The Scottish Government

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Listen

Chapter One Context

1.1 Introduction

"The UK is now one of the most religiously diverse areas of Europe in terms of the number of different faiths with substantial communities here." ⁷

1.1.1 The growth of interest in inter faith work in the last 10 years reflects a developing awareness of the significance of religious identity in the social and cultural life of British society. This study, commissioned jointly by the Scottish Executive and Glasgow City Council, examines:

"levels of engagement between various church and faith groups and local and central government, as well as the relations between various groups themselves." ⁸

1.1.2 It was a consultation with a number of faith communities in the Glasgow City area, to provide information as a resource for an Inter Faith Liaison Officer, who will be based in Glasgow City Council. The Inter Faith Liaison Officer post, the first of its kind in Scotland, follows the development of similar posts in a number of local government areas in England. ⁹

1.1.3 The move towards government interest in more formal co-operation with faith communities in the United Kingdom has its roots in successful collaborations for the Millennium and Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations. Other significant factors include Central Government commitment to creating a more 'plural' society, the statutory obligation on local authorities to develop Community Planning, ¹⁰ the growing partnership between faith groups and statutory agencies in the delivery of community services, and the imperative towards better mutual understanding in the wake of the attack on the World Trade Centre in 2001.

1.1.4 In his foreword to the Home Office document Working Together: Co-operation between Government and Faith Communities (February 2004) the then Home Secretary, The Rt. Hon. David Blunkett MP, noted that prior to this period "the record of government engagement with faith communities has been patchy" ¹¹

1.2 The development of government consultation with faith groups

1.2.1 The Lambeth Group, an inter faith body, formed in 1997 to ensure that there was a religious dimension to the millennium celebrations, was the first structured consultation between the government and faith communities about a national celebration. ¹² At the end of its remit in 2001, the group recommended a review of how government consults and interacts with faith communities.

1.2.2 The review was launched in June 2003 under the responsibility of the body which became the Home Office Faith Communities Unit. ¹³ It reported in February 2004. In the preamble to the report the authors note:

"Faith Community organisations are gateways to access the tremendous reserves of energy and commitment of their members, which can be of great importance to the development of civil society. In the case of some of the newer communities who include among their members many recent arrivals to the UK, these organisations are perhaps the principal gateway since these new arrivals frequently relate to the wider community mostly through trusted organisations serving their religious or ethnic group." ¹⁴

1.2.3 The report recognises that there has been 'a sea-change' in the way the contribution of faith communities is viewed, with central government regularly consulting with the Inner Cities Religious Council ¹⁵ and the Inter Faith Network for the United Kingdom. ¹⁶ Some policy areas are routinely recognised as requiring the consultation of faith communities, e.g. urban regeneration. ¹⁷

1.2.4 According to the document Faith and Community: A Good Practice Guide for Local Authorities (Local Government Association 2002) the reasons why a local authority should engage with faith communities, include recognition of the contribution that faith communities make to:

• good health
• the provision of pastoral care
• the promotion of citizenship and community development
• voices for social justice
• providing a locus for gathering people of very varied social, economic, political and ethnic backgrounds. ¹⁸

1.2.5 The development of Inter Faith Liaison Officer posts is a strategic response by local government to the developing inter faith consultation agenda.

1.3 Consultation of faith groups in Scotland

1.3.1 The Scottish Inter Faith Council ( SIFC), which is part of the Inter Faith Network for the UK, is the national co-ordinating body for inter faith issues and action in Scotland. The Scottish Executive has developed links with the Council and the First Minister meets representatives on a regular basis. Another initiative of the Scottish Executive is a Core Liaison Group which brings together key representatives from different faiths and the SIFC to alert them to legislation that might be of interest, and to gauge how faith communities are likely to react to them.

1.3.2 There are local inter faith organisations in several locations in Scotland including: Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dumfries, Shetland, and Skye. ¹⁹ Some of these work closely with their local authorities.

1.4 Faith communities in Glasgow

1.4.1 The statistical map of Glasgow in part two of this report shows clearly the religious diversity of the city. While only 11% of Scotland's population lives in Glasgow, the city is home to 21% of Scotland's Roman Catholic community, 22% of Scotland's Hindu community, 36% of Scotland's Sikh community, and 42% of Scotland's Muslim community. Glasgow, then, is an important centre for faiths other than Christianity, even though those who claim to be Christian still make up 65% of the overall city population.

1.4.2 In Glasgow, the Forum of Faiths ( FOF) was established by the City Council in 2002. Its remit is to:

"Help faith communities to listen and build up relationships with each other. Its role is to bring together the civic authorities and leaders of faith communities to work together for mutual understanding and the good of the City of Glasgow. ²⁰"

1.4.3 The FOF along with the Christian organisation Glasgow Churches Together ( GCT) ²¹ are key networking bodies with good links to the faith communities at grassroots level in the City Council area.

1.5 Inter faith and multi faith work

1.5.1 The terms used to describe faith groups and their capacity to relate with one another and work together need to be clarified. For the purposes of this research the term:

• inter faith means "interaction between separate faith traditions." ²² For example the work of the SIFC or the FOF.
• multi faith is a "descriptive statement about a project or organisation that many faiths are involved." ²³. For example, the young people from different faith communities attending the focus group meeting for this study.

1.5.2 Multi faith work allows the possibility that faith groups who may have profound differences in belief or doctrine, perhaps even antithetical stances, can nonetheless work side by side, guided by the tenets of their particular faith.

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