LOCOG contacted LBFN late last year and we’re delighted that Sangita Patel, Community Relations Manager, will be with us with the latest London 2012 news, along with Chloe Smith, Lead Communications and Engagement Manager at Transport for London.  Together we’ll look at how to mitigate expected difficulties and how to bring the benefits of the Games to all our communities, particularly the marginalised and vulnerable.

With the Mayoral & London Assembly elections coming up on 3rd May, David Braniff-Herbert from Hope Not Hate and Peter Adams from Luton Council of Faiths will share their expertise on what’s to be expected from the far right.  Find some hustings guidance here.

It is the first time we’ve linked up with Faiths Forum for London – it’s been a pleasure working with Phil Rosenberg, Director, and Alex Goldberg, Co-Chair, and attending the pre-meeting with Hope Not Hate.

My only regret is that our meeting clashes with Westminster Cathedral Interfaith Group’s Meeting God in Friend and Stranger, which takes place on the third Wednesday of each month – more information from John Woodhouse.

The Jewish community gets together on social action projects on Mitzvah Day in November each year. During A Year of Service, with the support of the Department of Communities and Local Government, nine faith communities will be inviting people of different religious and philosophical traditions to join them on social action projects.

More dates for your 2012 diaries :)

A Year of Service is one way of celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and could easily add an extra dimension to the wide range of community activities which religious and multifaith groups are engaged in, year in, year out.

The Year will be led by nine faith communities in the UK, each inviting others to join them (on specific dates) in social action projects to improve their local neighbourhoods.

Here is the list:

28 February                Bahá’í              Launch in Hyde Park
21 March                      Zoroastrian    No Ruz, visiting the elderly
22 Feb to 7 April         Christian         Lent, cleaning and restoring
16 April                        Jain                  Mahavia Jayanti, visiting the sick
27 May                         Christian         Pentecost, meeting the stranger
16 June                         Sikh                 Martyrdom of Guru Arjan, bringing sweetness
3 July                            Buddhist         Asala Dharma, caring for the environment
4/5 August                   Muslim           Ramadan, meeting new neighbours
5 October                     Christian         Harvest Festival, feeding the hungry
7 October                     Hindu               Sewa day, helping the homeless
18 November              Jewish              Mitzvah Day, growing things
2-24 December          Christian          Advent, fighting poverty

Thanks to everyone who has let me know about this initiative – Duncan, Rashid, Alan, Justine, Susanne, Siriol and others.  Shall we invite someone from A Year of Service to one of our meetings?

More information is available from the faith contacts and there is a flyer especially for south Londoners here.

The Department of Communities and Local Government will be supporting the Year through the website.  The Coexist Foundation will be leading a national celebration to coincide with Inter Faith Week in November – there is a picture of fireworks, so I am hopeful.

A short but unhurried film set in London from the award-winning Tariq Chow.  He has kindly allowed us to include it here on the LBFN blog.

Many of us will recognise people and places in the film  :)

Thanks to Nazneen Ahmed (left) for alerting her twitter friends – and to the Three Faiths Forum for enthusiasm.

Anyone interested in putting together an evening of film shorts for a London audience this year?  Including beauty, controversy, stories, hope?

Faith in London from Tariq Chow on Vimeo.

Image: Hajj certificate (detail). 17th–18th century AD. Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art (Khalili Family Trust).

Hajj – journey to the heart of Islam opens at the British Museum, WC1, today (until 15th April) to favourable reviews and previews.  £12 (free to members).

There’s an invitation for pilgrims to add their most vivid memory of Hajj on the British Museum website – some Londoners have already contributed.

The synagogues of Britain: an architectural and social heritage.  Talk by Sharman Kadish at Chadwick Lecture Theatre, UCL, Gower Street, WC1.  Monday 27th February, 6.15pm.  Free.

Faith Debates from the Religion and Society Research Programme at RUSI, 61 Whitehall, SW1A 2ET at 5.30 – 7pm.  Free: register with p.ainsworth@lancaster.ac.uk.

• 8th February Religious Identity in ‘Superdiverse’ Societies with Therese O’Toole, Kim Knott, Trevor Phillips & Dominic Grieve.
• 22nd February What’s the Place of Faith in Schools? with Richard Dawkins, John Pritchard, Robert Jackson & Jim Conroy.
• 7th March What have we learned about Radicalisation? with Mat Francis, Mark Sedgwick, Marat Shterin, Mehdi Hasan & Ed Husain.
• 21st March What role for Religious Organisations in an era of Shrinking Welfare? with Sarah Johnsen, Adam Dinham, Peter Smith & David Blunket.
• 18th April What Limits to Religious Freedom? with Peter Jones, Maleiha Malik, Lisa Appignanesi & Julia Neuberger.
• 2nd May What are the main Trends in Religion and Values in Britain? with Linda Woodhead, Grace Davie, Cole Moreton & Aaqil Ahmed.

After the Riots – from blame to positive action, a one-day forum to understand different perspectives on the underlying civic, moral, political and social perspectives, organised by Initiatives of Change, The Cordoba Foundation and Civil Society Forum on Wednesday, 1^st February 10am – 5pm at Initiatives of Change Centre, 24 Greencoat Place, London SW1P 1RD.  Speakers include Dr Peter Selby. Free: download a registration form here and send to esther.ridsdale@tocollaborate.org or dondes@uk.iofc.org.

Roots and Rise of Islamophobia in Europe  Saturday 4th February 1.15pm, Finsbury Park Mosque, 7–11 St Thomas’s Rd, N4 2QH.  Free: register with info@enoughcoalition.org.uk.

Together Thursday 2nd February at 6pm – talk by Richard Sennett at RSA, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6EZ.  Living with people who differ – racially, ethnically, religiously, or economically – is one of the most difficult challenges facing us today.  It requires more than goodwill: it requires skill. Free: register here.

2012 Inter Faith Walks – a special meeting with South London Inter Faith Group on Thursday 8th February 6.30-8pm (including hot vegetarian meal) at Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge, SE1.  Get tips on organising a walk in your own borough during the weekend of 14th – 15th July, bringing together people from many different religious traditions.  Upload your invitation here.

Reclaiming London Together - a meeting to promote collaboration for London’s young people after the 2011 disturbances, organised by Faiths Forum for London with the Fayre Share Foundation on Monday 5th March.  £15 each (under 24s free), with Boris Johnson, Camila Batmanghelidjh and Rt Revd Christopher Chessun.

Religion, Civil Religion and the Common Good  Conference at London Metropolitan University, 20^th-21^st June.  £60 (£35 for one day).  Papers invited.  Contributors include Dr Patrick Riordan, S.J., Heythrop College, University of London.

Inter Faith Network for the UK – the latest newsletter is packed with information.

Holocaust Memorial Day is being marked across London this week and over the weekend – see the list of borough events.

Poster for South London Inter Faith Group's 2011 Walk

A special invitation has been received by LBFN to join South London Inter Faith Group on Wednesday 8th February 6.30-8pm (includes a hot vegetarian meal) at Southwark Cathedral Education Centre, London Bridge, SE1 to find out about this year’s Inter Faith Walks.

Sarah Thorley and Rashid Laher will be there to share tips and know-how from past walks (see left).

Is there a walk planned for your own borough during the weekend of 14th – 15th July?  If not, why not organise one?

It’s a great way of bringing together people from many different religious & belief traditions.  They might not have had the chance to meet or to visit their local places of worship and practice.  The hospitality given and received on these occasions is seldom forgotten.

LBFN is supporting SLIFG in encouraging every borough in London to take part on the same weekend of this special Olympic and Paralympic year.  Lots of help is at hand – come along and find out more.

Upload your invitation here and read Sarah’s second letter to us all here.

Let LBFN &/or Sarah know if you plan to be there or would like some more information.

Holocaust Memorial Day falls on 27th January each year – which is this Friday.  Use the memory of those whose voices were silenced (victims of the Holocaust, Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides) to Speak Out today.  HMD Trust has loads of info, stories, video clips & inspirational ideas for us all to use.

Birkenau death camp, where thousands were murdered during WWII. Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by the Soviet army on 27th January 1945.

Many London boroughs mark Holocaust Memorial Day, often in association with local religious communities and faith forums.  Here is a list of this year’s events (let me know if yours is missing):

• BARNET Sunday 22 January, 1pm, at Ricketts Quadrangle, Middlesex University, The Burroughs, Hendon, NW4 4BT.
• BARKING & DAGENHAM 23-27 January, an exhibition/display and a Candle of Remembrance on Friday 27.  Barking and Dagenham College, Dagenham Road, Romford.
• BRENT Thursday 26 January 7pm to 9pm in Willesden Green Library Centre, The Black experience in Nazi Germany and wartime Europe by Akin Shenbanjo Jr.
• CAMDEN  27 January 6.30 to 8pm at the Conference Centre, British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB.
• CROYDON Friday 27 January, 11:30am – 1:15pm at Croydon Town Hall
• EALING Friday 27 January 11am, tree planting outside Perceval House offices.
• ENFIELD   Thursday 26th January 6pm – 8.30pm, Dugdale Centre, Thomas Hardy House, Enfield Town.
• HACKNEY Friday 27 January 10.30am in the Council Chamber, Hackney Town Hall
• HARINGEY‘s multi-faith event took place on Sunday 22nd January
• HAVERING  29 January 14:00 until 15:00, Coronation Gardens, Main Road, Romford, RM1 3BD
• HOUNSLOW Thursday 26 January 11.30am Holocaust Memorial Day service beside the Holocaust memorial tree at the Civic Centre, Hounslow.
• ISLINGTON Friday 27 January 10.30am to 1.30pm, Committee Rooms 5 & 6, Islington Town Hall.
• LAMBETH  Sunday 29 January 3 to 4.30pm, Lambeth Town Hall.
• LEWISHAM  Saturday 28 January 12 noon, Multi-faith service, Catford Synagogue, Crantock Road SE6 2QT.
• NEWHAM  Friday 27 January 10am to 12noon, Newham Town Hall, Barking Road, E6 2RP.
• MERTON  Thursday 26 January from 7:00pm until 9:00pm in the Council Chamber, Merton Civic Centre.
• REDBRIDGE Friday, 27 January at 11am at Holocaust Memorial Garden, Valentines Park.
• SOUTHWARK  27 January 10am – 12.30am, The Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ
• SUTTON  Friday 27 January from 10.30am – 12 noon, Europa Gallery, Sutton.
• TOWER HAMLETS  Sunday 29 January 2.30 – 4.30pm, East London Central Synagogue, 30-40 Nelson Street, London, E1 2DE.
• WALTHAM FOREST  Sunday 29 January  3pm-6pm, Harmony Hall, 10 Truro Road, Walthamstow E17 8QP.
• EUROPE HOUSE  Wednesday 25 January to Friday 10 February, an exhibition of art by Hungarian Holocaust survivor Moshe Galili at the European Commission, London, SW1.

Frugal lunch but sparkling company at Europe House

People from over 30 organisations met at LBFN’s Interfaith Week event at Europe House yesterday.  Those who stayed on to network were pleased to meet Michael Shackleton, Head of the European Parliament Information Office, who was showing a visitor a striking portrait of Churchill.

Here are some photos – the programme can be downloaded here, you can see the clip from Plain Tales of the Hijab here and the Limmud film is here.

Navleen Kaur & Rachel Heilbron

Phil Rosenberg & Arzoo Ahmed

Catriona Robertson, Mansoor Habib, Jon Dal Din (hidden), Hannah Wallace & Steve Miller

Revd David Rayner, Revd Andrew Moughtin-Mumby & Tarsem Bhogal

Rabbi Larry Becker, Revd Richard Jones & Canon Giles Goddard

Suggestions for the new network and launch next year include:

• local-to-local links
• tackle racial and religious hatred
• marketplace so that Europe-based groups can find each other
• improve the competence of government institutions in dealing with religion & belief (explanation of terms)
• model effective ways of bringing people of different traditions together
• involve young people & youth groups
• promote effective education on religion & belief
• ensure a proper space for women
• facilitate conversations between social justice work and academic & theological research
• concern about the far right
• acknowledge complexity and the different historical contexts across Europe
• celebrate the wide variety of religion & belief traditions in Europe today
• a convivial evening event at the launch, bringing together people of all faiths and none

If you have any suggestions or ideas, please let us know asap.  The next planning meeting in Brussels is on 8th December – LBFN and All Faiths And None will be present.

Faiths Together in Lambeth and the Lambeth Safeguarding Board have got together to present Safe Activities and Safe Environments for Children on Monday 21st November at 5.30pm.  Download the flyer here to find registration details – the evening includes a hot buffet and you will be particularly welcome if you live or work in Lambeth.

Steve Miller and Karen Walkden shared their expertise with us on this subject last year and introduced us to the Safe Network‘s materials.

The next evening (22nd November), in Battersea, the Wandsworth Community Empowerment Network celebrate 10 years of churches, mosques & temples working together to make sure that high quality public services reach the people who depend on them most – the theme is From Neighbourhood Renewal to the Big Society?  Download the invitation here.  People with an interest in co-production (our May meeting touched on this) will enjoy this event, which is open to locals and visitors alike.

The guest speaker is Lord Maurice Glasman and will include a lively discussion on the future of social policy and community empowerment – plus plenty of good food!  Download in an invitation here and register here.

Would you like your Inter Faith Week event listed here?  If so, please let me know asap.

There are interviews about the Games (and the chaplaincy service) with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Indarjit Singh and Maulana Shahid Raza (Chairman of the Mosques and Imams Advisory Board).

Plus – the Local Leaders initiative was launched on Monday.  This could be just the thing to support our local activities, including those connected with the Olympic Truce.

The 2012 website says

The summer of 2012 will be extraordinary. Across the whole of the UK, millions of people will be part of the celebrations. And at the heart of every celebration will be the person who makes it happen. If that’s you, we want you to sign up and become a London 2012 Local Leader.

Being a Local Leader is pretty simple: you just need to have an idea of how you want to celebrate the Games and then get organising.

Local Leaders will benefit from:

• Exclusive Local Leader merchandise, including a very special pin badge
• ‘Save the date’ cards to send to your list of invitees
• Fun stuff – conference calls with celebs, recipe ideas, DIY decoration guides

Find out more and register for Local Leader emails here and find more ideas here.

We will include a 2012 item on our agenda next week.

This year, we are meeting at Europe House, the European Parliament’s United Kingdom Office in Westminster, on Monday 28th November.

We’ll meet at 12.45pm for 1-2pm, with extra time for networking after that.  I guess we should call italthough you’d be wise to bring your own tiffin/sandwiches/piece if your lunchtime requirements go beyond light refreshments.

Let me know if you’d like to know more or download an invitation here.  You will need to add your name to the guest list at www.multifaitheurope.eventbrite.co.uk.  The planning group is working towards a conference at the European Parliament in Brussels next year.