"... Faith speaks to Faith. That’s how you build understanding. That’s how schools help build community; and that’s where real hope lies. My Muslim parent did not want compulsory secularism shoved down their child’s throat as the only way, by people who won’t take responsiblity for doing this, and are sniggering at you behind their hands for believing anything more substantial than their own vapid secularism. ..."
With little tolerance for "vapid secularism", Bishop Alan in one of his usual wide-ranging and insightful posts, Hazlemere: Remembering, Learning , addresses the subject of Muslim children attending Church of England schools. Or perhaps more accurately the attitudes and feelings of Muslim parents to the CofE schools their children are attending.
Two more quotes of note: "One Muslim parent told me how they appreciated their children to be somewhere God’s name was loved and honoured, so that their Muslim faith is simply respected, shared and nurtured as a way of life, rather than patronised or treated as an exotic hobby."
The Bishop also tells how he asked another parent: “had they ever felt their children were being indoctrinated, narrowed or ghettoised by the experience of being in a faith school?” He records that the parent just fell about laughing! How wonderful.
Thank goodness for such remarks from a senior leader in the Church of England who neither overly romantic nor overly fearful of the other faith communities, especially Muslims, but instead reaches out to them warmly as residents of his diocese. His posts on Muslims are always stimulating.
This is the season when we hear once again hear of calls for Christmas to be toned down so as not to offend anyone. Lets remember that last year the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and leaders of Muslim, Sikh and Hindu communities were all on record telling us to enjoy the Christmas season and that they do not find it offensive. 'Put Christ back into Christmas' And of course last year, as part of the developing Common Word exchanges, the Muslim community sent Christmas greetings to the Christian community: A Muslim Message of Thanks and of Christmas Greetings
So what happens this year? Already Bishop Alan himself has recorded of how the story got out that Oxford had banned Christmas decorations: Winter Lights Oxford: hysterical tosh. It was rubbish thank goodness, and the Oxford Mail noted that in its next edition. But its always the case that not everyone who read the original story reads the apology. So yet another few millimetres are added to the wedge of separation between us all, and the sense of loss of all that is ours by tradition is felt again by the Christian community.
As Christmas approaches my hope is that the positive relations between Christians and Muslims that exist in so many places will be the story that is told across the media. Yet I fear the opposite will be true. But what is for certain s that many of our friends of other faiths will be enjoying Christmas. The final word goes again to the Bishop, who at the end of his Winter Lights Oxford: hysterical tosh post tells the story of a Muslim Butcher in Reading advertising "Halal Turkeys. Order now for Christmas."
Wonderful!!
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