banner for Comparative Study of Jews and Muslims in Britain, Europe, and North America

Workshop: Wednesday 29th November, 2006: 10.00a.m. – 4.00 p.m.
Royal Holloway, University of London
Egham, Surrey

Workshop Convenors: Professor Humayun Ansari & Professor David Cesarani

This meeting was part of an overall programme of activities at Royal Holloway, University of London with the principal aim of achieving a better understanding of contemporary Muslim-Jewish relations, and creating a solid basis, or framework, of interaction on which future dialogue can take place.

The workshop gave an opportunity to bring into sharper focus perceptions that Muslims and Jews have of each other and to what extent these have been adapted from popular stereotypes and images of Muslims and Jews in the West; and also to engage in discussions about attitudes and practices that feed into the themes of racism, Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism.

Broad themes:

SESSION 1: Experience of Interfaith Dialogue

The National Picture

Brian Pearce: Reflections on inter-faith dialogue – the current landscape in the UK

Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra: Experience of Inter-Faith Dialogue in the UK

National and Local Activities

Sidney L. Shipton: The work of the Three Faiths Forum

Richard Stone: The Alif-Aleph Foundation

Imran Lum: The Abraham Project

Maqsood Ahmed: Cohesion and Faiths Unit, Department for Communities and Local Government

SESSION 2: Jews and Muslims in Western Culture

Anisa Buckley: Women and religious divorce

Marco Cinnirella: Terrorism and its effects on Islamophobia in the UK

Ghayasuddin Siddiqui: Dealing with the ideology of extremism

SESSION 3: Inclusion and Exclusion

Tali Loewenthal: Inclusivist/Universalist Religious Perspectives in Jewish Thought

Akil Awan: Disaffection/radicalisation amongst British Muslims

SESSION 4: Experience of Integration/Interfaith Dialogue

Jonathan Romain: Dialogue: some unexpected results so far and the complicated challenges ahead

Vladimir Nikiforov: Integration in the UK and other countries

List of Attendees

Convenors:

Humayun AnsariRoyal Holloway, University of London

David CesaraniRoyal Holloway, University of London

Participants

Maqsood AhmedCommunities and Faith Unit, Department for Communities and Local Government

Anisa BuckleyUniversity of Melbourne and Royal Holloway, University of London

Marco CinnirellaRoyal Holloway, University of London

Nick JosephHolocaust Memorial Day Trust

Edward KesslerCentre for Jewish-~Christian Relations, University of Cambridge

Tali LoewenthalUniversity College London

Imran LumUniversity of Melbourne and Royal Holloway, University of London

Ibrahim MograImam, Leicester, and Muslim Council of Britain

Tosifa MustafaCommunities and Faith Unit, Department for Communities and Local Government

Vladimir NikiforovRoyal Holloway, University of London

Robin OakleyRoyal Holloway, University of London

Brian PearceInterfaith Network

Jonathan RomainRabbi, Maidenhead Synagogue

Daniella ShawAlif-Aleph UK

Sidney L. ShiptonThree Faiths Forum

Ghayasuddin SiddiquiMuslim Institute for Research

Richard StoneStone Ashdown Trust and Alif-Aleph UK