At a meeting hosted by Churches Together in Luton (CTL) and Luton Council of Mosques (LCoM) on Wednesday 13th May 2009, Muslim and Christian leaders in Luton called for peace and good neighbourly relations in the face of the activities of those who would challenge the peace of our town.
We signed the following statement as a commitment to be good neighbours, and as an invitation to others to join us. We are asking our representatives in national and local government to join us or to support us in that commitment, as well as all candidates running in the June 4th elections for the Eastern England seats in the European Parliament. We call on the media to acknowledge and respect that commitment, and to work with us to report on the efforts to build peace and unity in Luton.
In making this statement we recognise the differences there are between our faiths, but we choose to build on those things which unite us. Most importantly, the call to love God and love our neighbours is central to each of our Holy Scriptures. Together with others working for good interfaith relations in the town, we will do all we can to support the building up of common ground between us. We are aware of all the challenges we face, separately and together, especially in the time of economic hardship. We seek to respond to those challenges in friendship and cooperation rather than through prejudice, hatred, racism and religious intolerance.
We are now calling on others in Luton and beyond to join us or support us making this same commitment.
In recent weeks Luton has again been seen in the media as a place of
Islamic extremism and rising nationalist extremism. Yet the reality is
that these are small extremist groups, and do not represent the
majority of the community.
As Muslims and Christians in Luton we are committed to grow in
understanding of each other and to work together for good. In doing so
we are inspired and challenged by words that lie at the heart of each
of our Holy Scriptures, where we are commanded to love God and love our
neighbour. As neighbours in this town, we need to discover the things
that unite us, and celebrate those. Where we are different we are
committed to seek understanding and trust, rather than resorting to
hatred and strife. Let us respect each other, be fair, just and kind to
one another and live in sincere peace, harmony and mutual goodwill.
In this time of tension we are calling for people of all communities
and every area of life in Luton, and especially those elected to local
and national governments, and all candidates in the upcoming European
elections to join us and support us in this task.
Dear Peace In Luton,
My name is Hayley Cutts and I am contacting you from the BBC. I am researching a film for the One Show about Luton and the recent protests that have been happening. I am hoping to make a film that reflects the real people in Luton and the fact that the majority of people want to get along in a peaceful society.
I would be extremely grateful if you could spare a moment to speak to me about your cause.
you can call me on any of the numbers bellow, or please e-mail me with you contact numbers and I will call you at a convenient time.
Kind regards
Hayley Cutts
BBC Manchester
Scanner Hall New Broadcasting House
Oxford Road Manchester M60 1SJ
Tel: 0161 244 3576
Mob: 07811 347 145
Fax: 0161 244 3916
e-mail: Hayley.cutts@bbc.co.uk
Posted by: Hayley Cutts | 06/01/2009 at 01:36 PM