I haven’t blogged about being a “parliamentor” to three young women from the Three Faiths Forum. It was born to work at friendship and understanding between Jew, Christian and Muslim.
For a year nine groups of three young people (one from each of those faiths) has been mentored by one of nine parliamentors as they developed a project – and at the same time learned about each other.
Amina, Eva and Michele were assigned me as their mentor. Each month they have come to spend time with me at Parliament or in Hornsey & Wood Green. What a bright and talented trio my girls are!
Yesterday was the end of the year presentations with each group presenting their project to the assembled guests at Parliament. My group, in the end, chose to make their project about asylum seekers.
They gave wonderful examples of what people coming here have brought to our country (including Marks & Spencer) and went on to explore the work they had done with the Refugee Council and the difficulties of being without state support, without medical care, without anything – held in limbo (or worse) whilst the appalling Home Office fiddles for years before delivering an outcome.
So well done! Daniella (a saint herself and responsible for running the whole caboodle) told me that my three had started barely being able to talk to each other – and now were inseparable friends. That’s the real value – that understanding that we all as humans have far more in common then we have in differences will stay with them all their lives and colour their understanding of the religious divides – and never let them be human divides.
Just a word to say thank you to the Sternberg Foundation who part-funded this project. It is hugely worthwhile work – and none of it could happen without funding.
Lynne Featherstone 
Now if only someone would bridge the gap between the faith communities and the rest of us, we’d be in clover…
Now there’s a blog post title to bring me out in a rash! The “three faiths” forum? What about all the other faiths? Are they excluded? Lynne, I’m not going to pour scorn on the whole thing because I know that in a small way you are doing some good here. But it is in a small way. The Middle East is still burning. The “three faiths” are fundamentally irreconcilable, and no amount of making nice is going to get around that particular show stopper. Everything I think about this was expressed in a recent letter to the Indepedent.
Firstly, I think interfaith dialogue can contribute to building bridges and promoting good community cohesions, only amongst communal leaders. There is very minimal work undertaken at grassroots amongst ordinary Jewish and Muslim people. Over the years, I have met many co-religionists from my own Muslim community & Britain’s richly diverse Jewish community whom are often sceptical about the very notion of interfaith dialogue, simply because they accept that the vision of dialogue is usually diluted by the Middle East issue. As one respectable Reform rabbi once told me, ‘it is like a big elephant in the room that cannot be ignored.’ He was absolutely right about that. There have been those in the Muslim and Jewish communities that reject dialogue all together, but regard those that do engage in this process as community sell outs that have been paid to do what they do. I do not personally accept their critique of engagement. These discussions are meaningless if they do not involve grassroots citizens both Muslim and Jewish engaging in the process of debate and theological discussion. Many sections of the Muslim and Jewish community alike, believe that interfaith dialogue is forbidden at all levels. So you need to persuade these people to come to the dialogue table too.In 2004, it was reported by BBC News that Three Faith Forum reversed their decision to award Sir Iqbal Sacranie, former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, primarily due to Sir Iqbal’s denunciation of Israeli policies in the Middle East. Here is the article- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3766567.stm More generally, I would argue that Muslims are eager to engage in debate, however, they are very wary about the agenda of these debates and whether these forums are diluted into a slanging match on the question of the Middle East. From my perspective, I strongly advocate for the need of dialogue between communities, however, we need to be sensitive towards their needs. Finally, I would similarly accept that Three Faith Forums, Alif Aleph and other groups do some sterling work which should continue, with expansion at grassroots.
mash, you make a relevant point about scepticism of dialogue in some parts of the Muslim community and the jewish community. I agree with nearly everything you say, and I am not muslim.
Lynne what is your view about this issue, especially when these meaningful forums gradually become political debates to gain cheap political points!!!!!!
Well – my first reaction was to be annoyed that there was no secular young person – as that seemed to be an ommission. However, I was able to fill that position myself!And to date – the reality of my time with these young women seemed hugely beneficial to them (and enjoyable and rewarding for me).There certainly was a dawning of understanding between them the commonality between their different faiths and friendship.I have an abiding belief in the human spirit outshining the doctrinaire.So – in the actuality of the mentoring and the project – all excellent. Whether the project itself gets used to score political points as you suggest – not so far – and I hope not. That would sully what to date in my own experience – and I can only really judge from that – a really worthwhile venture.