We promise that we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming (i.e., back to the backstory of how we wound up with InnerCHANGE) soon!
In the meantime, one of the things we hope to do with this blog is give you a deeper look into Tower Hamlets, the neighborhood where we’ll be landing. The East End of London is a very diverse place, and these two rather different stories reflect a bit on the current state of religion there:
East London religious buildings at risk, warn English Heritage
contrasted
with
Ramadan health advice for Tower Hamlets Muslims
These two stories are from the same blog, East London Lines, an independent news website run by students in the journalism department of Goldsmiths, University of London. We encourage you to click through and read both posts when you have a minute.
Comparing the two articles provides an interesting snapshot of religion in the area—without oversimplifying too much, church and synagogue buildings are decaying from lack of care, and Muslims are working on integrating the demands of Western life with their faith.
Interestingly, the first article on religious buildings has no mention of mosques. However, the survey was done by English Heritage, which focuses on preserving historical buildings; we assume that the mosques are fairly new in comparison, or that Muslims are using or converting newer buildings to suit their needs, and thus are not included. (According to the Church of England and MuslimsinBritain.org, there are about 20 churches and 40 mosques in the borough of Tower Hamlets.)
As we settle in to London and watch these different religions and cultures interact, we know we’ll learn a lot. Stay tuned!
Synagogue photo from Sandys Row Synagogue East London Mosque minaret photo from Diamond Geezer.
