Elizabeth Hopkinson's Hidden Grove

A couple of weeks ago on 18th March, something happened that has not happened for a good while: the holy seasons of Lent and Ramadan began on the same day. Both are seasons of prayer, fasting, almsgiving and self-examination in their respective religions of Christianity and Islam, both commemorate times of prayer in out-of-the-way places by revered religious figures, and both culminate in an important feast (Easter and Eid al-Fitr). This week, I made use of a public "comtemplation room" in my hometown of Bradford to pray silently alongside Muslims, each according to our own tradition. But as a member of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, I feel another form of connection with my Muslim neighbours. Both Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne (d.651 AD) and Saint Hilda of Whitby (614-680 AD) lived in the same century as the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) (c.570-632 AD). They inhabited the same world, with many of the same cultural norms, even though the first two were in the British Isles and the...

  This time last week, I was at the joy that is Bradford Literature Festival. My whole town taken over by all things book-related! I went to three completely different talks, two of which I had bought and read the books for in advance. (The other one I will probably buy when it comes out in paperback). They were: The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph Painted People: Humanity in 21 Tattoos by Matt Lodder Among the Eunuchs: A Muslim Transgender Journey by Leyla Jagiella Three completely different subjects. But what they had in common was that they were all about people on the fringes of society’s so-called norms: Black Britons in the Georgian era; people who have decorated their own skin; traditional third genders in India and Pakistan, along with transgender Muslims. I’m by nature a curious person, who is drawn to anything different to me. So I’m keen to learn about and include these histories. But it seems that society in general is much less interested, ...

  The Hu onstage at Liverpool’s O2 Academy I’ll admit that things have not been easy for me since my last blog. There’s a lot of (understandable) hurt and anger out there when it comes to cultural issues. And I’m not emotionally robust enough to take it. Which is why it was so restorative this week to finally see one of my favourite bands - The Hu - live onstage in Liverpool. It was my first time at a “proper” rock concert, and my first time in Liverpool, so definitely one for the bucket list. Jaya and Gala fronting the band For those who don’t know them, The Hu are a Mongolian folk-rock band of eight musicians, who combine traditional Mongolian throat singing and instruments such as the Morin Khuur (pictured above, played by Gala) with metal beats and guitars. (It’s called Hunnu Rock). They sing entirely in Mongolian, and the lyrics are mainly about aspects of traditional Mongolian culture, respecting the ancestors and nature. They say their mission is to unite people through musi...