Rishi Sunak, committed Hindu, pledges to serve with integrity
Rishi Sunak, aged 42, takes up his new job today as the youngest prime minister for 240 years, the first British Asian and the first Hindu to hold the office. He is known to be committed to Hindu traditions and in his first speech after winning the nomination yesterday, he said: “I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility and I will work day in day out to deliver for the British people.”
Sunak’s rise is “our Barack Obama moment”
Sanjay Chandarana, the president of Rishi Sunak’s family temple in Southampton, where he was brought up, says Sunak’s rise to become Prime Minister is “our Barack Obama moment”. The Metro reports that the Vedic Society Hindu Temple in Southampton was established by Rishi Sunak’s grandfather Ramdas in 1971, and his father remained a trustee into the 1980s. The report says Mr Sunak still visits the temple, and in July he provided a meal for worshippers, a family tradition. Mr Chandarana said: ‘It’s like for the UK, it’s the Barack Obama moment, where a non-white person becomes Prime Minister for the first time, also a person from Indian origin and Hindu which is another dimension and everyone is very proud. When we learned he was going to be Prime Minister we offered a special prayer and he will feature in my Diwali speech.’ Mr Chandarana said Rishi Sunak practises the Hindu religion which has the key value that the whole world is a family.
Public service “open to those of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds”
Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future said: “Rishi Sunak becoming the first British Indian Prime Minister is an historic moment. This simply would not have been possible even a decade or two ago. It shows that public service in the highest office in Britain can be open to those of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds. This will be a source of pride to many British Asians – including many who do not share Rishi Sunak’s Conservative politics. Most people in Britain now rightly say the ethnicity and faith of the Prime Minister should not matter. They will judge Sunak on whether he can get a grip on the chaos in Westminster, sort out the public finances, and restore integrity to politics”
Very inspiring to reach the top job
The Hindu Council UK tweeted: “This is a historical day for Rishi to be the next Prime Minister. Regardless of political views, we think it is very inspiring to see someone from our background reach these heights. It will encourage others to follow in similar footsteps across all industries and also give belief to those who may not think it is possible”.
Pride with a warning from India
Amrit Dhillon writing from New Delhi for The Guardian, reported that there was some celebration and pride in India, that someone of Indian heritage had reached the highest office in another country. Sunak’s only family members in India are his parents in law who live in the south of the country. The article includes the hope that his appointment will improve trade relations between the two countries and a warning that it may be seized on by religious factions for political gain.
Sunak committed to eradicate antisemitism
The Jewish Chronicle reminds readers of Rishi Sunak’s past appearance at a Conservative Friends of Israel hustings in the summer. It reports that he recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s “historic capital” and said there was a “very strong case” for relocating the British embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He was committed to the construction of the controversial Westminster Holocaust memorial in Victoria Embankment Gardens, saying education was the means to eradicate antisemitism, “this awful, awful thing”. In an August interview he described Israel as a “shining beacon of hope” and promised to increase spending on Jewish security organisations such as the Community Security Trust.
Other news:
Leicester Diwali celebrations draw a line under recent troubles
The celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights, in Leicester is said to be one of the biggest outside India, with illuminations along the “golden mile”, and festivities including fireworks, dance, music, food, a funfair and colourful costumes. The festival attracted large crowds last night and marked a return to cordial relations between different religious groups, after scenes of violence last month.
Faith minister says religion is a unifying force
Baroness Scott of Bybrook, the former leader of Wiltshire county council, who was appointed faith minister on 20 September 2022, gave the first speech in her role at the Baha’i annual reception in Westminster last night. She said it was important to see faith as a unifying force within society. As Jane Scott, she was leader of Wiltshire county council and unitary authority for 16 years and was made a life peer by David Cameron in 2015. Her predecessor as faith minister, Paul Scully MP, was in post for three months. And before that Lord Greenhalgh was in the role from March 2020 to July 2022, steering faith groups through the Covid crisis.
More than 1100 CofE clergy willing to conduct same sex marriage ceremonies
A campaign to allow same sex marriage in the Church of England has found that more than 1100 clergy are willing to conduct the ceremonies if they become legal. The Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England wanted to show the bishops that a substantial number of clergy backed the move. Same sex relationships and marriage have been at the centre of a long running dispute in the Church of England. A consultation project “Living in Love and Faith” is drawing to a close, with a vote expected in February next year. The Church Times reports that those in favour want bishops to give clergy the freedom of conscience to enable them to bless same sex couples and to allow clergy in same sex marriages to stay in the ministry.
US evangelical voters more concerned with economy than abortion
A survey of more than 2,000 evangelical voters in America suggests economic issues such as prices and inflation will have more impact than cultural issues like abortion and religious freedom, when they come to vote in the mid term elections. The Barna Cultural Research Centre in Arizona, which conducted the research, found that 60 per cent said food prices, shortages, petrol prices and inflation would influence the way they vote, compared to 46 per cent who cited abortion and the right to life and 38 per cent who opted for morality and values. The survey was conducted in July but just published. Mid term elections are on 8 November.
California church using cannabis holy oil for healing fights closure notice
A church in California, which was closed down after cannabis was distributed in jars, drinks and snacks, is challenging the closure notice in the state Supreme Court. The Jah Healing Kemetic Temple of the Divine Church, believes a holy oil described in Exodus is cannabis and says it uses the oil for healing. The Religion News Service explains that the church has Sunday worship, a board of ministers, its own literature and beliefs. Its legal action argues that churches in the area are allowed to bless wine as a sacrament but law enforcement officers regularly interfere with their own church practices.
