BBC Two and iPlayer’s annual Easter Pilgrimage is again for an eighth sequence as seven personalities of various faiths and beliefs set off throughout the wild landscapes of North East England. In Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island, the group comply with a 390km community of trails, which have fun early Celtic Christian saints whereas exploring their very own beliefs and studying extra about one another alongside the way in which
Taking half on this distinctive journey are Ashley Banjo, practising Christian and chief of dance troupe Diversity; Hermione Norris, Spooks and Cold Feet actor, who believes the divine will be present in all residing issues; Tasha Ghouri, TV persona and atheist; Hasan Al-Habib, humorist and observant Muslim; Jayne Middlemiss, radio presenter, who self-describes as religious; Ashley Blaker, comic, beforehand ultra-Orthodox and now a non-practising Jew; and Patsy Kensit, actor and self-proclaimed “à la carte” Catholic.
Watch Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island on iPlayer from 5 April.
Interview with Hasan Al-Habib
What had been you anticipating to find on the pilgrimage?
I needed to get an understanding of what religion means to the opposite folks, notably folks of various non secular convictions, or of no non secular conviction in any respect. I needed to know how folks with no specific faith function on a day-to-day foundation on the subject of ethics and morality. And I additionally needed to study extra in regards to the origins of Christianity on this nation, as a result of regardless of rising up right here I can not actually profess to have a lot data of that, actually the origins at the least.
Do you are feeling such as you acquired that from the expertise?
Yeah, undoubtedly. The factor that all the time sticks in my head is that almost each morning, Ashley Banjo would take time to learn the Bible and have interaction with the origin textual content of his faith. And I keep in mind considering, God, that is one thing I do not ever do. I ought to do this with the Quran. I ought to interact with it each day. I may see the impact that routine had on him. He’s a really calm man, and I’m wondering if that each day observe of reminding your self of who you’re on this world, what your function is, and the way you consider you must dwell contributed to that. I actually felt like I’d learnt one thing from somebody of a unique faith to me. And it simply so occurs to be the lead of a dance group referred to as Diversity.
There had been fairly a couple of folks on the journey who both did not consider in a God or weren’t positive about their religion. Did you’ve gotten any attention-grabbing conversations? Did anybody discover one thing new, or did you discover one thing new your self?
Every single day. That was one of many nice issues about that present. I keep in mind Tasha telling me about her expertise rising up as a deaf girl in a household the place she was the one deaf individual, and the concept of reconciling religion and God with the existence of struggling. Why does struggling exist? That was actually illuminating to me as an able-bodied individual interested by how incapacity intersects with religion and faith. I had a great deal of conversations with Jayne and Hermione about spirituality and the variations and similarities between that and extra formalised religions like Christianity, Islam or Judaism.
And then in fact there was Ashley Blaker and his relationship with Judaism and the way that has modified over time, the dynamism of faith and religion. Every day was a studying day. You had been surrounded by folks of various views and backgrounds, and crucially, that was all the function of the journey, to speak about these things that we regularly haven’t got time to debate in our regular lives.
Were there any conversations that basically stood out? Anything that stunned or stayed with you?
The dialog with Tasha is basically fastened in my reminiscence, speaking about incapacity and religion, and the way you reconcile the 2, and the broader query of why struggling exists if there’s a God. That one actually caught with me. I additionally keep in mind conversations with Ashley Blaker about his dynamic relationship with religion and his views on the completely different sects inside Judaism.
I really did not know that a lot about Judaism, though a few of my closest pals are Jewish. And one of many first issues I discovered was that, similar to in Islam, there are completely different sects with completely different beliefs. Hearing Ashley Blaker discuss his relationship with religion over time was fascinating. He’s such an eloquent, thought of individual. It was actually nice to listen to what he thought on all of those matters.
It’s fantastic to see you share a little bit of your tradition with Tasha and Ashley Banjo, notably going to the Islamic prayer room. How was that have for you?
Really good. What was particularly beautiful was the dialog the night earlier than, over dinner, about who was going to return with me. Only two folks had been going to hitch whereas everybody else did one thing completely different. What was so good was that mainly everybody needed to return. As a Muslim rising up on this nation, you form of develop this default assumption that folks don’t love your faith, or do not such as you because of it. So when instantly you are in a scenario the place everyone seems to be saying, I’d like to study extra about your faith, that is such an exquisite feeling.
Particularly with Ashley and Tasha, as a result of we might all acquired on so effectively on the journey. Even although I hadn’t identified them that lengthy by that time, when somebody expresses real curiosity in your faith and needs to study extra, it is nearly like one other stage of friendship. It’s part of your life you would not usually share with pals in that manner. It felt very, very particular. It’s one of the crucial treasured reminiscences I take from the entire expertise.
How did you discover going to the Reform synagogue? Had you ever been to a synagogue earlier than?
I do not assume I had, no. It was fantastic. The folks there had wonderful tales. One of them instructed us about how her mother and father had come to the UK fleeing non secular persecution, which was actually stunning to listen to. And then listening to how, because of this, she felt a accountability and obligation to work with refugees within the current day, that was actually shifting. As effectively as simply studying about Reform Judaism, what a synagogue seems to be like, what occurs inside one, and the sense of neighborhood that they had there within the North East.
In Islam, we check with Christians and Jews as Ahl al-Kitab, People of the Book, as a result of the Bible and the Torah are thought of revelations from God in Islam too. Seeing these similarities between the Abrahamic faiths was really a theme that ran all through the entire pilgrimage.
How was it praying within the synagogue?
It was very nice that they let me do this. The crew had acquired fairly used to me by then. I keep in mind the primary time I requested to wish on the present, they mentioned, if you cannot ask to wish on this present, you may’t ask to wish wherever. So when the time got here on the synagogue, I requested, and so they mentioned sure in fact.
I’ve all the time had that form of openness round me. At college, the chaplain of my faculty chapel was all the time blissful to let me pray there when there wasn’t a devoted prayer room. Growing up, my dad had prayed in church buildings too. This is a constructing constructed for the worship of God. Why would not you pray in there? It simply made sense.
How was did you discover the strolling?
The difficult half was the climate at occasions. The rain could possibly be fairly intense. But the strolling itself was actually pleasing, particularly whenever you’re doing it with folks whose firm you genuinely get pleasure from. It made it both far more tolerable or far more pleasing, relying on the situations. I by no means hike. I’m from Birmingham and dwell in London, so it is not one thing I’d completed earlier than, and actually have not completed since. But you additionally get the advantage of connecting with nature, which I feel is such an efficient conduit for spirituality for lots of people. It was very nice to expertise that.
Did you do something to arrange beforehand?
I purchased the garments, the climbing boots, the coat, the fleece, which was mandatory. But past that, no actual preparation. I’m comparatively younger and able-bodied, so the bodily facet of it was fantastic.
What was your favorite panorama or landmark that you just visited?
I’m tempted to say Holy Island, the place we ended up, simply due to the stroll to get there. When the tide got here out and we walked throughout that stretch of land that had simply been coated with water, that felt actually particular. And then listening to in regards to the significance of the island, the truth that it was the vacation spot we might been strolling in the direction of all the time. Durham Cathedral was actually lovely too. We noticed fort ruins, huge open inexperienced areas, shoreline that was completely gorgeous. I keep in mind seeing dolphins a few occasions, which I had no thought had been even in UK waters. Like I mentioned, every single day was a studying day.
Did you are feeling any religious connection to any of the landmarks?
Durham Cathedral, I feel, simply due to the historical past, how outdated it’s and the folks buried there. It additionally had essentially the most guests of wherever we went, folks from everywhere in the world simply coming to see it. And I keep in mind Jayne being from that a part of the nation and having visited Durham Cathedral as a baby, so seeing that private connection she needed to it made it stick within the reminiscence much more.
Did collaborating within the sequence make you are feeling extra comfy talking about your faith on a deeper stage?
I feel I’d all the time been comfy doing that, relying on who I’m chatting with. If somebody comes with an open thoughts and genuinely desires to know, then sure. I grew up in a really small village about half an hour outdoors of Birmingham. I used to be the one Muslim and the one Arab in my college. I used to be very used to always having to elucidate why I can not eat sure issues, why I have to do sure issues. So I’d grown up having the ability to have these conversations.
If something, what was completely different on this present was that I wasn’t explaining issues out of circumstance. I used to be explaining as a result of folks had been genuinely . That’s a a lot nicer feeling. It additionally works the opposite manner: when folks ask you questions, it interrogates your personal data and exposes the gaps. I attempted to watch out on the present to say, simply because I’m saying this doesn’t suggest it is 100% correct. I might by no means declare to be an knowledgeable on Islam. But whenever you realise there are issues you do not know, it makes you need to discover the solutions.
What would you like viewers to take from watching the sequence, and from watching you specifically?
I feel my desired final result from any dialog with anybody is for folks to assume, you realize what, these Muslims aren’t so dangerous in spite of everything. If I’ve achieved that, I’ve completed an important job. I do gigs all throughout the nation the place I’m undoubtedly the one Muslim within the room, and I’d effectively be the one Muslim these folks have ever met. I keep in mind somebody from my madrasa, madrasa being the Arabic phrase for college, saying now we have a accountability to be avenue Muslims, or to be cool Muslims, since you need folks to get a way that Muslims are regular, good folks, given how a lot info there may be within the media on the contrary.
If folks come away considering, oh, that is attention-grabbing, I did not know that about Islam, and even simply begin a dialog with their Muslim colleague and study a bit extra about them and their religion then that will be wonderful.
What had been your feelings in these remaining moments whenever you reached Lindisfarne?
Partly a way of disappointment that the journey was coming to an finish. But additionally, an actual sense of accomplishment. Throughout the journey we might been attempting to reflect historical past, to reflect the pilgrimage that folks had taken to this island. And in that remaining second I felt the closest connection to what these precise pilgrims had completed. We’d acquired there, to the tip. It’s such a stupendous place. I keep in mind chatting with the individual in control of the chapel devoted to St Cuthbert, and it simply felt like an actual sense of completion. Like, sure, I get it now.
There is one thing about this place that’s simply divine. The manner the early morning gentle mirrored off the sands as we walked throughout to the island is gorgeous. I keep in mind Ashley Banjo saying, “guys, this is crazy.” You simply understood in that second why folks would journey thus far to return right here.
Would you do one other pilgrimage? Have you completed the pilgrimage to Mecca?
I’ve been to Mecca. When I used to be very younger, I went with my mother and father once they did Umrah, which is a non-mandatory pilgrimage you are able to do outdoors of the Hajj season. So, I’ve been there and I’ve seen the Kaaba, however I have not but completed Hajj itself. As a Muslim, it’s important to do Hajj if you happen to’re financially and bodily in a position, at the least as soon as in your lifetime. It’s within the plan, for positive. And following this pilgrimage, that want has solely grown stronger. I feel Hajj goes to hit one thing completely different after I do it, insha’Allah.
Interview/image equipped by BBC
