Gloucester cathedral has removed a clip of a Muslim call to prayer being recited within its walls from its Facebook page following heavy criticism online.
The prayer had taken place as part of a multi-faith art exhibition, aimed at promoting inter-faith dialogue and celebrating diversity. An audio recording of the call to prayer by Imam Hassan was shared on the cathedral's Facebook page, but was removed after receiving sharp criticism in comments online, Gloucestershire Live reports.
One post wrote: "We are never to worship other Gods in a house built for our saviour. My ancestors built this cathedral and to allow a practising Muslim [to] pray to another God is insanely naive."
It added: "Stand firm Christians. Bring people to the faith by telling them the truth. God is the same yesterday, today, forever, so stop with the multicultural appeal and open a history book and a Bible for yourself."
The controversy has prompted comparison with a recent event at St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow when it hosted a reading of the Qur'an at one of its Epiphany services.
The Dean of Gloucester Cathedral was keen to downplay the controversy, emphasising that this was one part of a multi-faith art exhibition and not a church service. Speaking to The Guardian, he said: "The community event was to launch an art exhibition, Faith. The exhibition portrays a number of individuals' stories and gives a glimpse of who they are as people of faith.
"The exhibition promotes religious understanding. Over 1,000 people from different Gloucester communities attended to share and learn about each other's spiritual practices and traditions.
"However, it is important to stress that neither the art exhibition nor the gathering took place in a sacred space but were held in the cathedral cloisters and chapter house. Furthermore, the launch was not in the context of worship."
He added: "While the cathedral's primary purpose is as a place of Christian witness and worship, it is also a place for all people. Everyone is welcome, whatever their faith or background. We are proud to be holding the exhibition and would encourage everyone to visit to learn more about people of different faiths."
The exhibition was designed by artist Russell Haines, and featured celebrations and tributes to various religious traditions, including Hindus, Buddhists, Rastafarians, Zoroastrians, druids, witches and pagans.
Haines, an atheist, said of the Facebook post removal: "I think maybe because of Glasgow they panicked a bit."
Apart from some online critique, Haines said the event had been a success. The event was seen by about 1,000 people and received hundreds of positive comments online. Haines said: "The whole point in doing it is to show people human side of everybody and that we all can get on. Unfortunately there's an element people follow in every single religion that is intolerant of others, which is a massive shame."
