BBC correspondent talks stereotypes and understanding with emerging leaders

Press Release

London, 5 March: Razia Iqbal, BBC Special Correspondent, gave a lecture yesterday on issues of faith, identity and the media to 200 people at City Hall. In the audience were forty-five students of different faiths and beliefs taking part in ParliaMentors, a leadership programme run by intercultural organisation 3FF. The lecture is an important part of a year-long programme, where trios of upcoming leaders work together to create social action projects, receive leadership training from experts, and are mentored by MPs.

The lecture, entitled ‘One to One: Listening to the Narrative of the Other’, covered topics from Islam in the West to the power of fiction – united by the idea that understanding the perspective of our ‘enemy’ is often the first step towards improving relations.

In her lecture, Razia Iqbal said: “Although there is much to applaud in the globalised world we live in, one of its dangers is that we are creating clusters of like-minded communities, liberals or conservatives, agnostics or believers, rich or poor, those from the East or the West. Each like-minded group creates stereotypes of those who aren’t in their group. The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”

Daniella Shaw-Gabay, 3FF Policy and Public Affairs Manager who oversees ParliaMentors, said: “Razia’s focus on the importance of understanding and listening to people different from ourselves resonates with the work we do at 3FF, and echoes the importance of intercultural programmes like ParliaMentors in building relationships between communities.”

3FF’s ParliaMentors programme equips upcoming political and community leaders with the skills, experience and networks they need to advance their careers. Launched in 2007, over 250 students have taken part in the programme and are making their way into positions of political leadership.

The ParliaMentors Annual Lecture has previously been delivered by Bonnie Greer, Jon Snow, Samira Ahmed and Jon Sopel.

For more information
E-mail: philip@faithbeliefforum.org
Phone: 0207 482 9535

Quotes

Commenting on Muslims from across Europe that she had interviewed for Radio 4, Razia said: “Each in their own way had found a way to co-exist with hostility. And more than that, live positive lives. They were willing to listen to the narrative of those who disliked them, those who were hostile to them. And only after listening, did they feel they could engage, counter, and meet the other, half way.”

Razia addressed the importance of culture in creating understanding: “Culture can transcend stereotypes. Stories in particular force you to imagine the life of someone else, force you to stand in someone else’s shoes, to hear, feel, see what they see.”

Faraan Sayed, a ParliaMentors student, related what he heard with his own experience on the programme: “The emphasis on listening was important and ties in with the interfaith dialogue that we have at 3FF. ParliaMentors has given me a platform to really explore my thoughts and learn about different cultures and faiths, which is not necessarily done outside the programme.

Charly Burridge-Jones, a ParliaMentors alumnus, agreed: “We have a lot of issues in society and there is a lot of fragmentation. I think the idea of listening to people with an open heart and being able to reach out to others is key to being able to solve a lot of problems with conflict that we have today.”