News

Our latest news magazine is available to read online or to download. In this month’s edition there are articles on the recent Health Awareness Day, a Speed Faithing/Speed Phasing event, and Fostering and Adoption, amongst others. There is also information on how to get involved in next year’s Diverse Doors Open Day, as well as some upcoming events. If you would like to submit an article for consideration for future editions, then please contact us at info@bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk or 07834812663 (mobile). Please click here to read the publication.

Dear all,

All communities in the UK and overseas will clearly have been affected by the footage that has been released by ISIL over recent weeks which appears to show the horrific deaths of two US citizens and that of the British aid worker David Haines.

 Police are taking positive action to ensure that individuals and communities are kept safe from anyone who may try to use this footage as a way of spreading hate and division, and causing harm to others.

 It is important to ensure a measured response and that the public remain calm and raise any concerns they may have with the police as soon as possible.

 Communities are likely to be aware that the threat level from international terrorism in the UK has recently risen to severe in response to developments in Syria and Iraq. This means that it is highly likely that a terrorist attack could happen in the UK, but an attack is not imminent.

 There has been huge attention given to publicising the threat posed by ISIL but we need to balance this with the importance of not serving their objective of fuelling publicity and public fear. Communities need to be aware that sharing extremist material which promotes ISIL’s cause could, in itself, be in breach of terrorism legislation but, in any case, should beware of giving the organisation an unjustified status and credibility.

There is considerable effort taking place to remove terrorist material from the internet and individuals can and should refer any content they are concerned about to the police on www.gov.uk/report-terrorism or directly to the social media platforms themselves who can act against material that breaches their own terms and conditions. There is also work to promote alternative messages and to disrupt and, where justified, prosecute extremist speakers and those who seek to radicalise vulnerable people from our communities.

 The Government’s Prevent strategy is about protecting people from the threat of terrorism. It is about stepping in to help vulnerable people at risk of being recruited by terrorist or extremist groups, whether in this country or encouraged to travel abroad, and safeguarding individuals and the community as a whole.

 Communities can work together to develop resilience to extremist influences which support terrorism, be alert to any groups which target them or use their community spaces for propaganda activities and watch for any people who raise funds destined for illegal activities.

Keith Openshaw

Community Liaison Co-ordinator

This is a Bristol Multi-Faith Forum Open Meeting, to start a conversation around this important issue.  Please join in this important conversation. All are welcome. We will explore questions as a group and in smaller groups, such as:

* How do we respond locally to hate crimes especially to racial and religious hate crimes?

* How do we respond to conflict overseas especially in the Middle East/Africa?

* How can we stand together across diverse communities and avoid importing the conflict to Bristol?

* How can we protect our community members from both extremist and ‘far right’ ideologies?

* What more can we do in terms of constructive responses?

* Who else needs to be part of these conversations?

Bristol Multi-Faith Forum is actively encouraging people from diverse faiths and ethnicities to help shape the Forum’s priorities with regard to community engagement, interaction, peace-building, removing hate crimes from our city and cooperation between and across all communities. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Farzana Saker on 07834 812663 (mobile) or email info@bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk

To see a flier click here. To see a letter from Avon and Somerset Police on recent international events click here.

This is a message from the Co-Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Inter Faith Network to member bodies on UK inter faith relations and the impact of overseas events, particularly in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Written on 12 August 2014, it says

‘Dear member bodies,

We wrote to you just over a week ago in the context of the potential impact on inter faith relations in the UK of events overseas at this time, and particularly in the Middle East.

Communities in this country continue to feel and voice tremendous pain about unfolding events.  On the hearts and minds of people of different faiths are the sufferings of  Christians, Yazidis and others  in  Iraq – as well as of those in  Gaza and  Israel, Syria, Libya and a number of other countries and territories.

Some of your organisations have issued statements about the situations there; others are expressing their desire for justice, security, and religious freedom through prayers, vigils, donations to provide badly needed relief,  or through other routes.

Extreme actions taken by groupings overseas, such as ISIL,claiming to be in the name of a religion, can sometimes be taken to represent the true face of that religion, fanning flames of prejudice here as well as elsewhere. There is evidence that this is happening.  Images of brutal deaths become fused in the minds of some not just with the perpetrators but with the religion in whose name they claim to operate.  The work of continued explanation and correction of misrepresentation and misunderstanding  through the media and in personal encounter is critically important.

As we said in our message of last Monday,  at these times, our bonds of friendship and trust – long in the making – are tested. It is hard but vital to keep communication open and to continue to be willing to be in dialogue. It is likewise vital to stand up for the safety and security of each other’s faith communities; to offer, side by side, humanitarian succour to the vulnerable and needy; and to seek ways, whenever  this is possible,  to find a common voice on human rights and on issues of  justice and compassion.

The policy of the Inter Faith Network for the UK, supported and reaffirmed at various points over the years, remains that statements are not made by its Officers directly about overseas events, but only in the context of their impact on inter faith relations in the UK.   This is also a policy of some of IFN’s member bodies.  The National Meeting, ‘Tough to Talk?’, on handling difficult issues in an inter faith context will provide an opportunity to hear reflections in the light of members’ experience in responding here in the UK to overseas issues.’

The Rt Revd Richard Atkinson OBE, Co-Chair

Mr Vivian Wineman, Co-Chair

Mr Mohinder Singh Chana, Vice-Chair

Dr Kishan Manocha, Vice-Chair

Maulana M Shahid Raza OBE, Vice-Chair

Dr Jagdish Sharma, Vice-Chair

Note:

This message can also be found on the home page of the IFN website: www.interfaith.org.uk and in the statements and messages subsection of ‘Resources’: http://www.interfaith.org.uk/resources/statements-and-messages  where IFN’s policy on making of statements can also be found.

The day started with a buzz, meeting happy people to board on the trail bus. Those who booked on the trail were met at 162 Pennywell Road.  The trail bus was full and 5 others were following the trail in their own transport or sharing a car.

At each venue everyone felt welcomed and were put at ease to ask questions. At each venue refreshments were available. One participant commented on the evaluation form ‘Not quite sure what is meant by ‘Access’. everyone in each venue “places of Worship” were inviting, friendly and welcoming which made me question myself as to why my behaviour in my own place of worship’. The Lord Mayor and the Lord Mayor Elect joined the trail party at St Marks Road Mosque, The Bristol Sikh Temple at Fishponds and at the St Nicholas Church. Due to a prior engagement The Lord Mayor was not able to Join us at the Hindu Temple and the Bahai  Centre.

At each trail venue a talk was delivered on ‘faith in time of Austerity’. The common thread was inevitable in that all faiths have means of coping through bad times and always grateful for good times and accepting it with humility.

At St Nicholas Church we learnt how one can be proactive in preventing hardship and influencing various bodies to ease suffering in time of Austerity or those in poverty at any time. This was quite a contrast with other faith communities though perhaps not surprising as Black and minorities ethnic communities hardly participate in any consultations. There is perhaps scope for a better and constructive contribution to be made by minority faith communities in influencing policies that support the vulnerable in our society.

A few Faith places that were not on the trail reported back and confirmed it was a good day. The 2 synagogues were opened for a shorter period due to the start of a festival later that afternoon.

The Quran Academy had opened their door a week before and on the evening of 25th Feb. it was not possible to open their doors on 24th Feb due to classes.

It was noticeable a number of Muslims visited places of worship other than their own. We are also aware at least one Hindu female visited the Bahai Centre and the Church on the trail. In the previous years it was noticeable only British White Christians, seculars, Bahai and Jewish community visited other places of worship. The Majority of these represent mainly white British or other whites.

Most visitors were able to interact with both females and males in all faith places except in the Mosques. For example the visitors were welcomed and served food by both male and female members at the Sikh Temple , Hindu Temple, Bahai Centre and at the church.

One suggestion we would make to mosques is to encourage their women to come to Mosques and meet people. It would be acceptable for Muslim women to just meet female visitors should they not want to be in mixed company. One of the purposes of Diverse Doors Open Doors is to understand the spiritual and cultural  etiquette which go a long way in understanding diversity.

As at 6th March we were given estimated numbers by 6 faith places. The total from those reported is 216. The total including those on the trail is 237.

Those on the trail visited 5 different places totalling 105 visits. We don’t know the number reported by other faith places visiting more than one place or not. It is likely they visited more than one place.

 

The development worker at each place made a note of ‘perceived ethnicity’ and of faiths if she was certain. We know  5 (Asian) Muslim excluding Lord Mayor Elect men visited the Sikh Temple, Hindu Temple,1 (Asian) Muslim male visited Sikh temple Hindu temple, Christian Church and The Bahai centre and One Hindu (Asian) visited the Bahai centre and the Christian church.

There were 7Asians in appearance, 4 Africans / Afro Caribbean and the majority were white in appearance attending the talk at QAB.