European Network on Religion and Belief – Brussels May 2012

Walking Madou – the entrance to a no-car zone in Brussels where children play on the street.  Several enorb participants stayed overnight at the nearby Institute of Cultural Affairs.

People from over 50 organisations gathered from across Europe yesterday and today in Brussels for mutual understanding and shared action.  Some were from religious traditions, some were from belief*/non-confessional/convictional/humanist/philosophical traditions.

A round table meeting was held at the EU Parliament with Vice-President Laszlo Surjan.  We discussed the contribution of religious and non-religious communities to overcoming discrimination, violence and extremism in Europe.

Several LBFN members had made suggestions for our contribution on moving from anger and violence to dialogue and positive action: I included the aftermath of 7/7 and the shooting of Jean-Charles de Menezes, Hate Crime Forums, responses to the protests against Harrow Mosque’s new minaret and the role of women.  Thank you to everyone who was in touch about this.

Here are some photos of the event.

Vice-President Laszlo Surjan (third from left) at enorb’s round table at the EU Parliament, with (l-r) Melissa Sonnino (CEJI), Jackie Goymour (Women’s Interfaith Network & LBFN) and Alan Murray (President of enorb).

Harjinder Singh (Sangat Sahib Gurudwara) and Martin Gurvich (Hindu Forum Europe – and enorb’s treasurer).

Catriona Robertson (Convener, LBFN, centre) speaking on how local communities move from violence to positive action, with Yolande Iliano (Chair, Religions for Peace – Europe, left) and Karen Walkden (LBFN, right). Thanks to Melissa Sonnino for the photo.

Georges Lienard (G3i) addressing the round table on Secular European Traditions: what contribution to European security?

Alan Murray (AFAN) and Dennis de Jong MEP.  Dennis spoke at today’s meeting.  He has brought together an all-party group of MEPs to support freedom of religion and belief – whatever your outlook on life, he said, religious or otherwise, you need the opportunity to reflect on it. The group is also in touch with the External Action Service, noting that it was slow to respond to the Arab Spring last year.

Amarjit Kaur (United Sikhs Belgium) who described the difficulties facing Sikh schoolchildren in Belgium in relation to religious dress.

Augustine Booth-Clibborn (Inter Faith Network UK) and Abdullah Faliq (The Cordoba Foundation)

Helene Egnell (Centre for Inter Faith Dialogue in the Diocese of Stockholm) and Hannah Wallace (consultant with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation).

Karim Chemlal (Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe), Alan Murray (All Faiths and None) and Gérard Delfau (Egalité-Laïcité- Europe).

Sayed Ali Abbas (Majlis Ulema Europe), Hannah Wallace, Catriona Robertson and Tinci Singh (United Sikhs).

Exchanges between enorb member groups across Europe was a popular idea.  There’s no substitute for visiting a local network in another country to learn about the different contexts and challenges – and in return, welcoming them to, for example, London.

It was inspiring to meet so many practitioners from across Europe who are building communities of trust in their own countries and who are committed to working with each other on a European level.

The enorb website is now live and will carry photos and reports of the Brussels meeting soon.

*The words we use to describe each other haven’t found consensus yet – a Buddhist participant reminded us that many Buddhists are both religious and non-confessional.

Olympic Truce: invitation to the Imperial War Museum on 6th June at 10am

The Imperial War Museum launched its Build The Truce audio-visual display in London yesterday.  The Museum is interested in the many different ways we look at the items on display, depending on who we are.

LBFN is making a special visit to the Museum on Wednesday 6th June at 10am.  We are delighted that

• Lord Michael Bates, who walked from Greece to London promoting the Olympic Truce as he passed through historic sites of conflict in Europe and

• Conrad Bailey, who leads the Conflict Department at the Foreign Office and who chairs the Olympic Truce stakeholders’ group  (which LBFN belongs to)

have accepted our invitation to speak about the Olympic Truce.

We are invited to watch the 10 minute show and to hear from the curators, IWM’s Catherine Roberts and Dr Tim Jacoby of the Humanitarian & Conflict Response Institute at Manchester University.  The new interactive display looks at the concepts of truce, conflict and resolution and how they are relevant to us in the twenty-first century.

The leaders of the “twinned” projects between LBFN members in London and local communities in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ghana and Jamaica will share some news and we will hear from others who are involved in peace-building activities as part of the Olympic Truce.

We will be able to talk to Catherine and Tim and share our thoughts on conflict – on Bosnia, Afghanistan, WWI, Northern Ireland, WWII or any other serious conflict.  The role of local communities in reconciliation is of interest to all of us.

Both the Imperial War Museum and LBFN have been awarded the Truce Inspire mark by London 2012.

Please contact LBFN if you would like an invitation to this special event.

Meeting at European Parliament

Some of us will be in Brussels next Tuesday and Wednesday.

This event is the first public seminar organised by ENORB, a new European network combating discrimination and prejudice and promoting mutual understanding and harmony in the field of Religion and Belief.

As you know, LBFN has been one of the networks which has been involved in creating ENORB from the start.   We hope it will provide a good way for practitioners across Europe to be in touch, just as we do in LBFN across London.  The new network includes both religious/multifaith groups and also humanist and philosophical organisations, all working together to promote understanding, to combat discrimination and to play a part in EU policy.

LBFN has a couple of minutes to say something about “Legitimate disagreement: moving from anger/violence towards dialogue and positive action?” at the EU Parliament.  Please let me know if you would like me to mention something in particular.  I am planning to say a few words about the aftermath of the London bombs in 2005, but I could include other examples, too.

There will be a morning of workshops the following day.  Let me know your views on what the priorities for the new network should be for the coming year.

Building communities of trust

Our meeting this Thursday afternoon is packed with excellent peace-making opportunities for local religious groups and faith forums over the summer.

We’ll be putting all the information on the blog later so that we can all find the links and contacts we need.

In the meantime, here are a few clips and links to Olympic Truce-related programmes and events over the summer.

BBC Radio 4′s Beyond Belief had an excellent discussion on the ancient Olympic Games, including the Truce, and the contested values evident in the modern movement.  You can listen again on iPlayer.

On the opening night of the Games, Prom no 18 is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, with the West-East Divan Orchestra projecting an “inclusive vision of hope, reconciliation and hard-won triumph”.  The programme says, “What better to mark today’s opening of the London 2012 Olympics than Beethoven’s ultimate hymn to universal brotherhood?”  I would add sisterhood, of course.

The South Bank Centre is holding  a Festival of the World from 1st June.  Here is a clip of Jude Kelly, the Director, and others talking about the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, and how the Festival will be about participation and about how the arts are used for social change around the world.

This Saturday, 19th May, the Riding Lights theatre company comes to Lambeth for one night only with its show Monsieur de Coubertin’s Magnificent Opymlic© Feat!

LBFN’s twinned projects in Pakistan, Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Ghana, and all the local activities we are involved in to reduce violence and to build trust in London this summer are in good company.

Guest post: flags and bunting!

LOCOG’s Karoline Rutrecht will be joining us at Thursday’s meeting and has kindly offered this guest post – thank you Karoline!

The Olympic Flame is nearly here – are you ready to celebrate?

This Friday 18 May the Olympic Flame lands in Britain to begin its historic 70-day relay across the UK.  Eight thousand people will carry the Torch 8,000 miles across all of the UK’s nations and regions.

Now local faith and multifaith groups have the chance to get involved and dress their Torch Relay, Games celebrations or Truce activities with London 2012’s Community Celebration Pack. The pack contains a range of official goodies- hand flags, bunting, a large flag and flagpole and a horizontal banner- with packs of hand flags also sold separately.

Packs are just £99 plus delivery. Plus, if you order nine packs, you’ll get the tenth for free.

Make sure your group places an order before the Torch comes to your borough! For further details and to order now, go to www.gameslookbook.com/community.

Religion & The State

LAMAG‘s Spring Event is this Sunday at 2.30pm and of interest to anyone at the interface of religion and the public sector.

Speakers include Ganesh Lall of the Caribbean Hindu Cultural Society (who has just published a very useful booklet called Hinduism – Some questions answered), Neil Jameson of Citizens UK and Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Islamic international scholar in history and philosophy.

(PS The topical and popular Faith Debates in Westminster are nearly at an end – podcasts and videos are being posted on the Religion and Society website.)

Coffee & cupcakes in Merton

Merton Council is supporting Merton Interfaith Forum’s Hospitality Month – places of worship opening their doors, offering refreshments and welcoming people from different religious traditions and the wider community.  The next event is this Sunday morning at Immanuel House and all Merton’s religious groups are invited to host an event – contact Evereth Willis on 020-8545 4637.

Women's Interfaith Coffee with Mrs Geetha Maheshwaran (second from left) at the Shree Ghanapathy Temple in 2011

Do you have a women’s group at your place of worship in Merton?  Would you like to invite women from your local church, mosque, temple, synagogue, gurdwara or community group over for coffee?

The Council has provided all the equipment you need (hot drinks dispensers, tea, coffee, biscuits) for Women’s Interfaith Coffee Mornings.  They were a lot of fun last year.  There’s also a banner to use for the occasion – all you need to do is put the word around and add cupcakes!

The first of these is on 9th May at the Baitul Futuh Mosque.  Download the Women’s Interfaith Coffee info sheet if you’d like to host a coffee morning, or contact Evereth Willis at Merton Council on 020 8545 4637.  The coffee mornings and Hospitality Week are part of this year’s Olympic Truce activities, building trust across the host city during 2012.