Good leaders stand up against those who seek to divide us

Just a month ago representatives of the whole Cornish community – Christians, Jews, Agnostics, Humanists and others – stood with our Islamic brothers and sisters in peace and solidarity against intolerance and hate. This was following the shocking murder of hundreds of worshipping muslims in New Zealand by a right-wing extremist.

And so it is again that we shall all stand together against the intolerance and hatred behind the allegedly jihadist inspired killing of over 350 Christians and others in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Hate-inspired extremists want to provoke a reaction, to divide people, to achieve infamy and to promote their warped view of the world. Our communities must lock arms and stand together. Assure all of those who may not share each other’s faith that we respect each other. We need more cross-community celebrations. Like the one I was humbled to be asked to support just a month ago in Cornwall’s Islamic Centre.

As the late Jo Cox famously said, “there is more that unites us than divides us”.