Tony Blair Faith Foundation

Randa Kuziez, one of 30 Faiths Act Fellows, sends a message for Eid al-Adha. To find out more about Randa and the rest of the Faiths Act Fellows click here

On the 12th of November the Department for Communities and Local Government and The Interfaith Network launched the first ever Interfaith Week in England. There were lots of stalls showcasing the work of the different multi and single faith organisations- all bursting with colour and meticulously decorated. These were a real testimony to all the hard work and enthusiasm that exists for interfaith work in the UK. John Denham, Communities Secretary, gave an inspiring speech.

This has been a very busy few months for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation (TBFF), thanks to your support. We're really pleased with the many ways you've found to show the world how people of different religions can work together. Our Faiths Act volunteers are active in 36 countries, our education projects in 15.

On the 12th of November the Archbishop of Canterbury gave a closing keynote address to “New Perspectives on Faith and Development” drawing the core themes of the seminar series together.

On Thursday the 5th November I attended a very successful seminar on faiths and poverty as part of the Faith and Globalisation course at Yale University. Miroslav Volf started with an overview of the subject, pointing out that faith groups and supporters of economic globalisation are both committed to poverty alleviation, however both parties had fallen short through failing to practise what they preach. Volf then turned to deeper definitions of wealth and poverty by drawing on the Jewish philosopher Erich Fromm’s distinction between “being” and “having”.

On the 5th of November Yale University and the National University of Singapore linked up via video conference for a joint seminar on the topic "Religions in the Contemporary World". This is the latest connection between the two universities, who have had two exchanges previous to this.

As Rev Dr Joel Edwards, International Director for Micah Challenge, said in his opening remarks the timing of this debate could not have been more fitting as faith communities increasingly find their voice on the issue of climate change. As we sat down to watch the debate, across London another multi-faith gathering was taking place to campaign for a strong and fair deal at Copenhagen.