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The traditional secularization thesis predicted that modernization would inevitably and

irreversibly lead to secularization. Max Weber, Karl Marx, and Emile Durkheim, among other

prominent twentieth century thinkers, postulated that key aspects of modernity, such as

industrialization, urbanization, and scientific rationalism, would result in the ultimate erosion of

religion in society. Church domination of virtually every aspect of life gave way to structural

differentiation, in which functions previously performed by the church, such as healthcare and

education, became increasingly specialized and carried out by independent bodies or

organizations. 1 As the church lost its pervasive social influence, religion became a matter of

private and personal choice rather than social obligation. Migration to urban centers, increased

literacy and education, and mass communication presented people with beliefs and worldviews

quite different from their own and erased the religious homogeneity that characterized much of

the pre-modern world. 2 Enlightenment, science, and rationalism provided new ways of thinking

and alternate answers for things previously explained through mysticism or faith. According to

the secularization thesis, the combination of these and other factors would result in a modern

world completely void of religious belief.

A brief look at the headlines of any newspaper today reveals that religion is still very

much a part of our world. The United States, among the world’s most modernized countries,

houses a variety of thriving religious communities and celebrates the diversity that such beliefs

contribute to the national culture. Indeed, religion is flourishing all over the world from the

growth of Islam and fundamentalist movements in the Middle East to the explosion of house

churches in Asia to a revival of evangelicalism in Latin America and Africa. Religion is also

1 John Habgood, Church and Nation in a Secular Age (London: Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd, 1983) 18. 2 Peter Berger, Grace Davie, and Effie Fokas, Religious America, Secular Europe? (Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2008), 12.

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transcending national borders and becoming increasingly important in the global context.

Obvious examples of religion’s worldwide impact include the 1989 Rushdie affair, the Israeli-

Palestinian conflict, the 9/11 attacks, the wars in Pakistan and Afghanistan against the Taliban,

the controversial Danish cartoons depicting Mohammed, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the

unprecedented immigration of religious minorities into the United States and Europe, and the

religiously motivated terrorist bombings in London and Madrid.

In response to the undeniable presence of religion in the modern world, some

sociologists, such as Peter Berger, have retracted their prior adherence to the secularization

thesis, believing it to be mistaken. Some argue that secular Europe is actually an exception to

the rule rather than the natural standard. Religious sociologists Rodney Starke and Roger Finke

believe the secularization thesis has miserably failed to predict the fate of religion and suggest

abandoning the theory once and for all.3 Others look to rework the thesis to accommodate and

more accurately represent the current state of religion. For example, Pippa Norris and Ronald

Inglehart, in Sacred and Secular, present a “revised theory of secularization based on existential

security” that seeks to account for the religious variation evident throughout the world.4 Steve

Bruce, in God is Dead: Secularization in the West, defends the secularization thesis, arguing that

religion may not completely disappear but will continue to lose its significance and influence in

society.5

While there are many differing perspectives regarding the fate or future of religion, the

very need to defend, reject, or rework the secularization thesis reinforces the sustained presence

of religion in the world today. While the link between modernization and secularization is

3 Rodney Starke and Roger Finke, Acts of Faith (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000), 79. 4 Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart, Sacred and Secular (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 27. 5 Steve Bruce, God is Dead: Secularization in the West (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2002), 44.

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unclear, a clear link exists between modernity and the rise of an unprecedented religious

pluralism—even in secular Europe.6 Pluralism describes a society in which “a variety of

different groups, with different beliefs, values and cultures exist side by side within a larger

whole.”7 Population mobility, an important aspect of modern globalization, is a significant

contributor to the emerging pluralism.8 Traditionally immigrant-sending countries, European

countries are now the destination for a significant amount of global immigration. 9 During the

last half of the twentieth century, unprecedented numbers of non-Western immigrants made their

homes in Western Europe.10 Migrant workers and immigrants from former colonies brought their

diverse cultural backgrounds and religious beliefs with them, introducing Muslim, Buddhist,

Hindu, and Sikh religions into European societies as well as new forms of Christianity such as

Pentecostalism. The startling increase of Muslim immigrants to Europe, bringing with them a

religion and culture very different from that of their new home, is the most significant new

feature of Europe’s diversifying religious landscape. According to a 2005 article in U.S. News &

World Report, the European Muslim population has expanded from 1 million in 1945 to about 18

million today. 11 The communication revolution, another aspect of the ever globalizing, modern

world, has also contributed to the spread of charismatic and evangelical Christian movements in

Europe.12

Modern nations have approached religious pluralism in strikingly different ways. For

example, the United States was founded on the principle of the separation of church and state in

6 Hans Knippenberg ed., The Changing Religious Landscape of Europe (Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis, 2005), 7.

7 Habgood, 29. 8 Knippenberg, 7. 9 Peter Berger, Grace Davie, and Effie Fokas, 102. 10 José Casanova, “Immigration and the New Religious Pluralism: A European Union/United States Comparison,” in Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism, ed. Thomas Banchoff (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), 59. 11 Jay Tolson, “European, Not Christian: An Aggressive Secularism Sweeps the Continent,” U.S. News and World Report, May 22, 2005. 12 Knippenberg, 7.

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order to secure freedom for the religious beliefs of American citizens. The First Amendment to

the Constitution protects the religious beliefs of individuals from the control of the government

and allows complete freedom of religious expression. Religion is very much a part of American

public discourse and shapes and colors the opinions of individuals on a variety of public issues.

In contrast, the secular state of France aims to secure the freedom of the public domain from

religion. Officially secular since 1905, French society deems religion to be inappropriate for the

public sphere based on the French concept of laïcité, which prescribes the absence of religion in

public and political affairs as well as the absence of government involvement in religious affairs.

The European Union has also defined itself as a secular entity. In 2004, writers of the preamble

to the constitution of the European Union, written to establish and define a common European

identity as it expands and unifies, chose not to include a reference to Europe’s Christian heritage

in order to clearly and firmly establish itself as a secular union founded on secular principles.13

Secularism aims to promote tolerance among groups and individuals of different religious

beliefs and to facilitate peaceful coexistence within ever diversifying societies by removing

religion from the public sphere. Through the proclamation of official neutrality in religious

matters and the equal treatment of all religions, the secular state hopes to protect freedom of

religion and guard against discrimination. The European secular perspective assumes that a

“public recognition of the…living religious traditions of contemporary Europeans…would make

liberal political coexistence and pluralist toleration in a united Europe nearly impossible…Only

secular neutrality is supposed to guarantee liberal tolerance and pluralist multicultural

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José Casanova, “Religion, European Secular Identities, and European Integration,” in Religion in an Expanding Europe, ed. Timothy A. Byrnes and Peter J. Katzenstein (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 66.

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recognition in an expanded European Union.” 14 In 2003, former French President Jacques

Chirac described France as a country of diversity united by a shared identity that would be

“endangered by the release of religious centrifugal forces, by the celebration of distinctions that

served to separate and not unite.” 15 In banishing religion from the public realm, the secular state

seeks to prevent the clashes, conflicts, and divisions that are assumed to result from public

recognition and expression of religion within a pluralist society.

Though secularism presents itself as the champion of liberalism and impartiality, some

are skeptical. In a 2003 speech, Oliver Letwin, a British politician and Member of Parliament,

questioned the neutrality of the secular state. He declared that “a truly secular constitution rests

on the fundamental assumption either that there is no God, or that the concept of God is utterly

irrelevant to public life. The secular worldview is therefore neither neutral nor inclusive. Like

any religious worldview, it imposes a set of assumptions on everyone who plays a part in public

life.” 16 According to Letwin, in viewing exclusive claims to truth as grounds for intolerance and

believing that state power should be used to oppose such claims, state secularism actually

threatens true pluralism. If religious persons cannot freely and publicly express their beliefs

through words, actions, and symbols for fear of appearing intolerant, religious diversity will

cease to exist in any visible form. Sociologist José Casanova calls this dilemma the “secularist

paradox”—that religious people are asked to keep their beliefs quiet in the name of pluralism,

freedom and individualism. 17 Casanova goes further to accuse liberal modern secularism of

intolerant tyranny, pointing to the inconsistency that religious groups must acquiesce to public

recognition of behavior they might find morally offensive such as gay marriage or abortion,

14 José Casanova, “Religion, European Secular Identities, and European Integration,” 66. 15 New York Times, “Secular Fundamentalism,” December 19, 2003. 16 Oliver Letwin, “Agreeing to Differ,” Speech given at Conservative Central Office, April 2003. 17 José Casanova, “Religion, European Secular Identities, and European Integration,” 66.

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while “liberal secular Europeans are openly stating that European societies ought not to tolerate

religious behavior or cultural customs that are morally abhorrent insofar as they are contrary to

modern liberal secular European norms.” 18

Casanova is not alone in this accusation. Many are lamenting the rise of a new militant

flavor of secularism in Europe. In 2005, Jay Tolson, a senior writer at U.S. News & World

Report covering culture, ideas, and religion, pointed to the ban of religious symbols in French

state-run schools and the omission of a reference to Christianity in the constitution of the

European Union as contributions to a “mountain of anecdotal evidence suggesting that an

aggressive form of secularism…is afoot in Europe.” In fact, he claims that this “secular

fundamentalism” is the “prevailing attitude of European elites toward religion, particularly

traditional religion and particularly in the public sphere.” 19 According to Colin Slee, Dean of

Southwark, England is “witnessing a social phenomenon that is about fundamentalism.” 20 Some

atheists and secularists, says Slee, are just as fundamentalist as the religious extremists. In his

memoir, Journal d’un Prof de Banlieu, non-religious French history teacher Jean-François

Mondot expresses fear that the previous principles of secularism have morphed into a dogma.

Frustrated by the hostility of students and parents towards even the objective mention of

religious topics in the classroom, he compares their “self-righteous zeal” to that of religious

fundamentalists. 21 In a 2007 article for the Guardian, British author and journalist Tobias Jones

strongly warns against what he views as a rising totalitarianism disguised as secularism.

According to Jones, secular fundamentalists claim to be “more tolerant than thou” but actually

want to rid the earth of religious beliefs and believers. They “pretend to be protecting religious 18 José Casanova, “Religion, European Secular Identities, and European Integration,” 79-80. 19 Jay Tolson, “European, Not Christian: An Aggressive Secularism Sweeps the Continent,” U.S. News and World Report, May 22, 2005. 20 Stuart Jeffries, “Faith,” The Guardian, February 26, 2007. 21 Kevin Williams, “Neutrality on Religion Still a Vexed Issue,” Irish Times, September 8, 2009.

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sensibilities as a pretext to strip us of all religious expressions.” Jones fears that not only will

religion be banned from the public arena, it will ultimately be banned from the personal lives of

citizens.22

Having been presented with such contradictory views of secularism, what conclusions

can be drawn? Does secularism protect pluralism and facilitate coexistence or is it rapidly

becoming a new form of totalitarianism? Does admission of religious discussion in the public

sphere encourage toleration and understanding or actually discriminate against religious or non-

religious groups? Does the public expression of religion result in peace and harmony or conflict

and division? On the other hand, does the exclusion of religion from the public sphere allow

freedom and neutrality or repress the right of religious people to practice and express their

beliefs? Does it remove an inappropriate subject from public discussion or ignore an important

issue? Could religion’s omission from public life ensure peace in a pluralist society or might it

ultimately result in a negative reaction from silenced religious groups? Does religion belong in

the public realm or should it remain private?

The question of the role of religion in the public sphere is an important one and one that

is increasingly pressing in our world today—particularly in Europe. Because of Europe’s

traditionally secular self-understanding, the “re-emergence of religion in public life…was not

anticipated. Europeans, including social scientists, did not expect this to happen; they were,

therefore, ill-prepared to deal with it.”23 According to José Casanova, European “secularist

assumptions have a habit of turning religion into a problem—the more so if it encroaches on

public life.”24 This view of religion as problematic makes the treatment of religious issues in a

22 Tobias Jones, “Secular Fundamentalists are the New Totalitarians,” The Guardian, January 6, 2007. 23 Peter Berger, Grace Davie, and Effie Fokas, 54. 24 Peter Berger, Grace Davie, and Effie Fokas, 45.

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practical manner increasingly difficult. 25 Additionally, with the secular pressure for

privatization of religion, secular societies find the “recognition of some legitimate role for

religion in public life and in the organization and mobilization of collective group identities”

quite troublesome.26 However, secular Europe is increasingly obligated to wrestle with such

religious issues in the public realm.27 Many European countries face the unforeseen challenge of

integrating an unprecedented number of outwardly religious Muslim immigrants into mainstream

society. Additionally, the enlargement of the European Union will only contribute to the rising

pluralism already present in many European societies. The inclusion of Turkey would bring over

60 million more Muslims into Europe’s borders.28 Europe’s Christian heritage and some current

revivals combined with the new atheism add another dimension to the growing visibility of

religion. The escalating salience of religion in Europe demands consideration and perhaps a

renegotiation with secularism over religion’s place in the public sphere.

A good beginning step towards gaining insight into what religion’s role in public society

can and should be in Europe and perhaps in the world is to pursue a deeper understanding of the

thoughts, feelings, and opinions of citizens in regard to this topic. For a variety of reasons, I

think that England, specifically London, provides an ideal setting for seeking such an

understanding.

25 José Casanova, “Religion, European Secular Identities, and European Integration,” 82. 26 José Casanova, “Religion, European Secular Identities, and European Integration,” 77. 27 Peter J. Katzenstein, “Multiple Modernities as Limits to Secular Europeanization,” in Religion in an Expanding Europe ed. Timothy A. Byrnes and Peter J. Katzenstein (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 1. 28 Jay Tolson, “European, Not Christian: An Aggressive Secularism Sweeps the Continent,” U.S. News and World Report, May 22, 2005.

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England is unique among European countries in that it has historically allowed a greater

degree of religious pluralism and toleration. Early on, the Protestant Reformation in England

created a distance between religion and politics and replaced religious conformity with the

coexistence of dissenting sects and various Christian communities along with the established

Church of England.29 Thus, Britain “acquired a relatively high degree of religious pluralism at

an earlier stage than most Europeans, and learnt—though not always willingly—to tolerate

religious differences at a group as well as an individual level.” 30 Today, England encompasses a

tremendous variety of religious inclinations. The predominantly secular or religiously indifferent

general public lives alongside nominal and active members of the Anglican and Roman Catholic

churches. Though Christianity in England is experiencing overall decline, independent,

evangelical Christian churches, such as Pentecostals, represent fast growing Christian groups and

some are experiencing revivals. England is also home to outspoken advocates of the “new

atheism” or what John Gray, professor of European Thought at the London School of

Economics, identifies as “evangelistic atheism” such as Richard Dawkins and members of the

National Secular Society. 31 Though large numbers of British Jews have migrated to Israel,

concentrated Jewish communities remain in London and Manchester.32 The immigration of

Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus from the Commonwealth as well as from Pakistan,

Middle-Eastern Arab countries, and East Africa also contributes to the widening array of

religious preferences. Over the last few decades, England has seen an especially startling

increase in Muslims immigrants. At the start of the 20th century, around 10,000 Muslims called

29 Steve Bruce, Religion in Modern Britain (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995), 5. 30Peter Berger, Grace Davie, and Effie Fokas, 49. 31 John Gray, “The Atheist Delusion,” The Guardian, March 15, 2008. 32 Bruce, 74.

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Britain their home. 33 According to the 2001 census, there are now 1.6 million British Muslims,

making Islam the second largest religious group in the United Kingdom. 34

England’s capital, the city of London, is the epicenter of English religious plurality.

London is commonly described as the most cosmopolitan city in the world “with 300 languages

spoken, fifty non-indigenous communities with populations of 10,000 or more and a third of the

city’s residents born outside of the United Kingdom.”35 The city is home to the “highest

concentration of minority ethnic populations” and is England’s most multifarious region in

regard to religious composition. 36 According to the 2001 census, over half of Britain’s Jewish

and Hindu populations reside in London. Almost a third of the Sikh population and 36% of

Britain’s Buddhists can be found in London as well. 37 London’s most significant minority

religion is Islam, which makes up 8.5% of the population. About 40% of England’s Muslims live

in London, and the 2001 census reported 607,083 Muslims in the Greater London area.38 Many

of the religious groups are concentrated in various neighborhoods and boroughs throughout

London and have had a visible impact on the physical landscape of the city. Places of worship,

including mosques and temples, have been constructed and, along with religious clothing and

symbols, are becoming commonplace in public life. In this city of 7 million, the lives of

England’s religiously diverse citizens intersect as they rub shoulders on the tube, cross paths on

the way to work, go for a coffee, shop for groceries in the nearest Tesco, or have a pint in the

local pub.

33 BBC Religion and Ethics, “History of Islam in the UK,” February 10, 2002. 34 Knippenberg, 51. 35 Ian Bradley, Believing in Britain (London: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd., 2007), 38. 36 Knippenberg, 52. 37 National Statistics Online, “Geographic Distribution Minority Religions Mainly in London,” http://www.epl.org/library/strategic-plan-00.html (Accessed June 1, 2005). 38 Office for National Statistics, “Neighborhood Statistics. Area: London,” http://www.neighborhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTable.html (Accessed October 3, 2009).

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In addition to the religious plurality of England and especially London, England is unique

in that it currently occupies a middle ground between the religiosity of the United States and the

secularism of Europe. 39 The general population tends to approach religion with an attitude of

indifference and for the most part, lacks the American enthusiasm as well as the French hostility

towards the public expression of religion. The Church of England retains its status as the

established national church; however, church attendance and observance of religious rites have

significantly declined in the last half of the 20th century. While the majority of the population

appears to be religiously unenthusiastic or non-believing, the 2001 census revealed that 71.6% of

the population claims some kind of nominal affiliation with Christianity.40 Though the English

prefer significantly less infusion of religious subjects in politics and public discourse than in the

United States, the English government has yet to implement rigid rules such as banning religious

symbols from state schools as in parts of Europe. Both religious and secular forces are present in

England, but neither has managed to dominate public opinion. At the present moment, England

as a whole appears undecided concerning the appropriate place of religion in public life.

In fact, the nation is in the midst of a fierce internal debate concerning religion’s role and

overall importance. In a 2007 article for the Guardian, Stuart Jeffries reports on the current

“vicious and uncompromising battle between believers and non-believers,” explaining that the

new cultural division in Britain is not between those of differing faiths but between the religious

and the secular.41 Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark, describes English society as a triangle with

secular fundamentalists in one corner, religious fundamentalists in another, and the more

39 Bradley, 58. 40 Knippenberg, 9. 41

Stuart Jeffries, “Faith,” The Guardian, February 26, 2007.

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moderate, thinking people of various faiths (or no faith) in the other.42 Both secularist and

religious camps claim to champion toleration and liberty and accuse the other side of

endangering pluralism and freedom. While secularists see religion as encroaching on public

neutrality and freedom of thought, religious people fear the loss of England’s religious heritage

and the unifying power of religious symbols and values and view extreme secularism as a

hindrance to freedom of expression. A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at the University of

London, declares that religious groups are not cooperating in the effort to establish a fair society.

He claims that “we [secularists] are trying to keep a pluralistic society and elements in the

Christian church and other religions are trying to destroy it.”43 On the other hand, the

Archbishop of York John Sentamu has accused secularists of “pervert[ing] and abus[ing] any

notion of diversity for the sake of promoting a narrow agenda.” 44 In his 2007 Christmas

message, the Archbishop of Wales The Most Reverend Dr. Barry C. Morgan proclaimed that the

new secular fundamentalism is dangerous because “it allows no room for disagreement, or doubt,

for debate, for discussion,” but instead “leads to the language of expulsion and exclusivity, of

extremism and polarization.”45 Finally, Polly Toynbee, British journalist and president of the

British Humanist Association, claims that secularists are innocent of all accusations. Instead, she

says “it is the Christians who are stirring this dangerous pot, inventing non-stories, yearning for

martyrdom.”46

A few recent events are illustrative of the ongoing struggle between England’s religious

and secular. In 2006, British Airways worker Nadia Eweida was placed on unpaid leave when

42 Stuart Jeffries, “Faith,” The Guardian, February 26, 2007. 43 Stuart Jeffries, “Faith,” The Guardian, February 26, 2007. 44 Stuart Jeffries, “Faith,” The Guardian, February 26, 2007. 45 BBC News, “‘Atheist Fundamentalism’ Fears,” December 22, 2007. 46 Polly Toynbee, “Sorry to Disappoint, but It’s Nonsense to Suggest We Want to Ban Christmas,” The Guardian, December 21, 2007.

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she refused to conceal her cross necklace after a diversity awareness meeting. She appealed the

decision and claimed religious discrimination because of the company’s policy allowing turbans

and hijabs to be worn, as they could not be concealed under clothing.47 Ms. Eweida lost the case

in 2008; however, British Airways also changed its uniform policy which now allows symbols of

faith to be worn.48 The controversy caused outrage among the British Christian community and

raised the important question of whether religious symbols are acceptable and if so which ones.

Also in 2006, the student guild of the University of Exeter banned the Christian Union and froze

its bank account, claiming that the Union did not comply with its equal opportunities policy. 49

The CU holds open meetings but requires all members to sign a declaration stating their belief in

Jesus Christ as their Savior. While the student guild claimed to guard equality and discourage

exclusivity, members of the Christian Union felt their rights of freedom of belief, expression, and

association to be threatened and decided to take the issue to High Court.50 Similar disputes have

occurred at the University of Birmingham, Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University, and some

London medical schools. In response to the controversy, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan

Williams warned that attempts to silence a group for fear of offense endangers intellectual life

and open argument.51 The president of the National Union of Students countered that the guilds

are working for freedom of opinion within the universities, while Christian Unions impede

opinion by limiting their membership. Pod Bhogal, a spokesman for the Universities and

Colleges Christian Fellowship, said the student guilds were pushing a “secular, politically correct

agenda posing as tolerance.”52

47 BBC News, Archbishop Attacks BA Cross Rules,” November 21, 2006. 48 Times Online, “BA Worker ‘Speechless’ After Losing Cross,” January 9, 2008. 49 Guardian, “Exeter Christian Union Threatens Legal Action Over ‘Ban,’” November 17, 2006. 50 BBC News, “Christian Students in Legal Fight,” January 5, 2007. 51 BBC News, “Evangelical Students ‘Suppressed,’” August 12, 2006. 52 Guardian, “Exeter Christian Union Threatens Legal Action Over ‘Ban,’” November 17, 2006.

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The unprecedented Muslim presence in England exacerbates this debate and places the

nation under heightened pressure to confront the issue of religion. In 2005, the Guardian and the

Barrow Cadbury Trust hosted a conference in which fifty people were brought together for

twenty-four hours and presented with the question: “what are the consequences of an

increasingly assertive Muslim political identity in Britain?” 53 Though the discussion did not

produce a list of simple answers, it served to bring out into the open an important issue that

demands consideration. That is, “how does the progressive left of centre—with its deeply secular

instincts—deal with the reassertion of religion in British political life? This conundrum has split

progressives in a way that race issues have not done for several decades; all its inclinations are to

insist that religion is strictly a private matter, but that is being profoundly challenged by a British

Muslim community.” The fastest growing religion in Europe and the second largest religious

group in England, Islam is reshaping urban areas such as London as Muslim communities form

neighborhoods and build places of worship. The final decades of the twentieth century witnessed

the erection of a myriad of mosques around the country—there are at least 1,500 mosques in the

United Kingdom today.54 Numerous Muslim organizations have also appeared such as the

Young Muslims UK, the Muslim Council of Britain, the Muslim Association of Britain, the

Islamic Centre of England, and the London Muslim Centre, all located in and around London.

The choice of British Muslims to define themselves by their religion rather than by their

ethnicity or country of origin contributes to the conspicuousness of their faith. Relatively new to

Western Europe, the Islamic faith and culture are very different from either the European secular

or Christian traditions, and the general population tends to have an “ongoing anxiety about

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Madeleine Bunting, “Elephants in the Room,” The Guardian, January 21, 2005. 54 BBC News, “The Battle Over Mosque Reform,” November 29, 2007.

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Islam.”55 The Rushdie affair, the Danish cartoons, and the 2005 London bombings have

contributed to a fear of radical, fundamentalist Islam and a feeling of discomfort in reference to

the growing Muslim presence in England.

While the general population maintains a feeling of unease towards the Islamic

community, some are taking steps to increase understanding of the culture and create

intercommunity bonds. Boris Johnson, mayor of London and prior critic of the Muslim

community following the 2005 bombings, spoke recently at the East London Mosque,

encouraging people to learn more about the Muslim faith and perhaps fast for a day with a

Muslim neighbor in observance of Ramadan.56 He went on to praise Muslim contributions to

London society, calling Muslims “an essential part of the fabric of London.” However, not

everyone agrees with Johnson’s positive perspective on Islam. Organizations such as the English

Defense League, Stop the Islamisation of Europe, and the British National Party passionately

oppose the emergence of Islam in England. The English Defense League (EDL), a group that

recently surfaced this spring, claims to oppose radical Islam and Sharia law and has staged

several demonstrations across the country. Calling Islamophobia the “height of common sense,”

Stop the Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) is a Europe-wide organization with a branch in England

that aims to prevent Islam from becoming a dominant political force.57 The British National

Party (BNP) is a pro-white, anti-immigration political party that openly opposes the Muslim

religion in the United Kingdom. On September 11, 2009, both the EDL and the SIOE

participated in an anti-Islam demonstration outside of Harrow Central Mosque in London. What

55 Madeleine Bunting, “The New Atheists Loathe Religion Far Too Much to Plausibly Challenge It,” The Guardian, May 7, 2007. 56 Dave Hill, “Boris Johnson Converts to Islam,” The Guardian, September 8, 2009. 57 Stop the Islamisation of Europe, “About SIOE,” http://sioe.wordpress.com/about/html (Accessed August 27, 2009).

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was promised to be a peaceful demonstration protesting the expansion of the mosque to provide

space for Harrow’s 35,000 Muslims, quickly spiraled into violence between the demonstrators

and counter demonstrators and resulted in several arrests by the local police.58 Ghulam Rabanni,

General Secretary of the mosque, expressed sadness that people came into Harrow to stir up

trouble in a community that has not struggled with racial tension. 59 A spokesperson from the

SIOE explained that the organization is simply fundamentally opposed to totalitarianism and

“regards Islam as the nastiest form of totalitarianism ever devised.” 60 The leader of the group

shared his opinion that expansion of the mosque is “not good for community cohesion.” On the

other hand, the leader of the Harrow Council described the mosque as “part of the fabric of

Harrow” and lamented the fact that “these people feel the need to import their extreme views into

our borough.”

Clearly, the question of the role of religion in England’s public sphere is increasingly

urgent. Now is the time to begin the search for a deeper knowledge and understanding of the

issues and to ultimately work towards a solution. To that end, I would like the opportunity to go

to England to personally speak with and interview the individuals directly involved in these

various religious and non religious groups to gain insight into their perspectives on the

appropriate place of religion in the public sphere. In order to keep the project manageable and

sufficiently narrow, I would specifically focus on secularist, Christian and Muslim groups and

individuals as well as some prominent professors, journalists, and writers who have spoken and

written on this issue. In compiling my list of contacts (attached), I chose to focus on people

58 Jerome Taylor, “Right-wing Protestors Target Harrow Mosque,” Independent, September 11, 2009. 59

Jerome Taylor, “Right-wing Protestors Target Harrow Mosque,” Independent, September 11, 2009. 60 Independent, “Organisers Pledge Peaceful Anti-Islam Protest,” September 8, 2009.

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directly involved in the relevant religious and non-religious groups and organizations rather than

a random selection from the general public. Several of the contacts that I have chosen to

interview are quite well known and influential leaders and thinkers. If I am unable to obtain a

face to face meeting with them, I will speak with another relevant contact involved in their

organization or religious group. I also have a second list of contacts to draw from if any of my

primary contacts are unreachable. The vast majority of my research would be conducted in

London; however, I will travel outside of the city to meet with a few prominent thinkers and

leaders of religious organizations in Oxford and Cambridge. These specific contacts are

pertinent and influential enough to merit a brief trip outside of my area of focus. I also anticipate

being directed to new contacts and resources by the people that I interview in London.

Face to face interviews will provide the most effective means to gaining an accurate

understanding of people’s perspectives on the role of religion in the public realm. Personal

interviews will allow an excellent environment for discussion and dialogue about current

thought, issues, and problems as well as potential solutions. I plan to conduct one to two hour

interviews which I will record for later review using a portable digital voice recorder. Before

leaving for England, I will more extensively research the various people that I plan to interview

in order to craft my interview questions in a way that is pertinent and specific to each individual.

However, each interview will follow a similar general structure and address the same significant

issues. I will begin by asking the individual to speak about their own beliefs and religious

background, asking questions such as: what are your personal religious views or views about

religion? What have your experiences been as a Christian (or Muslim or secular person) in

London? What people or events have been significant in shaping your opinions and perspective?

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I will then ask several questions about their views on religion’s role in the public realm:

Is religion appropriate in the public sphere? Do you think tolerance and coexistence are better

achieved by secularism or by open religious expression? Will the public expression of religious

belief cause division and conflict in a pluralist society? Or will open religious discussion allow

mutual understanding and encourage toleration? In general, is the acknowledgement of religious

preference valuable or detrimental to public dialogue? Do you see secularism as a facilitator and

protector of neutrality and freedom? Or do you think the secular state is in danger of infringing

upon the rights of religious association and expression? Should the topic of religion be generally

avoided or publicly confronted?

I will also address the subject of unity within a pluralist society: Is an underlying

religious heritage and worldview necessary to maintain a sense of national unity? Do you think

that the Church of England is essential to England’s national identity? Could (and should) the

Church of England adopt the role of protector and representative of all religions in England? In

your opinion, what would be the consequences of disestablishment? Are Christian traditions and

festivals offensive to minority faiths in England? Do you think that the increasing visibility of

differing religions is divisive in London’s pluralist society? What are some potential non-

religious unifiers for an increasingly pluralist Britain? Can secular values provide common

bonds? Is there a need for a replacement morality if religion is excluded from the public sphere?

I will also inquire into their personal vision of an ideal pluralist society as well as their

concerns for England’s future: In an ideal world, what role would religion play in the public

arena? What would that look like for London? What steps need to be taken to achieve this

vision in London? Is religious tolerance enough or does a pluralist society need something

more? What will be the consequences if England embraces religion as an appropriate aspect of

19

public life?…if it excludes religion from public life? What are your hopes, fears, and concerns

about the future of England and Europe as a whole in regard to this topic?

In addition to interviews, I will attend various church services, secular events, and

meetings of student organizations, as well as some informative meetings available to the public

in Muslim centers in order to gain further knowledge and insight and perhaps network to find

new contacts. I am currently seeking IRB approval from SMU, and I plan to work with Glenn

Lucke, President of Docent Research Group and co-author of Common Grounds, on research and

interviewing methods. Dr. Hopkins, History professor of Modern Britain and European Social

and Intellectual Life at SMU, will act as my supervisor, and I will continue to interact with him

about my project while overseas and upon my return. Finally, I will write an article based on my

findings which I will submit for publication in a scholarly journal such as the Journal of Religion

and Society or the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture.

20

Bibliography

Books

Ammerman, Nancy T. Ed. Everyday Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Banchoff, Thomas, Ed. Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Berger, Peter, Grace Davie, and Effie Fokas. Religious America, Secular Europe? Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2008.

Bradley, Ian. Believing in Britain. London: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd., 2007.

Brown, Callum G. Religion and Society in Twentieth-Century Britain. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006.

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Brown, Callum G. The Death of Christian Britain. London: Routledge, 2001.

Bruce, Steve. God is Dead, Secularization in the West. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2002.

Bruce, Steve. Religion in Modern Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.

Byrnes, Timothy A. “Transnational Religion and Europeanization.” In Religion in an Expanding Europe, edited by Timothy A. Byrnes and Peter J. Katzenstein, 283-305. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Casanova, José. “Immigration and the New Religious Pluralism: A European Union/United States Comparison.” In Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism, edited by Thomas Banchoff, 59-83. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Casanova, José. “Religion, European Secular Identities, and European Integration.” In Religion in an Expanding Europe, edited by Timothy A. Byrnes and Peter J. Katzenstein, 65-92. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Davie, Grace. “Pluralism, Tolerance, and Democracy: Theory and Practice in Europe.” In Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism, edited by Thomas Banchoff, 223-241. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Davie, Grace. Religion in Britain since 1945. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1994.

Dawkins, Richard. The God Delusion. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006.

Gordon, Mick and Chris Wilkinson, Ed. Conversations on Religion. London: Continuum, 2008.

Habgood, John. Church and Nation in a Secular Age. London: Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd, 1983.

22

Katzenstein, Peter J. “Multiple Modernities as Limits to Secular Europeanization?” In Religion in an Expanding Europe, edited by Timothy A. Byrnes and Peter J. Katzenstein, 1-33. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Knippenberg, Hans, Ed. The Changing Religious Landscape of Europe. Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis, 2005.

Martin, David. The Religious and the Secular. London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1969.

McGrath, Alister E. The Dawkins Delusion? Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2007.

Norris, Pippa and Ronald Inglehart. Sacred and Secular. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Newspaper articles/Blogs

BBC Religion and Ethics. “History of Islam in the UK.” October, 2, 2002.

BBC News. “Archbishop attacks BA Cross Rules.” November 21, 2006.

BBC News. “‘Atheistic Fundamentalism’ Fears.” December 22, 2007.

BBC News. “Christianophobia Warning from MP.” December 4, 2007.

BBC News. “Muslims in Europe: Country Guide.” December 23, 2005.

BBC News. “UK ‘Must Celebrate Christianity.’” December 5, 2007.

BBC News. “UK Winterval Gets Frosty Reception.” November 9, 1998.

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Brown, Steven. “Religious Leaders Oppose Swiss Ban on Mosque Minarets.” USA Today. September 10, 2009.

Bunting, Madeleine. “Elephants in the Room.” The Guardian. January 21, 2005.

Church In Wales Press Release. “Archbishop of Wales the Most Reverend Dr Barry C Morgan Christmas Message.” http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/press/display_press_release.php?prid=4542

Dawkins, Richard. “How Dare You Call Me a Fundamentalist?” The Times. May 12, 2007.

Economist. “A New Jerusalem.” September 3, 2006.

Eskow, RJ. “Reject Arguments For Intolerance—Even From Atheists.” Huffington Post. January 4, 2006.

Gray, John. “The Atheist Delusion.” The Guardian. March 15, 2008.

Habermas, Jurgen. “Religion in the Public Sphere.”University of San Diego March 4, 2005.

Hill, Dave. “Boris Johnson Converts to Islam.” The Guardian. September 8, 2009.

Hedges, Chris. “On Secular Fundamentalism.” April 7, 2008. http://www.commondreams.org/

Independent. “Organisers Pledge Peaceful Anti-Islam protest.” September 8, 2009.

Interalia Blog, http://interaliablog.blogspot.com/2007/06/secular-fundamentalism.html/

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Jeffries, Stuart. “Religion in the Public Sphere.” The Guardian. October 3, 2005.

Jeffries, Stuart. “Faith.” The Guardian. February 26, 2007.

Johns, Ian. “Atheism Gets a Kick in the Fundamentals.” The Times. December 19, 2006.

Johnson, Daniel. “The Threat of Secular Fundamentalism.” The Telegraph. April 16, 2003.

Jones, Tobias. “Secular Fundamentalists Are the New Totalitarians.” The Guardian. January 6, 2007.

New York Times. “Secular Fundamentalism.” December 19, 2003.

Taylor, Jerome. “Right-wing Protestors Targets Harrow Mosque.” The Independent. September 11, 2009.

Times. “The Dawkins Debate.” September 14, 2007.

Tolson, Jay. “European, Not Christian: An Aggressive Secularism Sweeps the Continent.” U.S. News. May, 5, 2005.

Toynbee, Polly. “Sorry to Disappoint, but It’s Nonsense to Suggest We Want to Ban Christmas.” The Guardian. December 21, 2007.

Williams, Kevin. “Neutrality on Religion Still a Vexed Issue.” Irish Times. September 8, 2009.

25

Websites

British Humanist Association: http://www.humanism.org.uk/home

English Defense League: http://www.englishdefenceleague.org/

Hillsong London: http://www.hillsongmychurch.co.uk/

Holy Trinity Brompton: http://www.htb.org.uk/

Kingsway International Christian Centre: http://www.kicc.org.uk/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

Office for National Statistics. “Neighborhood Statistics. Area: London.” http://www.neighborhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTable.html (Accessed October 3, 2009).

National Secular Society: http://www.secularism.org.uk/

National Statistics Online. “Geographic Distribution Minority Religions Mainly in London.”

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=956.html. (Accessed October 3, 2009)

Richard Dawkins Websites: http://richarddawkins.net/

Stop the Islamization of Europe SIOE http://sioe.wordpress.com/

Thinking Anglicans: http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/

26

Timeline

Focus: Secularism

Week 1 (1/10 - 1/16)

Sunday—Depart from Airport

Monday—Arrive in London

Tuesday—Settle in to hotel and familiarize myself with the city

Wednesday—interview A.C. Grayling

Thursday—interview Lewis Wolpert

Friday—interview Keith Porteous Wood and Terry Sanderson

Saturday—Explore additional leads generated through interviews/Recommended research

Week 2 (1/17 – 1/23)

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Sunday—attend church at Holy Trinity Brompton 11:30am; Explore additional leads generated through interviews/Recommended research

Monday—interview Lord Avebury

Tuesday—interview Ariane Sherine

Wednesday—Day trip to Brighton: visit the office of the Freethinker, interview Barry Duke

Thursday—visit the Center for Inquiry London, interview Provost Stephen Law

Friday—visit the office of the Independent, interview columnist Johan Hari

Saturday—Explore additional leads generated through interviews/Recommended research

Week 3 (1/24 – 1/30)

Sunday—attend church at Hillsong 10:30am; Explore leads/Recommended research

Monday—interview Peter Tatchell

Tuesday—interview Polly Toynbee or other contact from the British Humanist Association

Wednesday—interview Naomi Philips

Thursday—interview Paul Pettinger

Friday—interview Harry Stopes-Roe

Saturday—Explore leads/Recommended research

Week 4: (1/31 – 2/6) Oxford

Sunday—travel to Oxford and get acquainted with the city

Monday—interview Richard Dawkins

Tuesday—interview Philip Pullman, interview Jenna Catley

Wednesday—interview Peter Atkins, interview Jack Quaddy

Thursday—interview Colin Blakemore

Friday—interview Susan Greenfield

Saturday—travel back to London/Explore leads/Recommended research

28

Prof. A.C. Grayling: Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College London; renowned atheist; Fellow of the World Economic Forum, and a member of its C-100 group on relations between the West and the Islamic world; columnist for various journals and reviews

Prof. Lewis Wolpert: vice president of the British Humanist Association; current Professor of Biology as applied to Medicine at University College London; well-known for 2008 speech entitled “The Origins of Science and Religion” at the European Society for the Study of Science and Theology in Sweden

Keith Porteous Wood: executive director of the National Secular Society

Terry Sanderson: President of the National Secular Society

Lord Avebury : secularist of the year 2009, liberal MP

Ariane Sherine: creator of atheist bus campaign, writer and journalist; author of the first atheist charity book: The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas

The Freethinker: The British monthly journal for Atheists, Secularists, Freethinkers, Rationalists and Humanists; based out of Brighton

Barry Duke: editor of the Freethinker

Center for Inquiry London: education focused on the application of science and/or reason to questions regarding religion and the supernatural, the application of science and/or reason to pressing contemporary ethical dilemmas and social/political problems, the question of what is, and is not, good science

Stephen Law: Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London; Provost of CFI London

The Independent: UK newspaper

Johan Hari: Independent columnist, one of the nominees for the Secularist of the Year award; has interviewed many world figures, including the Dalai Lama, Tony Blair, Hugo Chavez, George Michael, Dolly Parton, Salman Rushdie, Martin Amis, Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Peter Tatchell: British Human Rights activist, prominent gay equality LGBT campaigner

Polly Toynbee: President of the British Humanist Association

Naomi Philips: BHA public affairs officer; works on the BHA's campaigns covering a wide range of issues including public services, equality law, human rights and social cohesion

Paul Pettinger: BHA Campaigns Manager; Paul is responsible for BHA campaigning on faith schools and other education-related issues, such as Religious Education and collective worship.

Prof. Harry Stopes-Roe: Vice President of the British Humanist Association; received BSc and MSc in physics from Imperial College , London and a PhD in Philosophy from Cambridge University . He was a

29

lecturer, then senior lecturer, in Science Studies at Birmingham University, work which led him to reject the idea of "God" and to seek an alternative basis for morality in Humanism

Richard Dawkins: evolutionary biologist; Former Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford; author of The God Delusion, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Selfish Gene,

The Blind Watchmaker; the OUT Campaign

Philip Pullman: author of His Dark Materials (trilogy containing The Golden Compass)

Jenna Catley: AHS President (National Federation of Atheist, Humanist, and Secular Student Societies), University of Oxford PhD student

Prof. Peter Atkins: retired chemistry professor at Oxford; outspoken atheist known for attacks on religion; has written and spoken extensively on science and religion, arguing the two are incompatible.

Jack Quaddy: president of Oxford Secular Society (student organization)

Prof. Colin Blakemore: Professor of Neuroscience at the Universities of Oxford and Warwick; author of Guardian article “Science is Just One Gene Away from Defeating Religion”

Susan Greenfield: Professor of Synaptic Pharmacology at Lincoln College, Oxford

Focus: Islam

Week 5 (2/7 – 2/13)

Sunday—attend church at Ascension Balham Hill 11:00am; Explore leads/Recommended research

Monday—visit East London Mosque, interview Ghulam Rabanni

Tuesday—interview contact at Islam Awareness Program; interview contact at Islamic Forum of Europe (both based in the East London Mosque/London Muslim Centre)

Wednesday—interview Rashid Ansari

Thursday—visit London Central Mosque & Islamic Cultural Centre; tour by volunteer British Muslim

Friday—interview contact of the Interfaith Department of London Central Mosque

30

Saturday—Explore leads/Recommended research; Secularist of the Year 2010 Award Ceremony

Week 6 (2/14 – 2/20)

Sunday—Islamic Studies Class at London Central Mosque 1-2pm

Monday—visit and interview contact at UK Islamic Mission

Tuesday—interview Tariq Ramadan; interview Hazhir Teimourian

Wednesday—Abdelwahab El Affendi

Thursday—interview contact at University of London Union Classical Islam Society and contact at University College London Islamic Society

Friday—visit Islamic Centre of England; interview contacts at the Department of Culture and Education and the Department of Religious Enquiries


Week 7 (2/21 – 2/27)

Sunday—attend church at St. Gabriel’s 10:30am; Explore leads/Recommended research

Monday—interview Azzam Tamimi

Tuesday—interview Jerome Taylor; interview John Denham

Wednesday—visit Muslim Council of Britain, interview Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, Dr Daud Abdullah, and Harun Rashid Khan

Thursday—visit Harrow Central Mosque; interview Haroon Rashid Sheikh

Friday—interview Ghulam Rabbani

Saturday—Mujlis Ziker

Week 8 (2/28 – 3/6)

Sunday—attend church at St. Barnabas Kensington 10:30am; Explore leads/Recommended research

Monday—interview Aaqil Ahmed

Tuesday—interview Shelina Janmohamed

31

Wednesday—interview Anders Gravers or Stephen Gash of Stop the Islamisation of Europe

Thursday—interview contact at English Defense League

Friday— interview contact at London branch of the Muslim Association of Britain


East London Mosque

Ghulam Rabanni: General Secretary of East London Mosque

Islam Awareness Program: geared toward creating better community relations and informing non-Muslims about Islam

Islamic Forum of Europe

Rashid Ansari: London chair and vice president of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies

London Central Mosque & Islamic Cultural Centre

Interfaith Department of London Central Mosque

Secularist of the Year 2010 Award Ceremony: prize presented to someone who has contributed significantly to the cause of secularism in the preceding year; gathering of prominent secularists, humanists, and atheists.

Islamic Studies Class at London Central: Mosque 1-2pm: Held in English language and designed for new converts and all other Muslims to increase their knowledge, and an opportunity for non-Muslims to enquire & learn more about Islam. Men & Women are welcome.

UK Islamic Mission: works to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding; doors open to all regardless of belief.

Tariq Ramadan: Muslim academic and theologian; believes that Muslims in Europe have established a new "European Islam" and emphasizes the necessity for their contribution to European society.

Hazhir Teimourian: Iranian Middle East Analyst and commentator

Abdelwahab El Affendi: Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster and co-ordinator of the Centre's Democracy and Islam Programme

interview contact at University of London Union Classical Islam Society and contact at University College London Islamic Society

Islamic Centre of England: interview contacts at the Department of Culture and Education and the Department of Religious Enquiries

Azzam Tamimi: Director of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought in London

Jerome Taylor: the religious correspondent for The Independent; follows EDL/SOIE and Muslim groups

32

John Denham: Communities Secretary who has openly criticized groups such as EDL and SOIE for encouraging religious hatred

Harrow Central Mosque: site of the 9/11/2009 anti-Islam demonstration and riot

Haroon Rashid Sheikh: Chairman of Harrow Central Mosque Ghulam Rabbani: General Secretary of Harrow Central Mosque

Mujlis Ziker: regular monthly event hosted by Harrow Central Mosque. Regular speakers include: Allama Nisar Ahmed Sulimani (Hounslow Mosque) and Allama Shafi-ud-Din. Talks in English; All are welcome.

Aaqil Ahmed: first Muslim head of religious programming at the BBC

Shelina Janmohamed: author of spirit21, a blog providing a unique perspective on the life of a British Muslim woman, addresses issues such as the political role of Turkey and women wearing the hijab; author of Love in a Headscarf

Stop the Islamisation of Europe: organization fundamentally opposed to the Muslim religion and the immigration of Muslims to Europe

English Defense League: newly formed organization opposing Radical Islam and Sharia Law

Muslim Association of Britain

Muslim Council of Britain

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra: Chair of Interfaith Relations of the Muslim Council of Britain

Dr. Daud Abdullah: Chair of Europe and International Affairs of the Muslim Council of Britain

Harun Rashid Khan: Chair of the London Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Focus: Christianity

Week 9 (3/7 – 3/13)

Sunday—attend church at Holy Trinity Brompton 11:30am; Explore leads/Recommended research

Monday—interview Nicky Gumbel

Tuesday—interview Jacqui Hance

Wednesday—visit the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity; interview Nigel Hopper and Tracy Cotterell

33

Thursday—interview the Very Reverend Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark

Friday— interview Jane Morris


Week 10 (3/14 – 3/20)

Sunday: attend church at Moot 6:30pm, establish a contact to interview; Explore leads/Recommended research

Monday—interview Alister McGrath

Tuesday—visit Evangelical Alliance and Global Connections; interview Steve Clifford

Wednesday—interview Karen Armstrong

Thursday—interview Anne Widdecombe

Friday— interview contact at Hillsong London


Week 11 (3/21 – 3/27)

Sunday: attend church at Hillsong 10:30am; Explore leads/Recommended research

Monday—interview Jan Humphrey

Tuesday—interview Rev. Canon Guy Wilkinson and Tim Livesy

Wednesday—interview Richard Harries

Thursday: interview contacts University College London Christian Union and King’s College London Christian Union

Friday— interview Mark Pritchard MP

Saturday—travel to Cambridge

Week 12 (3/28 – 4/3)

Sunday—guided walk with Christian Heritage at 2:30pm

Monday—visit Christian Heritage; interview Martin Lown and Rachel Thorpe

Tuesday-- interview Don Cuppitt and Fraser Watts

34

Wednesday—visit The Jubilee Centre; interview John Hayward and Alan White

Thursday—travel back to London; interview Stuart Jeffries

Friday— interview John Gray; interview Oliver Letwin

Saturday—Recommended research/prepare to return home

Nicky Gumbel: pastor of Holy Trinity Brompton and author of the Alpha Course

Jacqui Hance: co-pastor of Ascension Balham Hill Anglican Church

London Institute for Contemporary Christianity

Nigel Hopper: Lecturer in Contemporary Culture at the LICC

Tracy Cotterell: Director of the Imagine Project at the LICC

Very Reverend Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark

Jane Morris: Vicar of St. Gabriel’s Anglican Church

Moot: “creative and explorative Christian activity in the city;” alternative approach to Evangelical Christianity; a “community of spiritual travelers”

Alister McGrath: Christian theologian; holds a DPhil in molecular biophysics and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Oxford; author of the Twilight of Atheism and the Dawkins Delusion?

Evangelical Alliance and Global Connections: evangelical voice to the state, society, and church

Steve Clifford: Evangelical Alliance General Director

Karen Armstrong: author of comparative religion; former Catholic nun; interfaith initiative—“Charter of Compassion”

Anne Widdecombe: British Conservative Party Politician, member of Conservative Christian Fellowship

Hillsong London: large Evangelical church known worldwide

Jan Humphrey: Evangelism & Clusters Coordinator at St. Barnabas Kensington Anglican Church

35

Rev. Canon Guy Wilkinson: Secretary for Inter-Religious Relations at the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Tim Livesy: Secretary for Public Affairs at the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Richard Harries: former Bishop of Oxford—public conversation with Richard Dawkins in Oxford University Museum

University College London Christian Union

King’s College London Christian Union

Mark Pritchard MP: Member of Parliament; called Westminster debate over “Christianophobia”

Christian Heritage: evangelical Christian organization based at the Round Church in Cambridge; seeks to demonstrate the impact of Christianity on the intellectual and moral foundations of the west; welcomes visitors to exhibition, video and regular walks of the city, all of which raise important questions for today.

Martin Lown: director of Christian Heritage

Rachel Thorpe: Intern at Christian Heritage

Don Cuppitt: philosopher of religion and Christian Theologian; Anglican priest, Cambridge emeritus professor

Fraser Watts: Vicar-Chaplain of St. Edward, King and Martyr in Cambridge; Lecturer in Theology and the Natural Sciences; director of the Psychology and Christianity Project in the Center for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies

Jubilee Centre: Evangelical Christian organization believing that the Bible describes a coherent vision for society that has relevance for Britain and the world today. “We seek to study, disseminate and apply this vision in order to provide a positive response to the challenges faced by individuals, communities and policy makers.”

John Hayward: executive director for the Jubilee Centre

Alan White: Projects Manager for the Jubilee Centre; elder in local church

36

Week 13 (4/4 – 4/10)

Sunday—attend church at Holy Trinity Brompton 11:30pm; prepare to return home

Monday—visit the Institute of Community Cohesion; interview Shahid Malik

Tuesday—interview Tobias Jones; interview Madeline Bunting

Wednesday—depart from London

Thursday—arrive in Dallas

Friday

Saturday

Interfaith/Neutral Contacts:

Stuart Jeffries: columnist for the Guardian; articles concerning religion and religion in the public sphere

Prof. John Gray: formerly Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics; often writes on the topic of secular/atheist vs. religious fundamentalism and authored Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia

Oliver Letwin: British Politician well known for his 2003 speech “E Pluribus Unum: Agreeing to Differ”

Institute of Community Cohesion

Shahid Malik: Community Cohesion Minister

Tobias Jones: British author and journalist

Madeline Bunting: Guardian columnist and editor; often writes on ethics, religion, and Islam

To be worked into schedule during the University term:

King’s College London European Society: discusses topics concerning the European Union such as the difference between the political and cultural borders of the continent

37

University College London Interfaith society

School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Salam Society: a multi-faith and multicultural society which aims to promote tolerance and understanding between different groups within society

Project Budget

1/10/2010 – 4/8/2010

Round-trip airfare to London (Austin Bergstrom to London Heathrow)

American Airlines—$1019.58

British Airways—$1,002

Northwest Airlines—$818.20

Delta Airlines—$825.20

US Airways—$904

Continental Airlines—$872

Average estimate: $906.79

Transportation to and from Airport Total Estimate: $16.05

38

Hotel Accommodations in London for 75 nights:

The Euro Hotel—$9,026.25

The Grand at Trafalgar—$11,313

The Gate Hotel—$8,424.75

Ramada Encore London West—$9,627.75

Danubius Hotel Regents Park—$14,201

Average Estimate: $10,518.60

Transportation within London :

Oyster Card + daily transportation—$4.81 + $9.63/day in London

Train fare within Greater London area—$38.04

Total Estimate: $736.21

Transportation to and from Oxford: Total Estimate: $80.23

Hotel Accommodations in Oxford for 6 nights:

Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotels—$914.64

Parklands Hotel—$784.68

The Balkan Lodge Oxford—$654.702

Average Estimate: $784.67

Transportation within Oxford for 5 days : Total Estimate: $25.67

Transportation to and from Cambridge: Total Estimate: $50.39

Hotel Accommodations in Cambridge for 5 nights:

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Lensfield Hotel—$601.75

De Vere University Arms Hotel—$637.85

Arundel House Hotel—$802.35


Transportation within Cambridge for 4 days: Total Estimate: $12.84

Transportation to Brighton: Total Estimate: $47.98

Food:

$82.60 per day (70% of the figure given from US Department of State Foreign Per Diem Rates)


Secularist of the Year Award: £45 Total Estimate: $72.21

Equipment:

Portable Digital Voice Recorder:

Sony Digital Voice Recorder—$64.99

Olympus Digital Voice Recorder—$64.98


Digital camera (to document interviews and places of interest for blog postings and inclusion in final paper):

Samsung 12.2 Megapixel Digital Camera—$169.99

Nikon Coolpix 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera—$129.99

40

Sony – Cyber-shot 12.1 Megapixel Digital Camera—$179.99


International Phone SIM card to schedule and confirm appointments

SIM card + minutes


Total Average Estimate: $273.10

Reference Materials:

Internet Cafes ($4.81/hour)—$413.66

Books and Copying Costs—$350

Relevant newspapers/periodicals:

The Freethinker Overseas mail—$40.12


Total Budget Estimate: $21,840.51

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