Speakers

• Debates Participated In
  • Abortion and the soul of the embryo

Dr Abdul Majid Katme, born in Lebanon and educated in Egypt, came to Britain in 1972 to practise psychiatry. He is spokesperson for the Islamic… Click to expand

Dr Abdul Majid Katme, born in Lebanon and educated in Egypt, came to Britain in 1972 to practise psychiatry. He is spokesperson for the Islamic Medical Association of the United Kingdom. He serves on the editorial board of Alliance for the Family. He promotes Muslim teaching on the sanctity of life, and on other medical issues.

• Debates Participated In
  • Diversity – what kind of unity is appropriate nationally and internationally, how can diversity become a strength?

The Rt Revd Dr Alan Wilson is the Bishop of Buckingham. Alan was born in Edinburgh, grew up in East London and Kent, and studied at St John’s… Click to expand

The Rt Revd Dr Alan Wilson is the Bishop of Buckingham. Alan was born in Edinburgh, grew up in East London and Kent, and studied at St John’s College Cambridge (Open scholarship in history, BA77 MA80) and then Balliol College Oxford, where, under the supervision of Peter Hinchliff, he completed a doctorate in modern historical theology (DPhil 89). (The Theology of Church and Party of Anglo-Catholics 1880-1914, with special reference to the Church Crisis of 1898-1903). He trained for ordination at Wycliffe Hall (Cert. Theol. 1979). He was ordained Deacon (1979 at St Peter’s Didcot), Priest (1980 at Christ Church, Oxford), and Bishop (2003 at Westminster Abbey). Alan has served in the Diocese of Oxford since 1979, at Balliol College 1979-81 and NSM at Eynsham, then Curate of Caversham & Mapledurham (1982-89), and first incumbent of St John the Baptist Caversham from 1989-92. Moving to Sandhurst as Rector in 1992, he contributed to continuing ministerial education by developing residential training workshops in supervision skills for training incumbents, and as a Diocesan Work Consultant. He led the planning group for the Diocesan Convention at High Wycombe in 2002. He was Area Dean of Sonning from 1998-2003, and honorary Canon of Christ Church, Oxford 2002-3. In October 2003 he became Area Bishop of Buckingham.

• Debates Participated In
  • The Art of Ritual

Amy Mason is a writer and performer whose work is often personal and funny. Her debut novel The Other Ida won the Dundee International Book Prize… Click to expand

Amy Mason is a writer and performer whose work is often personal and funny. Her debut novel The Other Ida won the Dundee International Book Prize and is published by Cargo. She has also produced a lo-fi musical The Islanders, as a collaboration with Jim Moray and Eddie Argos which won the Ideas Tap/Underbelly Edinburgh Award. Her solo show, Mass, was produced by Bristol Old Vic and deals with her relationship with faith and how although she considers herself to be an atheist, there are elements of religion which she thinks might be useful, both for her and for society as whole. The show came about when she was on a London bus that ran two people over and she found herself praying for the first time in years. This made her question the way Iwe, as an increasingly secular society, respond to tragedy and how we form our own ideas about morality. Amy was brought up as Catholic, and the show is told using the form of a catholic mass, with the central character as a kind of wonky secular priest.

• Debates Participated In
  • RE for Real: A consultation on religious education
  • How far should concern with religious freedom shape foreign policy?

Andrew Copson is Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association. He was appointed Chief Executive in January 2010 after five years coordinating… Click to expand

Andrew Copson is Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association. He was appointed Chief Executive in January 2010 after five years coordinating the BHA’s education and public affairs work. He is also First Vice-President of the International Humanist and Ethical Union and was formerly a director of the European Humanist Federation. He has advised on Humanism for the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Authority, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the BBC, and the Office of National Statistics, among others. His writing on humanist and secularist issues has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, The Times and New Statesman, as well as in various journals, and he has represented the BHA and Humanism extensively on television and radio.

• Debates Participated In
  • Parishes – what future for the parochial system?

Lord Mawson, OBE is an English social entrepreneur. He was brought up in Bradford and trained for Christian ministry at the Northern Baptist… Click to expand

Lord Mawson, OBE is an English social entrepreneur. He was brought up in Bradford and trained for Christian ministry at the Northern Baptist College in Manchester. He is best known for his work at the Bromley by Bow Centre in East London, which became the UK’s first Healthy Living Centre. The Bromley by Bow Centre is a community organisation which encompasses an array of integrated social enterprises based around art, health, education and practical skills. In 1998, he co-founded the Community Action Network, a UK national charity, and remained its President until 2010.^[3] He was also a founder board member of Poplar HARCA. In 2006, he launched the Water City initiative for East London with Richard Rogers, aiming to revitalise the neglected waterways of East London, making use of their potential as transport links. He was introduced as a life peer on 30 April 2007. A number of his projects are pursued by his company Andrew Mawson Partnerships, which takes on regeneration work in London and throughout the country.  

• Debates Participated In
  • Diversity – what kind of unity is appropriate nationally and internationally, how can diversity become a strength?

Revd Andrew Symes is the Executive Secretary of Anglican Mainstream. Andrew has studied at the University of Cambridge, All Nations Christian… Click to expand

Revd Andrew Symes is the Executive Secretary of Anglican Mainstream. Andrew has studied at the University of Cambridge, All Nations Christian College, The University of Witwatersrand and St John’s College, Nottingham. From 1994 to 2006 he worked in South Africa, in pastoral ministry, grassroots theological education and community development. From 2007 to 2013 he served as Priest in Charge of Kings Heath, a disadvantaged estate on the edge of Northampton, where Anglicans have joined with Baptists and others for united mission and community transformation. He is married with two children. Anglican Mainstream began in 2004 as part of a united international response of Anglicans from different backgrounds, to re-state and support traditional understandings of biblical Christian faith, especially concerning marriage, the family and human sexuality, in Church and society. AM has been instrumental in the formation of the Global Anglican Future (GAFCON) conferences, and the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans. anglicanmainstream.org is one of the most popular religious sites in the UK.

• Debates Participated In
  • Religion and violence in the Arab spring

Bassma Kodmani is a Syrian academic and former head of foreign relations and spokesperson of the Syrian National Council. She is the Executive… Click to expand

Bassma Kodmani is a Syrian academic and former head of foreign relations and spokesperson of the Syrian National Council. She is the Executive Director of the Arab Reform Initiative, a network of independent Arab research and policy institutes working to promote democracy in the Arab world. Bassma Kodmani holds a doctorate degree of political science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. She has authored multiple books, academic papers and articles in French, English AND ARABIC on the issue of the democratization in the Arab world, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestinian diaspora, the strategies of Arab states towards Islamist movements, religious authority and opposition movements, and regional security.

• Debates Participated In
  • How far should concern with religious freedom shape foreign policy?

Brian J. Grim, Ph.D., is founder and president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, as well as an affiliated scholar at Georgetown and… Click to expand

Brian J. Grim, Ph.D., is founder and president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, as well as an affiliated scholar at Georgetown and Boston Universities, and a member of the World Economic Forum’s global agenda council on the role of faith.

• Debates Participated In
  • Should we legislate to permit assisted dying?

Lord Falconer of Thoroton, Opposition Spokesperson for Justice Charles Falconer is a Labour peer who held a number of ministerial posts in the… Click to expand

Lord Falconer of Thoroton, Opposition Spokesperson for Justice Charles Falconer is a Labour peer who held a number of ministerial posts in the Labour Government in the period 1997-2007, including Solicitor General and Lord Chancellor. He chaired the Commission on Assisted Dying whose final report was published in January 2012.

• Debates Participated In
  • What future for the Church of England?

Christina Rees has been a leading advocate for women in the Church of England for over 20 years. She is a member of the General Synod and a founder… Click to expand

Christina Rees has been a leading advocate for women in the Church of England for over 20 years. She is a member of the General Synod and a founder member of the Archbishops’ Council. She appears frequently on television and radio commenting on contemporary events and issues of faith. Christina is a communications consultant and writes and speaks internationally on Christian spirituality. Her books include The Divine Embrace, Voices of this Calling and Feast + Fast – Food for Lent and Easter. She was recently made an Honorary Fellow of Ripon College Cuddesdon.

• Debates Participated In
  • The Art of Ritual
  • What Are The Main Trends in Religion and Values in Britain?

Cole Moreton is an author, journalist and broadcaster exploring who we are and what we believe in. He writes a weekly report for the Independent on… Click to expand

Cole Moreton is an author, journalist and broadcaster exploring who we are and what we believe in. He writes a weekly report for the Independent on Sunday and cover interviews for Event, the magazine of the Mail on Sunday. Cole has been nominated three times for Interviewer of the Year at the Press Awards. His first book Hungry for Home (Viking Penguin) was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize alongside White Teeth by Zadie Smith. His latest book called Is God Still An Englishman? (Abacus) explores and celebrates the great changes to British culture, national identity and spirituality over the last 30 years. It points to the 26 million people who say they believe in God but do not attend church, temple or mosque and looks at the beliefs and rituals emerging as expressions of new British spirituality, from roadside memorials to High School proms. Cole has covered many of the biggest stories of our times, from the 2012 Olympics to the funeral of Nelson Mandela and is a regular commentator on radio and television including the Today programme and The Big Questions. He lives on the south coast and is a founder of Wild Spirit, a multi-faith gathering of people seeking to encounter the divine in the natural world.

• Debates Participated In
  • Abortion and the soul of the embryo

Dr David Albert Jones is Director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre , a Roman Catholic academic institute that engages with the moral questions… Click to expand

Dr David Albert Jones is Director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre [formerly known as the Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics], a Roman Catholic academic institute that engages with the moral questions arising in clinical practice and biomedical research. He is the author of “The Soul of the Embryo: An enquiry into the status of the human embryo in the Christian tradition”. He is Research Fellow in Bioethics at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, a Dominican Priory, part of the University of Oxford, and Visiting Professor at St Mary’s University College in Twickenham.

• Debates Participated In
  • What future for the Church of England?

Diarmaid MacCulloch, DD, FBA, FRHistS, FSA, Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford, Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford, and prize-winning… Click to expand

Diarmaid MacCulloch, DD, FBA, FRHistS, FSA, Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford, Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford, and prize-winning author, has written extensively on the sixteenth century and beyond it. His History of Christianity: the first three thousand years (Penguin Press) and the BBC TV series based on it first appeared in 2009; the book won him the Cundill Prize, the world’s largest prize for history, in 2010. His three-part TV series for BBC2, How God made the English, aired in March 2012, and his BBC2 series Sex and the West is due to air in autumn 2014. His latest book is Silence: a Christian History. He was knighted in the UK New Year’s Honours List of 2012.

• Debates Participated In
  • Sexualisation of Society

Donna Freitas writes both fiction and non-fiction, and blogs, and is a Professor of Religious Studies in New York. She has conducted academic… Click to expand

Donna Freitas writes both fiction and non-fiction, and blogs, and is a Professor of Religious Studies in New York. She has conducted academic research on the attitudes of college students about sex and faith, and how these interact with respect to sexual decision-making on campus, written up in her book “Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance and Religion on America’s College Campuses”. Donna’s latest book will be available in the UK from 18th April from Basic Book, “The End of Sex: How Hookup Culture is Leaving a Generation Unhappy, Sexually Unfulfilled, and Confused About Intimacy”

• Debates Participated In
  • Where’s the conscience of the nation?

Dr Eliza Filby is an academic, writer and currently a visiting lecturer at King’s College, London. She gained her doctorate from the University of… Click to expand

Dr Eliza Filby is an academic, writer and currently a visiting lecturer at King’s College, London. She gained her doctorate from the University of Warwick in 2010 and has taught at University of Warwick, King’s College, London and Renmin University in Beijing. Her first book ‘God and Mrs Thatcher: The Battle for Britain’s Soul’ which explores the religious origins of Thatcherism and the Church of England’s role in the politics of the 1980s was published this February by Biteback. She has written widely on the history of religious pluralism in the UK, the religious right and on the Church of England’s involvement in politics. She has written for the Telegraph, Standpoint and has reviewed for The Tablet.

• Debates Participated In
  • Are attempts to promote worldwide religious freedom naive or necessary?

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd is Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, Chicago. She teaches and writes on the politics of… Click to expand

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd is Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, Chicago. She teaches and writes on the politics of religious diversity and religious freedom, the intersection of law and religion, the history and politics of US foreign relations, and the international politics of the Middle East including Turkey and Iran. She is the author of The Politics of Secularism in International Relations (Princeton, 2008), which won an APSA award for the best book in religion and politics (2008-2010) and co-editor of Comparative Secularisms in a Global Age. Recent publications include “International politics after secularism” in Review of International Studies (2012) and “Contested secularisms in Turkey and Iran” in Contesting Secularism: Comparative Perspectives (Ashgate, 2013). Hurd is currently writing a book on the “strategic operationalization” of religion in international affairs and its implications for religion, law and global public policy, and is co-editing a book entitled After Religious Freedom?. Hurd is co-organizer of “The Politics of Religious Freedom: Contested Norms and Local Practices,” a 3-year research project funded by the Luce Foundation of New York. She consults on academic, media, and foundation projects involving religion and world affairs, and recently edited a series on the politics of religious freedom on The Immanent Frame. Her opinion pieces have appeared in The Boston Review, Public Culture,The Atlantic, Chicago Tribune, Globe and Mail, Foreign Policy and Huffington Post.

• Debates Participated In
  • Abortion and the soul of the embryo

The Revd Dr Gerard Hughes tutors in philosophy at Campion Hall, part of the University of Oxford, where he served as Master 1998-2006. A Jesuit… Click to expand

The Revd Dr Gerard Hughes tutors in philosophy at Campion Hall, part of the University of Oxford, where he served as Master 1998-2006. A Jesuit priest for over 50 years, he says he is convinced that intellectual honesty is fully compatible with Catholic belief. His books most recently include “Fidelity without Fundamentalism: A dialogue with tradition” and “Is God to Blame?”.

• Debates Participated In
  • What Are The Main Trends in Religion and Values in Britain?

Grace is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Exeter. Her publications include Religious America, Secular Europe? with Peter Berger… Click to expand

Grace is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Exeter. Her publications include Religious America, Secular Europe? with Peter Berger and Effie Fokas (2008) and she is a member of the Religion and Society Programme’s Steering Committee.

• Debates Participated In
  • The Art of Ritual

Ian Adams is a poet, writer, photographer and priest working with themes of spirituality, art and culture. He is a partner in the Beloved Life… Click to expand

Ian Adams is a poet, writer, photographer and priest working with themes of spirituality, art and culture. He is a partner in the Beloved Life project and co-director of the StillPoint project. Ian is the creator of Morning Bell on social media, and the author of ‘Unfurling: poems’, ‘Running Over Rocks’ and ‘Cave Refectory Road’ (all Canterbury Press). He is Mission Spirituality Adviser for CMS and an Associate Missioner with Fresh Expressions.

• Debates Participated In
  • Should we legislate to permit assisted dying?

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Honorary Professor of Palliative Medicine at Cardiff University Ilora Finlay was elevated to a Peerage in 2001. Since… Click to expand

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Honorary Professor of Palliative Medicine at Cardiff University Ilora Finlay was elevated to a Peerage in 2001. Since then she has been actively involved in debates on health issues. She has served on the Select Committee on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill. Her academic expertise is in palliative care and she has helped establish Cardiff University as a world-ranking centre in the field. She was the first consultant in Palliative Medicine in Wales in 1987, and has developed palliative and hospice services across Wales. She has worked with Marie Curie Cancer Care since 1987 and is now a National Vice President. She remains an active clinician, teacher and academic as well as her involvement in Parliament. She is co-Chairman of Living and Dying Well, a think tank to examine the evidence around euthanasia and assisted suicide.

• Debates Participated In
  • People – how can Anglicans of all kinds be engaged in the Church of the future?

Revd Canon Jane Charman is Director of Ministry in the Diocese of Salisbury and team leader of the Diocesan Learning for Discipleship and Ministry… Click to expand

Revd Canon Jane Charman is Director of Ministry in the Diocese of Salisbury and team leader of the Diocesan Learning for Discipleship and Ministry Team. The team oversees lay learning and vocations, discernment and training for all authorised ministries and Jane has particular responsibility for ministry strategy and continuing ministerial development. Jane has been in full time stipendiary ministry since 1985 and has served as a curate in an urban priority area, a College Chaplain in Cambridge, and a parish priest in a multi parish rural benefice. Jane is currently a non residentiary canon of Salisbury Cathedral and a member of General Synod.

• Debates Participated In
  • Sexualisation of Society

Dr Jenny Taylor founded Lapido Media to promote “religious literacy”, understanding among journalists and opinion formers about how religion… Click to expand

Dr Jenny Taylor founded Lapido Media to promote “religious literacy”, understanding among journalists and opinion formers about how religion shapes world affairs. The name Lapido means “speak up” in the Acholi dialect of Northern Uganda. She co-ordinates a team of journalists and informed professionals. She is the author of A Wild Constraint: the Case for Chastity (Continuum) – a prescient exploration of sexualisation and the destruction of childhood. “Religion integrates human motives and organizes the world for better or worse” she argues. “Our current secular approach to sex results directly in child exploitation. AC Grayling told me on live BBC radio that the word chastity no longer has any social currency; but Jimmy Savile was never stopped for precisely that reason.”

• Debates Participated In
  • Abortion and the soul of the embryo
  • The Art of Ritual

John Harris is Lord Alliance Professor of Bioethics at the University of Manchester. He has acted as Ethical Consultant to many national and… Click to expand

John Harris is Lord Alliance Professor of Bioethics at the University of Manchester. He has acted as Ethical Consultant to many national and international bodies and corporations including the European Parliament, The World Health Organisation, The European Commission, and the UK Department of Health. He is the founder and a General Editor of “Issues in Biomedical Ethics” and a series of books [which he co-edits with Sir John Sulston, speaker at one of the 2012 Faith Interviews: http://www.religionandsociety.org.uk/faith_interviews/john_sulston] “Science, Ethics and Society.” He directs the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation, at the University of Manchester, School of Law, with the mission to observe and analyse the role and responsibilities of science and innovation, examining the ways in which science is used in the 21st Century, to evaluate possible or desirable changes and to consider the forms of regulation and control of the process that are appropriate or required.

• Debates Participated In
  • Do Christians really Oppose Gay Marriage?

John Milbank is Professor in Religion, Politics and Ethics and Director of the Centre for Theology and Philosophy at the University of Nottingham’s… Click to expand

John Milbank is Professor in Religion, Politics and Ethics and Director of the Centre for Theology and Philosophy at the University of Nottingham’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies. He is a co-founder of the Radical Orthodoxy movement and a trustee of the Respublica think tank in London. He is the author of several books of theology, philosophy and poetry, including “Theology and Social Theory” and “The Future of Love”, besides a book-length debate with Slavoj Zizek, entitled “The Monstrosity of Christ”.

• Debates Participated In
  • Are attempts to promote worldwide religious freedom naive or necessary?

Jørgen S. Nielsen has recently retired as Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Copenhagen. In October 2007, he assumed a five-year… Click to expand

Jørgen S. Nielsen has recently retired as Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Copenhagen. In October 2007, he assumed a five-year research chair (funded by the Danish National Research Foundation) within the Faculty of Theology, where he led the Centre for European Islamic Thought. In 1996 Professor Nielsen became Honorary Professor in the Department of Theology of the University of Birmingham and was appointed Co-Director of the University of Birmingham Network for Research in Theology and World Religions. He holds degrees in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and a PhD in Arab history from the American University of Beirut. He has concentrated his research on the situation of Muslims in Europe with related interests in the Islamic debate over religious pluralism and relations with the West. He has also worked as a consultant to the EU Presidency and the Council of Europe on religious minorities, and to the Danish, Swedish and British foreign ministries on Islam and Europe.

• Debates Participated In
  • Women bishops – what difference does it make?

The Reverend Kate Bottley is a vicar in 3 rural churches in North Nottinghamshire and an FE chaplain. Ordained in 2008 prior to this Kate was a Head… Click to expand

The Reverend Kate Bottley is a vicar in 3 rural churches in North Nottinghamshire and an FE chaplain. Ordained in 2008 prior to this Kate was a Head of Religious Education in Secondary schools in South Yorkshire. As well as being a regular on Channel 4’s BAFTA winning ‘Gogglebox’, Kate is a writer, broadcaster and speaker. She is passionate about contextual theology and serving her community. Kate is a member of the Archbishops’ Council Project team for Weddings, Christenings and Funerals. She loves to dance.

• Debates Participated In
  • Religious Identity in ‘Superdiverse’ Societies

Professor Knott is Director of the AHRC Research Programme on Diasporas, Migration and Identities (2005-10). She has led the Religion and… Click to expand

Professor Knott is Director of the AHRC Research Programme on Diasporas, Migration and Identities (2005-10). She has led the Religion and Society-funded project Media portrayals of religion and the secular sacred and supervised Jasjit Singh’s PhD Keeping the Faith: The transmissions of “Sikhism” among young British Sikhs (18-30) also funded by the Programme.

• Debates Participated In
  • What Limits To Religious Freedom?

Lisa is an award-winning author. Her books include All About Love (2011) and Mad, Bad and Sad (2008). In 2007 she became President of English… Click to expand

Lisa is an award-winning author. Her books include All About Love (2011) and Mad, Bad and Sad (2008). In 2007 she became President of English PEN.

• Debates Participated In
  • Do the benefits of engaging religion for development outweigh the dangers?

Loretta Minghella OBE is Chief Executive of Christian Aid, which she joined in April 2010. Loretta is a lawyer by training who, after practising… Click to expand

Loretta Minghella OBE is Chief Executive of Christian Aid, which she joined in April 2010. Loretta is a lawyer by training who, after practising as a criminal litigator, began a career in financial regulation in 1990. The first Head of Enforcement Law, Policy and International Co-operation for the Financial Services Authority, she also chaired the International Organisation of Securities Commissions’ Standing Committee on Enforcement and Information-Sharing. In 2004, Loretta became Chief Executive of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, in which capacity she oversaw the payment of over £21bn in compensation to victims of bank and other financial failures. In recognition of her contribution in that role, she was awarded the OBE in the New Year’s Honours 2010. She leads Christian Aid’s involvement in Aprodev (a group of 17 European church-related development agencies) and as a member of the British Overseas Aid Group (BOAG) and the Disasters Emergency Committee. Loretta has a BA (Hons) in Law from the University of Cambridge.

• Debates Participated In
  • What Have We Learned About Radicalisation?

Dr Shterin is Lecturer in Sociology of Religion at King’s College London. His publications include Dying for Faith co-authored with Madawi… Click to expand

Dr Shterin is Lecturer in Sociology of Religion at King’s College London. His publications include Dying for Faith co-authored with Madawi Al-Rasheed (2009) and he recently co-edited a special issue of Religion, State and Society.

• Debates Participated In
  • What Have We Learned About Radicalisation?

Mark is a Professor in the Department of Culture and Society, Aarhus University. His publications include Muhammad Abduh (2009) and he recently wrote… Click to expand

Mark is a Professor in the Department of Culture and Society, Aarhus University. His publications include Muhammad Abduh (2009) and he recently wrote a piece for radicalisationresearch.org

• Debates Participated In
  • How should moderates deal with hardliners?

Dr Masooda Bano is University Research Lecturer in Development Studies at the Oxford Department of International Development. Her primary area of… Click to expand

Dr Masooda Bano is University Research Lecturer in Development Studies at the Oxford Department of International Development. Her primary area of interest rests in studying the role of ideas and beliefs in development processes and their evolution and change. Dr Bano builds large-scale comparative studies combining ethnographic and survey data. Between 2009-2013, Dr Bano held the prestigious ESRC/AHRC Ideas and Beliefs Fellowship under the Global Uncertainties programme to explore the emergence and growth of female Islamic education movements across the Muslim world since the 1970s. This project focused on Pakistan, northern Nigeria and Syria. She has recently won the European Research Council Start UP Grant worth 1.4 million euros to run a five year research programme on Changing Structures of Islamic Authority and Consequences for Social Change: A Transnational Review. Dr Bano is currently advising on the largest ever education sector support programme rolled out by the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) in Nigeria, leading a number of studies to understand existing education choices in the northern states of Nigeria. She has also designed specific interventions to increase children’s access to primary education under this project.

• Debates Participated In
  • Sexualisation of Society

Maureen Kendler teaches at the London School for Jewish Studies where she is also Head of Educational Programming. She writes extensively for the… Click to expand

Maureen Kendler teaches at the London School for Jewish Studies where she is also Head of Educational Programming. She writes extensively for the Jewish press, and broadcasts for BBC Radio 2’s “Pause for Thought”. As an Orthodox British Jew, she says that Judaism clearly celebrates, values and enjoys sexuality, but within boundaries. “It is equally clear to me that the current sexualisation of society has distorted those boundaries, especially where young girls are concerned.”

• Debates Participated In
  • Diversity – what kind of unity is appropriate nationally and internationally, how can diversity become a strength?

Miranda is Vicar of Belmont & Pittington on the outskirts of Durham. Until recently she was chaplain and research fellow at University College,… Click to expand

Miranda is Vicar of Belmont & Pittington on the outskirts of Durham. Until recently she was chaplain and research fellow at University College, Durham & in 2011-2 Interim Principal of Ustinov College. Published ‘Being a Chaplain’ (SPCK 2011). Miranda has recently completed an introduction to church history, ‘The Essential History of Christianity’ (SPCK 2012). Her long term project is a history of the ways in which the doctrine of the Trinity has been used in political and social discourses across Christian history. Miranda was a member of General Synod from 2007-12, and heavily involved in the campaign to open the episcopate to women and men on equal terms. She is Chair of WATCH NE. Her doctoral research was on the economic and social history of a late medieval monastery: published as ‘Monks and Markets: Durham Cathedral Priory 1464-1520’ by OUP (2000), and she is currently writing a paper on Church Growth in the Medieval Period for a book, ‘Towards a Theology of Church Growth’ (ed. David Goodhew, due 2014). Miranda is married and has 3 children.

• Debates Participated In
  • Social Cohesion – lessons from the Pennines

Nadeem Mir is retired Chief Inspector of Rochdale… Click to expand

Nadeem Mir is retired Chief Inspector of Rochdale Police.

• Debates Participated In
  • Can Historic Churches retain global unity?

Paul Vallely is a writer, broadcaster, lecturer and consultant. His areas of expertise include ethics, religion and international development. He is… Click to expand

Paul Vallely is a writer, broadcaster, lecturer and consultant. His areas of expertise include ethics, religion and international development. He is Visiting Professor in Public Ethics and Media at the University of Chester and a Senior Research Fellow at the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester. He is the author of the best-selling biography of the new pope Pope Francis – Untying the Knots published by Bloomsbury. He has chaired or been active in a number of UK aid agencies, including Traidcraft, the Catholic Institute for International Relations, Christian Aid and CAFOD. He has advised Bob Geldof, Bono and Elton John on development issues and was co-author of the report of Tony Blair’s Commission for Africa. He has been an adviser to the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales and was the author of their reports The Big Society and Catholic Society Teaching and A Place of Redemption – a Christian approach to punishment and prison. He has written recently for the Independent on Sunday, the Guardian and the New York Times. He is a director of The Tablet and a columnist for the Church Times and Third Way.

• Debates Participated In
  • What Limits To Religious Freedom?

Professor Jones is based in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University. He led the Religion and Society-funded research… Click to expand

Professor Jones is based in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University. He led the Religion and Society-funded research network on ‘Religion, Discrimination and Accommodation’ and has co-authored the chapter on law and politics for Religion and Change in Modern Britain.

• Debates Participated In
  • Social Cohesion – lessons from the Pennines

Father Philip Sumner is an Executive Officer of Oldham Interfaith Forum and Parish Priest of St Mary’s with St Patrick’s RC Churches,… Click to expand

Father Philip Sumner is an Executive Officer of Oldham Interfaith Forum and Parish Priest of St Mary’s with St Patrick’s RC Churches, Oldham.

• Debates Participated In
  • Diversity – what kind of unity is appropriate nationally and internationally, how can diversity become a strength?

Lorraine Cavanagh, James Grenfell, Simon… Click to expand

Lorraine Cavanagh, James Grenfell, Simon Sarmiento …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Revd Dr Lorraine Cavanagh (Priest and author), Revd Dr James Grenfell (Director for Mission Engagement, United Society), Simon Sarmiento (Thinking Anglicans)

• Debates Participated In
  • What future for the Church of England?

Laura Janner-Klausner, Mark Chapman, Lorraine Cavanagh, Hilary… Click to expand

Laura Janner-Klausner, Mark Chapman, Lorraine Cavanagh, Hilary Topp ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Revd Dr Lorraine Cavanagh (Priest and author), Revd Professor Mark Chapman (Dean of Ripon College, Cuddesdon), Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner (Senior Rabbi to the Movement for Reform Judaism), Hilary Topp (National Coordinator, Student Christian Movement)

• Debates Participated In
  • Social Cohesion – lessons from the Pennines

Raja Miah is UpRising Manchester Programme… Click to expand

Raja Miah is UpRising Manchester Programme Manager.

• Debates Participated In
  • Do the benefits of engaging religion for development outweigh the dangers?

Robert Calderisi is an expert and author on international aid and development. He started his career at the Department of Finance in Ottawa in 1971,… Click to expand

Robert Calderisi is an expert and author on international aid and development. He started his career at the Department of Finance in Ottawa in 1971, moved to the Canadian International Development Agency in 1975 and to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris in 1978, then spent 22 years at the World Bank, headquartered in Washington, DC. His book The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn’t Working (2006) was chosen by The Economist magazine as one of the best books of the year. His most recent book Earthly Mission: The Catholic Church and World Development was published by Yale University Press in 2013.

• Debates Participated In
  • Parishes – what future for the parochial system?

Robin Gill is Emeritus Professor of Applied Theology. He was previously the first holder of both the Michael Ramsey Chair at Kent and the William… Click to expand

Robin Gill is Emeritus Professor of Applied Theology. He was previously the first holder of both the Michael Ramsey Chair at Kent and the William Leech Research Chair at Newcastle. He has published extensively in sociological theology, the sociological study of churches, Christian and religious ethics, and health care ethics. He is Editor of Theology and Canon Theologian at Gibraltar Cathedral.

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  • What future for the Church of England?

Canon Rosie Harper Studied at Birmingham University, followed by post-graduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music. She worked as a professional… Click to expand

Canon Rosie Harper Studied at Birmingham University, followed by post-graduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music. She worked as a professional singer. Further studies included an MA in Philosophy and Religion. She is now Vicar of Great Missenden and Chaplain to the Bishop of Buckingham. She is chair of the Oxford Nandyal Education Foundation, an education charity in rural Indian. A member of General Synod, Rosie writes for theGuardian, and was recently a panel member for BBC Any Questions. She is deeply committed to working for issues of justice and equality within and beyond the church.

• Debates Participated In
  • Faith Interviews: Shirley Williams

Shirley Williams became a Liberal Democrat peer in 1993, taking the title Baroness Williams of Crosby, and the party’s spokesman on foreign affairs… Click to expand

Shirley Williams became a Liberal Democrat peer in 1993, taking the title Baroness Williams of Crosby, and the party’s spokesman on foreign affairs in the Lords in 1997. She is the author of God & Caesar: Personal Reflections on Politics and Religion.

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  • Women bishops – what difference does it make?

Saleha Islam is currently Director of the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre / Al Manaar Mosque in North Kensington.Previous to this she was CEO of the… Click to expand

Saleha Islam is currently Director of the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre / Al Manaar Mosque in North Kensington.Previous to this she was CEO of the Muslim Youth Helpline, Saleha has extensive experience working in a variety of senior positions including the NSPCC one of the UK’S leading child protection organisations; she had various roles there including service manager for the Asian Child Protection Helpline and had a national role as a senior consultant for the Education service. Saleha has qualifications which include social work, solution focused psychotherapy, Islamic counseling, practice teaching, Management , training and consultancy, and she has over 25 years experience working and managing services in various settings, including local authorities, NHS, Police, schools and the third sector. She has developed and managed family centers delivering numerous services for some of the most disadvantaged children and families in and around the UK, she has also been a independent consultant and her unique skills has meant she has worked all over the UK and also internationally.

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  • Do Christians really Oppose Gay Marriage?

Tina Beattie is Professor of Theology and the Director of the Digby Stuart Research Centre for Religion, Society and Human Flourishing at Roehampton… Click to expand

Tina Beattie is Professor of Theology and the Director of the Digby Stuart Research Centre for Religion, Society and Human Flourishing at Roehampton University, established to promote academic excellence through scholarly collaboration in the study of the Catholic tradition and its influences and contexts. Her books include “God’s Mother, Eve’s Advocate” (2002) and “New Catholic Feminism: Theology and Theory” (Routledge 2006). Tina is a regular contributor to The Tablet and to the online journal Open Democracy. Television and radio appearances include BBC1, BBC2, Sky News and Al Jazeera, Radio 4 (Start the Week, Beyond Belief, Something Understood,Sunday Worship, Woman’s Hour, the Moral Maze).

• Debates Participated In
  • What should schools do about radicalisation?

Tom Holland is the author of Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, which won the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History and was… Click to expand

Tom Holland is the author of Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, which won the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize. Persian Fire, his history of the Graeco-Persian wars, won the Anglo-Hellenic League’s Runciman Award in 2006. His third work of history, Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom, was published in the autumn of 2008. His newest book, In the Shadow of the Sword, covers the collapse of Roman and Persian power in the Near East, and the emergence of Islam. Tom Holland is currently working on Dynasty, a new book about the Roman Emperors, to be published by Little, Brown Book Group in 2015. He has adapted Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides and Virgil for the BBC. His translation of Herodotus was published in 2013 by Penguin Classics. In 2007, he was the winner of the Classical Association prize, awarded to ‘the individual who has done most to promote the study of the language, literature and civilisation of Ancient Greece and Rome’.” He is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Making History. He has written and presented a number of TV documentaries, on subjects ranging from religion to dinosaurs. He served two years as the Chair of the Society of Authors and is currently on the committee of the Classical Association.

• Debates Participated In
  • What future for the Church of England?

Vicky Beeching is a religious commentator and writer, appearing regularly on Sky News, BBC News, Radio 4, Radio 2 and in various newspapers… Click to expand

Vicky Beeching is a religious commentator and writer, appearing regularly on Sky News, BBC News, Radio 4, Radio 2 and in various newspapers discussing stories about faith and ethics. With an academic background in theology at Oxford, she is doing a PhD at Durham exploring Christian ethics, gender and technology.