Faith leaders warn of prejudice ahead of Senedd’s return
Mark Mansfield
Faith leaders from across Wales have warned of religious and ethnic prejudice ahead of the Senedd’s return following the summer recess.
Senior representatives of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Bahá’í and other faith communities have joined together in an open letter to MSs, saying many people are living with fear amid what they describe as a period of “significant tension” across the UK.
The intervention comes before Members of the Senedd return to Cardiff Bay next Monday, with the faith leaders calling for religious freedom, mutual respect and the rejection of antisemitism, anti-Hindu prejudice, Islamophobia and prejudice based on religion or ethnicity.
The signatories state: “We uphold the innate dignity of every person, believing that all are to be treated with the utmost respect, recognising their religious freedom so that all can practise their belief in peace and tranquillity.
“Antisemitism, anti-Hindu prejudice, Islamophobia, or prejudice based on religion or ethnicity must be rejected.”
The faith leaders say many people within their communities “live with some fear for themselves and especially for their children”.
They also acknowledge what they describe as the “personal cost of public service”, telling MSs they are praying for them and thanking them for their willingness to work for the common good of people across Wales.
The letter highlights the role played by faith communities in education, healthcare and services supporting people in need.
It says places of worship act as important hubs for social outreach and integration, with faith communities committed to continuing and expanding that work.
The leaders also say they want to develop closer links with the Senedd and share examples of the public service carried out by faith communities at a local level.
‘Mutual understanding’
They add: “We also look forward to a deepening of our relationships of cooperation, mutual understanding and acceptance, so that we can all work together for the good of all in Wales.”
The letter has been signed by Archbishop Mark O’Toole, Metropolitan Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia; Archbishop of Wales Cherry Vann; Rev Dyfrig Rees, president of the Free Church Council of Wales; and Revd Canon Tim Rowlands of the Evangelical Alliance in Wales.
Other signatories include Rabbi Michoel Rose of Cardiff United Synagogue; Laurence Kahn of the South Wales Jewish Representative Council; Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed of the Muslim Council of Wales; Imam Usman Manan of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Wales; and Gurmit Singh Randhawa MBE of the Sikh Council of Wales.
Representatives of the Hindu Council of Wales, Cytûn, the Interfaith Council of Wales, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Bahá’í community have also signed the letter.
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