Interfaith Glasgow

A statement from Interfaith Glasgow's Trustees on recent events in Israel and Gaza:

Interfaith Glasgow’s CEO, Rose Drew, attended the Scottish Government’s inaugural Faith and Belief Conference today, at which the First Minister emphasised his commitment to working with faith and belief communities; and the Minister for Equalities said the Scottish Government had never been more committed to tackling hate and prejudice, explaining that this means, among other things, a focus on interfaith dialogue and strengthening community cohesion across Scotland. Music to our ears! Acknowledging the huge strain placed on interfaith relations by events in the Middle East, Rose spoke on the topic of difficult dialogues, calling for brave spaces where thorny issues can be tackled—where we can ask difficult questions of each other and be willing to listen to the answers—so that we can really understand where others are coming from and learn to live well with principled differences of opinion about issues that affect us deeply. She also spoke about the ways Interfaith Glasgow has been involved in this work—about our Brave Spaces learning resource (see https://lnkd.in/eHc9SiSj ), our recent Courageous Conversations dialogues - in partnership with Interfaith Scotland, and our Interfaith Restorative Justice Project (in partnership with The Faith and Belief Forum and Why Me?) which enters an exciting new phase next week, with the residential training of our interfaith team of Volunteer Restorative Justice Community Facilitators.

Wishing all of our Hindu and Jain friends a happy Diwali and all of our Sikh friends a happy Bandi Chhor Divas! Diwali, for the Hindu and Jain community, is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. Houses are decorated with small, colourful diya lamps placed at boundaries and entrances (you'll have the chance to decorate your own if you come along to our Interfaith Family Fun Day on 17th November!) Sikhs also celebrate Diwali - or Bandi Chhor Divas - since Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru, was released from Gwalior prison on this day. The Golden Temple in Amritsar is illuminated and firework displays take place there.

Courageous Conversations:   Nurturing Community Relations in Light of the Middle East    We recently held the final meeting in this series of carefully facilitated dialogues with Jews, Muslims, and Christians - in recognition of the alarming rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia and the great strain placed on interfaith relations by the devastating events in the Middle East.    Over the past year, Interfaith Glasgow and Interfaith Scotland have been working in partnership to provide a space where board members and close supporters can share honestly about these issues which are deeply impacting our communities.     At the final dialogue, participants reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening community relations through these most difficult of times. They explored together ways to do this in the current context, emphasising the need for more facilitated dialogues where people can express themselves with integrity and listen to each other respectfully.    Crucially, after five deeply challenging sessions together, they reaffirmed their conviction that it is important and beneficial to listen to people with whom one disagrees, and to remember our common humanity.    Interfaith Glasgow and Interfaith Scotland will now continue to review the group’s feedback while we consider our next steps, acknowledging the need to move forward tentatively and with sensitivity to the deep impact of this ongoing and devastating conflict. 

Last month we had the absolute joy of welcoming a hugely talented group of performers to Interfaith Glasgow’s Sounds of the City concert at St Andrew’s West.   Thanks to the generosity of our performers, to all who supported the event, and to all the lovely folks who came along, not only did we all leave with a warm glow that evening, but we also raised nearly £3000 (inc. estimated gift aid) towards Interfaith Glasgow’s vital work bringing diverse communities together in challenging times! What a difference you’ve made.   You can still donate here. Your support could not be more valuable: https://lnkd.in/eJKQMRWy   We can’t thank you enough and look forward to welcoming you next time!   (With special thanks to our photographer Stuart Platt who donated his time and talents.) Full album here: https://lnkd.in/dvfpyNb2

🎉Family Fun Day 2024 🎫FREE and OPEN TO ALL 👉: 17/11/2024 2-4.30pm Hillhead Primary School (G12 8NS) To wrap up Interfaith Glasgow’s Scottish Interfaith Week 2024 programme, our biggest indoor event of the year is back: Interfaith Family Fun Day! Everyone is welcome – join us for a FREE afternoon of conversation, good food, and fun entertainment on November 17th from 2-4.30pm at Hillhead Primary School. At the heart of this event are faith tables where children and their families will learn about different religious traditions through arts and crafts activities. There will also be a ‘Try-it-on' area giving people the chance to try on clothing from diverse cultures and religions, as well as henna, face painting, and chess to enjoy. This event wouldn’t be possible without support from Glasgow’s faith communities who demonstrate the craft activities and help people try on clothing from their tradition, while explaining their significance. Looking forward to seeing you there! #interfaithglasgow #IGfamilyfunday2024 #scottishinterfaithweek

On Saturday we were proud to host a fabulous Weekend Club event in partnership with the Glasgow Unitarian Church and the Glasgow Buddhist Centre at their shared building on Berkley Street. IG’s Weekend Club brings together an interfaith team of volunteers and works with Glasgow’s diverse communities to welcome refugees to the city, help them get to know Glasgow and Scotland better, and introduce them to Glasgow’s diverse communities. An afternoon of new learning, lunch, crafts and games, and meaningful discussions made Saturday a day to remember. A huge thank you to everyone who participated and to all our amazing volunteers and to the @glasgowunitarians and the @glasgowbc for making us so welcome. This is what the Weekend Club is all about! more here: https://lnkd.in/dw9bJQrU hashtag #weekendclub hashtag #unitarian hashtag #buddhism hashtag #interfaith

“These events are desperately needed in our world today, this helps us to really hear from each other” We had an inspiring evening of Scriptural Reasoning: Creation of Humankind at the University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel, with people of diverse faiths and none including students from various religious societies. Special thanks to and to our excellent speakers—Dr. Ophira Gamliel, Rev. Dr. Doug Gay, and Zainab Alshaber—who shared extracts from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures and powerful insights from their faiths. It was a wonderful night of connection, learning, and thoughtful discussion. Thank you to the @uofglasgowchaplaincy for hosting us so well and to everyone who joined us! More here: https://lnkd.in/dnNuSsWA

A Happy New Year from Interfaith Glasgow to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah 2024! #roshhashanah #interfaithglasgow #interfaith

Deadline Approaching! Don't miss the opportunity to join our fantastic team! 📣We are Hiring!!📣 We are looking for an organised, dynamic, sensitive, and effective Programme Manager to join our small, committed team! This role involves managing: - the Glasgow component of the innovative Interfaith Restorative Justice Project - working with our partners @faithbeliefforum and @whymeuk AND - our much loved Weekend Club for refugees and asylum seekers ☑️Job shares considered! ☑️Part time (25 hrs p/w) £30,000 p/a pro rata (£20,270 p/a for 25 hrs) ☑️Flexible work hours ☑️Glasgow based with a blend of home and office working Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eTUx64EQ