This week is World Interfaith Harmony week (1-7th February), a seven-day long celebration of global religions that seeks to bring together and educate people of different faiths.
The Oxford dictionary defines faith as ‘complete trust or confidence in someone or something’ . Which explains why at the beginning of August, a significant number of the British population are either standing in queues or watching people standing in queues, as the X-factor auditions get underway. Followed by three months of excessive analysing of talented/untalented, lacklustre performances, with the occasional shining star (and that’s just the panel). This focus of the ‘faithful’ is discussed in offices, dinner parties and supermarkets, often heralded with ‘Did you see so and so last night?’, ‘Oh no, my favourite just got voted off’. The whole event culminates in an exasperated National sigh of… “That’s the last time I’m going to watch that…I swear!” Yet who am I to judge, when every time my football team play I nervously watch the clock and shout at the TV to sack the referee!
Why does this happen? Well, each year X factor viewers believe that’s it’s going to be better this time, just as I believe each year that my team are going to win the premier league. It is our beliefs, desires and passions that make us who we are, and as long as we are willing to understand, appreciate and learn from each other the easier it is to live side by side in a tolerate modern world. Roll on August!
Below is some information about Interfaith Harmony Week which hopefully you will find useful, whatever you are doing this week.
Statistics about Religion in the UK
The five main religions in the UK are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism, and, despite what the tabloids might have you believe, Christianity is still the most widespread. In the 2011 census, 59% of the UK population identified as Christian, while only 5% identified as Muslim and 1.5% as Hindu. In the same 2011 census, 24% of the UK population declared that they had no religion. This was a marked increase from the 2001 census (14%).
In the 2001 census 390,000 people from England & Wales declared their religion as “Jedi”. Make of that what you will!
How did Interfaith Harmony Week Start?
The project is the brainchild of King Abdullah II of Jordan, who proposed it to the United Nations in 2010. The idea behind it was to unite the three major monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) through their shared central belief in the importance of loving God and loving your neighbour.
Though inspired by these three faiths, Interfaith Week was created to incorporate people from all religions, as well as to promote the hard work of global interfaith groups.
What is an Interfaith Group?
An interfaith group is any society that works to unite people of different faiths and promote the understanding of one another’s religions. Though interfaith practices might strike you as a relatively modern invention, they’ve been around for hundreds of years. Indian Emperor Akbar the Great is one ruler who famously promoted religious tolerance. Learn more about Akbar the Great here.
Why is Interfaith Week Important?
Religious tensions and conflicts often lead to violence and oppression, and sometimes outright war. Current ongoing conflicts include the clashes between Israel and Palestine, the civil war in Syria, Darfur and the escalation of attacks by Islamic State.
In Europe and the USA, this has led to a great deal of hostility towards Muslims.
Last year, Presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested that the United States temporarily ban all Muslims from entering the country, while in the UK Muslims have been the focus of attacks – both physical and editorial – from members of the public and right-wing commentators.
Interfaith Week is one way that we can all start to combat this attitude, by reaching out to people of other faiths and making an effort to understand each other’s beliefs.
What’s on?
Everyone is welcome to get involved in Interfaith Week, click here to find what is going on near you. If you would just like to learn more about World Interfaith Harmony Week visit their website or Facebook page.
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CREW