'Ground-breaking National conference on Religious Tolerance'

THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
Organised by the community cohesion Pathfinder Project of the East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre, this event brought together Britain's major faiths to London Docklands on Tuesday.

The conference prompted scholars, academics and leading members of Britain's faith communities to explore developments in religious tolerance and positive community cohesion. Perhaps aptly, it was co-sponsored by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for whom Mike O'Brien (Minister of state for Foreign Affairs) described the rendezvous as both timely and crucial.

The first half of the conference concentrated on the theological foundations of Judaism, Sikhism, Christianity and Islam respectively while the second half moved on to practical examples, experiences and suggestions for society to implement.

The opening half was followed by a question and answer session, whereby an interactive discussion took place involving the audience. Every speaker had encouraging and noteworthy suggestions which were more or less echoed by their religious counterparts.

For example, Rabbi Alan Plancey encouraged people to not be afraid to discuss differences, explaining that everybody couldn't possibly be the same. Furthermore, that we must be strong and comfortable in our own values and ideals, otherwise how would we respect ourselves and expect others to respect us? He made a distinction between power and influence, arguing that seeking power leads to conflict. Rather, we should work to influence others instead, particularly from a spiritual angle.

Dr. Murad Hofmann's (Notable writer and former German ambassador to Algeria and Morocco) contribution was particular telling as he pointed out that frictions in society that existed were more ethnic, racial, political and economic rather than religious. It was important that people of all faiths recognized that and didn't let religious differences act as a barrier for building better community relations or an excuse for conflict.

Moving on to the second half of the conference, it kicked off with Dr. Abdul Hai Murshid (Educationalist and Head teacher in Tower Hamlets) on the topic of religious tolerance in schools. He described tolerance being akin to a 'package with no product' whereby politicians advocated it without any practical suggestions. An increased emphasis on political correctness, was also a contributing factor arguing that faith communities should not tolerate political spin, indeed work to overcome stereotypes, celebrate diversity and participate in society.

This was followed by Neil Jameson (Executive director of the Citizen Organizing Foundation COF: The East London Communities Organisation TELCO) who talked about religious attachment in contemporary British society. Neil emphasized that each and every one of us should work on our community, implying that the effects would be far-reaching in time. "Don't be afraid to get involved, organize and work together, form alliances as vehicles for change" he recommended.

Reverend Alan Green (Director of Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum) gave an insight into Interfaith Initiatives in the area, reminding us that London had a long history of immigrants and that we had to start from somewhere as far as liasing with each other for the betterment of society was concerned.

Next was the jovial Fred Halliday (Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics) with an address of the causes of religious intolerance.
Highlighting that there had been an increased recognition of Islam, despite alarming media and academic debate aka Robert Kilroy-Silk. Islam had a set of universal values which celebrated the existence of different tribes and communities. History, in his opinion, shows that religious solidarity plays a key role in galvanizing communities. However, amnesia persists amongst many he concluded.

Dr. Anthony McRoy ( Lecturer at the Evangelical Theological College of Wales and Christian Research Journalist)) followed with a hard-hitting analysis of the impact of anti-terror laws in Britain's faith communities.

He began by looking back to the gunpowder plot during Oliver Cromwell's reign as the beginning of terrorism in Britain, arguing that the government's specific laws (to counter terrorism) have a long history of continuity. The definition of terrorism has been arbitrary, citing the example of Abu Hamza (who The Sun newspaper adoringly refers to as the 'Hook'), so often vilified, despite having no charges brought against him, was in line to be stripped of his nationality. Contrast this with the Catholic priest who actually participated in a terrorist act in Belfast, yet no action was ever taken against him. Ian Paisley amongst others make political statements that a Muslim would not dare say for fear of retribution.

The final 'word' was reserved for Iqbal Sacranie (Secretary General of The Muslim Council of Britain) who summarized with some suggestions on working for the common good.

Mr. Sacranie felt that Muslims in particular, were being encouraged to observe tolerance. He talked about working amongst the grassroots and a need to highlight where denigration of communities was taking place. On a final note, he made a swipe at Al-Muhajiroon for providing fuel to the fire of irresponsible media (in ref. to Evening Standard story of same day)

Overall, it was encouraging to see people of different faiths intermingling with each other with a common sense of purpose and a desire to ensure that religion was no longer a scapegoat in the myriad of conflicts that exist today.