We within Faith Matters, have made the decision to disengage from any further association with the Redbridge Prevent Advisory Group. This group, which is meant to provide advice, support and scrutiny where possible on local Prevent programmes, now constitutes of some individuals who are part of groups who see nothing positive in Prevent and who regularly lambast counter-extremism work at every turn. Their position is nothing more than a form of posturing against the Government, whilst seeking to build a culture of victimisation within local communities.

Depressingly, allied to this, is the fact that the Home Office has an advisory role with Prevent Advisory Groups on a national basis. It seems that Home Office civil servants don’t want to ‘rock the boat’ around what is taking place in Redbridge and this highlights a depressing approach to countering extremism. It is the old tactic of seeking to ‘win over’ groups who frankly, want the legitimacy of being able to attack the Government through such platforms. It simply plays to their audiences that they have nurtured with a steady diet of fear mongering and victim baiting.

One of the representatives now being included is from a group that has actively attacked other projects, had a history of staff making antisemitic comments and which has sought to attack Prevent at every opportunity. It has also had associates promote the return of Hamas operative Khalid Meshal to Gaza with a narrative using Islamic verses. Another former supporter of the very group that is being invited to be on the Redbridge Advisory Group, promoted material that suggested that Israel should be ‘relocated to the United States’. Both had played a significant set of roles in the organisation that is now being given a seat at the table of the Redbridge Advisory Group.

The leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Jas Athwal, has been steadfast in his desire to challenge and counter extremism and he has repeatedly said that all forms of extremism must be challenged. He has shown leadership in this matter and it is therefore concerning that officers and their counterparts in the Home office have approved the inclusion of an individual associated with such a group. This not only sends out the wrong message to those Muslims who have been attacked by such groups, it also sends a huge message to Jewish communities who have repeatedly spoken out against such groups. It says that their voices are being set aside in the battle against extremism, in order to ‘tick box’ engagement, whilst undermining the very values of tolerance, fairness and balance that we all seek to defend.

Members of the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Sunday backed an election manifesto that says Islam is not compatible with the constitution and calls for a ban on minarets and the burqa.

Two other core points came out from the Party’s debate on Islam. These included members rejecting a call for dialogue with Muslims and attendees backed a manifesto that is highly critical of Islam.

Set up three years ago, the AfD has been buoyed by Europe’s migrant crisis, which saw the arrival of more than one million, mostly Muslim migrants, in Germany last year. The party has no lawmakers in the federal parliament in Berlin but has members in half of Germany’s 16 regional state assemblies.

Opinion polls give AfD support of up to 14 percent, presenting a serious challenge to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and other established parties ahead of the 2017 federal election. They rule out any coalition with the AfD.

In a raucous debate on the second day of a party congress, many of the 2,000 members cheered calls from the podium for measures against “Islamic symbols of power” and jeered a plea for dialogue with Germany’s Muslims.

“Islam is foreign to us and for that reason it cannot invoke the principle of religious freedom to the same degree as Christianity,” said Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, an AfD lawmaker from the state of Saxony-Anhalt, to loud applause.

Merkel has said freedom of religion for all is guaranteed by Germany’s constitution and has said on many occasions that Islam belongs to Germany.

“ISLAM IS NOT PART OF GERMANY”

Up to 2,000 left-wing demonstrators clashed with police on Saturday as they tried to break up the first full AfD conference. About 500 people were briefly detained and 10 police officers were lightly injured, a police spokesman said.

The chapter of the AfD manifesto concerning Muslims is entitled “Islam is not a part of Germany”. The manifesto demands a ban to minarets – the towers of a mosque from where the call to Muslim prayer is made – and the burqa, the all-encompassing body garment worn by some conservative Muslim women.

Germany is home to nearly four million Muslims, about five percent of the total population. Many of the longer established Muslim community in Germany came from Turkey to find work, but those who have arrived over the past year have mostly been fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last month the head of Germany’s Central Council of Muslims likened the AfD’s attitude towards his community to that of Adolf Hitler’s Nazis towards the Jews.

Although the AfD aimed to broaden its political agenda during the congress, members hardly debated on domestic issues, such as taxation and social welfare.

The party’s leadership has proposed the introduction of an income tax bracket system and the abolition of inheritance taxes, which experts say would benefit high earners.

The head of Germany’s DGB confederation of trade unions, Reiner Hoffmann, sharply criticised the AfD’s programme.

“Their alternatives are nothing but simple, dull and inconsistent,” Hoffmann said in a speech at an DGB event in Stuttgart to mark Labour Day.

He said the AfD was not only conducting a hate campaign against refugees, but also aiming for a tax policy that was against the interests of workers.

The post Anti-immigrant AfD says Muslims not welcome in Germany appeared first on TELL MAMA.

This is a report that outlines the views of Muslim chaplains, sector leaders and Muslim communities as well as other faith communities on faith leadership. This work was undertaken over a 7 month period and took in a number of key organisations that work with Muslim and other faith communities. This is a unique report that looks at the provision of chaplaincy and pastoral care services within the following sectors: The NHS, Higher and Further Education sectors and the Prison Service.

The report also outlines the growing chaplaincy and pastoral skills base that is growing within Muslim communities and this is a mechanism through which all faiths can support people when they are going through traumatic or turbulent periods in their lives.

A BOOKLET aimed at preventing young people from getting involved in violent extremism has been produced at a cost of £8,000.

Faith leaders in Derby worked together on Our Faiths And Our Shared Futures, which calls on Christians, Muslims and Jews to learn more about each others’ faiths and “take a stand” against hate, extremism and intolerance.

Five thousand copies of the Faith Matters booklet will go to schools and communities.

The Our Faiths and Our Shared Futures booklet is the culmination of 1 years work with imams, priests and rabbis in Derby. The booklet looks at scriptural narratives that underscore the need for (1) the respect of difference (2) the protection of life (3) countering extremism.

The booklet is made up of the work of many within the City and is a local narrative against division and extremism and against those who want to separate communities. Faith Matters worked with local religious leaders in looking at relevant religious texts in relation to the themes above and also facilitated interfaith meetings. The text was then edited by local young people in Derby and Faith Matters faciliated and supported local Derby young people in putting together the booklet. This is a booklet developed by local residents in Derby to tackle issues of extremism. Truly Big Society in Action!

]]> 148 https://www.faith-matters.org/volunteers-needed-for-our-london-office/ Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:53:01 +0000 https://faith-matters.org/index.php/2010/03/10/volunteers-needed-for-our-london-office/

If you share our belief in the importance of integration, tackling hate crimes and extremism and in developing cohesive communities, then we would like to hear from you.

You may also believe in the value of fostering inter-faith dialogue and if you want to volunteer, we have our opportunities in our London office.

We are currently accepting applications for office volunteers. You will have a passion for making a positive change, strong administrative and office skills, and be interested in gaining experience within the sector.

To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to Iman About-Atta, Deputy Director at iman@faith-matters.co.uk

Donate to Faith Matters and make a real difference in building bridges of understanding between communities in the UK and around the world, and in reducing hatred, intolerance and extremism.

We are a trusted not-for-profit organisation that for over twelve years has worked to build resilience, facilitate cohesion, and tackle extremism within diverse faith and other communities in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. 

We focus on interfaith work, community cohesion, preventing extremism, and enabling conflict resolution. Through our research and publications, such as into the far-right and mental health drivers of extremism, Faith Matters lobbies for appropriate policy change. 

Our ethos is to stand up for the rights of all those who are marginalised in society for whatever reason, be that religious, political, social, racial or sexual. We collaborate with central government departments, local authorities, police forces and civil society groups, representing all faiths and none. 

Specifically, we believe that the false narratives of Daesh-inspired extremism need to be tackled head on, including their underpinning rhetoric and discourses. Acknowledging the consequences of these, we also seek to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders. 

Faith Matters also works to ensure that stereotypes about ‘others’ are challenged, which includes tackling hate crime, a challenge for many communities today. Our projects include the UK’s leading anti-Muslim hatred monitoring and reporting service, Tell MAMA, whose work has led to over 1,000 arrests, and the assistance of 15,000 people and the annual, national No2H8 Crime Awards, which honour those individuals and organisations who tirelessly stand up against hatred, prejudice and intolerance. This year our partners include the Community Security Trust, GALOP, Stonewall and the ‘No to Hate Crime’ campaign.

Our work safeguards peaceful communities and encourages mutual respect but can of course be complex and difficult. Our programmes range from a few months to several years in length; real positive change takes time to percolate. Investment is required in order for positive social change, over time, to be built up. We can only continue this important work through your vital support and assistance.

Faith Matters believes that all people of faith, or none, should be able to go about their lives with dignity, in peace, undergirded by mutual respect. If you share our vision, would you consider donating? Every pound you give will go towards promoting dialogue in society, and the integration of all people into both their respective communities and wider society. 

With your support, we can transform the ideals that we all share into a lived reality.

Please click the donate button to support us. Thank you.