Interfaith week brings opportunities to deepen understanding of other faiths

As part of Scotland's Interfaith Week events, the Faith Impact Forum is inviting those with an interest in interfaith relationships to attend a special webinar that will look at Islamophobia, a type of racism that targets people who are, or are perceived to be, Muslim.

Islamophobia: The Causes, The Cures and The Church is free to attend and will take place on Wednesday 16 November, 2022, from 7:30 to 8:30pm.

Key speakers from the Scottish Muslim community will help participants understand the impact of Islamophobia and what we can do to prevent it and discuss how to build stronger interfaith relationships as part of this second annual Islamophobia Awareness Month.

Rev Karen Hendry, convener of the Faith Impact Forum said listening to other people's experiences is an important way to develop our own empathy and understanding and to give support to those affected.

"Reflecting on what it means to show compassionate solidarity and empathy with our Muslim neighbours within our communities, this year's General Assembly voted in support of the adoption of the definition of Islamophobia that recognised such practice as a form of discrimination that is rooted in racism," she said.

"The Church, along with the Scottish Government, local authorities, and political parties, has chosen to listen to those experiencing this form of racism in their daily lives and then allow what we have heard to guide our learning and response.

"As someone who finds it a rare opportunity to be able to sit and listen with members of the Muslim community, to be able to understand how they see the Church playing a useful part in challenging Islamophobia, this webinar will be enormously beneficial to me and all those who attend."

Join the webinar to better understand:

• How Islamophobia is experienced, and how it impacts individuals and society
• How this definition helps Muslims name their experience and non-Muslims to recognise the problem
• What might help prevent and ultimately cure Islamophobia
• How the Church and its members might play a part in this cure

Attendees will also have the chance to ask questions anonymously or directly.

Scottish Interfaith Week

Scottish Interfaith Week will run from 13-20 November. The Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, will mark the event with a series of visits to meet representatives of other faiths. Beginning this week, he will visit:

• Central Gurdwara in Glasgow, hosted by Ravinder Nijjar as Sikhs celebrate the birth of the founder of their religion Guru Nanak
• Glasgow Central Mosque to meet with leaders and members of the community
• Samye Ling Buddhist monastery to meet Abbot, Lama Yeshe Rinpoche and Deputy Abbot, Lama Katen
• Giffnock Synagogue to meet Rabbi Rubin
• Hindu Mandir with Most Revd Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church and Rt. Rev. Brian McGee, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles, to meet Madhu Jain and other representatives from the Glasgow Hindu community.

Scotland's only interfaith festival offers a unique opportunity to explore how faith and belief impact our communities and to build connection, resilience and joy. The theme for Scottish Interfaith Week 2022 is 'storytelling' which allows us to step into each other's worlds for a moment – through a poem, a song or a photograph. Stories enable us to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes and start important conversations.

Find out more about Scottish Interfaith Week.