On Monday 18th October, members of Wessex Jamaat joined hands in friendship with the residents of Wickham village for an event titled 'Bridging Wickham'.
The event arose as a result of dialogue between the leaders from the local St. Nicholas Anglican Church, Catholic Church, the Wickham Parish and AL MAHDI Centre. By organising this event, Wessex Jamaat and St Nicholas Church strove to build links as neighbours. This is in line with teachings of the Holy Scriptures. In the Qur’an, chapter 4, verse 36, Allah commands goodness to be shown to neighbours. The Bible also displays the importance of neighbourliness in the story of the Good Samaritan.
The participants came from the Anglican, Catholic, Muslim communities together with people of no faith. This unique event, held at Park Place Pastoral Centre, was a workshop, in which attendees discussed practical methods of creating bonds of friendship, love and trust within the Wickham community,
On arrival, the Muslims had the opportunity to take part in Maghribayn congregational prayers. Facilities were made available for ablution and the direction for Qibla was established. The main program commenced with an introduction by Father Andrew McMohan who showed the congregation a picture of Pope John Paul in a meeting with several religious leaders, who famously brought together in Assisi for dialogue among the different faiths.
The Resident Alim of Wessex Jamaat, Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo then spoke, saying that a ‘hidden gem’ – living as neighbours- was being discovered at Park Place. He also stressed the importance of meeting together and communication, themes that Father Andrew also highlighted. Rev Bruce Deans, Rector of St. Nicholas Church then spoke of how through such dialogue communities come together and make a difference.
This was followed by a feast, prepared by both the Christian and Muslim communities, and served by the nuns residing at Park Place. The concept of shared problems and aims was further highlighted by a short and humorous play, performed by two youth from Wessex Jamaat, Zahra Jaffer and Ruqayya Datoo. The play highlighted our ‘ill’ planet as a common concern.
The core of the event was the actual discussion, in which small groups discussed the question, ‘What makes for community in Wickham and what is our individual role in making this a reality?’
After many discussions and observations from each table, each group noted down their ideas and selected a representative to present their findings to the rest of the group. There were many important topics which were raised, including the need for relationships of trust and friendship between the centres in Wickham, necessity of solid leadership, and the need to take forward what was discussed. The session proved highly productive, with many practical suggestions put forward. A theme that was highlighted was the need to work within the existing structures and not create new ones.
A report of the discussions from the different table is being compiled and will be shared with the participants, as they decide on further action to take as a result of the event.
Finally, both Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo and Reverend Bruce Deans rounded off the event with prayers, further emphasising that faith in God united all who were present.
This concluded an evening filled with enjoyment as well as plenty of food for thought. There was an overwhelmingly positive response from all who were present. Anne Gibbons, a member of congregation at St. Nicholas’ church, said that there was a ‘palpable desire to learn more about each other and to know one another’.
The Secretary of Wessex Jamaat, Abbas Rahim, shared the same view, saying it was ‘a wonderful opportunity for the Wickham community to get together’.
The positive outcome was summarised beautifully by Toby William, the organiser of the event from the Christian community, when he said ‘people who never met before, and might have never met before, left as friends smiling.’ This demonstrated that the event was a definite success in bringing the community of Wickham together.
Zahra Jaffer
Wessex Media Team