Dr. Atul Keshavji Shah
Diverse Ethics
Greetings and Wish you all a peaceful and joyous festive season and a successful, creative and inclusive New Year.
The news has been dominated by the death of our rare and distinguished moral leader, Nelson Mandela. I sometimes feel however that praising his ideals and life too much can make us forget some of the great unsung deeds done by ordinary people which never come under the media spotlight, yet are as real and important. The media loves heroes and can sometimes get too carried away, without giving us time to reflect. I spoke on BBC Radio 4 (Any Answers) about the critical urgency of removing Leadership Apartheid in this country.
My visit to Downing Street for Diwali was interesting - David Cameron said the trip to the BAPS Mandir in Neasden was for him the highlight of his Prime Ministerial career - this shows how important it is for leaders to experience different cultures from the inside out, something that at Diverse Ethics, we have been doing for a long time.
No, I do not want to be the next Prime Minister....Ok, I will accept!
I was recently invited to speak on Human Rights at the Quakers Centre in Ipswich - they had organised an inter-faith event on UN Day of Human Rights. It was a very positive shared experience, and rare to see such concern from different people about human rights. Quaker Centres throughout Britain are amazing buildings, and the people are always so welcoming. They played an important role in the abolition of slavery in Britain.
Unique Funding Opportunity
The Department of Communities and Local Government have launched a new Grant Fund called Together-in-Service for inter-faith work, which is actively looking for applications. I am on the Task Force, and would like to encourage you please to apply and also to spread the word. Details are here.
Unique Charity Opportunity
I am Co-Chair of the National Council for Faiths & Beliefs in Further Education, which is doing wonderful work in helping young people in colleges to understand, practice and respect learners from different faith traditions. They provide unique guidance, training and support which affects over a million young people. The government cuts have affected their funding, so I would be interested in hearing from any of you who wish to support them. My target is only £2000 - very achievable. Here is a link to their website.
Other News
Vijay Mehta, founder of Uniting for Peace, has a new book on the subject 'The Economics of Killing' - he is presently doing a national book tour of this.
A new arts charity is looking for volunteer mentors for young people from ethnic minority communities - please consider supporting their work.
Best Wishes,
DR. ATUL K. SHAH
CEO Diverse Ethics Ltd.