Bradford reflects on Gandhi, Jinnah & Indo-Pak peace
News Desk
Bradford: A rare UK screening of “Gandhi and Jinnah Return Home” brought together an almost full audience at the 100-seat Pictureville Cinema at Bradford’s National Science and Media Museum on 15 August, in an event focused on Partition, interfaith dialogue and the search for peace.
The screening was organised by the QED Foundation in partnership with the National Science and Media Museum and coincided with the 70th birthday of Dr Mohammed Ali OBE, founder and Chief Executive of the QED Foundation.
Written by distinguished scholar, diplomat and interfaith advocate Dr Akbar Ahmed and directed by Manjula Kumar, the play imagines Gandhi and Jinnah returning to the contemporary world to confront the consequences of the divisions associated with their era.
The event brought together Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and Christian community leaders and activists from across the North of England.
Introducing the play, Dr Amina Hoti, a Cambridge-trained social anthropologist and advocate for interfaith dialogue, said her father, Dr Akbar Ahmed, had written the production with future generations in mind.
Across three scenes, the play explores religious intolerance, violence, minority rights and growing divisions in India and Pakistan. At its centre is a question about whether modern leaders are willing to challenge hatred and division and promote coexistence, dignity and respect.
Following the screening, Dr Ahmed and Ms Kumar joined the audience live from Washington, DC, for a discussion and question-and-answer session. Technical difficulties prevented Kumar from taking part fully, while Dr Ahmed participated in a wide-ranging exchange with the audience.
The discussion also highlighted the challenges facing efforts for reconciliation, including political structures, nationalism, vested interests and the manipulation of religious identity.
Participants nevertheless stressed the importance of continuing to pursue peace and cooperation between India and Pakistan. Several speakers noted that greater cooperation across the Indian subcontinent could unlock significant social, cultural and economic opportunities for its more than 1.5 billion people.
The discussion also highlighted the role of education, with participants suggesting that the play could be staged in schools and universities to encourage young people to engage constructively with Partition, religious diversity, minority rights and peaceful coexistence.
Dr Ali said his own experiences growing up in Britain had reinforced his belief that ordinary people can often build relationships that transcend political and religious divisions.
He reflected on growing up just nine years after Partition and on childhood friendships with people from Hindu, Sikh and Christian backgrounds.
The event also marked the longstanding work of the QED Foundation, which Dr Ali founded in Bradford in 1990. The organisation has worked to promote the social and economic advancement of ethnic minority communities and has directly supported more than 40,000 people from 26 nationalities.
The afternoon concluded with remarks from Professor Adeeba Malik CBE, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, who spoke about peace, harmony and social cohesion and praised the production.
Dr Ali said Malik’s presence was particularly significant because she had joined QED in 1992 and had spent more than three decades working in public service, equality and social cohesion.
Her appointment as Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, described as a historic milestone as the first woman of Asian heritage to hold the office of Lord-Lieutenant in the UK, was highlighted as an example of Britain’s changing civic landscape.
Dr Ali said the achievement demonstrated that integration does not require people to abandon their identities, but instead allows different histories and cultures to contribute to a shared national life.
As the audience left Pictureville Cinema, discussions continued among participants, which Dr Ali described as one of the clearest signs of the event’s success.
Reflecting on his 70th birthday, he said the occasion had prompted him to consider what his generation would leave for those who follow.
He said the past could not be changed, but people could choose whether to pass on old grievances and suspicions or work towards a more peaceful future.
“The central message I took away was simple: dialogue matters,” Dr Ali said, stressing that people do not have to agree on history in order to listen to one another or recognise their shared responsibility for the future.
He said the vision associated with Gandhi and Jinnah might appear distant in a divided world, but the principle of common humanity remained worth defending.
For Dr Ali, celebrating his 70th birthday by bringing people of different faiths and backgrounds together to reflect on Gandhi, Jinnah, Partition and peace was therefore a fitting reminder of the importance of dialogue and coexistence.
