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| In pictures Cycling 3,600km along the route of the Iron Curtain news.bbc.co.uk |
Wootton Bassett: sectarian tensions quietened by YouTube ditty, or by snowstorms? Anjem Choudary's Islam4UK has gone no further with its threat of protest on parade route for troops killed in AfghanistanMuch has been written this week about Anjem Choudary, the solicitor turned public enemy number one inspiring outrage and shock across the civic and political spectrum with his proposal for an anti-war march through Wootton Bassett.But who would have thought the leader of Islam4UK would move someone to compose an open letter in the form of a YouTube ditty?Dan Bull, a Bromsgrove-based songwriter who has previously penned gentle rebukes to Lily Allen for her views on filesharing and to Lord Peter Mandelson for his Digital Economy Bill, told the Guardian in an email that he thinks Choudary should reconsider his planned march and hopes his own efforts will bring "some more civilised discussion to the controversy".Choudary has yet to apply for permission but there has still been plenty of uproar. On Monday the home secretary, Alan Johnson, said he would support any request to ban the rally. But Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said he would be "surprised" if police in Wiltshire sought to block the protest, because any group had a right to march even if their views were "unpleasant and offensive".It is highly unlikely that Choudary will pay attention to Bull, Johnson, Orde or anyone else who has put in their ha'porth this week. The group's website is currently 403ing and the spotlight has switched to extreme activity of a different kind – an adverse weather event. Perhaps plans for the parade, like the snow, will gradually disappear.ProtestIslamReligionDefence policyRiazat Buttguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Passion of Jesus to be staged in Trafalgar Square this Easter Cast of Christian production includes 150 actors, donkeys, horses, an artificial tomb – and a 51kg JesusOf all the obstacles strewn in Jesus's path, keeping his weight to 51kg (8st) to ride a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was not one of them. But health and safety requirements will be uppermost in the minds of a group staging a Passion play in Trafalgar Square, the first to be performed in the central London location.At a press conference today in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields, director Ashley Herman said: "There are laws regarding the use of animals and children in theatre. It's hard enough doing Oliver!, but when you get them into a public arena it's a nightmare."Herman, together with a group of devout Christians, is putting on The Passion of Jesus this Easter in Trafalgar Square. With a cast of about 150 actors, donkeys, horses and an artificial tomb, the organisers anticipate some 25,000 spectators. It is less ambitious than the Life of Christ, a six-hour epic performed annually at the Wintershall estate in Surrey involving camels, a lake acting as both the River Jordan and the Sea of Galilee, more than 200 actors and 30 sheep.The writer and producer of both plays, Peter Hutley, who owns the estate and has amassed a multimillion-pound fortune through property development, said the Trafalgar Square production would remain faithful to the biblical narrative. The crucifixion, which involves Jesus being winched up a cross, will not "pull any punches" in its goriness."We can adapt to any space," he added. "We have performed in prisons and Guildford High Street. We find Trafalgar Square a daunting place. Where do you do it? Which part – underneath Nelson's Column? What we had in mind was Jesus bursting out from between the lions. Fabulous music. Big thunder, big crashes." He was "toying with the idea" of showing it on big screens before deciding that they "didn't come cheaply".It will not be the first religious event in Trafalgar Square, which has hosted Islamic, Hindu and Jewish celebrations, but it will be the most explicitly Christian performance to take place there.Hutley said he would have been surprised if the mayor of London's office did not give permission for the performance to proceed. "It is a wonderful Christian tradition being performed to illustrate our native faith in a central setting. Soaked in history, it seems the natural place to do it. Boris Johnson was wise enough to recognise that as well."When asked if the play was a form of proselytising, Hutley replied: "We are evangelising as hard as we can. We are trying to give the story to people who have not had the opportunity to hear it. It is not taught any longer, it is not considered as essential knowledge."The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, supports the play. He said one of the great themes for debate was religion in the public square and that there was no square as public as Trafalgar.Hutley said: "Such a story lies at the heart of the culture of this country. To be ignorant of this story is to be unable to make sense of the fabric of the society in which we live."He said the play was not an attempt to convert people to Christianity because knowledge of Christ was not something that could be forced on someone. The play was an "invitation" to know about Jesus, he added.ReligionLondonChristianityEasterTheatreRiazat Buttguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Haiti: After the Devastation, the Emotional Wreckage It may be hard to imagine now, amid such horrific suffering, but Haitians too will be subject to post-traumatic stress disorder feedproxy.google.com |
Schumacher 'can win title at 41' Michael Schumacher and his Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn both believe the seven-time champion can win another title on his return to Formula 1 in 2010. news.bbc.co.uk |