Gaza: faith leaders speak out against religious hatred
By Ruth Gledhill, Timesonline
The Bishop of London, the Right Rev Richard Chartres and the Bishop of Southwark, the Right Rev Tom Butler have both signed a groundbreaking new statement with other faith leaders against religious hatred, prompted by the surge in anti-Semitic attacks in the wake of Israel’s action against Gaza. A senior member of the staff of the Archbishop of Canterbury is also among London’s faith leaders who have signed a ground-breaking letter against religious hate attacks. Canon Guy Wilkinson is a signatory on behalf of the London Faith Forum, but his is nevertheless a significant name to have up there. The letter has been prompted by the massive increase in anti-Semitism sparked by the Gaza conflict. One example of how sinister this has become is the mosque in London that is receiving provocative, Islamophobic telephone calls from people claiming to be Jewish, but who the Muslim leaders suspect are members of far-right movements posing as Jews.
The other signatories include Christians, Jews, Muslims and others. Read on for the full text of the letter, released exclusively to The Times and being published in tomorrow’s Jewish Chronicle. All the party leaders on the London Assembly have also signed. See the impressive list of the key faith signatories, along with more details of some of those attacks, such as in Manchester, and pray that this conflict and this return to medieval-style religious hatreds should cease, and soon.
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