Description
International crises events, such as the October 7th 2023 Hamas attacks against Israeli citizens and the subsequent Israeli state’s genocidal war against Gaza through to the delicate present (Oct 2025) ceasefire and unfolding humanitarian tragedy, continue to impact communities worldwide, often extending to diaspora and non-diaspora communities who may feel duty bound to respond. These differences become particularly apparent within faith communities and secular educational settings, traditional locations of engagement and exchange of views which have become contested within this crisis in particular. Indeed, communities of faith groups and educational settings, may align themselves differently in response to the conflict, in accordance with regional and family ties, religious identities, and historical-political solidarities and may find difficulty in establish clear dialogic spaces for discussion. Recognising that how faith groups respond to international crisis can promote healing, political action, and calls for peace on the one hand, but can also fuel divisions within and between communities, raise tensions, and lead to silencing and repression on the other, we ask what the role of inter-faith dialogue might be in fostering community cohesion and solidarity during this time of international and local crisis. Similarly, whilst educational settings have traditionally been places of exchange and discussion, many now claim they have become, for some, places of silence and repressed contestation in this current crisis raising concerns about democratic and fair self-expression and impacts on hinterland communities of students. We ask what the adjustments are required to re-establish open and trustful dialogue without fear of recrimination. We explore the ethics and politics of inter-faith and educational dialogue by questioning how such conversations can be staged and managed in ways that enable people from different faith traditions to speak openly about their response to crisis.
