Report of the Birmingham Programme. Official Launch Event

Transcription

1 Report of the Birmingham Programme The 2016 programme built on the experience of the previous year with a total of 21 events in a slightly extended week, most of which were organised by different faith bodies in membership or association with the Birmingham Council of Faiths. Over 500 people attended the wide variety of events which took place in different locations around the city and on its margins. These included the spiritual, artistic, remembrance, health and wellbeing We are grateful for the support of the City Council, which hosted the Launch Event, and to everyone who organised and participated in events. Reports of individual events follow. The 2017 Interfaith Week event will be held Sun th November. Further details are available from Dr Peter Rookes, Secretary, Birmingham Council of Faiths at pjrookes@gmail.com, or phone or Location: Birmingham City Council House Official Launch Event Organised by Birmingham Council of Faiths and Birmingham City Council Birmingham Council of Faiths has been co-ordinating IFW events in the city for a number of years, but this was the first time since 2009 that a special launch event had been held. Stalls were set up by organisers of some of the Week s events and were viewed by an audience of some 60 who met to socialise beforehand. As well as celebrating the launch itself, the event also marked 42 years of BCF and the new partnership between it and the City Council. There were, therefore, presentations on the Week s progamme, BCF s history, the place of faith in the city (by the Cabinet Member for Equalities, Waseem Zaffar), and on the series of non-partisan faith brochures produced by BCF and aimed for the use of public agencies as well. In addition there were cultural performances by Birmingham s newest rabbi, Lior Kaminetsky, who also happens to be an international violinist, and by the Hindu dancer Krupali.

2 The event finished with the lighting of celebratory candles by three members of the student council of Nishkam Junior School. The Birmingham programme was officially opened by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Carl Rice. Other participants included members of and workers for the council and members of BCF and faith organisations. MC for the event was the Anglican Faith Ambassador, Andrew Smith. The Spiritual and Secular- Challenges we face in contemporary society as people of faith Organised by Patricia Earle (WFWP) and Anita Shervington (Community Perspectives) with the support of the Museum and Art Gallery, and Newman University's Centre for Science and Knowledge. Location: Gallery of Spirituality and Interfaith, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Just over 70 women, from a wide variety of religious, racial and cultural backgrounds, reflecting Birmingham's wonderful diversity, enjoyed the unique setting, and hospitality of the Museum and Art Gallery for a discussion about contemporary challenges we face in society regarding 'the secular and the sacred', hearing from four distinguished women speakers who shared their religious and scientific perspectives. Birmingham is one of the most culturally diverse cities in Europe. Over 70% of the population follow a religion, which is a higher percentage than most other cities in the UK. They include the Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jewish faiths. The meeting was preceded by refreshments (kindly provided by Newman University), networking, and then an excellent guided tour of the recently-opened 'Faith in Birmingham' gallery by Adam Jaffer, Curator of World Cultures who worked to develop the Faith Gallery programme. We then moved into an adjacent gallery for the presentations and discussion. Our first speaker was Dr Carola Leicht, Research Associate to the Head of Psychology at the University of Kent. Carola helped us to understand the role of women within the science-religion relationship, explaining how social roles and identities shape our stereotypes towards science, religion and gender. She drew on social psychological theory, research and data to provide a deeper understanding of how stereotypes in general are formed, how they affect our behaviour, and contribute to the science-religion relationship. Next was Dr Dulcie Dixon-McKenzie, a Tutor of Black Theology, Ministries and Leadership at Queen's Theological College in Birmingham. Dulcie used history as her area of interest to reflect on how people of faith might face challenges in present day society. She encouraged us to "embrace great leaders and activists of the past", citing Rosa Parks and Rev Dr Martin Luther King as examples of faithful people, concluding with an extract from Dr King's 'I have a dream' speech to evoke ideas of liberation theology for people of faith in contemporary society.

3 Our third speaker, Rev Maureen Foxall, a Methodist local preacher and Chaplain at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, suggested that people of faith are not just those who sign up to a religious belief system and, while Christian church membership has declined drastically in recent times, research has shown that interest in spirituality has grown over the same period. Maureen said that the challenges people of faith face in today's society are not so different to those which everyone faces. However, our religious faith traditions have enormous depths of wisdom to which we can turn to find some solutions. Finally Dr Amra Bone, who works as a Consultant on Islam, Education and Chaplaincy, spoke about the love of material things seemingly overshadowing the spiritual in our modern world. She quoted physicist and mathematician Janes Clerk Maxwell as having said "Science is incompetent to reason upon the creation of matter (itself) out of 'nothing'. We have reached the utmost limit of our thinking faculties when we have admitted that because matter cannot be eternal and self-existent, it must have been created". We all face daily challenges within our lives, whether through greed, and the desire for material things, or otherwise. God's revelations to us throughout history, from the realm of the spiritual, enable us to go beyond the purely material dimension of life, live with honesty and humility, honour our fellow human beings, and be kind to all creatures without any expectation of reward in this world. Following the four speakers, there was time for a few questions and some discussion and, after the official close of the meeting, many ladies lingered to chat informally, network and spend a few more moments enjoying the riches of the Faith Gallery. Quite a number expressed the desire to return to the Museum, and Gallery, and to bring friends along with them. We would like to thank Rosie (in particular), Jess, and all the members of the Museum's Community Engagement Team for providing us with such a pleasureable evening, and also the supporting organisations who made the evening possible. Link to photographs from the evening:- Islam between Moderation and Extremity Lecture Series by Shaykh Arif Abdulhussein Organised by and Location of event: Al-Mahdi Institute, Selly Oak The event was a series of lectures for five nights covering the topic 'Islam between moderation and extremism' and understanding where Islam really stands, which was followed by an open Q&A for 20 minutes each night which not limited to the topics discussed in the lectures and each evening. There were approximately 100 people on each night, however possibly due to the nature of the event or maybe as it was organised quite at the last minute not too many people of different faiths attended, however some still did and did enjoy the open question and answer session at the end. The programme was concluded with food, socialising and tea and was a very nice atmosphere and beneficial series of talks Understanding Islam Workshop with Dr Chris Hewer Organised by Al-Mahdi Institute and Birmingham Council of Faiths Location of event: Al-Mahdi Institute, Selly Oak Dr Chris Hewer, an expert in Christian-Muslim relations and founder of the 'Understanding Islam' series delivered a study-day workshop on 'Understanding Islam' for people of all faiths and none. The workshop was well received by all participants and introduced them to the principles and teachings of Islam. The workshop was split into two segments. The first part covered some of the basic principles of Islam, whilst the second segment was dedicated towards discussion on specific topics requested by participants. Some of the topics

4 covered in the workshop were; tawḥīd (oneness of God), adalah (justice within Islam), Prophethood & the role of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), succession to the holy Prophet, similarities and differences between the Sunni and Shia sects and the day of judgement in light of Islamic and Christian views. The second part of the workshop, led by the participants questions, covered the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam, extremism within Islam, the current Islamophobic environment and the coming of a Messiah in light of Muslim and Christian beliefs. Dr. Hewer comes from a background in Christian theology, education, Islamic studies and inter-faith studies and has worked in the field of Muslims in Britain and Christian-Muslim relations since With over thirty years experience in educating people to understand Islam, Dr Chris Hewer has been delivering lectures in person and on Television specifically for adults and has thousands of followers around the UK and in Europe. With experience as an Inter-faith relations advisor for the Bishop of Birmingham, and at countless Institutions in London, his current work is to conduct study days, residential courses and to develop written and electronic resources available for consultations. Location: Scout War Memorial, Cannon Hill Park. Organised by Birmingham County Scouts Scout & Guide Remembrance Commemoration 350 people attended including a large youth input, supported by Peter Murphy, Scout Chaplain. David Bradnock, Deputy Lord Lieutenant was in attendance in his role as County President. This year we especially remembered The Battle of Jutland and the part scout Jack Cornwell VC played in the battle with a poem being written and read by Cornwell Badge holder Amy Keogh (who had suffered a major stroke 3 weeks earlier). Location : Brasshouse Community Centre, Smethwick Remembering Together REMEMBERING TOGETHER For the first time in Sandwell, a night of remembrance for those fallen in the world wars.

5 This was a coming together of several organisations in and around the West Midlands, including the WAWI Project, The Holy Trinity Church, 1914 SIKHS, Near Neighbours and the Abrahamic Foundation. The Light Of Unity A day of Dances of Universal Peace Location Friends Meeting House, Hall Green. Organised by Dances of Universal Peace UK. Description of event The Dances of Universal Peace are simple circle Dances using devotional movements inspired by the spiritual traditions of the world. They can be described as a form of body prayer; a moving meditation in song and dance. Through the Dances we can connect with others and experience the true heart of many spiritual traditions. They help us to remember our source and open us up to experiences of peace, harmony and renewal. "Words are not peace. Thoughts are not peace. Plans are not peace. Programs are not peace. Peace is fundamental to all faiths. Peace is fullness, all inclusive...and must be experienced. "The sincere dancer is one of the best workers for universal harmony, and so, for universal peace. - Samuel Lewis the founder of the Dances. The event did not attract anyone new from the interfaith community but we had a good day with our regular dancers. We were about 12 in number. We had Dances with sacred phrases from a variety of traditions including the Gayatri Mantra (Hindu), Shema Yisrael (Jewish), Abwoon D Bashmaya (Christian: First line of the Lord s prayer in Aramaic), Bismillah (Islamic), and Be Ye Lamps unto Yourselves (Buddhist). We also sang a Bhajan by the Indian saint and humanitarian Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma). Expressions of Faith, Spirituality & Community through Art Organised by and Location: Clifton Muslim Interfaith, KSIMC Mosque, Balsall Heath. The objective of the event was for all faiths to come together to celebrate our local heritage, culture, and faiths through a variety of linguistic and visual forms of art as well as increase the appreciation and awareness of art s rich diversity in religion. This was done by providing a relaxed environment to encourage dialogue between faiths and help to build bridges between different communities and faith groups in order to encourage harmony and understanding. Our keynote speakers were Sister Siddiqa Juma, London based renowned Islamic artist, Sister Mandy Ross of the Jewish Community, Brother Kuldip Singh of the Sikh Community, Dan Burwood of Friction Arts and MELA Social Enterprise showing the movie and photographs of Balsall Heath in Conversation. Speakers also showcased their symbols, art, artefacts and poetry that they associated to their faiths to provide the audience with an insight into their purpose and significance. In addition, a display of the international artist Mariam Grillo s ceramics and photography work was displayed along with representation of Khayaal Theatre s history and range of work by Brother Abbas Shah, including vast selections of drawings from Brother Sayed Ali Ameen Naqvi. The space at Clifton Road mosque was used to provide a multi-sensory experience where visitors were taken on a journey through a variety of sympathetically displayed work such as calligraphy, media, acrylic, watercolours, drawings, ceramics, digital prints to fruit craving where they could appreciate and learn more about the art and the artists whilst being challenged to understand, be motivated and emotionally connect to the wealth, creative beauty and inspiration that exists

6 The event was a fantastic experience for all involved and it was very humbling to know that for many of our visitors their love of arts was refreshed, enticed or inspired to create if they had given up on a passion or those yet to start. We were also further encouraged when some remarked that they had not seen the space showcasing such a diverse range of arts. A platform was also given to budding young artist to present their work showing that they are respected, supported along with empowering them to celebrate and embrace their own creativity. For families with young children a colouring and an interactive games section was provided as well as a Display of Faiths table for all visitors to bring along artefacts of their own faiths and spirituality for others to view. On receipt of both positive verbal and written feedbacks it is hoped that this project will set precedent for future similar events in other smaller communities in order to reach different communities and demographics; taking us one step closer to harmonious living and tolerance whilst being realistic in the knowledge that far more needs to be done. "O mankind, indeed we have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another... (Quran Chapter 49, Verse 13) Near Neighbours Exhibition Organised by and Location: Faith & Chaplaincy Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Chaplaincy department exhibited the Near Neighbours exhibition from Interfaith week until mid January. This showcased the initiatives and projects in Birmingham that are run by Near Neighbours. It was placed on the balcony just outside the Faith and Community Centre on the first floor where it was viewed by several hundred people. Many people said how much they appreciated seeing the exhibition and someone said that it was positive to show such a sign of hope in today s world. Location Balsall Heath Church Centre Organised by Near Neighbours Interfaith Week Brunch A café style brunch was hosted for Near Neighbours funded projects, network and partners. This was hosted as part of the Love your Neighbour initiative also free Banners were provided for all who attended. There was also an

7 opportunity for participants to contribute to creative wall displays that informed of their thoughts on themes such as skills development, shared conversations and young people. 48 people attended and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all as it was a great opportunity for participants to socialise. Many said that they had met people during the morning that they had only liaised with on previously. This was very heart warming to hear. Faiths, Health & Wellbeing Seminar Organised by Birmingham Council of Faiths in partnership with Queen Elizabeth Hospital Chaplaincy Location: Queen Elizabeth Hospital Postgraduate Centre As interfaith week coincided with National Self Care Week, the seminar focused on home healthcare. Presentations included What the Community Nursing Service offers, Home from Hospital: what is available after discharge, Working Together to Support Carers across the West Midlands, Self-Directed Care & Digital Innovation, How are Faith Groups keeping pressure off Hospitals, St Mary s Hospice: what we are doing, Sustainability & Transformation Plan for the NHS in Birmingham & Solihull, What is new in Health Care, Just a Minute an opportunity for organisations to give a 1 minute news brief. There were approximately 40 participants representing faith groups, chaplains, health professionals, 3 rd sector, volunteers, carers and patients. Each presentation was followed by questions and lively discussion. The presentations can all be accessed on the Birmingham Council of Faiths website: Location Solihull Methodist Church Organised by Solihull Faiths Forum Interfaith Celebration Everyone pulled together and the evening was a great success. Not just the variety of performances but the wonderful atmosphere of mutual support, respect and love that was there. To give one little vignette, our Catholic representative invited two priests who are technically retired, but who help out occasionally. They were very friendly and chatted to many people. Their comment to me at the end was "We just said to each other, 'we need to get out to more of these kinds of things'. We've never been inside this church before (Methodist Church) and it's lovely".

8 Faiths who participated in the concert were: Muslim, Sikh, Baha'i, Church of England, LDS, Chinese Christians, Pentecostal Christians. Loving Humanity what are the challenges? Location and organised by: Nishkam Centre, Handsworth There are many challenges which have the effect of dividing and segregating humanity; this is commonly through differences in ideology, land disputes, politics and commercial forces or a combination of all. The level of conflict has increased with greater emphasis on differences rather than common ground. Faith has the solution through the values and virtues propagated to elevate humans to make conscious, wise and compassionate decisions. Forgiveness & Reconciliation - Forgiveness and practicing forgiveness has the power to transform deep-seated responses to memories and legacies of injustice, conflict and war. It can liberate people from being imprisoned in the pasts and long ingrained mental and emotional conditions created by such legacies. Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation. Faith and spiritual traditions have long guided us and inspired us to awaken the best of our human potential, to practice love, mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation, and to reshape our destinies. 40 Participants from the Sikh, Muslim, Jain, Catholic & Jewish faiths came together to share the value of forgiveness through spiritual music, poetry and reflection. Everyone enjoyed light refreshments and the opportunity to meet old friends and make new friends. Beant Singh and Gurpreet Singh (volunteers) started the proceedings by reciting Kirtan Gurbani by Bhagat Kabir Ji from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji the sacred and eternal scriptures of the Sikhs. Where there are lies and deceit there is sin; Where there is greed- there is famine, death & destruction; Where there is forgiveness there is God himself Matloob Hussain from Lozells Central Mosque mesmerised guests with a passionate remembrance of his mother and recited poetry from the highly acclaimed and spiritual Bulleh Shah a Punjabi Muslim Sufi poet. Rabbi Dr Lior Kaminetsky of the Central Synagogue raised the tempo of the event by playing the guitar and then the violin to reflect teachings & traditional music from the Jewish Faith. Sister Noreen of the Sisters of Mercy recited poetry and shared a personal story of her experiences that

9 day, leading her to forgive someone showing the role of forgiveness in our day to day lives. Arvinder Jain shared the philosophy on the concept of forgiveness from the Jain Faith perspective referring to Cleaning the slate and the soul and the role of forgiveness. Also making reference to Bulleh Shah and his poetry, this is recognised and revered across many faiths as a message for humanity. Jaswant Singh Sohal (volunteer from the Nishkam Centre) reflected on the evening and the many scriptures, poetry and key messages, demonstrating that all faiths share the absolute importance of forgiveness to achieve a Loving Humanity., which echoed as the key take home message for participants and attendees Event Video: Organised by Baha i Community Location 20 Kelton Court, Edgbaston. Celebrating Interfaith A Devotional meeting takes place every week in my home. It is an occasion where any soul may enter to experience the sweetness of prayer, and reflect on the Creative Word. It is a space where feelings of fellowship and common cause can be generated, particularly through the spiritually heightened conversations that tend to develop naturally. There is no set format, no ritual and no prescribed content. It is open to all and because it was Inter Faith week, I made an extra effort to drop invitations around my neighbours in 40 flats and houses. The invitation said: Dear neighbour, you are invited to my flat every Thursday evening at 7.30pm. The purpose is to create a calm space in a busy material world; to honour the oneness of humanity by respecting our diversity, and to develop true friendship. We will share readings, prayers, music and kind fellowship until 9pm. There is much for us to humbly learn from each other if we believe that unity is essential for the wellbeing and security of the world." As a result of this invitation, three neighbours joined us for the first time, and as a result now know each other. One of them said: Thank you for your initiative to bring us together in one place". One friend brought a delicious home made cake to share, as conversation continued over tea and coffee. Four faith backgrounds were represented, and almost each of the 9 people present represented different nationalities. A beautifully diverse, friendly and unified evening. The programme consisted of music and readings from the Bahá'í' writings on the theme of the unity of religions. One quotation in particular attracted a lot of reflection, being an appropriate theme for Inter Faith week: There is one God; mankind is one; the foundations of religion are one. Let us worship Him, and give praise for all His great Prophets and Messengers who have manifested His brightness and glory. ( Abdu l-bahá) Celebrating Interfaith Location Quiet Room, Faith & Chaplaincy Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Organised by: Baha i Community Readings from holy scripture, prayer and meditation Location: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Birmingham Conversations Organisation holding the event: Church of England in Birmingham

10 Twelve people met in the Faith Gallery of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to experience a short version of the Birmingham Conversations, an interfaith project in the city. The group consisted of Buddhists, Christians and Muslims and Bahais and we started the session by looking at artefacts in the gallery and selecting one that we warmed to for whatever reason and then sharing those thoughts with a person we hadn t met before. We then explored a number of questions about faith and art in public galleries including: Should there be a specific faith gallery? Why not a secular gallery? Does the gallery suggest that all faiths are equally true, does this matter? Is there space for those who think their faith is the only true religion? As always in the Birmingham Conversations the aim was not necessarily to reach consensus but to find a way to discuss issues constructively, and on this occasion we had a fascinating and robust conversation particularly about whether exclusivist faith claims had space in the public sphere. We were very grateful to the Museum for, not only developing the faith gallery, but for allowing us to hold the event in that space. Being able to discuss the role of faith and art in public whilst sitting in a gallery made the event far more creative and the surroundings informed and inspired our conversation. Interfaith Homeless Food Outreach Organised by Clifton Muslim Interfaith teamed up with Nisa Nashim, Namdhari Sikh Community, Abrahamic Foundation, Birmingham Outreach Foundation, Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), Hazrat Sultan Bahu Trust and As Suffa Homeless Outreach. Location As Suffa Outreach Building, Perry Barr The organisers served food and distributed hygiene kits, sleeping bags and warm clothes such as socks, gloves, blankets and other items.the event was considered success with 85 people being fed on the day. Of these 12 were

11 homeless, while 43 lived in a hostel, and other types of accommodation. 4 faiths were involved: Muslims, Jewish, Sikhs and Mormons. 28 volunteers helped. The 22 food parcels left over went to the Salvation Army. The event was covered by Birmingham East Side on their website here: Tread Lightly on this Earth: Practical Steps Faiths we can Take Together for a Low Carbon Future Location Birmingham Central Mosque,Belgrave Middleway Organised by Footsteps: Faiths for a Low Carbon Future - part of the Birmingham Council of Faiths Nearly 80 people from different Birmingham faith communities and local groups came together for the afternoon at the Birmingham Central Mosque to explore the practical steps faiths can take together for a low carbon future. They heard about Sustainability West Midlands, Northfield Ecocentre energy audits, Small Footsteps summer workshops for young people and other initiatives faith groups are involved with. Lively table discussions took place after presentations and the afternoon concluded by identifying action and making pledges. Footsteps is guided by the way in which all faith communities are called by the Lambeth Declaration on climate change to put our faith into action. Rabbi Margaret Jacobi, Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, commented afterwards I was glad to be part of a very full afternoon which opened up new ways of thinking about how we, as a faith community, could engage with environmental issues and play a part in addressing climate change and sustainability. Birmingham is the UK s most ethnically diverse city outside of London, and the region has the county s highest concentration of manufacturers: so it is the ideal place for faiths and sustainable development to come together. Anna Bright, CEO of Sustainability West Midlands, highlighted the importance of faith groups, because of their ability to engage and motivate large numbers of people. Friends of the Earth and the Divest West Midlands Pension Fund campaign explored how people can engage with community leaders, councillors and politicians.

12 Hugh Rayner of Streetly Methodist Church, described how reviewing their church s energy use has meant more than simply replacing the boiler: Two winters ago Streetly Methodist Church was in a difficult place. Its boiler and heating system kept breaking down and this was a metaphor for the health of our church. Replacing the old heating system with a biomass boiler (fuelled using wood pellets) gave church members an opportunity to come together in shared tasks such as painting and decorating. Working together helped to strengthen relationships and created a shared sense of achievement. The organisers of Small Footsteps described their work with 8-14 year olds from different faith backgrounds, which aims to inspire children and develop young ambassadors. Young peoples comments on Small Footsteps summer workshops included I didn t realise that our religions taught us so much about protecting our planet and all the creatures on it and We had a great time, made lots of friends and learnt so much about the environment. Throughout the afternoon lively table discussions helped participants get to know each other and reflect on what they had heard. At the final discussion everyone made individual pledges of actions to take back to their faith groups. Pledges ranged from changes in individual behaviour and supporting local community initiatives to encouraging change in faith communities and political engagement. One participant commented: We should all act as guardians of the Earth, whether we do so from a viewpoint of faith or otherwise. If large numbers of people take small actions to save energy, and live more sustainably, we can tackle climate change between us. Joining this group made me feel I am not struggling on my own Dr Peter Rookes Secretary, Birmingham Council of Faiths