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Prejudice the enemy

IF northern towns have a fair knowledge of racial strife, the Oxford and Cambridge of sectarianism is certainly Northern Ireland.
And that's where newsagent Wajid Khan and 40 teenagers from Lancashire school headed for lessons about how to overcome prejudice and live together.
For his initiative 25-year-old Wajid, who runs The Walk News in Rochdale, has received a national award for community spirit.
The youngsters, from different backgrounds, headed for Corrymeela in North Ireland to meet community members who told them how they free themselves from the nightmare of Protestant v Catholic strife.
Said Wajid: "The whole idea was to bring diverse people together.
"We took children from very polarised backgrounds. For some of them it was the first time they had ever come across people of different cultures.
"It was a very positive experience for all of us and some of the youngsters have come back to work with local MPs and community groups to promote interaction and understanding between people." The trip included a walk round Derry's peace walls and a visit to the Bloody Sunday museum in the city which commemorates the gunning down of several peace demonstrators by the Parachute Regiment.