Alan Green of Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum was on Robert Elms’ Radio London show yesterday – you’ll be able to hear him for the next six days at about 11 minutes, 50 seconds into this Listen Again link.

Alan talks about how the Interfaith Forum works and how it contributes to community life in the borough.

Yesterday was also IDAHO day (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia) and Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum held a conference (along with Rainbow Hamlets and No Place for Hate) designed to build dialogue and understanding.  Among the speakers were Andrew Stunell, Minister at Department for Communities and Local Government, and Lutfur Rahman, who is the Mayor of Tower Hamlets.

Alan talks about the event on the programme and the organisers wrote,

“For some more traditional faith communities, scripture is understood to forbid very specifically samegender sexual relations.

But does this mean that such rules require rationalisations that demonise, stigmatise and slur entire sections of the populace?  Is hatred of any group ever justified by faith? 

For us, it is not about always agreeing, but it is about always treating each other as human beings and not as something other.”

Jan Mcharry used to represent the Interfaith Forum on LBFN and spoke to us about environmental issues at our January 2011 meeting at the Women’s Interfaith Network.  Jan has now moved away from London and we look forward to welcoming another member of the Forum at our meetings.