Archbishop of Canterbury to give public lecture at Cambridge

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, will give a free public lecture in King's College Chapel today as Cambridge University hosts the first national conference of the Christian Muslim Forum.

Archbishop Williams, who graduated in theology from Christ's College and was a tutor, dean and chaplain at the University for nine years, will be speaking on "How faith fits in Britain today".

The presentation will be one of two keynote lectures at the conference, with the second by the renowned Muslim leader Professor Tariq Ramadan. Both talks are free and open to the public.

The Christian Muslim Forum was set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury and is the leading national voice for Christians and Muslims in the UK. The conference is entitled "Faith Communities in a Civil Society" and will bring together Christian and Muslim scholars from a wide range of organisations and institutions, including the University of Cambridge.

The event will aim to explore the role of faith in contemporary British society, with sessions focusing on themes such as how religious tradition fits into a modern context, and how it can be accommodated in a pluralistic society.

Other speakers appearing at the three-day event include Dr David Thompson, Cambridge University's Director of the Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies; Professor Azim Nanji, Director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies; and Saba Mahmood, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Berkeley, California, will be appearing as well.

Julian Bond, from the Christian Muslim Forum, said: "This is a special opportunity for people to hear from two of the world's most famous authorities on religion about the role faith has in Britain today. Religion has never been higher in the media, political and public agenda and we urge all those interested in the subject of faith in today's society to attend if they can."

Both public lectures will take place at 6.30pm at Kings College Chapel. Members of the public can register for their free place by sending their name to admin@christianmuslimforum.org or calling 020 7936 9078.