Statement from Greater Manchester Faith Leaders regarding the General Election

Tuesday 19th November 2019

The General Election will be held Thursday 12th December 2019 ahead of that the Greater Manchester Faith Leaders have issued the following statement: 

We are privileged to live in a secure and democratic society.  We have the freedom to vote for who governs us.

We encourage all eligible voters to make full use of the right to vote.

Let us build bridges, not walls.

Our Faith Communities share many values, among them:

• The Sanctity of Life
• The Dignity of the Person
• The Eradication of Poverty
• The Care of Our Common Home – this Planet.

Together, we stand against all forms of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-Hinduism,  prejudicial and discriminatory speech and behaviour.

We respect the integrity of all candidates who aspire to public office. We ask all taking part in this election campaign period to take care in expressing their views, and never to incite hatred or conceal truths. We view with dismay the environment which has caused many to stand down from Parliament at this election because of the way they have been treated by others.

With the right to vote comes the responsibility for us all to work together for the healing of our neighbourhoods and national life.  This opportunity arises from our freedom.  We must never take it for granted.  It is ours to protect, cherish and use.

GREATER MANCHESTER FAITH COMMUNITY LEADERS

Christian (Presidents of Greater Manchester Churches Together who live within Greater Manchester)

From the Church of England:

Rt Revd David Walker (Bishop of Manchester)

Rt Revd Mark Ashcroft (Bishop of Bolton)

Rt Revd Mark Davies (Bishop of Middleton)

From the Catholic Church of England and Wales:

Rt Revd John Arnold (Bishop of Salford)

From the Methodist Church:

Revd Andrew Lunn, Chair, Manchester and Stockport District

From the Salvation Army:

Major David Taylor, Divisional Commander, Greater Manchester

From the Christian Way of Life Churches (a black-led Pentecostal church network)

Archbishop Dr Doyé Teido Agama, Presiding Prelate and Executive Director, Apostolic Pastoral Congress, and Senior Pastor, Christian Way of Life Churches

Bishop Clive Whittle, Bishop, South Manchester

From the Baptist Church

Revd Tim Presswood, Transitional Regional Minister, North Western Baptist Association

Hindu 

Dr Kaushik Chakroaborty, Vice-Chair, Altrincham Inter Faith Group

Professor N. K. Prinja, Editorial Board, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (UK)

Mr Vijay Gautam, Indian Association

Dr Saraswati Sinha, Chair, Bengali Association

Ms Nidhi Minocha Sinha, Founder, Sangha  (Connecting People, Building Community)

Jain

Mr Suresh Mehta, Secretary, Board of Trustees, Jain Samaj Manchester

Jewish

Rabbi Jonathan Guttentag, Whitefield Synagogue (Orthodox Judaism)

Rabbi Dr Reuven Silverman, Manchester Reform Congregation (Reform Judaism)

Mr Jacky Buchsbaum, Chair, Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region

Mr David Arnold M.B.E., previous President, Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region (and co-chair of the Council of Christians and Jews, Manchester Branch)

Mr Jay Charara, Hindu-Jewish Association

Muslim

Mr Qadir Ahmad Chohan, Chair, Manchester Council of Mosques

Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Welfare Officer, Manchester Council of Mosques

Mrs Nilofar Siddiqi, Sufi Muslim

Mr Zahid Hussain, Eco-Mosque Trustee

Imam Rashid Musa, Imam, University of Salford

Ms Assia Shah, Chaplaincy Team, Northern Care Alliance

Mr Aftab Ahmed,  Shi’a Community

Sikh

Mr Jagtar Singh Ajimal

Faith Network 4 Manchester

Revd Charles Kwaku-Odoi, Co-chair