INTER FAITH WEEK 2012, DAY 8: HIGHCROSS EXHIBITION

Seventh and final day of our week-long exhibition in Highcross for Inter Faith Week. It might be a wee bit confusing that it's day seven of our exhibition on day eight of Inter Faith Week - a "week" lasting ten days in all, from Sunday 18 to Tuesday 27 November. Just hang in there - it's almost over!

Due to an administrative error, three people turn up for the first shift (1100-1300) but none for the second (1300-1500). Revd David Clark (former Assistant Secretary of Leicester Council of Faiths, photo below) phones me to let me know this, just as Tony Nelson and Yasmin Surti leave after doing two hours together on the display. I've no issue about having an extra person on the exhibition on Sunday morning, which would surely be on of the busiest periods of the week. But under no conditions could we leave our display unattended.

Since David started his stint late this morning, he's happy to wait until I can get there, meaning there's no time at which it's left unattended. I hadn't planned to be at the exhibition today until right at the end, to pack it all away at 1700. This is particularly so as the kids are with me this weekend and I'd had them at the display for a couple of hours yesterday. However, I've no option but to call a cab, bundle Harry, Gracie and her school friend Ellie into the back of it and hightail it to Highcross. We arrive shortly before 1400, in time to relieve David.

Shortly before 1500 I'm joined by Kash Bhayani, whom I met on the Holi Yatra Walk in March this year. Kash had pencilled himself in for several shots on the exhibition earlier in the week, but for one reason or another, he'd had to cancel each one of them. I'm glad he gets to join in near the end.

Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby, pays an unexpected visit to our exhibition shortly around 1530. He's able to stay and chat for a quarter of an hour or so. In the photo above, he's adding his own contribution to the collection of thoughts and feelings left by visitors and volunteers throughout the week (with Kash on the right of the picture). In the photo below, he's hanging his label on the tree. What did the Mayor write? Ah, that would be telling, faithful reader ...

For an hour or so this afternoon, we’re joined by Ambrose Musiyiwa, who takes several photos which he has posted on Facebook under the guise of Civic Leicester. Some of his photos are used in this blog post; others are sprinkled throughout these reports about our exhibition in Highcross during Inter Faith Week.

Here are some of the dreams, hopes, prayers and wishes that were written on the labels and hung on the little white tree on this final day:

I love multicultural city

Change is the law of nature but human values of love, respect, care, non-violence shouldn't change

May we all be forgiven our transgressions by the God we believe in

Be honest and kind and helpful to others

I wish to be truly able to see the God in everyone 

I want people to know the abundance they have - Kash

"Recognise the human race as one" - Guru Gobind Singh, Sikh Prophet

Health and happiness for 2013

Two young Muslim fellows turn up bang on 1700, tell me that they'd heard about the exhibition, had been looking for it and want to volunteer fronting it for a couple of hours. I take their details and tell them I'll be in touch in time for next year.

Within 20 minutes everything's packed and being trundled back toward the Welcome Centre. Thanks to Harry, Gracie and Ellie for lending a hand right at the end.

INTER FAITH WEEK 2012, DAY 7: JON ASHWORTH MP VISITS HIGHCROSS EXHIBITION

Sixth day of our week-long exhibition in Highcross for Inter Faith Week. Jon Ashworth MP (Labour, Leicester South) makes a scheduled a visit to the exhibition at 1400.

I'd been contacted by Jon's office before the start of Inter Faith Week in response to my invitation and asked to gather together a few members of different faith communities with whom Jon could chat for half an hour or so. Friends from the Bahá'í, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities respond to the invitation and turn out to meet him.

Jon made a similar visit to our Highcross exhibition during Inter Faith Week last year (see blog post, 26 November 2011). We're glad that he continues to show his public support in this way. He speaks in a supportive and sympathetic manner to those attending, and his words are well received. Since he speaks about the going importance, relevance and significance of the Council of Faiths to the city and people of Leicester in these troubled times, I decide to take the bull by the horns and talk to him about our crisis of funding. I think he's shocked to hear how precarious our situation is right now and offers his assistance in whatever way he can to help us navigate our way through our current peril. I'll be making sure we take him up on that!

Shortly after his visit, Jon tweets (along with the photo at the top of this blog post) to his more than 5,200 followers:

Just dropped by the Leicester Inter faith week stall in Highcross. Good to see lots of interest

The photo at the top of this blog post shows Jon hanging his label on the tree - which is getting pretty crowded by this point. Next to him is Cllr Manjula Sood, Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths, also together in the photo above.

You can see how Jon's visit is written up on  his own website. Between three of us - Jon, Radhika Madhani (his PA) and me - we put together a press release for the Leicester Mercury, sent it to their newsdesk ahead of time and asked for a photographer to cover Jon's visit to the exhibition today, but they didn't bite.

Saturday is a very busy day in Highcross, as you can imagine. Thanks to those who covered the bases today: Yasmin Surti (0900-1100); Mohamed Esat, Allan Hayes (1100-1300); Nimesh Bhogotia, Karandeep Singh (1300-1500); Jasdeep Singh Lamaar, Sukhwinder Kaur - in photo above (1500-1700); Manjula Sood (1700-1900). Harry and Grace do their bit too (photo below).

Today one of the members of the Council of Faiths asks which of the Jewish communities in Leicester I belong to: the Orthodox or the Progressive. Another recently expressed the assumption that I'm Catholic. I've also been asked if I'm a Jain. I wonder what I might be doing that leads them to their conclusions? Given my role with the Council of Faiths, I'd consider it inappropriate to foreground my personal faith. That would be improper, since I'm employed to serve the Council of Faiths as a whole and each of its member communities equally. On the one hand, I've never denied or hidden what I am, or done any kind of dissembling about my own beliefs. On the other hand, I believe I'd be abusing my position if I did any kind of special pleading for my own faith or the community I belong to. I'm not surprised that some members of the Council of Faiths don't know what religion I am - and that's alright.

Here's a selection from the dreams, hopes, prayers and wishes left by visitors and volunteers on the branches of our little white tree today:

Peeps have peace all around the world

I wish for a Ferrari

Violence is not the answer!

I pray other faiths can understand each other

Love from Notts! A, R, D

Smile and th world will smile with you xxx

May there be peace in the world. May ever you be fulfilled [sic]

I wish for a 50CC go-kart

Let's have a good Xmas and celebrate as one - LNP

I just want to thank ou the pepol who help us

Make love no war [sic]

Let's continue to celebrate our diversity and cherish our common humanity - Jon Ashworth MP

LEICESTER MAYOR SIR PETER SOULSBY: "LET'S RESOLVE SCOUT HUT ROW"

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby: "Let's resolve scout hut row"

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby says he hopes to resolve a long-running row over the lease of a former Scout hut before Christmas.

For months, some residents of Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, have been protesting against Muslim community group As-Salaam's plans to take over the disused building in Nursery Road.

They have been gathering outside a nearby community centre used on a daily basis by worshippers from As-Salaam.

A residents' group, The Forgotten Estates, said it would like the building to be open to the wider community, not just Muslims.The Scout hut is on council-owned land.

A debate was held at the Town Hall on Thursday, triggered by the submission of a 1,500-signature petition against As-Salaam's plans.

Mohammed Lockhat, spokesman for As-Salaam, said: "I would urge you to finalise the lease with As-Salaam as a matter of urgency as your delay only serves to increase tensions within the community."

Mr Lockhat told the council As-Salaam members were regularly harassed and intimidated by the protesters.

He handed over a 3,700-name petition supporting the group's takeover of the Scout hut.

However, it was not formally accepted as it only carried certain details of the signatories.

As-Salaam said people were too afraid to add their full details.

Sir Peter said: "I do hope this can be brought to a speedy solution.

"I would hope that it will be resolved before Christmas."

He acknowledged the difficulty of the situation and thanked the representative of both As-Salaam and The Forgotten Estates for taking part in discussions with him.

A proposed package has been drawn up, though details have only been released to interested parties.

Forgotten Estates spokeswoman Maxine Williams, of the Stirrup Cup pub, said the group's committee did not condone the intimidation of As-Salaam members.

She said after the meeting: "I can understand how they feel.

"It can be intimidating but any protest like this will attract a certain element. We want the protests to be peaceful and amicable."

She said the group had been raising money and was now in a position to take over the Scout hut lease.

It would aim to use it for a boxing club, dance groups and as a gym.

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (1,999)

Regular update on the number of pageviews received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.

1. United States 645
2. United Kingdom 517
3. Russia 347
4. France 123
5. Germany 98
6. Ukraine 82
7. Spain 57
8. India 51
9. Poland 47
10. Netherlands 32

This week's total: 1,999 (last week: 2,016). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's analytics doesn't show the numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country and they don’t show the cumulative total including those additional countries, which is undoubtedly larger than the number shown above.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time". They're updated each time I look at them.

INTER FAITH WEEK 2012, DAY 6: HIGHCROSS EXHIBITION

Fifth day of our week-long exhibition in Highcross for Inter Faith Week.

First on duty today are Anne Fishenden (member of Leicester Quakers and Chair of Leicester SACRE - Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) and Michelle Benn (from Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation). This is Anne's second go this week; she was also here on Monday, the first day of the exhibition. Michelle took part in our exhibition two years ago and I'm glad that she's been able to join in again this time. She's going to be part of a multi-faith panel in the next session of the Christians Aware / Faith Awareness course on the Beatitudes at Christchurch, Clarendon Park, this coming Monday evening. We get the chance to chat for a few minutes about that (which is good, as I'm slated to be chairing that session).

After Anne and Michelle, we have Allan Hayes (from Leicester Secular Society) Janette MacDonald (Secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Leicester). Like Anne (above), Allan has done a couple of hours already, on Monday.

  

Following Allan and Janette, from 1400 to 1600: Tony Nelson (of Leicester Hebrew Congregation and Treasurer of Leicester Council of Faiths) and Rashmi Vyas (of Leicestershire Brahma Samaj). It's clearly a day for repeat business, as Rashmi was here for a couple of hours yesterday.

And as if to prove that point, Deirdre O'Sullivan, Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Leicester School's of Archaeology and Ancient History (which produced the Mapping Faith and Place in Leicester and the Leicester Faith Trail), is back after her earlier stint on Monday afternoon. Unfortunately, due to an administrative mix-up, she's one of the few volunteers this week who ends up doing a session on her own (1600-1800). But she can take it - she's a veteran now (she did a couple of sessions last year too).

Julie Ann Heath (from Leicester Cathedral) and Jasdeep Singh Lamar (of Leicestershire Sikh Alliance) cover the last shift of the day (1800-2000).

A selection of the messages hung on our tree today by visitors and volunteers:

I don't necessarily believe in God ... but I have faith in ONE LOVE

I wish for self-fulfilment

May all beings be happy and free from suffering

Thank you for all religions - Iona age 9

I hope that racism stops #saynotoracism

Wish all the people lots of love from the angels

RIP Tommy and Harry xxx

World peace

Better year than 2012

God bless everyone at Christmas

Thanks to Ambrose Musiyiwa for the pictures top and bottom of this post - and for many more photos from our Inter Faith Week exhibition which he has posted on Facebook under the guise of Civic Leicester.

SIKHS HOLD A DAY OF PRAYER

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Sikhs hold a day of prayer

A prayer day was celebrated by the Sikh chaplaincy at a hospital.

The prayers were said at Leicester General Hospital to commemorate the forthcoming Guru Nanak Dev Ji – birthday of the first Sikh guru – for the good health of all patients as well staff at the city's hospitals.

The event was organised by Sulakhan Singh Dard, volunteer Sikh chaplain at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

It was attended by representatives from Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Guru Amerdas Gurdwara, Ramgaria Gurdwara and other Sikhs from the hospitals' chaplaincy.

CHEF'S EXPERIENCE DESERVES SYMPATHY

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Chef's experience deserves sympathy

Having read the article ("Fury at star's comments on city muslims", November 16) regarding the comments made by Clarissa Dickson Wright about her experiences with certain members of the Muslim community in her latest book, I must admit that my sympathies in this case are with her.

Leicester does have a fair-sized Muslim community, as well as numerous other religious groups and foreign nationals, and as such, multi-culturalism has got to be the order of the day if people are to co-exist together in relative harmony.

This, however, does not mean that sexism and downright rudeness from either side of the divide is ever acceptable, regardless of religious tradition or the interpretation of such traditions made either in religious texts or simply handed down verbally from generation to generation.

Miss Dickson Wright points out in the article that none of the men would talk to her because to them she was an English female, and in their culture they do not talk to females they don't know.

In my experience, Leicester's Muslim community is just as helpful as any other when being asked for directions or aid, but then again I am a man and Miss Dickson Wright is a woman.

I must admit that if I had been treated with the same amount of apparent discourtesy and rudeness from virtually everyone I asked directions from, then I would not be afraid to say so, or who to point the finger of blame at.

Also, let us not forget that Miss Dickson Wright was born into a time in English culture when courtesy, respect and good manners ruled the day, and the term 'political correctness' had not yet replaced them.

In a multi-cultural society, exceptions to some traditional rules have to made, and a good rule of thumb surely has to be this: "To be courteous and helpful to any one in distress regardless of race, gender or any other social difference."

Rather than chastising Miss Dickson Wright for having the backbone to express her displeasure over such downright rudeness, surely it would be much better for representatives of the Muslim community to apologise for the behaviour of the small minority that she encountered, and to invite her to sample the excellent delights of Muslim culinary dishes with perhaps the hope that she may write yet another book extolling the tastes of a true multi-cultural tradition.

Alan R Pendragon, South Knighton

WOMEN BISHOPS DISCRIMINATION

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Women bishops discrimination

The much maligned Human Rights and Equality Acts ban among other things gender discrimination, so how does the General Synod of the Church of England, whose head is our Queen, justify its refusal to allow women bishops?

This glass ceiling is illegal and the CofE should be prosecuted.

This ludicrous ruling comes hard on the heels of the death of a 31-year-old pregnant woman in a Belfast hospital who was refused a life-saving abortion on, would you believe it, religious grounds.

I wonder if the doctors responsible for this poor woman's death sleep well at night and would they have made the same decision if one of their own children was in a similar predicament?

Truly, God works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.

Don Tallis, Wigston

PROTEST AT CURVE WAS A DISGRACE

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Protest at Curve was a disgrace

On the evening of November 16, I and some friends went to Curve theatre where a demonstration took place against a performance by a group of Israeli dancers.

The behaviour of the demonstrators was an utter disgrace, bringing disharmony to a city known for harmony.

Their shouts and chants were full of hate and anger. Even if they are right in their opinion that Israel is an apartheid state (a position I reject), how can that be the fault of a group of talented dancers simply seeking to earn a living and use their abilities around the world?

"Shame on you" was shouted at people going into the Curve. Shame on the demonstrators I say!

David Evans, Leicester

DAY OF ACTIVITIES HIGHLIGHTS CHOICES FOR DISABLED PEOPLE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Day of activities highlights choices for disabled people

Paralysed former rugby player Matt Hampson and disability minister Esther McVey joined more than 2,000 visitors at an event for disabled people.

They helped officially open the Choice Unlimited event at Leicester Tigers' Welford Road stadium on Wednesday to show what equipment and services are available.

It included displays of electric wheelchairs and vehicles, a Formula One racing car simulator and demonstrations for young people by the Leicester Cobras wheelchair basketball club.

Exhibitors representing employment, education, health and social care showed visitors the sort of services they could provide and a theatre area was set up for a speed networking session, workshops and a young person's question and answer time.

The event was organised by the Leicester Centre for Integrated Living and topics discussed included the Olympics and Paralympics.

In the photo above, left to right: Matt Hampson, Esther McVey, Steve Cooper (CEO of Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living)