Jasvir Singh OBE has been appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion. Jasvir has been working with the British Sikh Report in collating and developing reliable data about the Sikh community in the UK since the last six years. His appointment also acknowledges the extensive interfaith work that he has carried out with both City Sikhs and the Faiths Forum for London since 2010. He is the youngest Sikh in the world to be awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2017.
The Centre was established in 2014 to enhance the public understanding of religion through distinctive and strategic research exploring the significance of religious belief and practice for public and professional life, working with faith communities and policy makers to develop informed agendas for social transformation. It is named after the Quaker economist and humanitarian who supported the establishment of the University of Birmingham’s Department of Theology and Religion.
Jasvir told Asian Voice, "The world is going through very challenging times at the moment, and it's very important for all people of faith to better understand each other in order to resolve some of the most pressing issues in contemporary society. The honorary fellowship will give me a platform to explore some of the ways in which those challenges can be overcome, as well as develop ways for us disagree with each other better. I also hope that it will encourage students and others to consider the social impact of religion generally, and perhaps even convince individuals to enrol in courses where faith is given due prominence."
Jasvir Singh OBE's fellowship at the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion will entail, among other responsibilities, developing and modelling processes for effective analysis and evaluation and research co-production which will enable and empower faith communities to reflect critically upon their beliefs and practices and expound and interpret them to a wider public.
Other appointments announced this week include Dr. Simranjeet Singh, who is Professor of Religion at Trinity University and Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition, and Mandip Sahota, social inclusion strategist and current Chief Executive of the Baroness Warsi Foundation.
