News Release February 9, 2015
The Shaykh and the Bishops –public Christian-Muslim debates to be held in West Yorkshire following Paris attacks
A ground-breaking series of public discussions and round table talks are to take place between a leading Muslim journalist and commentator, Shaykh Fuad Nahdi, and two Yorkshire Anglican bishops later this month in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo Paris attacks.
Bradford University and Dewsbury Minster will host two open meetings on February 25th and 26th between ‘The Shaykh and the Bishop’ – the first with the Bishop of Bradford Rt Revd Dr. Toby Howarth on February 25th at 5.30pm and the second with the Bishop of Huddersfield Rt Revd Dr. Jonathan Gibbs on February 26th also at 5.30pm.
The pioneering public meetings have been organised by the inter-faith charity, Near Neighbours, and Bradford Churches for Dialogue and Diversity (BCDD) to discuss the issues that face inter-faith dialogue in the aftermath of the attacks in Paris last month. With the sub-heading, ‘Faith and Creativity: Towards a Vision of Togetherness’, the discussions will focus on the role of cultural expression in combating extremism and creating a harmonious society.
Fuad Nahdi is the Executive Director of the Radical Middle Way and Founding Editor of Q-News, whose contributions in the fields of media, community activism and interfaith work have been widely recognised.
Speaking ahead of the public meetings he said, “The struggle against extremism must harness, respect and value the role of creativity in providing a legitimate, relevant and enriching alternative. Where we have cheap slogans we could have had poetry, hands and fingers trained to weave carpets or produce calligraphy will find it difficult to make bombs and hearts and souls trained to love and celebrate the birthday of the Noble Prophet are almost impossible to be manipulated by anger and violence."
The first debate from 5.30pm – 8pm on February 25th at Bradford University’s John Stanley Bell lecture theatre, Richmond Building, Bradford 7, will be with Bishop Toby Howarth, who before becoming Bishop of Bradford last year, was National Adviser for Inter Religious Affairs and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Secretary for Inter Religious Affairs.
Bishop Toby commented, “People of faith often find themselves on the back foot, responding to crises made by other people who claim to, but do not speak for them. How can we use our imagination and creativity to set our own agenda, especially reflecting the experience and priorities of younger people?"
The second debate from 5.30pm-8pm on February 26th at Dewsbury Minster will be with Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Huddersfield. He commented, “Recent events in Paris, against the backdrop of the horrendous situation facing millions of people in the Middle East, have raised very sharply the question of how we can learn to live together with tolerance and respect. This debate will give us the chance to explore some of these issues, and to demonstrate by our dialogue that Christians and Muslims, as well as people of all faiths and none, can work together to explore and shape our common future.”
In addition to the two public meetings, Shaykh Fuad Nahdi will also take part earlier in the day in round table discussions organised by the School Linking Network at a school in Bradford on the theme of “Cartoon, Controversy, and Freedom of Speech”. A further three invitation-only events will be held the first one in Leeds on the 26th of February Chaired by Qari Asim imaam of Makkah Mosque, the second at Madina mosque in Batley and the final one on February 27th in Rochdale at the Kashmir Youth Project.
