Tony Blair Faith Foundation - Seeking to Understand Faith and GlobalisationIn an increasingly globalised world, political, economic, and social influences are widely recognised and often well documented. By contrast, the impact of religious faith on such a world is generally far less widely recognised and understood. Yet faith motivates billions of believers around the world in their thoughts, words and actions.

The impact of religious faith is therefore likely to be profound, especially in a world where different spheres are increasingly interconnected. It is the Foundation's belief that intelligent and sustained reflection on the crucial issues of faith and globalization can lead to the deeper understanding, and the kind of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence, that will be vital in the 21st century.

As a way of considering these essential questions, the Foundation is working to build a global conversation on them between an elite group of universities around the world over the next eighteen months. The initiative was launched at Yale University in September 2008 with a thirteen week course on faith and globalisation, which Yale will adapt and repeat this year and next. We are now developing the initiative more widely. The National University of Singapore and Durham University in the UK are now each developing their own versions of the course.

We are in conversation with a number of other universities, with more to follow. The courses will explore a variety of topics and issues, each from a different global perspective -- in the classroom, in formal lectures and informal conversation, and through research, speeches, conferences, and the internet.
The initial topics listed at the right represent a starting point in the conversation about faith and globalization. Additional areas will be addressed and added to this web site as the initiative takes further shape in the months and years ahead.

Yale's partnership with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation
Taught jointly by former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Professor Miroslav Volf, and hosted in conjunction with the Yale Divinity School and the Yale School of Management, the details of the Faith and Globalisation seminar taught in 2008 are seen on these pages.
We will include different versions of the syllabus and course as it develops around the world and is adapted by different universities. Moving beyond the academy. For the faith and globalisation initiative to be most relevant, it must look beyond the classroom. We are working with religious leaders, politicians, policy makers, business leaders, and civil society in order both to inform the lessons of the academy and to take the lessons of the academy into the wider world.

Etiquette When planning a multi-faith event, especially for the first time, it is quite common to be anxious about how to engage with people who are different to you, or about unintentionally offending others of a different faith or culture.
It is important to remember that religious practices and cultural norms vary hugely within faiths and between individuals, across countries and between communities. It is not possible to say, for example, that All Buddhists believe, All Jewish people eat, or All Christians act like this. For that reason, there are not set rules for multi-faith etiquette.
Meeting times Certain times of the day and days of the week are important in some faiths, especially among Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. For example, holding events during Shabbat, which runs from late Friday afternoons to sunset on Saturday, can be difficult for some observant Jews who are unable to travel or work. Many Muslims meet together on Friday early afternoons and many Christians meet together on Sundays. Many Muslims pray five times a day; you may want to avoid these times, or if not, offer provision of a clean, quiet room for those who wish to pray during the event. Other faith communities also have times that are significant but it’s a good idea to check with those you are planning to invite.

Schools and Young People - Encounter, exploration and exchange between young people of different faiths. Young people hold a vital key to improving understanding and respect between those of different faiths. Supported by technology, young people are increasingly connecting with others, irrespective of geography, cultural similarity or even language. Importantly, this new digital generation is expecting much greater levels of engagement with the world around them. Imagine if we were to draw on the collective energy and imagination of young people to create new ways for encounter, exploration and exchange between those of different faiths. How might young people help us to reduce fear and tension, and tackle the growing problem of radicalisation and religious intolerance? In short, how might we work together to ensure faith is a force for good and for progress in the modern world?

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation recognises the critical importance of an open and collaborative approach if we are to improve understanding of, and respect for, the role of faith in the modern world. We are kicking off with three distinct yet inter-related initiatives:

First, we are creating a showcase of faith stories from around the world. As the world gets more global, religious literacy - the ability to understand the values of different faiths - will be increasingly important. Stories are the currency of human contact, through which we begin to understand each other and our world. So, whether a photo of your temple or synagogue, a video showing an Eid celebration, an activity that you organised to help your community, or perhaps a story that illustrates your views or experiences of other faiths.

Second, we are inviting young people (aged 10-16) to submit ideas for practical resources, materials and tools that might support inter-faith dialogue and exchange. You may have an idea for a specialist wikipedia, a strip cartoon, a radio programme or a computer game. Whatever your idea, as long as it is designed to break down barriers between those of different backgrounds and faiths, we would love to hear from you at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The Tony Blair Faith Foundation will support the best ideas into full development with the involvement of faith communities, subject experts, media companies, youth organisations, schools and parents.

Finally, the Foundation wants to identify the best resources and practices from across the world and ensure that these are made visible and accessible to all. Whether you are a teacher, an academic, a faith leader or parent, we would welcome your recommendations of high-quality materials that contribute to improving young people's religious literacy and understanding of the positive values of the great faiths. We would also like your suggestions for new resources that support active learning at home or school and that might complement existing materials.
With your help, we can develop new learning environments which respect the complexity of inter-faith exchange; which exploit the diverse resources now on offer; and which involve the co-creation of new ways for positive interaction between those of different faiths. Together, we can create an international community of action that fosters respect across faiths, promotes understanding, and tackles division and extremism.
Projects - In the first three years of the Foundation, priority will be given to encouraging inter-faith initiatives to tackle global poverty and to improve through education the understanding of the great religions.

The Foundation will focus on:
* Supporting progress on the Millennium Development Goals. In particular, the Foundation has identified eradicating deaths from malaria as an immediate priority. Faith groups working together are ideally placed to step up pressure on Governments to deliver the resources needed and to use their places of worship as centres for community-based health initiatives on the ground to end the million deaths a year from the disease.
* Improving and expanding educational material for children about faith and the shared values of the world's major religions. We will produce and support the production of high-quality web-based and inter-active material as well as books and magazines.
* Working with some of the world's most respected scholars to examine the links between religion, politics and economics in the 21st Century. As a first step, the Foundation and Yale University are partners in an initiative that will include developing a high quality academic course, research opportunities and conferences. Materials will be widely disseminated for free on the internet.
* Supporting the Coexist Foundation in developing a world-class centre of education and dialogue in London to improve understanding of the shared roots, tradition and values of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
* Providing support and encouragement to individuals and groups countering extremism within their faiths. The Foundation will help with resources where needed and work with groups to publicise, develop and promote their initiatives.

Almost all religions have festivals or other dates of religious significance. You might want to avoid holding an event on these days, or you could structure an event around an important religious date in your own faith community and invite others to learn about that significance and share the experience. Again, you can always check with a friend who is coming to the event.

What we have provided here are a few considerations that you might find useful when planning a multi-faith event. Depending on the nature of your event and who is attending, only a few of these may apply to you. If you are inviting people of another faith to an event, you can ask them respectfully and politely how they feel about these topics. More often than not, they will feel honoured that you have taken the time to accommodate their needs.
Food and drink - Some religions have specific dietary requirements and needs. For example, many Buddhists are vegetarian, many Jews eat only Kosher food (prepared correctly according to Jewish law) and most Muslims only eat food that is Halal (‘permitted’). If you are planning on sharing food at your event, it is a good idea to ask invitees what food they can and cannot eat, and/or ask everyone to bring a dish that they would like to share.
Visiting places of worship - For many people, matters of etiquette and conduct are often more important in places of worship such as temples, gurdwaras, mosques, churches and synagogues, than in neutral spaces such as the workplace or the campus. If you are inviting people to your place of worship, it is important to make people feel welcome by explaining the customs of your faith community.

For example, letting people know whether they need to dress modestly, cover their heads or take off their shoes. If you are visiting someone else’s place of worship, you can ask them whether there are any customs you need to be aware of. Talking openly about these matters will help put everyone at ease.

Remember, there are no set rules, and these ideas are for consideration only. You know your know your faith communities and your friends best. We are sure you will be able to proceed in the most appropriate and respectful way.