IFCG Link Officer's Report

AGM 7th March 2010 Brighrhelm Centre

By Iman Dr. Abduljalil Sajid

Brighton and Hove Interfaith Contact Group   

Link Officers Report for 13th IFCG Annual General Meeting 

Sunday , the 7th of March 2010 at 2.30pm at Brighthelm Church & Community Centre, North Road, Brighton BN1 1YD

I am honoured to be asked to present this brief report to you.

1.   Since being appointed Link Officer for National and International Inter-Faith matters in 2003 I have attended many meetings for the Home Office, the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Environment Department’s Inner Religious Council, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on various Inter-Faith matters. I was was also asked to advise Britain and the European Community on current issues such as Extremism, Terrorism, Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and the role of faith communities in combating these new and old challenges to our society. I have been asked to promote Community Cohesion among diverse cultures and faith communities.

2  INTERFAITH  MEETINGS

2.1. Interfaith network UK meets four times year; at the 22 AGM held on Monday 6th July 2009 , when I was elected Executive Committee member for the year 2009/10. Inter Faith Week was the highlight of this year. It was supported and sponsored by the British Government’s Department for Communities and Local Government after the publication of the consultation document “Face to Face and Side by Side – a Framework for Partnership in our Multi Faith Society”. (See www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/898668.pdf)  I attended the launch on 12 November 2009 at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre and also on 16 November 2009 at Lambeth Palace where Archbishop of Canterbury spoke along with leaders of major faiths.

2.2. IFCG organised an event on Sunday 15 November 2009 where Michael Henderson was the key-note speaker on “Forgiveness: Breaking the chains of hate” Other speakers were Linda Lee ( Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University ); Rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah ( Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue); Rabbi Charles Wallach ( Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue). The meeting was chaired by Tariq Jung.

2.3. On 15th July 2009 at the House of Commons speakers on "How Can We Attain Greater Community Cohesion?" included Rt HON SHAHID MALIK MP, International Minister for Her Majesty’s Government on Humanitarian Aid, as well as myself. On Thursday 17 July 2009  I attended a Workshop conducted by Michael Wills MP, Minister of State  of Ministry of Justice, at The Brighthelm Church and Community Centre, North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YD to discuss The Governance of BritainGreen paper by local communities.  On 16 September 2009 I spoke on Community Involvement, "Islam threat or opportunity?" at the Bournemouth Liberal Democrat Conference . On 18th November 2009 I attended Westminster Briefing -'Building Partnership and Cohesion in Our Multi Faith Society: Face to Face and Side by Side'. On Thursday, 5th February 2009 at 6.30 pm I attended a lecture by Bishop Christopher Herbert: “Inter-faith relations andEurope: an English Perspective”in the Cheyneygate Room,WestminsterAbbey.

2.4. On 7th December 2009 I participated on “Islam and Secularism” at London Inter Faith Centre 125 Salisbury Road, London NW6 6RG; On 12 September 2008 at Brussels I participated on “ThePainful Verses” discussion with  Rabbi David Meyer;   On 14 May 2009 Brussels: A Public debate on bridging inter-religious divides on New horizons -  active citizenship to bridge inter-religious divides". See details at:http://www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu/421.0.html?&suid=325&backPID=350&sdescription=&scategory=&sstartdate=&senddate=&slanguages=&scountry=&scity=&sorganizer=&Month=&cHash=40ec187d72

2.5. I attended a lecture by Canon Andrew White, the Vicar of Baghdad, at Sussex University on 3rd March 2009 ; I participated at 6th April 2009 at Alexandra Palace , London ; I spoke on Thursday 11th June 2009 at 3pm in the House of Commons by kind invitation of Tim Boswell MP on “The importance of working together by different faiths”.

3. OTHER  NATIONAL  EVENTS.

Among other National Events covered were the following: a Lecture on “Islamic Texts on Encountering Others” at Radstock in the presence of Lord Hamilton; a talk on “Islam and the importance of Jerusalem” at Radlett Synagogue; a talk on “Religion, faith and domestic violence” at the St Ethelburga Centre in London; the current dialogue between the Catholic and Muslim world; examples of multi-faith societies, such as Spain and Lebanon, in present and past; I was also a panellist on Shariah and the British Community at the House of Commons following the lecture delivered on 3 July 2009 by Rt Hon Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, the Lord Chief Justice, on “Equality and Justice”. I helped in updating Local Government Associations' document “Partnership for the common Good: Interfaith Structures and Local Government - Good Practice Guidelines" .The full text can be found at www.lga.gov.uk  and www.www.interfaith.org.uk  and the updated new edition of Interfaith Directory 2009.

4. INTERNATIONAL  EVENTS.

4.1. UK Religions for Peace nominated me to represent Religions for Peace UK at European Level and now I have been serving Religions for Peace on the European Board as Deputy President of Religions for Peace Europe; I took part in an European Conference on "Multi-Religious Co-operation for the Common Good: Building a Healthy Society", where I presented the UK model and mentioned IFCG as good practice. For further information, please see http://www.religionforpeace.org/. I attended Religions for Peace Europe meeting on 7 to 8 March 2009.

4.2.  I represented IFCG at Jews, Christians and Muslims Standing Conference in Europe (JCM) on 22 April 2009 and 22nd July 2009 held at Sir Sternberg Centre and at Justice Department’s meetings on “Engaging Communities and Neighbourhood” and two further meetings in October.

4.3. As an Adviser to the European Council of Religious Leaders (ECRL) I was asked to speak to a number of gatherings where I presented IFCG as a resource for local communities; I contributed to the ECRL full Council meeting at Berlin, Germany on 3 -5 March 2009. There I met officials of European institutions like Council of Europe, EU Commission and Office of Security and Cooperation OSCE. I was a speaker on Inter-Cultural and Dialogue for  Europe session where I was elected a member of the drafting committee for their Statement and the Berlin Declaration. I helped to produce “Muslims inBritainReport” for Birmingham ECRL Meeting and Rising Anti-Semitism report for Berlin ECRL Meeting in March 2009 and I visited ECRL HQ in Oslo for its Executive meetings. Next ECRL Meeting is being planned for 25 to 27 May 2009 at Lille – France .

4.4. As a member of International Interfaith Network Organisation (IION) I was in the briefing at Oxford for the Parliament of World Faiths held at Melbourne in December 2009; I attended a briefing hosted by the US Helsinki Commission on “Fighting Anti-Muslim Discrimination: An Interfaith Perspective” . I attended a Seminar on “After Mumbai – Terrorism and Islamic Reformism” by All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues at House of Commons Committee Room 12 at Palace of Westminster . On Wednesday 17 September 2009 I participated in preparations for the Toledo Good Practice Guidance meeting for Religious Education at Berlin .

4.5. I would like to report that a high Level European Religious Leaders' meeting was held on the occasion of the G20 at the House of Commons, where the present Economic crisis was discussed; I presented IFCGas one of the models of local Interfaith resource for local communities in promoting better understanding; i n October 2009 I visited the Holy Land where I attended Elijah Interfaith Fourth Board of World Religious Leaders Meeting at Haifa, Sea of Galilee and Jerusalem from October 18 - 22, 2009. I presented my papers on “Role of Religious Leadership”;“Forgiveness and Reconciliation: An Islamic Perspective” and “Religiously motivated violence and how to confront it” and “Human Rights in Islam”. See YouTube at : http://kishkushim.blogspot.com/ and http://kishkushim.blogspot.com/2009/10/interfaith-kishkushim.html; I also participated as a speaker at the Washington DC International Conference 10 to 17 December 2009 organised by “Clergy Beyond Borders” where I spoke about “Human Rights in Islam”. The conference was attended by over 150 Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars from the world. Read “Vision of the other in the Holy Qur’an”,http://www.imamsrabbis.org/en/publications/detail/2/10/43.

5. MISCELLANEOUS. 

5. I  have stepped down as elected member of the Executive Committee of the South East England Faith Forum (SEFF) and asked IFCG Chair, Deputy Chair and Secretary to attend instead. Next SEFF conference will be held on Wednesday 31 March 2010 at the University of Surrey, Guildford; I represented IFCG at World Congress of Faiths (WCF) and presented IFCG's Brief History & Introductionas a resource of good practice, which was adopted by its Executive; I was sent byWorld Congress of Faiths (WCF) to deliver six lectures at various places where I presented IFCG as good practice for other cities of the world for promoting harmony. I was asked last year to continue to serve as WCF International Secretary; I attended an International conferences in Istanbul on 10 to 16 September 2009 celebrating Interdependence; I was asked to lead Prayers before County Council Meeting on 21 July; I participated at a “Unite Against Fascism” conference at the TUC Centre London; I launched Rev Dr Marcus Braybrooke’s new book, “Beacons of the Light: 100 Holy People who have shaped the history of Humanity”on 9 July 2009.

I am very grateful to the IFCG Executive and its members who have trusted me to represent IFCG at National and International gatherings. For further details of any of the issues raised in this report, please contact with me directly at:

Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid, IFCG Link Officer for National and International Inter-Faith Matters

8 Caburn Road , Hove , BN3 6EF . Tel +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile : +44 (0) 7971 861972. imamsajid@gmail.com