New Internet radio station for Bristol
The first Internet radio station in the UK run jointly by both Muslims and Jews has been launched in Bristol.
Radio Salaam Shalom has attracted media interest from around the world by bringing the two faiths together for the groundbreaking venture. The station will feature both Jewish and Muslim presenters and promises a lively mixture of music, talk and feature-led programmes.
While Radio Salaam Shalom hopes to focus on the faiths often overlooked similarities and shared culture, bosses have also vowed not to “duck” the potentially divisive issues over Palestine and Israel during live discussions. Farooq Siddique, a presenter and member of the Bristol Muslim Cultural Society, said he hoped Radio Salaam Shalom would help improve community relations. “Basically when you think of two communities who don’t get on, the first one you think of is Jews and Muslims,” he said. “The idea behind the station, at a time when chasms are opening up between communities here in the UK and around the world, is to act as a bridge and bring communities together to discuss their problems.
“There’s so much we have in common. The Israel/Palestine issue has come to define Muslim and Jewish relations, but prior to that the relationship was the exact opposite.”
The idea for the station was dreamed up by Jewish and Muslim students at Bristol University and the University of the West of England, as a means of forging closer links with each other.
Radio Salaam Shalom was set up after receiving a £50,000 grant from the government’s Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund and has taken nine months to set up. The group is made up of around 35 volunteers and will be broadcast in English.
http://www.salaamshalom.org.uk/