The Inter Faith Network (IFN) has, for nearly 40 years, acted as a national inclusive forum for engagement on the part of the UK’s diverse religious communities and traditions. It has worked with a whole range of government departments and engaged with public life more broadly.
It has been of particular help to interfaith groups as a focus for the exchange of good practice, both locally and nationally. Many groups have testified to the importance of the network’s practical advice and support for their vital, but often relatively fragile, local work.
Since 2009, its annual Inter Faith Week has encouraged and resourced diverse bodies to come together on matters of interfaith relations and dialogue.
Inter Faith Network funding
In 2023, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DHLUC) had decided, to continue its funding of IFN for the financial year 2023-24 (subject to conditions subsequently fulfilled by IFN).
However, in January of this year, six months after that decision was taken, the Secretary of State for DLUHC, Michael Gove, wrote to IFN that he was “minded” to withdraw funding from the network. The Trustees decided that, unless this funding was restored or a similar level secured elsewhere, there would be no other option than to close the network.
Gove’s newly-articulated position seemed to be informed by a concern that a former officer of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) had been appointed to be a network Trustee. The government has a policy of no direct engagement with the MCB, even though it is the largest representational body of Muslim organisations in the UK.
However, the MCB’s longstanding membership of IFN has never previously been raised by this or any other government as a potential barrier to funding. The MCB is neither a proscribed organisation, nor has it been found guilty of any illegal activities.
Poorly-timed decision
On 21 February, Gove announced his final decision: to withdraw the government funding provisionally committed some eight months earlier, on the grounds of the MCB’s involvement. The nature and status of the MCB had not changed and there could be no good reason for its exclusion, which would have gone against IFN’s ethos and constitution and, in fact, sown division at the worst possible time. The organisation has striven to involve all faiths, from Baha’i to Zoroastrian, and of course including Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim.
Without this important source of funding, the Board decided on 22 February that there was no alternative but to start the formal process of closure.
It is hard to imagine a more poorly-timed decision to double down on disengagement with a representative body such as the MCB. Accusations of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism are gravely affecting political discourse in the UK, as seen in the recent Rochdale by-election and indicate the urgency to ratchet down divisive rhetoric.
The closure of IFN is likely to have a highly detrimental impact on UK interfaith relations just when its expertise and experience are most needed. Furthermore, the timing, manner and substance of Gove’s intervention could, at the very least, be perceived as an attempt to interfere politically in the governance of a charitable organisation, the aims, objectives and effectiveness of which require it to engage with all faith community bodies that operate within the law.
Widespread concern
The matter has been repeatedly raised by parliamentarians. An Adjournment Debate was held in the House of Commons on 10 January with cross-party contributions about the importance of IFN’s work. Labour MP Stephen Timms asked an Urgent Question in the House on 22 February. Beyond Westminster, there have been letters to MPs and ministers from across the UK, articles and statements by national faith bodies, local inter faith groups and others and a petition set up by a local inter faith practitioner. None of this widespread concern has led Gove to reconsider his position.
Given the current world tensions, reflected on the UK’s streets and in parliament, one may have thought that the need for an independent and non-aligned organisation facilitating good interfaith relations was never more pressing.
As a quietly effective organisation, IFN’s demise may not be immediately noticed by civil society. However, as the provider of a safe and open forum for faiths to interact with one another and with civic structures, its absence is likely to have a profound and deleterious effect on the UK in the longer term.
About the authors
Paul Weller is a Baptist Christian. He was employed as the Resources Officer for IFN between 1988 and 1990 and more recently acted as the network’s Christian Trustee until July 2023.
Jenny Kartupelis was the Director of the East of England Faiths Council for 12 years, in which role she drew on IFN’s knowledge and experience of public engagement.
