| Topic: | Re:religion in the council chamber | |
| Posted by: | vincent paul wrigley | |
| Date/Time: | 28/06/21 15:31:00 |
| Prayers before council meetings! What?! And why only Muslim prayers?! And what have prayers of any kind got to do with council business whether they are on or off council agendas? As faiths continue to decline in favour of modern secularism what is Ealing Council’s justification for bucking a worldwide trend? Why introduce religious irrelevancies and complications into local politics? Because that is what has happened. First, where did the idea of prayers originate? Was it handed down by dictat by Mason or was the idea already in place? If it came from Mason or another did they canvas opinion from councillors? And why only Muslim prayers? And what about councillors of no religious persuasion who find reference to deities deeply offensive? It’s not enough to say, in response to the latter, that attendance is not compulsory. That misses a fundamental point. Prayers should not be there in the first place if they institutionalize a religious dimension in local politics which secularists find repugnant. That offends a secularist’s human rights. Let’s ask Mason – did you ask councillors about the introduction of prayers before council meetings? Or did the idea originate elsewhere? Can we see the relevant email? Can you tell us how many responses were received? And how was a non-response from a councillor interpreted? Also, was it made clear that the introduction of Islamic prayers only was proposed? |