The Leicester Council of Faiths established partnership working early in July in response to the increase in the number of coronavirus cases. We planned and delivered a messaging project for people to follow guidelines in 15 different languages with over 30 groups and faith centres participating. These messages were mainly in video format and reached a direct audience of over 26,000 who were connected to the groups as members, worshippers or supporters. Apart from messages in English, the messages were produced in 14 other languages, including Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Kutchi, Somali, Bengali, Polish, Shona, Yoruba, Portugese and Pigdin English. This was hailed as a huge success in such a short timeframe. Prof Azhar Farooqi, clinical chair of NHS Leicester City CCG and a local GP, said: “During the extended Leicester lockdown it has been more important than ever that we reach out inclusively and engage with all of our many diverse communities across Leicester. Faith has had an important role to play in that, not least because of unique position of many religious leaders at their heart of their local communities. We have been delighted to work with the Leicester Council of Faiths on this project, which has helped supplement the community outreach activity of the NHS and its local partners during this crucial period.”

following a knife attack in Reading.

Statement

following an attack on the Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara in Derby.

Statement

from the negative and divisive campaigning during the election and of incidents of hate crime in the city, some of which had manifested in schools with Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents reported. As well as incidents in Pakistan against Sikh people and in India from the protests, have all caused anxiety among local communities.

Leicester Council of Faith felt there was a view that a collective Unity declaration by faith centres and civic and political leaders would be a good basis to underline our commitment to keeping things harmonious and cohesive in Leicester.

To this end, the board of the LCOF met and adopted a ‘ONE UNITED LEICESTERSHIRE’ declaration, supported and signed up to by over 80 signatories from Faith and Public leaders.

We held this meeting to make amendments to our constitution to add a faith organisation membership category following requests for this and review by the board over the last year or so. Several clauses were amended to allow faith organisations operating locally to apply. There are conditions for membership to this category, before the faith organisation can be admitted as a member. The conditions will include that the faith organisation is either a member of the national interfaith network or an organisation whose national representative body is a member of the National interfaith network, and the admission of the organisation will not be against the interests of the Leicester Council of Faiths as determined by the board when considering the application. This will ensure that our membership of faith organisations will be within the framework for membership of the National Interfaith Network. We continue with our current categories of membership of individuals. The other changes made to the constitution is that we will have a minimum number of persons elected or appointed at the AGM from each faith on the board, to avoid 1 or 2 faith representatives overpowering the board. This will be more representative.

the Methodist Church’s Scriptural Reasoning Inter-faith event that was held on the 13th of June 2019 at Bishop Street Methodist Church, Leicester.

Scriptural Reasoning is a tool for inter-faith dialogue whereby people of different faiths come together to read and reflect on their scriptures.  Unlike some forms of inter-faith engagement, it is not about seeking agreement but rather, exploring the texts and their possible interpretations across faith boundaries, and learning to ‘disagree better’. The result is often a deeper understanding of others’ and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities. 

The event drew out many examples of common lessons for the adherents of the 3 Abrahamic faiths and relevance to todays world of diverse faiths and communities. The panel was excellent and thank you to Dr Angela Jagger, Rumaysa Sidat and Uri Gordon, and the Methodist Church for making the event a success.

from Faith leaders in the city, condemning the terrorist attacks at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka that killed over 150 people and injured hundreds more.  Thank you to all of you who attended the Interfaith Vigil held at the Cathedral, led the Rt Rev Bishop Martyn Snow to remember and pray for the victims of the Terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka. We would like to thank the Cathedral and the Leicester Anglican Diocese for organising this event.

Statement

Leicester council of Faiths once again supported Sathya Sai International Organisation (UK) on their Human Values Walk and Concert and encouraged Leicester’s faith communities to come along, bring a banner and join in.

condemning the terrorist attack in Kashmir on 14^th February 2019 and invited people to join us for prayers at Shree Sanatan Mandir the following evening.

Statement

at Sacred Heart Church Hall, Mere Road.  An opportunity to experience food from different cultures and faith communities and we were not disappointed.  There was a an amazing turn out, with everything from a vegetable curry, to a Victoria sandwich cake.  Definitely something for everyone.

on the very important subject of Mental Health.  Following on from World Mental Health Day and the growing recognition of the problems faced by millions of people and how spirituality and faith helps at difficult times.

Many practitioners, such as Chaplains, do a wonderful job in supporting people suffering from Mental Health issues. Equally at this time, there was a lack of awareness of what Mental Health really is and how we all can play a part.

As well as hearing from a variety of specialists in this field, including a General Practitioner and several Chaplains, we also offered the opportunity for members of the audience to share their own experiences or to convey their views about how they have used faith to support people with Mental Health issues.

Sathya Sai International Organisation (UK), invited you to a series of special events in celebration of ‘Human Values Day’ which took place in Leicester City Centre on Saturday 21st April 2018.

The events consisted of:
Walk With Values – A walk from the King Richard III Visitor Centre (LE1 5DB) to Humberstone Gate. Many people brought banners or flags with a focus on Human Values which represented their faith, to pledge their commitment to practice at least one human value in our daily life.
Human Values Concert – At Humberstone Gate. There were various groups and artists performing songs related to the Human Values on a dedicated stage.
Lunch – At the Salvation Army Building, Kildare St, Leicester LE1 3FY.  Everyone was invited for lunch and an opportunity to meet with the other faith groups supporting the event.

Unity of Faiths Symposium – At the Salvation Army Building, Kildare St, Leicester LE1 3FY. Faith leaders presented their thoughts on the Human Values from the perspective of their faith.

This was a wonderful occasion to foster unity within our community and raise awareness of human values and its practice in our daily lives which will impact the communities around us in a positive way.