Naseem,
thanks for the attachments, they will be a great help to me.
Syd.
-----Original Message-----
From: Anwar Naseem [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 24 July 2002 18:07
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Religion
Dear All
Mannie thank you for your excellent and thought provoking response.
Perhaps I can help colleagues a little in this case. Please find attached
JMU's policy on cultural and religious diversity and information on a range
of faiths/ beliefs.
The Policy has been used to trigger some best practice developments
including:
1. introduction of Halal/ kosher diet in all JMU and Students Union
refectories;
2. short break during exams to break fast during Ramadhan;
3. re-arranging exams for students unable to attend due to particular
religious requirements such
as Jewish students;
4. equally staff have also utilised this policy to take time out for
particular events/ dates.
A most recent development relates to a staff audit which we undertook in
February 2002 asking staff to share information on religious background/
sexual orientation amongst a range of other equality indicators. The
question on religion was worded as follows:
Religion: I would describe my religious background/beliefs as
___________________
I have no religious
beliefs______________________________
From a response rate of 44% (of 2500) staff at JMU professed to belong to 20
faith/ denominations and/ or held alternative beliefs. Majority of staff
(58%) acknowledged belonging to the Christian faith. Whilst a third (30%)
professed to having no religious belief.
Finally awareness raising for staff is delivered through mandatory training
programmes (for the past 7 years) on Cultural Diversity and Disability
Awareness.
I trust this is helpful to colleagues in the sector aiming to develop
consistent and pro-active support.
Regards,
Naseem Anwar
Senior Adviser Equality & Policy Development
Liverpool John Moores University
The Mews
7 Roscoe Street
Liverpool
L1 2SX. UK
Tel: (00 44)0151-231 3188
Email: [log in to unmask]
website:
http://cwis.livjm.ac.uk/pws/equalopportunities/
latest publication:
www.chelt.ac.uk/el/philg/gdn/disabil/mobility/index.htm
learn to sign your name:
www.bda.org.uk
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Emmanuell Kusemamuriwo [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: 24 July 2002 16:52
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Religion
>
>
>Dear Virginia,
>
>Thanks for your response and further request. I would like to
>commend the
>fact that you are looking at Equality and Diversity issues for your
>institution. This is a practice that I would advise all institutions to
>adopt, though it is pertinent to point out that when we do
>this, we must
>make sure that all the areas that constitute equality and
>diversity, are
>being addressed, equally,fairly and squarely. This needs to be
>effectively
>and consistently done otherwise we are in danger of making
>diversity into a
>"comfortable" conscience assuaging way of still implementing some
>institutional discriminatory practices. The only way of assuring true
>diversity is by underpinning it with equality and from an
>explicit point of
>view where we can actually show evidence of mainstreaming
>diversity within
>institutional practice. This also takes it out of the
>idiosyncratic box of
>"it's not my responsibility" to acknowledging that if it is a
>mainstream
>institutional responsibility,then we all have to identify where our
>responsibilities, accountabilities and liabilities are in
>being expected to
>practically reflect this institutional commitment.
>
>Religion and sexual orientation, though intended to be
>legislated for, by
>December 2003, could be considered, with all the other areas
>of intended
>legislation (Disability adjustments, by October 2004 and Age,
>by December
>2006)as areas of working towards institutional best practice.
>I think it
>would be much more comfortable and practical, for institutions to start
>considering now, instead of waiting till the legislation
>demands it, how we
>can embrace all these Equality and Diversity areas into our current
>institutional practice. We certainly would not want to go
>through the same
>experiences as we are, under the RRAA.
>
>In order to effectively do this and to answer your query on
>religion, we
>could use the RRAA template, as based on the CRE Statutory
>Code of Practice
>and Guides. All we would need to do is substitute the word
>race for the word
>religion and the rest is relative. I know there are some
>issues concerning
>the official categories etc. which I think legislation will
>define, but we
>could start thinking around the whys, whats, whens, and with
>whoms, around
>religion. We could also start to monitor, in order to build up
>a picture of
>what religions we have in our institutions, centring our
>thinking around the
>RRAA template. After all equality and diversity is about
>establishing the
>needs of our employees and learners so that we can effectively
>address them.
>This is the spirit that the law is trying to promote through
>its letter. So
>in the end, whether certain religions are defined as legal or
>not, it might
>still be useful for us as institutions, to find out what
>religious beliefs
>exist in our institutions, in order for us to be able to
>effectively address
>any challenges that may arise.
>
>I do accept that these are complex issues that will be very
>demanding and
>taxing but I do not think that this is a good enough reason
>for us not to
>"grasp this nettle" as some of us might see it. Also we have
>each other to
>work with and I am sure with our sum total, we will "know a
>man/woman who
>can"
>
>Monitoring religion also raises issues of staff support and/or
>training that
>can only be provided by appropriate trainers who are aware of
>the issues and
>how they should be addressed effectively and sensitively, so
>as to benefit
>and not alienate those of us who will need to implement the various
>consultation, communication and monitoring strategies.
>
>The other issues to consider of course are that certain
>religious groups
>like Muslims, Jews and Sikhs are already covered by the RRAA,
>indirectly for
>Muslims and directly for the other two, because they are also minority
>ethnic groups.
>
>A word of caution, can colleagues please desist from using the
>word "ethnic"
>as a substitute for "black and minority ethnic groups." Not
>only can this be
>offensive and insulting to some people but also we must
>remember that all
>religions are either minority ethnic or majority ethnic since
>we all belong
>to different ethnic backgrounds, it really depends where you
>happen to be,
>geographically.
>
>As far as religious practices and the curriculum are concerned, then my
>advice would be for institutions to find out about practices and what
>material is available, from the appropriate religious groups, contact
>numbers and addresses can be made available, as Mohammed
>Dhalech from Oxford
>has already done. When it comes to safeguarding the rights of
>those who have
>no religious beliefs and dealing with beliefs that conflict with
>legislation, then I would advocate that we are guided by best practice
>intentions under what British equality law dictates. This way
>diversity will
>indeed and truly be based on equality, fairness and justice,
>under British
>law and not on what individuals think should happen.
>
>Any comments are most welcome.
>
>Regards
>Mannie.
>
>
>
>Mannie Kusemamuriwo
>Policy Adviser: Ethnicity & Cultural Diversity
>Equality Challenge Unit
>3rd Floor, 4 Tavistock Place
>London WC1H 9RA
>
>Tel 020 7520 7063
>Fax 020 7520 7069
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