Welsh faith leaders decry planned Defence League demos

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, and the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales, Saleem Kidwai, have hit out at plans by the English and Welsh Defence Leagues to hold demonstrations in Cardiff on Saturday.

They said the planned demonstrations were “crude, dangerous and unhelpful” and would undermine efforts to promote tolerance and diversity in Wales.

They urged people to stay away from the demonstrations and instead take part in a peace vigil being held by the Interfaith Council for Wales at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay on Friday.

In a joint statement, Dr Morgan and Mr Kidwai said: “As leaders in the Christian and Muslim Communities in Wales, we find the Defence League’s approach to the challenge of living in a diverse society to be crude, dangerous and unhelpful.

"Crude because it does not meet real human contact and exchanges; dangerous because it ignores the real issues in favour of simplistic stereotypes and rumours which exploit people’s ignorance and fears; unhelpful because it seeks to reverse all that is good about the best of Welsh society where all are welcome and people are respected for who they are and what they contribute and bring to each other from different beliefs and cultures.”

The leaders said they recognised that there was a “continuing problem” in parts of Britain where extremist Muslims are recruiting “vulnerable, devout young Muslims to their anti-Western, anti-Christian, anti-modernisation cause”.

They stressed that the Muslim Council of Wales regarded activities of extremist Muslims as “anti-Islamic”.

“The Defence League’s profound and dangerous mistake is to equate the behaviours of the minority with the majority of Muslims in Britain,” they said.

“We believe that patient work is needed to overcome suspicions and stereotypes. We have committed ourselves to that kind of work together.”

Dr Morgan and Mr Kidwai will join later in the month with the First Minister of Wales for the Finding A Common Voice consultation, which aims to build trust and positive relationships between the Christian and Muslim communities and others in Wales.

They concluded: “We invite all those who are tempted by the negative and distrustful approach taken by the Defence League to join in celebrating a more positive and rich experience of diversity.”

The peace vigil will be held at the steps of the Senedd on Friday at 7.30pm.