Faith and religion
Faith and religion
Faith is important to the social identity of many UK citizens. Over three-quarters of respondents to the 2001 census reported having some religious affiliation.
Percentage of UK population by faith group:
|
Faith |
% |
| Christian |
71.8 |
| Muslim |
2.8 |
| Hindu |
1 |
| Sikh |
0.6 |
| Jewish |
0.5 |
| Buddhist |
0.3 |
| Other religions |
0.3 |
| All religions (total) |
77.3 |
| No religion |
15 |
| Not stated |
7.7 |
We strive to cultivate a society in which different belief systems, religious or otherwise, are understood, respected and valued. Here’s an overview of our initiatives.
Faith groups: strengthening communities
We recognise faith groups are part of the ‘glue’ that binds strong communities and we value the experience, skills and diversity they bring to wider society.
Following successful collaboration on projects such as the Golden Jubilee celebrations, the government wants to increase its work with faith groups to deliver services to communities.
Funding opportunities
Faith-based organisations are engaged in a huge range of voluntary activities which benefit the wider community, which means they’re eligible to apply for government funding.
Inter faith co-operation
We recognise that there are certain values which unite all faith communities and people of goodwill who do not hold religious beliefs. These values are:
- community
- personal integrity
- a sense of right and wrong
- learning, wisdom and love of truth
- care and compassion
- justice and peace
- respect for one another and for the Earth and its creatures
These values form the basis for activity between faith groups to address the problems of social exclusion and fragmenting communities.
Since 2001, the Home Office has part funded the Inter Faith Network for the UK, which is an independent voluntary organisation established in 1987 to help promote dialogue and good relations between people of different faiths.
Stamping out religious hate crime
In 2006, Parliament passed the Racial and Religious Hatred Act, which creates an offence of 'incitement to religious hatred' to protect against extremists stirring up hatred because of people's particular religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs. The Act is expected to come into force later in 2006.
Examples of religious hate crime include:
-
using threatening words or behaviour or displaying threatening material with the intention of stirring up religious hatred
-
religiously aggravated damage and assault
If you feel that you have been a victim of religious hate crime you should contact the police immediately.
Discrimination on Grounds of Religion or Belief
Part 2 of the Equality Act 2006, which is expected to come into force in October 2006, is about discrimation on the grounds of religion or belief in provision of goods, facilities and services, the management and disposal of premises, the exercising of public functions and in education.
In these areas, it will not be lawful to discriminate against an individual on the grounds of the religion or belief (or lack of it), of that person or of someone with whom they are associated.
There are a number of exceptions (for example for organisations which have a purpose related to a religion or belief). Further detailed guidance will be published on this website before commencement of the provisions, which is due to be later this year.
New religious movements or cults
The issue of new religious movements or ‘cults’ is particularly complex. We partly fund INFORM (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), an independent charity providing objective information to the public about new religious movements.
The Cult Information Centre and Family Action Information and Resource also provide information and advice to those who have been adversely affected by such movements.
Forced marriages
What is forced marriage?
A forced marriage is one where one or both parties are coerced into a marriage against their will and under duress. Duress includes both physical and emotional pressure. Forced marriage is an abuse of human rights and cannot be justified on any religious or cultural basis. It is, of course, very different from arranged marriage, where both parties give their full and free consent to the marriage. The tradition of arranged marriages has operated successfully within many communities and many countries for a very long time.
The Government takes forced marriage very seriously. It is a form of domestic violence and an abuse of the human rights. Victims can suffer many forms of physical and emotional damage including being held unlawfully captive, assaulted and repeatedly raped.
For more information on forced marriages, visit the Race, Equality, Faith and Cohesion practitioner website
