LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE UPDATE, 25 MAY 2013

Dear George

As a trusted partner we feel it is important to keep you updated this morning with regards to any local incidents which may be related to events in Woolwich.

It’s reassuring to report that, three days after the tragic events in London, the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland remain calm and there has been no significant incident or activity since our last update. 

Local officers will continue their work in their neighbourhoods across the bank holiday weekend, linking in with faith groups and partners, listening to concerns of our communities and to give reassurance.   

There is still no intelligence to suggest there will be a negative reaction locally to events in London but we will continue to monitor this and will update you of any developments. Similarly, if anyone in your community has any information and concerns they can help us in our efforts by calling 101. 

It was great to welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, to Leicester yesterday and hear him and Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, the assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, calling for unity. It seems that the people of Leicester support that message too. 

Once again, thank you for your help and assistance over the past few days. The people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are very proud of the excellent community relations and the respect we have for different cultures, communities and religious beliefs and the vast majority clearly want this to continue.

Rob Nixon

Chief Superintendent

Leicester City BCU Commander

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.”

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.”

SENIOR LEICESTER MUSLIM LEADER CALLS ON HIS COMMUNITY TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST SEX GROOMING GANGS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Senior Leicester Muslim leader calls on his community to speak out against sex grooming gangs

by Ciaran Fagan

A senior Muslim community leader has said people need to speak out against child sex grooming gangs in his community and all others.

Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, a Leicester imam and a senior member of the Muslim Council of Britain, (MCB), said grooming gangs existed in all communities.

However, cases recently uncovered in Derby and Rochdale, have involved Asian Muslims, he said.

He said he was concerned that people were reluctant to speak out against the problem.

Mr Mogra, the MCB’s assistant secretary general, said: “This is an appalling and abhorrent kind of behaviour which is totally unacceptable regardless of race or religion.

“Some of those perpetrators who have recently been convicted happen to be from the Muslim community so we need to be at the very front of the voice that is condemning this.

“It is important that leaders of religious communities speak out against this deplorable and abhorrent behaviour by adults toward vulnerable children.

“We should always be prepared to speak out against this form of criminality and remind our community of its obligation to protect children and young people from this form of exploitation.

“We will keep speaking out until we have eradicated this menace from society.”

The MCB is working with organisations including the police, the NSPCC and Muslim groups to raise awareness of the problem and to highlight people’s need to speak out against it.

The Muslim Council of Britain is planning a national conference to educate people about grooming, he said.

Mr Mogra spoke out against the practice when he appeared on BBC Radio Four’s Sunday programme this weekend.

The programme also spoke to Leicester East MP Keith Vaz, who is chairman of the Home Affairs select committee, which is also investigating the scale of the crime.

Mr Vaz told the programme: “There is no excuse for this kind of criminality, whoever is involved in it, but I don’t think it is a particular group of people, I don’t think it’s a particular race or religion.”

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) said child sexual exploitation spanned “all cultures and ethnicities”, while the recent cases had “highlight that Asian males have been involved in an organised manner in exploiting young women”.

A CEOP spokeswoman said: “Some of these cases involved offenders from different backgrounds as well, although CEOP are investigating why there may be a majority of Asians in these particular kinds of offence.”

Mr Mogra's radio appearance can be heard here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01rqgys/Sunday_07_04_2013/

FURY AT TV CHEF CLARISSA DICKSON WRIGHT'S COMMENTS ABOUT MUSLIMS IN LEICESTER

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Fury at TV chef Clarissa Dickson Wright's comments about Muslims in Leicester

A celebrity chef has come under fire after making "hurtful" comments about the city's Muslim community.

In her new book, Clarissa Dickson Wright describes a visit to Leicester "as one of the most frightening experiences of my life".

The 65-year-old dedicates a chapter of Clarissa's England: A Gamely Gallop Through the English Counties to each county in England, discussing their culinary, cultural and historical merits. On Leicestershire, she writes of the city's "ghetto".

She describes coming off the ring road to escape a traffic jam and becoming lost.

"I found myself in an area where all the men were wearing Islamic clothing and all the women were wearing burkas and walking slightly behind them," she wrote.

She said the men would not talk to her "because I was an English female and they don't talk to females they don't know".

She said: "Here I was, in the heart of a city in the middle of my own country, a complete outcast and pariah.

"If multiculturalism works, which I have always been rather dubious of, surely it must be multicultural and not monocultural.

"I can only hope that in generations to come there will be a merging of the cultures and not the exclusion zone that is the ghetto."

Ibrahim Mogra, assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, and a city imam, said: "How is she judging an entire community on her one-off rare time of getting lost in Leicester?

"I find it very hurtful to read because everybody is working so hard to create a peaceful and happy Leicester.

"It showed a complete lack of appreciation of the fact we are almost two million in this country, doing our bit for our country.

"When she says that she was in the centre of a city in the centre of her own country, I take objection. This is also my country and this is also my city.

"I would like to call on Leicester people to be even more welcoming and hospitable than we've been so far."

Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "That is the sort of thing that makes me very angry – when someone breezes in from outside and paints a picture of Leicester that does not have any foundation in reality."It may help sell books but it is cheap."

Councillor Manjula Sood, chairman of Leicester Council of Faiths, urged readers to ignore her comments.

"I don't believe a meeting with one person on one street should mean you can label a whole city," she said.

Both Coun Sood and Mr Mogra invited Ms Dickson Wright back to the city for an opportunity to change her opinions.

When contacted by the Mercury, the chef, who lives in Edinburgh, said: "I'm surprised any of the people who might object could read what I wrote as it is written in English.

"When you get to 65, you will think back on this conversation and I think you might find yourself in my frame of mind."

She said she had a lot of Muslim friends but her experience of Leicester was "unpleasant".

"It scared me and I am not scared easy," she said.

Asked why, she said: "Because it was part of my country that I was born in and there are a lot of radical Muslim preachers in this country.

"I was in London when the July 7 (2005 bomb attacks) happened and this to me was proof for those people who have been saying we're getting ghettoisation of Muslim areas.

"I have never believed that political correctness was a reason not to say what I have experienced."

She said she had "done a lot" for Leicestershire, campaigning for the protected geographical status of Melton pork pies and Stilton.

In her book, Ms Dickson Wright praised Melton's food festival, saying "it was just everything that a good food festival should be".

She also wrote about "charming" Market Harborough, and "pleasant" Oakham.

She is signing copies of her book at Northfield Farm Christmas Fair, in Cold Overton, on Saturday.

---

ON THE COUNTY

In her book, Ms Dickson Wright wrote:

Melton: I first came across it at the original Melton Mowbray Food Festival, which, in the first two years, was held in the cattle market in Melton Mowbray and was to my mind without doubt the best food festival in the country.

(It had) produce from the Asian communities, in particular in Leicester, and the West Indian community, and it was just everything that a good food festival should be.

Market Harborough: A charming old town.

Rutland: Rutland is a triumph and a lesson to us all.

Oakham: A pleasant town with all the right sort of shops and bookshops and I am always happy to visit it.

ON LEICESTER

I had one of the most frightening experiences of my life there.

Leicester has a very high Asian Muslim population and I found myself in an area where all the men were wearing Islamic clothing and all the women were wearing burkas and walking slightly behind them.

None of the men would talk to me when I tried to find out where I was and how to get out of there because I was an English female and they don’t talk to females they don’t know, while if the women could speak English they weren’t about to show it by having a word with me.

(She bought a map at a newsagents.) Somebody, very reluctantly, pointed to where I was and then I had to work out the rest myself.

I have many good acquaintances and even some friends among the Muslim community, yet here I was, in the heart of a city in the middle of my own country, a complete outcast and pariah.

If multiculturalism works, which I have always been rather dubious of, surely it must be multicultural and not monocultural.

However, everything has an upside and one of the results of this is that Leicester has a very good selection of Asian restaurants.

I can only hope that in generations to come there will be a merging of the cultures and not the exclusion zone that is the ghetto.

SUBSIDISED JABS FOR PILGRIMS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Subsidised jabs for pilgrims

A city pharmacist has joined a scheme to give pilgrims travelling to Mecca subsidised meningitis jabs.

Everyone going to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages has to have the injection and a certificate to prove it has been given at least 10 days before arriving and within the past three years.

Hundreds of people from Leicestershire make the pilgrimages each year.

Altaf Vaiya, who runs the Alpharm chemist in Belgrave, is offering jabs for £30 – less than half the price charged by some GP surgeries – because they are subsided by the Muslim Council of Britain.

Mr Vaiya said: "It is a mandatory visa requirement for all those travelling to the Hajj to have a meningococcal vaccination.

"The visitor density, crowded conditions and the low humidity of the dry season puts pilgrims at particular risk of meningococcal infection.

"As a registered partner clinic of the Muslim Council of Britain, we are offering the vaccine as well as a certificate for a subsidised price of £30.

"We will also be giving advice on staying healthy during the Hajj."

Hajj is a major pilgrimage which is considered compulsory for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.

Zuffar Haq, a spokesman for the Leicester Mercury Patients' Panel, said: "People should know that they can shop around for these travel vaccinations which are needed for many countries, particularly in these financial times, and that GPs no longer have a monopoly on this issue."

City GP Professor Azhar Farooqi, chairman of the Leicester City clinical commissioning group, which will take on responsibility for running city health services in April, said: "Prices do a vary a lot between GP practices.

"In my own, East Leicester Medical Practice, we used to charge £70 but have recently reduced this to £30. A lot of our patients wanted the vaccinations and we wanted to make sure they didn't go without."

Dr Shuja Shafi, deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain and chairman of its health and food standards committee, has welcomed the move.

He said: "Several years ago, our survey showed a wide variation in the cost that Hajj and Umrah pilgrims incurred in obtaining the meningitis vaccine.

"The advent of the Department of Health preferred vaccine provided an opportunity to negotiate on behalf of the community an all-inclusive, cost-effective vaccination programme with the manufacturers.

"More than 1,250 pharmacists and GP practices across the country have chosen to participate in this programme."

MUSLIMS ARE NOT OFFENDED BY CELEBRATIONS OF OTHER RELIGIONS

This article, first published in 2006, has been doing the rounds recently, mainly in the Twitterverse. It was written by Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra (in photo above), Chairman of the Muslim Council of Britain's Inter Faith Relations Committee. Regular readers of this blog and those who know me personally or professionally will know that my admiration and respect for Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra know no bounds. He is one of the leading lights of inter faith work in this country and farther afield. There can be few people dedicated to fostering good inter faith relations in the UK who have not shared a platform, a microphone or a cup of tea with him. He was a regular and reliable source of advice and guidance to me when I was writing the introductory leaflets on Muslims in my early days working for Leicester Council of Faiths. He is based at Masjid Umar in Evington Road and was a member of our Council of Faiths for several years,but had to resign recently to dedicate his time and effort more to the national (and international) scene. Our paths don't cross often enough these days for my liking and I'm glad to put my blog to good use by giving him a platform for his compassionate, good-humoured, rational and tolerant views. This article has been lifted from the Muslim Council of Britain website. 

Muslims are not offended by celebrations of other religions 

Muslims regard Judaism and Christianity as divine religions. Islam is a continuation and an extension of those great religions. In order to qualify as a Muslim, one has to believe in Moses (Musa) and Jesus (Isa) along with all the Biblical prophets, peace be upon them. Muslims have to believe in the Torah (Tawrat), the Psalms (Zabur) and the Gospel (Injil) although Muslim scholars do have some issues about the accuracy of a few parts of these scriptures. And although Islam declares that it is the way of life chosen by God for humanity and that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the final messenger of God, and that the Qur'an is the final message, the Qur'an affectionately refers to the followers of these previous scriptures as the People of the Book.

Muslims see these religious communities as cousins not only in faith but in ancestry also, through Abraham, that great pillar of monotheism. Islam encourages invitation (da`wah) to Islam though wisdom and good speech and through constructive and dignified dialogue. Muslims are not allowed to use force or coercion in order to convert others. Islam calls on Muslims to respect all human beings and all religions as they are. Muslims are not allowed to force Islam and its practices upon others in society. They are encouraged to set a good example, show alternatives to lifestyles and to be good role models and to refrain from and to declare their condemnation of all evil in society without inciting hatred for the perpetrators. 

So we Muslims are baffled when we read and hear that Christmas is being `banned' and replaced with something else because the organisers do not want to offend Muslims. Where do they get this idea from? Who told them that? Such actions lead to comments like, `It's those Muslims again. They always have a problem with everything we do. Why don't they just leave and go back to their own country?' A majority of British Muslims were born here. Where do we want them to go? Local authorities, organisations and businesses trying to avoid offending Muslims and trying to be politically correct actually cause more harm to cohesion and understanding. There is a need to stem the tide of such ill-thought-out decisions where ruling bodies try to 'second guess' the attitudes of the communities and seek to defuse conflicts before they have even been felt or arisen. To suggest that calling Christmas with its proper name and that Christmas decorations would offend Muslims is absurd. Why should Christmas not be celebrated openly and wholeheartedly in our country when a vast majority of people identify themselves as Christians. This country owes a lot to Christianity. Its moral values and ethical codes have been moulded by Christian teachings for centuries. In fact the whole planet has benefited from Christian teachings and continues to do so. Muslims would adopt all those values and moral codes without question or hesitation. Even if the Christian communities in our country were a minority, we would want Christmas to be celebrated because ours is a multi faith, multi cultural, pluralist and democratic country.

We have been calling on Christian friends for a long time now to reclaim Christmas from the commercialisation of it. We have been encouraging them to bring back the religious and spiritual richness of Christmas. Last year, a delegation of Christians and Muslims were in Brussels for a conference. For dinner we went to a restaurant in the centre of the city. I was thrilled to see that the nativity scene was re-enacted with life size figurines of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, the wise men, stables, straw and even live sheep! Why have I not seen this in Britain? It would be wonderful to show my children what the very special Jesus means to Christians and to discuss with them what he means to us and to learn the different beliefs we all hold. Merry Christmas to all Christians and whoever else chooses to celebrate it. 

By Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, Chairman, Inter Faith Relations Committee, Muslim Council of Britain

LEICESTER TO RECEIVE HOME OFFICE CASH TO TACKLE EXTREMISM

Here's an interseting article from today's Leicester Mercury. As has been mentioned previously on the blog, Leicester Council of Faiths has never been invited to participate directly in any activities related to the Prevent agenda, nor has it ever received any money from the funds available for that purpose.

Leicester to receive Home Office cash to tackle extremism

A Government anti-terrorism strategy has identified Leicester as a potential hotspot for extremism.

The city will now be eligible for a slice of the Home Office's £63 million-a-year Prevent fund to set up projects and schemes to counter extremism.

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "Prevent aims to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

"Our new strategy will challenge extremist ideology, help protect institutions from extremists and tackle the radicalisation of vulnerable people.

"Above all, it will tackle the threat from home-grown terrorism."

The original Prevent strategy was set up in the wake of the July 7, 2005, London bombings.

However, the Government said it had been ineffective and wasteful and that some of the cash had ended up in the hands of extremists.

Under the new scheme, Leicester City Council will have to appoint a dedicated Prevent co-ordinator, funded by the Home Office.

The co-ordinator will have to set out "clear, focused activities" and councils will have to set up a partnership, involving police, children's services and other agencies.

It could run projects working with schools, universities or community groups to identify and support individuals at risk of radicalisation or promoting mainstream leaders in communities so that moderate voices are heard.

Suleman Nagdi, of the Leicester Federation of Muslim Organisations, welcomed the strategy but said he was concerned it was just aimed at Muslims.

He said: "Violent extremism is an unfortunate phenomenon that is a feature of various groups and any counter-terrorism measures need to take this into consideration.

"In failing to acknowledge the presence of violent extremism in other communities and presenting it as an Islamic phenomenon, the Government has wantonly ignored the threat posed to the security of the UK from other groups.

"This is particularly pertinent as we have seen people from the far-right charged and convicted for acts of terrorism.

"By singling out one group so starkly, the Government may have risked alienating further, people who feel that they are on the margins of society.

'The federation remains committed to remaining at the forefront in the war against violent extremism in all its guises."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "I have no doubt we will be able to use the money to promote community cohesion, though we are all a bit wary about money that is targeted at one section of the community."

Leicester Council of Faiths chairman Manjula Sood said: "We are lucky in Leicester that we have harmonious relations but we cannot be complacent.

"Extremists target the young and the vulnerable. I hope some of this money will help young people get jobs and stability so they are not tempted down the wrong path."

Muslims crave freedom just as Westerners do

Here's the Bishop of Leicester's "First Person" column from the Leicester Mercury today, in which he comments on the political upheavals in North Africa and Middle East. This has been tweeted by the Muslim Council of Britain, which will have brought it to the attention of a wider audience and different constituency.

Muslims crave freedom just as Westerners do

The Bishop of Leicester reflects on the dramatic events unfolding in Libya

All of us have been watching events unfold in North Africa and the Middle East. We are living through a key period of history. But the full consequences and significance of what is happening still cannot be properly understood. But meanwhile, observing these events from Western Europe, it seems to me that it is worth asking ourselves a number of significant questions.

First, what do these events tell us about some of our assumptions about Muslim countries? Are we discovering that the citizens of Islamic societies are not so different from ourselves, wanting the freedoms and liberties and rights and opportunities that we are used to enjoying in our own country? And does this begin to shift some of our stereotypes of Islamic countries? Can we see them as much more similar in their desires for fundamental freedoms to our own country?

Secondly, what is all this revealing to us about how politics works in the age of social networking and freedom of communication? The capacity to communicate quickly with citizens across the country is beginning to mobilise people who have been under the heel of dictatorships for generations. Surely this is something that those of us who espouse Western democratic values should warmly applaud. What we are seeing on the streets of Tripoli and Benghazi, just as we did in Cairo a few weeks ago, are not fundamentalist Muslims clamouring for Sharia Law, but citizens who seek the freedom to voice their opinions and change their societies in very much the same way as we do.

Thirdly, this may be a moment for us to think again about what we mean by "Western values". We may have become accustomed to thinking that Western liberal democracies are in some ways superior to other countries. Even that we have a responsibility to impose Western democratic values on countries which have, as yet, not discovered them for themselves. These established patterns of thinking are now changing before our eyes. We cannot know what the world will look like when this dramatic "domino effect" has finally reached its conclusion. We are seeing change taking place through the will of the people expressed collectively even at risk to life and limb.

That is an inspiring vision for all of us. As a Christian I believe we should be praying for those who are risking their lives for change at the moment. And perhaps we should be praying too that we will have the wisdom to see and to understand the meaning of the changes that are happening and to support a vision of a more peaceful and just world.

Bishop Tim (photo above) is Patron of Leicester Council of Faiths.

Read this article on the Mercury website, along with reader comments:
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Muslims-crave-freedom-just-Westerners/article-3270161-detail/article.html

2009's TOP 10: No 1

Holocaust Memorial Day, University of Leicester, Fraser Noble Hall, London Road, Leicester, Tuesday 27 January 2009

Like the Faiths Trail coach tour round some of the city's places of worship (see number 5 in this list of my top ten for 2009), Holocaust Memorial Day has become one of the signature events organised each year by Leicester Council of Faiths. This local commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day is arranged in association with the Schools Development Support Agency, the Stanley Burton Centre for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Leicester and Leicester City Council).

The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day this year was Stand Up to Hatred. There was a three-member panel: Dr Martin Stern, a member of the Leicester Hebrew Congregation who had been taken into a Nazi concentration camp at the age of five (along with his one-year old sister) and whose story had been published in the Leicester Mercury over the previous week; a lady from the British Traveller community, who wished to be known by her first name only (Lil); and Suleman Nagdi, founder member of the Muslim Burial Council of Leicestershire (MBCOL) and Public Relations Officer for the Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO) - an infrastructure support body that works with more than 750 Muslim groups in the city and county.

The Muslim Council of Britain had advised Muslims throughout the country to abstain from supporting National Holocaust Memorial day this year as a way of registering their protest at the situation in Gaza. I can't say whether this was universally observed all over Britain. I can say that in light of this national advice, the FMO held an urgent meeting and voted that they should support the events in Leicester and Leicestershire. Abdul Kareem Gheewala, Chair of the FMO, was in attendance at this commemoration of HMD. Suleman Nagdi was asked to speak on the panel at Fraser Noble Hall at just half an hour's notice. I'm not going to try and report or paraphrase what Suleman said when he got the chance to speak. If it's a failure on the writer's part to say, "You had to be there" then on this occasion I'll happily hold my hands up and say, okay, I fail - this time. Usually I take copious notes at such events, but my Moleskine notebook stayed shut on this occasion. Anyone reading this will be aware that Leicester likes to think of itself as somewhere special, somewhere exceptional. It's at moments like this that I believe it.

I asked some of the folk I know from Network for Change to come with me to this event. People whom we'd now describe as having mental health problems were also taken to the camps - and Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates all those who have been (or still are) victims of persecution.

It's a guiding principle of Leicester Council of Faiths that it tends to the religious, spiritual and cultural life of the city. While it expresses sympathy with those who are suffering around the world, for whatever reason and from whatever cause, it doesn't take sides. This evening was a magnificent display of solidarity among the city's faith communities. I'm sure that Suleman would have received a standing ovation at the end of his impromptu speech - were it not for the fact that many of those attending were probably a bit too old and frail to stand.

Read my blog entries for Holocaust Memorial Day 2010, "The Legacy of Hope" and Holocaust Memorial Day 2011, "Untold Stories".

INTER FAITH WEEK 2009: DAY 1

It's also day one for for our exhibition at Highcross, for Leicester Council of Faiths' new website – and for this blog of course!

To BBC Radio Leicester early this chilly, misty Sunday morning, to appear live on John Florance's show, just after 0800. I'm one of three being interviewed, the others being Noel Singh (Policy Officer, Leicestershire County Council) and Shayk Ibrahim Moghra (Chair of the Muslim Council of Britain's Interfaith Committee, amongst other positions). Ibrahim will be speaking mostly about Islam Awareness Week (when I arrive at the studio, Ibrahim is already in another soundproof booth, doing an interview on that subject with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire). Noel has been coordinating NIFW events throughout the city and county, publicising them through leaflets and posters and the County Council's website.

John introduces me live as someone rejoicing "in the title of 'Quality and Diversity Officer' for Leicester Council of Faiths". I don't know what a "Quality" officer would do in the context of that organisation (or any organisation, for that matter), but I like the sound of it too much to correct him on air. Each of us is given the opportunity to respond to three questions. I speak mostly about the exhibition in Highcross, Noel about what's going on in the wider scene around the city and county, while Ibrahim gets the harder questions about differences and divisions among and between religions - which he handles adroitly and diplomatically of course. I get a chance to plug our conference at Leicester College this coming Wednesday and then it's over. We leave the studio at 0830, shake hands, wish each other good luck with our respective activities for the rest of the week and go our separate ways for now. John Florance has posted about National Inter Faith Week and its celebration in Leicester. My content on that web page is not from the radio interview, but from a written statement I'd sent in to the station (at their request) a few days earlier.

Soon after, on to Highcross, to unload our exhibition material, put up our banners and display our wares in the Lower West Mall. First of all, we go to the Welcome Centre, to get all the stuff into Clare's little car. Amazingly, it all fits, but we've left behind the map of how to find "Service Area C". Once that's located and we get the material inside Highcross through the back door. Harry and Gracie are there to help, and do their best to pitch in, despite the greater attractions of the "Nintendo House" nearby.

We're a bit behind schedule, but have the whole thing up around 1130. I think itt's rather beautiful in its simplicity and adaptability. While I'm not officially on the rota today, it's hard to pull myself away. Julie-Ann Heath, Gursharan Thandi and Amanda Fitton are there virtually all day, till Highcross shuts at 1700. They do a great job together, of course, but I hover around the display – when I can drag the kids out of that Nintendo House, that is. They play Wii Sports and Super Mario Bros while I get my "brain age" checked. It's 71, apparently. The woman there tells me not to be upset about it, as most people "my age" come out around the mid-80s. Somehow, I feel neither relieved nor reassured by that.

We've provided a "reflective journal" for volunteers, in which they can record their thoughts and feelings about working with the exhibition, interacting with visitors, the reactions of those visiting etc. Excerpts from this journal will appear throughout the blog for this week, which will open it out with more than just my impressions.