Mufti Yusuf Akudi, Muslim lives in Dewsbury, holds a qualification in Theology and graduated as a Mufti. He is currently employed as a specialist ‘Islamic advisor’ at Indian Muslim Welfare Society working with both the Muslim and the Non-Muslim community. He has extensive knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and substantial experience in community work. He offers specialist Islamic training packages to organisations and Muslim representation at local, regional and national bodies/forums. He is an integral link between public and private sector organisations in Kirklees and is at the forefront of interfaith relations with many communities in the district.

Kiran Bali, is a practising Hindu and has been involved in Interfaith activities for many years. She currently chairs the Interfaith Council Huddersfield and is the General Secretary for the Hindu Society of Kirklees and Calderdale and a Director of the Active Faith Communities Programme and Kirklees Racial Equality Council. Kiran has been an active volunteer in the areas of health, faith, equality, and sport for over 10 years and in 2005 was given two national awards in recognition of this. Underpinning all her work is a fundamental belief in developing a socially cohesive society based on the principles of equality, diversity and social justice. She enjoys teaching Karate and has recently been appointed as a Justice of the Peace.

Celia Blackden, a Christian, is Inter Faith Officer for Churches Together in England. She spent a number of years working with the Roman Catholic Committee for Other Faiths, and a short while more recently on a consultancy basis with the East of England Faiths Council. She has long been involved in work and prayer for Christian unity. In her current post, among other things, she seeks to enable a sharing of resources, insights and opportunities regarding inter faith relations among Christian denominations as well as encouraging involvement in interreligious dialogue among a larger number of Christians. Celia lives in Leeds and is a member of the Focolare Movement – www.focolare.org.uk – which has a strong spirituality directed towards dialogue and unity. Focolare is also a Body in Association with Churches Together in England.

Revd Canon Michael Cooney, Christian was born and brought up in rural Suffolk.  He came to North Lincolnshire via London, where he studied economics; Cuddesdon in Oxfordshire where he trained for the priesthood of the Church of England; Coventry, where he was ordained; and Lincoln, where he served as a parish priest. Until September 2005, he worked for fifteen years as a parish priest in Scunthorpe. He is now Chaplain to the Economy in North Lincolnshire and Area Dean for Scunthorpe and The Isle of Axholme. Michael has been a member of the North Lincolnshire Multifaith Partnership since it was founded.

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Deirius Dastor, Zoroastrian was born in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, where he completed most of his primary schooling, before emigrating to Great Britain with the family in 1966. The Zoroastrian faith is believed, by some, to be the first and oldest of the monotheistic religions of the world, being established between 3400 and 3700 years ago. Despite this, it has a very small number of adherents worldwide, (estimates varying between 140,000 and 150,000). He has lived in London, Hertfordshire and Essex, before taking a career move to Bradford in the early 90s, where he works within the public sector. He has worked as a management accountant, business planner and has also held responsibilities for anti-discrimination work, organisational development and has undertaken research towards understanding the impact of ethnicity, in shaping service demands for public sector organisations. He has served, in a number of capacities, as a member of the Executive Committee for the North West Zoroastrian Community in Northern England, becoming its Chairman in 2006, during the 20th year of its inauguration. He passionately believes in the cultural similarities rather than differences between faiths and asserts the view that understanding each others faiths and embracing the differences between them, generates a power and force for good.

Revd John Davis, Christian is an Anglican minister currently working as Lead Chaplain of the Selby Communities and District Industrial Mission – an ecumenical agency providing chaplaincy in a workplace setting. Prior to this, he worked as a parish priest in a variety of town and country settings. His principle role is to provide chaplaincy to the agricultural industry in the Selby area; he also acts as a Rural Officer within the Diocese of York and Chaplain to Askham Bryan College of Agriculture and Horticulture. He is particularly interested in what is now labelled “Celtic Spirituality”. His main hobby is digital photography.

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Patricia Farrell, Christian is a mother of four, Child of God, consultant, governor, magistrate and active member of her community. She has been blessed over the past fourteen years to be a representative, working in France, Germany and the Netherlands on Inter-Cultural Relations and Inclusion. Wherever she has worked, or travelled, she has tried to take Christ-like values with her. She is representative for West Yorkshire African Caribbean Council of Churches on Leeds Faith Forum.

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Daryoush Mazloum, Baha’i was born in Iran and lived in England since 1970. He has been an elected member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of York since 1971 and has represented York Baha’i Community on activities related to race relations, interfaith, peace, UNA, environment and education. He is currently a member of York SACRE and York Racial Equality Network. He is also a retired Community Psychiatric Nurse and counsellor.

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Rabbi Ian Morris, Jew has been the Rabbi of Sinai Synagogue in Leeds since 1996. Ian was born in Melbourne and has served congregations in Perth and Adelaide. He has been involved in, and concerned with, interfaith activities wherever he has worked. In Perth, he was a founding member of the Council of Christians and Jews in Western Australia, and in Adelaide he was the founding Chairman of the Multi-faith Association of South Australia. He studied for the Rabbinate at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York and Jerusalem and is past chairman of the Assembly of Rabbis of the Movement for Reform Judaism in Great Britain.

Satwant Rait, Sikh was born and brought up in India, and worked as a librarian for Directorate of Education before coming to this country. She came to Leeds in 1968 as a result of arranged marriage and gained her PhD from Loughborough University. She worked as a librarian for sixteen years in various capacities and became principal officer in Derbyshire.  She contributed much in the field of services towards minority ethnic groups and planning library services for the community as a whole through her job and also by her writings.  She wrote books, reports and several research papers in her professional field.  She also worked as a Coordinator in the Education Department in Leeds.  She served as a Justice of Peace on the Bradford Bench from 1986-2005 and has served on management committees for many community organisations. After retirement, she wrote two books on the lives of women – a subject close to her heart and one book on the Sikh heritage. She is a Sikh by faith though she strongly believes that all religions are good if interpreted rightly and will support any project which is good and beneficial for the community as a whole.  In her voluntary capacity, she has been mentoring many international students since 1974 and gave them moral and financial support. She is a keen on women’s rights and voice her views openly in her talks and through her writing.  She has close links with her community and keen to maintain Punjabi culture and dignity.

Bishop Tony Robinson, Christian taught Mathematics and Computer Studies for two years before training to be a priest. His first parish was in Tottenham, London. He then moved to Leicester to a large team parish with three urban priority areas. During his time in Leicester Tony helped establish four community projects. The parish embraced the largest Hindu community in Britain as well as people from other faith communities. In 1997 he moved to Yorkshire and in 2002 he was consecrated Bishop of Pontefract in the Diocese of Wakefield. He is very active in developing Inter Faith work in Wakefield, North Kirklees, Huddersfield and Halifax.

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Sajda Shah is a Muslim British woman with 15 years of experience of working both in a paid and unpaid capacity in the voluntary and community sector. Her experience also extends to working in the private and public sectors. She is passionate and committed to ensuring that faith communities play an active part in the region, that there is recognition for the invaluable services that they provide to the economic development in our region and that all faith groups/communities from local, sub regional and regional levels have accountable and transparent representation in the region.  Sajda is also co founder of Faith Matters – a training and consultancy package which emphasises the importance of faith in private and public life.

Christina Taylor, Buddhist is a graduate of Manchester University and a mother of four. She has studied and practised since 1980 under Lama Jampa Thaye, regent of Karma Thinley Rinpoche, a master of the Kagyu and Sakya schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Christina has been associated with the Dechen Community and its publishing arm Ganesha Press, in London, Bristol, Manchester and for the last twelve years, Yorkshire; and is a trustee and outreach instructor. She is an active member of the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education and worked on the North Yorkshire ‘Revised Agreed Syllabus for RE’ published in 2004.

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David Wilkes, Methodist Minister and Member of York Interfaith Group.  David was Chaplain in the Army for 28 years where his engagements included Northern Ireland and Bosnia.  This led him to explore a greater understanding of people’s faith and how to build better and safer communities.  As Chaplain General in the Army David helped introduce chaplains from Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Muslim and Jewish faiths.  David feels his challenge is to build respect and challenge prejudice.

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Abdool Gooljar
Abdool is an Interfaith enthusiast with 15 years experience in this region.  He is Governor of a church school, member of SACRE in Sheffield, President of the Islamic Society of Britain (South Yorkshire branch) and a member of the Faith Leaders Group in Sheffield.  Was a member of Sheffield Faiths Forum (2007-09).  Member of the Steering Group which formed YHFF, and of the Steering Group which formed the Sheffield Faiths Forum.  Abdool is currently Vice-Chair of Sheffield Interfaith Group.

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Ashok Nair
Ashok has 25 years experience of Interfaith work.  He was part of establishing interfaith work in Bradford and involved in Hindu Mandir, Bradford, where he was the first treasurer.  In the 1980s he was Secretary of Hindu Cultural Society.  Ashok is currently Chair of Primary School Governors, is involved in Bradford Law Centre (treasurer), an Assessor of Duke of York, Community Initiative Scheme and Vice-Chair of Bradford & District Faiths Forum.  Member of Panjabi Cultural Society.

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Philip Jakob

Philip is Director of Music for the Cathedral and Diocese of Hallam.  He has a long association with Churches Together in Sheffield City Centre including being Chair for two years.  He recently retired from Trustees of Urban Theology Unit.  He is a member of the Iona Community and Convenor of the Yorkshire 2 Family Group.  Philip is engaged in matters relating to Justice and Peace, Asylum Seekers and is Convenor of Northern Dioceses Liturgy Consultations of Bishops Conference.

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Inderjit Singh Bhogal, Chief Executive is a leading Theologian and Methodist minister. He is a former President of the Methodist Conference. He was born into a Sikh family in Nairobi and came with them in 1964 to live in Dudley, West Midlands. He took his first Degree in Manchester and his Masters Degree in Oxford.  Inderjit lived in Wolverhampton for 8 years where he helped to establish one of the first Inter Faith Groups in UK, and was Co-ordinator of the Group 1984–1987. Inderjit now lives in Sheffield where he has worked in Multi-Faith inner city contexts. He established a Christian–Muslim Group out of which has grown the Sheffield Inter Faith Group. He has also organised Christian–Muslim Peace walks in the City. He helped to start Sheffield’s Homeless and Rootless at Christmas Project. This has involved several hundred volunteers.  Inderjit is a founder and Chair of the City of Sanctuary movement.  Sheffield is the UK’s first City of Sanctuary with support from over one hundred local organisations.  Inderjit has also worked as Director of the Urban Theology Unit and Consultant Theologian for Christian Aid. He is a Patron of several organisations, including the Bradford Churches for Dialogue and Diversity. He has been a member of the Race Equality Advisory Panel [Home Office], and is a Trustee of the Multi Faith Centre at the University of Derby where he is also a member of the Governing Council.  Inderjit was awarded the Hon. Doctor of University by the Universities of Oxford Brookes [2001] and Sheffield Hallam [2002]. He was awarded the OBE in the New Year’s Honours List 2005 for his work in Inter-Faith relations.  You can read more about Inderjit and his work on his website, www.inderjitbhogal.com

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Lydia Barlow
Lydia has been involved with the work of the Yorkshire and Humber Faith Forum since 2006, and as also been the vice chair of United Faiths for the past 3 years. Lydia Studied Theology and Religion studies at York St. John University which involved modules relating to Christianity, Philosophy of World Religions and Human Diversity and also Islam. As a student she was involved with the Interfaith Chaplaincy, and attended various faith festivals held at York University. Lydia also took part in an interfaith study trip to Jerusalem, where she visited people of various faiths and talked about what their faith meant to them.