The Bishop of Leicester has described a group of Muslims praying en masse in Trafalgar Square as a “sincere” expression of faith.
Rt Rev Martyn Snow responded to comments shared online by Reform MP Danny Kruger, who said the prayer was “intended to claim the civic realm away from Christ”.
“The problem is I don’t share your mistrust of my neighbours,” Bishop Martyn wrote. “Because I live alongside many Muslims, I don’t see this as a competitive show – I see sincere people expressing their faith.”
The bishop added that he shared Kruger’s “view that our country should hold on to our Christian values,” but did not want to “sow suspicion and division”.
The Church of England’s lead bishop for interfaith engagement shared a similar view.
Rt Rev Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy said in a statement: “The public iftar in Trafalgar Square was not an act of cultural imposition, nor a signal of division. It was, rather, a moment of hospitality: an invitation to share in the breaking of the fast during Ramadan, extended by one community to the wider public. It was open, generous and peaceful. It reflected something profoundly British; the instinct to gather, to mark significant moments together, and to make space in our common life for the traditions that shape our neighbours.”
He added that to suggest the event was threatening undermines religous expression.
Sir Keir Starmer this week called for shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy to be sacked, after he described the gathering as an “act of domination”.
The Iftar event in Trafalgar Square saw hundreds of people gather to break their fast and pray, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Trafalgar Square also hosts a giant illuminated menorah during Hanukkah, and is the site of London’s passion play on Good Friday.
Source: Premier Christian News
