Interfaith week 2023

Why should we celebrate Interfaith week? At a time when faith based crime is escalating, it is difficult to be a person of faith in the workplace. Our Faith Network team at CBRE UK tasked ourselves with celebrating the best of faith and educating our colleagues over the course of the last week.

Hate crime has been recorded by the Police in England and Wales to have grown over 300% in the last 10 years (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2022-to-2023/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2022-to-2023#section3). And in 94% of cases, religious forms a part of that hate crime.

We started a week early with a Diwali celebration where we invited clients and colleagues to a party in our conference space at Henrietta House. One of the best bits of feedback I received from this event was from an Indian lady who assumed it would be a tokenistic celebration, but was surprised by it's authenticity. We have some delicious indian food, drinks, card games, music and a lot of colour to create the party atmosphere, which continued into a nearby establishment shortly afterwards.

The Women's Network conference two days later included a panel discussion on Women of Faith. I was delighted to hear five women of faith sharing their experiences. They talked about creating inclusive environments, dedicated faith spaces and inclusive social events; and how to breaking down the stigma of talking about faith at work.

On Tuesday this week, we welcomed the amazing Raj Holness to 61 Southwark Street. I had researched a little bit of her story, but that didn't prepare me to hear in person her story of abuse, rejection, forced marriage, and attempted suicide. It was harrowing to hear how her family tried to kill her on more than one occasion. Raj put her survival, restoration, and forgiveness of her family all down to the miraculous intervention of the God she worships - Jesus Christ.

The following day was our 'Uncovering Faith at Work' panel event with 5 great speakers. Our old Chairman Michael Brodtman gave his thoughts on his experiences as our first Faith Network sponsor. Gorka and Dhanishtha shared their stories of intersectionality - Gorka who is an active member of the pride network; and Dhanishtha who is a member of Reach. Finally we heard from Saba and Josh - a friendship between a Muslim and a Jew which transcended the war in the Middle East.

Our next event was an online seminar by Mark Greene - he worked in advertising in London and New York, and shared his experiences and research on what makes a top Leader. He pointed out the huge correlation between qualities associated with Jesus Christ - like Humility and wisdom - with successful traits of leaders in the workplace. He noted that leaders with these traits were more reliable, helped nurture future leaders, and stayed longer.

Thursday was our Challah bake, and an opportunity to learn how to bake the bread that Jewish people share every sabbath. Some people joined us virtually on the big screen, but most were there in person to shape their own plaits, glazed with egg yolk and cover with sesame seeds. We also enjoyed some sweet kosher wine whilst waiting for our Challah to bake in the oven.

Our final interfaith event of the week was a training session highlighting the prevalence of islamophbia and antisemitism and how we can work against them. Umar shared interesting insights into how poorly people of faith are portrayed in the media with Muslims mentioned 20 times negatively in the news for ever 1 positive mention. There was also an example of Fox news using the same story from different angles for differing audiences.

Now that's it all over, just a week to celebrate faith felt too short. We tried to create several opportunities for our colleagues to connect online and in person around their busy schedules. If there was one takeaway I hoped they had, it was that people of faith are approachable, colourful, and people of great depth. And if they can find a way to connect with one, I know they'd be the richer for it.