BIFFY (2)

I meet up with our visitors from Blackpool Inter-Faith Forum for Youth (BIFFY) at the Jain Centre this morning. We are received with courtesy and kindness (as is always the case there) and given a tour of the Centre by Satesh. Our visitors know next to nothing about Jainism and have many questions, that Satesh answers eloquently. We spend about 90 minutes here then it's time for them to head back to the hotel and return to Blackpool. When I take my leave of the group, they're kind enough to give me a few gifts (some lovely candles, a box of fudge) as well as leaving me a copy of a DVD they've produced, entitled "Dare to be Different". I've enjoyed playing host to them. It's a pity they're not staying a little longer, as I'm sure they'd enjoy the event at Beauchamp College later today.

BIFFY (1)

Playing host today to a visit from members of BIFFY (Blackpool Inter-Faith Forum for Youth). This is a group of a dozen girls (aged 12-15) with three support workers, who've been active in Blackpool for the past few years, raising awareness of different faiths, challenging prejudice and embracing diversity. They've been given some funding for a weekend away and they've chosen to come to Leicester! Anna Elgee, in charge of the group, phoned me about a week ago and asked if I could organise some visits and activities for them while they're here.

The group arrives by train early afternoon; I meet them at the Premier Inn at 1430 and lead them down into the city centre. Our first stop is at the Dark Side cafe, in Cank Street, a popular spot with some of Leicester's Pagans, Wiccans, Goths and Emos. I ask Lucie Belikova, the manager there, to say a little bit to the group about who uses the place and what goes on there. They've recently renovated the cellar, which they're intending to use for writing events, live music and so on, so we nip downstairs for a quick look.

Next we pop into the Cathedral, where the pledge to stand together against extremism, signed by followers of different faiths (and those who follow none) is on display.

Then, to the Nagarjuna Buddhist Centre, where they are treated to a drink and some cake, as well as a short meditation session and talk from Chogma, Education Officer at the Centre. During a brief Q&A, Chogma says that the day she put her hair-straighteners in the bin was the greatest moment of liberation she'd felt in her life.

From there, we head out to Belgrave Road. The girls want to buy saris, jewellery and other Indian regalia. The evening concludes with a meal together in Sokani's vegetarian restaurant.

students are told to stay away from city protests

Here's how today's Leicester Mercury reported the event in the Cathedral yesterday morning. It's included as part of a general roundup of developments in relation to upcoming events on 9 October.

Students are told to stay away from city protests 

By Ciaran Fagan, Social Affairs Correspondent

Efforts to encourage people to stay away from next week's protest by the English Defence League are being stepped up.

Schools are asking students to steer clear of the Leicester city centre protest next Saturday and a counter demonstration.

The same message is coming from youth groups and other community organisations.

Instead, people are being asked to support a peace vigil the night before the protest and a "celebration" of the city's diversity the day after.

On the day, there will also be more than 1,000 police officers and disruption to public transport. The exact times have yet to be set.

The authorities have warned some roads could be closed and the bus and railway stations could busier than normal.

Leaflets handed to shoppers today also repeat the plea for people to not join the protests.

Daytime shows at Curve have also been cancelled.

Two performances of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, and the matinee show of The Red Shoes and Hot Stuff are affected.

Evening performances will go ahead as scheduled.

The Home Office is still considering a request for the EDL to be barred from marching through the city centre.

However, the group cannot be prevented from holding static demonstrations.

Both groups have agreed to rally in Humberstone Gate East, between Charles Street and the inner ring road.

The police and council expect the protests, which will be separated, to cause disruption.

Some shops and businesses in Humberstone Gate East are expected to close for the day.

Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon said: "Our aim is to allow the protesters their democratic right to demonstrate while trying to keep disruption to a minimum."

Council chief executive Sheila Lock said: "Our aim of leafleting exactly one week prior to the protest is that we will capture those people regularly in the city centre on a Saturday – shoppers, workers and people who meet with friends – providing them with an idea of what to expect on the day. They can then decide for themselves whether they want to come into the city centre that afternoon or delay their visit."

The council has written to head teachers to ask them to discourage students from taking part. Head teachers will be visited by police next week.

People can sign a declaration condemning the protest by the EDL at Leicester Cathedral.

Bishop Tim Stevens said: "They have a right to their view but they do not have a right to set us against each other."

The Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organisations is urging people to take part in the peace vigil on Friday and the celebration on Sunday.

The Indian Workers Association's Leicestershire branch is holding a public meeting about the issue at 2.30pm tomorrow. at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara, in East Park Road, Leicester.

In the photo, Mr Karta Singh Sandhu, of Guru Amar Das Gurdwara, signs the pledge as the Bishop of Leicester looks on. Photo from website of Leicester Mercury (and yes, the quality really is terrible!)

Leicester Speaks (4)

After the gathering at the Cathedral, it's off to the Adult Education College, Wellington Street, for the steering group for Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). Our group today consists of Bipin Anand (TouchRainbow Productions), Parmjit Basra (Project Officer, Leicester Adult Adult Skills and Learning Service - LASALS), Max Boden (Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce), Peter Bradley (Speakers' Corner Trust), Chris Minter (Head of Service, LASALS). Parmjit and Chris had been at the event in the Cathedral immediately prior to this meeting, so I didn't have to make too big an excuse about being late.

A single-sheet flyer has been printed and we all take a clutch of them for distribution (the City Council's internal distribution service will get them out to libraries, community centres and their other offices throughout Leicester).

We discuss the ongoing expansion of the website, the Big Launch from a stage in Humberstone Gate on Monday 11 October, use of the mobile Speakers' Corner, the role of the Joint Chairs and - most significantly - the best way to follow up on the week-long event. We talk about holding something like "Leicester Listens" some 4-6 weeks later.

Find out more about Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week):
http://www.leicesterspeaks.org/

sign the pledge

An invitation to Leicester Cathedral this morning, for the public signing and launch of a pledge that the city’s faith communities stand together in the face of the controversial demonstration by the English Defence League (EDL) a week tomorrow. Originating with the Faiths Leaders Forum, which is chaired by the Bishop of Leicester, the pledge will be available in the Cathedral over the coming week for people of all faiths (and of none) to come in and sign. The text of the pledge is as follows:

We, leaders and members of faith communities in Leicester, value highly the diversity of the city and the contribution different communities make to the wellbeing and quality of life in our city. We condemn all who seek to divide and sow seeds of distrust between our communities. In particular we condemn, in the strongest terms, the activities of the English Defence League, directed against out Muslim brothers and sisters. We also affirm that the EDL’s use of the Christian religion to support their perspective is a blasphemous misinterpretation of the Christian Gospel.

We fully endorse the words spoken by Her Majesty the Queen in welcoming Pope Benedict on his state visit:

“Your Holiness, in recent times you have said that ‘religions can never become vehicles of hatred, that never by invoking the name of God can evil and violence be justified. Today, in this country, we stand united in that conviction. We hold that freedom to worship is at the core of our tolerant and democratic society.

We will work with all people of goodwill to encourage mutual respect, valuing the dignity of every person and we encourage all citizens of Leicester to do the same.

There's a higher degree of media presence here today than I've seen at any inter-faith event in Leicester: BBC radio and TV and the Leicester Mercury are here to cover it.

Six of the eight member communities of Leicester Council of Faiths have people here to sign the pledge. I'm the only Bahá'í here, so I sign the pledge on behalf of the Leicester community. This is the first occasion on which I've identified myself as such, after more than three years in this post. But these are special times.

In the photo: representatives of the city's Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish communities with the Bishop of Leicester, outside the Cathedral this morning.

Flash! (Ah-ah!)

At the Pavilion in Victoria Park this evening, with some Muslim friends for a flashmob meal. This is a follow-up to the Flashmob Iftar, three of which were held recently on this same spot during Ramadan. Iftar is the collective meal breaking the fast each evening during that holy month for Muslims. Despite my good intentions, I never made it to any of those, so I'm glad to have got to this one.

There are about two dozen people here, a mix of young Muslims and some other people who don't normally have the chance for a decent feed. Not all of the food that's been brought to the event is eaten here. Some is transported to local hostels for the homeless.

This series of events, coordinated and publicised mostly through Facebook, is the kind of thing I'd like to feature in the panel I'll be presenting for Amplified Leicester in March next year on "Amplified Communities of Faith and/or Belief".

I meet (for the first time) Yasmin Surti, whom my friend Sughra Ahmed (also here) has recommended as the Muslim participant in the Council of Faiths dialogue sessions during Local Democracy Week (AKA Leicester Speaks). We get a few minutes to go over what's expected to happen at that meeting, at which Yasmin will be in dialogue with someone representing the Jain community. Their topic will be "What our community brings to Leicester". I'm confident she'll make a very good contribution.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS FAIR AT LEICESTER UNIVERSITY

At the University of Leicester this afternoon, for its International Student Fair. This is being held in the new O2 Academy in the Percy Gee Building (at the Students' Union). Julie-Ann Heath, from the University's International Chaplaincy, has asked me to bring all nine banners in our exhibition.

In terms of our reason for being here, we're sort of piggybacking on to the Chaplaincy's display, but in terms of the visuals, our banners rather dominate things. But they are not overwhelming, which I feared was the case when we used the whole exhibition at the Leicestershire Cares event at the start of this month (see blog entry, Thursday 2 September). In fact, the banners look bloomin' lovely here today!

As well as providing information about the diverse faith communities in Leicester, we're offering a more personal service today, by helping students newly arrived in the city to find an appropriate community with which to become involved. I've brought with me our list of places of worship in Leicester and it helps us find the right places for a score or so students from abroad. As well as those looking for the right church, gurdwarara, mandir or mosque, there's one student who is hoping to make contact with any local Pagans. She's sure I won't be able to help her but I'm delighted to be able to point her in the direction of the Dark Side cafe on Cank Street, where she'll be able to meet all the Pagans and Wiccans she could want. Mustn't forget to mention that there are also a (smaller) number of students asking how they might contact local Buddhist or Jain communities.

Some of the folk from the Chaplaincy are so impressed with the Council of Faiths display that they ask if I can bring it back on Monday, for the start of Freshers' Fair. I'd gladly do that, but Julie-Ann isn't sure there will be room this time to accommodate everything. She'll figure it out and let me know by Monday morning.

CHIEF CONSTABLE'S INTER-CULTURAL RECEPTION

To the HQ of Leicestershire Constabulary this evening, for the annual Chief Constable's Inter-Cultural Reception. We've a new Chief Constable this year, Simon Cole, and as soon as I arrive, I can see he's doing things differently. My first thought would be to say that this year, there's more police and less reception, but that would be unfair. A considerable number of displays have been set up for we guests, illustrating and explaining many aspects of the work of the Police. That's new - and welcome too. I pass round these, stopping for a chat at a few of them, before having longer conversations with Yassin Desai (of the Association of Muslim Police) and Amarjit Singh Sanghera (of the Association of Sikh Police -photo above).

After the Chief Constable welcomes everyone with a short speech, Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths, Cllr Manjula Sood, responds.

This is the fourth time I've attended this function. While our hosts may be a little more sparing on the hospitality this year (as befits the financial climate) tonight's event is all the more vital because of the approaching demonstration by the English Defence League (EDL) and counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) which will be held in the city on Saturday 9 October. What have certainly been fine words in the past (in terms of relations between the Police and the faith/cultural communities) are now being more directly expressed in action.

stay away from protest, urge city's faith leaders

Here's how today's Leicester Mercury reports the Faiths Leaders Forum meeting which took place last night at Bishop's Lodge, in the context of ongoing overall preparations for Saturday 9 October:

Stay away from protest, urge city's faith leaders
by Ciaran Fagan, Social Affairs Correspondent

A united call has gone out urging people to stay away from protests by the English Defence League and its opponents.

Police, Leicester City Council and faith leaders, including the Federation of Muslim Organisations, hope to minimise the potential for public disorder when the English Defence League (EDL) stages a protest on Saturday, October 9.

Groups opposed to the EDL, including Leicester Unite Against Fascism, are planning counter protests.

Together, it is thought, the demonstrations could attract several thousand people.

A peace vigil is being planned for the Friday night before the protest, while a "celebration" of the city is being lined up for the Sunday.

However, police and council officials have stressed the city centre will be open for business on the day.

The timings and location of the protests have not been agreed yet.

Leicestershire's chief constable Simon Cole and the city council have asked the Home Secretary to ban all marches on the day.

The authorities are powerless to prevent static protests. Instead, they are only able to impose conditions on the location, size and duration of static demonstrations.

Deputy chief constable Gordon Fraser said: "We would like people to not take part on Saturday and to join the festivities on Friday and Sunday.

"Our advice is to not be tempted to come into the city centre on that day to take part in these events."

Sheila Lock, chief executive of Leicester City Council, said: "If people want to protest about what the EDL stands for, we would ask them to make their protest on the Friday or the Sunday.

"On occasions like this people can get caught up in events in a way they wouldn't if they had time to reflect.

"We have spoken to the retailers and, by and large, it will be business as usual.

"We are waiting to hear from the Home Secretary. Even if we get the ban on the march, we do not have powers to ban a static protest."

Faith leaders last night spelled out their opposition to the EDL.

In a joint statement, leaders of the city's Faith Leaders Forum, whose members include the Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Jewish faiths as well as others, said: "We condemn all who seek to divide and sow the seeds of distrust between our communities.

"In particular, we condemn, in the strongest terms, the activities of the English Defence League."

The Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organisations, which represents almost 200 mosques and community groups, also urged people to stay away.

Spokesman Suleman Nagdi said: "Our strong advice is that people stay away from the EDL protest and any counter demonstration and rallies that may take place.

"We believe any counter protest will only serve to undermine the image of Muslims as a law-abiding and peaceful people.

"We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from Muslim communities in other parts of the country.

"We in Leicester appreciate this greatly but would urge our fellow brothers and sisters from around the UK not to travel to Leicester and participate in any counter demonstrations."

Councillor Manjula Sood, Chair of the Council of Faiths, takes objection to the way in which the Mercury doesn't name all the faith communities involved. So do I.

I note with interest the following comment beneath this story on the Mercury's website: "The comments facility has been turned off on this story as a minority of posters have been abusing the facility."

19 Day Feast

I'm with my local Bahá'í friends this evening, celebrating the 19 Day Feast at the home of Aramesh Mahboubi in Rushey Mead.

Minou Cortazzi, stalwart of the Leicester Bahá'í community and former Chair of the Council of Faiths, joins the meeting late, having attended the Faith Leaders Forum earlier in the evening. This meeting, convened by the Bishop of Leicester, focused on the issue of the demonstrations next month by the English Defence League (EDL) and Unite Against Fascism (UAF). Minou talks to us about the meeting, what was decided and what is to be done.

In the devotional part of the Feast (which comes at the start of the meeting), I'm asked to read aloud an extract from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh that strike me as being appropriate to the mood that many are feeling at the close approach of these demonstrations in Leicester:

Say: O people of God! Beware lest the powers of the earth alarm you, or the might of the nations weaken you, or the tumult of the people of discord deter you, or the exponents of earthly glory sadden you. Be ye as a mountain in the Cause of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Unconstrained.