Stirring the pot for children and families

Come and get a free bowl of porridge to help support local children and families in need.

The Festival of Spirituality and Peace Team  will have a stand under at St John's Church, Edinburgh (corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road) on Friday 25th January 2013, handing out porridge to anyone who cares to stop and have a chat. We will be there from 8am to 12pm or whenever the porridge runs out.

Following the success of our last porridge stall we have chosen to support the local charity Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland (CPAG).

One in four of Scotland’s children are officially recognised as living in poverty. In some areas over one in three children grow up in poverty. With Scotland’s undoubted wealth CPAG believes this is a scandal. There is no reason why our child poverty rates should be so much higher than in many other European countries.

Poverty remains one of the most serious problems facing children today. Its effects last a lifetime, negatively impacting on health, education, social and physical development and seriously harming future life chances and opportunities.

CPAG in Scotland was established in 1999 and works to raise awareness of the devastating impact poverty has on children in Scotland, maximise families’ incomes by helping to ensure those eligible for benefits and tax credits receive their full entitlements and campaign for positive policy changes to end that poverty.

You can sign up to let us know you're coming at Eventbrite.

For more information contact Annika Wolf at: info@festivalofspirituality.org.uk

Festival team 'porridge sale' to tackle homelessness

THE team behind the annual Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh are organising a 'Street Porridge Sale' on 12 December 2012 in support of Streetwork, a hands-on group struggling against homelessness, its causes and consequences.

They will be handing out bowls of porridge to passers-by on the terrace outside St John’s Church, at the corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road, between 8am and 1pm on Wednesday. Donations for Streetwork will be very welcome.

As well as enjoying some hearty porridge on a cold day, this will be chance for people to learn more about Streetwork’s projects and to contribute to their work. Winter is the time when homeless people are most at need and risk.

Streetwork, whose activities are supported by the Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh Council, among others, works 24 hours, seven days a week with people in housing crisis or who are sleeping rough. It is able to advise, support and refer people for assistance, with the aim of enabling them to find a life off the streets.

“Events like the Street Porridge Sale are so important for raising awareness and support for the vital work that Streetwork does in Edinburgh,” said Jackie Brown, the charity’s Fundraising Manager.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to join the Festival of Spirituality and Peace at St John’s Church on 12th December, to chat to people, and to tell them more about how we help the most vulnerable people on the streets of the city,” Ms Brown added.

The Festival of Spirituality and Peace, founded in 2001, is one of Edinburgh's most exciting and diverse Festivals. It features over 400 activities across 21 venues each year in August. It involves top-quality speakers, conversations, performances, film, food, exhibitions, family activities, workshops, art, culture and more.

The Festival’s sponsors and team are also looking to extend their work beyond the traditional Edinburgh festival season, and are delighted to be able to support a truly worthwhile cause like Streetwork through the Street Porridge Sale on Wednesday 12 December.

For more information about this event, contact Annika Wolf, St John’s Church, Edinburgh, EH2 4BJ. Email: info@festivalofspirituality.org.uk Phone: 0131 2284249

Football, politics and religion: beyond division

YESTERDAY'S final Festival of Spirituality conversation and Civic Cafe, The Power of Youth and Football to heal a Divided City, proved extremely rewarding, with opinions and perspectives contributed from everyone from teenage actors to Scottish schoolteachers to Italian migrants.

As was said several times over the course of the afternoon, football and sectarianism is a topic which often prompts even the most reluctant of people to open up about their opinions and emotions.

Author Theresa Breslin, playwright Martin Travers and Jenny Marra MSP were joined by actors Liam and Kieran in opening up the discussion.

Ms Breslin emphasised that Divided City, the book upon which a successful community theatre production was based, is about friendship as much as it is about division, and this ultimately set the tone for the rest of the conversation.

Though there were a few dissenting voices, suggesting that whenever religion is involved there can never truly be any hope, it was concluded that the younger generation is in fact very open to change and education as younger people can often see more clearly. It was even suggested that children have a natural sense of 'justice' that adults often lack.

One question that came up several times was whether football is part of the problem or part of the solution. It was suggested that football is, in many ways, 'war by another name', and there was some disagreement over whether or not competitive sports are inherently damaging.

One response was that the difference between winning by being the best and winning by undermining your opponent is vital. Football also includes collaborative and community elements.

There was a strong feeling that it is attitudes to football that are the problem, in particular rampant commercialisation, rather than football itself.

Sectarian attitudes can exist independently of both football and religion. It was suggested that oftentimes it is football getting wrapped up in alcohol and violence, rather than vice versa, that is the real challenge.

Many suggested that 'demonising' football is definitely not the answer and that providing better opportunities and facilities for football among the young could and should help to prevent violence.

Above all, it was agreed that education is key. Sometimes that means even the most minimal learning about the history and culture of the opposing team - including, but certainly not restricted to, Celtic and Rangers.

Ultimately, we all have a responsibility to help tackle sectarianism and other forms of bigotry and hatred in Scotland today. Passing the buck will not do.

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(c) Katie MacFadyen is a media intern with the Festival of Spirituality and Peace. She is studying Classics at the University of Edinburgh, and also reviewing on the Fringe.

Report: Bosnia twenty years on

IN the second of the Feature conversations at this year's Festival of Spirituality and Peace, two especially distinguished speakers came together to discuss the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

They were Dr Mustafa Ceric, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina and religious leader of the Bosnian Muslim community, and the Rev Donald Reeves, Director of the Soul of Europe, who has been awarded an MBE for his work in the Balkans.

After a brief historical run-down, Mustafa Ceric gave an impassioned introduction, urging the European community to recognise Bosnia as the 'issue and problem' of Europe, and arguing that denying genocide can lead to its repetition and that 'to deny genocide is to commit genocide'.

However, on a more positive note, he said that many Bosnians are for 'peace and reconciliation' and that interfaith work is being carried out in Bosnia-Herzegovina, often with more success than here in Britain

Donald Reeves also discussed interfaith work, and his role in rebuilding a Bosnian mosque that had been destroyed by Christians. He argued that Christians, as perpetrators, have a duty to carry out such acts of reconciliation.

He also argued in favour of a more positive view of the Bosnian situation: while there is a lot of poverty and mistrust of politicians, there is also a strong desire for reconciliation.

The ensuing discussion proved challenging. Some audience members accused Mustafa Ceric of 'demonising' the Serbs by presenting them as sole perpetrators of the violence and ethnic cleansing. However,  he continued to argue that the facts supported his view that this is not a case of equal responsibility.

The impact of the Bosnian civil war on Britain, particularly on British Muslims, was discussed, with audience members sharing their own recollections and frustration of the failure of the Anglican church to take action - though, as Rev Reeves pointed out, the Anglican church in these islands is not necessarily a homogenous group.

Overall, it was a fascinating discussion, and a great insight into the human capacity to love and to hate, to build and to destroy.

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(c) Katie MacFadyen is reading Classics at the University of Edinburgh. She has been a media intern for the Festival of Spirituality and Peace, and a regular contributor to Spirituality & Peace News.

The power of youth and football to heal a divided city

THE final Festival of Spirituality and Peace conversation of the 2012 season, and the third in a series on Scottish identity and Sectarianism, this Saturday sees an event with a different angle on issues of sectarianism, violence and racism in Scotland.

Divided City, a 2011 book by Theresa Breslin, was successfully adapted into a musical play last year. The production was a joint Youth Musical Initiative created and funded by organisations including The Citizens Theatre and Glasgow City Council Education Services and performed by secondary school students from all over Glasgow.

The book and musical tells the story of young football fans who follow opposing teams who get caught up in violence involving Catholics, Protestants and Muslim asylum seekers alike.

This weekend in St John's church, author Theresa Breslin, playwright Martin Travers and Jenny Marra MSP will reflect on the success of Divided City and its impact on local communities.

In partnership with Glasgow Citizens Theatre. The conversation will be followed by an open Civic Cafe discussion.

Saturday 25 August, 12pm-1pm, in the Church at St John's (Venue 127). Free ticketed, reserve tickets here or at the venue box office.

A fabulous Friday at the Festival

THERE is a focus on political issues viewed in a fresh way this Friday, the final one of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace, starting with Churches Own 8% of the Planet at St John's (Venue 127) at 10am.

This conversation discusses the responsibility of churches as major landowners and issues such as environmentalism, co-operation and collaboration. Featuring Martin Palmer from the Alliance of Religions and Conservation and the Rt Rev Dr John Armes, Diocese of Edinburgh.

Two more conversations come lunchtime: at noon, we ask What is Uprising in Syria?, with Sadarat Kadri, international law barrister, Dr Mounier Atassi, Syrian organiser of a Glasgow protest again the regime, and Dr Thomas Pierret, University of Edinburgh lecturer in Contempotary Islam.

At 2pm, a more unusual conversation, Our Friend Death. Join the writer of sitcom 'Roger and Val', in which death features prominently, Arthur Smith, one of Britain's premier comedians, and John Lanchester, author of 'Capital'. Chaired by Richard Smith, international advocate for a better understanding of death and dying.

The final conversation of the day will be Bosnia Twenty Years On at 6pm, the second of our Feature Conversations. On the twentieth anniversary of the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mustafa Ceric, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Rev Donald Reeves, the Director of the Soul of Europe and Professor Hugh Goddard of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World come together to discuss the legacy of the conflict.

Also at 6pm will be the last chance to see The Scottish Six, which has created a really positive stir in Edinburgh. Lesley Riddoch and Andy Wightman discuss land, power, culture and social change in the Scotland of today and tomorrow.

On the literary side of things, there will be another session of Poetry in the Persian Tent at 11am with an all-woman line-up: Vicki Feaver, Jane McKie and Patricia Ace will be sharing their poetry, joined by Irene Railley and her a capella group Just Voices.

After this will come a whole evening of poetry, starting at 8pm with Wolf at the Door – a Collaboration of Eco-Poetry and Soundings between Mairi Campbell and Em Strang. Weaving together word and sound, they will bring a whole new meaning to mouth music.

At 8pm in the Hall will be Duncan Mackintosh's second and final Evening with Rumi, followed by your second chance to see Milosz in Living Pictures.

There will also be two workshops, Henna Workshop for Beginners at 4pm and The Long and Winding Road at 7pm, an informal free session for people in their late teens and early twenties to share their experiences of journeys and travelling.

As ever, a full and diverse day of events and entertainment and one final chance to see some of our great events before the Festival closes.

No longer hidden from history

THE truth can set Scotland free, says Dr Geoffrey Palmer, who first came to Scotland from the Caribbean in 1965, and is at the forefront of reclaiming the complex and sometimes painful history between his two peoples and backgrounds.

He was speaking in the second of two talks and discussions in the Persian Tent at St John's Church as part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace. The talk delved into the long, damaging history of slavery and the tangible evidences of it in places like Edinburgh, but also the positive relationships that have been developed as people understand versions of the story that binds us together and commit us to commonality.

Dr Palmer has served on the Executive of Edinburgh and Lothian Racial Equality Councils for over twenty years and believes that better knowledge of the historical links between Britain and the Caribbean will improve community relations, increase harmony and - as he said in tongue-in-cheek mode - help Scots reconsider their sense of victimhood!

Conflict involves deep transformation

PEACE cannot be separated from justice and wisdom, nor politics from relationships, a panel discussion on conflict as a positive source of change suggested. It requires transformation not just resolution. 

The conversation at St John’s Church on 23 August was one of several on conflict, violence and non-violence that have taken place over the past few weeks at the Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh.

Introducing the theme of the conversation, the Rev Ewan Aitken a senior figure in the Church of Scotland who has also been an Edinburgh City councillor, drew a connection between the personal and the political in addressing conflict.


Maureen Jack spoke of her work in Israel-Palestine with Christian Peacemaker Teams, which was founded in 1984 after a powerful appeal by Mennonite theologian Ron Sider at a Mennonite conference - challenging Christians to show the same sacrifice for peace as armies show for war.

Malcolm Stern, a practising psychotherapist, former Greenpeace worker and co-founder of Alternatives at St James’ Piccadilly in London, has looked deeply at the nature and stages of human conflict.

More here. 

Scots in the Caribbean - Scotland's hidden history

EXPAND your knowledge of Scottish history with this surprising and enlightening lecture by Professor Geoff Palmer.

Did you know that most Jamaicans have family connections with Scotland? Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have strong historical links with Jamaica.

This association went from ordinary houses in Edinburgh to grand landmarks such as the Necropolis and the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow.

Dr Geoffrey Palmer, who first came to Scotland in 1965, has served on the Executive of Edinburgh and Lothian Racial Equality Councils for over twenty years and believe that better knowledge of the historical links between Britain and the Caribbean will improve race relations and increase harmony.

Thursday 23 August, 6pm-8pm, in the Persian Tent at St John's (Venue 127). Free ticketed. Reserve tickets here or at the venue box office. (This talk was alos given on 9 August.)

Conflict as a force for change

WHEN we see all conflict as automatically and only ‘bad’ do we miss the opportunity for change arising from facing the other?

The unknown, unfamiliar or different confront us. Do confrontation, polarisation and competition have a place in a peaceful world? How can we work with these to our advantage as peacemakers?

These and related questions will be explored in conversation later today (5.45 - 7pm) at St John's Church, Edinburgh (Venue 127, corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road) as part of the 2012 Festival of Spirituality and Peace.

The panellists are Malcolm Stern, a co-founder of Alternatives at St James’ Church in London; Maureen Jack, Christian Peacemaker Teams; and Simon Keyes, St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace in London. Chaired by the Rev Ewan Aitken from the Church of Scotland.

(The illustration is the Tent at St Ethelburga's... which we'll be linking with the Persian Tent at St John's.) 

'Conflict as a force for change': Tickets from the Hub or at the box office from the venue. £6.50 (£4.50) / 0131 221 2273.

Peace is the Christian way

THAT God is a God of just-peace not violence is the revelation of Christ and the real truth of Christianity, two leading church figures have said.

The comments came as part of a conversation entitled ‘The Spirituality and Practice of Peace in a World of War’, held at St John’s Episcopal Church in Edinburgh on 22 August 2012.

The participants in the Festival of Peace and Spirituality conversation were Fr John Dear, a Catholic priest and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and the Rev Kathy Galloway, head of Christian Aid Scotland and a former leader of the Iona Community. It was chaired by Brian Larkin, coordinator of the Peace and Justice Centre at St John's.

More here.

Listening to women in Afghanistan

THE conversation Afghanistan: A Woman’s Struggle with Dr Claire Duncanson, Horia Mosadiq and Firuz Rahimi led to a lively, questioning and critical discussion that hinged around breaking down misconceptions about Afghanistan and its people.

It is important not to view all Afghan women as victims ‘hiding behind their burkas’, the session at the Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh heard.

The women of Afghanistan are not a homogeneous group. As everywhere, beliefs and practices vary according to geography, class and age. Mosadiq brought up the different ideas of ‘freedom’ held by different women, highlighting that they are often not the same as those of western women. It’s equally important not to generalise Afghan men as abusers.

Intervention in Afghanistan can all too easily reinforce these ideas. Even non-military intervention can have a negative impact: is it possible to intervene in the struggle of Afghan women at all without reinforcing the discourse of victims and abusers?

It was suggested that perhaps change must come from within, as in the case of the British women’s suffrage movement, but Mosadiq said that many Afghan feminists want practical support and don’t want to get bogged down in theoretical arguments.

The question of whether military invention was justified was discussed/ Rahimi argued that the war in Afghanistan was a ‘just war’, but it was also suggested that intervention could and should have taken some other form.

Rahimi, from the BBC Afghan service, was most interested in the question of how to reconcile women’s rights with the need to make a settlement with the Taliban to achieve peace.

This is a particularly thorny issue. According to Rahimi it has recently become increasingly evident that some kind of settlement must be made as the Taliban are part of the Afghan people and cannot be ignored, but it is less evident where the line must be drawn. As ever, Afghan feminists do not agree on this.

The wide variety of views expressed showed the complexity of the issues at hand. Overall, an eye-opening and thought-provoking conversation.

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(c) Katie MacFadyen is a media intern with the Festival of Spirituality and Peace. She is reading Classics at the University of Edinburgh. 

'Scottish Six' starts at 6pm today!

AFTER much talk about the need to debate Scotland’s future, and the prospect of a Scottish debate-free zone on the Fringe, land reform campaigner Andy Wightman and myself have decided to join forces and stick our heids o’er the parapet. So we’ll have a show on at six o’clock nine weekday nights across August 14-24 as part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace - writes Lesley Riddoch. 

"It’s called The Scottish Six - debates you don’t get on TV. But the BBC and Scottish media will figure only fleetingly in the first gig. Our much bigger concern is the way that inequality, entitlement and disempowerment disfigure Scotland and limit the ways most Scots can imagine the future. Each night, land campaigner Andy Wightman (Who Owns Scotland and The Poor Had no Lawyers) will kick off The Scottish Six with a characteristically hard-hitting look at how the nexus of money, politics and property has created an unequal society in which too many people are powerless to make a positive contribution."

More here. Runs from 6-7pm, 14-17th and 20-24th August in the Hall at St John's Church (Venue 127). Tickets on the door or via the Hub. £6 (£4 concessions).

Iona Community at FoSP

http://www.iona.org.uk/news.php?id=324

Forgiveness: optional or mandatory?

THE first of the twenty-four conversations that form the back bone of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace.

Tonight we ask questions such as: why is 'forgiveness' so important to faith communities? Do the scriptures real teach us how to practise this 'counter-intuitive' choice? And how can we be kind, positive or healing when forgiveness is not an option?

Forgiveness is not proprietary to the church; it is ‘open source’ technology belonging to all humans. Dr Stephen Cherry, Canon of Durham Cathedral, Olivier Clerc, the author of ‘The Gift of Forgiveness’ and Sue Hanisch from the Forgiveness Project will lead the discussion.

Monday 6 August, 6pm-7:15pm, in the Church at St John's (Venue 127). Buy tickets here or at the venue box office.

Cooperation requires tough collaboration

COOPERATION is a natural thing, but it isn't easy. It requires a real willingness to work together across different world views.

That was the message of keynote speaker Dr Stephen Cherry, from the Anglican Diocese of Durham, as he helped launch the 2012 Festival of Spirituality and Peace.

A rich cultural mix and a meaningful religious exchange requires more than polite toleration or middle-class liberalism, he said. Rather it involves a much more gutsy, world-changing effort. We need leadership that makes for peace.

'Collaboration for peace' is a good way of extending the 'cooperation for change' message of the Festival, suggested Dr Cherry. It is a challenging business. Sometimes collaborators are suspected of being traitors. A combination of idealism and realism is required.

Likewise, peacemakers will face awkward questions, become critical friends. They will need to develop visionary determination, honourable virtues and spiritual maturity.

The business of building peace and collaborating for change is a duty for people of faith, but not an invitation to turn things into an olympic race between beliefs. Rather, we need a peace olympics that uses our distinctiveness to good purpose, said Dr Cherry.

Imam Faisal arriving in Edinburgh

A PROMINENT American Muslim leader, author and activist involved with the creation of a peacemaking Islamic community centre near Ground Zero in New York, arrives Scotland on Friday 26 August for a series of talks and events connected with the 2011 Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh.

Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf will be speaking at a discussion on 9/11, entitled ‘The Day the World Changed’, on Saturday 27 August, from 9.30 to 10.30am at St John’s Church, Lothian Road, and on Wednesday 31 August, from 6.30 to 8.00pm. at Wellington Church, University Avenue, Glasgow.
He will also be receiving a Peace Award at the closing event of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace, on Sunday 28 August, at 6.00pm at St John’s Church, and will be meeting religious and civic leaders while he is here.

Tickets for the Edinburgh conversation (£6 or £4 concessions, free to under1 8s and claimants) from Hub Tickets, Castlehill, Edinburgh (http://www.hubtickets.co.uk/auto_choose_ga.asp?area=1188), or on the door - though getting advanced tickets is highly recommended.

Examining the Arab revolutions

AS IMAGES of the fast-changing situations in Libya and Syria continue to flash across our television and computer screens, what is going on undereath the surface?  

Moreover, what is the 'Arab Spring' all about?  Can largely non-violent revolt succeed in the face of armed dictatorship?

These and other urgent questions will be explored in major sessions at the 2011 Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh this weekend. Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf from New York is among the prominent speakers taking part. The full Festival programme is here.

The ethics of finance

WITH our societies reeling once more from the shock of the near collapse of global financial systems, what can we learn from what happened to prevent a recurrence?

What principles should underpin banking in a market-based economy? If we were designing the system from scratch – or indeed drawing on the practical wisdom of the faith communities - what would it look like?

This is the focus of a discussion at the 2011 Festival of Spirituality and Peace with Susan Rice, Managing Director of Lloyds Banking Group, Scotland, and Omar Shaikh from the Islamic Finance Council.

They will be in conversation on Tuesday 23 August, from 12.30pm – 1.30pm, at St John’s Church, Princes St, Edinburgh, with Charles Munn, former Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland and now Chair of the Church of Scotland Special Commission on the Purposes of Economic Activity.

Taxation, common wealth and faith

A CENTRAL precept of most religious traditions is giving money for the poor, and various kinds of economic sharing within communities.  

In a complex modern society, does taxation serve the same purpose, or distort it?  How should ‘public goods’ such as health, education, security, foreign affairs  - and government itself - be paid for?

The coversation on Taxation and the Commonweal at the 2011 Edinburgh Festival of Spirituality and Peace will feature a dialogue involving Eben Wilson, director of TaxpayerScotland (the name for the TaxPayers’ Alliance in Scotland) and Kathy Galloway, head of Christian Aid Scotland, Bill Jamieson, writer on finance and economics for the Scotsman newspaper and Frank Whaling, Emeritus Professor of the Study of Religion, Edinburgh University.

The meeting takes place on Tuesday 16 August, from 12.30pm – 1.30pm, at St John’s Church, Princes St, Edinburgh.