A Church of England bishop has joined millions of Christians around the world by 'giving up' something he likes for Lent. But Dr Alan Smithson, Bishop of Jarrow, has made an unusual choice for his Lenten sacrifice - he has given up reading the Bible and has taken up the holy Muslim book, the Koran, instead.

"If only all Christians would take seriously the beliefs of other traditions and religions, we would be all the better for it," Bishop Smithson told reporters. "I am passionately concerned that we help the Church to move into a wider scene where we are not just preoccupied with Christian issues, but understand other faiths, not as rivals, but as fellow travellers. The Western world needs to learn from Islam. There are qualities of holiness and commitment that the faithful Muslim shows that the Western world can learn from."

Dr Smithson told The Times newspaper in London that, apart from reading St John's Gospel, traditionally read by many Christians during the 40 days of Lent, he would not study the Bible until Easter. He normally spends up to two hours a day studying the Bible, but will read 20 pages of the Koran a day instead. He said he had never read the Koran before and wanted to approach it with an open mind. After a 'good expedition' through the Koran, he would look forward to getting back to the Bible at Easter.