Interfaith Maverick Podcast
A podcast series hosted by Dr Stewart Yarlett, with guests from leading institutions and alternative spaces sharing expert and informed perspectives.
Our work
Six areas shape our projects and partnerships across London.
We work with faith institutions, schools, public bodies and partners to build understanding between communities and to strengthen the institutions that serve them.
Interfaith relations
Dialogue and lasting friendships between London’s faith communities.
3 projects
Community cohesion
Bringing neighbours of different faiths and none together around shared local concerns.
4 projects
Safety
Helping places of worship and their communities feel safe and supported.
1 project
Resilience
Strong faith institutions that can respond when communities face hardship or division.
2 projects
Faith literacy
Training that helps public bodies and employers understand the faiths of the people they serve.
2 projects
Youth engagement
Giving young Londoners a voice, skills and opportunities to lead across faith lines.
3 projects
Projects
Strengthening Faith Institutions
A network of trained facilitators across England.
Freedom of Religion and Belief
A webinar series, run with NMYC, raising awareness of violations of freedom of religion or belief around the world.
COVID Community Champions
Set up with the Fayreshare Foundation so that people from faith-based communities had access to reliable information about the vaccine.
Dream it Do it Project
Delivered in June 2021 with Hasmonean High School for Girls and Al-Zahra School, which is run by the Al Khoei Foundation.
Leadership and Democracy Week
In 2018 we ran our first Democracy Week campaign, initiated by the Cabinet Office and the National Democracy Week council.
Twitter Interfaith Coding for Girls
Launched in 2015 for girls from single-faith secondary schools in London.
Cities Faith and Community Forum
A network of key interfaith organisations in major European cities, acting as a bridge between local governments and citizens.
Inclusivity in Sport
A programme with Arsenal in the Community, Kick It Out and Kooth promoting racial and religious tolerance and diverse participation in sport, launched after the online racist abuse that followed the Euro 2020 final.
Faiths Against Domestic Abuse
An awareness programme with Women’s Interfaith Network that highlights domestic abuse within faith communities and helps make sure everyone can reach culturally specific support.
Faiths for the Environment
A webinar series, “Where Nature Meets Faith”, run in the build-up to COP26 with faith and environmental partners, followed by guided walks in the Royal Parks.
Immigration Detention
A campaign with René Cassin raising awareness of the harm caused by indefinite immigration detention, and encouraging faith communities to act.
Our impact
Our projects reach thousands of people in London and across the UK, including students, teachers, faith leaders, professionals and political leaders.
We create a collaborative environment by bringing together leaders from nine different faiths. Faiths Forum for London is a multi-faith network that works with key stakeholders to improve religious institutions and oppose injustice. Representing over 200 places of worship in London, we bring together community leaders and members, working towards a world where people of all backgrounds can talk openly and build strong connections with one another.
By partnering with organisations such as the Cabinet Office, Twitter, the Football Association and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, we promote and strengthen healthy interfaith relations in the UK.
Why our work matters
We believe robust faith institutions play a key role in responding to the challenges facing UK society. With rising hate crime and community division, made worse by recent social and economic crises, we are committed to building strong, resilient communities that work together to meet these challenges and promote understanding.
Resilient and connected communities form a support network that can help with isolation and mental health, and with financial hardship during the cost-of-living crisis.
Whether it is the social unrest caused by the war in Ukraine, the economic crisis in Sri Lanka or the socio-political challenges facing Afghanistan, one thing is clear: social cohesion, globally and in our own communities, matters more than ever.
Yet hate crime, racially motivated violence and intrafaith conflict are rising. In 2021, the Home Office recorded around 124,091 hate crimes in the UK, 53% of them religiously or racially motivated: a 12% rise on the previous year.
With prejudice, violence and discrimination rising, both against and among social groups and particularly minorities, we believe faith and religion are foundations for unity, peace and reconciliation, and should be seen as a source of resolution rather than unrest. So we bring together faith leaders and members from around the country, with partners from many sectors and professions, to encourage open discussion and make communities more inclusive and welcoming.