Multifaith conference speech

I'd like to first thank the organisers of this conference, for inviting me to speak here tonight. It is a great privilege to be able to address this audience. I am pleased to be able to represent students of all faiths, and to be given an opportunity to direct my remarks to the people who are best placed to make changes within higher education.

I was asked to speak about the needs of religious students, and how these can be met by higher education providers. This question is one of fundamental importance, and before it can be addressed, the relevance of the issues at hand must be dealt with. Critically, we should ask ourselves - does religion still have an influence upon students? What is its place in our universities? Why should it be taken into account?

I will be speaking from my own experience, as a student and an active committee member of the University of Manchester Islamic Society. These experiences may parallel those of other societies, such as the Jewish Society, Hindu Students' Forum, Christian Union and so on - and will hopefully be indicative of where we currently stand in terms of religious understanding and dialogue. 

Firstly, faith communities amongst students are nothing new; universities flourished as seats of religious learning in the past; theology students would study the traditional texts and emerge as religious scholars. Today the picture is very much changed - students study a wide variety of disciplines, and come from different races, countries, cultures, social classes and religions.  Faith is as important a part of this diversity as ever.  A significant proportion of students continue to self-identify through religion, and their needs must be given due consideration when thinking about student welfare.

It is true to say that such students are now a minority, but as with all minority groups, their rights and needs must be paid attention. And so the next question that arises is, what are these rights and needs? Put simply, students of whichever creed want to be able to practice their religion freely. In British society, one which applauds and upholds the human rights of its citizens, this is surely an unquestionable right. It is one that most universities recognize and appreciate as being important, and we have seen many proofs of this. Wearing religious dress or turbans, holding daily prayers, taking days off for festivals and religious events - all these rights are upheld by virtually all of the higher education institutions in this country.

However is this all the obligation universities have to their students? Can religion really be defined within such narrow terms? Within the Islamic Society, certainly much more goes on then the five daily prayers we hold in Ambrose Mosque. As an example of a society catering for religious needs, we recognise the spiritual and emotional context of religion, particularly for students who may have left home for the first time. For some of these students, home will be thousands of miles away. The Islamic Society plays a role in providing a community for Muslim students, and a reference point when they run into problems, whether these are religious, social or academic. We also represent Muslim students when liaising with the Student Union or the University, and provide other activities. In much the same way, other religious societies also provide similar services for students.

Considering all of this then, university administrators dealing with student welfare must accept that there is a real need to recognise and provide for students of faith. In fact, it is important at another level, as a significant proportion of students make their choice of university based on the fact that there are facilities provided which will allow them to practice their religion properly. However, while we see a great deal of emphasis being placed on creating world-class departments and academic institutions in our universities, there is less value placed on the spiritual welfare of the students themselves. By giving this greater importance, universities stand to benefit just as much as students, by creating an ethos in which religious students feel their rights are protected.

This is becoming more and more important. We know that following the attacks on September the 11th in 2001, there was a wave of hostility towards Muslim students on campus, to such an extent that there was a bomb threat at Ambrose Prayer Hall. The presence of the BNP in our universities is also a reality which must be accepted, and a threat to black and Asian students, as well as Muslims, Jews and other religious groups. Continuing hostilities in different areas of the world, notably in the Middle East, and media bias have turned religion into a scapegoat, and practitioners of those religions into terrorists, extremists and aggressors. The ban on religious symbols in schools in France has sparked yet more discussion, more debate and more intense focus on religion.

It is all too easy to dismiss religion and look for an easy way out of the problem. Yet this is an insidious path to creating discontentment amongst students. Students who follow a particular faith should not be viewed as a threat, and a source of instability - as is sometimes suggested by media stereotypes. It's vital that we look past these caricatures, and see the reality. We should look at the many positive examples of how faith communities have benefited and enriched student life by their work.

So what are the options? How can universities improve relations and services for faith groups? Firstly, and most importantly, there needs to be an awareness of what religious students require. We often find a situation where students are, in a manner of speaking, at the mercy of university officials -and so policies vary enormously from university to university, and even within departments of the same university. The needs of for example, Jewish or Hindu students can only be decided by Jewish or Hindu students, and so their views must be consulted and acted upon.

Universities are in a strong position to facilitate multifaith understanding - where else do we find this combination of intelligent, culturally diverse young people, who will go on to be the leaders of tomorrow? There can be no doubt that by adopting an open-minded policy towards faith, universities can foster this same open-minded approach in the graduates of the future. In this way, we can work towards a more tolerant, understanding society in years to come.

Higher Education institutions can do much to improve the current situation for students of faith. This can be achieved through the provision of necessary facilities such as prayer rooms. University chaplains can also take a more active role in working with student societies and the student union, so that there is greater scope for them to help students effectively. At the moment, the Islamic Society has little contact with chaplains at the University of Manchester, although this conference is perhaps a step in the right direction.

There also needs to be an increased drive for different religious groups to work collectively. There have been numerous missed opportunities for such work, so let us not continue to miss these opportunities. Student societies need to seek one another out, and work together on issues of mutual concern in order to build greater bonds of understanding. If we are unable to work together efficiently, then how can we move forward?

Each of the religious societies, whether Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic and so forth, must also try to establish greater awareness of their own way of life, in order to create an atmosphere of multifaith understanding. As an example, the Islamic Society holds an Islam Awareness Week annually, for which the sole aim is to reach out to students and give them an opportunity to ask questions, find out about Islam and meet Muslims. I strongly believe that we must each take responsibility and improve the situation proactively, without expecting others to do it for us. Only then can we prove our own commitment to change.

To summarise: it is true that universities have worked towards giving students of all faiths their due rights, but perhaps we are now at a stage where we look beyond providing the minimum, and look at giving the optimum services for students to thrive on our campuses. Whether we as individuals are students, academics, union officials or university service providers, ultimately we all want the same thing: to provide the best possible education and experience for each person studying at our university, regardless of their personal background or lifestyle. Religion is still a major part of many people's lives, and by acknowledging and respecting different beliefs, we can only enhance the university experience, and create a better future for us all.

Atia Azmi

St Peter's Chaplaincy is a resource for exploring the life of faith. It seeks to be inclusive, open and welcoming, offering companionship on the Journey
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