UK churches fight Islamophobia, racism
CAIRO – Defying rightists speaking in the Christian voice against Islam, a major British church has set up a new project to fight racism and anti-Muslim sentiments in Britain.
“The root of the project is the recent relative success of the BNP [British National Party] and the English Defence League,” the Rev Vernon Marsh, chairman of the Sheffield Methodist District, told The Times on Saturday, February 27.
The BNP, a far-right and whites-only political party, is notorious for attacks against immigrants and British Muslims, estimated at nearly two millions.
The EDL is also playing anti-Muslim rhetoric to draw support in Britain, leaving Muslims at the focus of unprovoked attacks by rightists.
“There is a high percentage of the Muslim population in our part of the world, and because the BNP is specifically targeting Islam they try and take the right of speaking as a Christian voice against Islam,” said Marsh.
“But as Christians we live in a multi-cultural, multi-faith part of the world and we enjoy good relationships with other faiths and want to build on these relationships and work together against those who won’t do that.”
The project, set up by the church in partnership with the Methodist district of Sheffield, aims to challenge racism and bring together groups that don’t ordinarily mix.
“A lot of the work to be done is in communications, to try over time to get good stories into the media,” he said.
“We also want to create faith spaces where people can talk about the things that attract them to parties like these.”
He said the project also aims to delve into the root causes pushing people to the far-right parties.
“We know it is affected by what is happening economically and by messages in the media. But its no good berating people without talking to them,” he said.
Muslim support
The church project also eyes support of British Muslims to stand up against rightists.
“This project will need selling to the Muslim community to get them on board, and I hope I can do that,” said Abdool Gooljar, president of the Sheffield branch of the Islamic Society of Britain.
“I hope it will be successful, especially in the wake of successes by the far Right in elections.”
The BNP won its first county council seats and European Parliament seats in 2009, winning one council seat in both Lancashire and Leicestershire, and one European Parliament seat each in Yorkshire and the Humber and North West England.
“People are worried if they put themselves forward that they might be targeted in some way,” said Gooljar, who is on the steering group that will run the project.
“There is real lack of trust here now, everyone feels under the microscope.”
The church project has caused unease among some conservative Christians.
“The biblical doctrine of the Church of England, as expressed in Canon A5, is crystal-clear as to the responsibility of frontline clergy,” said Julian Mann, the vicar of the parish church of the Ascension in Oughtibridge, in the Sheffield Diocese.
“We are called to proclaim faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death for sins as the only way men and women can be saved, whatever their religious, ethnic or social background. If we are misrepresented as extremist for doing what it says on the tin, then that is part of the cost of authentic Christian discipleship.
“We must not allow ourselves to be bounced off the ball by political correctness,” he said.
But the criticism is dismissed by the Rev Marsh, the chairman of the Sheffield Methodist District.
“You will get some people who say you should not be telling us how to vote or anything like that,” he said.
“But we’ve not had any criticism of it in our Methodist district, which covers a wide area.”
Interfaith dialogue has been going on for centuries, and it changes nothing. Will these Churches wake up before it is too late? I hope so.
"We are called to proclaim faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death for sins as the only way men and women can be saved, whatever their religious, ethnic or social background. If we are misrepresented as extremist for doing what it says on the tin, then that is part of the cost of authentic Christian discipleship."
And die they will if they continue to hug islam. It's as simple as that.
.i strongly beleive the politicians in europe are getting huge money deposits in their bank accounts.saudi arabia intends to rule europe.once eurabia is formed ,saudi arabia will become the rulers of this world since all science and technology comes from europe.the europeans will work and saudis will enjoy.politicians have been bribed.muslim immigrants have been allowed in huge numbers.
Interfaith dialog consists of a monologue: "convert or die". I direct doubters & dissenters to http://www.totheulama.wordpress.com/ ,
http://totheulama.wordpress.com/2007/10/15/a-comm…
and the Christian Response at http://www.acommonword.com/index.php?page=media&a… .
Here's a support site for the BNP that might interest readers
http://www.thegreenarrow.co.uk/ It more about politics, but there's the occasional article on arselifters in the UK.
Islamaphobia? Are you kidding me? I'm not afraid of islam. Those pukes bleed and die just like anyone else. I've no fear of them, just the opposite. What I fear is going to jail over wasting them when they need to get wasted because of the libtard pukes that run these western countries now…..Otherwise, they'd just be "moving targets" to me.
I am thankful for the Church of England's stand – they hold to the truth of the Gospel, though I wish they would speak out more against Sharia Law. The Methodists have lost their way, at least these ones. "Faith spaces"??? There is no common ground between Christianity and Islam. There is no space they share, there is no common faith. There seems to be some, but this is a deception because some Judeo-Christian teaching was used by Mohammad – before it was abrogated by later teachings.
Many Methodists (and many other Christians) have lost their call:
"God in Scripture commands me, according to my power, to instruct the ignorant, reform the wicked, confirm the virtuous. Man forbids me to do this in anohter's parish; that is, in effect, not to do it at all, seeing I have now no parish; of my own, nor probably ever shall. Whom, then, shall I hear, God or man? …I look upon all the world as my parish; thus far I mean that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty to declare unto all that are willing to hear the glad tidings of salvation. This is the work which I know God has called me to and sure I am that his blessing attends it." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
Er, didn't the archbishop of the CoE recently promote sharia in England?
Could be, but in this article it is the CoE pastor defending the Gospel and the methodist friending Islam. The CoE pastor says that he is against the interfaith project talked about here. Allowing some forms of Sharia Law in Moslem communities is where the UK started to go wrong – because it continues to creep in. That is how UK law has always been, though. No constitution and laws are changed by accretion. Helpful through history in preventing revolutions, but dangerous in the case of Islam. There may be no stopping it and then civil war.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has told Radio 4 that the adoption of parts of Sharia law in Britain “seems unavoidable” and will help social cohesion. A friend of mine has just sent me a link to the BBC website, and for a second I thought it might be a spoof.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/…
Church of Scotland backs Islamic sharia law courtsPremium Article !Your account has been frozen. For your available options click the below button.
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« Previous « PreviousNext » Next »View GalleryPublished Date: 10 October 2008
THE Church of Scotland last night welcomed the possibility of introducing sharia law courts in Scotland.
Rev Ian Galloway, convener of the Church and Society Council, said sharia courts had been unfairly portrayed following the Archbishop of Canterbury's comments in February that it "seems unavoidable" that parts of Islamic sharia law would be adopted in the UK.
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk/Church-of-Scot…
When are we going to see mosques fighting against Christianphobia and Judeophobia on the part of muslims? Oh wait, the mosques are the very place where hatred and violence against infidels is inculcated.
Haha….thanks Laura, this post made my night!
.saudi arabia ,kuwait and qatar r pouring billions of dollars to convert the christian countries to islam. politicians have been bribed.muslim immigrants have been allowed.since eurabia is formed ,saudi will dominate.no work all enjoys.stop europe to become another pakistan or iraq.
Its interesting that they cite the EDL. Just found this interesting article –
http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-stand…
Given who their leader is, could he claim the church is racist?
Actually Muslims believe that Jesus will return to kill the "anti-christ". Get your facts right.
Actually they also believe that Jesus will come back as a Muslim, and destroy Christiainity. Get your facts straight.
Islam 101: What Islam Really Says About Jesus and his Return
https://loganswarning.com/2009/12/07/what-islam-re…
Mahound is the anti-Christ!
am an indian christian and i ve been hearing the news about Islam in europe.i strongly beleive the politicians in europe are getting huge money deposits in their bank accounts.saudi arabia intends to rule europe.once eurabia is formed ,saudi arabia will become the rulers of this world since all science and technology comes from europe.the europeans will work and saudis will enjoy.politicians have been bribed.muslim immigrants have been allowed in huge numbers.kick out all muslims, pro muslim politicians and white converts to islam out of ur impressive europe.stop before its too late.
Hmmm …. IN THE CHRISTIAN .. Say it IS VERY TRUE ….
FAITH THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU ALWAYS MY REDEEMER SIN … DEVIL.
HO .. HO .. HO .. HO …
JUST DOING YOUR JOB AS MUCH MAY SIN …
SEE EXAMPLE NOBLE MISSION, CONDUCTED BY ISRAEL TO PALESTINE, ISLAMIC PEOPLE AMERICAN COMBAT Afghanistan and Iraq. Be robbed, raped ,…. IN THIS VERY NOBLE DEEDS … GOOD .. GOOD ..
THIS ACTION MUST be imitated by Christians ….
HA .. HA … HA … HA ……
ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN enjoy hahahahaha ….. THIS ACTION YOU ARE SMART PEOPLE CHRIST ….
THIS IS THE TRUE TEACHING OF CHRISTIAN …
DO NOT FEAR THE SAME SIN!
HA .. HA .. HA .. HA …
CHRISTIAN PEOPLE HAVE YOUR SINS REDEEMABLE IN CROSS POST …
Hahahahaha …….
DEVIL WITH YOU ALWAYS …
Please try and make some sense.
Thank you.
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