Decolonising Lands and Minds

We partnered with the University of Glasgow to host an event with renowned author and climate activist Alastair MacIntosh. There was also a unique opportunity to view the Child Artists of Carrolup exhibition.

✔️ Monday 7th November, 7 pm – 8.30 pm, University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel

Scottish Interfaith Week

Scottish Interfaith Week is a community-led festival held across Scotland every November to celebrate the nation’s religious and cultural diversity.

The theme this year was Storytelling, to tie in with Scotland’s Year of Stories.

We hosted several events for the festival.

✔️ Sunday 13th – Sunday 20th November 2022

Launch of Scottish Interfaith Week

We celebrated the launch of Scottish Interfaith Week at the Scottish Storytelling Centre with food, poetry, music and conversation.

Attendees had the opportunity to view our Faces of Faith exhibition and join us for the launch of our interfaith poetry collection.

✔️ Sunday 13th November 2022, 6 – 8 pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh

Interfaith Scotland’s Poetry Book: Poets share their poems

We have created a book of poems with the Scottish Poetry Library on the theme of ‘The Gift’.

In this special online event, poets featured in the book shared their poems with the audience. After the poetry sharing there was an opportunity for conversation around the themes of the poems.

The poetry book is available to purchase from Interfaith Scotland for £4.99. Please email admin@interfaithscotland.org to request a copy.

✔️ Monday 14th November 2022, 6 – 7.30pm, online

Our Story Too

Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees met during Scottish Interfaith Week to highlight the stories of refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland and beyond. Their stories matter too, and we will continue to ensure their voices are heard and pray that the world listens.

✔️ Tuesday 15th November, 10.30 am – 2.30 pm

The 21st Century Story of Christian Persecution: An audience with the Bishop of Truro

This event was organised by the Cross-Party Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief and included a short AGM; feedback on the International Ministerial on FORB in London; and the highlight presentation by the Bishop of Truro on the persecution of Christians (and others) worldwide.

✔️ Wednesday November 16th, 6 – 7.30 pm, online

Faces of Kabul

This was an online event launching the Faces of Kabul exhibition installation at Pollok Library.

In 2002, just after the fall of the Taliban regime of that time, Nick Sidle became one of the early photographers to be embedded with western forces. Widely shown at the time, the exhibition ‘Faces of Kabul’ was credited with changing perceptions and breaking down barriers in the midst of events that had created a climate of fear and mistrust.

Now with the support of Creative Scotland, Glasgow Libraries and Interfaith Scotland the archive of images, all shot on film, has been revisited, known images have been restored and new photographs printed for the first time.

✔️ Friday 18th November, 1.30 pm – 2.45 pm, Online

Storytelling with Edinburgh Women’s Interfaith Group

Edinburgh Women’s Interfaith Group in partnership with Interfaith Scotland hosted an event for women on the theme of ‘Storytelling’. Our guest speaker was Rev Ali Newell, a Church of Scotland minister and trained counsellor, who shared the story of her work with interfaith and the wider community followed by a Q&A.

Those attending the event had a chance to share their stories too.

✔️ Saturday 19th November, 2 – 4 pm, City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, 25 Nicolson Square

Multicultural Sharing: Food, Dance and Storytelling

Interfaith Borders, Interfaith Scotland and Borders General Hospital Chaplaincy Centre hosted an evening of multicultural sharing to celebrate Scottish Interfaith Week.

After enjoying a potluck supper, we taught a couple of Scottish dances and invited attendees to share or teach something from their culture or faith such as a story, song, dance or poem.

✔️ Sunday 20th November, 5 – 7pm, Borders General Hosptial Chaplaincy Centre

St Andrew’s Day Celebration

The St Andrew’s Day Cross Party Group celebrated St Andrew’s Day at the Scottish Parliament with music, dancing, and a tribute to Ukraine.

✔️  Wednesday 30th November, 6pm, Scottish Parliament

October 2022

June 2022

Interfaith Family Picnic

We hosted an Interfaith Family Picnic with Religions for Peace UK Women of Faith Network at The Hidden Gardens.

This picnic was an intergenerational celebration for the Queen’s Jubilee and Thank You Day!

✔️ Sunday 5th June, 2.30 – 4.30pm

Interfaith Buddies

May 2022

This online seminar addressed: Climate justice, faiths, and just transition; voices from the interfaith climate movement; and responses from COP26 negotiators.

We discussed the two latest reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on adaptation and on mitigation highlight the need for climate justice.

This seminar was hosted by the Interfaith Liaison Committee to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

✔️ Wednesday 11th May (Online)

Poetry Writing Workshop with Alison Bell

✔️ Tuesday 31st May, 7 – 8.30pm

April 2022

The Senior Education and Engagement Outreach Officer for the UK Parliament (Scotland) offered a workshop giving an introduction to the UK Parliament.

This was a really interesting and interactive workshop, and we learned ways to have our voices heard by MPs.

✔️ Tuesday 12th April, 7 – 8.30pm

At our Cross Party Group meeting on ‘Freedom of Religion or Belief’, we were joined by Mohammad Asif, Director of Afghan Human Rights Foundation to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

✔️ Saturday 19th April (online)

Ceilidh for the Climate

March 2022

Pope Francis called for the people of the world to come together to pray and fast for peace in Ukraine. Interfaith Scotland and The Catholic Bishop’s Committee for Inter-Religious Dialogue ejoined with millions of others across the world to pray for peace on Wednesday 2nd March.

✔️ Wednesday 2 March, 7.30 pm

February 2022

World Interfaith Harmony Week 2022

Interfaith Scotland held two events to celebrate the week which took place from 1st – 7th February.

Protection of Mother Earth through Mindfulness and Prayer

Interfaith Scotland hosted an online event in partnership with Mindfulness for Earth and Faith for Earth. Seven speakers from different faiths shared what mindfulness and prayer means to them in the context of protecting the environment. Encouraging us to reconnect with ourselves and our Mother Earth, each faith leader also shared a short meditation practice or a prayer.

• Watch event on YouTube

✔️ Tuesday 1st February, 12.30 – 2.45pm (on Zoom)

Pilgrimage to Places of Worship

Interfaith Scotland hosted a pilgrimage to places of worship in the West End of Glasgow on the theme of ‘Stories of Hope from Women of Faith’. We met a woman of faith at each place of worship who shared her faith journey, and how her faith gives her hope in difficult times.

✔️ Thursday 3rd February, 11am – 3pm (in person)

You can watch the talks from the pilgrimage on our YouTube Channel at: https://youtu.be/GyfSwvZsBFA

You can also watch the highlight reel at https://youtu.be/_XRxnbEaSpI

Programme:

• 11.00am      Glasgow University Chapel, University Avenue – arrival, tea and coffee
• 11.15am      Talk by Rev Carolyn Kelly, University Chaplain
• 11.30am      Dialogue on ‘our journeys/stories of faith’ and  ‘what gives us hope’
• 12pm           Walk through Kelvingrove Park with a Pagan blessing
• 12.30pm      Hindu Mandir, La Belle Place, talk by a member of the Mahila group
• 1pm             Central Gurdwara, Berkeley Street, talk by Gursinder Kaur and lunch
• 2pm             Walk to Garnethill Synagogue, Hill Street
• 2.30pm        Talk by Fiona Brodie at Garnethill Synagogue

Impression of COP26

Our Director Maureen Sier spoke in conversation with Lucy Plummer, a member of RfP UK Interfaith Youth Network, at a World Congress of Faiths event. They discussed their experiences of COP26, and the obligations that climate change places on faith communities.

✔️ Monday 7th February, 6pm (online)

Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe Symposium

The second Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe Symposium in the series ‘Progressing Together Sustainably’ took place on 18th February. The event explored themes of climate, sustainable ecology, harmony and justice ? Our Director Maureen Sier spoke at the event about individual and collective action.

✔️ Friday 18th February, 5.30pm (Zoom)

January 2022

Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 events across Scotland

Here is a selection of national and local Holocaust Memorial Day events which were held across Scotland during the week beginning 24th January 2022.

Edinburgh Interfaith Association (online)

Edinburgh Interfaith Association hosted the Scottish National Holocaust Memorial Ceremony. The programme included contributions from Henry Wuga (Holocaust Survivor), Eric Eugene Murangwa (Rwandan genocide survivor against the Tutsi), First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and Shona Robison (Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government).

• Watch Ceremony online

✔️ Wednesday 26th January, 6pm – 7pm

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust UK (online)

Sandi Toksvig OBE narrated the UK Ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day this year. Sandi’s family have a personal connection to the Holocaust as they hid Jewish people from the Nazis during the war. Many special guests appeared, including actors, sports people and faith leaders and their contributions sat alongside the powerful testimony of Holocaust and genocide survivors.

• Watch Ceremony online

✔️ Thursday 27th January, 7pm

East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire Council (online)

East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire Councils jointly hosted their Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony virtually this year. The Ceremony included footage of local residents describing their family’s persecution and their subsequent move to Scotland; music provided by East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire school pupils; a prayer; and an opportunity to light a candle in your own home in memory of all those who were murdered in the Holocaust, under Nazi persecution and in other genocides.

• Watch event on Facebook

✔️ Wednesday 26th January, 7pm

Erskine Community Garden (in person)

We held a moment of silence and arranged an exhibition of art & crafts within the garden, to promote unity, understanding, peace and hope. Address: Erskine Community Garden at Barwood Park, Barwood Road, Erskine, United Kingdom.

✔️ Wednesday 26th January, 11.55am

Interfaith Scotland (online and in person)

For over 10 years Interfaith Scotland has hosted the National Holocaust Memorial event for Scotland. This year we held a smaller, more intimate and participative commemorative event at the Interfaith Scotland Dialogue Centre.

✔️ Thursday 27th January, 6.30pm

Ayrshire Interfaith Group (in person)

Ayrshire Interfaith group hosted a Holocaust Memorial Day event at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mossgeil Place in Ayr.

✔️ Thursday 27th January, 7pm

Iona Abbey (online and in person)

A candlelit vigil was held in Iona Abbey for the local congregation and for those joining by Zoom. There were contributions from people from different traditions and musicians from the island of Iona played live at the Abbey.

✔️ Thursday 27th January, 7pm

Dumfries and Galloway Interfaith Group (online)

The Dumfries and Galloway Interfaith Group held a short online event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. There were readings and interfaith prayers relating to this year’s theme.

People were also invited to light a candle at a suitable location to mark the day.

✔️ Thursday 27th January, 1pm

Aberdeen Interfaith Group (online)

Aberdeen Interfaith group hosted Holocaust Reflections on Zoom with guest speakers Eva Clarke BEM and Dr Carl Wilkens of World Outside my Shoes.

✔️ Sunday 30th January, 2.30pm