Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum
Discussion - Rabbi David Singer and Sheikh Anwar Mady
A discussion between Rabbi David Singer and Sheikh Anwar Mady, facilitated by Mr Peter Osborne will take place on:
Thursday 1st February
7:30pm - 9:30pm
29 Notting Hill
Belfast. BT9 5NS
Sheikh Anwar has been living in Belfast with his family for about 20 years and Rabbi Singer has been here since March 2014. In the four years that they have both been in Belfast they have built a positive relationship at a time when religious intolerance has been on the increase.
This meeting provides an opportunity to hear both Sheikh Anwar and Rabbi Singer reflect on their experiences of Belfast and the contribution that interfaith dialogue has made to their lives. The meeting will be chaired by Mr Peter Osborne chairman of the Community Relations Council.
The evening is being generously hosted by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs at their offices in Belfast: 29 Notting Hill (off the Malone Road), Belfast. BT9 5NS
The meeting is open to members of the Interfaith Forum and their friends.
To register please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Parking at the venue is very limited, please take care not to restrict the access of other residents in Notting Hill. If you need close access to the venue for reasons of disability please let us know so it can be arranged in advance
FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF IN EUROPE – CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF IN EUROPE – CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Speaker: Dr. Kishan Manocha - Senior Adviser on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
Venue: Stranmillis University College (Room 5, Central Building 1st floor), Stranmillis Road, Belfast
Date: Thursday 16th November
Time: 18:00 for refreshments and 18:30 for talk. NB THIS IS A CORRECTION TO THE TIME GIVEN PREVIOUSLY
Light refreshments available at start of meeting.
For catering purposes, please advise us if you are planning to attend!
Dr Kishan Manocha has been Senior Adviser on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights since May 2015. Prior to that, he served as Director of the Office of Public Affairs of the Bahá’í community of the United Kingdom. In October 2016, Dr Manocha was appointed to the Inter Faith Advisory Committee to the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. He is also a member of the Steering Committee of the newly-established International Platform on Religion, Peace and Security.
Connecting with the Enemy
Connecting with the Enemy: A Century of joint Palestinian-Israeli Nonviolence
The NI Inter-Faith Forum has been asked to notify its members about an event that is being hosted later this month by the Corrymeela Community.
Dr. Sheila Katz, Professor of Middle East History and Contemplative Studies in the multi-disciplinary Liberal Arts Department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, will be presenting her work in relation to Palestinian/Israeli relationships, based on her book Connecting with the Enemy".
For further information please see our events page or the Corrymeela website.
Thursday 27 April 2017: 10.30–12.30 in the Davey Village Corrymeela, 5 Drumaroan Rd, Ballycastle BT54 6QU.
Friday 28 April 2017: 3.30–5.00 at Corrymeela Belfast Office, 83 University St, Belfast BT7 1HP
To book for either of these events email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 028 9050 8080.
A donation will be taken at these events.
Norman Richardson
(Membership Secretary, NI Inter-Faith Forum)
A Statement from the Executive Committee
PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE FROM MINORITY FAITH AND ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS
A statement by the Executive Committee of the Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum
The Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum, in keeping with other interfaith movements around the world, exists in order to encourage understanding and mutual respect between persons and groups from different religion and belief backgrounds. We have been concerned at recent statements made via the media which display negative and unsympathetic attitudes towards members of minority faith communities and challenge their rights as citizens in this society. We recognise that this is in part due to ignorance and limited educational opportunities to learn about our culturally diverse society, but we also acknowledge with deep regret the influence of international events that appear to promote exclusive forms of nationalism. At their worst these influences often result in racist and sectarian smears and sometimes in criminal activity such as attacks on mosques or synagogues or graveyards, or on people’s homes.
We believe in a shared and intercultural society in which members of all ethnicities, and of all faiths or none, can take part in their own community activities without fear of discrimination or attack and thereby more confidently share between communities.
We would strongly encourage people from all backgrounds to visit less familiar places of worship, and to this end we commend initiatives such as the Mosque Open Day at the Belfast Islamic Centre and similar shared events at which members of different faiths can communicate, ask questions and learn together about each other. Interfaith meetings, such as those organised by the Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum, the Council for Christians and Jews, Interfaith North-West and similar organisations are also excellent opportunities for cross-cultural learning.
This week (February 1st-7th) is the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week. It would be an excellent time to begin the journey of interfaith encounter and to make a positive statement to counter the negative and discriminatory voices that too often dominate public life.
6th February 2017
Harmony and Healing
Tuesday 7th February 2017 at 7.30 pm at Grosvenor Hall, Glengall Street, Belfast.
A public meeting of the NI Inter-Faith Forum in association with the Four Corners Festival 2017.
This will be an evening of interfaith encounter and celebration, focusing on music from several faith communities. The Four Corners Festival (which this year has the theme of "Our Wounded and Wonderful City") coincides with the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week.
Can musical harmony give us any clues as to the ways we can develop greater harmony in our interfaith relationships?
Please come and invite others too!
