Multifaiths.com is dedicated to embedding equality and diversity issues into every aspect of the public life. The lives of millions have been improved by the scientific, industrial, and economic development that drove the political separation of faith and state.

Around the world, religious fundamentalists from different faith traditions clash with one another yet are often united in their opposition to a secular modernity that elevates reason above faith.  Some fundamentalists refuse to modify their religious views to accommodate evolutionary theory or stem cell research.  Meanwhile, certain postmodern sceptics undermine the foundations of dogmatic religion and scientific rationality alike.  Current conflicts over faith, reason, and scepticism are only the latest variants of debates that have occurred for centuries.

Thinking about Religion Belief and Politics - Talal Asad is a socio-cultural anthropologist, renowned for his contributions and research on the phenomenon of religion and secularism, and the religious revival in the Middle East. How to define religion, the shifting place of "belief" in that endeavor, and some of its implications for politics.

Faith & Public Policy, the alternate between a theoretical focus, a policy focus and a political focus. The theoretical- focused session draws on philosophers, theologians and social scientists to present critical responses to the role of faith in relation to politics and society.

The Local authorities have a special duty to promote harmony and understanding between different faith groups with the view of promoting community cohesion. The duty includes: Challenging discrimination on the grounds of religion and belief. Promote equality for employees and service users, regardless of their religion and belief. Provide responsive and appropriate services for all sections of the community. Create an environment free from harassment and victimisation for different faith groups. Improve communication, participation and engagement with different faith groups

1. We are determined to provide you with professionalism, effectiveness and expertise to the maximum.  Along with knowledge, our engaging and exciting website are designed for quick learning, which will provide you with some of the most interesting days you’ve ever spent learning faith history and today's need for learning about other people culture for the modern world.

2. There is a lot of knowledge out there that may take you years to gather on your own. In these talks / seminars, we'll give you what we believe is the best, information  for community cohesion.

3. You may apply and teach to others immediately at home or work, Our Multifaith ebook calendar is designed for everyday practical use in your interaction with your friends and at workplace.

We are dedicated to helping you learn how to lead lives of purpose and meaning. The workshop on faith and vocation helps these men and women understand their own unique vocations in education and also become better advisors and mentors to their fellow students.

To help members of the community formulate ideas, we offer the following examples of possible proposals:
* The interplay of faith, reason, doubt in world affairs and geo-political events
* Judicial clashes, political debates, and armed conflicts between religious fundamentalists and secularists
* Future role in promoting inquiry in religion, arts, humanities, and science
* Natural environment and faith, reason, or doubt
* Scepticism in its relation to morality and moral philosophy

Culturally sensitive practices: Training and information established within social services, among healthcare providers, police and the courts.

Public material: Such as health promotion campaigns provided in multiple languages.
Law: Cultural exceptions to laws (such as allowing Sikh turbans instead of motorcycle helmets); oaths on sacred books other than the Bible; recognition of other marriage, divorce and inheritance traditions; protection from discrimination and incitement to hatred.

Religious accommodation: Permission and support for the establishment of places of worship, cemeteries and funerary rites; allowance of time-off for worship. Practices of reasonable accommodation and concerted adjustment, while reflecting upon open and rigid secularism and the demand for fairness in harmonizing the practices of public institutions, and the acknowledgment of the importance of ‘perception crisis’ over identities, are crucial for the understanding of the issue of secularism and the peaceful coexistence of different religions (Bouchard and Taylor, 2008).

Food: Allowance of ritual slaughter; provision of prescribed foods (halal, kosher, vegetarian) in public institutions.
Broadcasting and media: Monitoring of group images to ensure non-discrimination or to avoid stereotypes; provision of media facilities for minority groups.

Despite progress, multicultural policies have more recently been marked by a number of shortcomings, such as the promotion of the ‘feel good’ celebration and consumption of ethno-cultural diversity (taught in multicultural school curricula, performed in multicultural festivals, displayed in multicultural media and museums), which mask a widespread failure to address the inequalities faced by immigrant populations (Alibhai-Brown, 2000).

‘Multiculturalism’ has in practice too often led to an ‘ethnization of cultural values’, a ‘dependency on State largesse in political relations with minorities’ and an ‘overemphasis on cultural identity to the detriment of overcoming general inequality’ (Alliance of Civilizations, 2006). This in turn has fostered communitarianism or enclosure within the ‘cultural tribe’ and, by way of reaction, criticism of the multicultural policies alleged to be responsible for such trends.

In response to these issues, new approaches to multiculturalism emerged in the early 1990s, framing debates on cultural diversity within an opposition between ‘liberalism’ and ‘communitarianism’, highlighting issues relating to minority rights and their role in modern democracies, the nature of collective rights, the meaning of equality, the relation between equality and impartiality, equality and neutrality when speaking about cultural diversity, the principle of self-determination of minorities, and the appropriateness or universal standards when defining and shaping cultural diversity.

The issue of cultural identities has given rise to substantial differences of opinion. Some political theorists defend the perspective of cultural identities as a question of total freedom, arguing, for example, in favour of a separation of State and religion (Taylor, 1994; Kymlicka, 1989, 1995 and 2007; Barry, 2003).

In their opinion, the State is not to interfere with the expression of cultural identities, but must also refrain from promoting any specific cultural expression. The State is to observe a degree of neutrality by not supporting a specific model of culture but instead promoting neutral and abstract political principles that should lead to a conception of equality (Tomasi, 2001).

Another approach, based on the concept of ‘political multiculturalism’, argues that the State should always, even implicitly, defend cultural identities and consider intervention in order to correct any imbalance between some identities and others. In this sense, multiculturalism would promote the integration and recognition of minorities into society, allowing for minority rights to be conceived as a compensation for prejudice.

Today governments in several countries face the challenge of finding post-multiculturalist models that fuse agendas for promoting national identity and agendas ‘celebrating’ diversity, fostering social capital and reducing socio-economic inequality. The challenge thereby is to adopt structures and programmes that are broad enough to permit strong group identities to endure within a legal framework that upholds the rights and obligations of citizenship —that is, to find solutions that can successfully combine national and multiple identities (King, 2005).

Diversity, Training and Education - The following prices are for all our seminars / talks: Multi-Faith Awareness - Who should attend? Anyone, from any background, from any faith, or no faith.

* How do we see the task of Community and Nation Building from the perspective of our own religious tradition?
* Visiting each other’s prayer and worship services.
* What in our traditions enables us to enter into dialogue with people of other faiths?
* What are our teachings and practices about fasting?
* What does our faith tradition have to say about the environment?
* What kind of world vision, does our faith tradition suggest?
* What is our teaching about religious liberty?
* What does our scriptures teach on Family Values?
* Introducing a significant personality from our faith tradition of the past.
* Our concept of God as found in our Sacred Scriptures.
* Explaining the meaning of our symbols and rituals to one another.
* The place of women in our Scriptures, Tradition and in practice today.
* What do our scripture say about violence, and what is the reality today?
* Death and the ceremonies connected with death.

1) For individuals: The total cost per person (includes training, ebook multifaith Site membership, lunch) :
Full Rate = £150 → For Government Departments, Public Bodies, and Commercial Sector.
Reduced Rate = £100 →  For Universities, Colleges, Local Authorities. (min. booking  2 delegates).
Supported Rate = £75 → For Voluntary Organizations, Trade Unions, Public Schools. (min. booking  5 delegates).

2)  Discounts for individuals: For group booking on the same date will qualify for discounts as follows:
20% For group booking (minimum 5 people or more) 30% For voluntary sector, trade unions and schools (minimum 10 people). 20 delegates or more:  50% (half-price!!!)

* The above discounts are for booking made together on one date and on a single invoice.3) Specialized courses for groups: (From £50 per person*) Group courses tailored to large organizations’ needs on a mutually agreed dates and venues: Cost ONLY* £50 per delegate provided you supply all refreshments, the lunch and a suitable venue. This offer is valid for booking made from 1 Jan. 2010. 

* Minimum 20 delegates - Small Faith Groups or Charity minimum £50 per hour + all travel £25/hour travel time + travel mileage 35p /mile.
For Courses or Consultancy Services: Please contact us to discuss your requirement and to get a quote please email us on: http://www.multifaiths.com/contact-us