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Local Inter Faith Activity in the UK: a Survey Published in October 2003 by the Inter Faith Network for the UK 8A Lower Grosvenor Place London SW1W OEN

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Local Inter Faith Activity in the UK: a Survey Published in October 2003 by the Inter Faith Network for the UK 8A Lower Grosvenor Place London SW1W OEN Local Inter Faith Activity in the UK: A Survey Published in October 2003 by the Inter Faith Network for the UK 8A Lower Grosvenor Place London SW1W OEN Registered charity no. 1068934 Company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 3443823 © Copyright the Inter Faith Network for the UK ISBN: 1 902906 11 X Enquiries concerning reproduction of any part of this publication should be sent to the Inter Faith Network at the address above. Typeset by Tattersall, Hammarling and Silk, London Printed by Newman Thomson Ltd, Burgess Hill Local Inter Faith Activity in the UK: A Survey Foreword From the time it was founded in 1987, the Inter Faith Network for the UK has seen the encouragement and development of effective broadly based local inter faith activity as vital for strengthening mutual respect, understanding and cooperation between different faith communities. In the last few years local inter faith initiatives have been launched in increasing numbers and are becoming involved in a growing range of activities, many in partnership with local authorities and other public bodies. The project carried out this year by the Network to survey the pattern of local inter faith activity across the UK is therefore a most timely one. The Network is grateful for the grant from the Community Cohesion budget at the Home Office which has made this project possible. This report is one of the fruits of the project. Another is the recently published short good practice booklet: Partnership for the Common Good: Inter Faith Structures and Local Government. A detailed listing by area of local inter faith councils and regional inter faith structures and groups is under preparation. We hope that this material will be a useful resource for all those engaged in helping to develop and strengthen local inter faith work The final paragraphs of the Introduction record the gratitude of the Network for the co-operation and help received in the course of the project from many individuals and organisations. We should like to add our particular thanks to Dr Harriet Crabtree, the Network’s Deputy Director, who has carried out, with considerable personal commitment, the research for the project and the writing of this report. Rt Rev Dr Tom Butler Mrs Rosalind Preston OBE Co-Chairs, Inter Faith Network for the UK Local Inter Faith Activity in the UK: A Survey I II Local Inter Faith Activity in the UK: A Survey Contents Foreword i Contents iii Key points vi 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Background 1 1.2. Aims, management and methodology 2 1.2.1. Aims of the project 2 1.2.2. Project management and resources 2 1.2.3. Fact finding methods and response levels 3 1.3. Research priorities and report scope 4 1.4. The role of this report 5 1.5. Acknowledgements 5 2. A time of rapid change 7 2.1 The increasing level of inter faith activity in the UK 7 2.2 Factors contributing to this growth of inter faith activity 8 2.2.1 Increasing religious diversity of the UK 8 2.2.2 Impact of the work of faith organisations 8 2.2.3 Impact of the work of inter faith organisations 9 2.2.4 Increasing Government interest in faith and inter faith issues 10 2.2.5 Impact of high profile examples of inter faith cooperation and inclusion 10 2.2.6 Overseas events 12 2.3 A difficult climate for dialogue 13 2.4 Progress and optimism about the future 14 3. Local inter faith groups and councils 16 3.1. The importance of local inter faith groups and councils 16 3.2. Who responded? 16 3.3. What is the pattern of involvement? 17 3.3.1 Size of inter faith groups and councils 17 3.3.2 Which faiths are involved? 18 3.3.3 “Representativeness” 19 3.4. Aims and names 22 3.5. What are inter faith groups and councils doing? 26 3.6. Making the work known 26 3.7. Resources 28 3.7.1 Financial resources 28 3.7.2 Other resources 34 3.7.3 Offices 34 3.7.4 Staffing 35 3.8. Management structures 36 3.9. Meetings of faith leaders 37 Local Inter Faith Activity in the UK: A Survey III 3.10. Successful working 38 3.10.1 Successful projects and events 38 3.10.2 Joint working 38 3.10.3 Successful patterns of activity 38 Annex: Successful events and projects 40 4. Inter faith dialogues and projects 51 4.1 Hospitals, prisons and institutions of higher education 51 4.2 Joint working on particular issues 52 4.3 Police 53 4.4 Work with asylum seekers and refugees 53 4.5 Inter faith charity fund raising and volunteering 54 4.6 Schools 54 4.7 Youth groups and special youth projects 56 4.8 Other educational projects and resources 58 4.9 Inter faith events and special occasions 60 4.10 Bilateral and trilateral inter faith dialogues 61 4.11 Special focus inter faith dialogues and activities 63 4.12 Initiatives run through particular programmes 64 4.13 Initiatives involving places of worship of different faiths. 65 4.14 Christian denominational inter faith work 67 4.15 Christian ecumenical inter faith work 70 5. Local authorities and inter faith relations 73 5.1 Taking seriously the involvement of faith 73 5.2 Pattern of response 75 5.3 Awareness levels of inter faith work 76 5.4 Financial support for local inter faith groups and councils 78 5.5 Other types of resourcing 80 5.6 Representativeness and consultability 80 5.7 Alternative consultable forums? 82 5.8 Creating new inter faith and multi faith networks and forums: the impact of Local Strategic Partnerships, Community Empowerment Networks and Community Strategies 83 5.9 Multi faith meetings, forums and partnerships linked to local authorities 89 5.10 An abundance of riches 91 5.11 Community Cohesion 91 5.12 Local authorities in Scotland 92 5.13 Good practice in partnership working on inter faith issues 93 Annex: Partnership working: some good practice examples 95 6. Inter faith working at regional level in England 99 7. Capacity, resources and differing agendas: some challenges in partnership working 103 7.1 Consultation capacity 103 7.2 Programme capacity 104 7.3 Funding dilemmas 105 IV Local Inter Faith Activity in the UK: A Survey 7.4 Local inter faith bodies and local government: complementary or competing agendas? 106 7.5 Making the case for inter faith structures: a shared agenda 107 8. Looking ahead: suggestions for future action 109 8.1 Local inter faith groups and councils 109 8.2 Local authorities 110 8.3 Community Empowerment Networks and Local Strategic Partnerships 111 8.4 Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education and schools 111 8.5 Central Government and devolved administrations 111 8.6 National faith and inter faith organisations 112 8.7 Future work of the Inter Faith Network 112 Appendices 113 1. Questionnaires 113 A. Questionnaire to local inter faith groups and councils 113 B. Questionnaire to local authorities 120 C. Sample question sheet for faith community contacts 124 2. Responding local inter faith groups and councils and local authorities 127 A. Responding local inter faith groups and councils 127 B. Responding local authorities 128 3. Table of response rates 131 4. Census Data 132 A. Census 2001 religion statistics 132 B. Census 2001 religion statistics by local authority (England and Wales) 133 5. Some legislative and regulatory factors contributing to increased local inter faith activity 140 6. Inter faith bodies for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales 144 A. Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum 144 B. Scottish Inter Faith Council 145 C. Inter Faith Council for Wales 147 7. National inter faith organisations with local branches and groups 148 A. Council of Christians and Jews 148 B. Maimonides Foundation 150 C. Three Faiths Forum 151 D. United Religions Initiative (UK) 152 8. Inter Faith Network’s partners in the Mapping Project 153 A. Home Office 153 B. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 153 C. Local Government Association 153 9. Inter Faith Network for the UK 154 Network member bodies 155 Works Cited 156 Local Inter Faith Activity in the UK: A Survey V Key Points Scope of the survey 1. The project surveyed local inter faith activity in the UK during March to July 2003. It gathered information about all forms of local inter faith activity, with a particular focus on inter faith and multi faith groups, councils, forums and networks involving all the key faiths in their respective areas. 2. The project also gathered information about how local authorities in England and Wales (and those with multi faith populations in Scotland) are responding to faith and inter faith issues. Increasing significance of work to build good inter faith relations 3. The UK is now one of the most religiously diverse areas of Europe in terms of the number of different faiths with substantial communities here. Relations between people of different faiths are therefore of increasing importance. In the last five years, there has been a very rapid increase in local inter faith activity in the UK. 4. Factors which are contributing to this high level of local inter faith activity include: the increasing religious diversity of the UK; the inter faith work of faith communities and inter faith organisations; increasing interest on the part of the UK Government, the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, representative bodies in Northern Ireland and local authorities; the example and encouragement offered by high profile examples of inter faith cooperation and inclusion; and the impact of social factors in the UK and of overseas events (particularly, the events of 11 September 2001 and military action in Afghanistan and war in Iraq).
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