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The Bridge
June 2007, Issue No. 21
The Journal of the Churches' Agency for Inter Faith Relations in Scotland
June 14, 2007
The next issue of The Bridge will be published on July 17, 2007. Items for inclusion should reach me by July 16.
Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of CAIRS unless otherwise specifically stated. Most news items are links to other news sources, for whom CAIRS accepts no liability for accuracy. We take reasonable precautions to check for viruses but you are strongly recommended to carry out your own checks as CAIRS will not take responsibility for any damage caused as a result of virus infection.
In the last issue of The Bridge, I drew your attention to news reports in The Scotsman and BBC News concerning Lothian Buses. I have since been informed that the whole story was spurious, and that no official instruction regarding veiled women was issued. I apologise for any disturbance my action may have caused - but remind you that The Bridge is a conduit for bringing stories from other sources to your notice.
In this issue:
SIFC convener addresses CofS General Assembly
Newly appointed Church Of Scotland Inter-Faith Support Worker, Iain Stewart, introduces himself
Religion not solely to blame for global conflict, says WCC chief
Religious Discrimination Guidance published
Turning hope into homes
Scotland's 1st Annual Muslim Awards
New E-bulletin from the International Council of Christian and Jews
Guidelines for Interfaith Events and Dialogue
Poll shows alarming level of disaffection among British Muslims
German Protestants and Muslims hesitantly continue dialogue
Pakistan death sentence illustrates iniquity of blasphemy laws, say churches
Malaysian court tells woman convert to Christianity: Stay Muslim
Churches urge end to occupation of Palestinian territories
Prayer Room Opens At East Midlands Airport
Details of upcoming inter faith events in Scotland:
o Young Scottish Muslims Conference
o Finding the Heart
o Information Seminar for Muslim Women
o Festival of Spirituality and Peace
o Inter Faith Youth Retreat
Job advert
Inter Faith News
SIFC convener addresses CofS General Assembly
It was a historic moment when the convener of the Scottish Inter Faith Council addressed the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland last month. With members of the SIFC in the front row, Dianna Wolfson was warmly received. Mrs Wolfson paid tribute to the long term involvement of Moderator, Rt Revd Sheilagh Kesting, in inter faith dialogue in Scotland.
Newly appointed Church Of Scotland Inter-Faith Support Worker, Iain Stewart, introduces himself.
First of all can I say that it was with great honour and excitement, that I accepted the role of 'Inter-Faith Support Worker.' I come to this position with a background of almost ten years experience as a Religious Education teacher and will continue in that capacity on a part - time basis. The reason I chose to apply for this post is that I share with many the vision of an ideal society, where people of all faiths learn to live together, with not only a greater tolerance but with a greater respect and understanding of each others traditions and ideally forging lasting friendships.
The main purpose of my post includes offering advice and encouragement to local churches, with a view to encouraging a greater understanding of neighbours of other faiths; to promote positive and healthy relationships; to respond with confidence and integrity, and to commit where appropriate to common action.
The Church of Scotland is committed to learning to love, respect and understand our neighbour and there are many examples of this in practice. For example the Well Asian Advice Centre in Govan Hill provides an invaluable service for the local Asian community. I hope to build on the good work that has already been done, by helping to improve our understanding of and relationship with other faiths.
Iain Stewart
Religion not solely to blame for global conflict, says WCC chief
If religion can and does fuel conflict, globalization driven by non-religious forces also contributes a great deal to the emergence of new ethno-religious conflicts says World Council of Churches' general secretary Rev Dr Samuel Kobia.
Delivering a keynote lecture yesterday at the 'Kirchentag', the largest Protestant gathering in Germany, Dr Kobia affirmed that in such conflicts, Christians are called by the gospel to work towards healing and reconciliation - but he was forthright about the way both diseased religion and other malign ideologies can lead to death and destruction.
He recalled, as one example, how a 19th-century German missionary in present-day Tanzania destroyed the trees of an ancient African shrine near Kilimanjaro. "When they started to cut the trees, an old man stood in their way, asking them, 'What kind of God is this who wants you to destroy the holy places of others?'"
The gospel imperative "to affirm justice and to honour the dignity of the other" compels Christians to work for healing and reconciliation, something that "often requires healing of memories that are deeply hurt".
Ekklesia, June 8, 2007
ENI, June 7, 2007
Religious Discrimination Guidance published
Official ''Guidance on new measures to outlaw discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the provision of goods, facilities and services'' has been published (online only) by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The guidance covers issues such as liability and limited exemptions of the regulations which came into effect on Monday 30 April 2007. You can access the guidance as a 150 Kb pdf file here.
Turning Hope into Homes
Turning Hope into Homes will be sending teams to Kyrgyzstan and Hungary in 2007.
In July 2006 a team of people from Edinburgh representing different communities went to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan to assist vulnerable families in the building of their own homes. This humanitarian mission was part of a project run by Habitat for Humanity, a UK registered charity. The team was made up of members of various Christian churches, the Central Mosque and persons of no particular faith.
The work of Turning Hope into Homes is funded entirely by donations - and they will also be holding a 2007 Interfaith Family Food Fayre on Saturday June 16. For further information about this project, visit their website.
meem, Scotland's Muslim Consultancy, is proud to announce Scotland's 1st Annual Muslim Awards (SAMA) ceremony taking place later this year.
The awards are aimed specifically for Muslims to help build confidence within the community and to recognise Muslim achievements, successes and contribution to Scotland's development overall. Further details from meem.
International Council of Christian and Jews
The Council is publishing a new bi-monthly e-bulletin on its website. The bulletin can be downloaded here, or by signing up by email.
Guidelines for Interfaith Events and Dialogue,
prepared by the Committee for Christian Unity and the Bishops of the Church of Ireland, Church of Ireland Publishing, RCB (2007).
'The first of its kind in the Anglican Communion,' according to Bishop Michael Jackson and soon to become available from the Diocesan Good Book Shop (028).9024 4825, website, email , cost not known at this point.
Poll shows alarming level of disaffection among British Muslims
An opinion poll commissioned and released by Channel 4 TV news, a respected current affairs programme in the UK, has revealed alarming levels of disaffection among Muslims in Britain - including distrust for the authorities and doubts over the official version of the 7/7 bombings.
Ekklesia, June 5, 2007
German Protestants and Muslims hesitantly continue dialogue
Protestant and Muslim leaders in Germany have held their first meeting since an encounter planned for February was cancelled by Muslim representatives because of a church document from late 2006 on Christian-Islamic relations. Muslim groups accused the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the country's main Protestant umbrella group, of promoting prejudice and stereotypes about Muslims through the position paper, "Clarity and being good neighbours". Speaking after their 30 May meeting in Mannheim, in western Germany, Protestant and Muslim leaders acknowledged they had not been able to clear up all their disagreements but said they wanted to continue their dialogue.
The Protestant document places greater stress than previous church documents on distinctions between Christianity and Islam, such as different views about God, mission and common prayer. It also highlights issues such as religious conversion, the role of women, and religiously-motivated violence. It states that cultural identity should not take priority over human rights, and that the systematic unequal treatment of men and women, so-called "honour killings", female circumcision, and forced marriages cannot be tolerated in a democracy.
ENI, June 1, 2007
Pakistan death sentence illustrates iniquity of blasphemy laws, say churches
Christian groups in Pakistan are again demanding the scrapping of a draconian blasphemy law after a number of blasphemy cases were imposed on Christians in recent days - writes Anto Akkara from Bangalore, India.
"The religious extremists are furthering their agenda by abusing the blasphemy laws while the government constantly refuses to discuss the issue on any proper forum," lamented the National Justice and Peace Commission of the Roman Catholic church in a statement.
Younis Masih, a 29-year-old Christian from Lahore, had been sentenced to death on 30 May for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Muhammad on 9 September 2005. ENI, June 8, 2007
Malaysian court tells woman convert to Christianity: Stay Muslim
A Malaysian woman who converted to Christianity might be jailed for apostasy, or the rejection of her religion, after the Muslim-majority country's highest court ruled that she does not have a constitutional right to convert from Islam to another religion.
Lina Joy has battled for seven years to have her conversion recognised as legal. She finally took her case to a Malaysian Federal Court, which decided that she could not remove "Islam" from the religion category of her government identity card despite her conversion to Christianity in 1998.
The landmark ruling tested Malaysia's claims to offer freedom of religion to its diverse population which is 60 percent Muslim but also includes Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and other faiths. Islam is Malaysia's official religion.
ENI, June 1, 2007
Churches urge end to occupation of Palestinian territories
A Jerusalem archbishop has joined in a multi-faith rejection of violence and killing in the Middle East at a service attended by religious leaders who called for an end to 40 years of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Jerusalem Roman Catholic Archbishop Fouad Twal on 3 June addressed an ecumenical service in the holy city's St Stephens Church to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. "Our refusal of the use of violence is in defence of the dignity of all and according to the Gospel and the holy books." he said.
ENI, June 5, 2007
Prayer Room Opens At East Midlands Airport
This facility will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and will be accessible to people from all faith communities and none. The area, located next to departure security, includes a separate space for private contemplation and seating for 40 people.
More at CTE-News, June 2007
Inter Faith events
Young Scottish Muslims Conference
Monday, June 18, 2007
Held at the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow this event will bring together people from professional organisations and young Scottish Muslims from all over Scotland to ensure that young people have their voice heard. There will also be an awards night presenting young people with four awards. For further information on either event, to register your attendance, or to nominate a young person, please visit their website.
Finding the Heart
Saturday, June 23, 2007, 10am to 5pm
A day of meditation for those of any faith or none led by Ajahn Candasiri, a Buddhist nun from the Theravada tradition. At St Columba's-by-the-Castle, 14 Johnston Terrace EDINBURGH. Cost: by donation Further information from Elspeth Strachan, 0131 538 7033. The event flyer and application form can also be downloaded from the CAIRS events page as a pdf file.
Information Seminar for Muslim Women
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
An event organised to give information on family relationships, including domestic abuse, from an Islamic perspective and to discuss legal rights and options. All Women Welcome. Pollokshields Burgh Hall, Glasgow. Crèche & interpreters available if booked at least 1 week in advance. For more information please call Amina Muslim Women's Resource Centre at 0141 585 8026 or email.
Festival of Spirituality and Peace
August 5 - 26, 2007
Over the last few years the Festival of Spirituality and Peace, based at St John's, Princes Street, Edinburgh has developed to the point of being recognised as an official Edinburgh Festival. Its director, the Revd Donald Reid, describes the background and gives us a glimpse of this year's exciting programme.
Picking up the abolition of slavery commemorations this year, the theme for Festival of Spirituality and Peace (FoSP) in August will be 'Power and Freedom: Breaking the Chains'. A galaxy of speakers, musicians, dancers, art work and workshops will help us reflect on a range of emancipation issues from slavery then and now to terrorism and paths to inner spiritual freedom.
The task of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace is to show that true religion is peace-oriented and that our geopolitics can learn from its insights. We seek, in short, to model the conversations which we need to have in the wider world if there is to be peace.
So who will be with us this year?
The Scottish author James Robertson and Iain Whyte will help us reflect on the evils of slavery in enlightenment Scotland and we will be joined by Toyin Agbetu (who protested at the Westminster Abbey slavery service) who will raise the difficult issue of whether - and how - an apology should be issued.
Peace makers such as Nobel prize winner Mairead Corrigan, Gillan Slovo and Donald Reeves will discuss the experience of N Ireland, South Africa and Bosnia and Roland Dannreuther and Chris Abbott will help us look at global terrorism and its causes and effects. Lionel Blue, Gerry Hughes SJ, Abbot Christopher Jamison (of the TV programme The Monastery) will help us look at the spiritual paths to peace. Judge Balthasar Garzón (who indicted General Pinochet) and Derek Ogg QC will help us look at how the rule of law can call the powerful to account; and Tony Benn and Revd Jesse Jackson will look at struggles over their lifetimes to advance civil liberties. And humanist philosopher Julian Baggini will discuss the case for the state being secular in order to guarantee personal and religious freedom, with Imam Ahmad Saad.
We will also be most privileged to host the central figures from the documentary The Imam and the Pastor . In the 1990s, Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa led opposing, armed militias as violence broke out in Kaduna, northern Nigeria. In pitched battles, Pastor James lost his hand and Imam Ashafa's spiritual mentor and two close relatives were killed. Now the two men are co-directors of the Muslim-Christian Interfaith Mediation Centre in their city, leading task-forces to resolve conflicts across Nigeria. They will tell us how they made this remarkable transition, showing that friendly relations are possible between those of Muslim and Christian background.
Throughout the three weeks there will be art exhibits expressing 'power' and 'freedom' conceived by Edinburgh school children which will form a though provoking backdrop for concerts with performers from Scotland and abroad. There will be times of prayer and quiet, a nightly Sacred Space with live reflective music for the festival crowds seeking to get a time of sanctuary. 'The Glorious Recital' will again introduce us to the sublime vocal art of Qur'anic recitation and if you're not in sublime mood, you can also hear the entire bible in limerick form.
This year we are particularly excited that we will have an interfaith youth programme involving young people from all over Europe and from Ghana and Mozambique, two countries who have experienced slavery.
The Festival kicks off on Sunday 5 August at 6pm at St John's and over the following three weeks there will be ample opportunity for meeting, singing, praying, eating and deliberating and discovering a common will for peace.
May Peace Prevail on Earth.
Revd Donald Reid
For the full programme please see the Festival website or ring the FoSP office on 0131 221 2273.
Tickets can be booked through Cornerstone Bookshop at St John's (0131 229 0212).
Inter Faith Youth Retreat
August 11 - 17, 2007
Details of this event on the Isle of Iona can be obtained from Maureen Sier at the Scottish Inter Faith Council.
Job Advert
Christian Enquiry Agency
Mission and Communications Intern (One-year fixed term contract)
This is a unique opportunity for the right individual to work at the heart of UK mission and evangelism networks, on the cutting edge of communication in Christian mission.
Supporting the Director and managing complex projects, you will need to have initiative and drive. In return, you will have the chance to gain invaluable experience and to undertake a research project into a key area of the Agency's work.
With a good understanding of, and sympathy for, the breadth of theological insights and perspectives on mission and evangelism across the churches, you will:
" be educated at least to 'A' level or equivalent, with a theological qualification;
" have excellent communication, interpersonal and organisational skills;
" be competent in the use of office software and be numerate and articulate;
" have an enthusiasm for creative evangelism, and be of good standing within a church that is part of Churches Together in England (or other nation).
Salary from £13,000 to £15,000 p.a. depending on experience.
Closing date for applications: 6th July 2007.
Interviews to be held two weeks later.
Job description.
Call for further details or submit your CV to Gareth Squire, Director. Email , phone: 020 8144 7177, or write to: Christian Enquiry Agency, 27 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9HH.