Somebody needs to apprise our senior clergy abut the Islamic doctrine of sacred space, and that territory once appropriated for Islam remains forever Islamic. From the Church Times
THE Chapter of Manchester Cathedral has apologised for allowing the Muslim call to prayer to be made in the cathedral at an interfaith event last week.
The Open Iftar event on Wednesday of last week was organised by the Ramadan Tent Project, a Muslim charity. An Iftar is the meal that breaks the day’s Ramadan fast.
After speeches by faith and civic leaders, the call to prayer, known as the adhan, was recited in the nave, before prayers were held in the adjacent public Cathedral Gardens. Those who attended the prayers then returned to the cathedral for a shared meal.
C of E guidance for churches and cathedrals hosting an Iftar says that the adhan “should happen in the room allocated for prayer, rather than a consecrated space”. Personally I think the guidance should say that an Iftar meal should only be held if a reciprocal event has been held, that is that a local mosque has allowed the Christian family Meal, the Eucharist or Holy Communion to be celebrated on their premises. And how likely is that?
On Monday, a Manchester Cathedral spokesman said: “We understand that our commitment to Inter-Faith work does have its limits — hence the arrangement for Ramadan prayers to be held outside in the public square and not in the Cathedral.
“In hindsight, we acknowledge the call to prayer should also have been issued outside the Cathedral and in future we will be mindful to offer our hospitality in a way that does not interfere with the integrity of Manchester Cathedral. We apologise for this oversight. We will ensure that any call to prayer is not offered in the Cathedral at any such events in future.”
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2 Responses
Was God upset at the call to prayer? Is God an egomaniac or a more regal megalomaniac not recognizing a common courtesxy?
Are God’s underlings simply or complexly numbskulled or skullless?