Teaching tolerance in a time of terror
Helena Pozniak discovers how the charity Three Faiths Forum approaches religious tolerance in times of hate crime and prejudice
For a charity committed to religious tolerance, there’s no such thing as a bad question. “Why do Christians hate gay people?” or “Why do Muslims repress women?” or even “How does it feel to have atrocities committed in your name?” are all fair game.
It’s the charity’s job to teach children more sensitive vocabulary and a more thoughtful approach. “We are not about right or wrong,” says Andrea Tuijten, who coordinates programmes for schools at Three Faiths Forum (3FF).
“We offer a safe, neutral space for dialogue rather than debate. We try to explore what impact your views have on others, unpick where beliefs or misunderstandings come from and help children develop confidence to ask questions. Hostility always has a back story.”
Founded in 1997, 3FF began as a community initiative between a Muslim scholar, a Christian priest and a Jewish philanthropist to engage people and challenge prejudice. Now it has developed into a grassroots programme that reaches 10,000 people each year, largely school children – atheists, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and the not sure yet” among them – and encourages greater understanding. This is a movement to prevent prejudice crossing generations unchallenged. “It helps children engage with people they might never otherwise meet,” says Ms Tuijten.
Programmes, which help put a human face to a religious label, are designed for pupils as young as nine through to university students. For 10 years, the charity has been visiting schools, mostly in London and Birmingham, to hold workshops and longer programmes that help children to understand their own identity, similarities and differences, and tackle stereotypes.
And since terror attacks in the UK and elsewhere in Europe have rocked communities, more teachers are welcoming the charity into their schools. “Many teachers don’t know how to begin to talk to pupils about the recent terror events. But we don’t dodge difficult questions – we allow children to talk and explore sensitive issues – that’s when they learn.”
Among a variety of courses, 3FF also trains teachers in dealing with sensitive and controversial issues.
Sometimes volunteer speakers from different religions will share personal experiences with pupils
– a Christian might talk about how his faith helped him through a turbulent home life, for instance. Some sessions help children understand their own sense of self, or the impact of their views. Then there are the “ouch” moments when participants can say if a comment hurts them, or if they’ve slipped up in the language they use. “We give them the opportunity to learn why some language is offensive and where it comes from.”
When a small, largely white village school in rural Warwickshire committed to a longer-term programme that brought pupils together with an Islamic primary school in Birmingham, teachers were astounded. “The most staggering result is the recognition that people of different faiths are incredibly similar to them,” says teacher Matt Short of Nethersole C of E Academy.
Children growing up in a rural village, he said, just didn’t encounter people outside their circle, so messages against prejudice seemed irrelevant. “We hoped by cultivating tolerance in the children, this would have a knock-on effect on the views of their parents. This appears to have worked and it’s been brilliant to see.” This “ripple effect” among older generations is valuable, says Ms Tuijten, who remembers when a football match brought Jewish and Muslim parents together at Wembley Stadium. “It was powerful, these were people who might never have met in daily life.” Mixed choirs and theatre events can have the same effect.
While many involved in programmes are faith schools, 3FF is open to all, says Ms Tuijten. The charity strives to visit the “hard to reach” schools that might not invite them in, and is seeking to expand programmes in Manchester. “Our ethos is to engage with schools whatever their views and try to build trust. We have trained mediators.”
While many teachers welcome the charity’s speakers, schools lack the time and resources to engage with the programme. “Teachers are busy, lessons are full. This is one of our biggest barriers.”
But with a focus on live encounters, these activities fill a gap in the school curriculum, she says. “It’s not religious education, it’s not in the syllabus, it’s lived experience in all its complexity. Our workshops plant a seed but this is a lifelong process. If this could become part of the structure of learning, it could be incredibly powerful transformative.”
We don’t dodge difficult questions. We allow children to explore sensitive issues