News

We are pleased to be working with the Institute of Astronomy (Cambridge) and the University of Leeds to deliver an innovative training programme for Muslims seeking a better understanding of the history, theory and practice of moonsighting. Last week, 38 recruits travelled to the University of Leeds for two days’ immersive training, inspired by Cam…

From AI and climate action to religious education and teacher training, we’ve new research to share, courtesy of Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum.Read on for summaries of new articles on diverging accounts of time in the climate movement, the importance of eclecticism in religious education, the perils and promise of reflexive writing, and (see …

A year ago, we released a podcast series on the theme of Interfaith Futures. As UK Inter Faith Week swung back around and following up on May's Bursting the Bubble report, we sent a group of Cambridge students along to the national launch event in London. Divinity postgraduate Floris Bosscher wrote up what happened. Then on Monday CIP Programme Man…

Inter Faith Week 2025 is kicking off with a sense of festivity, as government representatives, faith leaders, and a plethora of interested parties gather in central London today. The theme is Community: Together we serve.We'll be bringing reflections on the launch event and the significance of Inter Faith Week in the eyes of some Cambridge students…

“The choices made today in education will define the citizens of tomorrow and our collective moral future.”—Maryam Bham for RE:Online“Teaching religious education pluralistically is more radical and exciting than setting one or other parameters on each other’s beliefs in order to approach them educationally.”—Daniel Moulin, The ConversationIn July …

The head monk of Neasden Temple tied a sacred thread round King Charles' wrist. Cambridge PhD-student Tilak Parekh has been reflecting on the significance of Wednesday's royal visit.In an opinion piece for the Religion News Service, Tilak explains:"With its intricately carved limestone and gleaming marble, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir is widely rec…

Our Knowledge Hub work engages with partners in policy and practice. One successful collaboration is reporting back, assisted by CIP Programme Manager Dr Iona Hine.The following is from a press release, published by the Faith & Belief Policy Collective on Friday 10 October:New report seeks improved space for faith in New Towns strategyResearchers f…

Professor Esra Özyürek has written an opinion piece for the Austrian German-language newspaper, Der Standard.Drawing on her fieldwork among German Muslims (published in Subcontractors of Guilt, 2023), Özyürek explains how Germany’s focus on Muslims in the prevention of anti-Semitism shifts the problem onto a minority. The lessons of the Holocaust b…

We are pleased to share the call for papers for Political Theologies 2026:Political theologies of constitutions, the rule of law, and the common good23-24 April 2026, University of CambridgeThe constitution functions not only as a legal framework but also as a symbolic and practical foundation for societal life. This brings to the fore the role of …

Bootcamp: Religion + Policy (25–26 June 2025) was convened at the Faculty of Divinity with a cohort ranging from MPhil students through to postdoctoral scholars.Bootcampers included researchers based in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, History, Law, and Sociology as well as Divinity. The event spanned two days. The lead convenor Dr Iona Hine was p…

Congratulations to Dr Emily Qureshi-Hurst and Dr Anastasia Badder!Both have won recognition for their recent publications.Science & Religion book of the yearDr Qureshi-Hurst has won Book of the Year for her study, Salvation in the Block Universe. The award comes from the International Society for Science and Religion, which complimented the excepti…

A third student-led symposium took place on Monday 23 June 2025: Temporality and religion.Divinity PhD students Imad Ahmed and Luke Wilkinson initiated the theme. They brought in assistance from Arwa Hanif Al-Qassim (a PhD student in Education) and Ferhat Kafali (an MPhil student on the Religion and Conflict pathway).A co-written call for papers yi…

On Tuesday 29 July, the Cambridge Interfaith Programme was pleased to partner with Dr Marietta van der Tol (Trinity College) to welcome Lord Khan, the UK Government Faith Minister, along with aides active in the faith, communities and resettlement brief.This was a first conversation, following up on connections made at the UK Inter Faith Week repor…

Over three days in June, the Second Parliamentary Conference in Interfaith Dialogue convened in Rome. Three scholars from the Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum attended: Dr Ayesha Ulhaq [AU], whose newly-minted PhD documents the emotional geography of British Muslim women; Dr Marietta van der Tol [MvdT], whose latest book documents intolerance in…

Attending the Cambridge Alumni Festival this September? Our team has plenty of options lined up—On Friday 26 September we’re offering a rolling programme of workshops. Building on the success of last year’s series, we’ve planned for refreshments and the chance to stay and chat with researchers after each session. Options include:God, midrash and li…