Post date: Jan 28, 2015 10:10:38 PM
Safety, security and living well together: statement by MK Council of Faiths
The recent murders in Paris, as well as reported rises in anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim comments and attacks in the UK and more widely in Europe, have brought in their wake increased anxieties about the safety of Jewish and Muslim communities.
There is, and will be, debate about best ways to respond to these disturbing developments, as well as to the implications of others around the globe. At an immediate practical level, however, where communities feel their very safety is under threat, mutual support is vital. MK Council of Faiths plans to give that support.
Government statements recently about the need to re-double efforts to eradicate anti-Semitism, as well as about the need to protect Muslim and other communities, were accompanied by statements from Ministers about the importance of all faith communities to British life and to the countering of extremism.
Milton Keynes Council of Faiths works to increase understanding about and between faith communities and to encourage and support good inter faith relations. As part of this it has always underlined the enormous importance of the contribution which faith communities make to Milton Keynes.
Among the Government statements made was that of Home Secretary Theresa May: “Without its Jews, Britain would not be Britain, just as without its Muslims, Britain would not be Britain - without its Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and people of other faiths, Britain would not be Britain”. We wholly agree. We would add that Britain would also not be Britain without our continuing commitment as people of different faiths, within its four nations, to finding ways to live together well – including with those of non-religious beliefs - and continuing to work together to shape our society in the light of our shared values while retaining the integrity of our religious beliefs and appreciating the positive dimensions of diversity.
The different faiths communities live well together in MK and long may it continue.
Revd Cannon John Robertson, Vice-Chair MK Council of Faiths