By Ruth Tetlow, Pritpal Kaur Riat and Nirankar Singh Bansal

Last week’s Inter Faith Week was enthusiastically celebrated across the country in events of all kinds: some mainly social, others demonstrating what has already been achieved - and in a few cases, breaking new ground. The launch of the Jubilee Debt Campaign’s Multi Faith Project in Birmingham’s Bordesley Centre was a mix of all these three. Around the hall were stands publicising the work of participating organisations, including the Nishkam Centre.

Taking part were Jewish, Hindu and Sikh speakers, Buddhist and Christian choirs and young people from a Muslim school, all showing how their faiths inspire them to work towards eradicating global poverty and to campaign against unpayable debts.

The programme was chaired by Stephen Rand, Co-Chair of the Jubilee Debt Campaign. He drew attention to the key role that Birmingham has played in the campaign ever since 70,000 people from all over the country, gathered in the city to put pressure upon the G8 leaders in 1998.

Their message was that the cancellation of debts ‘owed’ by many of the world’s poorest countries must become a priority for international policy makers. Back then, many of those people were Christians. What motivated them were the words of Jesus: ‘Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25.40). By demonstrating, they showed that their faith had led them to tackle the root causes of poverty, as well as working to relieve the suffering it causes for so many.

However, a commitment to end the suffering of the poor is shared by people of all faiths and no faith, on the grounds of our common humanity. The Jubilee concept, used at the time of the Millennium in the form of Jubilee 2000, is rooted in the Torah. Last Wednesday this ancient seven-year cycle was explained by Rabbi Yossi Jacobs, Chief Minister of Birmingham Hebrew Congregation. He was followed by three lively songs from a Christian choir from Ladywood, led by the Revd Jo Mason. They sang of breaking the ‘chains of poverty’ and forging instead ‘a chain of love’ reaching out across the world.

Four young people from Al-Hijrah school made a heartfelt presentation, using the words of the Qur’an to show how Muslims are not only commanded to give sacrificially for those in need but also to encourage responsible lending through risk-sharing between lender and borrower, to avoid imposing unbearable debt burdens on either individuals or nations. This was followed by Dr Bhavana Chawda, a Hindu psychiatrist, who shared examples from the ancient scriptures of India calling for wealth to be distributed fairly. She quoted the words of Mahatma Gandhi: ‘Earth provides enough to satisfy everyone’s need, but not everyone’s greed.’

After a Buddhist choir had sung movingly of the need for loving kindness reaching out to ‘all beings’, the evening ended with a passionate plea from Bhai Sahib Dr Mohinder Singh to work harder to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to extend awareness of the urgency of the needs of the world’s people, to much wider circles.