, not a weakness.

As societies develop, the problems they face become ever-more complex and difficult to solve. Bringing a range of views and experiences to bear on problems improves our chances of solving them.

The Government has put its faith in the Big Society as a means of filling the gaps left by cuts. The social support offered by Britain's mosques, temples and cultural centres is an example of the Big Society in action.

I am old enough to remember Britain in the 1950s - a monochrome and stuff land of skiffle, football and fish and chips. Social diversity has made Britain a more enjoyable place to live.

Secondly,. the way to beat extremists is to "box" clever, by which I mean gather high quality intelligence and act on it in a timely manner in the context of laws that are fit for purpose.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks I wrote to the Prime Minster: I suggested he increase the budget for Britain's security services by one third.

In a 2006 article in Public Services Review, I suggested MI5 put more resources into recruiting members of extremist organisations, whether of the far-right, far-left or faith-based.

Needless to say, the Prime Minister did not respond to my letter. Nevertheless, in the years since 9/11 the Security and Intelligence Services (SIS) have put more resources into gathering intelligence organically.

Parachuting operatives into communities is a recipe for failure. Getting those communities to self-monitor is a recipe for success.

Last week, I met with a retired senior Metropolitan Police Service officer: We discussed the case of Mark Kennedy, the policeman who spent too long undercover.

The Kennedy case illustrates the difficulties of undercover work. While the murder of Lee Rigby was shocking we must remember how many plots have been foiled by the police with the support of SIS and the British public.

Intelligence gathering is not glamorous. It's dirty, dangerous and stressful. But it helps keep all of us safe.

Dr Simon Bennett is Director of Civil Safety and Security Unit at the University of Leicester

NO ACTION AGAINST HALAL FIRM

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

No action against halal firm

by Fiona Dryden

No action will be taken against a company accused of supplying halal burgers containing pork to schools.

Leicester City Council withdrew a lamb burger supplied to 19 schools by Doncaster firm Paragon Quality Foods last month after tests showed up to 50 per cent pork in a sample.

However, further tests on the company's products conducted at the request of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have found no trace of pork.

A spokeswoman for the FSA said: "We were notified of the findings by Leicester City Council and instructed colleagues at Doncaster Metropolitan Council to liaise with Paragon.

"We have received the report from Doncaster and are satisfied there are appropriate controls in place and no further action needs to be taken."

Peter Dale, director of regeneration and environment for Doncaster, said: "We have carried out an extensive programme of sampling and so far no traces of meat other than labelled have been detected."

Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO), in Leicester, which tested the original burger on behalf of the city council, declined to comment yesterday.

Paragon is considering legal action against Leicester City Council, saying its reputation has been "unfairly damaged".

A spokesman for the company said: "The test by ESPO wasn't a formal test under controlled conditions and all other results have come back negative for any traces of pork.

"Therefore we're seeking advice about possible legal action."

The city council was understood to be carrying out further tests on the burgers, the results of which are not yet known.

The halal burger had been available on its school menus since January.

A spokeswoman for the council said it was carrying out its own investigation and could not comment any further as this might prejudice any future legal proceedings.

Pat Heslop-Harrison, a professor of molecular cytogenetics at the University of Leicester, said the original sample could have proved positive for pork because of cross-contamination.

"It's a difficult process to get right and ideally tests would be carried out at the site prior to being taken away," he said.

"Cross-contamination can come from numerous sources and it only takes a tiny amount to create different results.

"This could be from a knife, juices dripped from packing or from the lorry used to move produce around. That's why taking further samples is always necessary.

"However, I believe the council did the right thing by removing the burger as a precautionary measure."

Regular tests on school food have been carried out on behalf of the council since February.

All other halal products used in the council's kitchens are supplied by The Punjab Kitchen Ltd. Tests have shown they are halal compliant.

KURDISH COMMUNITY MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF MASSACRE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Kurdish community marks anniversary of massacre

Kurdish people and university students marked the 25th anniversary of a massacre committed by Saddam Hussein.

In 1988, a poison gas attack was ordered by the former Iraqi dictator on the town of Halabja, in northern Iraq, killing about 5,000 people.

To commemorate the anniversary on March 15, members of the Kurdish community and other guests met at the University of Leicester's Charles Wilson Building for a vigil of silence.

More than 150 people attended. Among them was Karzan Karim, a PhD biology student at the university, who was only five miles away when the attack occurred.

He said: "As a 12-year-old, I heard the planes overhead that went to Halabja and I saw the cloud which we found out later to be the poison gas that killed people in a matter of minutes.

"We wish to honour the memory of those who died and, by remembering the massacre, to raise public awareness of the plight of Kurds." 

The photo above shows Karzan Karim (on the right) with Hataw Hussein.

OPEN MEETING: HATE CRIME & CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

This evening the Council of Faiths hosts an open meeting, "Hate Crime and the Criminal Justice System", at the University of Leicester.

This is the fourth in a series of such meetings, on topics of interest to people from all sorts of communities across the city. I've posted on this blog about the three earlier meetings:

• Faith in Family, 20 November 2012
• God in My Faith, 13 March 2012
• Open Meeting with City Mayor, 31 January 2012

Despite extensive preparations for this evening, we haven't produced signage (note to self: do that for any future meetings we hold on campus), and it's easy to miss the entrance to Lecture Theatre 3 in the Ken Edwards Building if you haven't been here before. So I spend the first half hour outside at the top of the pathway, rounding up stragglers. It's cold (the gritters are out already) but worth it, as I redirect more than half a dozen people who appear to have missed the venue - including one of the speakers.

A panel of four distinguished, experienced and knowledgeable speakers have been invited to address the topics of Hate Crime and the Criminal Justice System from their own perspectives (professional and personal), then answer questions from the audience. Each of the speakers had a different perspective to offer (professional and personal) and it would be fair to say that not all of the speakers agreed on how these such crimes - and the underlying attitudes that allow them to persist - are treated in society. But such differences of opinion and approach are aired in a courteous manner and lead to some thought-provoking discussion.

Detective Superintendent David Sandall at the podium

First speaker: Detective Superintendent David Sandall, Head of Safeguarding and Lead for Hate Crime, Leicestershire Police.

Neil Chakroborti at the podium

Second speaker: Neil Chakroborti, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Leicester and Director of the Leicester Hate Crime Project.

Chino Cabon at the podium

Third speaker: Chino Cabon, Senior Race Equality Officer, The Race Equality Centre - demonstrating his mastery of the double karate chop emphasis there.

Luman Ali at the podium

Fourth and final speaker: Luman Ali, Secretary, Federation of Muslim Organisations. Luman stepped in at late notice for Suleman Nagdi, Chair of the Muslim Burial Council for Leicestershire and PR Officer for FMO.

The Rt Revd Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, had accepted the invitation to chair the meeting, but has to withdraw, due to ill health. Tony Nelson, who had taken responsibility for organising the meeting, chaired in Bishop Tim's stead. Tony (who represents the Leicester Hebrew Congregation on Leicester Council of Faiths) is in the centre of the photo below, flanked by the speakers.

There are 50 attendees (not counting the speakers and chair), many of them representing communities, groups and organisations with first hand experience of crimes committed against their members on account of disability, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation among a variety of reasons. More than one person spoke about the effect of belonging to a group which has been unfairly accused of perpetrating hate crime.

Light refreshments are served at the end of the meeting, allowing attendees to mix, mingle and network for a further half hour. Another note to self: take greater care to clean up after eating oily finger food. When putting away our generic pop-up banner, the thing slips from my grasp and takes a bit of a doing, leaving some visible damage. That's the first such hit that any of our banners has taken in more than four years of regular use.

We're grateful to those agencies which backed up this event with their own personnel, resources and time, such as Victim Support, whose display is shown above.

All photos posted here were taken by Ambrose Musiyiwa (Civic Leicester). Ambrose recorded two videos of the proceedings this evening: one of the main presentations by the four speakers and one of the Q&A that followed them. They are now available on YouTube. Our thanks got to Ambrose for his tireless support!

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IS SUBJECT OF TALK

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Criminal justice is subject of talk

A conference about hate crime and the criminal justice system is being held at the University of Leicester tonight.

Hosted by Leicester Council of Faiths, it takes place in lecture theatre three, in the Ken Edwards Building, University Road, at 7pm.

Speakers include Chino Cabon, of The Race Equality Centre, Neil Chakroborti, a senior lecturer in criminology, Suleman Nagdi, chairman of the Muslim Burial Council of Leicestershire and Detective Superintendent David Sandall.

To attend, call 0116 254 6868 or e-mail: info@leicestercouncil offaiths.org.uk

WORLD FAITHS ADVISORY GROUP AT LEICESTER UNIVERSITY, FEBRUARY 2013

A meeting of the World Faiths Advisory Group (WFAG) at the University of Leicester's Chaplaincy Centre (The Gatehouse, University Road) this lunchtime.

Present today are Rev Canon Dr Stephen Forster (Coordinating Chaplain), Ian Snaith (Chair, WFAG), Chris Sharp (Equalities Adviser to the University of Leicester) and Resham Singh Sandhu (Chair of the Sikh Cultural and Welfare Society, Vice Chair of Leicestershire Interfaith Forum and past-Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths).

With Chris present at today's meeting, it makes sense to talk about the World Faiths Advisory Group's relation to the University's management of equality issues. Under the terms of the Public Sector Equality Duty, the University of Leicester - like all public bodies - has to apply itself to three aims of the general duty:

• To eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010. By removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics.
• To advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. By taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people.
• To foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. By encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.

 

We discuss the possibility of establishing a Religion or Belief Forum, which would function alongside hose already operating at the university in relation to other Protected Characteristics as enumerated in the Equality Act 2010. If such a forum existed, it would free WFAG from having to be involved in governance issues and allow this group to make progress on issues that fall within its specific remit. I am able to speak to the meeting in support of this idea. It's been my experience that the Protected Characteristic of Religion or Belief is taken more seriously an treated with more respect when it is see in context with the other Protected Characteristics, rather than trying to stand alone outside the general scheme of things or to make special pleading on grounds of exceptionalism.
 

 

 

 

JEDI SNOWMAN

A snow Yoda (or "Snowda", if you will) spotted in Leicester and tweeted by Dr Paul Abel, Astronomer at the University of Leicester and Co-Presenter of BBC's The Sky at Night.

In the 2011 Census, 176,632 people in England and Wales identified themselves as Jedi under the "Other Religion" section (out of more than 240,000 respondents who selected "Other").

I know it's meant to be Yoda; however I can't help but be reminded of Batfink! 

TWIST IN REENACTMENT'S TALE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Twist in reenactment's tale

Next year's powerful reenactment of the crucifixion of Jesus in the city centre promises to tell the Easter story in a different way to previous years.

The Christ in the Centre event, held each year on Good Friday, will be given a new twist by children's author Meg Harper.

It will be based on her play, The First Easter, which has been performed in both the UK and US.

She has joined the event's producers and is writing fresh scenes to extend the original script, which will premiere at the event in Easter 2013.

It is also the first year the play will be staged twice in one day.

Rev Stephen Foster, Anglican chaplain to Leicester University, and joint chairman of the event's organising committee, said: "One of the strengths of performing this in the heart of Leicester's shopping area is the opportunity to bring the true Easter message to a much wider audience than we have done before.

"We hope holding the second performance in the afternoon will increase the effectiveness of this outreach."

The event's organisers are also asking anyone who would like to be part of this year's religious reenactment to attend one of the two casting workshops being held in December.

Casting workshops will take place tomorrow and on Saturday, December 8, at St Andrew's Community Hall, in Jarrom Street, Leicester.

Both workshop sessions begin at 11am.

The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens, welcomed thousands of people to last year's event, which cost £40,000 to stage.

Hoards of spectators packed out Humberstone Gate and joined in prayer before watching the traditional Bible story unfold – with some audience members being brought to tears by the powerful narrative.

The play's new artistic director, Sarah Chiswell-Hornett, creative projects producer at The Castle Theatre, in Wellingborough, has been tasked with recreating the passionate atmosphere of the event.

She said: "We want the event to be a community-based telling of the Easter story, using a combination of theatre and music, which will bring people together in the heart of Leicester."

The play's writer Meg Harper has previously penned scripts for similar events in Warwick, where her story The Day They Killed The Son of God was performed on Good Friday in 2007.

This year's performance of The First Easter will take place in Humberstone Gate, at 10.30am and 2pm.

ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU DISCUSSES FAITH AND RICHARD III DURING LEICESTER UNI VISIT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu discusses faith and Richard III during Leicester Uni Visit 

Hundreds of people packed into a lecture hall to hear a talk by Desmond Tutu.

Archbishop Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, gave a lecture titled Public Faith in a Secular Age.

Before yesterday's talk, Archbishop Tutu met University of Leicester staff to hear about the search for the remains of Richard III.

The university helped the Richard III Society exhume a skeleton believed to be that of the last Plantagenet king, from Greyfriars car park in New Street, in the city centre, this summer.

Professor Lin Foxhall, head of the university's school of archaeology and ancient history, spoke to Archbishop Tutu about the project.

Professor Foxhall said: "It was an honour to be able to present our work on the project to someone of the stature of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

"It was extraordinary to have this opportunity.

"We wanted him to see the work we are doing, not only in researching the past but also with people in the present."

Archbishop Tutu gave his lecture in the Fielding Johnson Building, while a live feed was shown in another lecture hall.

LEICESTER STUDENT'S T-SHIRTS CHALLENGING VIEWS ABOUT MUSLIMS ARE A GLOBAL HIT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicester student's t-shirts challenging views about Muslims are a global hit

When medical student Umair Khan started making slogan T-shirts to challenge negative views about Muslims, he did not expect more than a few orders in the UK.

But his idea proved so popular it is now a global business, with orders coming in from Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, America, Australia, Canada and across Europe.

The T-shirts have slogans which aim to convey positive messages about Islam, such as "Terrorism Hijacked My Religion", "I'm a Tourist, Not a Terrorist", and "Islam – 0% APR", in reference to the interest-free ideology of Islamic banking.

The demand for the T-shirts has been so great Umair's Design Molvi business, which started as a four-person team in the UK, has opened a second office in Pakistan.

Umair, who is in his final year of a medical degree at the University of Leicester, said he was amazed and pleased at how successful the business had become.

The 23-year-old, who lives in Scraptoft, Leicester, said: "It's such a contemporary topic.

"We are trying to challenge those stereotypes."

Umair, who was born in Pakistan and moved to the UK 11 years ago, said: "When we started, we were just thinking we would sell them in the UK.

"But people started to ask if we could ship to this country, then another and suddenly we were getting orders from all over the world.

"It was a pleasant surprise and very encouraging."

Umair's project was helped with a bursary from Enterprise Inc, which gives students or recent graduates looking to start a business in the East Midlands up to £2,500 in funding and business start-up support.

He is keeping the project in the family, with his brother and co-founder, Ammar, setting up operations in Pakistan and their cousin, Ibrahim, marketing the product.

Volunteers have been brought on board to help with social media and design.

Following the success of the T-shirts, the company has launched a line of hats, bibs and other baby clothes.

Umair said he wanted to add mobile phone covers and accessories within the next year.

Although Umair plans to pursue a career in medicine once he finishes his degree, he said he was keen to keep going with Design Molvi in his own time.

He said: "I am passionate about both. It's just about time management and delegation."

Irene Zempi, a tutor at the University of Leicester's department of criminology, has published research on hate crime towards veiled Muslim women.

She said the T-shirts were an effective way of challenging people's misconceptions.

"Design Molvi is a very innovative way to tackle Islamophobia," she said.

"It is refreshing and encouraging to see students addressing anti-Muslim prejudice in such an intelligent manner.

"This idea is inspiring and, hopefully, it will contribute into dispelling myths surrounding Islam and Muslims."

www.designmolvi.com

MEET STEVIE-JADE HARDY, RESEARCHER FOR LEICESTER HATE CRIME PROJECT

This afternoon I'm at the Welcome Centre with Tony Nelson (representative of the Leicester HebrewCongregation on the Board of Leicester Council of Faiths, its Treasurer and my Line Manager). We're meeting Stevie-Jade Hardy, Research Associate at the University of Leicester Department of Criminology.

The Department of Criminology is home to the Leicester Hate Crime Project, a two-year funded project exploring the experiences of victims of hate crime – people who have been victimised simply because of who they are. The |Leicester Hate Crime Project wants to hear from anyone who has suffered from hate crime, including those who have been singled out because of their identity or because they were seen as especially vulnerable or somehow "different’" in the eyes of the person who targeted them. Throughout the duration of the project, the team will be working closely with criminal justice agencies and other service providers collectively to challenge hate and prejudice in Leicester.

In discussing how the Council of Faiths might assist the project, we offer the possibility of one of our Open Meetings early next year taking Hate Crime as its theme. This has definite potential but will need to be refined to make it workable. I'm sure we have not heard the last of this topic - or seen the last of Stevie-Jade!

"STREET MARKET" COMMUNITY FAIR AT DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION

Today we're taking part in the "Street market" Community Fair for Freshers Week at De Montfort University Students Union. This is the second year that the Council of Faiths has been asked to be involved in this event. Last year's fair was considerably smaller - and quieter.

Just a couple of days ago, we were helping out our colleagues in the International Chaplaincy at the University of Leicester's International Students Services Fair. That was strangely quiet, compared to previous years, while this  event today appears to be going from strength to strength. There are many more exhibitors covering a much wider range of activities and services, occupying a much bigger and busier space and many more students visiting.

The Council of Faiths shares a table with Christians Aware (thanks to Amanda Fitton for being the other half of our dynamic duo today). In the photo above, three ladies from the Leicestershire Education Business Association (who were exhibiting across the way from us) check out our wares.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SERVICES FAIR AT LEICESTER UNIVERSITY

This afternoon I’m helping out at the University of Leicester’s International Students Services Fair, which is being held at the O2 Academy in the Percy Gee Building (aka Students' Union). The Council of Faiths is supporting the International Chaplaincy with their display, mainly though the loan of our pop-up banners.

We took part in this fair in 2010 and 2011; both of those were very busy events. The O2 Academy was rammed with students on both occasions and there was a great variety of exhibitors from the university itself and the wider community in the city. This time, there's hardly a quarter of the exhibitors compared that there were in previous years (most of them promoting internal services provided by the university itself) and even fewer students. It’s still worthwhile being here; we help several students with enquiries about the International Chaplaincy and local faith communities, but compared to the last two years, it’s very quiet indeed.

Next to our display (or overlapping it, as you can see from the presence of our banners in the photo above) is Amarjit Sanghera, currently operating as @CampusCops on Twitter. Between us we seem to be the busiest corner all day - as you can see in the photo below (we're top right).

During a brief break in the Student Union Starbucks, I pick up an email inviting John Coster and I to attend a meeting on Friday, in advance of the Big Launch of Leicester Speaks (scheduled for Monday 8 October). John and I were Co-Chairs of Leicester Speaks in its first and second years but we both agreed at the end of the 2011 event that we wouldn't be doing it this year. Somehow or other, that hasn't got through to whoever it should have gotten through to and we're still signed on!

After having lugged the exhibition the short distance down to the Gatehouse (home of the International Chaplaincy) a the end of the day, I get to sit a spell with Akua and Wahida, of GBMag, who were exhibiting at the Fair. GBMag describes itself on its Twitter profile (@GreatBritishMag) as "the ultimate lifestyle guide for international students in the UK, with information and advice on living in the UK, British events and cool free giveaways". I like their tops!

The International Chaplaincy is holding on to our exhibition for use in other Freshers Week events over the next few days. So our banners are sleeping in the Gatehouse for a little while. I've kept one "generic" banner back to use in the Street market Community Fair at De Montfort University Students Union on Thursday.

A MINUTE'S SILENCE IN TRIBUTE TO ARMSTRONG

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

A minute's silence in tribute to Armstrong

Scientists and stargazers have paid tribute to "inspirational" astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Staff at the National Space Centre, in Leicester, held a minute's silence at 11am yesterday in honour of the first man to walk on the moon.

Meanwhile, experts at the space physics department at the University of Leicester said Armstrong , who died on Saturday, aged 82, inspired countless children to become scientists and engineers.

Jamie Burgess, public relations manager at the National Space Centre said: "It is safe to say he was a very courageous man.

"To be able to have that bravery is an incredible quality in a person."

Malika Andress, the centre's head of marketing, said staff held a minute's silence to show respect to the legendary figure.

"It was important for us to mark the occasion, not only because he was the first man to walk on the moon, but also because he was an amazing academic who was really inspirational," she said.

"We wanted to show the respect we all had for him and the difference he made to space research and exploration.

"Even though he was 82, he had only recently made a statement he was still willing to work with Nasa to put humans on Mars. He was a remarkable man."

Mr Armstrong died of cardiovascular complications after heart surgery.

It is 43 years since he commanded the Apollo 11 mission that forged new frontiers in space travel.

About 600 million people around the globe watched and listened to the moon landing on July 20 1969.

Professor Ken Pounds, of the University of Leicester's space physics department, was a young lecturer in the city when he watched the iconic images on television.

"I remember, like everyone else, just being amazed by what I was watching," he said. "It was inspirational for everybody, and had a great impact on many, many areas of science."

Prof Pounds said the mission – and the scientists, engineers and astronauts who made it happen – inspired a generation.

"For the human space field of work, Apollo 11 was the most dramatic example so far, with Armstrong leading the way, having a unique capability to inspire," he said. "So many children who watched went on to think, 'I want to be a scientist', and are now working in Silicon Valley where life-changing things such as Google and Facebook are being created."

Mr Armstrong's family, who live in Cincinnati, Ohio, called him a "reluctant hero".

In a statement they said: "For those who may ask what they can do to honour Neil, we have a simple request: honour his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

CONSIDERING WORSHIP

This article (regarding the conference rounding off the University of Leicester's Mapping Faith and Place project) appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Considering worship

Places of worship will be the subject of a conference next week.St Martin's House, in Peacock Lane, Leicester, will host the event, which runs from 9.30am to 4pm on Thursday.

There will be guest speakers from faith groups, English Heritage, Leicester City Council and the University of Leicester, and a chance to debate the role of faith buildings.

For more details, call Heather Lomas on 0116 270 0386.

CHRISTIANS AWARE: NEW COURSE ON COURSE

At lunchtime today there's a meeting at the offices of Christians Aware in Saxby Street, to progress plans for “Going on Beyond: Meditation and Mysticism in the World Faiths”, the Faith Awareness course to be held at Christchurch, Clarendon Park, January to March 2013.

We agree a draft timetable for the ten meetings, which will include an introductory session led by Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons; a session on "Mysticism Across the Centuries", led by Beate Dehnen; perspectives on the topic from, respectively, a Cistercian Monk; a Bahá'í (me, speaking about 'Abdu'l-Bahá); a Hindu (speaking about Ramakrishna); a Sikh; A Buddhist; a Jew; and a Pagan. The closing session will take an overview of the whole course and will invite attendees to participate in the interfaith meditation meetings hosted by the Buddhist group at Leicester University.

It's my responsibility to secure the involvement of the Pagan and Sikh speakers before we have our next planning meeting in September.

HOPE & RESILIENCE FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS & REFUGEES

We're exhibiting at the University of Leicester today, where a conference is taking place for Refugee Week (16-24 June): Hope and Resilience for Refugees and Asylum Seekers.

The purpose of the conference is to explore how hope and resilience can be fostered in the current climate through an emphasis on human rights, approaches to justice in psychological therapy and through building solidarity in the voluntary and statutory sectors.

The conference is being held in the South Wing of the Fielding Johnson Building, the second time in four days that I've attended an event here (see Building Shared Heritages: Cultural Diversity in Leicester on Equality & Diversity Officer). There are several organisations exhibiting today, in quite cramped space. Those on display cheek by jowl include:

• Action Deafness Cultural
• British Red Cross (Lincs, Leics & Rutland and Northants)
• The Centre Project
• Citizens' Eye Community News Agency
• Freedom from Torture
• LAMPdirect
• Leicester City of Sanctuary
• Leicester Libraries
• Leicester Welcome Project
• NHS Leicester City Assist Practice
• The Race Equality Centre
• Refugee Action
• Somewhere_To
• Stamp It Out!

I'm looking after both the REDP display as well as that of Leicester Council of Faiths, just across from it in a shared space with Refugee Action. The photo below shows Gail Pringle, Independent Project Manager and Voluntary Sector Consultant with Refugee Action.

The conference is opened by David Sallah (Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust), Cllr Mohammed Dawood (Assistant Mayor, Leicester City Council) and Bob Burgess (Vice Chancellor, University of Leicester).

Keynote speaker is Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty. Her name has been attached to the event since it was first advertised several weeks ago. Shami is a big draw and I know from my conversations this morning that many people are here just to hear her. I speak with a couple of the conference organisers about that, and about having heard Shami speak at REDP's human rights event in Derby in March. I mention what an excellent contribution she'd made to that day and how I'm looking forward to hearing her speak again. I also say how I know that she tends to be on a tight schedule, that more often than not, she'll beam in, deliver her piece then beam out. I get a few blank looks in response. I wonder if I'm coming across as a bit of a name-dropper. At 1140 sharp, we're summoned back into the Peter Williams Lecture Theatre, where the plenary sessions are taking place. The person chairing this session bigs her up, using that well-worn phrase, "Our keynote speaker needs no introduction" before giving her one (at length and in detail) ending with a triumphant, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Shami Chakrabati!" Since I can't see her anywhere in the room, I expect her to enter at that point, perhaps just having arrived at the last minute. There's vigorous applause, as if most everyone else expects the same thing. At that point, however, someone comes forward with a DVD, inserts it into the multimedia centre at the lectern and goes through the menu to cue it up. Now I don't know if I've took my eye off the ball, my attention has been wandering (more than usual, that is) but I've somehow managed to miss the fact that Shami has recorded her speech and it's to be delivered via DVD. Seems like I'm not the only one, as a handful of people huffily pack their bags, get up and leave. Can't fault Shami for not being here. She's obliged to stay in London today to play her significant and influential part in focusing attention on the second reading in the House of Lords of the Justice and Security Bill. The talk itself is as impassioned, informed and inspirational as you'd expect from her. Liberty's mission statement is visible on a poster behind her throughout:

We believe in fundamental rights and freedoms - shared values that protect every member of the human family and the society that we seek to build together.

On reflection, I should have twigged that Shami wasn't going to be here in person because Chino isn't here.

I can't let my post on this event end without mentioning the Zimbabwean Choir, who perform several times during the day.

BUILDING SHARED HERITAGES: CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN LEICESTER

At the University of Leicester (Fielding Johnson Building) this morning for an open day: Building Shared Heritages: Cultural Diversity in Leicester.

Building Shared Heritages is a co-sponsored project at the University of Leicester. Along with the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the University of Leicester is assisting local groups to apply for grants of up to £10,000 to explore their local heritage.

The University of Leicester has a wide range of expertise and resources relating to local and community history in Leicester and Leicestershire. It is looking to widen access to these resources. The key areas that it is interested in developing with community groups are as follows:

• Trading heritage in Leicester
• Sport, music and social heritage in Leicester
• Civic and public heritage in Leicester
• Open spaces and the built environment in Leicester
• Memory of community, home, and local area heritage in Leicester

It’s the last of these five categories that offers potential for the Council of Faiths to get involved.

Deirdre O’Sullivan (Lecturer in Medieval Archaeology) gives a half-hour presentation to the audience of 80 or so about the Mapping Faith and Place project and the Leicester Faith Trail. She made several complimentary references to Leicester Council of Faiths during her presentation. she also described the next stage of the project, which is going to change tack from the general and historical to the particular and contemporary. They'll be focusing on one particular place of worship, Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara on East Park Road. They'll keep updating  the Faith Trail, of course, which will include publishing a new version of the booklet.