Celebrating Faith, Fighting Hate: A Personal Reflection for Interfaith Week

Interfaith Week is a wonderful cause for celebration. As someone who grew up in a mixed-race, multi-faith household, I have a huge appreciation for the impact religion can have on the lives of believers as well as those around them. And now living in Luton, I see the fruits of the work our diverse faith groups do together every day.

In my constituency of Luton North, the interfaith community is long established and a source of cohesion and strength.

Many voices and cultures

Luton is a town of many voices and cultures, with a history of our communities uniting to oppose forces of hate. Our diversity is a strength and we can never take for granted the relationships and networks that run through our fabric. Lutonians know all too well the struggle against those who choose to pit communities against one another, to increase tensions and exploit insecurities for political gain.

There are so many initiatives I’m proud of locally that are run by people of faith. Our Luton Council of Faiths is a uniting group that works with the council, schools, the police and public services to care for our town. They are proactive in supporting vulnerable members of our community, and mediating tensions if they arise. Their work earned them an award from the late Queen, in recognition of their contributions to social cohesion.

Re-emergence of racism

Sadly, we have seen the ugly trends of far-right racism re-emerge in a powerful way over the past couple of years. As the Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee in Parliament, I have heard testimonies about the importance of different faith groups standing together to repel the extremist messages both in politics and in wider culture. Whether it’s Islamophobia coming out of Unite the Kingdom marches, to so-called “Christian nationalism” infiltrating some church communities, or the distressing attacks we’ve seen occur at synagogues across the country, it’s never been more important to stand up for our neighbours in their time of need.

Standing up, standing together

And standing up for those in need is exactly what faith groups do best. We all saw the way in which they served the general public during the pandemic; everyone either benefitted from it themselves or knows someone who did. Temples and Gurdwaras cooking hot, nutritious food for the masses; churches helping with vaccine drives; mosque volunteers dropping off supplies for local people shielding.

But of course this sort of work had been going on behind the scenes for a long time before the pandemic: food banks, night shelters, youth projects and dementia cafes – all of these have been offered by people of faith for decades, and will continue to be while vulnerable people fall through gaps left by the state.

When I look back on my time on Labour’s front bench as the Shadow Minister for Faith and Communities, I often joke that the thing I miss most is the food. Faith communities definitely know how to cater their events, and the hospitality I received from the most lovely, welcoming people will always be treasured. But of course the real thing I miss the most is seeing people from different backgrounds, who are often pitted against each other, coming together to love their neighbourhoods.

Celebrating RE teachers

There’s a special group of people I want to recognise this Interfaith Week, and that is our fantastic RE teachers. It has never been more important that children and young people learn about religion and world views, so they may grow to be compassionate, understanding and rounded adults. I will continue to do all I can to help increase the access to RE teaching for every pupil, and support schools to recruit high-level subject specialists. Countering hateful attitudes (or innocent misunderstandings) as early as possible is essential in this diverse, vibrant country we live in. So to all the RE teachers doing what they can to progress that: Thank you.