Christians and Muslims 'build bridges' in new town

5 hours ago

Joanna Taylorin Northstowe

News image — A new faith and community hub in Northstowe will be the result of a collaboration between different groups

JOANNA TAYLOR/BBC Four people standing in a line on a path. They are smiling at the camera. From left to right, they are Kate Nation from the Turtle Dove social enterprise, Atteq Nasir from Northstowe Muslims, the Reverend Beth Cope from the Northstowe Church Network and Jawad Nawash from Northstowe Muslims. Behind them is grass and a lake, Bug Hunter Waters. — A new faith and community hub in Northstowe will be the result of a collaboration between different groups

A Christian group and a Muslim group who will share a new faith centre said they "hope other communities follow the same example" of collaboration.

The Northstowe Church Network's bid to build the new town's first faith-based community hub is due to be approved by South Cambridgeshire District Council later this month before a 999-year lease is granted in August.

The group said Northstowe Muslims would be the hub's "anchor tenant" with an Islamic prayer/education room established on the floor above a Christian chapel.

Other faith groups would be invited to hire space at the building, they added, which would be built on a 0.25 hectare plot overlooking Bug Hunter Waters off Stirling Road.

Atteq Nasir, a trustee of Northstowe Muslims, said the work his group was doing with the Northstowe Church Network is a "small piece of the equation" in healing divisions between people.

JOANNA TAYLOR/BBC Atteq Nasir smiling at the camera. He is wearing dark sunglasses, a navy blazer and a blue shirt. Behind him is a patch of mud - where the building will be erected - surrounded by a metal fence. — Atteq Nasir from Northstowe Muslims said he wanted to see similar collaborations formed elsewhere

"We really need to work hard in a divisive world to remind people that there's so much more that keeps us together than brings us apart," he said.

"We'd love to see similar intentions being planted in other communities."

JOANNA TAYLOR/BBC Jawad Nawash smiling and looking just past the camera. He is wearing a beige shirt, dark green blazer and glasses. Behind him is a lake surrounded by grass, out of focus. — Jawad Nawash from Northstowe Muslims said there were "common values" held by different faith groups

Jawad Nawash, the Northstowe Muslims group chairman, said talking about the "common things between us" helped "build bridges".

"We are believers, we are good people, we are working for the community," he said. "These are the common values that bring us together."

JOANNA TAYLOR/BBC Reverend Beth Cope smiling at the camera. She is wearing a dog collar, glasses grey jacket. Behind him is a lake surrounded by grass, out of focus. — The Reverend Beth Cope said she hoped children from different backgrounds would become friends in Northstowe

The Reverend Beth Cope, a Christian minister for Northstowe, said she hoped the collaboration would foster connections between people from different backgrounds.

"We want our children to grow up knowing each other and being friends with each other, no matter what background," she said.

She said she was "glad" to be building a shared hub in Northstowe, but added it would not be the "right thing everywhere".

"If you're in a rural village with a beautiful church building then that's fantastic, but here in our new town I'm glad we're doing it like this," she said.

The council invited bids for the land, which included community areas accessible to all, and praised the Northstowe Church Network's application for its "clear efforts to be inclusive".

Under their plans, 19% of the hub space would be for worship-related use, while there would also be a cafe, exhibition space, rooftop terrace and outdoor "storytelling circle" with a fire pit in the centre.

The £5.6m building would be ready by 2029, the plans said. The group will pay a peppercorn rent to the council.

JOANNA TAYLOR/BBC A plot of bare land surrounded by silver metal fencing. In the foreground is a "men at work" road sign and another reading "footway ahead closed". There are houses along one edge of the plot of land. — The faith and community hub will be built on a patch of land in Northstowe overlooking a lake

While the Muslim Network would initially be based at the new faith and community hub, the group still hoped to occupy its own building in future.

The council said there would be three further opportunities to bid for land for faith and community buildings.

The Hindu Samaj Northstowe group said it would also submit another bid, having had theirs scored below the Northstowe Christian Network's application in the first round of bidding.

The group said it needed a permanent space with consecrated ground to install their idols, and could already book out temporary space in an existing community centre.

The Northstowe Church Network is made up of Christians from the Church of England, United Reformed Church and Baptist Union. It also has ties with Methodist, Quaker and Catholic groups.

The Muslim Network said it was made up from people of "varied professional, cultural and ethnic backgrounds".

Other shared Christian and Muslim forums and multi-faith prayer rooms exist across the UK but the shared worship space could be the first of its kind.

The council will meet on 23 June when it is expected to award the land's leasehold.