{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The Saltley Gate Peace Group, is an inner city interfaith organisation based in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

Background

The Saltley Gate Peace Group (SGPG) was initially formed as a joint

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

/ Muslim peace initiative in response to the threat of

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

as a part of the growing peace movement in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

following 9/11. The group played an active role supporting the

Stop the War Coalition The Stop the War Coalition (StWC), informally known simply as Stop the War, is a British group established on 21 September 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks, to campaign against what it believes are unjust wars. The Coalition has c ...

in the city and encouraged local activism through a united faith-based front. It continues to participate in the

anti-war An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...

establishment along with its other work.

Community

The SGPG has since become more

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, villag ...

based, working with various authorities to ensure a better quality of public service for residents in the more deprived areas of Birmingham. The organisation also takes a tough stance on vandalism, racism and crime and encourages inter-religious dialogue. It works closely with Birmingham Citizens and the Birmingham Quaker-Muslim Peace and Social Justice Group.

Campaigns

Amongst its causes has been working with faith leaders to prevent the promotion of glorification of

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

amongst younger

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

in the inner city. In 2005, the SGPG also called on the

West Midlands Police West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. The force covers an area of with 2.93million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, W ...

to ban the flying of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

i flags in the city during the festival of Eid to prevent racial tensions. This followed a similar ban enforced in London

In January 2007, the group publicly supported the city's

Green Lane Mosque Green Lane Masjid & Community Centre (GLMCC), is a mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually c ...

against accusations of extremism, made in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

documentary

Undercover Mosque ''Undercover Mosque'' is a documentary programme produced by the British independent television company Hardcash Productions for the Channel 4 series '' Dispatches'' that was first broadcast on 15 January 2007 in the UK. The documentary presen ...

Founders

The Saltley Gate Peace Group was founded by Methodist minister

Simon Topping Simon Topping is a Methodist minister and faith leader based in Hucclecote in Gloucester, England, known for his campaign work in favour of ending world poverty. Background Reverend Doctor Simon Topping came to prominence during his time in Bir ...

and community activist

Adam Yosef Adam Yosef (born September 1981) is a British journalist, photojournalist and political activist. Background Yosef was born in September 1981 in Marston Green, England and is of South Asian and Middle Eastern heritage. Activism In 2003, Y ...

in 2003. The organisation is currently based at the Saltley Methodist Church in the

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Ro ...

and is supported by Reverend Chris Shannahan, founder of youth programme Yeast in the City.

Sources

Police hunt killer of Birmingham stab victim
– Birmingham Mail, March 2009
Man, 20, 'critical' after shooting in shop
– Birmingham Post, February 2008
Man gunned down in shop
– Birmingham Mail, February 2008

– Birmingham Mail, May 2007

– The Independent, February 2007
Birmingham rocked by terror raids
– The Asian Today, February 2007
Terror arrests anger community
– BBC News, February 2007

– Birmingham Post, February 2007

– Birmingham Post, February 2007

– Birmingham Mail, February 2007
Channel 4 accused of creating mischief over portrayal of Black Muslim in Dispatches documentary
Black Britain, January 2007
Channel 4 Blasted for Demonising Muslims
MD News, January 2007

Birmingham Mail, January 2007
Faces behind the faith
– BBC Birmingham, July 2005

Evening Mail, September 2004

Birmingham Post, September 2004
Mission alongside the poor
The Methodist Church of Great Britain, 2003/2004 Community organisations in Birmingham, West Midlands Christian and Islamic interfaith dialogue Religion in Birmingham, West Midlands