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Faith and Religion Working Group

UCD EDI Faith and Religion Working Group

The UCD EDI Faith and Religion Working Group is focussed on addressing the following questions:

  1. Where is UCD right now on interfaith dialogue, support for the expression of faith, religious equality, religious diversity, religious inclusion, and the removal of barriers to these?
  2. What are the current and future challenges for UCD in terms of interfaith dialogue, support for the expression of faith, religious equality, religious diversity, religious inclusion, and the removal of barriers to these?
  3. How best can UCD meet these challenges?

We believe that a dedicated focus in the context of UCD EDI on questions of religious inclusion and diversity aligns closely with the university’s key strategic objectives. Core Objective 2 of Rising to the  Future: UCD Strategy 2020-2024 is to Provide an inclusive educational experience that defines international best practice and  prepares our graduates to thrive in present and future societies.

We believe that it is essential to meeting this objective that UCD actively provides support for students and staff of all religious backgrounds. More specifically, we believe that “an inclusive educational  experience that defines international best practice” would provide students and staff of all faiths with the opportunity to express, celebrate, and meet the requirements of their faith and access appropriate religious pastoral care in the context of their education and work in UCD. 

The current priorities of the working group are as follows:

  • Improving UCD’s provision of prayer spaces for students of all faiths.
  • Improving UCD’s provision of chaplaincy support for students of all faiths.
  • Supporting greater interfaith awareness and dialogue in our community.
  • Ensuring that the values of religious tolerance, equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded in the policies and practices of the university.

Our aim is to bring a set of recommendations on the above priorities to the UCD EDI Committee.

If you are interested in joining our Working Group or simply finding out more about our activities, then please contact Daniel Esmonde Deasy (School of Philosophy) at (opens in a new window)daniel.deasy@ucd.ie, or Tasneem Filaih (School of Classics) at (opens in a new window)Tasneem.filaih@ucd.ie or email edi@ucd.ie

We are inviting the UCD Community to attend the Open Forum meeting that will take place on 16 April is Science Centre Hub, room SCIH 2.20. 

Poster

Membership

  • Assoc Professor Daniel Esmonde Deasy (co-chair)
  • Tasneem Filaih (co-chair)
  • Raghad Abu Shammala
  • Abdel Babiker
  • Becky Heaslip
  • Gillian Johnston
  • Dr Arun Kumar
  • Saulo L
  • Prof John McCafferty
  • Zackary Musumeci
  • Sahar Ul Haque
  • Assoc Professor Krishna Chaitanya Vadlamannati
  • Adam Chukwu
  • Reverend Brendan Ludlow
  • Brian Hickey
  • Niall Dennehy
  • Ramy Ebeid
  • Jamaal Askary
  • Prof John Brannigan
  • Assoc Prof M. Talha Cicek
  • Assoc Professor Conor Mulvagh
  • Dr Colleen Doyle
  • Emilia O'Hagan
  • Claire Nolan
Terms of Reference

Contact UCD Equality Diversity and Inclusion

University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
E: edi@ucd.ie