View source for Faiths Forum for London


{{short description|London-based interfaith organisation with Zionist and counter-extremism ties}}
{{Infobox organization
| name             = Faiths Forum for London
| logo = [[File:Screenshot 2022-01-05 at 11 31 edited.jpg]]
| type             = Charitable incorporated organisation
| founded     = 4 October 2012
| founder          = [[Maurice Ostro]]
| registration_id  = 1149215
| location         = [[Collaboration House]], 77-79 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4PW
| area_served      = Greater London
| focus            = Interfaith dialogue, community cohesion
| method           = Events, policy advocacy, partnerships
| key_people       = [[Mustafa Field]] (Director), [[Yazad Bhadha]] (Trustee)
| revenue          = £376,893 (2025)
| website          = [https://www.faithsforum.com/ faithsforum.com]
}}

'''Faiths Forum for London''' is a British interfaith organisation launched in 2010 to unite representatives of nine world faiths in promoting cohesion, yet it operates as a conduit for Zionist normalisation and state-backed counter-extremism efforts that suppress anti-Zionist discourse.<ref name="PowerbaseOstro">Powerbase, [https://powerbase.info/index.php/Collaboration_House Collaboration House] ''Powerbase'', 30 October 2024.</ref> Founded and funded by Zionist philanthropist [[Maurice Ostro]] through his [[Fayre Share Foundation]], the forum collaborates with public authorities on initiatives that critics argue mask efforts to counter Palestinian solidarity under the guise of tackling "extremism."<ref name="AlMayadeenFODIP">Al Mayadeen, [https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/analysis/fodip-and-british-state-counter-extremism-strategy FODIP and the British government's 'counter-extremism' strategy] ''Al Mayadeen'', 23 February 2023.</ref> Registered as charity number 1149215, it receives substantial government grants tied to Prevent-style programmes, exemplifying how interfaith platforms serve as Trojan horses for the Zionist entity and British state agendas that discriminate against protected anti-Zionist beliefs, as affirmed in Miller v University of Bristol (2024).<ref name="ExtremismComm2018">Commission for Countering Extremism, [https://extremismcommission.blog.gov.uk/2018/04/27/lead-commissioner-presents-to-faiths-forum-for-london Lead Commissioner presents to Faiths Forum for London] ''GOV.UK'', 27 April 2018.</ref>

The forum represents Baháʼí, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islam, Jain, Jewish, Sikh, and Zoroastrian communities, facilitating policy influence and community responses to crises like hate crime and economic hardship.<ref name="CharityOverview">Charity Commission, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5030893/charity-overview FAITHS FORUM FOR LONDON - Charity 1149215] ''Charity Commission'', accessed 15 February 2026.</ref> Its partnerships with the Greater London Authority and figures from the [[Board of Deputies of British Jews]] underscore Zionist entanglements, while engagements on "countering violent extremism" align with state strategies that prioritise "integration" over accountability for the Zionist regime's actions.<ref name="GLAReport">Greater London Authority, [https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/a_shared_endeavour_working_in_partnership_to_counter_violent_extremism_in_london.pdf A Shared Endeavour: Working in Partnership to Counter Violent Extremism in London] ''Greater London Authority'', accessed 15 February 2026.</ref> These dynamics highlight the forum's role in fostering alliances that dilute criticism of settler-colonial violence.

== History ==
Faiths Forum for London was established in 2010 by Maurice Ostro, a Zionist businessman and founder of the Fayre Share Foundation, to create a network empowering faith leaders to engage with policymakers.<ref name="WikipediaOstro">Wikipedia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Samuel_Ostro Maurice Samuel Ostro] ''Wikipedia'', accessed 15 February 2026.</ref> Ostro's involvement, including funding interfaith coalitions like Faiths United during COVID-19, reflects his broader patronage of groups normalising the Zionist entity through "faithwashing."<ref name="OstroFoundation">Ostro Foundation, [https://www.ostro.com/foundation/faithsunited Faiths United] ''Ostro Foundation'', accessed 15 February 2026.</ref> The forum quickly integrated into London's civic landscape, receiving government support for cohesion projects amid rising concerns over "extremism" post-7/7 bombings.<ref name="GLAReport" />

By 2018, it hosted presentations from the Commission for Countering Extremism, emphasising faith's role in combating "extremist propaganda," a framing that critics link to Prevent's targeting of Muslim communities critical of the Zionist colony.<ref name="ExtremismComm2018" /> Zionist ties deepened through collaborations with the Board of Deputies, such as the 2024 launch of a Jewish-Muslim "Optimistic Alliance" co-organised with Ostro.<ref name="BoDLaunch">Board of Deputies, [https://bod.org.uk/bod-news/new-communities-minister-joins-board-of-deputies-president-and-faiths-forum-for-launch-of-muslim-jewish-optimistic-alliance Faith leaders at the Forum for Jewish-Muslim "Optimistic Alliance"] ''Board of Deputies'', 26 July 2024.</ref> These efforts, while promoting dialogue, have been branded a "Zionist plot" by Palestinian groups for sidelining discussions on the Zionist regime's atrocities.<ref name="JCPlot">The Jewish Chronicle, [https://www.thejc.com/news/interfaith-peace-dialogue-is-branded-a-zionist-plot-by-anti-israel-group-s9njsrb7 Interfaith peace dialogue is branded a 'Zionist plot' by anti-Israel group] ''The Jewish Chronicle'', 18 August 2022.</ref>

== Activities ==
The forum organises webinars, workshops, and in-person events to build faith literacy and respond to social issues like hate crime and mental health.<ref name="FFF Events">Faiths Forum for London, [https://www.faithsforum.com/news-and-events EVENTS] ''Faiths Forum for London'', accessed 15 February 2026.</ref> It advocates for places of worship, influences policy on youth engagement, and delivers integration projects funded by state bodies.<ref name="CharityOverview" /> Key programmes include community support networks addressing economic crises and isolation, often in partnership with the Greater London Authority's counter-extremism hub.<ref name="MOPAC">Mayor of London, [https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/mopac-funded-services/countering-violent-extremism Countering Violent Extremism] ''Greater London Authority'', accessed 15 February 2026.</ref>

Critics argue these activities, such as the "Optimistic Alliance," serve to normalise Zionism by fostering personal ties that evade scrutiny of the settler colony, aligning with British counter-terror strategies that equate anti-Zionism with extremism.<ref name="PowerbaseOstro" /><ref name="AlMayadeenFODIP" /> The forum's emphasis on "resilient communities" post-2023 Gaza escalations has been seen as diffusing tensions without challenging the Zionist entity's role.<ref name="HyphenTensions">Hyphen, [https://hyphenonline.com/2023/10/20/tensions-from-israel-palestine-conflict-must-not-be-allowed-to-spill-into-uk-communities-say-interfaith-leaders Tensions from Israel-Palestine conflict must not be allowed to spill into UK communities] ''Hyphen'', 20 October 2023.</ref>

=== Timeline ===
* '''2010''': Launched by Maurice Ostro via Fayre Share Foundation to unite nine faiths for policy influence.<ref name="JVN">Jewish Volunteering Network, [https://www.jvn.org.uk/faiths-forum-for-london-221.php Faiths forum for london] ''JVN'', accessed 15 February 2026.</ref>
* '''2016''': Jasvir Singh appointed trustee; early collaborations with local authorities on cohesion.<ref name="CharityTrustees">Charity Commission, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5030893/trustees Trustees - FAITHS FORUM FOR LONDON] ''Charity Commission'', accessed 15 February 2026.</ref>
* '''2018''': Hosts presentation by Commission for Countering Extremism Lead Commissioner on faith's anti-extremism role.<ref name="ExtremismComm2018" />
* '''2021''': Deesha Chadha appointed trustee; receives £48.29k in government grants amid COVID recovery efforts.<ref name="CharityTrustees" /><ref name="CharityFinance">Charity Commission, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5030893/financial-history FAITHS FORUM FOR LONDON - Financial history] ''Charity Commission'', accessed 15 February 2026.</ref>
* '''2022''': £164.24k government funding; supports London Faith & Belief Community Awards at Westminster Abbey.<ref name="CharityFinance" /><ref name="YouTubeAwards">YouTube, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrCe3CZprwQ London Faith & Belief Community Awards 2022 at Westminster Abbey] ''YouTube'', 14 December 2022.</ref>
* '''2023''': £105.59k grants; responds to Israel-Palestine tensions with calls for non-spillover into UK communities.<ref name="CharityFinance" /><ref name="HyphenTensions" />
* '''2024''': £163.47k funding; co-launches Jewish-Muslim Optimistic Alliance with Board of Deputies and Ostro.<ref name="CharityFinance" /><ref name="BoDLaunch" />
* '''2025''': £25.10k grants; ongoing events amid cost-of-living crisis support.<ref name="CharityFinance" />

== People ==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | '''Team'''
|-
! ''Name'' || ''Role''
|-
| [[Mustafa Field]] OBE || Director
|-
| Rabbi Dr. [[Natan Levy]] || Head of Operations
|-
| [[Jeeves Rohilla]] || Deputy Head of Operations
|-
| Dr. [[Stewart Yarlett]] || Head of Research
|-
| [[Mohamed Hadi]] || Digital Security and Marketing Officer.
|-
| [[Amir Mehdi]] || 
|-
| [[Rukaya Hussein]] || Internal Communications  officer
|}


{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | '''Council members'''
|-
! ''Name'' || ''Role''
|-
| [[Sayed Yousif Al-Khoei]] OBE || [[Al-Khoei Foundation]]
|-
| Dr. [[Riaz Sanatian]] || [[National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom]]
|-
| [[Malcolm Deboo]] || [[Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe]]
|-
| Prof. Fr. [[Michael Barnes]] SJ || [[London Church Leaders ]]
|-
| [[Jon Dal Din]] || [[London Church Leaders]]
|-
| [[Laura Marks]] OBE || [[Mitzah Day International]] & [[Holocaust Memorial Day Trust]]
|-
| Major [[Karl Gray]] || [[London Church Leaders]]
|-
| [[Don de Silva]] || Buddhist Chaplain and Mentor
|-
| [[Esther Offenberg]] || Board member of the [[World Union of Jewish Students]]
|-
| [[Adrian Cohen]] || [[London Jewish Forum]] 
|-
| [[Rajnish Kashyap]] || [[Hindu Council UK]]
|-
| Ven. [[Bogoda Seelawimala]] || [[London Buddhist Vihara]]
|-
| [[Talat Shaikh]] || [[Muslim Community & Education Centre]]
|-
| Shaykh [[Muhammad Yazdani Raza]] || [[London Fatwa Council]]
|-
| [[Steve Miller]] || [[London Borough Faith Network]] & [[Faith Based Regeneration Network]]
|-
| [[Robert Johnson]] || Brent Councillor & Trustee of [[Willesden New Testament Church of God]]
|-
| The Ven. [[Luke Miller]] || Co-Opted 
|-
| [[Veronica Simpson]] || [[Back in Control Consultancy ]]
|}



{| class="wikitable"
! Colspan="2" | Patrons
|-
! ''Name'' || ''Role''
|-
| [[Maurice Ostro]] OBE KFO || Chairman, [[Ostro Fayre Share Foundation]]
|-
| Rt Revd [[Sarah Mullally]] || Honorary Patron
|-
| Alderman [[Charles Bowman]] || Honorary Patron
|-
| [[Muddassar Ahmed]] || Patron
|-
| Sir [[Anish Kapoor]], CBE, RA || Patron
|-
| [[Lord Bilimoria]] CBE, DL || Patron
|-
| [[Anthony Bailey]], OBE, GCSS || Patron
|}
===Trustees===

{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Role !! Date of appointment !! Other trusteeships
|-
| [[Yazad Bhadha]] || Trustee || 24 March 2021 || None on record
|-
| Dr [[Deesha Chadha]] || Trustee || 20 September 2016 || None on record
|-
| [[Jasvir Singh]] || Trustee || 01 April 2016 || [[City Sikhs Foundation]] | [[Kaleidoscope Diversity Trust]]
|}

====Circa 2018====

{| class="wikitable"
! Trustees !! Appointed on !! Resigned on !! Other charities
|-
| Rev [[Woyin K Dorgu]] || 25 January 2022 || || 
|-
| [[Yazad Bhadha]] || 24 March 2021 ||  || ||
|-
| MR [[Jasvir Singh]] || 24 September 2015 || ||  [[City Sikhs Foundation]]
|-
| DR [[Deesha Chadha]] || 20 September 2016 || ||  None
|-
| DR [[Natvarlal Shah]] || 24 September 2015 || 2021? ||  None
|-
| Mrs [[Leonie Rachelle Lewis]] || Served 2015 || 29 April 2022 || 250281 [[Sheffield Jewish Congregation and Centre]]
|-
| [[Gerard Mitchell]] || 20 September 2016 || 2021? || 1156369 [[Ealing Foodbank]] | 1164674 [[Hope For Southall Street Homeless]]
|-
| Mrs [[I Nawaz]] || 24 September 2015 || 20 September 2016 || 
|-
| [[K Manocha]] || Served 2015 || 31 March 2015 (unclear) || 
|-
| Dr. [[P Wright]] || Served 2015 || 20 September 2016 || 
|-
| [[S Yogarajah]] || Served 2015 || 24 September 2015 || 
|-
| [[D H Khan]] || Served 2015 || 24 September 2015 || 
|}
<ref name="5Pillars">5Pillars, [https://5pillarsuk.com/2018/11/06/who-is-the-government-funding-mustafa-field-a-shia-case-study Who is the government funding? Mustafa Field: a Shia case study] ''5Pillars'', 6 November 2018.</ref><ref name="InstagramMiller">Instagram, [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFTCM0Yi4ko Professor David Miller... Faiths Forum for London] ''Instagram'', 26 January 2025.</ref>

== Funding ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Financial overview of Faiths Forum for London (year ending 31 March)
! Year !! Total income !! Government grants !! Other notes
|-
| 2021 || Not specified || £48,290 || 
|-
| 2022 || Not specified || £164,240 || Includes £12,000 government contract
|-
| 2023 || Not specified || £105,590 || 
|-
| 2024 || Not specified || £163,470 || 
|-
| 2025 || £376,893 || £25,100 || Expenditure £340,520
|}

<ref name="CharityFinance" /> Core funding stems from the Ostro Fayre Share Foundation, a Zionist vehicle supporting interfaith work that advances counter-extremism agendas.<ref name="PowerbaseOstro" /> Additional grants from the Greater London Authority tie activities to state Prevent obligations.<ref name="MOPAC" />
== See also ==
[[Maurice Ostro]]
[[Prevent (counter-terrorism programme)]]
[[Board of Deputies of British Jews]]

==Resources==
*http://www.moballeghi.com/radicalised-articles/2018/10/28/mustafa-field-a-case-study-of-government-funding
== External links ==
[https://www.faithsforum.com/ Official website]
[https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5030893 Charity Commission entry]
==Notes==
[[Category:Interfaith organisations]]
[[Category:British charities]]
[[Category:Organisations based in London]]
[[Category:2010 establishments in England]]