My Story: Untold Personal Stories of Faith and Spirituality

My Story is a new project launched by Faith Matters, which brings forward the untold stories of faith and spirituality within local, national, and international contexts. If the stories are separated by distance, they are bound by a unifying aim: to promote change and to promote tolerance and understanding in their communities, and in communities […]

Interfaith solidarity is a fight worth fighting

Solidarity costs nothing but can mean everything. Against the snarling packs of extremists flanking both sides of a hostile debate, the significance of maintaining a common bond with those from a different group but facing prejudice is precious. In these times, it’s sometimes all we have. Last night, an exhibition was held at the Jewish […]

Interfaith initiatives can restore our sense of community

In times of increasing polarization and inequality the search for common bonds to build that sense of solidarity and communion can be fleeting and sometimes completely abandoned. The fragmentation of society into atomised groups facilitates an environment of distrust, suspicion and resentment. The academic Matthew Goodwin intelligently articulated this in his book National Populism: The […]

Muslims join today’s Eucharist at Bethnal Green to mark French priest’s murder by Islamists

A service at St John’s on Bethnal Green was held in the wake of the murder last month of Father Jacques Hamel. One Muslim at the service, Mohammed Amin, publicly denounced Islamic extremism as “barbarity”. He said: “I am outraged by the way bloodthirsty savages like ISIS have hijacked my religion and used it to […]

Let us Not Forget That There is Much That Binds Muslims and Jews

After the national debate on Antisemitism, the Labour Party has set up a working group to stamp down on Antisemitism, which is to be warmly welcomed. Antisemitism, like other forms of hatred and prejudice, must be tackled and tackled with vigour. Yet,there is also a unique nature to Antisemitism that we should acknowledge. We also

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Azerbaijan Declares 2016, the Year of Multiculturalism

Not many people know about this nation surrounding the Caspian Sea. When some hear of Azerbaijan, they think about an exotic land and possibly about energy resources if they have kept abreast of news stories recently. Yet Azerbaijan has a deep history of tolerance towards other faiths and traditions. Many do not know that Azerbaijan […]

Hindu and Sikh villagers rebuild mosque shut since 1947

Sikh and Hindu villagers in a Malla village in Ludhiana, India helped renovate and re-open a historic mosque. The mosque had closed in 1947 due to partial building collapse. But a communal rebuilding effort led to its inauguration on February 29. Both faiths assisted with fundraising and construction. Muslims are a tiny minority in a village where 90 per cent of residents are Sikh and 9 per cent Hindu. In the past, Muslims had to travel out of the village to pray at a mosque. The Majlis Ahrar Islam Hind Party of Ludhiana had contacted Maulana Habib Ur Rehman Sani Ludhianavi to assist. Ludhianvi told the Time of India that “Even as the village has just one Muslim family, the response had been overwhelming”. Villagers arranged a communal langar during the inauguration. Ludhianavi then published photos of the event on Facebook. The villagers in Ludhiana highlight how communities work together. Iqbal Hussain, a local Muslim in the village, expressed his gratitude and the bonds of affection for other faiths in his village.

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On friendship between faiths

Dear Community, Our synagogue received three unusual Chanukkah cards last week. They each begin Dear Jewish Community, I send this message to you as a Muslim. I share with you the celebration of spiritual light that opposes the darkness of religious hatred. Each concludes ‘Your Muslim neighbour’ and carries a personal signature. The Joseph Interfaith […]

The Only Extremists We See Are the ‘Britain First’ Sympathisers Here

What would you do if a small group of Christian volunteers put up a stall, in the inimitable style of us Brits, and decided to break down barriers of understanding so that people could understand Christianity more? It’s the kind of thing that happens up and down our country with no problems. Now what if

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Launch of the Connecting Communities, Pakistan Project

The Connecting Communities project is based on the ideas of enhancing, focussing and activating the power of communities who are of Pakistani heritage, and who are citizens and permanent residents of the United Kingdom. We are all aware of the enormous skills, energy possessed by diaspora communities of Pakistani heritage, the passion that many have […]