BBC RADIO LEICESTER, THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: RAMADAN

This morning I'm in the studio at BBC Radio Leicester, to record a Thought for the Day with John Florance. This one's for broadcast on Jonathan Lampon's breakfast show, Monday 8 July - and here's how it sounded on the day:

JL: It's time for Thought for the Day, which comes today from George Ballentyne, a local Bahá'í.

GMB: Good morning

If you were to make a list of things that religious people do, fasting would be one of the first that comes to mind.

Fasting has always been one of the central practices of people who have religious beliefs – and this remains so in the modern world. Fasting is taken seriously by people of faith everywhere. 

Of the eight member religions represented on Leicester Council of Faiths, for example, seven have distinctive periods and methods of fasting at some time during their own calendar year.

On any given day, a sizeable number of people in Leicester and beyond will be fasting for religious reasons. Others will be fasting for different purposes: under medical instruction, as an aid to losing weight, or so that they can detox. And, sad to say in this day and age, more and more people find themselves going without food against their will, because of difficult personal or social circumstances.

Muslims everywhere will begin fasting tomorrow for the month of Ramadan – more than 60,000 people in Leicester, almost one in five of our city’s population.

For Muslim listeners, I hope you have a good fasting period, that the experience helps affirm and strengthen your faith identity for this month and the rest of the year.

For those of us who aren’t Muslim ourselves, but have Muslim friends, colleagues, co-workers or neighbours, why not ask them why they fast during Ramadan? Hopefully that should help us see fasting as part of a shared life experience – and that may come as a pleasant surprise.

JL: Thought for the Day there, which came from George Ballentyne, a local Bahá'í

I thought (without checking on it) that I was doing this with my Council of Faiths hat on. If I'd known I was going out on air as "a local Bahá'í" I'd have spoken about the commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Báb, that takes place on Tuesday 9 July. Still, it's perfectly in keeping with the Leicester way to have a Bahá'í comment on Ramadan - and have no one remark on it!

CITY WELCOMING REST OF THE WORLD

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

City welcoming rest of the world

by David Owen

Nearly a quarter of all people living in the East Midlands who were born abroad reside in Leicester, according to new study.

Not only do 24.7 per cent of the region's foreign-born residents live in the city, but Leicester also has the highest number – 100,843.

The city also saw the largest numerical growth in the migrant population – 46,283 additional non-UK born residents – in a 10-year period.

It follows a study of the migrant population in England and Wales by Oxford University's Migration Observatory, based on its analysis of 2011 Census figures compared with the previous Census in 2001.

The research is the most comprehensive carried out on the city's migrant population.

It reveals that Leicester's migrant population has increased by 71.7 per cent – from 64,560 to 110,843 in 10 years.

The data reveals that of the 329,839 people living in Leicester – the East Midlands' largest city – in 2011, 33.6 per cent were not born in the UK, the highest proportion of any place in the region.

Dr Carlos Vargas-Silva, the senior researcher leading the Census project, said: "Reports produced by the Office for National Statistics often only provide information about broad immigration trends in the country.

"The purpose of our study was to give people a clearer idea of what is happening as far as immigration is concerned where they live."

Residents born in India represent the most numerous non-UK-born group in Leicester (37,224 residents, 34 per cent of Leicester's foreign-born), followed by residents born in Kenya (7,118; 3.3 per cent); Poland (6,417; 2.9 per cent); Pakistan (3,534; 1.6 per cent), and Zimbabwe (3,377; 1.5 per cent).

Of the proportional change in foreign-born residents since 2001, Poland represents the biggest increase (1,111 per cent; 530 to 6,417), followed by China (728 per cent; 290 to 2,401); Iran (508 per cent; 111 to 675); Zimbabwe (270 per cent; 913 to 3,377, and Nigeria (269 per cent; 307 to 1,133).

Dr Vargas-Silva said: "Leicester is interesting in many ways. We expected it to be an important destination for immigrants to the country, but what we found is it is also much more diverse than most other areas. People come to Leicester from all over the world."

He said the type of immigration was also interesting.

"You have networking migration, which is people who have family, friends and relatives already living in an area, and also areas with high student populations and people looking for work. But while some places like Vauxhall, in London, have high migrant populations due to students, and Boston, Lincolnshire, with a large migrant workforce, Leicester scores high on all counts."

LEICESTER "FREE SCHOOL" PRAISED

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Head Sally Hughes with, from left, Diya Mistry, Myleen Mander, Neha Kancherla, Malwina Fudala & Abhay Keshwala 

Leicester "free school" praised

by Fiona Dryden, Education Correspondent

The first of the Government's "free" schools to open in the city has been given a good Ofsted report.

The visit was the first by inspectors from the education watchdog to Krishna Avanti Primary, in Evington, which opened two years ago.

Inspectors said pupils made good progress from their starting points, teaching was good and Krishna Avanti had a warm and caring environment which made good provision to support pupils' strong spiritual development.

Interim head teacher Sally Hughes, who took over from outgoing principal Christopher Spall when he left just before Easter, said: "It's fantastic news. The inspection was rigorous, but the outcome was just as we expected, showing that we know exactly what level we're operating at and what we need to do to become outstanding. It's well within reach."

Free schools can be started by charities, parents or teachers. They are outside local authority control, but are paid for by the state.

The report said pupils' behaviour was outstanding and they were "highly motivated learners who were kind, considerate, and caring" towards one another.

They said that staff used innovative IT to bring learning to life and this supported children well.

In addition, they praised the quality of teaching in the Early Years Foundation stage for being "outstanding".

They said that classrooms and their displays were vibrant and learning was "well-organised".

Mrs Hughes was also praised for settling in so quickly and rapidly winning the confidence of parents and staff.

They said she had an "accurate overview" of the school's performance.

She said: "The report is a true reflection of what we're doing here and highlights many of our strengths.

"I think the school's ethos of tolerance and respect shone through during the inspection. It's evident in our pupils' eagerness to learn and enthusiasm to be here.

"We have some outstanding teachers and have employed two more, along with four extra teaching assistants who start in September to accommodate our growing numbers."

The school will have 165 pupils in the new academic year and will be at planned capacity.

Mrs Hughes said: "We're a school that embraces all cultures and that was highlighted in the report through our pupils' spiritual, moral, and cultural development."

Pradip Gajjar, chair of governors, said: "We've done exceptionally well in our first report and we know what we need to do to be even better. The school is oversubscribed for September and that speaks volumes for the confidence of parents in what we're doing.

"We feel very proud of what's already been achieved."

To improve even further, inspectors said that teachers should be more confident to adapt activities.

FIRST PERSON: DIVERSITY HAS ENRICHED CITY AND I'M PROUD TO LIVE HERE

Allan Hayes has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Diversity has enriched city and I'm proud to live here

Allan Hayes on the different religions in Leicester and why education is so important

It's time to tell people that we in Leicester, religious and non-religious, are one in humanity and that we are enriched by our diversity. We are fortunate in being able to say this from experience, from living together, from walking around, from travelling on the bus – we know what we are talking about.

I vividly remember arriving back from the United States to be greeted at Leicester station by a tall turbaned Sikh taxi driver with a "hello my friend, how do you like my new taxi?" and suddenly thinking, "I'm home".

A great deal is going into building this feeling of belonging.

Others will be able to add much more, but let me look back a little.

An Imam telling a group of us what Islam means to him and expressing his concern that Muslims should not isolate themselves; the launch of a book by a Jewish Quaker, proud of his Jewish heritage, and at the same time critical of Israeli policy towards Palestinians and seeking a just peace; a talk on the influence of Indian thoughts on Western thinking; an inside line, via my wife, to a campaign to stop the deportation of an asylum seeker mounted by Leicester City of Sanctuary (a great example of cooperation); an e-mail from a Sikh friend telling me that the Pope had said atheists like me might earn salvation through good works.

At the top of my concerns, however, is education: it can do so much to bring us together but it can also promote division.

Please, let us bring up our children together, let us bring them up knowing one another; learning to appreciate the long journey that we humans have taken together and that the human family includes us all: Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, humanist, atheist, whatever.

There is increasing realisation of the importance of this issue.

I have been pursuing it for a long time, recently at meetings in London and in Birmingham and on the web.

It will be taking up a lot of my time and effort in the coming year.

Recently, I told a humanist group in rural Dorset about how we do things in Leicester – I spoke with pride.

Allan Hayes is a board member of Leicester Secular Society

IS CULTURE LIMITED TO JUST ONE AREA?

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury (but not on its website):

Is culture limited to just one area?

Any place that designates one small area as a Cultural Quarter does not deserve the title City of Culture, since it implies that culture does not exist anywhere else.

John Cotton, Leicester

FEDERATION BACKS ABUSE PRISON TERMS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Federation backs abuse prison terms

The Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO) has welcomed lengthy sentences imposed on seven men for their part in the sexual exploitation of children in Oxford.

FMO Spokesperson Suleman Nagdi said: "This is a truly awful and appalling case and it is a relief that the perpetrators of this heinous crime have been brought to justice."

He said: "The physical, mental and psychological abuse of children is totally abhorrent and must be condemned whenever and wherever it occurs.

"All communities, irrespective of faith, hold dear the value of children as a great blessing, which must always be protected and cherished.

"Any individual, or group, which commits any act of abuse against children must be condemned and brought to justice."

He said an important part of the FMO's work was Madrassah Safeguarding Project, run with the local authority, police and the NSPCC, to safeguard children in supplementary schools.

PREMIER BOOST FOR CULTURE BID

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Premier boost for culture bid

by Alan Thompson

The UK premiere of a film shot in Belgrave will take place in the city in September – giving a boost to Leicester's City of Culture bid.

Jadoo, which was filmed on the Golden Mile in March last year, was given its international premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.

Now, the colourful comedy, which tells the story of two brothers who open competing restaurants in Belgrave Road after they each inherit half of their mother's recipes, is coming to the city.

Its director, Amit Gupta, was born above the Chaat House restaurant, in Belgrave Road.

Still owned by his family, it appeared in the film, along with Exotica, a restaurant further up the street.

People and businesses who were filmed – including Leicester East MP Keith Vaz – will get the chance to see themselves on the big screen at an as yet unnamed, cinema in the city – unless they've hit the cut ting room floor! Rajesh Pabari, owner of Shiva Shakri Foods, in MacDonald Road, off Belgrave Road, whose shop was used for a scene, said: "They spent about half a day filming a scene about the brothers buying ingredients.It will be interesting to see it, I'm looking forward to it."

Mr Vaz, who plays himself judging which of the brothers cooked the best food, said: "I actually haven't seen it yet but I am very much looking forward to it coming out.

"It was great fun filming and I hope people will go to see it and enjoy Leicester on the big screen."

Mr Vaz has been invited to a private screening of the film when it comes out in September. City assistant mayor and Belgrave ward councillor Manjula Sood said:"I think this will be a great boost for Leicester's city of culture bid.

"It will raise Leicester's profile and put the city on the map"I've known Amit, who directed the film, since he was a little boy, born and brought up in Leicester, so I'm very proud.

"The producers have asked me if it would be possible to banners up across Belgrave Road and I am going to speak to the council's festivals and events team. Jadoo's Associate producer, Farhana Bula, said: "We wanted to be able to tie in the UK premiere with Leicester's bid to become City of Culture.

"The exact date and venue are to be finalized."

SUN SHINES ON AN INDIAN SUMMER TO ENTICE CROWD OF 8,000

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Deevani Jina, Mansi Vithlani and Prianka Lakhani

Sun shines on An Indian Summer to entice crowd of 8,000

ABOUT 8,000 people visited a cultural festival of dance, cooking, entertainment and everything Indian in the city centre.

An Indian Summer Festival was held in Leicester's Cultural Quarter at the weekend.

There were stalls selling everything from food to clothing and jewellery, as well as dancing and tuk-tuk rides.

Visitor Pushpa Solanki, 54, of Evington, Leicester, said: "I only got to see half of it, but it was fantastic. It was very well organised.

"I liked the involvement of everybody from different communities. The tuk-tuk brought back memories of when I go to India – it's a form of transport I enjoy."

Festival director Bipin Anand said: "It was an absolutely awesome weekend! People were commenting on what a fantastic vibe there was and many said that the festival was so different from anything they had ever experienced in Leicester.

"When we started An Indian Summer more than two years ago we had a vision in mind on what we wanted the festival to be like, this year is the closest we have come to achieving that vision.

"Next year's festival will be bigger, better and take us even closer to achieving our initial vision."

The estimated 8,000 festival visitors over the weekend was well up on last year's 3,500.

FIRST PERSON: WE MUST AVOID STEREOTYPES AND RAISE AWARENESS

Suleman Nagdi has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

We must avoid stereotypes and raise awareness

A root and branch review of how we tackle child abuse is needed, says Suleman Nagdi

It is tragic that in this modern society, which promotes the rights of so many individuals, groups and communities, we have collectively failed to protect the rights of innocent and vulnerable children from such sadistic individuals representing a mindless minority, which has carried out the most despicable and abhorrent of acts against these youngsters.

Child abuse in all its guises has no place in this society.

The physical, mental and psychological abuse of children is totally abhorrent and must be condemned whenever and wherever it occurs.

All communities, irrespective of faith, hold dear the value of children as a great blessing which must always be protected.

Any individual or group that commits any act of abuse against children must be condemned and brought to justice under the full weight of the law.

In our commitment to eradicate child abuse we must strive to avoid the sweeping generalisations and stereotyping that can become apparent in attributing culpability to one community or another as being synonymous with the perpetrators of exploitation and abuse.

We have seen a number of cases recently where television personalities and media presenters have been convicted of abuse and exploitation as a result of the trust placed in these individuals by the general public, highlighting the notion that this is not a crime that is unique to one group or community.

We must also recognise there are individuals in society who are shaped by a range of social and psychological factors affecting their personality which causes these individuals to commit mindless criminal acts, including the abuse of children.

While these individuals must be brought to justice we must avoid associating their actions with certain religions, faiths and communities. Such an approach is counter productive and ignores the significant work done by the vast majority to promote the safeguarding of children.

The responsibility of tackling child exploitation and abuse does not lie with one group, or one public body or one institution.

This is a problem that affects every community therefore we need to work together to rid society of this evil. We need to raise awareness of this in our schools so our children do not feel they cannot speak about this.

As parents, we have a fundamental role in protecting our children but we must also be mindful of other vulnerable children who may not have the same protection.

We must work with the authorities and police so these crimes can be better reported and the rightful actions are taken. Our faith and non-faith institutions have a role to play so that this issue is discussed and debated openly and a consensus on tackling this problem is agreed. Ultimately, there needs to be a root-and-branch review of how we as a society should tackle and eradicate this heinous crime.

Suleman Nagdi is chairman of Leicestershire Faith Forum

YOUNGSTERS STEP OUT TO HELP CENTRE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Dhamesvari Kathrani and Dhani Gajjar, both six

Youngsters step out to help centre

Youngsters dressed as Hindu gods walked, skipped and scooted around the city's Town Hall Square on Saturday.

The money from their sponsored walk will help pay for the renovation of the former HSBC Bank in Granby Street, bought by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) group.

The children made their way around the block 11 times, in a symbolic gesture of circling a place of pilgrimage.

The route began at the building's Granby Street entrance, up Bishop Street, by Town Hall Square, down Horsefair Street, and back to the entrance on Granby Street.

Temple President Pradyumna Das said: "It's lovely to see children and their parents come together to make their own valuable contribution to this very important project.

"The centre will not only help educate them, but is a great facility for their future. The site is perfect as a community hub."

The money raised will help transform the grade II*-listed heritage property, considered a jewel of Victorian architecture.