FIRTH: Last night you allowed public Islamic prayers in Manchester Cathedral. It was utterly inappropriate and was a slap in the face to Jesus, to Christians here, and to Christians around the world who are persecuted by Islam. Please repent and make a public apology.

DEAN ROGERS GOVENDER: Your seeming demand for an apology is interesting. Please be aware that all communities gather in the Cathedral for inter-faith events. Prayers for the Iftar last evening were held in Cathedral Gardens, followed by the breaking of their fast in the Cathedral afterwards. No inappropriate Islamic prayers were held in the Cathedral. I suggest you visit the local mosque in your parish and build friendships. The call to prayer is a proclamation of the Muslim faith which should have been said in Cathedral Gardens. I apologized that this took place in the cathedral. I humbly apologize for not acknowledging this to you.

FIRTH: I made no demand, but thank you for your apology nonetheless. It's presumptuous of you to assume that you have any insight at all into my connections with local Muslims. I encourage you to understand that friendship and hospitality does not require un-Christian public prayer in consecrated spaces.

FIRTH continued... If, as you claimed in response to my complaint, no inappropriate Islamic prayers happened in the cathedral, how come you have now apologized for such prayers taking place in the cathedral? Do you not now need to correct the record with me and apologize for your misleading response?

The CHURCH TIMES reported that the Chapter of Manchester Cathedral did apologize for allowing the Muslim call to prayer to be made in the cathedral at an interfaith event last week.

The Open Iftar event on Wednesday of last week was organized by the Ramadan Tent Project, a Muslim charity. An Iftar is the meal that breaks the day's Ramadan fast.

After speeches by faith and civic leaders, the call to prayer, known as the adhan, was recited in the nave, before prayers were held in the adjacent public Cathedral Gardens. Those who attended the prayers then returned to the cathedral for a shared meal.

C of E guidance for churches and cathedrals hosting an Iftar says that the adhan "should happen in the room allocated for prayer, rather than a consecrated space".

On Monday, a Manchester Cathedral spokesman said: "We understand that our commitment to Inter-Faith work does have its limits -- hence the arrangement for Ramadan prayers to be held outside in the public square and not in the Cathedral.

"In hindsight, we acknowledge the call to prayer should also have been issued outside the Cathedral and in future we will be mindful to offer our hospitality in a way that does not interfere with the integrity of Manchester Cathedral. We apologize for this oversight. We will ensure that any call to prayer is not offered in the Cathedral at any such events in future."

The spokesman continued: "The Dean and Chapter work hard to ensure Manchester Cathedral is a welcoming place for the entire community and for those of all faiths and none. The house of God is open to all and we offer hospitality for all communities so that we can make connections, build bridges and build friendships.

"This is an intrinsic aspect of community cohesion that we support as a way of building friendships between different faiths and cultures in our society. May we continue to support one another in our different faith communities to build peace and cohesion in our communities."

On Tuesday, an imam connected with Baitul Futuh Mosque in south London, Sabah Ahmedi, said that such events were "important to create a safe space for conversation and dialogue, but also to allow people to see how the other person practices what they believe is important to them."

Mr Ahmedi, who goes by the moniker "The Young Muslim" on social media, said that he enjoyed inviting people of all faiths, and none, to visit his mosque to experience the breaking of the fast. Such interactions, he said, "really build bridges of understanding, and of community and union".

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