General – Faith Matters https://www.faith-matters.org Working with Faith Communities Countering Extremism, Supporting Integration & Challenging Hatred. Founded by Fiyaz Mughal Thu, 13 Jan 2022 15:06:20 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://www.faith-matters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/favicon.png General – Faith Matters https://www.faith-matters.org 32 32 95725945 ‘Poland – Birmingham’ Facebook Page Shows that Some Poles Need to Curb Their Prejudice https://www.faith-matters.org/poland-birmingham-facebook-page-shows-that-some-poles-need-to-curb-their-prejudice/ Sun, 24 Jan 2016 12:01:57 +0000 https://tellmamauk.org/?p=7298 We have been notified of a Facebook page called ‘Poland – Birmingham‘ which highlights an area of growing concern for us. Over the last 4 years, we have not highlighted this issue since we have believed that a migrant community that has also suffered a great deal of prejudice and bigotry deserves support and no

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We have been notified of a Facebook page called ‘Poland – Birmingham‘ which highlights an area of growing concern for us.

Over the last 4 years, we have not highlighted this issue since we have believed that a migrant community that has also suffered a great deal of prejudice and bigotry deserves support and no further pressures or stigmatising. Indeed, we are aware of many organisations that have been tackling racism and prejudice, who have actively advocated against anti-Polish rhetoric and the xenophobic bigotry that this community suffered after the accession of Poland into the European Union. Many of these organisations were led by members of Black and Minority Ethnic communities who felt that this community was being unfairly treated.

However, we have to say that we are concerned by the anti-Muslim cases that we have received that have involved perpetrators who have migrated from Poland and from other Eastern European Accession States. Much of the anti-Muslim prejudice has been triggered because of alcohol, though the responses on the ‘Poland – Birmingham’ page are appalling. They show a need for some Poles to tone down their bigotry and their rhetoric and to realise that inclusion, integration and cohesion are fundamental planks of our country. This means that racism and prejudice should have no quarter in our country.

What is also of real concern is that these comments come from members of a community that suffered press headlines that were xenophobic and prejudiced when the accession of Poland took place and when a large number of Poles migrated to the United Kingdom for the purposes of work.

We are thereore highlighting this issue now so that it sparks debate and we hope, introspection by some members of the settled Polish community in our country. Anti-Muslim bigotry is just as bad as the anti-Polish rhetoric that many suffered. We need to collectively tackle prejudice, racism and bigotry, instead of turning against one another as communities.

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]]> 1733 Asian, Muslim and Hindu holidays added to school calendars in Howard County, Maryland https://www.faith-matters.org/asian-muslim-and-hindu-holidays-added-to-school-calendars-in-howard-county-maryland/ Thu, 21 Jan 2016 14:21:18 +0000 https://religiousreader.org/?p=1559 A Maryland county will allow Muslim and Hindu students a day off from school to celebrate Diwali and Eid al-Adha. The Howard County Board of Education faced a tough decision: to foster inclusion by removing all religious holidays from the academic calender; Or add extra days to include non-Abrahamic celebrations. A unanimous decision in favour of the latter will result in school closings or professional development days for staff in the 2016/17 academic year. The board also voted to allow staff to take a professional development day off for Lunar News Years Eve, after requests from the local Chinese and Korean communities. As it falls on a Saturday, students remain unaffected. Schools in the county have shut during Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  But a recent motion threatened to end this  tradition. It proved controversial enough to attract more than 300 people to a public hearing in December. State and federal laws prevent schools from closing on religious holidays (unless mandated otherwise). Adjusting academic calenders requires a secular reason. Baltimore County had recorded a large levels of absenteeism during these Jewish holidays. Art Abramson, Executive Director of Baltimore’s Jewish Council, welcomed changes to academic calenders on the [...]

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A Maryland county will allow Muslim and Hindu students a day off from school to celebrate Diwali and Eid al-Adha.

The Howard County Board of Education faced a tough decision: to foster inclusion by removing all religious holidays from the academic calender; Or add extra days to include non-Abrahamic celebrations.

A unanimous decision in favour of the latter will result in school closings or professional development days for staff in the 2016/17 academic year. The board also voted to allow staff to take a professional development day off for Lunar News Years Eve, after requests from the local Chinese and Korean communities. As it falls on a Saturday, students remain unaffected.

Schools in the county have shut during Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  But a recent motion threatened to end this  tradition. It proved controversial enough to attract more than 300 people to a public hearing in December.

State and federal laws prevent schools from closing on religious holidays (unless mandated otherwise). Adjusting academic calendars requires a secular reason. Baltimore County had recorded a large levels of absenteeism during these Jewish holidays.

Art Abramson, Executive Director of Baltimore’s Jewish Council, welcomed changes to academic calendars on the condition that students would avoid punishment if they took a day off for religious holidays. He had also noted how schools with large Jewish communities faced an added economic burden to open during holidays like Rosh Hashanah. So it required a discretionary approach for individual schools to open or close on such days. A point missing in Breitbart’s reporting.

This was the case when Anne Arundel County voted to keep schools open during Rosh Hashanah in the next academic year. A move that has not happened since 2003. Students could still celebrate the holiday with a day of absence, but staff could not take a day off.

Within this framework,  Howard County rejected this similar motion in favour of diversity.

The school system in the area does not count the religious affiliation of students, but it does for race. Howard County has 74 public schools that serve 51,366 students. Enrollment from black and Asian communities stands at 56 per cent. And the schools in Howard County have a greater diversity of students when compared to other parts of Missouri.

State-mandated holidays do fall on Christian holidays, like Christmas and Easter. Any decision to increase days off rests on the shoulders of local schools.

Last July, the Baltimore County Policy Review Committee recommended that schools not close during Eid. It did, however, stress that students and staff could take time off to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. In nearby Montgomery County, the school board voted to allow students and staff to take a day off for Eid al-Adha.

A private firm surveys communities to gauge the impact cultural and religious holidays have on absenteeism levels. This information could help bring greater diversity to the academic calender in 2017/18.

The 2017-2018 Academic Calendar Committee has already begun to meet. And it includes representatives from the Jewish Federation of Howard County, the Howard County Muslim Council, the Hindu community, and the Chinese American Parent Association.

Students will begin the 2016/17 academic year on August 29. It ends on June 13, 2017.

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]]> 1719 Why do people want Titanic priest Father Thomas Byles sainted? https://www.faith-matters.org/why-do-people-want-titanic-priest-father-thomas-byles-sainted/ Mon, 04 Jan 2016 13:14:00 +0000 https://religiousreader.org/?p=1544 A campaign to canonise a Catholic priest who stayed on the RMS Titanic instead of fleeing remains ongoing despite renewed interest in his story. The story of Father Thomas Byles and his acts of selflessness, however, deserves re-telling. Roussel Davids Byles was born in 1870 to a Protestant family in Leeds. His father, Reverend Dr. Alfred Holden Byles and mother Louisa Davids also had six other children. He excelled at mathematics and  gained a scholarship to Balliol School, Oxford. When at Oxford, Byles gravitated towards the Church of England. His younger brother, William, however, converted to Catholicism first. In 1894, he had a conditional baptism (sub conditione) at St. Aloysius Church in Oxford. Upon entering the Catholic faith, Roussel adopted the name of Thomas. After spending two years in Rome, Byles became the ordained priest of St Helen’s Church, Chipping Ongar, Essex in 1904. In 1912, he had boarded the ship to attend the wedding of his younger brother William, in New York. This last minute decision to board the Titanic instead of a different ship cost him £13 (roughly £1,100 today). His second class ticket was number 244310. His duties included performing mass for second and third class passengers. [...]

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A campaign to canonise a Catholic priest who stayed on the RMS Titanic instead of fleeing remains ongoing despite renewed interest in his story.

The story of Father Thomas Byles and his acts of selflessness, however, deserves re-telling.

Roussel Davids Byles was born in 1870 to a Protestant family in Leeds. His father, Reverend Dr. Alfred Holden Byles and mother Louisa Davids also had six other children.

He excelled at mathematics and  gained a scholarship to Balliol School, Oxford. When at Oxford, Byles gravitated towards the Church of England. His younger brother, William, however, converted to Catholicism first.

In 1894, he had a conditional baptism (sub conditione) at St. Aloysius Church in Oxford. Upon entering the Catholic faith, Roussel adopted the name of Thomas.

After spending two years in Rome, Byles became the ordained priest of St Helen’s Church, Chipping Ongar, Essex in 1904.

In 1912, he had boarded the ship to attend the wedding of his younger brother William, in New York. This last minute decision to board the Titanic instead of a different ship cost him £13 (roughly £1,100 today). His second class ticket was number 244310.

His duties included performing mass for second and third class passengers. Two other Catholic priests, Fr
Juozas Montvila from Lithuania and Fr Joseph Peruschitz from Germany also gave daily mass.

On the morning of the tragedy on April 14, his sermon, delivered in English and French, argued that prayer serves as a spiritual lifeboat in times of strife and temptation.

A stained-glass window at St Helen’s Church in Essex immortalises his selflessness. He had “earnestly devoted his last moments to the religious consolation of his fellow passengers”.

Fr Byles had walked the upper decks of the ship, reciting the Breviarium Romanum, as the ship struck the iceberg.

As the scale of the tragedy grew by the hour, Fr Byles had twice refused a space on a lifeboat. He spent his time shepherding women and children to safety. And offering them words of comfort and absolution.

Upon the departure of the final lifeboat, Fr Byles gathered a crowd of individuals at the rear of the ship. Here, he led the recital of the Rosary. Fr Juozas Montvila and Fr Joseph Peruschitz had also stuck to their religious duties until the end.

As the stern rose higher, in their final moments, Fr Byles gave absolution to Catholics, Protestants, and Jews trapped in the rising waters.

Fr Byles was among the 1,500 to perish aboard the Titanic on April 15 1912. The bodies of all three Catholic priests were never recovered.

As they departed, an eyewitness recalled:

“After I got in the boat, which was the last one to leave, and we were slowly going further away from the ship, I could hear distinctly the voice of the priest (Byles) and the responses to his prayers.  Then they became fainter and fainter, until I could only hear the strains of ‘Nearer My God, To Thee’and the screams of the people left behind”.

His family mourned his loss after learning that he had not boarded the rescue ship RMS Carpathia. In total, the rescue mission saved 702 lives.

Family members had later flown to Rome for an audience with Pope Pius X.

According to the Edmundian Association, Pius X declared that Fr Byles had been a martyr for the church.

The thrust of campaign to canonise Fr Byles is the current priest of St Helen’s, Fr Graham Smith. In June last year, he told the BBC that “We are hoping and praying that he will be recognised as one of the saints within our canon.”

Prayer forms a vital part of the beatification process. Sainthood requires a proven miracle to be attributed to prayers made to the person after death.

To mark the centenary of his death in 2012, a number of events honoured his life and sacrifice. This included the unveiling of a memorial plaque at Rossall Public School in Lancashire.

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]]> 1648 Why Donald Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric will continue to endure https://www.faith-matters.org/why-donald-trumps-anti-muslim-rhetoric-will-continue-to-endure/ Tue, 08 Dec 2015 19:34:18 +0000 https://religiousreader.org/?p=1501 Donald Trump proposes a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States“. The shift in rhetoric follows the shootings in San Bernardino, California. His proposed ban would also include Muslim tourists and citizens based abroad. In a press release, Trump cited growing hatred of the United States in Muslim communities. The localities of these communities are not contingent to Trump’s argument – only a perception of truth matters. Recent data from Pew offers added nuance. It found the countries with the most unfavourable views of the United States were Jordan and Russia. Positive ratings in Turkey had increased from 19 per cent to 29 per cent. In Lebanon, 48 per cent of its Sunni Muslim population had expressed favourable views of the United States. Its Shia population, had for the most part, expressed anti-American sentiment. Other polls from Pew point to a broad rejection of terror groups like ISIS and suicide bombing among Muslims across the globe. Pew data also found that many Muslim Americans want to assimilate into American culture. It’s also noteworthy that 81 per cent of Muslim Americans hold U.S. citizenship, including 70 per cent born abroad. Foreign-born Muslims take up a higher rate of [...]

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Donald Trump proposes a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States“. The shift in rhetoric follows the shootings in San Bernardino, California. His proposed ban would also include Muslim tourists and citizens based abroad.

In a press release, Trump cited growing hatred of the United States in Muslim communities. The localities of these communities are not contingent to Trump’s argument – only a perception of truth matters. Recent data from Pew offers added nuance. It found the countries with the most unfavourable views of the United States were Jordan and Russia. Positive ratings in Turkey had increased from 19 per cent to 29 per cent. In Lebanon, 48 per cent of its Sunni Muslim population had expressed favourable views of the United States. Its Shia population, had for the most part, expressed anti-American sentiment.

Other polls from Pew point to a broad rejection of terror groups like ISIS and suicide bombing among Muslims across the globe. Pew data also found that many Muslim Americans want to assimilate into American culture.

It’s also noteworthy that 81 per cent of Muslim Americans hold U.S. citizenship, including 70 per cent born abroad. Foreign-born Muslims take up a higher rate of citizenship than other migrant populations.

Almost half of the American Muslims polled by Pew in 2011 felt the Republican Party was ‘unfriendly’ to them. That perception remains true. In 2014, Pew asked Americans to rate faith groups on a scale of 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating positive feelings. People who self-identified as Republican, or leaned towards the party, gave Muslims a rating of 33 – the lowest of any faith groups and lower than atheists. Democrats proved more positive – but an average rating of 47 put them in the lowest faith category.

Republicans are more likely to be open with their fears about Islamic terrorism. And believe that Islam is “more likely to encourage violence among its believers”. A separate poll found that 77 per cent of Trump supporters agreed that “the values of Islam are at odds with American values and way of life”. Compare that figure with 72 per cent of Republicans and 43 per cent of Democrats polled. A negative perception of Islam increases by class position. Two-thirds of white working-class individuals agreed that “Islam was incompatible with American values”. Around half of white Americans with a college educations agreed with that statement.

Donald Trump also finds higher levels of support in some working-class communities. His supporters are also more likely to see immigration as an important electoral issue. Trump’s populist appeal speaks to communities who feel ‘left behind‘ in a cultural and economic sense. Trump has also received endorsements from neo-Nazis, nativists and secessionists.

The other poll Trump cited, from the Center for Security Policy, had many methodological flaws and a sample size of just 600. Its founder and President, Frank Gaffney, remains a vocal Islamophobe, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Trump also said that “our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life“. The concept of Jihad, though, owes to its own histories and interpretations. To frame it along violent lines erases the non-violent expressions Muslims use to make sense of their faith. The lived experience of religion owes in part to our daily lives. A person applies the teachings in specific cultural contexts. Some will find the means to justify violence, as others do not.

In its essence,  Jihad means to “struggle”. Its etymological roots relate to the word mujahadah – which means struggle or contention. It also links to the word itijihad, which relates to the efforts of jurists to reach correct judgements in Islamic Law. Some believe they fight in the name of God by adding the phrase “fisabel Allah”. Other important Arabic words includes “Ribat” – which relates to piety. And also covers conflict – in so far of it offering a defensive, not aggressive approach.

Islam is not a pacifistic faith; but its laws and rules of war are very clear and constitute:
•    Non-combatants and civilians are not legitimate targets.
•    The faith of a person is not justification for conflict.
•    Conflict must be defensive, in protection of sovereignty, or in the defence of innocents.
•    War cannot colonise or force individuals to convert to Islam

The Prophet Muhammad had praised non-violent jihad. “The best struggle (jihad) is to speak the truth before a tyrannical ruler,” and “The best struggle is to struggle against your soul and your passions in the way of God Most High.” Though some scholars question the authenticity of these hadiths. In spite of that, other hadiths make the case for a spiritual life over the physical.

In classic Islamic law, hirābah goes beyond our own definition of terrorism as it covers both the direct and coincidental spreading of fear.  For Islamic scholar Timothy Winter, terrorism, and for example, 9/11, falls under hirābah and would be punishable with death.

This concept of hirābah also covers the strictest punishments in Islamic law (hudud).  Throughout the history of Islam, there are many examples of Muslim jurists finding ways to best protect their societies from individuals who seek to terrorise communities. Take for example, the words of the Spanish jurist Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (d. 463/1071):

 “Anyone who disturbs free passage in the streets and renders them unsafe to travel, striving to spread corruption in the land by taking money, killing people or violating what God has made it unlawful to violate is guilty of hirābah… be he a Muslim or a non-Muslim, free or slave, and whether he actually realizes his of goal of taking money or killing or not“

Again, Trump speaks to the anxieties and the prejudices of specific audiences. Trump turns complexities into binaries and simple solutions.  Part of this logic comes from his own writings. In a 1987 memoir, Trump admitted how he ‘played’ with people’s emotions. He wrote, “I call it truthful hyperbole. It’s an innocent form of exaggeration – and a very effective form of promotion”.

Trump’s appeal to ‘Make America Great Again’ speaks to facism’s ‘lowest common denominator’ – or as Professor Roger Griffin defined – a paligenitic form of populist ultranationalism. Palingenesis means ‘rebirth’. This rebirth promises to remove those who impede the march to ‘brighter days’. The perceived corruption and decadence of the present will soon give way to this new era. Facism, as Robert Paxton argued, reshapes as it grows – not from dogma but action and its strong performative functions like symbols and rituals. Its cult of the leader and appeal to cultural violence, drew rank-n-file support – not for its ideological framework; but promise of empowerment through action. Paxton’s framework may not fit Trump at this stage; but his racist demogogical posturing and policies align to proto-fascism.

The power of myth remains an important tool. When Donald Trump claims “We have places in London…that are so radicialised that the police are afraid for their own lives,” he speaks to audiences who will either believe the statement without question, or influence individuals receptive to it. Trump’s not interested in the facts. It’s worth repeating that point. Perception remains important and Trump seeks to reassure his support bases that he shares their anxieties, hopes, and desires. Broad condemnation will not stop Trump spinning half-truths or making anti-Muslim statements – because he’s not speaking to us, he’s speaking to those who may turn out and vote Trump if he secures the nomination.

If Trump fails to secure the nomination, he’s already succeeded by shifting the debate further to the right. Trump merely recognises and exploits how anti-Muslim sentiment exists in the mainstream. In turn, Trump has catapulted the racialised Muslim body into the mainstream through securitisation around fears of terrorism. The fear of terrorism from refugees, for example, is unfounded.

To shield against fascism requires an understanding of its past successes. As Paxton noted “Fascists are close to power when conservatives begin to borrow their techniques, appeal to their “mobilizing passions,” and try to
co-opt the fascist following”.

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]]> 1537 Union for Reform Judaism adopts historic transgender rights policy https://www.faith-matters.org/union-for-reform-judaism-adopts-historic-transgender-rights-policy/ Mon, 09 Nov 2015 12:00:14 +0000 https://religiousreader.org/?p=1438 The Union for Reform Judaism in North America has adopted a resolution for transgender rights. This move continues a long tradition of supporting minority rights. In 1977, both the Union and the Central Conference of American Rabbis passed resolutions affirming “the rights of homosexuals”. As Trans Media Watch note: “[Trans] is an umbrella term, describing people who experience the need to present themselves as and/or who identify as other than the gender they were assigned at birth“. The resolution also supports the rights of individuals who define their gender outside of societal expectations and norms. According to the Office for Justice Progams (OJP), one in two transgender individuals are sexually abused or assaulted in their lifetimes. A high number of trans individuals are survivors of sexual abuse. Many live with these traumas and the fear of repeat victimisation. People of colour in LGBTQ communities also face disproportionate levels of violence. In 2014, The New York City Anti-Violence Project (NCAVP) recorded 12 transgender murders. All victims were people of colour. These communities experience higher rates of homelessness, poverty, and job discrimination. This increases their risk of violence. The NCAVP also found that “LGBTQ and HIV-affected people of color, LGBTQ youth and [...]

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The Union for Reform Judaism in North America has adopted a resolution for transgender rights. This move continues a long tradition of supporting minority rights. In 1977, both the Union and the Central Conference of American Rabbis passed resolutions affirming “the rights of homosexuals”.

As Trans Media Watch note: “[Trans] is an umbrella term, describing people who experience the need to present themselves as and/or who identify as other than the gender they were assigned at birth“.

The resolution also supports the rights of individuals who define their gender outside of societal expectations and norms.

According to the Office for Justice Progams (OJP), one in two transgender individuals are sexually abused or assaulted in their lifetimes. A high number of trans individuals are survivors of sexual abuse. Many live with these traumas and the fear of repeat victimisation. People of colour in LGBTQ communities also face disproportionate levels of violence.

In 2014, The New York City Anti-Violence Project (NCAVP) recorded 12 transgender murders. All victims were people of colour. These communities experience higher rates of homelessness, poverty, and job discrimination. This increases their risk of violence.

The NCAVP also found that “LGBTQ and HIV-affected people of color, LGBTQ youth and young adults, transgender people, transgender women, transgender people of color, and low income survivors experience more severe and deadly forms of violence while simultaneously having less access to anti-violence services and support”.

Nuances exist between communities. For example, gay men experienced more physical violence as women faced more sexual violence.

A recent NCAVP report found that undocumented transgender survivors were 3.83 times more likely to face discrimination from partners.

In 2015, the murders of 15 trans individuals became a historic and unwelcome high in the United States.

Catherine Bell, from the grassroots LGBT Jewish group Keshet, told the Tablet Magazine that: “the trans resolution is a really important step forward, and it will help to set a standard that I hope other communities will see as an open and welcome step to come and join.”

Keshet works with the Reform Movement to educate Jewish communities on these issues.

The resolution also affirms the individual right to be referred to by their name, gender, and pronoun of preference in Reform congregations, schools and other affiliated organisations.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, have adopted inclusive transgender policies, but none as far reaching as the Union of Reform Judaism. And the resolution calls on governments in the U.S. and Canada to review its laws to ensure full equality.

Reform Judaism boasts 1.5 million adherents in almost 900 congregations across the United States and Canada. It remains the most liberal wing. Orthodox Judaism is the most conservative wing, and the Masorti sit somewhere in the between.

Reform Judaism’s push for equality comes from the biblical tradition of b’tselem Elohim—in the Divine image. The resolution quoted Genesis 1:27, “And God created humans in God’s image, in the image of God, God created them.”

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]]> 1399 The Release of Shaker Aamer After 14 Years Highlights the Excesses of the ‘War on Terror’ https://www.faith-matters.org/the-release-of-shaker-aamer-after-14-years-highlights-the-excesses-of-the-war-on-terror/ Sun, 01 Nov 2015 07:09:52 +0000 https://faith-matters.org/?p=1361

Faith Matters warmly welcomes the release of Shaker Aamer after 14 long years. Many of them were spent in the legal black hole that is Guantanamo and it is clear that the long periods of solitary confinement have also had an impact on his mental and physical health.

Yet, it should never have come to this given that Aamer was cleared for release in 2007. It has taken a further 7 years for his actual release and now that he is back in the UK, no doubt questions will again be raised as to the possible complicity of UK intelligence services in the torture of Aamer. Only time will tell whether these allegations are true or not.

Guantanamo Bay should have been shut down a long time ago and President Obama’s political assertions that he would close the site down, have come to nothing. The site still continues to operate albeit in a scaled down manner when compared to the Bush period in office. However, what cannot be denied is that many see Guantanamo as a relic of the past, a period of time when the ‘War on Terror’ was in full swing.

According to Dick Cheney, the former Vice President in the Bush administration, ‘the worst of the worst‘ were being held in Guantanamo. That view is not accepted by some today and the example of Aamer counters this view given that he was not charged and that he has sat in legal limbo for over a decade. The incarceration of individuals in Guantanamo without any charges being laid against them has been unacceptable and due process should have been carried out many years ago. Instead, many individuals like Aamer were forgotten and left incarcerated in the hole of Guantanamo.

We hope over time, we can close the dark chapter that is Guantanamo . The last decade has been a difficult one for many communities and we hope that the future provides hope and peace and stability for us all.

]]> 1361 Family of Mushin Ahmed of Rotherham, Release a Statement https://www.faith-matters.org/family-of-mushin-ahmed-of-rotherham-release-a-statement/ Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:33:58 +0000 https://tellmamauk.org/?p=6515 This is the statement that was released after the burial of Mushin Ahmed, the grandfather who was murdered when returning from Fajr prayers. This was released via the South Yorkshire Police web-site. The brief statement from his wife reads: “My husband and the father of our four children was the most sincere, kind and gentle

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This is the statement that was released after the burial of Mushin Ahmed, the grandfather who was murdered when returning from Fajr prayers. This was released via the South Yorkshire Police web-site.

The brief statement from his wife reads: “My husband and the father of our four children was the most sincere, kind and gentle man.

He loved Yemen and England and Ireland, and was incredibly proud to be a Yorkshireman.

We’d like to thank everyone within our local community and beyond, who have offered us overwhelming support throughout the most difficult time in our lives.

The community has come together united in sorrow at the loss of our husband, father and friend.

Mushin was a loving, friendly man and he would want us to try and bring something positive out of our grief, in the hope that no other families should ever have to go through this pain.”

A copy of the memorial card for Mr Ahmed has also has been released as the family reiterate their request to the media for their privacy to be respected.

Two men have been charged with Mr Ahmed’s murder and are currently on remand.

Damien Hunt, 29, of Doncaster Road, Rotherham, and Dale Jones, 29, of East Bawtry Road, Rotherham, will next appear at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday 20 November 2015

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]]> 1185 What is the Hindu festival of Navratri? https://www.faith-matters.org/what-is-the-hindu-festival-of-navratri/ Thu, 08 Oct 2015 15:12:20 +0000 https://religiousreader.org/?p=1388 The festival of Navratri (nine nights) celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Navaratri begins around harvest time in October, and, celebrations last for nine days. Navarati sits within the wider festival of Durga Puja, which honours the mother goddess Durga. In one retelling of the triumph of good, a demon named Mahisha, who took the form of a buffalo, threatened the gods. To meet this threat, the gods pleaded with Durga to do what they could not – kill the demon Mahisha. Bestowed with the weapons and strength of the gods, including Shiva’s trident, Vishnu’s disc, Yama’s iron rod, and Indra’s thunderbolt, Durga took on this mission. But it did not prove an easy victory. For the demon Mahisha’s blood created new demons to attack Durga. A prolonged battle ended with the demon’s decapitation. Another popular story in northern India concerns the slaying of the ten-headed demon King Ravana. In a final and epic battle with Rama, who pursued Ravana in his chariot. Rama’s golden arrows, which transformed into serpents as they reached the demon King. The arrows had decapitated Ravana’s many heads but they regrew in an instant. This prolonged the conflict for many nights as Rama fired [...]

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The festival of Navratri (nine nights) celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Navaratri begins around harvest time in October, and, celebrations last for nine days.

Navarati sits within the wider festival of Durga Puja, which honours the mother goddess Durga. In one retelling of the triumph of good, a demon named Mahisha, who took the form of a buffalo, threatened the gods. To meet this threat, the gods pleaded with Durga to do what they could not – kill the demon Mahisha.

Bestowed with the weapons and strength of the gods, including Shiva’s trident, Vishnu’s disc, Yama’s iron rod, and Indra’s thunderbolt, Durga took on this mission. But it did not prove an easy victory. For the demon Mahisha’s blood created new demons to attack Durga. A prolonged battle ended with the demon’s decapitation.

Another popular story in northern India concerns the slaying of the ten-headed demon King Ravana. In a final and epic battle with Rama, who pursued Ravana in his chariot. Rama’s golden arrows, which transformed into serpents as they reached the demon King. The arrows had decapitated Ravana’s many heads but they regrew in an instant. This prolonged the conflict for many nights as Rama fired hundreds of arrows.

Matali, Rama’s charioteer, advised that he use the divine arrow to end this battle. The ‘dreaded arrow of Brahma’ was a gift presented to Rama by Agastya. Its divinity stems from its capacity to never miss its target. That divine arrow, powered by the gods, pierced the demon King’s heart and killed him. Ravana’s ten heads represent the ten days of the festival. And Hindus use the each day to remove bad characteristics – such as jealousy and lust.

Motherhood is an important festival theme. Stories allude to Shiva’s decision to allow Durga to visit her mother for nine days of the year. Families attempt to follow this tradition and return on the tenth day.

To propitiate the nine planets and harvest season, nine different kinds of food grain seeds are grown in small containers and then offered to the goddesses.

Some devotees fast and offer prayers relating to health and prosperity. Others seek introspection. In Tamil Nadu, celebrations extend to the goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Durgashtami, Mahanavami and Vijayadasami are the names of the final three days of Navarathri. In Kerala, those celebrating worship Saraswathi as the goddess of knowledge. The deity of Gayathri represents the fountain of fine arts and science.

Diverse celebrations take place across India.

Vijayadasami marks the end of the nine-day festival. Across India, effigies are burnt and idols are cast into rivers in the hope of rekindling of the soil’s fertility.

The spectre of a growing Hindu nationalism continues to haunt parts of India. It morphed into a paroxysm of anti-Muslim anger and violence last year. Police had arrested 140 people after violence between Muslims and Hindus broke out in the state of Gujarat.

That violence came in a climate where radical Hindus, spurred on by the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), lobbied to ban Muslims and other religious minorities from participating festivals like Navratri.

Before his electoral success, the United States had denied him entry in 2005. The State Department can deny foreign dignitaries visas on grounds of “severe violations of religious freedom”. Narendra Modi remains the only person ever denied entry to the United States under this provision.

Modi faced allegations that he failed to stop deadly riots by Hindus against the Muslim minority in the state of Gujarat in 2002. At least 1,000 people died as a result of the riots that lasted a matter of days.  Though the courts later found that Modi had no case to answer.

A reminder of the faultlines of exploited religious tensions appeared in Bishara, near Delhi last week. A mob murdered Mohammed Akhlaq, a 50-year-old labourer, on the belief that he and his Muslim family had consumed beef, an animal considered sacred in Hinduism.

The seductive narrative of religious nationalism can undermine religious cohesion, even in times of celebration.

The post What is the Hindu festival of Navratri? appeared first on Religious Reader.

]]> 1182 After the fire, why the Ahmadiyya community will not give into hate , by Rima Amin https://www.faith-matters.org/after-the-fire-why-the-ahmadiyya-community-will-not-give-into-hate-by-rima-amin/ Fri, 02 Oct 2015 08:58:28 +0000 https://tellmamauk.org/?p=6479 Why Facebook must do more to challenge anti-Muslim hate posts, by Rima Amin “Love for All, Hatred for None” is the motto carried by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. A motto that has been tested in recent days after a surge of hateful comments towards Muslims on social media following a fire at the Baitul Futuh mosque

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Why Facebook must do more to challenge anti-Muslim hate posts, by Rima Amin

“Love for All, Hatred for None” is the motto carried by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. A motto that has been tested in recent days after a surge of hateful comments towards Muslims on social media following a fire at the Baitul Futuh mosque last Friday.

Seventy firefighters worked hard throughout the day to control and extinguish fire at the mosque in South-West London known to be one of the largest in Western Europe. Many parts of the mosque remained unharmed. On Sunday, two arrests were made but since then the Met Police have said they do not believe this to be a hate crime. A 16-year-old was later released without charge as a 14-year-old received bail until January.

The investigation continues.

As news began to trend across social media, hurtful and hateful comments followed. Instead of being thankful that the fire was put out without anyone being hurt, they were disappointed. Instead of praising the firefighters, they praised the perpetrators.  Others posted threats of further escalations.

Dr Basharat Nazir, spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, was thankful for the support given: “We have been aware of some hostile reaction on the social media, but they are simply dwarfed by the positive support we have received via social media and directly.”

Nazir says that “The key battle is against ignorance and extremism in all faiths that we all have to fight against together.”

Some of the hate comments included:

  • “Mosque in Morden on the news. 2 lads been arrested for setting it on fire. It can hold upto 10,000 worshipers. Well done boys but the was place fecking empty”
  • “The two young men arrested for setting fire to a mosque should not be jailed. They should be given a medal”
  • “They should have been pouring gasoline on it”
  • “Let’s do the same here in the USA, burn down every single one of them”
  • “Probably was a bomb making class mistake”
  • “They should burn them all, and then kick them muslims out of our countrys”
  • “one down, more to go”
  • “A WARNING to them of things to come, I hope it was done on purpose. PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF THE MUZZIES. and their DEMANDS”
  • “Make it a holiday”” It wasn’t arson, its pest control!!”

Twitter trolls also joined in.

It is difficult to consistently monitor hateful comments and keep networks free from hate but it is important that we do all we can. These comments incite harm which should never be tolerated. Since Sunday, hate comments have been reported on Wimbledon Guardian, Facebook, Twitter and other news outlets but thankfully many are quickly removed.

But Facebook needs to accept that these comments have the potential to incite hatred and violence. One comment that read “should have blown that whole b*tch up” was reported to Facebook; but when reviewed, Facebook told users that it did not breach their Community Standards.

After similar problems in the past, a petition was set up asking Facebook to work on its reporting mechanisms. One signatory Natalie Otterly wrote: “Hate speech as outlined is extremely dangerous and harmful, especially given the current volatile situation towards Muslims. It actively promotes violent and illegal action towards a religion and its followers”

The Ahmadiyya community received much public support from people of all walks of life. Support also included tweets from MPs like James Berry and UK Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening.

Dr Nazir says: “The huge public outpouring of support for us and the indomitable British character that people have exhibited has strengthened our resolve to rebuild the complex as soon as possible so that this house of God that is a beacon of peace can shine again in its full glory.”

It is also clear that the community are determined not to let the hate comments deter them:

“We live by an ethos of Love for All, Hatred for None.  It is a motto that is emblazoned across our mosque complex, and neither the fire nor any negativity are able to thwart our ambitions to serve God, to help mankind, and to be loyal citizens.”

The positive attitude and genuine warmth witnessed this weekend is an inspiring display of unity. Through this, we must all remember, hate comments and violence against Muslims are by no means just a Muslim problem; but a problem for us all to get through together. To truly have a peaceful supportive world both online and offline, we must all work collectively by tackling hate speech and giving to one another especially in times of need.

The post After the fire, why the Ahmadiyya community will not give into hate , by Rima Amin appeared first on TELL MAMA.

]]> 1165 Four men accused of ‘anti-Christian’ hate crime to appear in court https://www.faith-matters.org/four-men-accused-of-anti-christian-hate-crime-to-appear-in-court/ Tue, 29 Sep 2015 16:52:26 +0000 https://religiousreader.org/?p=1374 Four men accused of a faith-based hate crime will appear at York Crown Court on October 9 after a Christian teenager was allegedly the victim of four incidents that took place between July 2014 and May 2015. The York Press detailed how Andrew Addison, 30, and three others, are alleged to have filmed themselves assaulting the victim with a lit aerosol, taping a dummy to his mouth as he was bound to a chair, sending him a threatening message on Facebook, and binding the young churchgoer to a crucifix in early 2015. Christopher Jackson, 21, Alex Puchir, 37, and Joseph Richard Rose, 21, are charged alongside Addison with a religiously-aggravated assault in Hull. At an earlier court appearance, at York Magistrates Court, the prosecution alleged that the four accused men knew the victim was a committed Christian. Rose also faces additional charges relating to allegations of sending him a threatening message over Snapchat. Lee-Anne Robins-Hicks, defending the accused, indicated they would plead not-guilty.  

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Four men accused of a faith-based hate crime will appear at York Crown Court on October 9 after a Christian teenager was allegedly the victim of four incidents that took place between July 2014 and May 2015.

The York Press detailed how Andrew Addison, 30, and three others, are alleged to have filmed themselves assaulting the victim with a lit aerosol, taping a dummy to his mouth as he was bound to a chair, sending him a threatening message on Facebook, and binding the young churchgoer to a crucifix in early 2015.

Christopher Jackson, 21, Alex Puchir, 37, and Joseph Richard Rose, 21, are charged alongside Addison with a religiously-aggravated assault in Hull.

At an earlier court appearance, at York Magistrates Court, the prosecution alleged that the four accused men knew the victim was a committed Christian.

Rose also faces additional charges relating to allegations of sending him a threatening message over Snapchat.

Lee-Anne Robins-Hicks, defending the accused, indicated they would plead not-guilty.

 

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