Encounter between Hindus and Christians in Britain

A One-Day Seminar in Inter Faith Week 2011

Saturday 19th November 2011,

10.30 am - 4.00 pm

St Philip's Church, Evington Road, LE2 1HN

The day will include three lectures by 
 Canon Dr Andrew Wingate,  

formerly joint Chair of the Hindu Christian National Forum. 

The lectures will be on three Bhakti (devotional) movements

with responses by three Hindu speakers

The seminar is free, but donations towards the cost of the Indian lunch are welcome (suggestion £10)

Registration essential for catering purposes - contact maureen@stphilipscentre.co.uk

or download the registration form from our website - www.stphilipscentre.co.uk -

you will find it on the Study - Lectures page.

Leicester Interfaith Youth Hub

We can change the world, starting with Leicester

Over 50 young people from Leicester will be leading the way in civic responsibility with a month-long project of volunteering. The ‘Social Action Summer Scheme’, a project organised by the St Philip's Centre’s ‘Leicester Interfaith Youth Hub’ will include work to support local charities, community organisations and the environment.

 “This month is about empowering young people to be the change in their local community and giving them the opportunities and support to shine!” said Leicester Interfaith Youth Hub President, Kartar Singh Bring.

Last week young people have been hard at work around Leicester. They have cleaned graffiti, taken part in a litter pick, and painted street furniture.

 Zunaid Patel a Hub member said "It was a lot of fun and it felt good giving something back to the community".

Mohammed Patel the City Warden added "I have been working with this group for a while now and every environmental action day we do gets bigger and better each time.”

In the weeks ahead the Youth Hub has planned a range of activities; from fancy dress fundraising and bag packing for two charities, to working with the very young, the elderly and people with learning disabilities. 

Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “It is wonderful to see young people getting so involved in their local community and taking pride in the area they live. No one can change the world over night, but I like to think that if we all did our bit, no matter how small, we can collectively make a real difference.”

Over the month the volunteers will contribute over 1830 hours of voluntary time which if quantified into a financial contribution of volunteer days this would add up to a staggering £15,300 back to the city.  

“It is inspiring to see the enthusiasm and dedication amongst the young people.” Said Raheema Caratella, Youth Engagement  Worker at the St Philips Centre

News & Information from other organisations

The Islamic Society of Britain (ISB) elected a new President, Dilwar Hussain, at the Society’s AGM on 25^th June 2011. Dilwar has over 20 years of experience in the voluntary and community sector, and will serve as President of the Society in a voluntary capacity. His professional background is in policy research and consultancy.

In his speech to the membership, Dilwar welcomed the newly elected policy board of the Society and paid tribute to the outgoing President who will continue to serve on the board.

Looking at the road ahead, Mr Hussain gave a clear message to outline his vision for the ISB. He said, “the ISB is well placed to help develop a British Islamic practice, based on knowledge,integrity and purpose. Such that Islam feels like a normal and integral part of British life. This also means connecting with the people around us, as ‘our people’, breaking down mistrust and the dichotomy between ‘them’ and ‘us’. To me this is a really exciting venture and I think it gives us a sense of purpose and distinction and allows us to proudly earn and claim the title of being the Islamic Society of Britain.”

He also spoke strongly about the danger of extremism: “as we come to the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and the sixth anniversary of 7/7 – we are reminded of the danger and evil of extremism, violence and terrorism in the name of Islam. I say this because it relates to the safety and security of our country, and it also relates to our role as an organisation…We live in a time when so many people fear Muslims and are deeply suspicious and mistrusting of us…The people that have created this climate are not on ‘our side’…they are in fact our opponents. They remain an obstacle to our cause.”

Dilwar also pointed to some immediate challenges for the organisation in terms of financial stability within the voluntary sector, the need to reach out to members and to communicate more effectively in an age of social media.

The outgoing President, Ahtsham Ali, said, “He is a balanced individual that brings a wealth of academic and strategic expertise in British Muslim communities at a time of significant change and anxiety”.

 

The Woolf Institute, in collaboration with the American University in Washington, will soon be launching a new e-learning course: Bridging the Great Divide: The Jewish-Muslim Encounter.

Further details are available from The Administrator of Academic Programmes

Dr Emma Harris : eth22@cam.ac.uk.