News – BRISTOL MULTI FAITH FORUM

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Harmony Buffet 2024

The Bristol Multi-Faith Forum (BMFF) in partnership with the Pakistan Association of Bristol (PAB) and the Indian Community of West of England (ICWE), is arranging a Harmony Summit with a multi-cuisine buffet lunch and diverse cultural programmes at Bristol ZaZa Bazaar Restaurant, Harbourside, Bristol (BS1 5UH) on Sunday, 18th of August 2024 from 10.45 am to celebrate the Independence Day festivities of India and Pakistan jointly and to spread the message of community cohesion. August is considered as the South Asian Heritage Month. The programme includes welcome drinks, refreshments, melodic music, diverse cultural programmes, multi-cuisine buffet lunch and inspiring messages from dignitaries. This harmony series is special and unique to Bristol and conveys the message of harmony to the rest of the world.

Bristol Multi-Faith Forum (BMFF) is an equality organisation instituted by the Bristol City Council in 2004 to lead inter-faith community cohesion and inter-cultural social harmony activities in the region and to promote community well-being. BMFF is active as an inter-faith community cohesion forum in the West of England region. This is the third year, BMFF is organising this India- Pakistan harmony series. Previous years’ harmony events were successful and we received appreciation from all over the UK. Again this year, BMFF provides a platform for both communities in the West of England region to come together and have an India-Pakistan Friendship Meal. In previous years, Bristol Multi-Faith Forum has also been involved in arranging similar events with the Palestinian and Israeli communities and was successful in combating prejudice and spreading the message of harmony.

The India and Pakistan friendship buffet is a symbolic expression of the harmony and friendship that needs to exist between the Indian and Pakistan communities as well as amongst the Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Bahai, Jewish, Buddhist, Parsi and other humanist faiths. This programme will be attended by His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, the Indian and Pakistani High Commission officials, the Lord Mayor, the High Sheriff, the Metro Mayor, the Police and Crime Commissioner, MPs, the Police Chief, University Vice-Chancellors, Aldermen, councillors, civic officials and community leaders. We thank all the dignitaries, civic officials, and community leaders for confirming attendance.

The venue, Zaza Bazaar Restaurant, Canon’s Road, Bristol (BS1 5UH), is an exciting 1000-seater multi-cuisine buffet restaurant that offers a world of culinary adventure with over 300 dishes across the globe and a wide variety of delicacies from different cuisines, especially from South Asian, Far East, Caribbean, Tex Mex, American and European food habits. You can choose from as many dishes and sweet treat desserts as much as you can enjoy. On Sundays, they have a special extra medley of exclusive ethnic dishes including Biriyani, Dosa, Uttapams, Cholle Poori, kadhi rice, Keema, rasam, all-day English breakfast and Sunday carvery. Also, the specialist chefs will cook the dishes of your liking at the live cooking stations too. There will be music and cultural programmes to enhance the harmonious spirit of the gathering. The welcome drink and refreshments will start at 10.45 am and the cultural activities will finish by 3 pm.

Bristol Multi Faith Forum (BMFF) cordially invites all people of goodwill to join the “Harmony Buffet Lunch” and to herald the message of peace and harmony amongst communities. We also provide free tickets to those who cannot afford to pay, if informed prior to 14th August. Right of admission is reserved. Please send your names via email to info@bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk, and book your seats soon. Grab the opportunity to book the seats as quickly as possible.

We thank all people of goodwill for joining this friendship initiative and buffet lunch. Our acknowledgement and gratitude to all. Let’s all be part of the message of harmony and friendship.

With warm regards,

Cllr Tom Aditya
Chairman, Bristol Multi-Faith Forum.

Mohindra Singh Chowdhry, Adv. Tripti Megeri,
Mohammed Arif Khan, Afzal Shah,
Mazhar Iqbal, Mrs Shehnaz Dar.
Facilitators- Harmony Buffet.

Bristol Multi-Faith Forum, 43 Ducie Road, Barton Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX
Email: info@bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk
www.bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk

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Bristol Diverse Doors Open Day 2023

Bristol Diverse Doors Open Day 19th November 2023, Sunday.

Bristol Multi-Faith Forum (BMFF) is organising this year’s Bristol Diverse Doors Open Day on Sunday, the 19th of November 2023 from 9 am to 5.30 pm, as part of the UK Inter Faith Week. Bristol Diverse Doors Open Day celebrates the religious diversity of Bristol City and the West of England region, giving communities the chance to experience and learn each other’s cultures and beliefs; and offering the opportunity to visit a range of places of worship and discover many faith communities that exist in the West of England region.

Over the years, many places of worship have opened their doors to the general public and to members of other faith communities as part of this event, which is unique to Bristol. All places of worship in Bristol are invited to participate in the Diverse Doors Open Day. Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant, the High Sheriff, the Lord Mayor, the Police Commissioner, councillors, civic dignitaries, various community leaders, and people from different walks of life will be participating in the Diverse Doors Open Day programmes at different venues. BMFF always requests guests and community members to respect and follow the customs and practices of the visiting place of worship.

*Faith Trail at the Greek Orthodox Church*

BMFF will arrange a scheduled tour providing minibus transport for people who have signed up for the tour in advance, for a small donation. Diverse Doors Multi-Faith Trail will start at 9 a.m. on Sunday, the 19th of November 2023 from the BMFF office at the Barton Hill Settlement, 43 Ducie Road, Bristol (BS5 0AX), and will finish by 5.30 p.m. The Faith Trail will pass through a Buddhist shrine, a Greek Orthodox Christian Church, a Seventh Day Adventist Church, a Muslim Mosque, a Sikh Gurudwara, a Jewish Synagogue, a Hindu Temple, and a Bahai Centre.

More details of the Multi-Faith Trail and Diverse Doors Open Day will be updated shortly through the BMFF website. We request all those who are interested, to join this year’s Diverse Doors Multi-Faith Trail. Seats are limited on the tour. Please email info@bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk to book your seats in advance. Older persons, various community leaders, university students, and other youngsters who have shown interest in inter-faith and inter-cultural activities are welcome.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite you and your friends, family members and colleagues to join us and taste the various flavours of the different faiths in Bristol on the 19th of November. Let’s celebrate the UK Inter-Faith Week in harmony.

A group gathering of the Bristol Multi-Faith Forum at the Hindu Temple.

Bristol Multi-Faith Forum, 43 Ducie Road, Barton Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX

Email: info@bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk

www.bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk

Bristol Multi-Faith Forum is an equality organization established in 2004 by the Bristol City Council for inter-faith community cohesion and inter-cultural social harmony; and to promote the health and well-being of the communities.

Featured

India-Pakistan Harmony Buffet 2022

A community harmony buffet dinner has been arranged at Bristol ZaZa Bazaar on Sunday, 14thAugust 2022 as part of the community cohesion campaign by the Bristol Multi-Faith Forum (BMFF) to jointly celebrate Independence Day festivities of India and Pakistan

A community harmony dinner has been arranged at Bristol ZaZa Bazaar on Sunday, 14^th August 2022 as part of the community cohesion campaign by the Bristol Multi-Faith Forum (BMFF) to celebrate the Independence Day festivities of India and Pakistan, jointly and to spread the message of community cohesion and the awareness of Blood and Donation amongst ethnic minorities.

August 14 marks Pakistan Independence Day and August 15 is Indian Independence Day. Due to the trauma of partition and communal conflicts as well as the history of wars between both countries, there are tensions and misunderstandings between both communities worldwide. We need to alleviate such animosities and divisions amongst both communities at the grassroots level in the West of England region. Bristol Multi-Faith Forum (BMFF) is an equality organisation instituted by the Bristol City Council in 2004 for inter-faith and inter-cultural social harmony and to promote community well-being. BMFF is providing a platform for both communities in the West of England region to come together and have an India-Pakistan Friendship Meal, which has been attended by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, the Lord Mayor, MPs, Chair of the South Glos Council, civic officials and community leaders, as well as representatives from the Indian and Pakistan High Commissions in the UK.

BMFF’s campaign for 2022 – 2024 to promote blood donation among Black, African and Caribbean communities was officially launched by the Lord Lieutenant of Bristol Peaches Golding during this ceremonious gathering.

The friendship meal became a symbolic expression of the harmony and friendship that needs to exist amongst communities in Bristol, and to join hands together with the Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Bahai, Jewish, Buddhist, and Parsi faiths in the West of England region. Earlier, Bristol Multi-Faith Forum was involved in arranging similar events with Palestinian and Israeli communities and was successful in combating prejudice and spreading the message of harmony. We consider it essential to organise a symbolic get-together of these two communities in this part of the world and convey a message of harmony to the rest of the world.

Zaza Bazaar Restaurant, Canon’s Road, Bristol BS1 5UH is a world of culinary adventure with over 300 dishes from across the globe and a wide variety of delicacies from different cuisines. In this global restaurant, you can choose from as many dishes and sweet treat desserts as you can enjoy across 5 continents of flavours, especially from South Asian, Far East, Caribbean, Tex Mex, American and European cuisines. On Sundays, they have a medley of a lot of exclusive ethnic dishes including Rasam, dosa, Uttapams, Cholle Poori, kadhi chawal, Keema, Biriyani, all-day English breakfast and Sunday carvery. Also, the specialist chefs will cook the dishes of your liking at the live cooking stations too. There will be music and cultural programmes to enhance the harmonious spirit of the gathering. The programme will finish by 3 pm.

We invited all people of goodwill to join the “Harmony Buffet Dinner” on Sunday, 14th of August, and to herald the message of peace and harmony amongst communities. This self-funded friendship initiative has been arranged on short notice, yet we are thankful to all the dignitaries, civic officials, community leaders and people of goodwill for their confirmation of attendance. All seats have been booked now. All those who requested seats via email to info@bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk, by the 11th of August were allocated seats and added to the guest list. We thank the Chair of the South Glos Council for offering to help us with the partial cost of arranging this friendship initiative. We express our acknowledgement and gratitude to the Chair of South Glos Council, and its Member Awarded Funding programme for helping us and for enabling us to help the ‘Feed the Homeless initiative’.

With warm regards,

Cllr Tom Aditya
Chairman, Bristol Multi-Faith Forum.
Tel: 07852456253

Afzal Shah, Mohindra Singh Chowdhry, Mohammed Arif Khan and Tripti Megeri
Facilitators- Harmony Dinner.

Bristol Multi-Faith Forum, 43 Ducie Road, Barton Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX
Tel: 07789040267; Email: info@bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk
www.bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk

Bristol Diverse Doors Open Day 2024 🗓 🗺

Bristol Multi-Faith Forum (BMFF) is organising this year’s Bristol Diverse Doors Open Day on Sunday, the 17th of November 2024 from 9 am to 5.30 pm, as part of the UK Inter Faith Week. Bristol Diverse Doors Open Day celebrates the religious diversity of Bristol City and the West of England region, giving communities the chance to experience and learn each other’s cultures and beliefs; and offering the opportunity to visit a range of places of worship and discover many faith communities that exist in the West of England region.

Over the years, many places of worship have opened their doors to the general public and to members of other faith communities as part of this event, which is unique to Bristol. All places of worship in Bristol are invited to participate in the Diverse Doors Open Day. His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant, the High Sheriff, the Lord Mayor, the Police Commissioner, councillors, civic dignitaries, various community leaders, and people from different walks of life will be participating in the Diverse Doors Open Day programmes at different venues. BMFF always requests guests and community members to respect and follow the customs and practices of the visiting place of worship.

Bristol Multi-Faith Forum also focuses on peace and harmony amongst communities and efforts to support the distressed people affected by the war. Bristol Diverse Doors Open Day Multi-Faith trail is coordinated by Cllr Tom Aditya, Chairman of the Multi-Faith Forum, with the cooperation of Bristol’s faith communities and harmonised by BMFF Steering Group members. This year’s Diverse Doors Open Day will be supported by Bristol City Council’s Community Development Team under the leadership of Mr Mohammed El Sharif.

BMFF will arrange a scheduled tour providing minibus transport for people who have signed up for the tour in advance, for a small donation. Diverse Doors Multi-Faith Trail will start at 9 a.m. on Sunday, the 17th of November 2024 from the BMFF office at the Barton Hill Settlement, 43 Ducie Road, Bristol (BS5 0AX), and will finish by 5.30 p.m. The Faith Trail will pass through a Buddhist shrine, a Greek Orthodox Christian Church, a Seventh Day Adventist Church, a Muslim Mosque, a Sikh Gurudwara, a Jewish Synagogue, a Hindu Temple, and a Bahai Centre.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite you and your friends, family members and colleagues to join us and taste the various flavours of the different faiths in Bristol on the 17th of November. Let’s celebrate the UK Inter-Faith Week in harmony.

Bristol Multi-Faith Forum, 43 Ducie Road, Barton Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX

Email: info@bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk

www.bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk

Faith and Harmony Festival 2024

An Interfaith event to promote social harmony and community cohesion.

Bristol Multi Faith Forum organised ‘the South Glos Faith and Harmony Festival’ on Saturday, 11th of May 2024 at Holy Trinity Hall, Broad Croft, Bradley Stoke, Bristol, BS32 0BD in partnership with the South Gloucestershire Council, the NHS Blood and Transplant and the Southern Brooks Community Partnerships. The event promoted inter-faith social harmony, inter-cultural cohesion and community well-being. It brings people from all walks of life together in South Gloucestershire. Dr. Rajinder Singh, Transplant Surgeon delivered the presentation on the importance of Blood and Organ Donation among ethnic minorities. The event was well attended.

The Guests of Honour included the Chairman of the South Glos Council, the High Sheriff, various dignitaries, civic officials, religious and community leaders and artists. The programme consisted of inspiring talks from dignitaries, interactive sessions, cultural entertainment, refreshments and lunch (Samosa, Biriyani, Gulab Jamun, etc). We also raised awareness about sickle cell disease, blood donation and stem cell donation among communities at the event. All residents of South Gloucestershire were invited to attend.

All South Glos residents interested in attending were requested to register through the Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-south-glos-faith-and-harmony-festival-tickets-886186376307/ or email: info@bristolmultifaithforum.org.uk with your name, address, faith community and your dietary choice before the 5th of May 2024. Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian lunch options were available. It has been a free event, but pre-registration was essential.

Let’s celebrate the day together.

Cllr Tom Aditya (Chairman)

Adv. Tripti Megeri (Secretary)

Update: 3rd May 2024: All the event tickets have already been pre-booked. Thank you very much for all your interest. Please come back for the next event. If you already have the tickets, see you on the 11th of May.