RE Council Chair Open Letter on RE

York Interfaith Group (YIG)

Newsletter – May 2016  Editor’s Note

We see plenty of publicity when ‘religious’ fanatics carry out ‘irreligious’ acts of terror or violence, but how much of the national broadcasting, front-page headlines or ‘tweet trending’ do we see that celebrates the daily goodness and peace-making of those who really do represent their faiths? In fact, if we are not wise, we might fall into the traps of those adversaries to any form of ‘religion’ (they don’t really discriminate) who would have us believe that “religion is the cause of all wars and troubles” etc. etc. How facile. On the contrary, surely it’s right to say however, that “irreligion is the cause of all wars and troubles” (including the irreligion that is carried out in the name of religion). So let’s get tweeting, facebooking, radio-interviewing, tv-appearing and article-submitting… about the good that we see our brothers and sisters of faith humbly engaged in, not for the sake of the publicity, but serving as a ‘light to the world’ nonetheless.

 Contributions to our Monthly Newsletter

Thank you, to those who have sent contributions to [email protected] . We welcome your articles, thoughts, events, notices, poems, views and questions for publication and discussion. We hope that our group is open, inclusive, transparent, participative and responsive to your needs.

 May York Interfaith Group Meeting

7.30pm Tuesday 3 rd May at York Medical Society Rooms, 23 Stonegate, York

Making Sense of Islam in a Modern World: Dr Ataullah Siddique, Markfield Institute

Chair: Avijit Datta; Host: Michael Chester

 Photography Competition

Photography Competition and Exhibition to mark the Queen's 90th Birthday

10th - 12th June 2016 (Closing date for entries is 16th May).

For details on how to enter email: [email protected]

Or [email protected] Or telephone: 761094 or 07583 860949

York Interfaith Group. Monthly Newsletter and Publicity: Mark Cosens: [email protected] 1  York Mystery Plays Tickets on sale

Tickets for the York Mystery Plays are now on sale. The production will see the Minster’s magnificent Nave transformed into a 1000-seater auditorium. The Box Office is open. The performances begin on 26 May and run for five weeks and, in keeping with tradition, a community cast will form the heart of the production supporting one professional actor – details to be announced soon. It’s the first time in 16 years and only the second time in their near 700 year history that York’s famous Mystery Plays have been performed at the Minster. The 2016 Plays’ are being developed by an award winning artistic team, including Royal Shakespeare Company director Phillip Breen and writer Mike Poulton, who recently wrote the scripts for the RSC’s productions of Hilary Mantel’s global best-selling novels Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies.

For full details about the performances and to book tickets please visit www.yorkminster.org/mysteryplays2016 or call the Box Office on 01904 623568.

 YREN (Message from Rita Sanderson)

Planning and preparation is underway for York Racial Equality Network’s (YREN) next fundraising event. YREN is a voluntary organisation and registered charity that has been operating in York and the surrounding area for over 25 years – nearly as long as The Foresters have been playing. YREN has a common vision where the diversity of people’s backgrounds and circumstances is appreciated and positively valued by all. Working in harmony for a just society is not always easy, and fun community engagement events such as this initiative are an important aspect to raising awareness of our work so your support for this event would be very much appreciated.

The event will take place on Friday 13th May at the Tramways Club in York, when popular York folk group The Foresters will be providing a night of musical entertainment in aid of YREN.

Tickets can be purchased in a number of ways:

By telephoning YREN on 642600 By email to [email protected] In person from the YREN office on Monday mornings between 10.00am and 1.00pm In person from Fred Ring or Rita Sanderson.

Tickets cost £8 in advance, £5 for concessions or £10 on the door.

YREN intends to hold a raffle on the evening so if anybody has any items that they would like to donate as prizes, please contact YREN as above.

York Interfaith Group. Monthly Newsletter and Publicity: Mark Cosens: [email protected] 2  Inquiry into Employment Opportunities for Muslims in the UK

A Parliamentary inquiry into employment opportunities for Muslims in the UK is due to take place on the morning of May the 10th 2016.

Summary: The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) believes that the government should work with employment support providers to ensure that recent ESOL investment results in accessible and timely support and that ESOL and employment support is collocated where possible. ERSA recommends that the government ensures that all members of ethnically diverse communities, regardless of age, should have access to careers support and information about local labour market opportunities. ERSA recommends that the government builds on existing initiatives already existing to support greater employment support opportunities for Muslims in the UK, such as peer to peer community support, job ‘melas’ (or fairs) and supporting SMEs to address the underrepresentation of minority groups.

What are the specific challenges facing Muslim women in employment and the workplace? One area of particular importance is provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) support. ERSA believes that ESOL is crucial to the successful integration of individuals into the UK labour market and regrets previous funding cuts in this area. ERSA therefore welcomes the Government’s recent announcement of a £20 million programme to support English language provision for Pakistani and Bangladeshi women and recommends that the government works with employment support providers and other local agencies to ensure that the support is made available in an easy and timely way to those who need it. Furthermore ERSA members recommend that ESOL provision should not be delivered in a one size fits all approach and that government should explore offering provision in a variety of ways. This could include online programmes, lessons in local community settings and through peer to peer support networks. Members highlight that English language tuition provided by trusted organisations and community anchors working at grass-roots level, such as female-led madrassahs, are a known successful approach. Where possible, classes should be women-only, provide childcare facilities and be offered at times that enable learning to be combined with family responsibilities. ERSA recommends that flexible working options should be made more readily available by employers to enable more employees, and potential employees, to combine work and family life. ERSA recognises that employers often need support to understand the benefits of flexible working and how to construct opportunities through job carving, job sharing etc. that benefit both the employer and potential employee. Evidence shows that Muslim women can face disadvantaged at different stages of the recruitment process and may also then face further barriers once in work due to discrimination. Members specifically describe how employers may make assumptions about the impact of family responsibilities on an applicant's career progress. In addition they report that as Muslim women are more likely to work in the public sector, they have been among those hardest hit by austerity measures.

What barriers to accessing training and employment support exist for Muslims? A Muslim Council of Britain report showed that 46% of the Muslim population resides in the 10% of the most deprived areas in the UK and this in itself can reduce an individual’s ability to access employment opportunities due to limited vacancies in the local labour market. Members report that this labour market limitation can be further exacerbated by some members of these communities following a narrower range of career options. In some cases, talented young people are steered towards a limited number of professions York Interfaith Group. Monthly Newsletter and Publicity: Mark Cosens: [email protected] 3 such as medicine or law, whilst those who are less successful academically may move into a limited number of low-paid areas of work such as takeaways or taxi firms, with around 25% of Pakistani men primarily working as taxi drivers. Members’ experiences highlight that highly qualified Muslims are more likely to be unable to use their skills to their advantage. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation report Supporting Ethnic Minority Young People From Education into Work demonstrated this when it reported that 39% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi graduates were underemployed compared with 25% of their white peers . One possible reason for this is that Muslim students are less likely to attend Russell Group universities and may instead opt to attend local universities for a number of reasons. This graduate underemployment is also reflected in reduced income levels. A recent Trades Union Congress report shows a 10% pay deficit between ethnic minority graduates and their white counterparts, increasing to 17% for those with A-level qualifications only. ERSA recommends that the government further explores and collects evidence to understand why this is the case in order to develop solutions for how this imbalance can be addressed. ERSA also believes that, as part of careers advice services, young people should be helped to understand how academic and career options will impact upon their future earnings and to explore what industries and skills gaps exist within their localities. Increased knowledge in this area is likely to better prepare young people to make informed decisions regarding their future careers.

How effectively are employers accommodating the needs of Muslim employees? There is currently a lack of robust evidence to demonstrate the extent to which employers are accommodating the needs of Muslim employees, although ERSA members do report that there is more awareness by employers of their responsibilities and also their willingness to promote diversity than has previously been the case. However members do still report instances of a lack of transparency, where it has been difficult to ascertain whether allegations of discrimination are justified. This can include large employers not always analysing salary data by ethnicity or making details of proactive measures in place to remove or minimise disadvantage easily accessible.

ERSA Conclusion ERSA’s members’ experience of working with Muslim communities is deep and varied. There can be no one size fits all approach to support jobseekers who are Muslim, with jobseekers presenting with a wide range of skills levels, aspirations and needs. However, common themes run through members’ responses, particularly in relation to ensuring that employment support services are sensitive to cultural differences and that specific types of provision, including ESOL, are accessible to people from Muslim communities. It is also worth the Committee considering the changing conditionality regime in relation to Universal Credit and how this might specifically impact on Muslim communities.

For more information please contact [email protected]

 York International Shared Meal

Celebrate ONE WORLD WEEK by joining in the INTERNATI0NAL SHARED MEAL 6-9pm SATURDAY OCTOBER 29th 2016 at Acomb Parish Church Hall, Front Street, Acomb, YO24 3BX Please bring a dish of your own country or tradition to share, and contribute just £3 (Please bring food by 6.15pm) 16 & under are free. Entertainment after the meal. Organised by York Racial Equality Network, York Interfaith Group and York Baha'i Community. For information contact: Tricia Castle 01904 641657 [email protected] or YREN 01904 624600 / [email protected]

York Interfaith Group. Monthly Newsletter and Publicity: Mark Cosens: [email protected] 4  Understanding Church Boundaries: How Big Is the Tent?

Michael Otterson, the Liverpudlian managing director of Public Affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, delivered the following remarks at an academic conference titled, “Mormonism and the Art of Boundary Maintenance,” on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, to scholars and journalists at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah: Nearly 30 years ago the acclaimed Jewish writer and scholar Chaim Potok delivered a lecture at Utah State University on the theme of boundary maintenance. It was a natural subject for him. As a teenager, his parents strongly discouraged him from reading non- Jewish subjects, which had the perverse effect of pushing him into endless hours of reading secular novels in public libraries. And that, in turn, led to a lifetime of thought about the very issues we are discussing today. In his USU lecture, Potok tells this story: “Once I stood inside a Shinto temple in a Tokyo marketplace and watched an old Japanese man praying to an idol with the same kind of intensity I used to see on the faces of the old people in the little New York synagogue I attended as a child. The radiance in that withered face, the intensity of his prayer as he swayed slowly back and forth before the idol, a little prayer book in his hand, and his long wispy white beard moving against his tattered coat. I watched him for a while—and then I asked myself: Is the God to whom I regularly pray listening to this old man’s prayer? If not, why? How could anyone utter prayers with greater devotion than that now being shown by this old man? And if the God to whom I pray is listening to the prayers of this old man, then what are Judaism and Christianity all about?” I can easily relate to that story. As a young man I lived for a time in Japan, and I also stood in Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples to watch religious rituals. I vividly remember, too, standing next to the Western Wall in Jerusalem not long after the Israelis captured the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War. I watched as devout Jews, locked out of the sacred space of the Old City for so many years, stood facing the wall, eyes fixed on their scriptures, rocking back and forth as they poured out their prayer verbally and with obvious devotion, oblivious to onlookers or the world around them. Of all the Christian faiths that I know, Mormonism comes closest to answering Potok’s question: “If the God to whom I pray is listening to the prayers of this old man (or this Hasidic Jew, or this Buddhist monk), then what are Judaism and Christianity all about?” In Latter-day Saint theology, God’s judgment of the old man will be personalized, individual. He will be accountable for his own life, judged by his actions and intent within whatever light that he has, as will all of us. His eternal destiny is not limited by the fact that he may never have heard of Jesus Christ, because that opportunity still lies ahead for him. And, again in our theology, we have a question of our own: “What just, omnipotent God would devise a system of salvation for the human family and then arbitrarily impose boundaries that exclude at least two-thirds of humanity who are not Christian from ever attaining it?” The Latter-day Saint concept of individual agency, accountability, judgment, and eternal progression is the antithesis of Calvinist predestination. Our doctrine of a personalized plan of salvation is Mormonism at its most expansive, boundary-challenging best. Expanding and embracing relationships with those of other faiths is not new to the Church. “Our religion is between us and our God,” Joseph Smith wrote. “Their religion is between them and their God.” And: “When we see virtuous qualities in men, we should always acknowledge them, let their understanding be what it may in relation to creeds and doctrine; for all men are, or ought to be free, possessing unalienable rights, and the York Interfaith Group. Monthly Newsletter and Publicity: Mark Cosens: [email protected] 5 high and noble qualifications of the laws of nature and of self-preservation, to think and act and say as they please, while they maintain a due respect to the rights and privileges of all other creatures, infringing upon none. This doctrine I do most heartily subscribe to and practice.” And, of course, the Nauvoo Charter was notable for its welcome not only of other Christians but also of Muslims, or “Mohammedans” as they were called then. Our Church has been quick to defend other religious minorities. Perhaps that’s what Joseph Smith had in mind. His foundational position that Christianity was in a state of apostasy did not stop him from warmly embracing its practitioners. Since 2008 we have accelerated our outreach to national faith leaders. Catholics, evangelicals, Mormons, and Jews now regularly interact and discuss together issues of common concern, notably the consequence of legislation and court rulings on religious freedom. Many luminaries have accepted invitations to come to Salt Lake, and many have hosted Apostles in their own offices or homes. Among them: -Cardinal Francis George from Chicago, one of many to speak at BYU. -Rick Warren, pastor of the Saddleback megachurch in California and best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life. -Richard Land, then president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention, and his successor Dr. Russell Moore. -Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who, when talking about defense of religious freedom, confidently told his BYU audience that Mormons and evangelicals “may not go to heaven together, but we might go to jail together”. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia are others with whom we have developed close and mutually respectful relationships. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York sent a touching note of condolence to Church headquarters on the passing of Elder L. Tom Perry last year. A couple of weeks ago Cardinal Dolan, publicly praised one of the missionaries injured in the recent Brussels bombings for demonstrating in a TV interview strong commitment to his faith. I hope you saw that—it was a wonderful moment. I happened to be present a few years ago when Elder Perry and Cardinal Dolan first had breakfast together in New York, along with Elders Quentin Cook and L. Whitney Clayton—this was before Archbishop Dolan became a cardinal. There was some brief conversation among our Brethren before the meeting about forms of address. How does an LDS Apostle address a Catholic archbishop, and vice versa? “Your Grace” didn’t quite seem to fit our lexicon. That was quickly laid to rest when the gregarious Dolan said simply to the two Apostles, “Call me Tim.” Elder Perry responded with, “Call me Tom.” Tim and Tom got on very well together from that point. The relationships between Catholic and LDS leaders have continued to strengthen, with President Eyring invited to speak at the Vatican conference on the family in 2014, and Elder D. Todd Christofferson speaking in Philadelphia during the Pope’s visit.

York Interfaith Group. Monthly Newsletter and Publicity: Mark Cosens: [email protected] 6 In addition to Catholics and evangelicals, there is a long list of Jewish leaders and scholars from around the country who have been hosted in Salt Lake City, attended temple open houses with Apostles, and worked with us on issues of mutual concern. Our respectful relationships with individual Jewish leaders enabled us, after many years of difficulty with unauthorized proxy baptisms of deceased Holocaust victims, to establish mutually acceptable boundaries that finally laid that thorny issue to rest. Add to all these interfaith leaders the national presidents of the Assemblies of God, the Seventh Day Adventists, and substantial engagement with the leaders of African American churches across the country. Why is all this significant today? As society appears to grow increasingly secular and courts rule on issues that seem to curtail religious freedom, churches are finding they have more in common and are more effective with a collective voice. To be sure, we still have areas of disagreement, not only on doctrine but also on approaches to public policy, but we also have a great deal of common ground that will be increasingly significant as these societal shifts continue. The relationships we’ve built together and the expanded boundaries will, I predict, prove to be extremely valuable to all faith groups in the years ahead.

 York City of Sanctuary – Arabic Speakers?

If anyone knows of any Arabic speakers who may be able to help with some translation for Arabic speaking refugees coming to York then please kindly let Paul Wordsworth know: [email protected]

 Advertised post

The Inter Faith Network has just advertised for an Assistant Director. This is a fixed term contract until 31 March 2017 with possible renewal subject to funding. The role is full time and office-based in London. Further information, including a full job description, and an application form, can be found on The Guardian website at https://jobs.theguardian.com/job/6303552/assistant-director/. The closing date for receipt of applications, which are requested on the official application form by post, is 12 May.

Please draw this vacancy to the attention of any relevant members of your organisation whom you think might be interested.

York Interfaith Group. Monthly Newsletter and Publicity: Mark Cosens: [email protected] 7  Religious Festivals in May 2016

3 May Lailat al Miraj

Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem which marks the site where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have been transported during his night journey. Lailat al Miraj is when Muslims commemorate the Prophet Muhammad's nighttime journey from Mecca to the 'Farthest Mosque' in Jerusalem.

Muslims believe that during this journey the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven, was purified, and instructed by God that Muslims should pray five times daily. These events are described briefly in the Quran. Muslims celebrate by retelling the story to their children and reciting special nighttime prayers.

5 May Ascension Day The Ascension is believed to have occurred on the 40th day after Easter, and consequently falls on a Thursday. In recent times the Catholic Church has celebrated the Feast of the Ascension on the Sunday after Ascension Thursday.

15 May Vesak / Buddha Day Vesak celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. It's called Vesak after the month in which it falls in the Indian calendar.

15 May Pentecost The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which is how some Christians understand God. Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the early Christian Church.

21 May Lailat al Bara'a On this night, Muslims pray and ask God for forgiveness for their sins either at the mosque or at home. They believe that on this night one’s destiny is fixed for the year ahead. Visiting the graves of relatives and giving to charity is traditional at this time.

York Interfaith Group. Monthly Newsletter and Publicity: Mark Cosens: [email protected] 8 24 May Declaration of the Báb After the death of the Báb, his follower Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed himself to be this messenger and founded the Bahá’í faith. The Declaration of the Báb is one of the nine holy days in the Bahá'í calendar when work is suspended

26 May Corpus Christi ‘Corpus Christi’ is a Latin phrase that means ‘body of Christ’. At Corpus Christi, Christians celebrate the Eucharist (Holy Communion) when they take consecrated bread and wine which stand for the body and blood of Christ. The Eucharist commemorates the Last Supper as described in the Bible, which according to Christian tradition took place on the day before Jesus’s crucifixion. Corpus Christi is primarily celebrated by Roman Catholics.

 IFN - The National Body As members of the National Inter Faith Network (IFN) for the UK, York Interfaith Group sets out to bring its aims to the local level. For more information please see…. www.interfaith.org.uk Plus, readers may wish to remain abreast of events and developments on the national level. To do so, please see: http://www.interfaith.org.uk/publications/ifn-e-bulletin which links to the latest IfN e-bulletin.

 The Website A big thank you, to Jan Jauncey for looking after the York Interfaith Group website. By-gum (that’s Yorkshire for those who may not know) we are with the digital age! Please see the website for an introduction to the group’s activities and for ongoing events and updates… www.yorkinterfaith.org

 Subscriptions The group welcomes new members and Michelle Wagstaff, York Interfaith Group Treasurer, welcomes any subscriptions (£15 Standard Fee, Minimum £6 for Concessions, Free for full time students)

“Those who are patient in adversity and forgive wrongs are the doers of excellence”

Prophet Muhammad

York Interfaith Group. Monthly Newsletter and Publicity: Mark Cosens: [email protected] 9