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.

PLEA AS MORE AMBULANCES HEAD FOR STRIFE-TORN SYRIA

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Mohammed Elhadad, left, Leicester project leader for the UK Arabic Society, with other ambulance convoy volunteers

Pleas as more ambulances head for strife-torn Syria

by Tom Mack

Charities providing ambulances and medical equipment to war-torn Syria are hoping to get more support from Leicestershire.

UK charities have been working with the Red Crescent to deliver supplies to Syria since the civil war started there two years ago.

Next month, volunteers from Leicester will be joining a convoy delivering 15 more ambulances, bought with money raised by the UK Arabic Society and the Al Fatiha charity.

On Saturday, the charities will also be holding a fund-raising fun day in Highfields, Leicester, followed by a bucket collection at Pak Foods, in Chesterfield Road, Evington, on the following weekend.

Mohamed Elhaddad, Leicester project leader for the UK Arabic Society, will be leading the convoy.

He said: "It's a long, 3,000-mile trip through France, Italy, Greece and Turkey and it takes about seven days to get there.

"We sleep and cook in our vehicles to save money and along the way people sometimes open up community centres and other places for us to stay.

"There is a growing need for ambulances in Syria. We know that two parties are killing each other and our duty is to help the innocent people caught up in the middle of it.

"A lot of children are being hurt."

The UK Arabic Society first got involved with the Red Crescent in August last year and the first convoy took two ambulances.

Each ambulance costs about £5,000 second-hand from NHS trusts, plus about £3,000 more for equipment and the journey itself.

About £10,000 has been raised in Leicestershire since then, but the charities are planning to make much more in the coming months.The fund-raising day will be held on Saturday, between 11am and 4pm, at Uplands Primary School, in Melbourne Road.

Abdul Majid, 24, of Highfields, a volunteer for the Al Fatiha charity, will be joining the convoy in May.

He said: "I've done convoys to Gaza in the past as well and experienced living in that war zone, but this will be my first trip to Syria.

"We need to do whatever we can because what's happening to ordinary people there is unimaginable.

"A lot of people want to help us and it's non-Muslims as well as Muslims who support us."

Leicester's Lord Mayor, Councillor Abdul Osman, will be attending Saturday's event.

He said: "I think it's a very worthy cause. They've done a lot of work nationally and sent a lot of ambulances over to Syria and I understand they want to raise more money in Leicester.

"I wish them well and I'm sure there will be a lot of support from the generous people in this city."

To make a donation to the UK Arabic Society transfer money to the "UK Arabic Society", sort code 30-92-13, account number 0355 3576.

For more information, e-mail: info@ukarabicsociety.org.uk

LORD MAYOR SET TO LAUNCH ST GEORGE'S DAY PARADE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Lord Mayor set to launch St George's Day parade

Little knights and princesses can take part in a parade to celebrate England's patron saint.

The St George's Festival takes place on Saturday in and around the Cultural Quarter in Orton Square, Leicester.

Lord mayor Abdul Osman will launch the event at midday, with the Leicester Morris Men performing the first of the day's dances.

This year's theme is knights and princesses, with prizes on offer for the best children's costume.

Youngsters who arrive in fancy dress will be invited to take part in the festival's parade at 2pm, with prizes for the best costumes.

Visitors will be able to take part in Maypole dancing sessions, craft activities, circus skills and a St George's Festival dragon hunt.

There will also be live music and dance performances in Orton Square, and at The Ale Wagon and The Exchange pubs, in Rutland Street. Visitors can also take part in street art workshops in the Ramada Encore hotel.

The celebrations continue on Sunday with three traditional medieval St George's Day plays at Jewry Wall Museum, from 11.30am until 3pm.

The Scouts' annual St George's parade will begin at Market Place at 1pm.

To find out more information, visit: www.visitleicester.info

LORD MAYOR HONOURS AYLESTONE LOCAL ACTION GROUP

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Lord Mayor honours group

by Stephen Penn & Stuart Rust

A community group which helped brighten up its neighbourhood with floral displays and hanging baskets has been honoured by the Lord Mayor.

Aylestone Local Action Group was formed in 2010 after residents were inspired by the annual Britain in Bloom contest to improve the area.

They applied for funding from the city council to put up hanging baskets on shop fronts and commissioned steel planters to help liven up the main road through the area.

On Monday, the group was presented with the Lord Mayor's Honoured Citizen Award at the town hall.

Chairman Lin Moss said: "We had the idea to improve the look of the shopping precinct in Aylestone, and the Britain in Bloom scheme gave us the focus of flowers and plants to make it a more attractive place, both for residents and those who travel through.

"There has been a great reaction from the community.

"While we are out watering or changing the plants, we also get a positive reaction from people in the street.

"However, it takes a lot of work and, as we are all volunteers, we are always looking for people to lend a hand."

The group has received support from people and organisations, including shopkeepers and the Brownies.

It has received funding from the city council's Aylestone ward community fund.

As well as hanging baskets and flowers, the group has also put up a notice board in the centre of Aylestone, and holds regular litter picks.

Lord Mayor Councillor Abdul Osman said: "I went down to Aylestone to see for myself the work they have done and was very impressed with the steel planters and all of the design work they have managed to do with the ward funding."

They were nominated for the award by Aylestone councillor Nigel Porter. He said: "I'm happy to see the group get honoured here, especially after witnessing their hard work over the past three years.

"It's nice to see them getting their well-deserved pat on the back and a cup of tea."

Fellow ward councillor Adam Clarke said: "It's great to see the group getting so involved in the community and helping make changes beyond the capabilities of the council."

In the photo above, back row, third from right is Minou Cortazzi, who represents the city's Bahá'ís on Leicester Council of Faiths, of which she was Chair, 2007-09.

STUDENT'S RAPE AND DEATH PROMPTS VISIT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Student's rape and death prompts visit

A delegation from Leicester is to meet leading politicians in New Delhi to convey their dismay at the brutal gang rape and death of a 23-year-old medical student.

It will be led by the general secretary of the Leicestershire branch of the Indian Workers Association Sital Singh Gill.

A condolence meeting was held on Friday to pay homage to the memory of the victim, who died in hospital on December 29, two weeks after being attacked on a bus in New Delhi. Mr Gill said: "We want to convey our deep concerns from the people of Leicester to the leaders of India's political parties."

Mr Gill, who represents 3,600 members of the association, said: "This brutal and shameful incident has shocked and galvanised the whole country."

About 100 people from across the community attended the event at the Highfields Centre, in Melbourne Road.

The meeting, which followed an community vigil at Leicester Cathedral, was attended by the Lord Mayor of Leicester Councillor Abdul Osman, who gave his support to the forthcoming visit.

Five men have been charged with rape and murder.

The meeting approved a petition to be sent to Dr Jamini Bhagwati, the Indian High Commissioner, to forward the concerns of the Leicester Indian Community to the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh.

In photo above, from left: Meena Kumari, Sital Singh Gill, who will lead the delegation to India, Mark Parish, of Leicestershire Police, Councillor Pramjit Singh Gill, Councillor Baljit Singh and Kashmir Singh 

CLAIRE JACKSON: RECENT WORK AT NEW WALK MUSEUM & ART GALLERY

This evening I'm at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, for the official launch of an exhibition of portraits by Claire Jackson. The display features a number of worthies from city and county, many of whom come from some of the diverse communities for which this part of the world is famous. Among the faces on show, I recognise a Buddhist, a Druid, two Jews (one Orthodox, the other Progressive), a Mormon, a Muslim (Cllr Abdul Osman, Leicester's first Muslim Lord Mayor), a Quaker, a Seventh-Day Adventist and - last but not least, a Sikh.

Pride of place goes to a full-length portrait of Resham Singh Sandhu (former Chair and current Director of Leicester Council of Faiths). There's Resham, as pleased as Punch, posing beside Claire's portrayal of him as High Sheriff of Leicestershire, a role which he filled in 2011-12. This picture is the first one visitors see when they arrive at the exhibition.

You can see more of the portraits on display in this exhibition on Claire Jackson's website or in this review of the exhibition from the Culture24 website. "Claire Jackson: Recent Work" runs at Leicester's New Walk Museum and Art Gallery until 26 August 2012.

FLYING THE JAMAICAN FLAG IN CITY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Flying the Jamaican flag in city

A Jamaican flag will be hoisted at Leicester's Town Hall next week to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Caribbean island's independence.

Lord Mayor Abdul Osman will join 31 representatives of the city's Jamaican community, including former city councillor Alderman Winston Nurse, for the event on Monday, August 6.

The flag-raising ceremony will take place at 10.30am, followed by tea with the community representatives in the Lord Mayor's Team Room.

Jamaica was a British colony for 300 years before it gained independence on August 6, 1962.

Councillor Osman said: "The Jamaican community has been present in Leicester for much of the 20th century, and as part of the wider Caribbean community has played a significant role in making Leicester the place it is today.

"I am honoured to be marking the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence."

Other events marking the anniversary include a visit by the Jamaican High Commissioner in Highfields on August 12.

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU KID: ABDUL OSMAN, LORD MAYOR OF LEICESTER

This article appears in today's edition of More, weekend supplement of the Leicester Mercury. "Here's looking at you, kid" is a regular feature, where prominent Leicester people reflect on their childhoods and how those early years helped shape their later lives. It isn’t included on the paper's website, but I thought it well worth posting here.

Here's looking at you, kid: Abdul Osman, Lord Mayor of Leicester

Leicester taught me tolerance, that you grow up living next to people and you respect them

I came to Leicester when I was six. We came from Mombasa, Kenya. It was like landing on a different planet. It was January 31, 1970. There were seven of us: me, four siblings, my parents.

I remember vividly the sights and the sounds of this new place we would call home: the cold - oh, it was so cold - and the houses, all those red brick houses, with their smoking chimneys. It all seemed so grey, compared to the sunshine and blue skies of Mombasa.

We lived at first with my uncle in Highfields. His family and our family in a little Victorian terrace. It was tight.

What I remember most about that house was the fireplace - a big roaring fire, in the middle of the house. I couldn't believe it. I thought that maybe that's where they did the cooking. And the toilets were in the back yard. I didn't like that in the cold, especially at night. All these things were strange to me.

I started school at six. I couldn't speak a word of English. What I remember, though, is the school dinners. Mashed potato, over-boiled vegetables. I hated it. And because the meat was not Halal, I had no meat. Just vegetarian meals which, back then, was the same dinner, but without the meat.

But I would cheer up when the puddings came out. I loved stodgy English puddings with custard. And ice creams. And then, later, discovering all those English sweets. Wow. So many different types of sweets.

It took me a long time to feel settled in Leicester. I had to learn a new language, well, three new languages - as I was learning English I was also learning Gujarati and Arabic.

I had to walk to school, which was a mile-and-a-half away, the come home and go to the Mosque to learn Arabic.

There wasn't much time for play.

By the time I was in my teens, the National Front was  was marching in Leicester. There was a lot of fighting in St Matthew's. I had to walk through there to get to college.

I was chased by skinheads more than once. They never got me, but they tried. It was a scary walk to school, looking over your shoulder, listening for taunts, ready to run.

Leicester taught me tolerance, that you grow up next to people and you respect them. Look for the positives in that. Most people in Leicester feel like that, I think. It's why the far right have never prospered here.

I left school at 16 with only a few qualifications, so I went back to college. I studied politics and my politics was Roger Blackmore - who would become the leader of the Lib Dems in Leicester.

He was a good teacher, and he had a good sense of humour. We have had many disagreements in the council chamber, but always remained friends.

I did several jobs. I was a bricklayer. I can still lay bricks to this day.I worked nights at a factory. I looked at myself one day and said: come on, you can do more than this.

So I started an access course as a mature student, then a law degree, which I deferred after two years to get a degree in careers education. I became a careers advisor. I got involved in local politics in the 1980s, mainly because of Thatcher and the way her government was causing so much imbalance and inequality in our communities.

I was a county councillor before local government re-organisation, then I became a city councillor. I lost my seat in 2003, but came back in 2007.There have been achievements, proud moments, frustrations. I am proud that they named the sports hall after me in Highfields. That was such an honour.

It was notable, though, coming to the city council from the county council, that there are many more different factions here.

At the county, councillors would have a drink with each other afterwards. At the city, that rarely happened. Different groups, different cliques. Colleagues on the same side not speaking to each other. Not being able to be seen to speaking [sic] to some councillors. I don't like that.

I feel proud to be [Lord] Mayor of Leicester, the first Muslim mayor of the city. It's a prestigious position and I know my late father would have been very pleased.

My five-year-old goes round the school saying she's The Little Mayor. He likes it. My 16-year-old daughter is the opposite. She's so embarrassed.

Me? I just remember where I came from, from being taken to school on my father's bike in Mombasa, a small terraced house in Highfields - and now Lord Mayor. It's humbling.

LEICESTER'S FIRST MUSLIM MAYOR SWORN IN

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicester's first Muslim Mayor sworn in

The city's first Muslim Lord Mayor was sworn in at a ceremony held at the Town Hall last night.

In a traditional inauguration, Councillor Abdul Osman was officially made Lord Mayor of Leicester at Leicester City Council's annual meeting, held in the Town Hall's chambers.

Coun Osman, who joined the city council in 1996, takes over from Councillor Rob Wann.

Coun Osman said: "It's an important year, with the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics, so it's a privilege for me to hold office with everything that's going on.

"I want to focus on visiting the communities and raising the profile of the office of Lord Mayor. I'm proud to be the first Muslim councillor to hold the position – we've had Christian, Hindu, Sikh and now I'm able to bring the Islamic faith to the office which is a great honour."

Each year, the new mayor nominates a charity which he will raise money for.

Coun Osman has chosen the stroke unit at the Leicester Royal Infirmary and is aiming to raise £60,000 for the cause.

He said: "I feel as if it's quite a symbolic issue because it affects everyone regardless of their age, colour or background – and our city is one of the most diverse communities in the country."

BY GEORGE! WE KNOW HOW TO CELEBRATE PATRON SAINT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

By George! We know how to celebrate patron saint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stones honour war dead from around world

From today's Leicester Mercury (there's a photo in the paper, but not on their website):

Stones honour war dead from around world

By Peter Warzynski & Laura Elvin

Soldiers from around the world who fought under the British flag remembered the sacrifices of their fallen comrades at the unveiling of a war memorial last night.

An emotional ceremony marked the official opening of the International Troop War Memorial, in Peace Walk, off Victoria Park, Leicester.

The monument is dedicated to Sikh, Muslim, African, Caribbean and Hindu soldiers who fought for Britain in the first and second world wars.

More than 100 veterans and dignitaries attended the unveiling of two granite tablets.

Sergeant Aubrey Isaac, 70, fought with the Royal Montserrat Defence Force for 35 years.

He was at the event to remember the West Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting in the Second World War.

Aubrey, of Highfields, Leicester, said: "I wanted to show my appreciation for my countrymen who fought and died.

"It's important to remember everyone who sacrificed themselves for others."

Captain Jonathan Rice, 84, was a member of 2nd Battalion, Sikh Light Infantry, between 1945 and 1947.

He said: "I have wonderful memories. I'd just left school and it was like one big adventure.

"The men I fought alongside were tremendous and it's a fitting tribute to them."

The two stone tablets were unveiled by Lord Mayor of Leicester Robert Wann and president of the county Royal British Legion, Peter Roffey.

City councillor Culdipp Bhatti, chairman of Leicester International Troops Memorial Committee, conceived the idea for the memorial.

His father-in-law, Captain Chhajja Singh Kler, from Punjab, India, served in the British Army for almost 40 years.

Coun Bhatti said: "He entered the Army as an ordinary soldier and retired as a captain, which was a very proud thing for him.

"The memorial is to remember him and the many others who have given their lives to preserve our freedom. Without their dedication, history and our lives would be very different."

High Sheriff Resham Singh Sandhu was at yesterday's unveiling. His father, Sohel Singh, served in the British Indian Army during the First World War.

"I feel this is not only a great honour for the international soldiers but for the city of Leicester," he said.

"My father served on the Egyptian border between 1914 and 1918 on the frontline.

"He was a real hero and carried an injured colleague on his shoulder for seven miles from the front to the medical area.

"A bullet went through his ear and turban, but he survived."

Captain Bob Allen, 77, chairman of The Royal Tigers Association, said: "We salute all who are commemorated here, many of whose descendants no doubt now live in Leicester."

Council prayers face a High Court hearing

From today's Leicester Mercury:

Council prayers face a High Court hearing

A High Court date is expected to be set within weeks whether councils should say prayers before meetings.

The National Secular Society says it is concerned that many local councils start their meetings with Christian prayers.

Papers were lodged at the High Court last year for a judicial review. A hearing date is imminent.

Last month newly-elected city Lord Mayor Rob Wann decided to reintroduce prayers before monthly full council meetings after previous office-holder Colin Hall stopped the practice.

A Leicester City Council spokesperson said: "There is a long tradition of the sitting Lord Mayor choosing whether or not to have prayers at the start of a council meeting and that we see no reason why that should not continue."

A Leicestershire County Council spokesman said: "We're aware of the issues surrounding council prayers and for this reason, lead a short, multi-faith prayer before council meetings which was introduced in 1974."

A secular society spokesman said: "If some council members wish to pray, we think that should be a private matter for themselves and there is no problem with them doing so before council meetings."

Read this article, along with reader comments (and the opportunity to make your own) on the Leicester Mercury website: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Council-prayers-face-High-Court-hearing/story-12723841-detail/story.html

COUNCIL PRAYERS FACE HIGH COURT HEARING

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Council prayers face High Court hearing

A High Court date is expected to be set within weeks whether councils should say prayers before meetings.

The National Secular Society says it is concerned that many local councils start their meetings with Christian prayers.

Papers were lodged at the High Court last year for a judicial review. A hearing date is imminent.

Last month newly-elected city Lord Mayor Rob Wann decided to reintroduce prayers before monthly full council meetings after previous office-holder Colin Hall stopped the practice.

A Leicester City Council spokesperson said: "There is a long tradition of the sitting Lord Mayor choosing whether or not to have prayers at the start of a council meeting and that we see no reason why that should not continue."

A Leicestershire County Council spokesman said: "We're aware of the issues surrounding council prayers and for this reason, lead a short, multi-faith prayer before council meetings which was introduced in 1974."

A secular society spokesman said: "If some council members wish to pray, we think that should be a private matter for themselves and there is no problem with them doing so before council meetings."

LEICESTER'S NEW LORD MAYOR PUTS PRAYERS BACK ON AGENDA AT COUNCIL'S MEETINGS

From today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicester's new Lord Mayor puts prayers back on agenda at council's meetings

By David Maclean, Political Correspondent

Prayers before Leicester City Council's monthly meetings are back on the agenda.

New Lord Mayor Rob Wann has revived the tradition of prayer before the city's main full council meeting.

A short prayer has been said at the start of the meetings since 1997, with a year's gap between 2005-06 when Mary Draycott was Lord Mayor.

However, Colin Hall, on taking up the role last May, said the practice was "outdated, unnecessary and intrusive" and would not continue during his year of office.

He selected Allan Hayes, a humanist, to be his chaplain during the civic year.

This week Coun Wann selected a religious chaplain – Canon Barry Naylor – for his term of office, and brought back prayer before meetings.

At Thursday's annual meeting councillors and guests were asked to rise for prayer, led by Canon Naylor, for the first time in 12 months.

Coun Wann said: "Each mayor can decide how to do things during their year of office and Colin Hall had every right to remove prayers during his term of office.

"However, I thought it was important to bring prayers back. It's a moment of reflection before council business.

"It's a recent tradition but one that could be lost if we're not careful. The history of the Lord Mayor's position goes back hundreds of years and I think it's important to respect the history that is tied to the role.

"It's for future Lord Mayors to decide whether they stick with tradition or make changes again."

Canon Naylor said: "Spirituality, in whatever form, plays a part in civic life.

"Even though the prayers will come from a Christian perspective I will be selecting prayers which people from all faiths can relate to.

"I have served as chaplain to Robert for the past year when he was deputy Lord Mayor, and I'm looking forward to the year ahead."

Last year, Mr Hall declined to attend the city cathedral service which traditionally welcomes Lord Mayors into the new role.

Coun Wann deputised last year and said he would be taking part in the service when it is held on Sunday.

He has adopted the Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent Fund for Leicestershire as his charity during the Mayoral year.

It helps serving and former members of the regiment and their dependents who are in need.

He said: "Soldiers and their families deserve more support than they currently get and I hope my appeal helps provide some of this in Leicester.

"I've made sure that the money is ring-fenced for people in this area, because I've always believed that charity begins at home."

For more information on the appeal, visit: www.leicester.gov.uk/lordmayor

Why religion shouldn't enjoy special favour

Today's Leicester Mercury carries the final "First Person" column by Allan Haye, in his capacity as Humanist Chaplain to the Lord Mayor of Leicester.

I've enjoyed his contributions to the ongoing conversation of the city through these columns - indeed, I've posted most of them here. I can't say I've agreed with everything he's said in his columns, but I've tried to represent him uncensored here - and largely without making intrusive comments of my own, either in the blog or the printed or online editions of the Leicester Mercury.

On the occasions when Allan and I have discussed the merits of him having his own blog, he's said that he doesn't really see the point when I'm doing such a good job of representing his views in mine!

Maybe I should say that I've agreed with him more often than not - and that I agree with virtually everything he has to say in this final piece.

I'm sure it's not the last we'll hear from Allan (who is a director of Leicester Secular Society) in the pages of the Mercury. I look forward to meeting him again at the various places and events where our paths tend to cross: Amplifed Leicester; SACRE; Christians Aware Faith Awareness courses at Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road; and at Philosophy in the Pub at the Swan and Rushes.

Why religion shouldn't enjoy special favour 

Allan Hayes reflects on his year as humanist chaplain to the Lord Mayor of Leicester 

My year as Chaplain to the Lord Mayor has been an interesting and rewarding experience; meeting people from different communities has been a particular pleasure. The year started with some tension over the Civic Service in the cathedral. It proved impossible to agree on a way that I as a humanist could give a short address in what was a Christian service. As a consequence the Lord Mayor, the Lady Mayoress and I felt unable to attend the event. 

The same problem could arise for any other non-Christian chaplain. This raises the obvious question: in a diverse city with people from a variety of religions and with many who do not belong to a religion, shouldn't a civic event be one in which we can all feel part and to which we can all contribute – a celebration of today's Leicester for all by all? I think so. 

I have tried to encourage dialogue and improve understanding by my letters and other activities. I am grateful to the Mercury for carrying these and to individuals and organisations that have helped. 

During the year there have been repeated attempts to pin words like "aggressive", "extreme" and "militant" on secularists and atheists and accuse them of trying to exclude religion from the public space: this is a dangerous tactic, but fortunately, we have largely avoided it in Leicester.

Secularists recognise that religions are important to many and should contribute to the public debate, but insist that this must be done openly and through the normal democratic process: religions should not be embedded in the state structure or specially privileged. We are joined in this view by many within the religions who favour a secular state.

However, while pursuing dialogue and understanding, we should not overlook the facts that are being created on the ground.

The urgent issue now to my mind is whether our schools will help our children grow up together or will separate them by religion. The new free schools can be proposed by a local group or an outside body and be approved by the Secretary of State with very little local consultation. For a start, a Hindu free school, eventually to take 420 pupils, is opening in Evington in September next to St Paul's Roman Catholic school. I am told that other free faith schools are being proposed in the city. Change could come quickly and could damage both community schools and social cohesion. My experience as humanist representative on the Leicester Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) shows me that most families are very happy with how our community schools deal with religion. I would ask that if they hear of proposals for faith schools they get in touch with local head teachers and discuss the situation.

 Read this article on the Leicester Mercury website, along with reader comments: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/religion-shouldn-t-enjoy-special-favour/article-3525744-detail/article.html

BBC RADIO 4'S ANALYSIS VISITS LEICESTER

A brief exchange with the Lord Mayor of Leicester (Cllr Colin Hall) on Twitter today alerts me to some unexpected media coverage for the city and its faith communities:

LeicesterMayorWelcomed BBC Radio 4 to #Leicester Town Hall today - interviewed on work of faith groups + others to promote community cohesion in city.

counciloffaiths@LeicesterMayor Now that sounds interesting! Do you know which programme & when it will go out?

LeicesterMayor@counciloffaiths The Radio 4 programme is called Analysis - should be broadcast around mid-March. Will post details here when I get them.

If you're not familiar with Analysis, here's how it's described on the programme's website:

Programme examining the ideas and forces which shape public policy in Britain and abroad, presented by distinguished writers, journalists and academics.

This edition of Analysis, entitled "Muscular Liberalism", was broadcast on Monday 14 March 2011 with a repeat on Sunday 20 March 2011. Here's a summary of the programme content:

The prime minister has proposed a new "muscular liberalism", aimed at better integrating Britain's Muslims. It aims to counter the alienation that has led to a few young British Muslim men being prepared to mount terrorist attacks. David Walker asks what the new policy will mean on the ground, and how easily it can be reconciled with government plans for more local diversity and faith schools.

As well as featuring a contribution from Cllr Hall, the programme includes an interview with Suleman Nagdi, speaking about the Federation of Muslim Organisations and the Muslim Burial Council of Leicestershire. Here's a transcript of the section of the porgramme featuring Cllr Hall:

Leicester’s majority, as elsewhere, is neither Muslim nor Christian
but largely non-believing, secular and, usually, silent. Integration
might require putting less emphasis on religious faith. The Lord
Mayor of the city, Councillor Colin Hall, wants to get religion out of public life and has dispensed with prayers before council meetings.

HALL: In the area which I represent in New Parks, the proportion of the population who identify actively with the faith groups is actually quite low.

WALKER: So you would say most Leicester people are secular? 

HALL: I think they don’t identify with or actively practice a particular faith. 

WALKER: But if you look at sort of policy, particularly policy under
the previous Labour government, policy under the present government, faith schools have been pushed. I mean how do we interpret that? 

HALL: Under the previous government, the last two prime ministers
felt that faith was important to them and they were perhaps a bit more susceptible than the party as a whole or the country as a whole to the arguments that some of the faith groups were putting forward.

And here's the part with Suleman Nagdi:

Influential figures in the Muslim community may be more interested in securing greater recognition for their faith and its practice in Britain than allowing young people to get together freely. In Leicester, Suleman Nagdi has published guidelines for the local NHS on what to do when Muslim patients die. They include avoiding contact between the dead body and menstruating women doctors and nurses. 

NAGDI: I run something called the Muslim Burial Council of
Leicestershire. We signed the first historic document in Europe
allowing a section of the community to bury their deceased within 24 hours or over Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays. We are working
with the health service, we are working right across the board. 

WALKER: Sorry to interrupt, but what happens if that work of
negotiation isn’t being done within the community? Who should act
then? 

NAGDI: I think that’s a challenge for my own community. They need to reflect and they need to create visionaries from within their own community. We can no longer become armchair critics and complain that we do not have certain services provided to us by local authority if we do not articulate what we need. And also the articulation does not necessarily result in you getting what you want. There has to be a compromise. Sometimes there are ridiculous claims made by certain sections of my community and other community. And that, I’m sorry, is just unacceptable and we need to learn to be more mature to understand that we are privileged to live in this country, we are grateful for being given a home in this country, and we are working within the framework of the law of this country, and the law of this country is supreme.

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TWEETIE PIE

I filmed a number of short video interviews with members of the Leicester Hebrew Congregation at the end of the Chanukah celebration in the Town Hall this evening. I then uploaded these videos to the Council of Faiths channel on YouTube. Since I've linked our YouTube and Twitter accounts, each time I upload a video, the fact that I have done so gets tweeted to each one of our followers. Leicester Council of Faiths has 130 followers on Twitter.

Shortly after I uploaded the first of these five videos about Chanukah (featuring Mike Jacobs), the Lord Mayor of Leicester, Cllr Colin Hall (who attended the Chanukah celebration) retweeted our announcement of its publication. For the uninitiated, "retweeting" is rather like "forwarding"; it is not done automatically, the account holder has to do it by choice. This means that the Lord Mayor chose to announce the availability of the video to his whole list of followers. The Lord Mayor of Leicester has 707 followers on Twitter - all of whom will have received his personal recommendation of this short video clips.

A few minutes later, another retweet, this time by Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent for The Times. The video she retweeted is of Rabbi Pink telling the story of the historical origin of Chanukah. Although Ruth Gledhill is a follower of the Council of Faiths twitterstream, she's never retweeted any of our posts before. Ruth Gledhill has 6,196 followers of her own on Twitter - all of whom will have received her personal recommendation of this short video clip.

Personal recommendations for material on our YouTube channel by our secular Lord Mayor and by the Religion Correspondent of The Times - I'd call that a result for Leicester Council of Faiths!

LEICESTER SPEAKS 2010 LAUNCH EVENT

Less than 48 hours ago, this part of the city centre was held to ransom by the visiting English Defence League (EDL). Less than 24 hours ago, Billy Bragg and friends played a free gig on this spot to a crowd variously estimated at anything between 2,000 and 10,000 as citizens gathered for the We Are One Leicester Festival. At 1100 on this chilly Monday morning, we launch Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week) in Humberstone Gate.

At the start of proceedings, John Coster (Editor of Citizens' Eye Community News Agency) and I, as Joint Chairs of Leicester Speaks, open the event on stage in front of the giant TV screen (which is, thankfully, inactive this morning). John delivers a typically fine opening spiel, hands me the microphone, tells me I'm doing a great job, slaps me on the back and steps off the stage.

I'm MC for the next hour, in which we encourage people to come up off the street, take the microphone and speak for 60 seconds on any subject of importance to them. We have a few ringers in the crowd, just in case we don't get enough people come up to fill the hour, but we needn't have worried about that. In the end, we have more than enough contributors. Some of these folk have probably never had the opportunity to speak in public like this before. Their contributions were recorded on video and posted online, so they're available to a huge potential audience. In the photo at the top of this blog post, I welcome Lord Mayor of Leicester Cllr Colin Hall on stage, to launch officially our week of activities across the city.

Cllr Manjula Sood, Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths, speaks on the stage this morning - while I do a not particularly good job of hiding behind a pole (photo above).

Leicester Speaks has its own blog, where you can read about today's event and watch a short video about it. Recordings of all contributions from the stage at our launch event in Humberstone Gate are available on the Leicester Speaks channel on YouTube. I'm sorry to say that my amusing improvised links from the stage haven't survived the editing process. I'm holding out for the extended version, with deleted scenes.

LAUNCH OF ANSAAR'S EMPLOY-ABILITY PROJECT

At very short notice, an invitation arrives for our Chair, Manjula Sood, to attend the launch of the Employ-Ability Project, a new social enterprise initiative run by Ansaar. Ansaar is a Leicester-based charity which since 2003 has been working with adults who have mild or moderate learning disabilities and their carers, improving their opportunities, choices and quality of support. Ansaar is also tackling issues regarding disability of all kinds within the Asian and BME community, by making a practical difference to the lives of its service users and proving that they can participate actively in life. "Ansaar", in Arabic, means "helper".

The invitation only arrives this morning and the launch is at lunchtime today in the Highfields Centre. Manjula is out of the city (she's in Nottingham attending a Sport England event) but she has asked me to go in her place, to support what she calls "a great organisation". I give Manjula's apologies to those I meet there (and pass on her "great organisation" comment) - but when they show a DVD about Ansaar's work, she's in it, giving them her glowing testimony!

Research shows that only one in ten people with a learning disability are in employment. People with learning disabilities are the most excluded from the workplace, more so than any other category of disabled people. Ansaar hopes that its Employ-Ability initiative will create opportunities for people with learning disabilities to obtain voluntary or paid work. It will be selling services and goods to the private, voluntary and public sector, including mailouts, leaflet distribution, event management and learning disability awareness training.

I'm very impressed with combination of touching personal stories and professional approach by staff and volunteers. The Lord Mayor of Leicester, Councillor Colin Hall, is here but before he makes his contribution I have to leave - for a dental appointment, of all things (and when I travel out to Saffron Lane for that appointment, I'm told that my dentist has had to take the day off, so I have to go back tomorrow. Honestly, I despair sometimes!)

This organisation is surely one of the best that Leicester has to offer; you can only hope that it gets the recognition and support it so richly deserves.

Faiths Trail

Today we're making our contribution to English Heritage's open weekend, called - for our part of the world - "Discover Leicester". This is one of a small number of annual events which is helping earn the Council of Faiths a positive reputation.

I'm only able to join in at lunchtime, as I've taken Harry out to sing in the choir at St Thomas this morning. We meet Clare and Gracie outside Guru Amar Das Gurdwara in Clarendon Park Road (that's them dressed the part, in the photo above). We're there about half an hour before the coach with everyone else turns up.

We've tried to squeeze in too many visits in previous years, so this time we've cut it down from five stops to three. First was the Jain Centre, then the Central Mosque, ending up at Guru Amar Das Gurdwara for the final visit, that includes lunch.

There are 25 people on the trail, including the Lord Mayor of Leicester, Cllr Colin Hall, and his Secular Humanist Chaplain, Dr Allan Hayes. We're grateful to Ajay, the Co-ordinator at the Council of Faiths, for organising this event.

You can see photos of today's Faiths Trail on our Flickr photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leicestercounciloffaiths/sets/72157624825007277/