Abrar House, Crawford Place, off
Edgware Road, Central London, 16 June 2014
Some
times people imagine what might happen if great figures from the past met each
other. Would they get on, would it be a great creative encounter or a bad idea?
Our event on 16 June opens by asking – what might happen if Jesus and Muhammad
met? For some this might be a quasi-blasphemous suggestion. But if our
‘founders’ are never going to meet, except on the Last Day perhaps, their
followers certainly do.
Scripturally-based
inter faith asks – What Would Jesus Do? (see my article Inter Faith for the Cautious) – convinced that in encountering people who are different we are not
actually trying to do anything that is new or strange. We hope our opening
speakers will grapple with texts and use theologically informed imagination to
offer insights old and new, taking us through the questions arising from how
Jesus and Muhammad might interact. I hope that alone will be enough to whet
your appetite and that you will join us at Abrar House.
If
that isn’t enough, we will also be focusing on the big question, are we reflecting
or distorting the image of Jesus and Muhammad - good reflections, or poor ones?
Are we following a path of engagement and challenges, or maintaining our purity
and keeping separate, or do we feel that we have no path to follow in
post-Christian, postmodern, secular, multi-religious Britain?
The
event is themed into two sections, under ‘Distortions’ we will be looking at
tendencies to segregate and isolate, as well as how minorities are treated in
society as a whole, and by the security services, in the UK, France, Iraq,
Egypt and Syria. Under ‘Reflections’ we will reflect together on harmony, peace
and welcoming the stranger. Do ancient prophetic messages tell us how to build
an inclusive society and how to relate to those who are different? Members of
the London Peace Network (an inter faith coalition) and PEN’s Susanne Mitchell
will share their outlooks on taking the radical road to reconciliation.
Join
us if you can for a free event, with lunch included. Who said there’s no such
thing as a free lunch? We’re very pleased to share details of this event as
Greater London PEN is one of our partners.
Times and Booking here
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