Hope in the Face of Hatred – F&BF Statement

On Monday we joined the Faith & Belief Policy Collective in expressing our solidarity with people of Southport as they grieve injuries and trauma, and the devastating loss of three young lives – Elsie, Alice and Bebe. We came together with others to speak out against the horrendous violence that has spread across many of our towns and cities and expressed our deep concern for those living in fear and anxiety. We are thinking of all those we work and engage with and understand how insecure many feel right now simply leaving their homes. We know this is a very painful and scary moment for them and their communities. In moments like these it is easy to fall into despair about the society we live in. 

But we also want to recognise the fantastic and courageous work being done by the young people and community groups we work with. We know that the communities we work with stand with each other and stand against division and violence. So, we are hopeful. This hope comes from what we see, as people with different faiths, beliefs, and identities engage with each other, building genuine relationships. It is this coming together which enables empathy and understanding of each other as human beings to develop. It combats hate, and allows creativity to flourish, increasing our ability to work with others to improve our society.  

We are hopeful because we see what is possible through the work we do every day. We have seenhope in response to the social polarisation generated by conflict in the Middle East; in the schools and universities where we work; and when different faith groups come together during our public events . We see hope now as community groups reach out to support each other.

However, it is not easy. It takes time to build relationships and is essential to continue working on them all year-round to ensure resilience at moments when they are put under strain. We have seen during the months since October 7th last year how fear and suspicion can spread following events that threaten our sense of identity and community. The current violence we are witnessing is adding further to this fear and suspicion, revealing the vulnerability of our communities to narratives of hate and division. There will no doubt be other unforeseen, destabilising, events in the future. 

The antidote to this vulnerability is found in those we have the good fortune to work with. Our community knows the power of coming together and knows how important it is to stand up for each other when times are tough. Current events have emphasised the importance of having difficultconversations about hardship, change, and identity – both locally and nationally. May our growing interfaith community be a source of strength to keep pushing for the spaces to have these conversations in ways that humanise everyone – especially our friends, colleagues and neighbours who are currently most vulnerable and ostracised.

We work every day to build a society where all are given dignity and respect regardless of difference. We will persevere to build the relationships we need to enable a better society for everyone, no matter what is thrown at us.