Dame Susan Devoy said she was disgusted to hear of an attack on a four year-old Jewish boy who was walking home from pre-school in Mt Eden.

The boy was traumatised after a man approached him, then slapped him hard on the top of his head in front of his mother, brother and a friend last week.

The Herald on Sunday said the alleged attacker laughed as he left the scene in a car with four other men.

The attack appeared to have anti-Semitic motivations. The boy was wearing a yarmulke or cap. Continue reading

Sacred Music Radio which plays 24 hours a day, features religious and sacred pieces of music from the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Zoroastrian and Islamic faiths, as well as music not directly connected with any specific religion.

Michael Vakil Kenton, one of the founders of the station, says: "Music has the ability to cut through cultural dividers, going beyond borders and boundaries, creating an atmosphere that can be subtle and indefinable, or joyous and transcending.

"Our vision is that, as a result, by appreciating the music of diverse faiths, people may find themselves realising their common ground." Continue reading

Launched by the Christian-Muslim Forum, the guidelines are based on the advice of people of both faiths with many years' experience in working pastorally with mixed-faith couples.

They urge ministers of religion to be welcoming of interreligious couples, and to give them the care they need at such an important time in their lives. They stress that great respect is needed for the religious freedom of each partner, and of their families.

Auxiliary Bishop Paul Hendricks of the Catholic diocese of Southwark, and co-chair of the forum, welcomed the new guidelines, called When Two Faiths Meet.

"With an increasing number of Christian-Muslim couples entering into marriage, we also need an increased awareness of the particular pastoral support that is owed to them, which can help them and their loved ones discover their marriage as a place of dialogue, and a beneficial link between two religions," he said.

Among the principles spelt out in the guidelines are: No forced conversion; no violence; prioritise welfare of children and encourage family relationships; and keep the full ethical context of both partners in mind when dealing with an inter-faith couple.

The forum encourages Christian and Muslim scholars to revisit their theology and contextualise how each faith deals with spouses or children of other faiths.

It also asks both faith communities to create safe spaces in their congregations, share common values, and invite other faiths to observe, or share, in religious ceremonies, as appropriate.

A survey of eight Catholic dioceses in England and Wales indicated that 16 per cent of Catholics who married in 2010 did so with someone from a non-Christian religion.

Sources:

Independent Catholic News

Christian-Muslim Forum

Image: IslamicAnswers

Presented to WIFCO by the Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres, of the Human Rights Commission, the annual awards commend 12 organisations that have contributed to strengthening race relations in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Waikato Inter-faith Council was acknowledged for its proactive work bringing together individuals and groups representing the various faith and belief communities both in the greater Waikato region and nationally.

The award specifically represents WIFCO's work this past year in organising a wide variety of activities, including organising and hosting the 2012 National Interfaith Forum in February, a multifaith service, an interfaith film festival, a bus tour to a wide variety of Hamilton's diverse houses of worship, an interfaith art project

Continue reading

The St Francis of Assisi Day of Prayer for Peace began on 27 October 1986, when Blessed John Paul II initiated a meeting in Assisi with members of different faith communities. Another meeting followed in January 2002.

The New Zealand services will consist of prayers read from members of different faith communities and conclude with a shared prayer of the Decalogue of Assisi for Peace, a prayer of commitment to peace first used at the 2002 meeting in Assisi. The faith groups participating include Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Baha'i and Sikh.

Chair of the NZCBC Committee for Interfaith Relations, Sr Catherine Jones, says the Assisi Anniversary is important for us in New Zealand, "as we are drawn ever more into peacemaking in our own lives, in our country, and in the world".

"Being a "pilgrim" means that we are on a journey with others, seeking the way ahead, step by step, day by day," she says. "Organising a multi-faith prayer event is an invitation to each one to enter more deeply into our own faith tradition, and to receive the gifts of truth and of peace that other believers can offer us".