Faiths United was established in the same spirit that underpins so much of the Foundation’s work: that our response to shared challenges is so much more effective when we work together.
Faiths United is a coalition of faith leaders and activists responding to the COVID-19 crisis, representing all nine major faiths. Set up at the start of the pandemic, we provide a forum for faith communities to discuss how they have been coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, to share best practices, and to drive joint responses.
The group is action-focussed, and strives to support the most vulnerable in our communities: we have donated face masks to food banks, and are developing a phone volunteering programme to connect people who are isolating with those of different faith.
We run a series of online webinars on alternate Wednesdays, with past topics including prejudice and mental health. During Ramadan, we hosted an interfaith Iftar, which was attended by the National Faith Minister Lord Greenhalgh, as well as the First Minister of Northern Ireland and Wales, and the Mayors of Liverpool and Manchester – watch it here. To learn more about upcoming events, please take a look at our calendar.
Faiths United also galvanises its communities behind common causes. We have clapped for carers, and letters from Faiths United members have been published in major UK newspapers. We engage with Government regularly, advocating for the communities we represent, as well as for the moral values that underpin our beliefs.
We are proud to work closely with our Youth Network, who have done inspiring work to bring young people of faith together during the pandemic, to educate and entertain them, and to support others through their volunteering programme to join old and young (JOY).
Members of Faith United include:
Ajahn Amaro, Abbot, Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
Qari Asim, Chair, Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board
Dr Peter Chadha, British Sikh Association
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Nemu Chandaria OBE, President, ONEJain
Ven Dr Justine Allain Chapman, Archdeacon of Boston
Zaki Cooper, Trustee, Council of Christians and Jews
Malcolm Deboo, President, Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe
Rabbi Joseph Dweck, Senior Rabbi, S&P Sephardi Community
Maj David Evans, Territorial Ecumenical Officer, Salvation Army
Mustafa Field OBE, Director, Faiths Forum for London
Dr David Hampshire, Assistant Director, Inter Faith Network
Rt Rev Toby Howarth, Bishop of Bradford
Rajnish Kashyap, General Secretary, Hindu Council UK
Rabbi Hannah Kingston, North Western Reform Synagogue
Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence, Senior Rabbi, Finchley United Synagogue
Kishan Manocha, Bahai Community.
Farhad Mawani, Ismailli Community
Rev Dr Heather Morris, Secretary of Methodist Church in Ireland
Rev Canon Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy, Leicester Cathedral
Maurice Ostro OBE, Chair, Faiths United
Dr Mark Owen, Director, Centre of Religion, Reconciliation and Peace, University of Winchester
Trupti Patel, President, Hindu Forum of Britain
Bhaven Pathak, Director, Yog Foundation
Krish Raval OBE, Director, Faith in Leadership
Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Director-General, Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society
Dr David Ryall, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
Padideh Sabeti, Director, Office of Public Affairs of the UK Bahá’í Community
Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, Head of the London Buddhist Vihara
Dr Natubhai Shah, Founder Chair, Jain Network
Mandip Singh and Gurdeep Singh, Directors, Gurdwara Aid
Jasvir Singh OBE, Chair, City Sikhs
Daniel Singleton, National Executive Director, Faith Action
Iain Stewart, Executive Director, Edinburgh Inter-Faith Association
Shahien Taj OBE, Executive Director, Henna Foundation
Very Rev Nephon Tsimalis, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain
Veronica Wetten, London Fo Guang Shan Temple
Rev Michaela Youngson, Methodist Church
Marie van der Zyl, President, Board of Deputies of British Jews
Faiths United has produced a video sketch highlighting the unity of different faith groups.
Released during Inter-Faith Week 2020, the video was scripted by Ivor Baddiel and features contributions from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and Buddhist leaders.
The faith leaders who starred in the production are as follows:
- Revd Richard Coles, St Mary’s Church, Finedon and former member of 80s pop band The Communards (Christian)
- Revd Giles Fraser, Priest-in-Charge of St Mary’s, Newington (Christian)
- Shaykh Hassan Rabbani, Imam & Muslim Chaplain, Heriot Watt University (Muslim)
- Rabbi Janner-Klausner, Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism (Jewish)
- Shree Kalyanji Gurukkul Panditji, Hindu Priest, Lewisham Temple (Hindu)
- Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, Head of the London Buddhist Vihara (Buddhist)
- Mandip Singh, Director, Gurdwara Aid (Sikh)
The video has been produced with the help of:
Production and Editing: Lior Linevitz, Eliana Ostro.
Project Team: Ivor Baddiel, Alfred Burton, Zaki Cooper, Barry Frankfurt, Eliana Ostro, Simon Winkler.
