St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

The following comes from an item on the Bradford Diocesan Web Site ...

Bradford Faith leaders resist 'evil of terrorism'

A week after the London bombings, hundreds of women, men and children gathered at the site of the Bradford City memorial in Centenary Square, Bradford. With civic leaders and leaders of the faith communities, they remembered those who died, who grieve, who still wait for news of loved ones, and who work for the emergency services.

Bradford's faith leaders made a joint statement together:

"As religious leaders from different faiths from the Bradford Metropolitan District we come together today to remember the victims and the grieving families of those caught up in the atrocity in London, which has affected indiscriminately people of diverse faiths and none, adults and children alike.
We stand together now to express our shared commitment to resisting and overcoming the evil of terrorism, which the events of recent days in London have brought home to us afresh and with such devastating clarity. It is an evil that cannot be justified and that we utterly condemn and reject.
Our hearts go out to those affected. We pray for them and with them. We remember the dead, the injured and the missing, and all those working to save life and restore health.
We stand on common ground as faith leaders. We all believe in God's compassionate love for us. It is a love that compels us to cherish not to disfigure our common humanity. When many will be feeling anger, bewilderment and loss, it is vital to strengthen those things we hold in common and to resist all that seeks to drive us apart.
We support efforts to build a Britain in which different communities - including faith communities - can flourish side by side with respect and understanding. We pledge ourselves to stay true to this goal, and to work together to make it an enduring reality. We think this is God's design for all his children and for the whole human family."

The faith leaders included our bishop, David James; and leaders of local Muslims and Sikhs.

As it has turned out that some of the suicide bombers came from our part of West Yorkshire, I want to repeat my belief: that Islam doesn't support these attacks, and the vast majority of Muslims reject them just as much as Christians do. Muslims deserve our support and our encouragement at a time like this, as they try to make sure that such things won't happen in future.

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. August 2005, Page 8.
Home Page. Index of articles: by subject, by date. In this issue: August 2005 Star Wars, I need you, Ang/Meth, Terrorism, Question.	The following comes from an item on the Bradford Diocesan Web Site ... Bradford Faith leaders resist 'evil of terrorism' A week after the London bombings, hundreds of women, men and children gathered at the site of the Bradford City memorial in Centenary Square, Bradford. With civic leaders and leaders of the faith communities, they remembered those who died, who grieve, who still wait for news of loved ones, and who work for the emergency services. Bradford's faith leaders made a joint statement together: "As religious leaders from different faiths from the Bradford Metropolitan District we come together today to remember the victims and the grieving families of those caught up in the atrocity in London, which has affected indiscriminately people of diverse faiths and none, adults and children alike. We stand together now to express our shared commitment to resisting and overcoming the evil of terrorism, which the events of recent days in London have brought home to us afresh and with such devastating clarity. It is an evil that cannot be justified and that we utterly condemn and reject. Our hearts go out to those affected. We pray for them and with them. We remember the dead, the injured and the missing, and all those working to save life and restore health. We stand on common ground as faith leaders. We all believe in God's compassionate love for us. It is a love that compels us to cherish not to disfigure our common humanity. When many will be feeling anger, bewilderment and loss, it is vital to strengthen those things we hold in common and to resist all that seeks to drive us apart. We support efforts to build a Britain in which different communities - including faith communities - can flourish side by side with respect and understanding. We pledge ourselves to stay true to this goal, and to work together to make it an enduring reality. We think this is God's design for all his children and for the whole human family." The faith leaders included our bishop, David James; and leaders of local Muslims and Sikhs. As it has turned out that some of the suicide bombers came from our part of West Yorkshire, I want to repeat my belief: that Islam doesn't support these attacks, and the vast majority of Muslims reject them just as much as Christians do. Muslims deserve our support and our encouragement at a time like this, as they try to make sure that such things won't happen in future. John Hartley
Top of page.	This web page was last updated on 23rd October 2005.