During one of our IP seminar breakout groups, we had a raw discussion on why we are discussing religion within the unit and its place in the university. I brought up the example that having gotten civilly married in the UK in December, I was surprised how there could not be any religious references in the ceremony “no hymns, no chants, no religious rituals, no readings from religious texts, no worship of any kind.” Being an Austrian citizen which does allow for this, I thought this was a shame as my husband and I come from 2 different religious backgrounds, and I assumed we could have a couple readings to celebrate our cultures coming together. As UAL is a public university, I therefore assumed there would be a similar policy of “separating church and state” so I found it challenging and confusing with how to address religion in the classroom.
Given the UAL stats of students identifying as religious is decreasing, yet we see an increase of students who don’t wish to disclose this information, one could hypothesise that individuals aren’t comfortable sharing religious backgrounds whether that be due to fear of prejudice or possibly an assumption that religion is something that shouldn’t be brought into the classroom. This connects with the video shown in our Workshop 3 highlighting secondary student experiences with religion in the classroom and how they made the point how it was positive to open pathways to religion in schools as in the past it was seen as “not cool having a relationship with God” or something that “young people don’t get involved with”. This suggests that inviting an open dialogue within the classroom about religion shouldn’t be stifled.
At the same time, especially today with the conflict in the Middle East, open discussions about religion can sometimes be misinterpreted as politics leadings to an escalation of aggressive and or hurtful discourse. As seen with student protests in the US, the role of the academic continues to be ever more challenging – what one says or does not say can be appropriated (now also online) and judgement is immediately cast without discord. Academics must today be researchers, teachers, administrators, event organisers, grant writers, councillors and now must also almost act like politicians as free speech in practice is becoming more and more challenging. I appreciate the video and text resources ( I particularly enjoyed Kwame Anthony Appiah’s Ted Talk) provided but I don’t feel more equipped in integrating faith into my teaching context. Ultimately with faith and other factors with intersectionality, I believe as an academic and citizen it boils down to respect for every individual and learning, valuing and even loving one another’s differences. Instead of erasing conversation and discussion around faith, I believe that HE and all forms of education have a role in bringing cultures together with the aim of creating a more peaceful and empathetic world.
Like you I appreciated and particularly enjoyed Kwame Anthony Appiah’s Ted Talk, I found this sparked thought in me to question belief and existence of religion in a different way. By reading and being open to shared knowledge, it does feel confusing to consider how we might integrate this within our own teaching practise. We are held up to scrutiny as educators, we have a responsibility to hold space, sometimes I do not feel equipped in all cases; So like you I feel it is crucial to respect each person as an individual, to embrace belief and value difference. You use the word Love, I embrace this, as it is a powerful, shifting force for true change. As you probably know, this is a great book: All About Love, bell hooks, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17607.All_About_Love. Hooks says that love is a combination of six ingredients: care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust. She believes that love is a foundation for social justice. And I agree with her. I appreciated your honest words and enjoyed reading your post!
Thank you so much George for your comments! I always really value your perspectives in the classroom and via the blog as they are very inspiring. I will look at the book by bell hooks – looking at the summary, I’m intrigued by the idea of re-thinking our own self love in order to create peace around us! Powerful!
Hi Nina,
Thank you for sharing your experience regarding civil marriages/partnerships in the UK. I can relate through my sister’s experience back in 2010. She is a Muslim and married an English man she met at university. After knowing each other for several years, they decided to get married. They chose to have their wedding ceremony in Malaysia, officiated by religious authorities (an Imam). The event beautifully blended diverse cultural and religious elements, as both came from different backgrounds.
In Muslim tradition, getting married is a significant and religious event. The bride, groom, close family, and guests gather in a mosque or hall, and the marriage sermon focuses on mutual love, kindness, and social responsibility. The Imam concluded the ceremony with a prayer (Dua) for the couple, their families, the local Muslim community, and the global Muslim community.
However, when they returned to the UK and tried to register as a married couple, they faced challenges. Their marriage certificate was not recognised as valid, and they had to go through another civil ceremony at the town hall. As you mentioned, this civil ceremony had no religious references and was a brief process ending with the signing of paperwork to officially register as husband and wife.
This experience made me reflect on the lack of inclusivity regarding religious references, especially for those from different faith backgrounds. I wish there were an option for the State to recognise marriage certificates from various religious authorities as legal documents. I’m not sure if the regulations have changed since then, but I wanted to share this true-life experience.
On the other hand, I also agree with your point in the last paragraph regarding the importance of open discussions about religion, especially in light of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Whenever I’ve tried to engage in mature conversations about these issues, they often end in disappointment, with one side placing blame on the other without considering the broader context. Although the conflict is complex and difficult to discuss, I believe that thoughtful and respectful conversations can take place without passing judgment on any faith or religion.
Thank you so much again for your post and I really enjoyed reading it.
Thank you so much for sharing the experience of your sister! I’m sorry they had to go through what sounds like a long process. I look forward to learning more about the integration of religion throughout society but I do feel it would be valuable to embrace cultural differences (e.g. religious artifacts) opposed to erasing them especially in a meaningful event like a marriage. Really appreciate your comment – thanks for taking the time!