Sir – In two of your recent editions you have included an item about Imam Dr Taj Hargey’s invitation to “Christians from across Oxford . . . to break bread with the city’s Muslim community”.

My own invitation to the event [also from Dr Hargey], was headed “Friday Prayers and Christmas Lunch”. Your readers may be surprised that Dr Hargey regularly extends his ‘interfaith’ invitations to ‘people without faith’ like me. To my certain knowledge we have quite often accepted and particularly when this gives us the opportunity to progress matters of common interest. But after deeper consideration than usual, I came to the conclusion that the main focus of the above event would probably be the combined importance of ‘prayer and Jesus’ to both Christians and Muslims. And, while we humanists respect the many features common to both religions, we cannot forget that some of their core beliefs are largely irrelevant to people, like us, who live their lives without reference to any supernatural entity. This being so, I felt that my participation might be quite confusing to many of those who had accepted the invitation and indeed, to me. So I declined. In 2014, Oxford Humanists (and our many supporters) will again look forward to joining Oxford’s midsummer Friendship Walk and autumnal Remembrance Sunday and the former certainly encourages people of many different faiths and none to talk to each other while walking leisurely from the Jewish synagogue to the central mosque, via the University Church of St Mary the Virgin. And, on behalf of our 100-plus members, I offer our sincere best wishes to all your readers for a happy and prosperous 2014.

John D White, Chairman, Oxford Humanists