Interfaith Celebration in Manchester
Monday, 12 January 2009
2008 was one of the few years when the festivals of Christmas, Eid ul Adhaa and Chanukah, all fell in the same month. On Sunday 14th December, Manchester Reform Synagogue hosted 160 people from all three faiths who attended for the city's first ever joint celebration of the season of goodwill.
Councillor Afzal Khan, joint chairman of the Muslim Jewish Forum, who recently received the CBE for his inter-faith work, said: "It was an historical event and a coming together that was long overdue. We all live in the same wonderful city of Manchester and by working together we can make it even better, whether it is tackling crime, or improving the environment. If there is dialogue between all faiths it can only benefit the city. It was an opportunity to exchange festive greetings, socialise, and learn of each others faiths."
Jonny Wineberg of the Forum said: "It was a chance to work towards more cooperation, and hopefully, in the long term young people will have a positive view of other faiths. Some aspects of the media can give the impression that faiths are fighting each other all the time. The reality is that there is so much of what we believe which is similar."
There were presentations on the meaning of each of the festivals from the Rev Stephen Williams, of the Council of Christians and Jews; Iftikhar Awan, of the Altrincham Muslim Association; and Rabbi Reuben Silverman of the Manchester Reform Synagogue.
Communities Minister and Salford MP, Hazel Blears, attended the event and spoke of the value of multi-faith communities. She said: "As a society we are far richer because of faith - it is a force to enable people to help others."
Welcoming the three-faith event, she said: "It isn't just about dialogue. If you can get people to come together and do things, whether it is sharing food, or cleaning up a neighbourhood together, it helps break down barriers in a much shorter space of time than discussion can do."
Pictured above are Rabbi Reuben Silverman of the Manchester Reform Synagogue, Rev. Stephen Williams, Hazel Blears MP and Iftikhar Awan.
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