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The Bridge
April 2007, Issue No. 19
The Journal of the Churches' Agency for Inter Faith Relations in Scotland
April 19, 2007
Welcome to the latest edition of our monthly journal. CAIRS seeks to enable Christians to build bridges into understanding people of other faiths. A bridge is a construction to provide a link between people, and this journal provides news of bridge-building that is already happening, and of opportunities for engaging in dialogue and in preparing oneself for better encounters with people of other faiths.
In this issue there are items of news from around the world of ways in which faith communities support each other, including:
- Cardinal O'Brien calls for Religious Freedom Charter
- Cardinal O'Connor says religious freedom is part of plural society
- Interfaith dialogue 'a model for diplomacy'
- 'Peacemakers' initiative to build bridges between religions
- Muslim appointed to UK cathedral
- Hindus seek modification of British cremation law
- 'Pluralism Sunday' to celebrate religious diversity
- Parliament to discuss the position of the non-religious in plural Britain
- Muslims, Christians and the global human challenge
- Face to faith stories
- Full-face religious veils to be restricted in schools
- Moves to marginalise extremists
- BBC survey says Christians feel they are discriminated against
- Clerics say Muslim and Catholics must teach other's faith accurately
- Time to end discrimination by faith schools
- Bottles thrown through Mosque windows
- Christians and Muslims unite in defence of Dalits
- Jerusalem - a land beyond our possession
- An agenda for integration: The Muslim Council of Britain's new guidelines for schools can help pupils to feel fully and equally valued.
- Who should the West support: moderate Islamists like Tariq Ramadan, or Islamic dissidents like Ayaan Hirsi Ali?
- Can There Be Common Ground?
- Inside the December 2006 issue of Current Dialogue - the journal of the Interreligious Team of the World Council of Churches
- Free website design offer
If you wish to be removed from the distribution list or to receive The Bridge in a different format in future, please let CAIRS know by e-mail.
The next issue of The Bridge will be published on May 15, 2007. Items for inclusion should reach me by May 14.
CAIRS Event: Next Week
In dialogue with Sikhism - April 24, 2007
Details, programme and registration arrangements for the next Christianity and Scotland's Other Faiths study day at Scottish Churches House can be downloaded as pdf files, or obtained from the Inter Faith Education Officer. Although the closing date was April 16, late bookings may be made today, April 19, by telephoning Scottish Churches' House on 01786 823588.
Editorial
Inter Faith encounter is essential these days as the faith communities find themselves under pressure from secularism. We have far more in common with our fellow believers in some form of Divinity than we differ in the ways in which we relate to that Divinity. The recent controversies over the wearing of religious dress and symbols can be viewed as attempts to drive all forms of religious observance underground, but by sharing our concern and outrage we in faith communities can show that we recognise the work of the Spirit in all people of faith, and support each other when we are threatened. Writing in the Scottish Catholic Observer, Cardinal Keith O'Brien (see article below) suggests that a charter to uphold religious freedom would send out the signal that Scotland is a place where no one should be forced to deny their religious beliefs. A dialogue of understanding and acceptance of the other's viewpoint acknowledges that there is truth and beauty and evidence of God's love for all humanity in different ways of expressing devotion. Jesus told his disciples, and us, to love our neighbours - we have a duty to seek ways to practice that love.
Erratum/ Corrigendum
In the last issue I erroneously referred to the Most Rev Diarmuid Martin as Primate of All Ireland. He is, in fact, Primate of Ireland. Most Rev Sean Brady (Archbishop of Armagh) is Primate of All Ireland. It is a small difference but very important in the hierarchical run of things. I apologise for any offence of confusion I may have caused.
Inter Faith News:
Cardinal O'Brien calls for Religious Freedom Charter
"I remain convinced that the path out of religious intolerance is through the widest possible acceptance and endorsement of a charter for religious freedom. This is needed in order that Scots of all faiths and none will feel that their beliefs are protected and respected by their fellow citizens. The charter would recognise religious freedom as a fundamental human right grounded in the dignity of the individual, which recognises the right of the human person to act in accordance with conscience. It would ensure that no one was forced to act in a manner contrary to their religious beliefs, nor restrained from acting in accordance with their religious beliefs. Religious bodies would have a right to demonstrate and teach the social relevance of their religious beliefs by corporately establishing and maintaining institutions and services and by conducting them in accordance with those religious beliefs and values.
Crucially, at all times, religious freedom - because it is exercised within society - ought to be subject to certain ordinary laws designed to safeguard justice and civil order. However, government does not have a right to command or inhibit acts of religion, nor to force people to act contrary to their conscience in a proper exercise of their freedom. These are the key precepts of such a charter.
I would ask all political parties to assist in drawing up and then signing such a charter in the hope that its endorsement by politicians and by all people of good will may form a concrete and tangible step on the road to tolerance and religious harmony."
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, writing in the Scottish Catholic Observer of March 30, 2007.
Cardinal O'Connor says religious freedom is part of plural society
The freedom to express and live out religious convictions is an important part of what it means to live in a plural and democratic society, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the spiritual leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales has said in a major public lecture. Cardinal O'Connor said that there was a need for reasoned debate on the role of religion today so that society could forge a meeting place for all. A public space that is genuinely plural requires the presence of religion, he said, expressing concern about its increasing marginalisation. The Cardinal spoke of religious freedom as being more than the freedom to worship; "it is the freedom to serve the common good according to the convictions of our faith". He emphasised this point not just for Catholic belief, but for the sake of democracy and British culture as a whole.
Ekklesia, April 3, 2007
Interfaith dialogue 'a model for diplomacy'
A church leader who has just returned from a meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has said that interfaith dialogue should be a model for diplomacy in tensions such as those between Western states and Iran. The comments from the Rev. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana, associate general secretary for interfaith relations at the National Council of Churches (NCC) USA, came as he spoke to nearly 50 leaders from religious non-governmental organizations working on issues at the United Nations. "Tensions can often be creative," said the NCC's Dr. Premawardhana. While he was speaking directly about work between differing religious traditions he was pointing also to the necessity to remain in dialogue when tense issues develop between nations. "We need to commit to being at the table when things are tense," he said.
Ekklesia, March 30, 2007
'Peacemakers' initiative to build bridges between religions
A Christian educational charity has launched a pioneering new initiative which aims to build better understanding between the UK's different religions. Charity staff at Feed the Minds were inspired to create the "Peacemakers" initiative following the July 7 terrorist attacks in London. The project includes advertisements, a music video, a documentary, a short film entitled A Film about Faith, a photographic exhibition and an education pack and has its own dedicated website.
Ekklesia, April 17, 2007
Muslim appointed to UK cathedral
A Muslim woman is to join the staff of a major cathedral, in an appointment believed to be the first of its kind. Anjum Anwar, currently Education Officer of the Lancashire Council of Mosques has been appointed to a post at Blackburn Cathedral as its Dialogue Development Officer. She will work with Canon Chris Chivers, to show how dialogue between faiths, cultures and communities across Lancashire, and beyond, can be developed in practice.
Ekklesia, March 28, 2007
Hindus seek modification of British cremation law
Leaders of Britain's Hindu community of more than 500,000 are asking to be given the same cultural and religious freedoms enjoyed by other major religions in the United Kingdom (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) when it comes to funerals. "We are asking for the right to cremate our dead in the (open-air) way they have been cremated in India and other places for the last 4,000 years," says Andrew Bogan of the Anglo-Asian Friendship Society in Newcastle. Mr Bogan explained: "The way Hindus cremate the dead is at the heart of our religion. We've been running a campaign for the last six months and at least there are signs that we're getting somewhere."
Ekklesia, April 14, 2007
'Pluralism Sunday' to celebrate religious diversity
"There is a big difference between respectful politeness and an open-hearted, open-minded approach to people of other religious beliefs. There is a profound contradiction in claiming to have faith in a God who is greater than our ability to fully comprehend, and at the same time claiming that traditional Christianity is the only true faith in that God... We are called to worship God, not Christianity. What is divine is our encounter with God, something that is available to Christians and non-Christians alike." Rev. Jim Burklo, Pluralism Sunday coordinator (in "Open Christianity",p 200, see also here)
Churches across the world are gearing up for the first 'Pluralism Sunday'. Taking place on Sunday May 27 - Pentecost, and the initiative of a number of groups in the US, Christians taking part will dedicate their worship to a celebration of religious diversity.
The Centre for Progressive Christianity says it will help Christians grow closer to God and deeper in compassion, as they understand their own traditions better, through a greater awareness of the world's religions.
It is also being billed as an opportunity for Christians to share their faith with those of other religions - particularly to reach some of the many people who are turned off by Christianity because of the 'wild claims' some Christians make about their faith.
Further ideas and resources can be found here.
Ekklesia, April 10, 2007
Parliament to discuss the position of the non-religious in plural Britain
Members of the UK's House of Lords will today discuss the position and rights of the non-religious in Britain today. Against the background of declining formal religious attendance but increased government commitment to faith-based public services, Lord Harrison of Chester, a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPH), has called the debate to bring attention to how the many non-religious people in Britain are affected by this approach.
The debate has been welcomed by the Christian think-tank Ekklesia, which says that in a post-Christendom era the churches' message would benefit from embracing plurality rather than seeking advantage over others.
Ekklesia, April 19, 2007
Muslims, Christians and the global human challenge
"In terms of engaged observers originating from the West, there are few (if any) in the world today who could claim a better pedigree in assessing Semitic religion in local and global societies than Kenneth Cragg. Now well into his 90s, and still as acute, analytical and evocative in his writing as ever, Cragg lives in retirement in Oxford, where he is an honorary assistant Anglican bishop and Honorary Fellow of Jesus College. But it as an interlocutor with Islam that he is best known. The importance of his contribution to the field of religious studies, the humanities and cross-cultural theology is incalculable. He has served as both a scholar and a church leader in the Middle East and has also held academic posts in Britain, Lebanon, Nigeria and the USA. He is the author of a considerable number of studies in contemporary relations between the ‘the peoples of the book’ (Muslims, Jews and Christians)." writes Simon Barrow of Ekklesia in a review of three of Cragg's books
Ekklesia, April 16, 2007
Face to faith stories
The Methodist Church has published a series of stories of inter faith involvement that you may find interesting or perhaps even inspirational. One contribution is a poem/hymn from Rev David H McDonald
Fearful of others we build up our fences,
Firmly believing we are not the same;
Lord of the rainbow rebuke our misgivings,
Show how diversity honours your name.
Faiths that are different we damn without reason,
Holding the whole truth is ours to proclaim;
Break down the walls of our self-centred thinking -
Blocking out knowledge and light to our shame.
While we mark time with our honoured traditions,
History moves on and our cause proves inane;
Make us, Lord, humble to learn from each other,
Journey as pilgrims in your holy name.
Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
You offer pardon and freedom from sin;
Send us your Spirit to move every barrier,
Using our lives to show signs of your reign.
All the stories can be found here.
Full-face religious veils to be restricted in schools
Following a heated debate in the wake of comments by Jack Straw, leader of the House of Commons, the government has agreed that schools will be able to prohibit the wearing of religious full-face veils on security, safety or learning grounds. The government stresses that all reasonable efforts should be made to accommodate religious clothing, but also emphasises the importance of teachers and pupils being able to make eye contact in lessons and the social aspects of the running of educational establishments. The move will come under new uniforms guidance, and follows a court case involving a Muslim teacher at a Church of England voluntary aided school - and another one where, in February 2007, a 12-year-old girl failed in a High Court attempt to overturn her Buckinghamshire school's niqab ban.
Ekklesia, March 20, 2007
Moves to marginalise extremists
The government is planning to intervene in some mosques to support Muslims who want to marginalise extremists. Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly has announced a new role for the Charity Commission, strengthening its task of overseeing religious institutions.
BBC News, April 5, 2007
BBC survey says Christians feel they are discriminated against
A new survey carried out by the BBC has revealed that 33 per cent of Christians in the UK think that the way they are portrayed in the media amounts to discrimination. And 25% said they also experienced discrimination from colleagues in the workplace when their faith was known or talked about. The poll was carried out for the BBC's Heaven and Earth programme, based on a representative sample of 604 people. Another 22% said they thought Christians faced discrimination in their local community. 19 per cent said they would be passed over for promotion. A third thought the media distorted Christian issues. Matters like the British Airways prohibition on costume jewellery, which prevented an employee from wearing a cross, and suspicion towards Christian service organizations by funding bodies, were cited as examples.
Ekklesia, March 18, 2007
Clerics say Muslim and Catholics must teach other's faith accurately
Muslims and Catholics in the United States need to develop educational programs that will give all of their faithful an accurate picture of the beliefs of the other, said two clerics experienced in Muslim-Catholic dialogue. Father Francis V. Tiso, associate director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat, president of the Islamic Affairs Council of Maryland, participated in a March 8 videoconference organized by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See.
Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service, reprinted in Scottish Catholic Observer, March 16, 2007
Time to end discrimination by faith schools, says teaching union
Faith schools which discriminate against potential pupils and staff should no longer be allowed state funding, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) has said. The union is attempting to reopen the debate on the future of faith schools after plans were dropped to force faith schools to take 25% of new pupils from other or no faiths. ATL has come to its conclusion following consultation its members on the role of faith schools. ATL general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted, said: "We need schools which embrace the diversity within our community, not a diversity of schools dividing pupils and staff on religious grounds.
Ekklesia, March 15, 2007
Bottles thrown through windows of mosque
Buckfast Bottles were thrown through the windows of a mosque in Stirling while around thirty worshippers prayed inside.
Daily Record, March 13, 2007
Christians and Muslims unite in defence of Dalits
Defying some perceptions of widening divisions between Christians and followers of Islam, hundreds of Muslims have joined a sit-in in the Indian capital organized by Christian groups to fight discrimination meted out to Dalits, considered by many in the country still to be "untouchable" citizens - writes Anto Akkara for Ecumenical News International. "Give us equal rights," shouted the protesters including senior church leaders and Muslim activists at the 3 March 2007 sit-in demanding and end to the discrimination against Christian and Muslim Dalits. The meeting was organized by the ecumenical National United Christian Forum for Human Rights with the National Council of Churches in India, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India and the Evangelical Fellowship of India.
Ekklesia, March 9, 2007
A land beyond our possession
During the Lent season Christians recall, among many other things, the 'seven woes' of Jesus (Matthew 23) - all of them pointers to the way in which those who most eagerly espouse religion can end up exemplifying a terrible deafness to love, mercy and justice. The culmination of this passage echoes a tragedy which has resonated down the ages: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." Two thousand years later Jerusalem remains a piece of territory still divided between peoples and faiths. It has become painfully symbolic of different ideological claims and competing territorial ambitions.
Simon Barrow writing in Ekklesia, March 8, 2007
An agenda for integration: The Muslim Council of Britain's new guidelines for schools can help pupils to feel fully and equally valued.
You would not have known it from some of the coverage in the reactionary press ("Muslims tell us how to run our schools" was the front page headline in the Daily Express), but the new education report (pdf, 4.23mb) from the Muslim Council of Britain is, in effect, an agenda for promoting greater integration. It is not a demand list, as some detractors want people to believe. For too long many Muslims have lagged behind national norms in achievement, and have faced criticism for appearing to lead separate lives. The focus of our report is to disseminate best practice already implemented in many schools around the country so that Muslim pupils can feel fully part of the state schools they attend. The debate about how to better involve Muslims in British society is to be welcomed. It is understandable if people find things unusual at first. Far from being discouraging, it is a sign that Muslims are serious about achieving their best in our educational system. If these guidelines can play a role in helping more Muslim pupils grow up to feel fully and equally valued by British educational institutions, then surely they are much more likely to lead integrated, successful lives in British society as a whole. It will help a significant section of the British pupils achieve more.
Tahir Alam, writing in The Guardian, Comment is Free, February 28, 2007
Who should the West support: moderate Islamists like Tariq Ramadan, or Islamic dissidents like Ayaan Hirsi Ali?
Are the rights of the group higher than those of the individual? With a fiery polemic against Ian Buruma's "Murder in Amsterdam" and Timothy Garton Ash's review of this book in the New York Review of Books, Pascal Bruckner has kindled an international debate. By now Ian Buruma, Timothy Garton Ash, Necla Kelek, Paul Cliteur, Lars Gustafsson, Stuart Sim, Ulrike Ackermann and Adam Krzeminski have all stepped into the ring. Read these articles here.
Can There Be Common Ground?
If some religious people believe they have a monopoly on truth, then are conversation and common ground possible? If so, what would be the difficulties and benefits of such a conversation? An online debate in the Washington Post contains some sensible comments, unfortunately amid a lot of bigotted ravings and rants. You can read more here.
Inside the December 2006 issue of Current Dialogue - the journal of the Interreligious Team of the World Council of Churches:
Upholding common human values and respecting differences- Ms Kathryn M. Lohre
A Pentecostal in sheep's clothing: an unlikely participant but hopeful partner in interreligious dialogue - Rev. Dr Tony Richie
Pope Benedict XVI's comments on Islam in Regensburg: A Muslim response- Dr Imam A. Rashied Omar
The culture of dialogue in Islam: freedom of choice and the right to differ- Mr Mohammad Al-Sammak
Muslim-Christian dialogue after 9/11: is it possible? - Prof. Darrol Bryant
Fundamentalism: a way to peacebuilding? - Dr Mohamed Mosaad
Non-violence and peacebuilding in Islam: the concept of non-violence in Islam- Prof. Zeenat Shaukat Ali
Religion and media - Seyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi
The Kyoto declarion on confronting violence and advancing shared security: Religions for Peace eighth world assembly - August 2006 Report on the II congress of leaders of world and traditional religions, Kazakhstan- Mr Michel Nseir
WCC, December, 2006
Free website design offer
Adil Zarnosh of pcg studios has contacted me and asked CAIRS to let churches and groups know of the availability of his services. He offers free web development for churches, mosques etc. Visit his website for further details.
Events promoted by other organizations:
Sunday, April 29, 2007 from 2:30pm to 7:30pm
Influencing Social Change: The Role of Faith
A complimentary seminar and dinner discussing the value of faith and how it can contribute to the betterment of society, at the Copthorne Hotel, Dudley. In an age when the public practice of any faith is increasingly undermined, understanding the value of faith in today's society is vital. An-Nisaa Group, an Islamic women's organisation, invites you to examine the role of faith in tackling some of today's social problems. Contributions include Yahya Birt, "Thoughts on the 'Heresy' of Public Religion", Joy Madeiros, "Why Faith Works", Rabbi Leonard Tann "Making a Difference", Nuzhat Ali, "Creating Positive Change through Faith" and Dr Brian Walker, "Interfaith Cooperation: Changing Conflict from a Source of Violence to a Resource for Peace." Closing date for applications is April 22. Full details (pdf), contact Samia Tariq.
Friday, May 18, 2007, 6pm to Sunday, May 20, 2007, 3pm
Building Bridges ...Breaking Boundaries
The seminar is a joint initiative between Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, and the Fellowship of Reconciliation. While FoR is an ecumenical Christian organization, and ARSP has Christian roots, this event welcomes people of all faiths and none. The seminar will be a residential weekend for 18 to 30 year olds, and will be held at Yardley Hastings, Northampton. The cost of the weekend is £40 and a limited number of travel bursaries and subsidized places are available. Full details (web) or (pdf).
Thursday, May 24 and Friday, May25, 2007, 9.30am-5.30pm.
Spirituality and the Sacredness of the Divine Feminine Conference
This Multi Faith and Spirituality Conference is expected to have participation from Her Holiness Sai Maa Lakshmi Devi, Sister Maureen Goodman, Dr Arzina Lalani, Maliqa Helen Evans, Sheelah Hidden, Miranda, Fionntulach, Chloe Goodchild, Dr MaryCatherine Burgess, Ravinder Kaur Nijjar, Samani Prasanna Pragyaji and Samani Sambodh Pragyaji, Rabbi Nancy Morris, Ajahn Candasiri, among others.
There will also be a Public Multi Faith and Spiritual Forum Event: Spirituality and the Sacredness of the Divine Feminine, on Thursday May 24, 2007, from 7.30pm onwards, chaired by Dr MaryCatherine Burgess, with speakers Her Holiness Sai Maa Lakshmi Devi, Sister Maureen Goodman, Dr Arzina Lalani, Sheelah Hidden, Miranda, Samani Prasanna Pragyaji and Samani Sambodh Pragyaji and Ajahn Candasiri.
St George's West Church, 58 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh. Full details.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Alchemy and Spirit: Revealing the Passionate Soul with Her Holiness Sai Maa Lakshmi Devi.
Her Holiness Sai Maa Lakshmi Devi is a Master of the radical transformation of consciousness. Sai Maa embodies Light, Love and playfulness. You are warmly invited to experience Sai Maa's alive, dynamic teaching, to meditate and chant with Her, and to step into the fullness and Light of your own Mastery. Sai Maa's work respects and honours all traditions and religions, and She has the extraordinary capacity to communicate profound wisdom in a simple, personable, and down-to-earth manner.
11 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Day Intensive
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Public Programme
Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh. Full details.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Pluralism Sunday
see article above