Have yourself a very merry Luminos
BY SAM LISTER
LUTON council was accused of “politically correct paranoia” by Christian and Muslim groups yesterday after removing Christmas references from its seasonal festival to broaden its cultural appeal. The council, which has rebranded its Christmas lights ceremony Luminos, a word from the Harry Potter books, became the latest local authority to be criticised for destroying Christmas traditions.
Luton, which has 20,000 Muslims, was the focus of unrest last week after two residents were killed fighting for the Taleban in Afghanistan.
While the council claims its festive season, including a Diwali lantern festival and Punjabi dancers, is more inclusive, religious groups argued that it was turning an important religious occasion into nothing more than a secular winter festival. Christian organisations, backed by other faith groups, called on councils not to strip Christmas of its religious significance in their quest to be all things to all faiths.
Other councils across the country have also played down references to Christmas in recent years to broaden the seasonal appeal. Birmingham once named it the Winterval festival, to public outcry.
Councils such as Glasgow run a “winter festival” and others such as Sheffield refer to “city lights” rather than Christmas illuminations. Most councils opt for secular symbols for the lights such as circles, flowers and abstract patterns.
Iain Bainbridge, a spokesman for the Christian Institute, described the approach as a “ridiculous overreaction”.
“It is not so much an agenda of sensitivity to other faiths as a secular agenda,” he said. “In areas where you have large numbers of a certain ethnic group it is quite normal for specifically religious celebrations to be accepted.
“It is political correctness gone mad. In a country with a strong Christian heritage and a predominantly Christian constitution it is crazy not to have this manifest at Christmas.
“We are renowned as a country of religious tolerance but it now appears as if the Christian faith is respected the least.”
Akhbar Dad Khan, the former general secretary of Luton’s Islamic Cultural Society and an interfaith spokesman for the Islamic community, said the Christian complaint was entirely understandable.
“All people from all faiths recognise and appreciate each other,” he said. “We do live in a predominantly Christian society and people from other faiths have accepted that. Each faith has its own characteristics and the celebration of any particular faith would not offend anyone else. We are all grown up.”
Bill McKenzie, the leader of Luton Borough Council, defended the initiative yesterday after a local radio station was inundated with angry calls.
“Luminos is the designation for the whole event but there is no reason why people can’t call them Christmas lights if they want,” he said. “We are having a really good multicultural festival.”
In Luton town centre yesterday residents expressed their irritation at the way the council had removed the reference to Christmas. “It’s madness not calling the lights the Christmas lights,” one shopper said. “It’s the little children who love the lights. Don’t the council realise that kids don’t want it know as Luminos — what’s that all about?” In Glasgow, where the Christmas festivities have been renamed “Shine On” and then the “Winter Festival” in recent years, a council spokeswoman defended the change. “We are very aware as a community of other faiths and traditions, which is why we have adopted a generic name. We are making a conscious effort to include everyone. Even the Christmas cards we now send out all say ‘Seasonal Greetings’ rather than ‘Happy Christmas’ so that we don’t offend.”
Yes folks, it's true alright. Read it and weep.
The solution is not to issue whiny press releases. The solution is for all churches in the area to band together and announce a giant Christmas Day gathering in the middle of town. Ten thousand Christians taking over the city on Dec. 25 would be the ultimate "up yours" to the multicult.