Celebrating faith dialogue at King’s School Hove
June 26, 2025
As trustees of Brighton and Hove Faith in Action, Sabri Ben Ameur (Vice Chair, Brighton and Hove Muslim Forum) and Stuart Diamond (Head of Community Engagement, Jewish Small Communities Network) recently visited King’s School Hove to meet with students and engage in open dialogue around faith, global issues, and local community cohesion.
Over the course of three sessions, Sabri and Stuart answered thoughtful and often challenging questions from students, offering honest insights into their respective Islamic and Jewish traditions. The sessions focused not only on religious understanding but also on the personal experiences and strong friendship between the two speakers — a friendship that visibly moved and inspired those present.
Following the visit, Amy, a teacher at the school, shared heartfelt feedback:
"We have had a couple of speakers in the past as part of this module, but this was by far the best session we have had.
You both spoke so clearly, were so open and put the students at complete ease to ask challenging questions. Your friendship and care for each other is so obvious to see which is so powerful for the students to see."
She noted how the session powerfully conveyed:
- A clear, engaging and personable approach
- A visible, genuine friendship across faiths
- The courage to address difficult global and local topics
- A commitment to recognising shared humanity and the role of dialogue in healing divide
Amy also offered constructive suggestions to build on this success: gauging students’ prior knowledge more explicitly, gathering post-session reflections, and perhaps extending similar events to include parents and staff.
She expressed a personal desire to learn more:
"I would actually be very interested in seeing more of your work and coming to visit the Mosque and Synagogue... I resonated a lot with what was said. I believe that we have more similarities than differences... This session really spoke to me."
Stuart Diamond, Chair of Trustees at BHFA said "Standing side by side with Sabri at King’s School, answering heartfelt questions from such engaged students, reminded me why this work matters so deeply. Our friendship — across faiths and traditions — isn’t just symbolic, it’s real, and it shows what’s possible when we choose dialogue over division. The openness of the staff and pupils was genuinely inspiring, and it’s left me even more determined to keep creating spaces like this where honest conversations can happen and understanding can grow."
We’re grateful to Amy and King’s School for their warm welcome and look forward to further opportunities for faith communities to share, listen, and grow together in understanding. If you are a school in Brighton and Hove and are interested in our ongoing schools offers, contact us at info@bhfa.org.uk.
