The Bishop of Birmingham, the Right Reverend Mark Santer offered words of praise and encouragement for the work of Islamic Relief during a special Ramadan visit to the organisation's Headquarters in Birmingham on 13th December 2001.
The Bishop joined the Lord Mayor Councillor Jim Whorwood and other City dignitaries for a guided tour of the site, and met with members of staff to discuss their work. Later, the Bishop and the Lord Mayor were invited to give talks before joining a large gathering for a feast which marked the breaking of the daily fast.
In his speech Bishop Santer echoed the remarks of the Lord Mayor when he pointed out that the remarkable ability of Birmingham to accommodate religious and ethnic diversity while "refusing to indulge in the politics of hatred that give birth to violence" was a cause for celebration. The Bishop highlighted the "dignity of human life and the primacy and reality of God" as two unifying principles for people of all faiths. The fruits of understanding and tolerance, the Bishop said were evident in the examples of organisations like Islamic Relief, Christian Aid and Cafod. By working so closely together on a variety of projects, they continued to demonstrate "the good that can be done through our joining together in a common cause."
The event was a celebration of Birmingham as a "microcosm of the community of world faiths" and reinforced Islamic Relief's role as an organisation dedicated to working with people of all faiths in striving towards the common goal of a better society for all.