Friday, 27 April 2007
Statement by Faith Leaders in Leicester and Leicestershire.
We speak as leaders of the many faith traditions in Leicester and Leicestershire to those from our own faith, to each others faith traditions and to the people of our city and county.
As the local government elections approach on May 3rd we are all invited to consider the needs of our society and who will get our vote. The challenges facing the District, County and City councils are significant and we should firstly ensure that all those standing for election receive our thoughts and prayers.
Our different faiths charge us with the pursuit of the common good of all people, but especially those who are in particular need and who find themselves marginalised and disadvantaged in our society. We cannot stand by when certain sections of our community, as groups and individuals, are maligned, misrepresented and singled out for verbal or even physical abuse.
There are present in our democracy groups who wish to prejudice people against others on the basis of their country of origin, race or religion. This becomes part of their political manifesto, and it is offered to the electorate for endorsement.
We wish to express in the strongest terms our distaste for any political platform which has the effect of destabilising communities through the use of misinformation, scare stories or inflammatory rhetoric. Such statements should be resisted and not rewarded, be it via the ballot box, silent assent or public endorsement.
We believe the presence in our communities of people from different ethnic, cultural and religious origins is a strength of our society. There are however many complex issues to do with immigration, employment and social cohesion that must be addressed in an informed and balanced way according to the highest standards of civilised society and mutual respect. The extent to which prejudicial platforms attract popular support must be a warning to all people of good will that standards of decency and fair-dealing in our society require to be actively promoted, and may not ever be taken for granted.
Signed: The Rt. Revd. Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester
The Revd. Dr. Alison Tomlin, Chair of Northampton Methodist District
The Revd. Terry Oakley, Moderator of E. Midlands Synod of the United Reformed Church
Mr Michael Hockaday, Congregational Federation representative for Leicestershire
Major Jonathan Roberts, Divisional Commander, East Midlands Division of the Salvation Army
The Rt. Revd. Malcolm McMahon, Bishop of Nottingham
The Revd. Steve Mantle , Regional Minister, East Midlands Baptist Association
Mr Resham Singh Sandhu, Chairman Leicester Council of Faiths and on behalf of the Sikh community
Ramanbhai Barber, on behalf of the Hindu Community
Mr A K Gheewala, Federation of Muslim Organisations
Mr Tony Nelson, on behalf of the Jewish community
Mr Kalpit Joshi, on behalf of the Jain community
Dharmavidya, on behalf of the Buddhist community
