Dave Thompson MSP

The Scottish Parliament now has a Cross Party Group (CPG) on “Religious Freedom” with me as Convenor. The purpose of the group is to provide a forum for MSPs, enabling discussion and the widest possible engagement with the multi-faith community, locally, nationally, and internationally.

The CPG, which received Parliamentary approval on 25 February, 2015, stemmed from an informal meeting in the Parliament in February, entitled a “Religious Round Table Conversation”, sponsored by me, but led by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rev John Chalmers.

At that meeting, there was a general concern at the persecution around the world of people of faith, with 80% of that persecution directed at Christians. However, it was unanimously agreed that it was of the utmost importance that persecution of people of faith be considered in its broadest sense, including persecution by people of faith.

There was also agreement at the meeting that a Parliamentary CPG on Religious Freedom should be pursued.

Progress was slow with various factors intervening but eventually an exploratory first meeting was held on Tuesday, 15 September, 2015. I am grateful to my colleagues, Co-Convenors, Murdo Fraser MSP, Anne McTaggart MSP, and members John Mason MSP and Michael McMahon MSP, who signed up to make the CPG possible, and not forgetting, Nigel Don MSP for stepping in to co-convene the initial exploratory meeting.

Our next formal meeting is still to be agreed but will be before Christmas. However, the agenda for that meeting will include the current refugee crisis.

Accepting the reality of religious diversity in society is to acknowledge that a multitude of choices exist, which is why I am delighted that the Humanist Society of Scotland has asked to join the CPG and will attend the next meeting and I look forward to bringing many more groups on board, as the CPG develops.

Hearing about other faiths, telling about our own, and actively reaching out to make connections is to accept that differences in belief can and do coexist. The CPG will open the door to tolerance in the Scottish Parliament by providing a platform to air our common concerns, to alleviate any latent prejudice and to unite us in our common purpose, which is to foster tolerance in our multi-faith world.

The value of the CPG will, hopefully, be that it will commit to an ethos of mutual respect and will provide an ongoing forum to facilitate dialogue on a range of local, national, and international multi-faith issues, which will promote tolerance.

I sincerely hope that the CPG will encourage an attitude of diversity, including flexibility to accommodate religious holidays and practices. We will consult the inter-faith calendar, so any future formal CPG meetings are attended by as many interested parties as possible without clashes. This way the CPG will not be viewed as the exclusive domain of one faith, which is extremely important, if we are to be taken seriously by all.

I am pleased that the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments (SPPA) Committee has accepted the CPG so late in the Parliamentary term, particularly as I will be standing down in 2016 and I am keen to lay the foundations for the CPG to be carried forward by other MSPs into the next Parliament.

As soon as we open our heart as a society to our inherent diversity, then we are able to properly promote compassion. Therefore, there will be a great responsibility on the CPG to show humility in the face of potential discord and accept that an equal society is a society that respects conflicting spiritual, and other, points of view, with the CPG meetings providing an opportunity to evidence just that.