Mailing Address: PO Box 112, Paddington, QLD 4064
Contact: Garth Read, Previous Convenor
Phone: 07-3263-8068
Brief Description/History
The Interfaith Multicultural Forum began in Brisbane in the early 1990s. Rabbi Uri Themal, the Director of what was then the Bureau of Ethnic Affairs, was involved in formulating the original Queensland Multicultural policy. He believed that such a policy needed to pay special attention to religious diversity. In other States, religion was subsumed in cultural diversity. He did not believe that this was helpful. So he set about creating an organization dedicated to the task of promoting peace and harmony through interreligious dialogue and activities based on the common ground of all religions. After considerable discussions and negations the Interfaith Multicultural Forum was formed.
All major Religious and Faith communities were invited to send official delegates. Initially there was a good response to this initiative and some nine or ten communities had delegates regularly attending the monthly meetings.
The monthly meetings were divided into two parts. Organisational and planning matters were dealt with in the first hour and then topics specific to a particular religious tradition or of general human interest were discussed. In each case, representatives from the traditions expressed views illustrative of the range of perspectives found within their communities. Several attempts were made to formalise the organisational structure of the Forum. Eventually a Charter was accepted by the membership.
The Interfaith Multicultural Forum was the first major interfaith organization in Brisbane and, as such, quickly became the group responsible for organizing multifaith segments in significant public occasions and ceremonies. Included in these were events associated with Refugee Week, Australia Day, Centenary of Federation celebrations, and Harmony Day. The inclusion of these multfaith segments became increasingly accepted, particularly in the context of Government sponsored events. One result of this was that the organizations responsible for producing such public events built up their own contacts with the religious communities in Brisbane and ceased to rely on the IMF to plan and promote multifaith segments. The other major development in Brisbane has been the establishment of the Multi Faith Centre at Griffith University. This Centre has continued to grow and become the primary focus for multifaith and interfaith activities in Brisbane and beyond.
The aims, objectives and commitments articulated by the Interfaith Multicultural Forum founders are now widely accepted as essential ingredients in our understanding of a democratic, just and harmonious pluralist society. While the Interfaith Multicultural Forum has ceased to exist as an organization, most of its members continue to play significant roles in promoting the Forum’s essential mission and objectives. They do this primarily through the interfaith activities at the Multi Faith Centre and through the steadily increasing number of local interfaith activities occurring throughout Brisbane and the South East of Queensland.
Interfaith Multicultural Forum Charter
MISSION
To encourage members of all religions to meet together on a regular basis in order to foster friendly relationships, deepen each other’s understanding of different Faiths and promote community harmony and goodwill. The Forum actively seeks to advance religious freedom within a society free from racial and religious prejudice, hatred and discrimination.
MEMBERSHIP
Participation in this Forum is open to people of all Faiths who subscribe to the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other national and international human rights instruments.
COMMITMENTS
The Forum is committed to:
- The Oneness of Humanity
- The Value of Religion and Spirituality
- Respect for Cultural and Spiritual Diversity
- Fostering Mutual Understanding
OBJECTIVES
- To provide a forum in Queensland which promotes the principles of equal rights and opportunities for members of all religious groups without prejudice or discrimination.
- To facilitate the provision of information, education and understanding about different religions with the purpose of enhancing religious harmony.
- To encourage cooperation through statements and other activities against racism as one means of publicly applying the humanitarian principles of social justice and care for the rights of individuals and groups from different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds.
- To promote multiculturalism as a catalyst of social cohesion and harmony.
- To promote respect for the individuality of all religious groups.
- To join others from time to time and as required to bring influence to bear to ensure that Australia continues to assist those fleeing from war, racial and religious intolerance and persecution.
- To seek and share relevant information about and seek collaboration with appropriate national and international organizations with similar aims and objectives.
PROCEDURAL VALUES
- We understand Interfaith Dialogue and education to be a process in which we learn about, learn from and learn with each other in a spirit of respect and goodwill.
- To ensure the integrity of this process we make opportunities for all participants to share their beliefs, describe their religious and spiritual practices and express their questions, doubts and dilemmas.
- Within this process of dialogue we refrain from asserting any superiority for our own tradition, while at the same time, witnessing to the strength of our own personal commitment to it.
- When exploring questions and issues that arise from our shared experience of being human in our contemporary local, national and international situations, we seek to identify those things that we have in common and those things about which we disagree.