Working to Quench the Flames of Hatred

Working to quench the flames of hatred: A statement from the Faith & Belief Policy Collective following recent community violence

Monday 5th August 2024

The Faith & Belief Policy Collective (F&BPC) stands in solidarity with the people of Southport, grieving with them the loss of three young lives, hoping and praying for the full recovery of injured others, and appalled by the wider consequences of such incomprehensible violence. In the past week, further violence has been visited on communities across England and Northern Ireland, with extreme racist and right-wing ideologues exploiting Southport’s suffering.

Recent attacks are a direct consequence of Islamophobia being fomented over years, with false information spread over social media and journalistic assumptions within the mainstream media. Key structural elements contributing to the current crisis include systematic underfunding of local authorities’ ability to promote social cohesion and provide adequate youth services that enable engagement across different communities.

We agree with government that the violence we are witnessing does not represent the actions of groups interested in difficult but honest conversations about hardship, change and identity. These are the actions of people with criminal intent, seeking to spread division and fear. The tough, increasingly urgent conversations now needed to build the common good require the participation of faith and belief groups in partnership and together with other civil society actors. The fires of hatred have been fanned by too many. We need to put them out.

In our Letter to an Incoming Government we called for protection for all faith communities. We called also for change to the conditions that have encouraged the growth of racism and religious discrimination and its expression in public life. Requiring those in and seeking public office to take responsibility for their speech and conduct is a key step, alongside re-examining what is acceptable in media and social media.

Laura Marks CBE, Chair of Mitzvah Day International and a founding member of F&BPC, spoke of her distress at seeing the Muslim Community targeted: “I am particularly concerned at the targeting of mosques. The Jewish community knows what it feels like when our safe spaces are attacked. We have to speak out for each other.”

Sarah Joseph OBE, Muslim writer and broadcaster adds: “We cannot allow malign actors to poison the well of society from which we all must drink.” And Jagbir Jhutti-Johal OBE, Professor of Sikh Studies at the University of Birmingham, reminds us: “No one is safe unless we are all safe.”

The F&BPC holds that the faith and belief sector is a force for good in our national life. In Southport and elsewhere, community members have shown the ability to withstand the extremists, to come together in ways that quench the flames.

As we extend our sympathy to all those living with fear and anxiety, we look also at such signs of reconciliation as an antidote and a source of hope. With government support, we can proactively create the strong and resilient relationships required for our nation to heal and to rebuild.

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Notes to editors

About The Faith & Belief Policy Collective (F&BPC)

F&BPC is an emerging group of faith and belief voices across all traditions interested in contributing to the debate on how to build a resilient, inclusive and flourishing Britain. It first met in November 2023 and set out its aims to share ideas about the deep challenges currently facing our society, explore how faith and belief communities in the UK are addressing them in partnership with others, and provide support and solidarity in the face of growing social polarisation. Members of the collective are drawn from a range of different faith and belief backgrounds, reflecting the dynamic, diverse and hugely variegated religion and belief landscape in Britain. It was initially convened by the Faith & Belief Forum (F&BF) and the Faiths and Civil Society Unit (FCSU), Goldsmiths, University of London. Administrative capacity is provided by F&BF.

• Laura Marks CBE is a founding member of the F&BPC. She is an inter-faith social activist, policy adviser, writer and media commentator, chair of trustees of HMDT, and has founded social organisations including Mitzvah Day International and Nisa- Nashim.
• Jagbir Jhutti-Johal OBE is Professor of Sikh Studies at the University of Birmingham and a presenter on the Thought for the Day segment on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Her research includes a focus on inter-faith dialogue, gender inequality and Sikh identity in the diasporic community.
• Sarah Joseph OBE is a writer and broadcaster. Sheis CEO of the Muslim media company emel, and a commentator on faith and justice issues.

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Contact:

Phil Champain –07866920444, phil@faithbeliefforum.org

Mahmooda Qureshi – mahmooda@faithbeliefforum.org

Professor Chris Baker – 07779 000021, c.baker@gold.ac.uk