Nishkam Civic Association (NCA) was delighted to host members of the United Religions Initiative (URI) from around the world, local stakeholders and members of the local interfaith community to discuss the topic of ‘Religiously Motivated Hate Crime’ and how we can work together to eradicate violence in all its forms.
Delegates from URI including Preeta Bansal, Global Chair of the URI and Jerry White, Executive Director of the URI along with others from URI Europe, came to Britain for this event at the invitation of URI UK. NCA was among the select places chosen, to address themes such as preventing violence in all its forms and the fragility of interfaith work. The Conference started with refreshments, an opportunity to network and explore the Value’s Revolution Exhibition.
The programme then moved to the Conference Hall where guests enjoyed Kirtan (Singing of Sikh Scriptures) to bless the conference and create a special ambiance for the rest of the night. The conference held impactful speeches from several remarkable guests doing fantastic work in their fields.
The first speaker was Superintendent Jennifer Pearson, who set the scene for Birmingham as she listed some powerful statistics. Superintendent Pearson shared that Birmingham is 3rd in religiously motivated hate crime and 1st in racially motivated hate across the nation.
She further stressed the importance of faith within policing and the profound role faith collaboration plays in reducing religiously motivated hate crimes. Jerry White, Nobel Peace Prize Winner for his work to ban landmines and Executive Director of the URI spoke about the rise of religiously motivated violence, which is the fastest-growing form of violence globally.
He went on to talk about how violence is a behaviour that is contagious and spreads, creating a culture of violence and how it is our responsibility to change the culture, going on to speak about the training URI provides to interrupt local violence. The third speaker, Global Chair of the URI, Preeta Bansal, spoke about a core tenet of the URI's work in achieving peace and reducing violence - Cooperation Circles (CCs).
Preeta conveyed that peace-making is not accomplished alone and how CCs are the key to peace, which form robust interfaith relationships to reduce violence and create a culture of peace, justice and healing. Adding to Preeta's message of collaboration as a foundation for reducing violence was Duncan Wielzen, URI Europe Chairperson.
Duncan spoke about inspiring others to join interfaith groups and how the work of CCs can inspire others to form their own groups and strive to make change in their local area. Josef Boehle, Director of the Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation shared the 13-year journey of the Peace Charter and its presentation to / endorsement by many prominent figures, such as His Holiness Pope Francis and the Prime Minister of Kenya to name just a few.
Additionally, Josef spoke about how the charter looks at the intersection between forgiveness and peace. The penultimate speaker, Professor Jagbir Jhutti-Johal, spoke about the role of women in achieving peace and how they bring a specific set of skills and values, citing a research study which concludes that when women are involved in peace negotiations or peace building, success is 20% more likely.
The keynote speaker was Patron of Nishkam Organisations and URI UK, Bhai Sahib, Professor Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia OBE KSG. Bhai Sahib Ji articulated the juxtaposition of religion and violence as religion is peaceful. Continuing to provide an insight into the origin of violence and how vices and external forces which partially form the mind can lead to violence and vengeful retaliation, creating a cycle of escalating violence.
The conference gave an insight into how we can continue to collaborate with partners and strategize to reduce religiously motivated violence and create change in our communities by overcoming the barriers that prevent the formation of peace within communities. In the spirit of Sikh hospitality, tradition and service, the evening concluded with everyone partaking in Guru Ka Langar (Blessed meal).
Preeta Bansal shared: “We, the global leadership of the United Religions Initiative, were heartened to feel and see the remarkable work of our interfaith cooperation circles in the United Kingdom.
“The Nishkam Centre in Handsworth is truly leading an interfaith revolution of values -- much like Birmingham led the industrial revolution more than a century ago. The Centre's tangible commitment to selfless service in the community -- manifested in concrete initiatives in the health, welfare, environmental, and education sectors -- combined with its active peace making carried out in cooperation with multiple faith communities and the public sector, is truly inspiring.
“The Nishkam Centre is a model of what URI seeks to support and promote globally - a commitment to daily, enduring interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence, and to promote peace, justice, and healing for the earth and all living beings. We were pleased to be part of the rich community conversation hosted at the Nishkam Centre, which involved community activists, city leaders, academics, and faith leaders."
