My Story is a new project launched by Faith Matters, which brings forward the untold stories of faith and spirituality within local, national, and international contexts. If the stories are separated by distance, they are bound by a unifying aim: to promote change and to promote tolerance and understanding in their communities, and in communities abroad.

Through My Story, Faith Matters hopes to empower young activists and bring their unique voices forward and support them in reaching a wider audience.

In this project, we would like to offer our audience a close-up experience of personal stories, encouraging listening and opportunities to reflect on the experiences of others. The main aim of My Story is to challenge those who seek to divide communities by offering a different story, an individual, personal, and honest story.

Participants explain, in their own words and images, how their faith is not a passive act, but an act that is both deeply personal and a way of being.

]]> 8281 https://www.faith-matters.org/interfaith-solidarity-is-a-fight-worth-fighting/ Wed, 30 Jan 2019 15:31:35 +0000 https://www.faith-matters.org/?p=8212

Solidarity costs nothing but can mean everything. Against the snarling packs of extremists flanking both sides of a hostile debate, the significance of maintaining a common bond with those from a different group but facing prejudice is precious. In these times, it’s sometimes all we have.

Last night, an exhibition was held at the Jewish Community Centre in Finchley Road to honour Holocaust Memorial Day. There was music and food and stories. There was a sombre but hopeful tone to the evening. The atrocities inflicted upon Jews in Europe are a stain on the continent’s soul and a memory that can and must never be forgotten. Millions were murdered for the world to learn the need for human rights and fair treatment of minorities. Unfortunately, we live in a time of increased polarisation where hate and bigotry are once again being fanned by those too irresponsible with their positions of power and influence. Even the Holocaust is whitewashed as a crime against humanity rather than an atrocity that focused primarily on Jews.

The Jewish community is again being assailed by hate crime. Across any society, find how they treat women, gays and Jews, and you get a rough idea of how they are as a nation. And unfortunately, in Britain, hate and intolerance of Jews has never completely dissolved and is once again climbing. A combination of Islamist rhetoric and far-left populism has made Jews the “Other” for which all the ills and wrongs of society are placed upon.

Which is why last night’s exhibition was fundamental to the construction of interfaith tolerance and community cohesion. It celebrated the solidarity that existed when Muslims saved as many Jews as they could from persecution during the Holocaust. The stories were spread across Europe but articulated different families selflessly and courageously risking their safeties to protect Jews.

And it was made all the more special after a mosque in Golders Green had been pressured by extremists into not holding the exhibition. It was a sore point, a blow for those who believe in a pluralistic and mutualist society in which differences are not seen as irreconcilable. But, as I said before, solidarity costs nothing but can mean everything. Another mosque, in Redbridge, stepped forward and hosted the event.

In the grand scheme of things this can seem like a small story washed away by the relentless tide of news stories on Brexit. But it’s a story of solidarity and attachment to each other beyond the exclusionary and narrow labels of identity. In the time of extremism and racism, these are the stories that we cling onto as hope that the pluralistic society is still achievable and that empathy with others is a virtuous feature of human behaviour. There was something saddening in visiting the Jewish Community Centre, a beautiful family-orientated institution, and realising they needed security because they weren’t safe. No people should ever have to apologise for who they were. But I was also heartened by the exhibition, reassured by the possibility that a future of coexistence with different groups is still something people yearn for. The attachment to a community is the transcendent feeling that can bring people together, whatever their faiths. This exhibition was about Muslims who saved Jews from persecution. But it can mean so much about where we want to go forward as a society.

In times of increasing polarization and inequality the search for common bonds to build that sense of solidarity and communion can be fleeting and sometimes completely abandoned. The fragmentation of society into atomised groups facilitates an environment of distrust, suspicion and resentment.

The academic Matthew Goodwin intelligently articulated this in his book National Populism: The revolt against liberal democracy where he lays out how some can find it hard to conceptualise any possibility of coming together again. We only have to look at Brexit and the divide between chiefly blue-collar communities and the more liberal professional class.

At the heart of this divide is the sense of social, cultural and economic anxiety and insecurity gripping different groups regarding globalisation and terrorism. It has generated a culture of mistrust with both the elitist institutions for opening British borders to immigrants and unaccountable market forces, and with groups coming from Muslim-majority countries, regarding them as unable to integrate or fundamentally incompatible with British values.

Bridging this gap that now exists between different groups is not easy and it remains to be seen whether there is enough political will to foster both cultural cohesion and a mutual yearning for it between different groups. But the role of faith communities in filling this space will be important. When we talk about the politics of community and belonging, we often ignore the sense of attachment people have to a place which they share with others, and the sense of obligation, duty, reciprocity and care for it that it brings with them. People are connected to their communities but in ones made up of different identities, need something which can create that sense of cultural solidarity and common bond. Attachment to our local communities go beyond class, race, gender and other identities. It is a basic human impulse, to be somewhere and belong somewhere as part of something bigger than ourselves.

Take the story of a local EDL group that once planned a protest few years ago only to be completely disarmed by the local mosque residents offering tea and biscuits when they arrived. It diffused the tension, completely stunned the EDL protesters and resulted in amicable discussions and some of the EDL emerging with better views. In times of growing religious tensions, stories of mosques and synagogues working together to combat racist or provide for food banks illustrates both the value of community in religion but also value of religion in our communities. A most heart-warming news was after Press TV pressured a mosque in Golders Green to stop an exhibition on Muslims who saved Jews during the Holocaust, it was picked up by another mosque. Stories of Muslims and Jews standing together is precisely what extremists on all sides fear: the Islamists wish to divide and lure Muslims into feeling besieged, isolated and surrounded whereas the far-right wish to depict Muslims as the threat to western values. Yet when local stories emerge of mosques participating in helping food banks or synagogues and churches collaborating with Muslims, it provides the perfect riposte to those who believe that some form of communal attachment to each other is impossible.

Churches were central to community organising once, and it’s arguable that the decline in churchgoers has contributed to the erosion of a sense of community. Today they stand as critics of inequality, corporate greed and poverty, and remain a quiet staple of community life in many areas, working with other faith groups to try and revitalise that sense of unity. The Blue Labour founder Maurice Glasman often expressed the importance of churches in reviving grassroots communitarian socialist politics and hailed the importance of interfaith collaborations on making people put aside their differences and focus on the common bonds they shared with each other.

This is more important than ever today. We live in times of asphyxiating tribalism in which labels do more to alienate and isolate than bring together. Extremists would like it that way. A polarised society that does not care for each other does not care about what happens to each other either. But the countless stories of interfaith initiatives involved in rebuilding that sense of community life and belonging demonstrate there is another way forward to push back against the populists and extremists. Some political action at the top directly protecting liberal values will always be necessary but at the bottom, on the ground, it is trying to nurture that sense of the communal life which is vital. And mosques, churches, synagogues and others have an important role to play in that.

A service at St John’s on Bethnal Green was held in the wake of the murder last month of Father Jacques Hamel.

One Muslim at the service, Mohammed Amin, publicly denounced Islamic extremism as “barbarity”.

He said: “I am outraged by the way bloodthirsty savages like ISIS have hijacked my religion and used it to justify hate and murder. All Muslims have a duty to resist them.

“I was in America when Father Hamel was murdered by two young French Muslims. We need to stand together when faced by such barbarism.”

Today’s service was led by the Rector of St John’s, The Rev Prebendary Alan Green, who chairs Tower Hamlets’ Inter-Faith Forum which brings faith leaders in the East End, with its large Muslim population, together with the local authority, organisations and police.

Mr Green said: “We must not allow terrorists and criminals to undermine our values nor our commitment to them.

“By joining together today with respect for both Christianity and Islam, we encourage all—with or without a religious faith—to respond to violent provocation by actively proclaiming our values of hospitality, openness and freedom by our words and actions.”

The service was organised by Faith Matters, which was launched in 2006 to tackle hate crime and extremism by reducing conflict through cohesion and integration.

Its founder Fiyaz Mughal said: “Christians and Muslims standing together at mass in France to commemorate those who have been targeted for their faith, like Father Jacques, means that we must make the effort to reach out and not let hatred win.”

Muslims given a brief overview of the worship before the service included Imam Dr Mamadou Bocoum, a lecturer in Islamic Studies and member of the Muslim Law Council UK, Mohammed Amin, the first Muslim in Britain admitted into the Price Waterhouse accountancy partnership, and Tower Hamlets councillor Rabina Khan.

After the national debate on Antisemitism, the Labour Party has set up a working group to stamp down on Antisemitism, which is to be warmly welcomed. Antisemitism, like other forms of hatred and prejudice, must be tackled and tackled with vigour.

Yet,there is also a unique nature to Antisemitism that we should acknowledge. We also need to be aware of the deep scar of the Holocaust and the over-riding spiritual, religious and cultural trauma that it has caused and will continue to shape feelings and fears within Jewish communities for well over another hundred years. This must be taken into account and reactions also need to be seen through this lens.

European Jewry was, in a mechanised fashion, virtually wiped off the face of the continent and through that lens, we must always understand and empathise with the gut like reaction to Antisemitic discourse that takes place within Jewish communities. However, this does not mean that the policies of the State of Israel cannot be scrutinised and objected to. The latter is legitimate political discourse and there is no getting away from that fact.

Yet, over the last few days, the wider public may have got the impression that Muslims and Jews are completely at odds with each other over Israel and Palestine. As though it is the only thing that shapes relationships between both communities. This has been the impression that many beyond these two communities have got and the furore over the last two days may have further consolidated these positions. However, this is not the full picture.

Work between Muslim and Jewish communities has yielded much that is positive to both communities and to our country. Let  us be clear. Interfaith, conflict resolution, cohesion and integration work between both communities has meant that investment has been injected into local communities in our country. It has ensured the safety and security of both communities and of wider communities. It has ensured that the United Kingdom is seen as a beacon of hope globally of how communities can and do work together. And it has given strength to both communities to reach out and to take on extremist and bigoted groups, for the safety of these communities and our nation.

Much of this is not talked about or mentioned in the headlines. Much of this is not even recognised, but the reality is that it happens every day and goes without notice, yet we all feel the benefits.

Let us therefore remember that even in the darkest of moments, Jewish and Muslim communities hold a candle of hope for a better future. There are others within and beyond these communities who will try and snuff out that light, but they will not be successful. Nor should we let their voices be the enduring ones in the public space. We simply cannot allow them to shape our collective futures.

The post Let us Not Forget That There is Much That Binds Muslims and Jews appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Not many people know about this nation surrounding the Caspian Sea. When some hear of Azerbaijan, they think about an exotic land and possibly about energy resources if they have kept abreast of news stories recently.

Yet Azerbaijan has a deep history of tolerance towards other faiths and traditions. Many do not know that Azerbaijan has a Jewish history that goes back thousands of years and that it has been a gateway for Islamic thinkers, traders, Buddhists, Zoroastrians and many people of faith who travelled through the region and on the famous Silk Road.  It is this migration and its geographical position that has made this country at ease with diversity and difference and where it has actively sought to protect minority communities and groups which it holds dear as part of its heritage.

Year of Multiculturalism Launched

On January the 11th 2016, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree introducing the Year of Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan. This coming from a nation caught between countries where competing pressures of mono-culturalism from external forces have been kept at bay. A number of Governmental agencies will support the event and organise both national and international events.

It should also be highlighted that Azerbaijan was a country which established the first secular democracy in the Muslim world in 1918 and offered women the right to vote in 1919. Azerbaijan also contains one of the oldest mosques in the city of Shamakli, dating from 743 AD and also has one of the oldest Christian churches, an Armenian church from the 12th century.

Much has been done to promote the vision and values of the country around inter-community understanding, dialogue and interfaith engagement and 2016 will no doubt further raise the profile of this vibrant and modern country. If anything, it provides an example of how we must look outwards and reach to places beyond the bounds of Europe.

Sikh and Hindu villagers in a Malla village in Ludhiana, India helped renovate and re-open a historic mosque.

The mosque had closed in 1947 due to partial building collapse. But a communal rebuilding effort led to its inauguration on February 29.

Both faiths assisted with fundraising and construction. Muslims are a tiny minority in a village where 90 per cent of residents are Sikh and 9 per cent Hindu. In the past, Muslims had to travel out of the village to pray at a mosque.

The Majlis Ahrar Islam Hind Party of Ludhiana had contacted Maulana Habib Ur Rehman Sani Ludhianavi to assist.

Ludhianvi told the Time of India that “Even as the village has just one Muslim family, the response had been overwhelming”.

Villagers arranged a communal langar during the inauguration. Ludhianavi then published photos of the event on Facebook.

The villagers in Ludhiana highlight how communities work together. Iqbal Hussain, a local Muslim in the village, expressed his gratitude and the bonds of affection for other faiths in his village.

The post Hindu and Sikh villagers rebuild mosque shut since 1947 appeared first on Religious Reader.

Dear Community,

Our synagogue received three unusual Chanukkah cards last week. They each begin

Dear Jewish Community,

I send this message to you as a Muslim. I share with you the celebration of spiritual light that opposes the darkness of religious hatred.

Each concludes ‘Your Muslim neighbour’ and carries a personal signature.

The Joseph Interfaith Foundation, established by Mehri Niknam, describes the project as giving ‘the chance to individual Muslims who want to extend a hand of friendship towards the Jewish community through a safe forum’.

The adjective ‘safe’ stands in sorry contrast to the noun ‘friendship’; it’s a sad world where we need ‘safe’ ways to show friendship. But few would deny that such is the case. I just received an email from a friend which closed not with our customary ‘see you soon,’ but with ‘frightening world’. It’s true.

The less safe the world, the more it matters to work at the relationships between faiths. The Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) began amidst the worst persecution of Jews in history. Its terms were agreed in March 1942 under the chairmanship of William Temple, then nominee for Archbishop of Canterbury. Its key objectives were ‘To check and combat religious and racial intolerance’ and ‘To promote mutual understanding and goodwill between Christians and Jews in all sections of the community’. This Shabbat we are welcoming Bishop Michael Ipgrave, the current Chairman of the CCJ, to our community.

Later in the war Archbishop Temple addressed the Hungarian people via the BBC World Service: ‘Do your utmost to save from persecution, it may be from massacre, those who are now threatened as a result of German occupation…Help them to hide from their tormentors, help them, if possible, to escape’. If only his words had been more widely hearkened! Are we today doing as much to support the victims of religious hatred, stop persecutors, and challenge bystanders, as he did then?

Is religion part of the problem of collective hatred, or part of its solution? Unsurprisingly, Richard Dawkins expressed strong view on the matter.

One of the voices in my head agrees with him. Religion, with its ready-made pulpits, communities, preachers, and its ancient appeal to obedience, is an easy way to peddle identity. One’s onto a popular brand when one can tell people what they’re for, whom they’re against, what’s right, what’s wrong, and, with the aid of a convenient quote from Scripture, that God says so. No tool is so useful in identity creation than an enemy other.

The other voice disagrees. For all its flaws and susceptibility to abuse, religion is ultimately the moral and spiritual commitment to the deepest, most embracing reality. My God is never a different God from your God, though I may express my devotion in different ways. To realize God’s presence on earth, my humanity needs your humanity, just as yours needs mine.

It therefore matters to extend the hand of friendship and open the heart to understanding, especially in a time of a danger.

Shabbat Shalom

Jonathan Wittenberg

Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg is Rabbi of the New North London Synagogue and Senior Rabbi of the Masorti Movement. He’s authored three books: The Three Pillars of Judaism, The Eternal Journey: Meditations on the Jewish Year, and The Silence of Dark Water. Rabbi Wittenberg has written for various publications including the Jewish Chronicle. His own blog explores a variety of topics that include the Jewish faith, nature, moral issues, and the transience of human life.

What would you do if a small group of Christian volunteers put up a stall, in the inimitable style of us Brits, and decided to break down barriers of understanding so that people could understand Christianity more?

It’s the kind of thing that happens up and down our country with no problems. Now what if the small bunch of volunteers were ambushed by Muslims holding up placards and taking pictures of the group whilst touting Al-Muhajiroun flags? Surely, the Daily Mail and the Star would be up in arms about how ‘Christians were being ambushed by Muslim extremists?’

Well flip to this situation today. A group of Muslims whose idea of supporting better community relations is to hold a stall where people can turn up and talk about Islam. Sound anything untowards – not at all. Add to this that the group of Muslims also hand out water bottles and help the elderly by carrying their shopping to cars and sometimes to the Church where they want to pray. You would get the impression that they were stalwart citizens and that they were generally caring and law-abiding young people.

Well not according to the extremist far right group, Britain First. Today, a group of 5 Britain First sympathisers, (some of whom looked like a hard trek up a mountain could seriously affect their health), turned up, abused the Muslim volunteers and then decided to take the following photoshot. This was after they carried on with their abuse against the volunteers.

To add insult to injury, they then posted the picture up on the Britain First Facebook page, with the following statement: “WELL DONE TO OUR NORTHERN ACTIVISTS WHO CONFRONTED ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS IN DEWSBURY! OCS.” (Note the caps since they get all shouty – something that seems to be an associated trait with the far right).

Such language is potentially dangerous to the well-being of the Muslim individuals in the picture. The three individuals who were volunteering should report in any anti-Muslim statements either to us or directly to the police, through 101. We would also urge them to try and get legal advice given what has been said about them.

In the meantime, if anyone has any further information on this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The post The Only Extremists We See Are the ‘Britain First’ Sympathisers Here appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The Connecting Communities project is based on the ideas of enhancing, focussing and activating the power of communities who are of Pakistani heritage, and who are citizens and permanent residents of the United Kingdom. We are all aware of the enormous skills, energy possessed by diaspora communities of Pakistani heritage, the passion that many have for Pakistan, and their role in creating positive change for the country. With about 1,125,000 people in England and Wales of Pakistani heritage, there is a huge pool of individuals who can be help spur social change in Pakistan. We are looking to launch the Connecting Communities project so that it promotes the following message in news media in the UK and Pakistan:

‘Reinforcing and highlighting the importance of minority rights through interfaith activities, using religious- and community-based media messages, from the UK to Pakistan, and thus combating extremism and religious violence’

Persecution in Pakistan

We are all aware of the persecution and oppression directed against religious minority communities in Pakistan, whether they are Christians, Ahmaddiyas or Shias. Now is the time to ensure that British Asians of Pakistani heritage can play an influencing role for the new administration.

Particularly concerning to us is the way that some in Pakistan are targeting Christians for particular scrutiny and hatred. They are increasingly viewed not as Pakistanis, but primarily through the lens of their faith, which, together with the view promoted by some that Christianity is somehow alien to Pakistan, puts them in a very precarious position. With the new administration in Pakistan currently taking on the mantle of power, Pakistan is therefore in an uncertain and fragile position, with a few other civil society groups in the country already lobbying for the protection of minority rights.

Furthermore, through the project that Faith Matters is carrying out in Pakistan, (Musawaat), it is clear that a programme which uses UK media enthusiasm to inform Pakistani media, and which can enhance the grass roots action of Musawaat, is needed to ensure the maximum impact of the project. From our fieldwork in Pakistan over the last three years, one potential resource that has been noticeably untapped has been the ability of diaspora communities in the UK to promote positive messages and ideas of change, that can correspondingly promote minority rights in their home country. The Connecting Communities project seeks to fill this void. A fresh new approach is needed and it is this gap that the Connecting Communities proposes to fill.