Description
The recent Gaza/Israel conflict, for example, has tested the UK’s multicultural cohesion, creating deep concern about humanitarian crises abroad while simultaneously heightening anxieties around free speech and personal security at home for many and varied communities. Concerns about the right to protest, the freedom to express one’s views without fear of prejudice, and the perception of safety within educational institutions have become pressing.Two sectors play a critical role in either strengthening or undermining social cohesion during such crises: faith communities and educational institutions. Educational settings can serve as spaces for open dialogue, critical engagement, and the development of good practice in free speech, tolerance, and informed debate. Faith communities, meanwhile, can either foster reconciliation and peacebuilding, or inadvertently amplify divisions and tensions within and between communities. Our research suggests the important role of the above two factors in building and maintaining community cohesion at local level in a globalised society, informing how to build, maintain and make resilient safer and more inclusive communities across the UK. We explore how international crises influence local community relations in a single city, a town characterized by significant ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity. Specifically, the research examines how educational institutions and faith communities at a local level can foster dialogue, resilience, and social cohesion during times of heightened international and domestic tension.
