Women - Scottish Inter Faith Council

NEW! Establishment of Scottish Women of Faith Network

The Scottish Inter Faith Council is establishing a new Scottish Women of Faith Network (working title). The network will bring together women from across Scotland from all faith traditions to engage in inter faith dialogue and social action projects. The first meeting took place in Edinburgh on 21st June 2010. The next meeting has been set for Monday 13th September at 2pm at Inner Space, 227 High Street, Glasgow. Contact Frances Hume if you are interested in attending.

Annual Women's Seminar 2009 : Women of Faith in Action

The Annual Women's Seminar took place on Tuesday 3rd November 2009. Jacqueline Ogega, director of the Religions for Peace International Women of Faith Network in New York spoke eloquently about her work and encouraged participants to establish a Scottish Women of Faith Network. Ravinder Kaur Nijjar outlined the UN initiative to end violence against women.

The seminar was attended by women from all faith communities in Scotland as well as representatives from a variery of women's organisations.

FaithBook - the Work of Many Hands

It was a rainy August afternoon when members of the Association of Baha’i Women and their friends from other faiths huddled indoors to enjoy a FaithBook session together. The participants discussed the common values that they share and creatively expressed these by making Faith Books together.

The FaithBook project is a great medium for facilitating dialogue for people of all ages. Participants make their own small book and choose the words from different traditions to write inside. The books are completed by decorating with assorted paper, fabric and other materials. FaithBook sessions are still available to book through our office.

Women's Inter Faith Leadership Programme

Dr Maureen Sier reflects upon her experiences with WILS:

In 2007 I was privileged to take part in an International Interfaith Fulbright Community Action Program in America. Since 2007 I have been involved in a number of interfaith exchanges to and from America the most recent of which was a Women’s Interfaith Leadership Program (WILS) based at Philadelphia.On 25^th July 2009, Farkhanda Chaudry (East Renfrewshire Interfaith Forum) and I traveled to Philadelphia together to assist in the WILS Program. The Program is a joint venture of the Dialogue Institute at Temple University, Philadelphia and the Al-Qasemi Academic College of Education, Israel, which trains future educators and leaders for the Arab education sector in Israel.

WILS facilitates emerging leaders among women who are committed to work together cross-culturally, in an inter faith and inter ethnic mandate. WILS is significant in its advancement of the status of women as agents of social change and female empowerment, through its devotion to dialogue, pluralism and innovative thinking.The program included eight women from Israel; eight women from Philadelphia; a representative of the Mexican Dialogue Institute and Farkhanda and I from Scotland. Farkhanda and I shared information about programs in Scotland and assisted throughout the seminar in discussions and presentations. Throughout the year, the women will continue their work electronically and in small groups and, next summer, a follow on meeting will be held in Israel.

Annual Women's Seminar 2008 : Women of Faith in the Media

Discovery Point, Dundee was the venue for 80 women who came to participate in the Scottish Inter Faith Council's Annual Women's Seminar which took place in June 2008, with women attending from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife, Perth and the borders as well as Dundee. Guest speakers were Elizabeth Idienumah, former researcher and producer with BBC Scotland and Myriam Cerrah, Deputy Editor of Emel Magazine. They spoke of the challenges faced by women of faith working in the media, from a Christian and a Muslim perspective.