New convener role for interfaith law network

The Centre for Law and Religion (CLR) is delighted to announce the appointment of Rebecca Riedel as Convener for its Interfaith Legal Advisers Network (ILAN).

Rebecca is a PhD student, LLB tutor within the School of Law and Politics, and a Fellow of the Centre for Law and Religion.

Director of the Centre, Norman Doe said, “I am delighted that Rebecca has taken on this role. ILAN is such an important part the CLR.  So many new challenges face religious organisations today, and Rebecca will bring new perspectives, emphases, and energy to the role of convenor.  Along with my colleagues at the CLR, I look forward to a new, exciting, and productive future for ILAN under her direction.”

ILAN was set up in 2007 in response to several high-profile court cases which involved religion. These cases, concerned with such matters as religious dress, sacred animals and faith schools, highlighted the considerable challenges faced by faith groups under the law of the state. ILAN seeks to bring together members of faith groups involved in their administration and legal matters who share an interest in and passion for the field of law and religion and facilitates ongoing discussion by providing greater understanding of the common legal issues faced by different religious groups.

Rebecca said of the network, “It’s becoming increasingly important that faith communities are able to collaborate and share ideas. In the last year whilst lockdown restrictions have been in place, we’ve had questions over places of worship being able to open and of course funerals, weddings and other religious ceremonies have been affected. I’m looking forward to opening up discussions on the way that faith communities operate in a time which has brought up challenges that none of us could have predicted.”

The first task for Rebecca to address is organisation of ILAN’s next conference which is earmarked to take place in the summer of 2021. She explained, “We do not have a finalised plan for the conference as yet due to current restrictions, however, we hope to gather faith representatives in Wales together to discuss radicalisation and their approaches to it. Anyone with a keen interest in how faith communities deal with legal sanctions by the State is welcome to get involved with the network.”

Should you wish to join the network or find out more about its work please contact Rebecca Riedel.