OPEN-AIR PRAYER MEETING FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS

While I was involved in the “Leicester on the Map” consultation yesterday, the Council of Faiths was holding an open-air prayer meeting for the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. Here’s how it was reported on BBC Leicester's website:

Prayers were given in Leicester on Wednesday 3 February 2010 for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Organised by Leicester Council of Faiths, the event aimed to raise awareness of Haiti's continuing struggle to recover.

Representatives from the Bahá'í, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities, gathered in Town Hall Square for the midday prayers.

A collection also took place, to raise funds for the earthquake appeal.

Chair of the Council of Faiths and Deputy Lord Mayor, Manjula Sood highlighted the ongoing issues affecting the people of Haiti and the scale of the natural disaster.

"It was very important for all of us to come together today and to show our solidarity, because Leicester people are very generous.

"When it comes to devastation or suffering they will always come together."

Vice Chair of the Council of Faiths and representative of the Orthodox Jewish community, Tony Nelson agreed that it is crucial Haiti is not forgotten.

"This has been a terrible disaster and it's very easy to say, 'Oh, it's a nine day wonder', but it certainly isn't.

"One only has to look at the television to see the pictures of the ongoing suffering that is still going on and we feel for our fellow human beings."

He continued, "I think raising the awareness so that people from their daily lives here can reflect and consider these terrible things that are happening in other parts of the world is a good thing."

Lord Mayor Cllr Roger Blackmore, who introduced the proceedings, said he thought it was "wonderful" that the city's faith groups had come together for an important cause.

"I've found that very moving and I'm very pleased to have been part of that."

He added that the day was also a chance to think of the people, such as fire-fighters, from Leicester who were directly aiding relief in Haiti.

It is not just direct action that can help the victims of the earthquake.

Sikh representative Resham Singh Sandhu wanted to give a message to the people of Leicestershire;

"This is the best cause or donation anybody could give to those who are really in need."

WRONG TO BLAME WRATHFUL GOD FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE

Manzoor Moghal has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Wrong to blame wrathful God for Haiti earthquake

Incorrect conceptions of the deity inhibit some faiths from explaining natural disasters, says Manzoor Moghal

In the aftermath of the massive Haiti earthquake, people of some faiths have been asking how a loving God could allow the tragic deaths of human beings on such a gargantuan scale, with many of the victims being innocent children. These people, who are confused by this obvious contradiction, ask further as to how could an omnipotent and omniscient God permit such mayhem and misery?

Leaders of these faiths have thrown up their hands as they can offer no explanation and have suggested that the Creator works in mysterious ways which they cannot comprehend. The failure to explain such a heart-wrenching event lies in the mistaken belief that there is a personal God who loves all human beings equally, and that He personally observes and dictates all their actions.

Some other faith leaders ascribe such phenomena to the wrath of God visiting upon a sinful people. They justify the Haiti earthquake on the grounds that the people of Haiti have been punished by a wrathful God for their voodoo practices and devil worship. This argument is also seriously flawed, as it, too, believes in a personal and revengeful God waiting to strike them down for their sins.

If we move away from these concepts and take a dispassionate and scientific view of the world phenomena, we would arrive at more sensible and plausible explanations of such natural calamities. The earth and the rest of our world function according to universal natural laws set into motion by some Supreme Being, whom we call God. In this creation everything is automated and flows continuously, maintaining a natural equilibrium in accordance with these immutable laws. As we know, the earth moves on tectonic plates and it breathes through various volcanic outlets, spewing out molten lava which comes out from its core.

Because of their knowledge, scientists know the seismic locations of the earth, and have drawn up maps indicating places of earthquake activity like Haiti. In many places there are obvious cracks in the earth's surface, like the cracks in California visible to the naked eye.

The earth has a self-regulating and self-correcting mechanism as part of the creation, which gives rise to physical upheavals of different magnitudes at different times, resulting in earthquakes and other natural disasters. Those who live in the proximity of these vulnerable areas are likely to suffer more destruction than those who live away from them. All this happens in accordance with the laws of science, and has nothing to do with the concept of an unfeeling or revengeful God. The Creator also does not interfere in the lives of human beings whom he has given free will to lead their own lives, and therefore it is naïve to expect that He would be looking down from the heavens upon individuals to mould their lives one way or the other.

One of the greatest gifts we have from our Creator is the ability to be logical, and in understanding all natural events we have to apply this yardstick to judge what have been seen as incomprehensible mysteries.

Manzoor Moghal is chairman of the Muslim Forum

PRAYERS SAID IN LEICESTER FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Prayers said in Leicester for Haiti earthquake survivors

Religious leaders gathered in the city centre to conduct a public prayer for survivors of the earthquake in Haiti.

All of the city's major religions joined in to show support for victims of the humanitarian disaster.

They said it was important to show solidarity at a time of crisis.

Prayers were said outside Leicester Town Hall yesterday lunchtime, after which a collection was held to raise money for the Disaster Emergency Committee's Haiti appeal.

The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens, read a prayer prepared by the Church of England.

Speaking beforehand, he said: "The world understands the scale of the tragedy that has hit Haiti.

"In recent days it has gone off the headlines. We feel a responsibility to pray for Haiti and keep it in people's minds. The faith communities of Leicester represent a global crossroads – global events always touch us here."

The Lord Mayor of Leicester, Councillor Roger Blackmore, joined religious leaders from the Hindu, Islam, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, Bahai and Jain faiths who also led prayers.

They were observed by a small crowd of well-wishers.

Ramanbhai Barber, president of the Shree Sanatan Mandir Hindu temple in Belgrave, Leicester, said: "Prayer is important to give strength to those people in Haiti. By all the faiths joining together we can give more strength and keep raising awareness."

The collective prayer was organised by Leicester Council of Faiths.

Chairwoman Councillor Manjula Sood said: "Leicester people are very generous and have always come together to help in times of suffering.

"This devastating disaster has touched everybody's hearts and when things like this happen our prayers and thoughts go out to those people. It is important that people of all faiths show solidarity."

The quality of the photos on the Mercury's website really does leave a lot to be desired though. They look alright in the paper.

The "First Person" column in in the same edition of the Mercury is entitled "Wrong to blame wrathful God for Haiti earthquake", by Manzoor Moghal, Chair of The Muslim Forum and long-standing member of Leicester Council of Faiths.

Leicester on the map

To a lunchtime meeting convened by Ben Ravilious, whom I've got to know through our attendance at CreativeCoffee Club. The topic is the establishment of "Leicester on the Map", a project to promote the good name of Leicester - but with a few novel twists. I'm a few minutes late in arrving and the discussion has already started by the time I take my place at the table. Around the table there are a dozen or so people, including a few I know and would expect (or rather, would hope) to see at a meeting of this kind: Sarah Harrison, City Centre Director; John Coster from Citizens' Eye among them.

From a certain point of view, this is a legacy arising from Amplified Leicester. In keeping with that project, Leicester on the Map would make extensive use of social media - a Facebook page, use of a hash tag on twitter etc. Many of us who are present today bring an extensive address book of contacts and our own networks. I get to speak a little about the Council of Faiths venturing into the realm of social media for the first time and how our positive experience might bode well for this new enterprise.

This is not be another "One Leicester" or another "Big It Up", not a campaign sponsored by any official agency. The idea is that it should be more of a popular movement, a groundswell from the bottom up - and not something led by any individual or identifiable collection of individuals.

BASIS advisory group @ VAL

At Voluntary Action Leicester this morning, for the second meeting of their BASIS advisory group. REDP is a BASIS grant holder and it's part of our terms of receving that gant that we should establish and maintain good working relations with other BASIS grant holders in the region - and VAL is just across the road after all. So I'm here representing REDP, but also on behalf of Leicester Council of Faiths, who may well be one of the infrastructure support bodies that will benefit from VAL's programme.

CENTURIES OF HISTORY WILL END WITH LEICESTER CHURCH'S CLOSURE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

 

Centuries of history will end with Leicester church's closure

Nearly 1,000 years of history is to end with the closure of an 11th century church.

Within weeks, the doors of St Peter's Church, in Belgrave, will be bolted shut.

Nearby St Gabriel's Church, on Kerrysdale Avenue, will also close after the Church of England upheld the proposal to decommission the buildings.

Worshippers yesterday said they felt devastated.

A public consultation prompted 135 letters of protest at the plans, most concerning the closure of St Peter's.

At a meeting on Monday at the Church of England's London headquarters, the Diocese of Leicester was given permission to go ahead with the closures.

A spokesman for the Church Commissioners, responsible for church assets, said they "concluded that the parish only needs one church building".

St Alban's Church will be the only church serving Belgrave.

Ian Bewley-Parker, 71, has worshipped at St Peter's Church for most of his life. He used to be church warden.

"I'm devastated," he said.

"I couldn't say right now whether I will go to St Alban's once St Peter's closes."

St Peter's Church is a Grade II listed building that has been traced back to 1082.

Stuart Bailey, chairman of Leicester Civic Society, said the closure was "extremely short-sighted and destructive".

The Diocese of Leicester said it could not afford to keep three churches open in Belgrave.

If there is no appeal, the churches will be closed after Easter.

Did you worship at St Peter's? Did your parents get married there – or did you? We'd love to hear your stories of the church and if you have pictures then we would like to see them. Contact Simon Ward on 0116 222 4262 or: sward@leicestermercury.co.uk

REDP, EDP monthly meetings

At the LGBT Centre, Wellington Street, for the regular meeting of the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP), followed by the Equality and Diversity Partnership (EDP) which meets after lunch. These meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month, usually at the Leicestershire Centre for Integraterd Living (LCIL). This is the first meeting I've attended which we've held at another venue. I'd not been beyond the reception area on the ground floor of the LGBT Centre before today. I must say, I'm rather envious of the layout, the facilities and the open, airy space. But when I tell Ian this, he responds by saying tha the whole place is about to be gutted, redecorated and kitted out with new fixtures and fittings. I wouldn't mind some of their old stuff!

Oh and if you don't know the difference between REDP and EDP, then read on - all (well, some) will be revealed ...

Things don't get off to the greatest of starts for me this morning, when I fail to get to the Centre in time for the start of the meeting. I've been suffering under a heavy cold for the past few days and it was at its worst last night and I didn't get to bed until very late, which led to me oversleeping this morning. I arrived in time to join in a debriefing on the three REDP Involvement Events that we've held in Nottingham, Oakham and Leasingham. I'm still impressed by how constructive, positive and supportive our little group is. More than two years I've been involved in this partnership and in that time I've never witnessed an argument or heard a harsh word used by any member against another. We still have five of these Involvement Events to go, in Loughborough (Tue 9 Feb), Retford (Thu 11 Feb), Derby (Tue 16 Feb), Northampton (Thu 25 Feb) and Leiceester (Thu 4 Mar). On the back of what's happened in this project so far, we've been asked to make presentations to a regional event at an as yet undecided date in March and to a national event for the English Regions Equalities Network (EREN) in London on 3 March. This last one will be done by Laura Horton (Project Manager for REDP), Ian Robson (Director of the LGBT Centre) and me.

In the afternoon, we have a meeting of the Equality and Diversity Partnership, at which we welcome representatives of Age Concern, Leicester City Council, Leicester City NHS and Leicestershire Constabulary. We receive a strong and useful presentation on the city's domestic violence strategy - an issue that cuts across all the equality strands and on which we can all collaborate.

So, what's the distinction between EDP and REDP? Basically, the Equality and Diversity Partnership is the vehicle by which we offer our services in/to the city. The Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership is the vehicle by which we do the same for the whole of the East Midlands. That should be good enough to be getting on with.

Find out more about the Leicester LGBT Centre:
http://www.llgbc.com/

WHAT DO LEICESTER'S MUSLIM WOMEN THINK OF THE FACE VEIL, OR NIQAB?

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

What do Leicester's Muslim women think of the face veil, or niqab?

Black for Monday. Black for Tuesday. Black for Wednesday. And so it goes on. A clothes rail filled with almost identical, same colour, shapeless, top-to-toe outfits, writes Adam Wakelin.

You might not think it would take Noorjahan Khonat long to pluck one from a hanger, but it nearly always does.

The daily whims and tiny agonies of what to wear don't stop at the wardrobe door of a devout Muslim.

Noorjahan has her favourites, the ones that make her feel good.

Only someone who didn't understand would think they all looked the same. That's part of the problem.

It can still give her a jolt, just how much fury those baggy black clothes and head scarves can provoke.

"I've had boys come up to me in town and try to tear them off," she says "They call me ninja and laugh, like it's funny.

"I try to talk to the younger ones, but some of the bigger boys can make you really frightened."

Noorjahan wears a face veil, a niqab.

For some, that makes the 42-year-old from Highfields the ultimate faceless victim.

Not just to those boys, but to the French government and a growing clamour of critics over here who would like to follow France's lead by banning the burka and the niqab from public places.

It is a curious coalition; an unlikely alliance of well-meaning liberals and none-too-clever closet racists.

As of last week, in the words of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, the veil was "not welcome" in a country which values sexual equality.

If he gets his way, niqab and burka wearers will be refused access to things such as schools, hospitals and buses.

The liberal justification for this is that the veil is more than just an item of clothing.

It is a symbol of male repression; a backward garment that has no place in modern society, something from the dark ages that reduces women to the status of a formless, faceless non-person.

That might be true for some, but not of Noorjahan, she insists.

She says she wears the veil because she wants to wear the veil, not because someone has forced her to. Funny, thoughtful, and tirelessly talkative, she doesn't give the impression of a downtrodden little woman.

"I wear it because it gives me independence," says Noorjahan.

"No-one can judge me on my looks or my figure.

"I feel more free. I don't get stared at with dirty eyes. If people like me, they like me for who I am inside, as a person. That, to me, is liberating.

"And besides, I like the colour black!" she giggles. "So that's a bonus.

"Sometimes people make fun of you or pull at your clothes. That doesn't make you feel good, but I try to make them understand."

Noorjahan adopted the veil after she got married and had started having children. It has been 18 years now.

Her husband didn't force her into it, she says. It was her decision, something she feels has brought her closer to God.

"It's hard to explain in English", says Noorjahan, fumbling for the right words, "but it makes me feel like a better person. I don't swear or give bad advice or think bad thoughts. It's like sitting on a prince's throne. You have to behave properly.

"Nothing feels more comfortable than wearing my clothes and my veil.

"If I don't wear the veil, I feel naked. It doesn't feel good at all. I feel frightened. I don't feel as though God is protecting me."

It is a strange thing for something so apparently anti-fashion, but the anonymous black silhouette of the burka and niqab has become a status symbol.

A sports star pulls on a pair of expensively-endorsed Nikes, a Tory politician dons an electric blue suit, and the Muslim woman who has to be seen as holier than thou draws a veil over her face.

So says Parvin Ali, a Muslim chaplain, member of the Prime Minister's National Muslim Women's Advisory Group, and board member for business support and enterprise for the East Midlands Development Agency.

The veil has become dangerous and divisive, believes Parvin.

"People see those who wear the niqab as the ultimate practitioners of their faith," she says.

"Creeping elitism is coming in. There is a differentiation. People who don't wear the veil are seen as not such good Muslims, or as strong in their faith. It is almost like there is a hierarchy, and that is very damaging."

Parvin, who lives in Leicester, does not wear a veil or a head scarf. She prays five times a day and she faithfully follows the scriptures of the Qur'an.

Nowhere in that holy book, stresses Parvin, does it state that Muslim women must cover their heads. Many of the most eminent Islamic scholars now decry the veil, she claims.

Preserving one's "modesty", something that is mentioned, should be left up to the individual, based on their personal convictions and faith.

"The veil should be a matter of personal choice," she says. "I have concerns that it's not, particularly in Leicester. Young people are being pushed down a certain road without being given the full information. They feel compelled to wear it by their family, sections of their community or their mosque.

"A lot of women feel isolated, not just from non-Muslim communities but Muslims as well. It is polarising communities."

The rise and rise of the veil is making Leicester more like Dewsbury and Blackburn, she argues, northern towns which have fractured along religious and racial lines.

"I had someone ring me up from Birmingham," says Parvin. "She told me her husband wanted her to move to Leicester because more people were wearing the niqab here.

"What an awful reason to move to Leicester," she sighs. "I said, 'Please don't move to Leicester wearing the niqab. We've got quite enough already'!"

Parvin is not in favour of the state trying to ban burkas or niqabs, but she does believe there is a time and a place for them – doctors, nurses, teachers and others in the public sector should not be allowed to do their jobs behind a veil.

"Nurses should not be allowed to wear a veil," she says. "It is wrong to bend over to that extent to accommodate a minority of individuals.

"A lot of patients don't feel that comfortable interacting with people they can't see.

"If people feel that strongly about wearing a veil they should be in another profession, or do it in a private capacity.

"People may have lots of piercings. That's fine on a personal level. You don't condemn them, but there's a host of reasons why they shouldn't be allowed in a hospital. That's the way I feel about the niqab."

mindfulness (3)

At Christchurch, Clarendon Park Road this evening for the third session in the course on "Mindfulness" offered by Christians Aware. Leading the session is Ian Grayling (backed up by his colleague, Kevin Commons) from the city's Serene Reflection Meditation Group. Our topic this time is "Listening". We begin with a guided meditation, helping us recognise the difference between being tense and being relaxed. We finish up with quiet listening and consider if the room is really silent when no one is speaking. It's not, of course, but it's interesting how many different sounds people can hear, either outside (the clock on the wall ticking, flourescent lights humming, traffic in the distance) or inside (their own heartbeat, the rush of blood in the ears, the effects of tinnitus).

From week one, we've been becoming familiar with the Mandarin Chinese symbol for the verb, "to listen". It includes the symbol not only for the ears (which we'd expect for listening) but also for the eyes, for undivided attention, for the heart and for the whole person. Listening requires more than just hearing. Tonight we practise some of the skills needed for using the ears and eyes in giving undivided attention - including dialogue, paraphrasing, open questions, empathy. These aren't anything new or startling of course, but the brief experience of practice in small groups tonight is instructive and worthwhile. Listening demonstrates respect; empathy demonstrates compassion; giving the speaker your undivided attention draws the heart into the process. We come to the conclusion that listening and getting it wrong is better than not listening and still getting it wrong!

It's a four mile round trip to Christchurch from my place, on foot. I enjoy the walk (even on a freezing cold evening like this one) and enjoy listening to Ian Dury on the way there. But after having done this session on listening, I find that I walk all the way back without benefit of iPod - not intentionally, but that's unsual for me to do three quarters of an hour in silence. I guess whatever we were doing had some kind of effect ...

infrastructure providers group (1)

At Voluntary Action Leicester this morning for a meeting of the Infrastructure Providers Group. This is meant to review and oversee plans for the support of infrastructure organisations in the city and county. But it seems that there's not a consensus about who these organisations are or what they do. Here's a good definition, from the Home Office in 2004, which describes infrastructure as, "the physical facilities, structures, system, relationships, people, knowledge and skills that exist to support and develop, co-ordinate, represent and promote frontline organisations thus enabling them to deliver their missions more effectively. Infrastructure organisations are those whose primary purpose is to provide infrastructure functions or services (support and development, co-ordination, representation and promotion) to frontline organisations." When visiting the various Voluntary Action centres, or community hubs, in the county and Rutland for REDP's Mainstreaming Equality project, many of them don't want to describe themselves in terms of infrastructure organisations, mostly because they're not being funded to do that sort of work. But they seem happier to be known under the old-fashioned term, "umbrella organisations". A new alternative appears to be "Support Services". I guess one of those will do.