Letter from the Baha’i Community of UK
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of UK
Anil Bhanot OBE
Managing Trustee
Hindu Council of the UK
4 June 2013
Dear Mr Bhanot,
Further to the presentation of the open letter calling for the release of the seven Bahá’à leaders in Iran to Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt MP at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 14 May, it gives me great pleasure to advise you that the Foreign Secretary has now made a formal response.
Please find attached with this communication a copy of a letter from Mr Hague in which the Foreign Secretary reiterates his belief that there is no justification for the arrest and imprisonment of the seven Bahá’à leaders.
We note and appreciate that the Foreign Secretary commends the letter and the delegation as a “cross-faith initiative”. The solidarity and friendship between the diverse faith communities in the UK that the open letter reminds us again of the extraordinary potential of inter faith collaboration and action to contribute to the common good.
With deep appreciation and all good wishes
Yours sincerely
Kishan Manocha
Director
Signatories:
1. Bhai Sahib, Dr Bhai Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, Chairman, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha
2. Venerable Ajahn Amaro, Abbot, Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, Hertfordshire
3. His Grace Bishop Angaelos, The Coptic Orthodox Church Centre
4. Imam Sohail Ashfaque, Blackhall Mosque, Edinburgh
5. Mr Anil Bhanot OBE, Managing Trustee, Hindu Council UK
6. The Right Revd Albert Bogle, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
7. The Most Revd David Chillingworth, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
8. Mr Steve Clifford, General Director, Evangelical Alliance
9. Archbishop Emeritus Mario Conti of Glasgow, Chair of the Catholic Committee for Inter-religious Dialogue
10. The Revd Bill Darlison, President, General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (Great Britain)
11. Acharya Modgala Duguid, Amida London Buddhist Centre
12. The Revd Jonathan Edwards, General Secretary, Baptist Union Great Britain
13. The Rt Revd Dr Peter Forster, Lord Bishop of Chester
14. The Rt Revd Christopher Hill, The Lord Bishop of Guildford
15. The Revd Dr Michael Jagessar, Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church
16. Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Movement Rabbi for the Movement for Reform Judaism
17. Mr Gurmel Singh Kandola, Secretary-General, Sikh Council United Kingdom
18. The Rt Revd Dr Michael Langrish, Lord Bishop of Exeter
19. Rabbi Natan Levy, Environmental Liaison to the Chief Rabbi’s Office
20. Ms Leonie Lewis, London Jewish Forum
21. The Most Revd Bernard Longley, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham
22. Rabbi David Mason, Muswell Hill Synagogue
23. The Most Revd Donal McKeown, Titular Bishop of Killossy
24. Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra
25. The Most Revd Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales
26. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’Ãs of the United Kingdom
27. Mrs Ravinder Kaur Nijjar, Co-Chair of Religions for Peace European Women of Faith Network
28. Mrs Jasbir Kaur Panesar, Chair, Sikhs in England
29. The Rt Revd Stephen Platten, Bishop of Wakefield
30. The Rt Revd Peter Price, The Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells
31. Dr Jasdev Singh Rai, Director, Sikh Human Rights Group
32. Maulana M Shahid Raza OBE, Chief Imam of Leicester Central Mosque, Chairman of Imams and Mosques Council
33. Rabbi Danny Rich, Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism
34. Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpochem, Abbot of Samye Ling Monastery
35. The Revd Roberta Rominger, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church
36. Lord Sacks, Chief Rabbi
37. Imam Mufti Dr Abduljalil Sajid, Chairman Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony UK
38. Rabbi Thomas Salamon, Westminster Synagogue
39. Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, Sri Lankan Sangha Sabha of Great Britain
40. Dr Natubhai Shah MBE, Founder Chair of the Jain Network
41. Mr Satish K Sharma, General Secretary (Acting), National Council of Hindu Temples
42. Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE, Network of Sikh Organisations
43. Sister Isabel Smyth OBE, Scottish Catholic Bishops Associate Secretary for Interfaith Relations
44. Venerable K Sri Rewatha Thero, Chief Monk for Great Britain (Theravada-Sri Lanka)
45. Mr Swaminathan Vaidyanathan, Acting Secretary-General, Hindu Forum of Britain
46. The Revd Dr Mark Wakelin, President of the Conference of the Methodist Church in Britain
47. The Venerable Canon Guy Wilkinson CBE, London Church Leaders
48. The Rt Revd and Rt Honourable Dr Rowan Williams
49. Mr Vivian Wineman, President, Board of Deputies of British Jews
50. Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers, West London Synagogue
Foreign Secretary’s Reply to the Baha’i Assembly of UK