16 Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, December 7th, 2006


www.ciitheroetoday.co.uk


Ciitheroe 422324 (Editoriai), 422323 (Advertising), Bumiey 422331 (Ciassified)


Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified)


www.clitheroetoday.co.uk


Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, December 7th, 2006 17


- Wrilc to: The Editor, Ciithcroc Advertiser and Times, 3 King Street, Clitheroe BB72EW Editorial e-maii: vivien.meath@eastIancsnews.co.uk — We ask you: judge


us by our actions WHAT a shame that all those who portray blatant racially and religious­ ly discriminatory views in our com­ munity, and might I add that there are a lot more of them than one thinks, as recent correspondence has illustrated, were not present at Clitheroe Cricket Club on Sunday afternoon. The Clitheroe Cobras held their


annual awards ceremony which was preceded by Kibble Valley Radio's Balloon Race. As an active Muslim member of Ribble Valley Radio and chairman of Clitheroe Cobras I am proud and honoured to be associated


■ with both these community centred organisations. It gave me a great deal of personal satisfaction from seeing young children, the vast majority of whom are not Muslims, benefiting from the activities organised over a number of years now, by myself and my. colleagues. This year's event was no exception and many children will have gone away thinking, that the coloured guy standing at the front is not such a bad bloke after all! Those who are opposed to the Mus­


lim place of worship on race and faith grounds, and I refer to the vast major­ ity of those against the proposal in this instance, perhaps ought to remove the plank from their eyes and take a look at the positive contribu­ tion made by Muslims across this town in recent times. Only then will they realise that we as a community are trying our utmost to be accepted and judged by our actions and not stereotyped by what is read in the national media or the rubbish that certain members of the local commu­ nity circulate through letterboxes. I can only hope that the generation


of children that I currently work with on a weekly basis throughout the summer months will not grow up pos­ sessing those bigoted views, as expressed by those currently more senior in years than them, and display greater tolerance of their fellow mankind, despite the different colour of his skin or the different faith that he follows.


FAROUK HUSSAIN, Chairman Clilhcroc Cobras, Chatburn Road, Ciithcroc


This is a positive


plan for everyone . WE are all aware of the application for planning permission by the Medi­ na Islamic Education Centre for the development of the former Mount Zion Chapel in Lowergate, Clitheroe as a Place of Worship and Inter- faith/Community Partnership Centre. We welcome this initiative and sup­


port the right of our long-established local Muslim community, the majori­ ty of whom are born and bred in the Ribble Valley, to worship in a building that will meet their specific needs. We are impressed hy the desire of


the trustees of the Medina Centre to promote the proposed centre as a


■ unique community resource providing not only a place for worship, but also


for promoting dialogue and cohesion between local religious, ethnic and cultural groups. We feel so positive about having a group of local people who have such a progressive approach to engagement and a keen involve­ ment in the local community affairs which affect us all. We are aware of the positive impact


made by the Medina Centre over the years. They have played a central role in the Ribble Valley LSP’s Communi­ ty Cohesion Group, the formation of the Clitheroe Inter-faith Friendship, the setting up of the first multi-faith Scout group, and the establishment of Ribble Valley Community Radio. Theirs has been a unique contribu­


tion that gives strength to communi­ ty life through cultural diversity. We welcome the fact that the new


proposal will provide worship facilities for both children, young people, men and women from the Muslim faith, as well as providing a meeting space for other individuals and community groups who may want to make use of a room. Discussions with the Medina Cen­


tre trustees have made us aware that, with the granting of planning permis­ sion, they will not make any external changes to a respected local building th a t has been both a Methodist Chapel, and more recently, a factory unit. They propose to provide new parking places on site, and they will encourage people living locally to walk to the centre rather than using transport. We know that there has already


been a great deal of consultation on proposals with people living locally, and we understand there will contin­ ue to be more. We are confident that this initiative will prove to be a posi­ tive one, and we give it our endorse­ ment.


GEOFF JACKSON, Chief Executive, Trinity Community Partnership REV. CHRIS CHEESEMAN, Superin­ tendent Minister, Trinity Methodist Church GLEN FENDALL, Deputy County Commissioner, East Lancashire Scouts NIALL MACFARLANE, chairman. Trinity Community Partnership CANON CHRIS CHIVERS, Black­ burn Cathedral ABDUL HAMID QURESHI, Chair­ man, Lancashire Council of Masjids SIR BILL TAYLOR STEVE PROCTER - Youth Worker STEVE RAGNALL - Director, Trinity Community Partnership BARRY EMMETT - Youth and Com­ munity Team Manager Hyndburn and Ribble Valley LINDA KIRKMAN - Head of Opera­ tions, Trinity Community Partnership SIMON NANSON, Co-Chairman, 1st Clitheroc Scout Group VINCENT MURRAY, Headteacher, St Michael and St John’s Roman Catholic Primary School ANJUM ANWAR MBE, Chairman, Lancashire Forum of Faiths Tamana Women’s Group STEVEN SUTTIE, Chairman, Ribble Valley Community Radio Group FAROUK HUSSAIN, Chairman, Clitheroe Cobras Cricket Club LILY PERRIN, Chairman, Clithcroe Interfaith Friendship CANON RODNEY NICHOLSON, St Paul’s Church


ROBERT PYE, Headteacher, Edisford Primary School, Clitheroe MARGARET FIRTH, District Com­ missioner Guides Association PETER MOORE GAJA GANNON, Rural youth worker


Extremists become


more appealing IF for once we try to see our local affairs in a wider context, we must recognise that the peace of our society and of the world depends to a consid­ erable extent on Westerners in general and Christians in particular develop­ ing good relations with peace-loving Muslims and seeking with them for mutual comprehension. The recent visit to Turkey of Pope


Benedict XVI can be read as an acknowledgement of this and a coura­ geous attempt to foster peace and understanding between Islam and Christianity. But every time we throw a peaceful and co-operative initiative by moderate Muslims back at them, we discourage their hopes of living peacefully among us and must surely strengthen the appeal of their extrem­ ists; and this situation must become more acute when peaceful and moder­ ate Islamic initiatives are repeatedly - one is tempted to think habitually - rejected. Could we, this time, say "Yes"?


PETER HARDWICK, BRIGID HARDWICK, Waddinglon Road, Clitheroe


We deemed this


story newsworthy I AM writing regarding the “Mosque Referendum” article which appeared on Page 9 of your paper. How does such a badly-drafted and


pointless article get your editorial approval? I can only think that the central character either works for you or has relatives on the inside, so to speak. If I were to arrange a questionnaire


on the subject of, say, “Can racism play any constructive role in a 21st Century multi-cultural enlightened society?”, would I get half-page cover­ age as well? I do not know whether the Gavin


McQuade questionnaire will reach West Bradford, so can I vote by proxy and say “Yes” to a mosque somewhere in Clitheroe. Name and address not withheld as


I am proud and confident in my beUefs.


PETER THOMPSON, Southfield Drive, West Bradford


• Editor’s note: Neither Mr


McQuade, his relatives nor his ques­ tionnaire have any connection with this newspaper. However, his distribu­ tion of the questionnaire on what is clearly an issue of considerable local interest was deemed newsworthy.


Uphold this basic


human right IT is with great sadness and shame that religious minorities have found it


difficult to have a place of worship and prayer. Non-conformists and Roman Catholics have previously in local and national history had similar difficulties. The freedom to worship is a basic


human right, laid down in the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights. Our country has prided itself on upholding human rights. As a magistrate, teacher, member of


St James C of E, and a citizen of Clitheroe, I do hope I can be proud that our councillors can do what is right in upholding a basic human right.


JOHN.S. BEARD JP Woone Lane, Clilheroe


Kindly answer


these queries PERHAPS through this letters page or indeed in an editorial, someone could please help me by answering the following questions. 1. How many times a day will the


mosque be open and what are the ear­ liest and latest times it will open? 2. Is it possible that a bigger bottle


neck could be caused in Lowergate at times when children are going to/being collected from school if the mosque attendees are also coming away at these times? 3. Has RVBC not been able to find


sites on the edge of town that would satisfy the Muslim community’s requirements for a place of worship? 4. What disruptions will be caused


to traffic and pedestrians while these major alterations are taking place? I am an ex-chairman of (Dlitheroe


Football Club and can remember the borough council declining a proposal for the club to adapt some spare land between Taylor Street and the club’s main stand into a car park. The idea was that all residents of the street would be able to use the car park and the club’s supporters could park there on match days. This would have taken parked cars away from Taylor Street permanently and kept Pendle Road free of congestion on match days. It was turned down due to increased traffic flow on our home games (approx, once every two weeks). Sure­ ly a precedent has been set and any­ thing that increases the traffic flow can not be accepted. The traffic flow increase with this proposal will be daily, not once every two weeks, and therefore must be classed as unaccept­ able to a council that has already refused a proposal to get rid of some off-street parking.


STEVE RUSH, Mearley Syke, Highmoor Park, Clitheroe


Come in and join


the real world! IS it no wonder that Ribble Valley Council has had no approaches from its neighbours for mergers with a “guilty” verdict ringing in its ears over a mosque, and your letters page littered with correspondence on the same subject but a different location. Perhaps the council and the more


vocal of its parishioners should come down from the trees and engage with the real world and move on. Colonialism and apartheid are sad moments in history.


BRUCE DOWLES, Whalley Road, Clitheroe


A flag-flying St


George supporter FURTHER to Chris Gathercole’s let­ ter last week (“Will the real Gavin McQuade stand up”), is this also the Gavin McQuade who, back in your April 26th edition, promoted flying the flag of St George by local busi­ nesses, writing: “This is our chance to gloat about England, our unique his­ tory, outstanding countryside and national heroes”, and of whom you subsequently reported in your May 4th edition: “Patriotism was at an all time high in Chtheroe thanks to local lad Gavin McQuade”. If this “local lad”, the originally anonymous organ­ iser of the ‘“Mosque Referendum’, is involved with the BNP, as suggested last week, then perhaps next April local business people ought to be aware just who it is they are supping with and provide themselves with the proverbial long spoon? ■.


THE REV. CANON DR PETER SHEPHERD, Eastham Street, Ciithcroc


Respect decision


when finally made WHEN Mount Zion closed its doors as a Methodist place of worship in April 19401 was the church secretary and an active member. Naturally I have taken a great interest in the planning application and the subse­ quent correspondence. My first thought was th a t this


would be the answer to the long search by our Muslim community. Nothing that has been written has changed my mind. Some of the objections raised have been trivial and irrelevant. Gra­ tuitous insults have been levelled at our councillors presumably to intimi­ date them into refusing the applica­ tion. I t is unlikely th a t the proposed


Muslim centre will in any way affect the vast majority of the population of Chtheroe. Those who pass by in Low­ ergate will continue to see the build­ ing as I have known it all my life. In fairness those who actually live


in the vicinity have a right to make their feelings known and have done so. I congratulate Mr Arshad on writing his comprehensive letter putting the applicants’ position very clearly. Soon our democratically-elected


councillors will have the unenviable task of making their decision in the light of all the representations they have received. I hope they will be allowed to do so in an atmosphere of calm and that their decision will be respected.


F.BRAITHWAITE, Pimlico Road, Clilheroe


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