The attack on two mosques in New Zealand last Friday, with the murders of 50 innocent men, women and children reminds us once again of the growing violence against people of different cultures and religions.

In this case it seems to have been by a man with a warped white supremacist outlook against a small, peaceful Muslim community.

But we have seen extremism from evil groups like Daesh (ISIS) who seem to hate everyone other than themselves.

This is no time to compare the number of murders of Muslims and Christians: for we know such groups are under threat across the world.

Let us agree to call them “our neighbours”.

Jews, Muslims and Christians will accept that all people are created in God’s image and likeness.

This alone should carry with it the understanding that murder of anyone is itself blasphemy against God.

We know antisemitism and Islamophobia exist within our communities here in the UK.

The main political parties have to face this down. We know that groups like the English Defence League, Britain First and those who follow ‘Tommy Robinson’ (aka Steven Yaxley-Lennon) feed on our fear and anxieties.

In Robinson’s case we should remember that he has a long list of criminal convictions, which should make us think about the motives of UKIP in choosing to be associated with him.

Do we really want someone who has shown himself to be a man of violence, a fraudster and (ironically) an illegal immigrant involved in our country’s politics?

He and his like are dangerous.

During my career I have had the honour and privilege to work alongside people of many different faiths and none.

I have rarely found this problematic as I enjoy the stories we all have about our lives.

I enjoy sampling new foods and joining in with unfamiliar traditions. These things are to me exciting adventures.

I admit that I find those who wrap themselves in the union flag and claim superiority because they are white and British rather daft.

They forget ‘we Brits’ are a mixture of cultures and traditions.

Take a DNA test and you will find you have the blood of many ethnic groups running through your veins – Celtic, Italian, German, Norse, Norman French, Slavic, African and Asian.

It is all there, splashing around like some exotic soup.

We talk about “British culture,” forgetting that there is no set British culture.

Our genetic inheritance is a hodgepodge and our culture a potpourri.

This should not be a cause of fear or anxiety but of celebration.

May this realisation help us to reach out to the stranger as a fellow pilgrim, be he black, brown or caucasian; Christian, Muslim or Sikh; lesbian, gay or straight.

We all have a place in the ever-shrinking world we call home.

– Mark Parry, Coleford.