Presidents

The Forum’‘s prime concern is to deepen mutual understanding and trust so as to enable active collaboration between Muslim and Christian communities in England. A major challenge facing the Forum will be to make sure it does not become hostage to protracted conflicts overseas. Clearly, where a conflict threatens to reawaken mutual suspicion and stereotypes the Forum will have a responsibility to dismantle both through the provision of reliable information. However, with regard to complex international issues, Christian and Muslim communities may well have conscientious disagreements as to the best way forward. Each tradition in England has its own specific organisations to engage and inform policy makers. The Forum has no ambition to replace these. Where a conflict involves a third religious tradition, the Forum would wish to work with other inter-faith forums, so as not to give the impression the two religious traditions were complicit against a third.

No it will not. The Forum will support and encourage local level bi-lateral dialogue groups and their activities. The Forum is expected to be a ‘resource centre’ to help and enhance the local bi-lateral dialogue. Groups will be able to access resource people and obtain advice for their local activities. It is anticipated that the local level activities will be a source of strength for the Forum’s national profile and vice versa. The Forum will produce guidelines and policy documents which may help in defining the role of the two faiths in the wider community. Occasionally, the Forum will conduct trainings sessions and bring together the people who are involved in dialogue.

The Forum arose (at the request of leading Muslims in England) as an initiative taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury whose authority is as the senior bishop of the Church of England and who does not usually take initiatives which apply throughout the UK. Furthermore, the significant variety in the contexts of Christian-Muslim relations in different parts of the UK suggests that it is wise for the Forum to focus its work on England. However, the Forum values its links with projects in Christian-Muslim relations in other part of the UK and expects to be in regular contact with them.

A Forum bringing together Christians and Muslims requires each to be faithful to their own convictions while respecting the convictions of others. Respect for the other does not require us to ignore differences or only concentrate on the similarities. We will contribute best to the Forum when we are open and confident about our own faith. The idea of creating a new religion is contrary to the aims of the Forum

Members of the forum are people committed to their own faith, and this includes the requirement to commend it to others. There will be members from different traditions within each faith, some of whom will be more evangelical than others. Some may, as members of either faith, have made a personal decision that they have not wish to be involved in the conversion of others. But both faiths see conversion as being in God’s hands, not ours. This said, the Forum has several purposes, and one of these is definitely not that of seeking the conversion of members of the other faith, either those on the Forum, or through the Forum, members of either faith throughout England.

Members of the forum are people committed to their own faith, and this includes the requirement to commend it to others. There will be members from different traditions within each faith, some of whom will be more evangelical than others. Some may, as members of either faith, have made a personal decision that they have not wish to be involved in the conversion of others. But both faiths see conversion as being in God’s hands, not ours. This said, the Forum has several purposes, and one of these is definitely not that of seeking the conversion of members of the other faith, either those on the Forum, or through the Forum, members of either faith throughout England.

Members of the forum are people committed to their own faith, and this includes the requirement to commend it to others. There will be members from different traditions within each faith, some of whom will be more evangelical than others. Some may, as members of either faith, have made a personal decision that they have not wish to be involved in the conversion of others. But both faiths see conversion as being in God’s hands, not ours. This said, the Forum has several purposes, and one of these is definitely not that of seeking the conversion of members of the other faith, either those on the Forum, or through the Forum, members of either faith throughout England.

The Forum is concerned to encourage, multiply and publicise initiatives involving members of the two faiths working together for the common good on issues of shared concern at local and national level. Such initiatives may well involve a range of communities, individuals and agencies in England. In this context, the Forum wishes to develop the religious literacy and confidence of policy makers - some of whom may define themselves as ‘secular’ - to work with Christians and Muslims. Only where ‘secular’ was construed as entailing the exclusion of religious actors from involvement in public and civic life would there be tensions.