The Bridge

October 2007, Issue No. 24 
The Journal of the Churches' Agency for Inter Faith Relations in Scotland

The next issue of The Bridge will be published on November 13, 2007.  Items for inclusion should reach me by November 12.

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 this issue: 

CAIRS events - advance news
o Christian Muslim Conversations
o Dialogue with Hinduism: Christianity & Scotland's Other Faiths Study Day, November 20

Ground-breaking cultural event: Eid on the Drive
Hindu leader urges British Christians to end 'intolerance and division'
Church Yoga Ban May Be Illegal
Church of Scotland urges peaceful change in Burma
CSW Condemns Crackdown on Burma Protests
British Parliamentarians Visit Refugees on India-Burma Border
Spiritual free-diving in a religiously diverse world
New President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue appointed
Historic Christian-Muslim accord on freedom to convert
Evangelicals respond to comments in TV programme on Muslim converts
Inter Faith Contact
'History is made' as faiths join to clean up graveyard
Making Space for Difference
The Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths
Inter Faith Prayer
From Ginny to Khadija
Peace Building Program for Youth
Tripoli inter-faith meeting seeks improved Christian-Muslim relations
Christians celebrate new religious freedoms in Libya
Kenyan religious leaders campaign for violence-free elections
Interfaith fast for an end to Iraq war
Relations with other faiths - CofS inter faith news
"Philosophy with Fur" Inter Faith cartoon blog " 

Details of upcoming inter faith events
o Robertson Lecture, Glasgow Univ.
o Open Research Seminars, Glasgow Univ.
o Eid on the Drive, Pollokshields
o One World Week
o Stella Reekie Commemoration, Glasgow
o Haining Lecture, Dumfries
o Imams and Ministers Conference, High Leigh

CAIRS Events

Christian Muslim Conversations
A series of evening meetings in various locations throughout Scotland will be held in the autumn. These meetings are designed to address issues that Christians may have in relation to our Muslim brothers and sisters.  They are deliberately being aimed at Christians who have had little or no experience of meeting with Muslims.  In a very basic dialogue, we hope to allay any fears a Christian may have about Islam, answer their questions about the Islamic faith, and demonstrate that we have much in common in our striving for peace and justice for all humanity.  These events are being co-organised by CAIRS and meem.  The following sessions are confirmed at the present time.  Evenings in other locations will be added in due course.  Check the events page  for more info as it becomes available

Tue Oct 16   St Columba's, Livingston
Wed Oct 17   St Saviour's Hall, Bridge of Allan
Thu Oct 18  St Francis Xavier, Falkirk
Mon Oct 22   Augustine URC, Edinburgh
Wed Oct 24   Cumbernauld Old, Cumbernauld
Mon Oct 29   St Edward's Church Hall, Airdrie 

Thu Nov 1    Methodist Church, Inverness
Wed Nov 7  Meadowside St Paul's, Dundee 
Thu Nov 8    St Mary's-Greyfriars, Dumfries
Wed Nov 14 St Matthew's, Perth
Thu Nov 15   Newport-on-Tay
Mon Nov 19  St James the Less, Penicuik

It is anticipated that dates and venues for Aberdeen and Glasgow will be added in due course.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Dialogue with Hinduism Christianity & Scotland's Other Faiths Study Day 
Further details of this day at Scottish Churches' House, being facilitated by Prof. Frank Whaling, are available to download here as a pdf, 108Kb.

Inter Faith News

Ground-breaking cultural event
Pollokshields celebrates Eid-ul Fitr with a community wide event. On Saturday, October 13, 2007, the communities of Pollokshields will celebrate Eid-ul Fitr with a family friendly day of festivities on and around Albert Drive to be called "Eid on the Drive."
Full details 

Hindu leader urges British Christians to end 'intolerance and division'
Anil Bhanot, the general secretary of the Hindu Council UK (HCUK), has written to some of the main Christian leaders in Britain to express his 'growing concern' at divisive elements between religions, urging them to root out and stand against intolerance and religious dogma.
Ekklesia, September 25, 2007

Church Yoga Ban May Be Illegal
The Hindu Council UK is considering whether a ban on yoga classes in two Somerset Churches, may breach the Equality Act 2006.
Hindu Council UK Press release, September 3, 2007

Church of Scotland urges peaceful change in Burma
Morag Mylne, Convener of the Kirk's Church and Society Council, expressed sadness at the lack of progress in relation to restoring a democratic government to Burma. Together with the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Sheilagh Kesting, she asked for prayers for the people of Burma and for a peaceful and speedy restoration of democracy to their country.
Church of Scotland Press Release, September 26, 2007

Christian Solidarity Worldwide Condemns Crackdown on Burma Protests
CSW have condemned the crackdown against protestors in Burma and called on the international community to take urgent action to bring change to Burma.  CSW also encouraged Christians around the world to pray for Burma and urged leaders of international denominations to speak out.
CSW Press Release, September 26, 2007

British Parliamentarians Visit Refugees on India-Burma Border
John Bercow MP, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma, and Baroness Caroline Cox, a member of the House of Lords, visited Chin refugees on the India-Burma border with a delegation from CSW. The delegation heard first-hand accounts of horrific forms of torture, conditions in prison camps, forced labour, rape, religious persecution, forced marriage and cultural genocide.
CSW Press Release, September 24, 2007 

Spiritual free-diving in a religiously diverse world
Annegret Kapp describes the experiences of young Christians, Muslims and Jews as they seek to come to terms with the challenges of global religious faith through a special summer school at the famous Bossey Institute.
Ekklesia, August 8, 2007 

New President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue appointed
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran has been appointed to this post as the Vatican split the responsibility away from that of culture again.  The 64-year-old French Cardinal is seen as the Holy See's "top diplomat" and recently described the position of Iraqi Christians  as "paradoxically more protected under the dictatorship" of Saddam Hussein than they are today after the "unjust approach" used to overthrow the regime.

Historic Christian-Muslim accord on freedom to convert
The signing of a declaration between a group representing Muslims and a leading Christian body in Norway, which supports the mutual right to convert between faiths without harassment, is the first pact of its type in the world, the two bodies have announced.  The Islamic Council of Norway and the (Lutheran) Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations jointly declared that everyone is free to adopt the religious faith of their choice.
Ekklesia, August 28, 2007 

Evangelicals respond to comments in TV programme on Muslim converts
The Evangelical Alliance has responded to comments about its activities in last month's Channel 4 TV programme, which examined evidence of the "violence and intimidation facing Muslims who convert to Christianity in Britain".
Ekklesia, September 25, 2007

Inter Faith Contact - An introduction to inter faith work.
This leaflet has been written by Celia Blackden, Inter Faith Officer for Churches Together in England, in consultation with colleagues. This text is offered to Christians, not as a policy document, but as an opportunity for reflection and an encouragement to further study and prayer. 
Available to download as a pdf file from CTE 

'History is made' as faiths join to clean up graveyard
Muslims, Christians and Jews joined forces yesterday to remove graffiti from a vandal-hit graveyard.  In what one MSP described as "no better example of community cohesion", over 50 people from many different faiths helped clean up Sandymount Cemetery in Balornock, Glasgow.
The Scotsman, August 13, 2007 

Making Space for Difference
The General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, Rev Joel Edwards, looks forward to the launch of the Alliance's next Values campaign, the theme of which is tolerance.  The Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks, will speak on this topic at the Alliance's annual Temple lecture on November 13. Joel writes: It was Voltaire who said, "Of all religions, the Christian is without doubt the one which should inspire tolerance most, although up to now Christians have been the most intolerant of men."
idea, Sept/Oct 2007

The Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths
The Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths is dedicated to teaching, research and dialogue in the encounter between Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is an umbrella organisation for the Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations (CJCR, founded in 1998) and the Centre for the Study of Muslim-Jewish Relations (CMJR, established in 2006).
For more information visit their website 

Inter Faith Prayer
Ann McCart writes of her journey over the past two years towards inter faith prayer.
2005 searched for an inter-faith prayer group to join. Very surprised to find there were none.
July 2006 prayed with a young Muslim friend. Read a few short passages from the Koran and the Bible, shared our reaction to them and then had a quiet time of reflection and finished with some prayer of petition.
Nov. 2006 Attended a lecture at Glasgow Uni.  "A Christian View of Islam" by Dr Martin Bauschke of Berlin.  Excellent lecture. Sat beside a young Muslim student who was interested in inter-faith prayer. Met with her and her husband the next week. Lovely people, they were Iranians.
Dec. 2006 First spoke to Fr Keenan about it as a reaction to his preaching. He encouraged me.
April 2007  Fr Keenan at the Catholic Glas Uni chaplaincy is keen to work with me to establish a prayer meeting. He had hosted 2 inter-faith evenings, a Muslim and a Jewish night with talks and food and sharing.
May 2007  Attended the Ibrahimic Roots Group in Coatbridge. Bushra is a woman of my age who has started a small group of Christians and Muslims who share about various aspects of their culture and beliefs. They are working towards praying together.
May 13, 2007 I attended what was billed as an inter-faith prayer meeting organised by the Universal Peace Federation where there were talks given by 8 different faith groups finishing in 10 minutes of silent reflection. I made a lot of good contacts there, people who feel like me felt we must build bridges and pray - especially the abrahamic religions The main thing lacking is contact with the Jewish community. I'm sure we can probably get students involved but I would prefer to make contact with more mature Jewish people.
And...I'm sure that the inter-faith room at the Uni will be available to us if we get off the ground.

From Ginny to Khadija
She began her adult life as a fun-loving philosophy graduate from the Home Counties. Now, a convert to Islam, with her husband in prison under Spain's draconian terrorism laws, she waits at home in Nottingham with her children, scarcely even going to the mosque any more.
Victoria Combe writing in The Tablet, August 18, 2007

Peace Building Program for Youth
In August the ARK (Architects Relation Knowledge) organized a youth gathering in Minnesota for young Christians and Muslims from Jordan, Palestine, USA, Guatemala, Malawi, and Lithuania. The gathering aimed at establishing a network of young people from both religions and advocate for peace. The organizers are studying with MECC the possibility of hosting another event in Jordan in 2008.
For further information contact MECC 
Middle East Council of Churches News Brief, August 2007

Tripoli inter-faith meeting seeks improved Christian-Muslim relations
African religious leaders meeting in the Libyan capital Tripoli have praised a more than 25-year-long dialogue between Libya and the Vatican as a positive contribution to good relations between Christianity and Islam.
Ekklesia, September 2, 2007

Christians celebrate new religious freedoms in Libya
A new wave of religious freedom is sweeping across Libya, say Christians in the north African country. This follows three decades during which, observers say, the tiny Christian community faced restrictions due to the overwhelmingly Muslim nation's hostile stance towards the West.
Ekklesia, September 21, 2007

Kenyan religious leaders campaign for violence-free elections
Christian, Muslim and Hindu groups in Kenya are to launch a campaign to urge political leaders to sign a peace charter and pledge to avoid violence ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 2007
Ekklesia, September 22, 2007

Interfaith fast for an end to Iraq war
Religious leaders representing tens of millions of Americans have stood in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol calling religious communities of various traditions to a day of fasting and prayer to end the Iraq war.  They invite people of faith to join together on October 8 to fast from dawn to sunset.
More information
Ekklesia, October 1, 2007

Relations with other faiths
Monthly newsletters are available in Word, Rich Text and text only formats to download, produced by Iain Stewart, the Church of Scotland's Inter-faith Support Worker.
September's issue features an article by Iain about Yom Kippur
and the October feature is about Diwali

Philosophy with Fur inter faith cartoon blog
Dharma The Cat is now an interactive blog, with a new spiritual cartoon posted each Sunday night.  Commentaries on the issues raised by each cartoon include Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Interfaith, Islamic, Jewish, Pagan (Wicca) and Taoist.

Other Inter Faith events

Monday, October 8, 2007, 5.30pm to 7pm
Alexander Robertson Lecture, Glasgow University
Prof. Roger Haight (Union Theological College, New York) "Trinity and Religious Pluralism"
The Gloag (8 The Square), Glasgow University

Tuesday, October 9, 2007, 5.30pm to 7.30pm
Glasgow University Centre for Inter-Faith Studies - Open Research Seminar
Prof. Roger Haight (Union Theological College, New York) "The Christological Imagination - What determines one's position on the relation of Jesus Christ to other religious meditations?"
4 The Square, Glasgow University

Roger Haight will also talk at the Lauriston Centre in Edinburgh on Thursday 11 October at 7.30pm.

Saturday, October 13, 2007
Eid on the Drive
See News Section above

October 21-28, 2007
Are You Ready For One World Week?
One World Week  is coming up fast but there's still time to plan that special event to celebrate "ALL TOGETHER NOW", the theme for 2007.  Of course, you can have your event anytime -it doesn't have to be in that week. The OWW website has ideas, resources and links to inspire and help you plan your event. There are suggestions about how to involve people of many cultures and faiths. Resources include a Christian worship anthology for a OWW service, a drama, and a quiz/simple survey.
More at the OWW website

Sunday, October 21, 2007
Commemoration of the life of Stella Reekie, who died 25 years ago. Rev Maxwell Craig writes that "this will celebrate all that Stella did for inter-faith work before (dare I say this?) it became fashionable". The event will be held in Wellington Church, Glasgow.  Further information from Isabel Smyth.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007, 7.30pm
Jane Haining Lecture
Rt Revd Sheilagh Kesting, Moderator of the Church of Scotland "A proper confidence - being Christian in a multi faith society"
Tickets £5, from The Crichton Foundation, Browne House, Crichton University Campus, Dumfries DG1 4ZZ, Tel. 01387 702 047, Email or by post at Gilchrist Room, Easterbrook Hall, Crichton Campus, Dumfries

Tuesday, November 20, 2007, 5.30pm to 7.30pm
Glasgow University Centre for Inter-Faith Studies - Open Research Seminar
"Islam and Inter-Faith Relations" - Book launch of the Gerald Weisfeld Lectures 2006
Talks, discussion and reception. The Forehall, Main Building, Glasgow University

November 28-29, 2007
Imams and Ministers Conference
The conference run by the Christian-Muslim Forum will take place at High Leigh Conference Centre, Hertfordshire EN11 8SG with the theme of Spiritual Leadership and runs from lunchtime to lunchtime. The programme includes:
scripture studies
leadership workshops
film screening - 'The Imam and the Pastor'
keynote addresses
local group workshops
The main Christian speaker will be His Grace Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox; main Muslim speaker tbc.
Fuller information

Tuesday, December 11, 2007, 5.30pm to 7.30pm
Glasgow University Centre for Inter-Faith Studies - Open Research Seminar
Prof. Joachim Gentz (Edinburgh University) "How to deal with the religious other" Problems of perception and reaction of Christian Europeans, Chinese Buddhists and the Chinese state regarding the Falun Gong Movement.
4 The Square, Glasgow University