Wikipedia

Coexist (organisation)

(Redirected from Coexist Foundation)

Coexist House is a charity for interfaith dialogue based at Inner Temple in London, England.

Coexist House
PredecessorCoexist Foundation
Founded2018
TypeCharity
Registration no.1169185
FocusInterfaith dialogue
Location
OriginsCoexist Foundation
Area served
Worldwide

The mission of Coexist House is:[1]

To establish a global centre in the heart of London, aimed at transforming public understanding about the practices and perspectives of the world's faiths and religious traditions, to promote better, more peaceful relationships across divides.

Coexist House was launched in 2015 and continues the work of the Coexist Foundation, which was founded in 2005 by Mohammed Jameel KBE.

As of January 2024, Coexist House's board of trustees comprises Sir Bernard Rix, Professor Malik Dahlan and Professor Tim Winter.[1] Previous trustees included Sir Roger Gifford (who died in 2021) and Robin Griffith-Jones.[2] The charity has been led by Michael Wakelin and Fatimah Mohammed‐Ashrif.[3][4]

Launch of Coexist House

edit

In 2013, the Coexist Foundation and the University of Cambridge Interfaith Programme launched the Coexist House initiative to establish a centre for multi-faith understanding and education in London.[5][6][2][7] According to Sir Bernard Rix, chairman of Coexist House, the original idea had been for an "Abraham house" of the three religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but later changed to a space where those of all faiths and none could come together.[8]

The project was conceived by David Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, with an advisory board comprising the Coexist Foundation, the Cambridge Interfaith Programme, the City of London Corporation, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Inner Temple. The project was formally launched in 2013 at a dinner at the Mansion House, hosted by Sir Roger Gifford, where the Archbishop of Canterbury gave a speech in support.[9]

In 2015, Coexist House had support from The Prince of Wales, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, the Chief Rabbi, the Attorney General, and Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordan.[10][11] Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Minister for Faith, announced government support for Coexist House at a speech at Temple Church in 2015.[12][2] The fundraising target was £20 million.

An audience research study found "The overall concept […] is one of the most well received cultural concepts tested in the last 3 years" and Metaphor created the design and business plan.[2]

In 2018, Coexist House was registered as a charity with the Charity Commission, and the Coexist Foundation was dissolved.[13][1]

Activities

edit

In 2016, Coexist House produced Stations of the Cross, an exhibition to raise awareness for those in need of refuge, co-curated by Aaron Rosen, Catriona Laing and John W. Moody.[14][15] The exhibition initially comprised 14 ancient and modern works, including by Bill Viola; Jacopo Bassano; Michael Takeo Magruder; Terry Duffy; Jacob Epstein; Leni Dothan; G. Roland Biermann; and Guy Reid.[16][17][18] The exhibition was hosted in 2016 in London (with support from the Cambridge Interfaith Programme, King’s College London and Art and Sacred Places) – at the National Gallery, the Tower of London, Methodist Central Hall, and St Paul’s Cathedral; in 2017 in Washington, D.C. – at the National Cathedral, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, adjacent to the Supreme Court and at the American University; and in 2018 in New York City – at The Cloisters, the Cathedral of St John the Divine and the 9/11 Memorial.[19][20][21]

In 2017, Coexist House collaborated with Ernst & Young (EY) and Professor Adam Dinham from Goldsmiths, University of London to launch the EY Religious Literacy for Organisations programme, designed to help organisations better understand religious inclusion and its positive impact on business process and performance.[22][23][24][14][25]

In 2018, Nicola Green collaborated with Coexist House, the University of Cambridge and King’s College London on the Encounters, an exhibition of 50 portraits of religious leaders, including the Pope, the Dalai Lama, Ali Gomaa, Jonathan Sacks and Justin Welby. The exhibition was shown at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London.[26][27][28][29]

In 2018, Coexist House collaborated with British Muslim TV, Church Times and Jewish News for "21 4 21", a project to identify 21 individuals aged under 40 who are increasing dialogue and breaking down barriers, particularly as volunteers but also in their working lives. The 21 awardees were invited to meet and stay at St George's House on the grounds of Windsor Castle, and participated in a business plan competition with investors, sponsored by KAICIID. The competition winners included Mohammad Ryad Khodabocus, from the Luton-based organisation Grassroots, and Josephine Davidoff.[30][31][32]

In 2019, Coexist House collaborated with Temple Church to convene a symposium at Middle Temple to test the hypothesis of Comparative Religious Law: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, a book by Professor Norman Doe, a professor at the Cardiff School of Law. The event was chaired by Mark Hill QC, honorary professor at Cardiff, and attended by Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the Family Division, and Lord Woolf.[33]

In 2019, Coexist House participated in the Greenbelt Festival, together with the Cambridge Interfaith Programme and Rose Castle.[14]

Coexist Foundation

edit

The Coexist Foundation (stylised COEXIST or ☾OE✡︎IS†) was a charity founded in 2005 by Mohammed Jameel KBE and registered as with the Charity Commission in 2006. Its activities were transferred to Coexist House in 2015 and the charity was dissolved in 2018.[13][34]

Coexist Foundation
Founded2005
FounderMohammed Jameel KBE
Dissolved2018-02-09
TypeCharity
Registration no.1113284
FocusInterfaith dialogue
Area served
Worldwide
Revenue£3.15 million (2017)[13]

Mission and governance

edit

The original mission of the foundation was "to promote understanding and good relations between Christians, Jews and Muslims, as well as to improve their relations with other faiths and those of no faith, by means of education, dialogue and research", but this was later broadened as "to create understanding across divides" through education and innovation.[35][13][36][37][38][39][40]

The founding director of the Coexist Foundation was James Kidner, formerly deputy private secretary to The Prince of Wales (later King Charles III). Its board of trustees included, at various times, the founder, Mohammed Jameel KBE; Robin Griffith-Jones, Master of the Temple; Rabbi David Rosen; Richard Chartres, Bishop of London; Lord Greville Janner; and Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel laureate.[41]

Gallup partnership

edit

A 2002 Gallup Poll[42] of the Islamic world revealed rising tensions between religious and ethnic groups around the world, prompting the formation of the organization. The Coexist Foundation had a 10-year not-for-profit relationship with The Gallup Organization.[43][44]

Cambridge Coexist Programme

edit

The Cambridge Coexist Programme was a collaboration between the Cambridge Interfaith Programme and the Coexist Foundation.[45] Activities included a collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London on a Religious Literacy Programme.[46]

Sacred: Discover what we share

edit

In 2007, the Coexist Foundation sponsored Sacred: Discover what we share, an exhibition of sacred manuscripts at the British Library. The exhibition was a critical success.[47][48][49][50][51][52] Mary Beard said, "You're never likely to get to see such an extraordinary and stunningly beautiful collection of religious book-art ever again", and Norman Lebrecht described it as the "surprise hit of the London exhibition season".[53] It was the most successful exhibition in the history of the British Library at the time, with 169,240 visitors by 9 September (three weeks prior to closing).[54] The exhibition caused some controversy by including the dress worn by Jemima Goldsmith at her wedding to Imran Khan.[55]

The exhibition was inaugurated by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Rasheed ibn Hassan II of Morocco, with attendance from Mohammed Jameel KBE, founder of the Coexist Foundation; Lord Melvyn Bragg; Archbishop Kevin McDonald; Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury; and Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi.[56]

Three Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam

edit

In 2010, the Coexist Foundation sponsored Three Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, an exhibition of sacred exhibitions at New York Public Library (NYPL). Attendees of the opening included Mohammed Jameel KBE, founder of the Coexist Foundation; NYPL president Paul LeClerc, and Rabbi Julie Schonfeld.[57][58] The New York Times noted Three Faiths was part of an ecumenical response to the September 11 attacks. It was inspired by the 2007 British Library exhibition Sacred: Discover what we share, which had originally been intended to tour to New York, but the British Library was concerned that heightened inspections post-9/11 could endanger its manuscripts and pulled out.[57] Three Faiths instead drew on the NYPL's own collection.[59][57]

The Coexist Foundation also contributed a light installation work by Ross Ashton to the NYPL for the exhibition, and supported workshops in sacred geometry and traditional arts delivered by The Prince's School of Traditional Arts.[58][59] The exhibition was co-sponsored by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and The Achelis and Bodman Foundations.[59]

edit

The Coexist Foundation's logo was the Coexist sign, originally created in 2000 by Polish graphic designer Piotr Młodożeniec [pl] for a contest hosted by The Museum on the Seam for Dialogue, Understanding and Coexistence in Jerusalem.[60][61]

Outreach initiatives

edit

The Coexist Foundation was responsible for several projects that are meant to advance the objectives of the organization. An example is its radio show "Pause for Thought," which was created in collaboration with the BBC. The program includes guests from various religious backgrounds sharing their insights on a common subject.[62][63]

One of the Foundation's projects was "Understanding Islam" a first series of internet learning resources designed to give an accessible but thorough introduction to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Coexist Foundation joined with online education specialists Microbooks and a team of scholars to develop the series.[64]

The Coexist Foundation, operating through a sister 501(c)(3) organisation, Coexist Foundation America, supported fair trade projects, including working with Mirembe Kawomera in Uganda and Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills in India.[65]

Wind-down and transfer to Coexist House

edit

From 2015, all Coexist Foundation activities were transferred to Coexist House.[34] Coexist Foundation was formally dissolved in 2018.[13]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Coexist House. Charity 1169185". Charity Commission. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  2. ^ a b c d "About Coexist House". Coexist House. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  3. ^ "Contributors". CrossCurrents. 68 (3): 457–459. 2018. doi:10.1111/cros.12325. ISSN 1939-3881. S2CID 240277669.
  4. ^ Mohammed-Ashrif, Fatimah (September 2018). "Visions of Beauty: Exploring Aesthetics as a Starting Point for Meaningful Inter-Religious Encounter, True-Seeing, Truth-Seeking, and Personal Transformation". CrossCurrents. 68 (3): 358–371. doi:10.1111/cros.12318. ISSN 0011-1953. S2CID 171812551.
  5. ^ "Coexist House". Cambridge Interfaith Programme. 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  6. ^ "Improving religious literacy: A contribution to the debate". All Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Education. p. 42.
  7. ^ "The Coexist House vision". Coexist House. Archived from the original on 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  8. ^ Pepinster, Catherine (2021-05-25). "Abraham's new tent, together in the House of One". Religion Media Centre. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  9. ^ Gledhill, Ruth (2024-01-16). "The City must take religion seriously, says Archbishop of Canterbury". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  10. ^ "Coexist House". Policy and Resources Committee, City of London Corporation. 2015-10-19.
  11. ^ Drake, Gavin. "Multifaith hub for the City of London". Church Times. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  12. ^ "Recognising the role of faith in Britain". GOV.UK. 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Coexist Foundation - Charity 1113284". Charity Commission. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  14. ^ a b c "News and events". Coexist House. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  15. ^ Rötting, Martin (2021). Houses of Religions: Visions, Formats and Experiences. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 91. ISBN 978-3-643-91203-9.
  16. ^ Williams, Hattie (2016-02-05). "London landmarks to be Stations of the Cross". Church Times. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  17. ^ Petry, Michael (2017-02-12). "Send Him to the Tower". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  18. ^ Warde-Aldam, Digby (2016-03-22). "An artistic pilgrimage that will make you see London in a spiritual light". Apollo. Archived from the original on 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  19. ^ "Home | Stations of the Cross". 2018-11-15. Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  20. ^ "Stations of the Cross: Station 12 | American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center, Washington DC". American University. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  21. ^ "Stations of the Cross 2016 – Methodist Central Hall Westminster". 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  22. ^ "EY launches religious literacy training program for organizations". 2017-02-06. Conference on Approaching Religious Literacy in International Affairs. The Fletcher Initiative on Religion, Law and Diplomacy.
  23. ^ Ellis, Justine Esta (2022-10-03), "The "Post-compliance" Moment: Religious Literacy in the Workplace", The Politics of Religious Literacy, Brill, pp. 160–181, doi:10.1163/9789004523906_007, ISBN 978-90-04-52390-6, retrieved 2024-01-16
  24. ^ Middlemiss, Nicola (2017-02-07). "Will religious training be the next L&D trend?". Human Resources Director. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  25. ^ Abu-Nimer, Mohammed; Nelson, Renáta Katalin (2021-09-20). Evaluating Interreligious Peacebuilding and Dialogue: Methods and Frameworks. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-11-062508-0.
  26. ^ "Encounters Exhibition". St Martin-in-the-Fields. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  27. ^ "Nicola Green: Encounters". Photomonitor. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  28. ^ Mikva, Rachel S. (2020). "Encounters: The Art of Interfaith Dialogue. Art and concept by Nicola Green. Edited by Aaron Rosen. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols Publishing, 2018. 176 pages. $117.00". Horizons. 47 (1): 163–164. doi:10.1017/hor.2020.24. ISSN 0360-9669. S2CID 219436177.
  29. ^ "Rabbi Lord Sacks 'honoured' to be featured in art exhibition with faith leaders". Jewish News. 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  30. ^ "£70,000 raised for trail-blazing interfaith projects at Windsor Castle". Jewish News. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  31. ^ "Interfaith 'Dragons' Den' at Windsor Castle raises £70,000 for projects". www.churchtimes.co.uk. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  32. ^ "Luton's Mohammad Ryad Khodabocus invited at Windsor Castle". Grassroots. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  33. ^ "Cardiff Law Professor launches book in London symposium". Cardiff University. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  34. ^ a b Coexist Foundation. Report and financial statements for year ended 30 September 2014. 2015-07-27. Companies House.
  35. ^ Wakelin, Michael (2021). "Coexist House: London in England". In Rötting, Martin (ed.). Houses of religions: Visions, formats and experiences. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 94. ISBN 978-3-643-91203-9.
  36. ^ Ibrahim, Barbara; Sherif, Dina H. (2008). From Charity to Social Change: Trends in Arab Philanthropy. American Univ in Cairo Press. ISBN 9789774162077.
  37. ^ Binyon, Michael. "Wanted: An interfaith hero".
  38. ^ "Scholarships to Study Abrahamic Religions".
  39. ^ Cagney, Penelope; Ross, Bernard (25 February 2013). Global Fundraising: How the World is Changing the Rules of Philanthropy. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118417263.
  40. ^ "Three Faiths, an exhibition on sacred texts, opens". 6 November 2010.
  41. ^ "Coexist Foundation – People". Companies House. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  42. ^ "The 2002 Gallup Poll of the Islamic World: Subscriber Report". Gallup.com. 2005-08-24. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  43. ^ "Al Arabiya to telecast 'Inside Islam'". ArabNews. 18 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2012-03-30. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  44. ^ "Scholarships to Study Abrahamic Religions". Arab News. 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  45. ^ Ford, David F. (2007). Christian wisdom: desiring God and learning in love. Cambridge studies in Christian doctrine. Cambridge: Cambridge university press. pp. xiii. ISBN 978-0-521-87545-5.
  46. ^ "Religious Literacy". Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  47. ^ Bar-Isa, Molouk (2007-09-04). "Discovering what we share". Arab News. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  48. ^ "Sacred at the British Library". Country Life. 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  49. ^ "Life-giving letters". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  50. ^ "Sacred texts exhibed [sic] in London". FUNCI - Fundación de Cultura Islámica. 2007-04-28. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  51. ^ Cranfield, Nicholas (2007-05-02). "Three great faiths, and what is written in their book". Church Times. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  52. ^ Kennedy, Maev (2007-04-26). "Sacred texts that reveal a common heritage". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  53. ^ Reeve, John (July 2008). "Sacred—discover what we share exhibition at the british library, april–september 2007". Material Religion. 4 (2): 255–258. doi:10.2752/175183408X328497. ISSN 1743-2200. S2CID 191631061.
  54. ^ Finney, Jill (2007-09-17). "Letters – Let's discuss religion but quietly". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  55. ^ Hastings, Chris (2007-04-08). "Jemima Khan dress carries holy text message". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  56. ^ "Sacred Texts That Reveal Common Heritage on Display". Arab News. 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  57. ^ a b c Rothstein, Edward (2010-10-22). "Abraham's Progeny, and Their Texts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  58. ^ a b "Three Faiths, an exhibition on sacred texts, opens". Arab News. 2010-11-06. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  59. ^ a b c "The New York Public Library Explores Three of the World's Largest Religions in Exhibition Opening on October 22, 2010". The New York Public Library. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  60. ^ "Lawsuits and controversy over who owns the 'CoeXisT' sign". Archived from the original on 2009-09-02. Retrieved 2005-07-11.
  61. ^ Etgar, Raphie (11 July 2005). "Image of Coexistence Traveling the World". Museum on the Seam. Archived from the original on 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  62. ^ "BBC Radio 2 - Pause For Thought". BBC. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  63. ^ Gledhill, Ruth. "Young mother wins BBC's Pause for Thought competition". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  64. ^ Binyon, Michael. "Wanted: An interfaith hero".
  65. ^ "Coexist Foundation". National Geographic. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Coexist_(organisation)&oldid=1260165311"