CAIRS Home > Articles >

CAIRS fourth annual meeting: Convener's Report

January 30, 2007

For my last Convener's Report, I wish to start with some words from Darra Singh, Chair of the Commission on Integration and Cohesion.  If you don't know, the Commission on Integration and Cohesion was set up last August as an independent advisory body with a remit provided by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.  In November 2006, Darra wrote to her colleagues saying this:

"There is arguably no more important issue facing the country today than how we promote integration between communities and improve cohesion at a local level.  As a nation, we face questions about how people and communities of diverse backgrounds and beliefs can live together, respect differences but with a shared sense of belonging and purpose.  At a local level, this challenge is made more critical in the context of increasing diversity and the often rapid changes in population."

In the main I would echo these words.  As regards importance, possibly environmental issues should be placed above inter faith issues but these concerns of integration where religion is often a key component, is undoubtedly of crucial importance.  It may not be the most important issue but it's not a long way behind.

What this says to me is that the work of CAIRS is crucial.  We've almost reached a stage where inter faith is positively 'main stream.'  Certainly in England and to a lesser degree in Scotland, it is increasingly common to have Council of Faith Leaders in towns and areas of cities, along side of course the obligatory Council of Churches.  We have a Scottish Executive who doesn't just want to talk with Church leaders but leaders representing the other faith traditions of Scotland.  They have put their money where their mouths are with the Scottish Inter Faith Council.  So if inter faith relations have become so mainstream even in Scotland, why this pressing need for the work of CAIRS?

Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester (of Pakistani origin), has been questioning whether we really do have a pluralist society in Britain.  In other words, are we really integrated?  Bishop Michael, whose Diocese is on the edge of the most diverse city on earth, argues that actually we are really rather poor at being integrated.  Indeed, if you look at a map of Greater London with locations of the cities international districts, Michael may well have a point.  London, you may argue is a city broken down into villages, divided by race; religion and nationality.  A genuine pluralist society?

The other week I heard an Afro-Caribbean person say, the problem with Asian people is that they don't want to integrate, they are into the business of retaining if not imposing their "culture" on others.  His argument was that those from the Caribbean genuinely want to integrate and be "British" and those from Asia don't.  This is highly emotive and some might say subjective, but it does raise the issue to my mind that we are a long way from being this pluralist nation to which some of us aspire.  There is still much work for committees like CAIRS.

I'm not going to say much about the CAIRS days we had in 2006.  I will briefly say that the two days, which I attended; Dialogue with Judaism and Dialogue between Christians and Buddhist were first class.  With the former we had a wonderful taste of Reformed Judaism.  Nancy Morris brought her faith alive and personifies that particular brand of Judaism.  With the latter, Liz Harris is quite rare with her commitment to the Christian faith yet has immense knowledge of Buddhism.  I would suggest we need more Liz's in this world, people who have not just tasted another religion but totally immersed themselves in it.

As I stand down as Convener of CAIRS, I would like to say a big thank you to all the CAIRS Committee.  It is appropriate that I mention by name those office bearers who have offered much time and energy for love(!); Isabel as Secretary and Jon as Treasurer.  Thanks also to our ever efficient Network Officer, Tom.  Lastly, an official thank you to the work done by our Education Officer, Andrew Sarle.  Andrew, you now have your feet well under the desk and I have every confidence that you will go from strength to strength.

Dominic Ind