by Calne Town Mayor, Robert MacNaughton
On Wednesday August 23rd I was invited by the Mayor of Salisbury, Cllr Atiqul Hoque, to join him, and 200 other guests to listen to a debate between Iman Monawar Hussein MBE and the Rev. Dr Richard Sudworth OBE exploring both the similarities, and differences between Islam and Christianity.
Atiqul is the first Muslim Mayor of Salisbury, and had thinking about a debate of this type well before he was elected Mayor. The two speakers had met before, and obviously, were at ease with each other. I find most church services hard to understand, and whilst I have been in a couple of mosques, as a visitor, I have never listened to an Iman preaching. I assume I would find it equally hard to understand.
Salisbury Mayor Atiqul Hoque on the big screen introducing his guests.
The religions of the book, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are obviously linked, stemming from the peoples of a particular part of the world, with a shared history of several thousand years.
Whilst I enjoyed listening to the debate, I was thinking that our modern life is a very long way from the lives of those that wrote the books. I like the woods and fields of our River Valley, and it is where I go if I want to lose myself in glimpses of the Divine.
The Magna Carta was also on display in the Cathedral after the debate. I could relate more easily to that. Written in 1215 after the barons of the time had objected to King John demanding taxes and tithes to pay for his wars, it was agreed that everybody had to obey the law, even Kings and Queens, and that all citizens had individual rights.
An electronic version of the Magna Carta in Salisbury cathedral. You are not allowed to photograph the real copy.
Those in power don’t give up their privileges easily, but over a long period of time, the signing of the Magna Carta has birthed our modern democracy. I feel that as citizens we have both rights, and responsibilities; responsibilities to look after each other as best we can, and to care for, and protect our lovely planet.
Ali, our new Clerk, and Mark Edwards, her deputy.
The new Town Clerk of Calne Town Council, Ali Robinson, started work two weeks ago. I asked to take Ali, and her Deputy, Mark Edwards, to the Calstone Coombes, which is the Source of the River Marden, a place which is very precious to me. Mark has problems leaving his desk.
Ali is a high performance athlete in her spare time. On Friday 1st September at 1pm she is starting the Ring O’Fire, a three day 135 mile ultra marathon run around the island of Anglesey along with 100 other competitors. She is running for a stroke charity, having had a stroke herself in her early twenties. I had a stroke myself 4 years ago, and it took me a whole year just to force myself to walk ‘normally’ again. There is no way I could run though, still being wobbly on my feet.
Ali is an amazing athlete, and is already talking about doing 10 marathons in 10 days next year. I hope you all have a chance to meet her over the next year.
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