No Hinduism in the North East

[moksa]

Hello friend,

 

Newcastle University is planning a deal with Durham University where the Religion department at Newcastle will close in return for the linguistics department at Durham closing. There will be a transfer between the universities of some staff but the department at Newcastle will cease and provisions made not to open religion at Newcastle in the future. This would mean that the only place in the North East of England offering Religion at degree level will be the limited Theology department of Durham (note that Durham has already closed its Middle East and Islamic department).

 

If this closure goes ahead (and decisions have already been made) there will be no Hinduism being taught in Universities in the North East of England. I urge you, therefore, to make the Hindu communities in the UK aware of this. It is important that we promote inter-faith and inter-community understanding and give people the opportunity to learn about Hinduism at degree level, even if they choose not to follow it.

 

You might think why Religion is important for the North East. We currently live in a multi-ethnic society where Newcastle is about to open an Islamic school. There are synagogues, sikh, Hindu, and ISKCON (Hare Krishna) temples, and mosques as well as a host of Christian denominations in Newcastle and Buddhist temples in the surrounding areas, much of the study for students of Religion at Newcastle involves visiting these places of worship and interacting with the local ethnic communities. Only Christianity exists in Durham. It is important that people have an opportunity in the North East to study about these cultures and promote harmonious relations within these diverse communities. The removal of Religion from Newcastle will have an affect that the poorer students who are unable to afford moving away from the area and those planning on doing Post Graduate courses will be unable to study the diverse course of Religious Studies in the North East of England. Furthermore, obligatory College fees at Durham as well as the standard tuition fees increases the cost for the poorer student wishing to study.

 

Unlike Durham, Newcastle's course covers a wide range of different religions including New Religious Movements (cults) and Neo-Shamanism (New Age movement) as well as the mainstream topics such as Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Indian Philosophy, Christianity, Hebrew, Latin and Greek. The loss of such a department is the final slap in the face for Newcastle's bid to be a capital of culture, when it is unable to even offer a degree course in what is basically cultural understanding.

 

There will be no difference in paying the current staff and paying the incoming linguistic staff as far as funding is concerned. However, this is purely a financial decision by the University that sees linguistic research as generating more money than religious research. The students at the university have not been properly consulted and plans have already been made in their absence.

 

I hope that you will all be vocal in your support at preventing this loss to the North East of England and any letters being addressed to the University should be made to the Vice Chancellor.

 

Thank you