Eye - 18 July 2014
From steps towards peace to conscientious objection in schools
Steps towards peace
Friends stepped out with members of other faiths in Hounslow in June.
Bessie White, clerk of Brentford and Isleworth Meeting, explained: ‘The local interfaith group, Hounslow Friends of Faith, organise the Walk of Peace and Friendship each year, choosing a different area.’
This year Corinna Smart, mayor of Hounslow, visited Brentford and Isleworth Meeting House as part of the walk – her first visit to the Meeting.
Bessie got in touch with Eye to give Friends a flavour of the day: ‘Resident Friend Eudora Pascall gave a brief but lively introduction to Quakers, and tea and strawberries were served… Before reaching the Meeting house, up to forty walkers had visited an Anglican church, a mosque, a new Sikh faith free school and a community of Catholic nuns, all within a radius of less than two miles.
‘At the Sikh school walkers heard how teachers use stories from other religions in their faith teaching. The Islamic Centre reminded us that only a tiny minority of Muslims are extremely radical and these are not in any way representative of the vast majority. St John’s Church mentioned community, highlighted by their successful summer fair the day before. The nuns in Gumley House exemplified the inspiration to service.’
Bessie, who is also secretary of the Hounslow Friends of Faith group, added: ‘We had a warm welcome at each place of worship. It was wonderful to see links being made, with offers of continued contacts in the future to spread understanding.’
Friends discovered an interesting connection between Gumley House and the Meeting’s history. Benjamin and Sarah Angell were founder members of the Meeting who donated the land for the Meeting; at the end of the eighteenth century they, too, had called Gumley House home.
COs and schools
Two students from The Mount School in York were interviewed recently by Jonathan Cowap on BBC Radio York.
In a segment of Jonathan’s show about events marking the anniversary of the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand, he spoke to Neve Warriner and Esme Weeks. The two Year Ten pupils were due to take part, the following day, in an international conference discussing how conscientious objection is taught in schools.
During the ten-minute interview they discussed the definition of conscientious objectors, the reasons people chose not to fight, attitudes towards and treatment of conscientious objectors as well as the divide in public opinion.
The students also spoke about how attending a Quaker school has influenced their thinking.
Esme said: ‘because we have this very strong ethos of the inherent pacifism of Quakerism it’s always been part of the way we’ve been taught, especially with history … there’s more than one aspect of war or any historical event.’
She added: ‘because of that influence we’re quite accepting of the idea of conscientious objection but we also do learn about the reactions of other people and I think we’re allowed to form our own opinions.’
Neve and Esme went on to give a presentation at the 83rd Annual Anglo-American Conference in Bloomsbury, London, at the Institute of Historical Research on 3 July.
They appeared alongside historians Cyril Pearce, David Boulton and Ingrid Sharp.
