WALTHAM FOREST: Christians and Muslims unite on journey of understanding

11:52am Thursday 27th March 2008

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CHRISTIAN and Muslim youth have united for an inter-faith trip to the Lake District.

The idea of the journey was to take the youngsters out of their comfort zones and allow them to learn from each other.

It was filmed by BBC2 and screened on its Daily Politics Show.

Those taking part in the joint initiative by Active Change Foundation (ACF), a Muslim youth group in the borough, and Worth Unlimited, its Christian counterpart, visited a climbing centre and a rifle range and climbed a mountain together.

They also hosted a dinner, to which local dignitaries and VIPs including the Sheriff of Cumbria were invited.

One of the young men involved, Mohammad Fazan, 19, told the BBC that following the London bombings he felt "alienated from the crowd," and that "even if they don't say nothing, you still have in your mind that you feel alienated".

But for ACF leader Hanif Qadir, this project represented an opportunity to "establish how close we are in fact".

He said: "Muslims and Christians climbing a mountain together to reach the peak was quite symbolic."

This project is believed to be the first of its kind in Waltham Forest, and was designed to create an opportunity to break down prejudice and misunderstanding.

Both groups felt that despite living in a diverse borough, interaction between the different faith groups had been limited.

Andrew Musgrave of Worth Unlimited said: "For me there is something very important and significant in the acts of travelling together, eating together, and sleeping under one roof.

"When you do these things you better understand and value one another and misperceptions inevitably dissolve."

Further shared activities are planned with more people involved.