We have already witnessed violent and systematic communal targeting linked to religious inequalities around the world, for example, in China, Iraq, Myanmar and Nigeria. Yet religious inequalities are largely overlooked in development policy, practice and studies.
Impact of discrimination on grounds of religion or belief
Minority religious and non-faith communities can also experience low-level and long-term discrimination and exclusion: e.g. around access to education, health and jobs or even the ability to vote. Women can experience harassment, abduction and forced conversion. We found such inequalities exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
What we do
We are working with partners and communities around the world, with a particular focus on Egypt, India, Iraq, Nigeria and Pakistan. We produce new research evidence, using innovative and participatory methodologies, and develop innovative practical programmes focused on five strategic workstreams.
Workstream 1: Mainstreaming awareness of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in development
We want to ensure that development policies and programmes are sensitive and responsive to inequalities on the grounds of religion or belief.
Workstream 2: Investing in opportunities for interfaith service delivery
We work with communities experiencing poverty, exclusion and religious tensions.
Workstream 3: Monitoring hate speech
We are looking at how digital technology and social media are affecting social harmony or, conversely, stoke up tension and communal violence.
Workstream 4: Building coalitions at national level
We are supporting local campaigns promoting Freedom of Religion and Belief
Workstream 5: Engendering cross fertilisation for religious inclusivity
We are fostering collaboration between humanitarian organisations, faith leaders, rights activists and development practitioners.
CREID is convened by the Institute of Development Studies and was launched in 2018. Current strategic partners include: the Al-Khoei Foundation, Minority Rights Group and Refcemi. We also work with partners around the world, particularly in our countries of focus (Egypt, India, Iraq, Nigeria and Pakistan). There are occasions when we do not name partners or authors on this website in order to safeguard them, since we are working on sensitive issues in contexts which can be volatile and conflict-prone.
Mariz TadrosCREID Director / Institute of Development Studies
Professor Mariz Tadros is an IDS Research Fellow specialising in the politics and human development of the Middle East. One of the co-founders of CREID in November 2018, her areas of specialisation include democratisation, Islamist politics, gender, sectarianism, human security and religion and development.
Yousif al-Khoei Director of Public Affairs, Al-Khoei Foundation
Sayid Yousif is Director of Public Affairs at the Al-Khoei Foundation and Director of the Centre for Academic Shi’a Studies. He is a founding trustee of several Muslim organisations, including the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board and the National Council for the Welfare of Prisoners in the United Kingdom. He is also a member of the Faiths Forum for London and has been awarded an OBE for Community Services. Yousif is heavily involved in dealing with community issues such as immigration, health, education, prison service with the home office and police.
Claire Thomas Deputy Director, Minority Rights Group
With more than 15 years’ experience with Minority Rights Group Claire oversees four key areas which she considers critical to MRG’s success. These are Programme Design, Fundraising, Human Resources and Monitoring. Claire has a special interest in cultural programmes, advocacy strategies and techniques, gender, intersectional discrimination as well as the Sustainable Development Goals/Agenda 2030.
Archbishop Angaelos Founder/Director, Refcemi
His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Papal Legate to the United Kingdom, was enthroned as the first Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London in November 2017. Focussing on supporting those suffering persecution and displacement, His Eminence’s initiatives relate to advocacy, international religious freedom and development. Founder and convener of the Asylum Advocacy Group which works closely in partnership with the All Party Parliamentary Group on International Religious Freedom or Belief. In 2015 Archbishop Angaelos received an OBE for ‘Services to International Religious Freedom.’
Susanne SchirmerCREID Programme Manager / Institute of Development Studies
Susanne combines excellent knowledge and understanding of international development with outstanding administrative and project management skills and strong interpersonal skills. She has worked in the international development sector, both in an international NGO environment and in a research environment at IDS since completing her MA in Rural Development in 2006.
Khammai DhammasamiOxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, UK
The incumbent of the Oxford Buddha Vihara and is the chair of the International Association of Buddhist Universities.
Jan FigelEuropean Commission
Former Special Envoy for Promotion of Freedom of Religion outside the EU.
Michael Wahid HannaThe Century Foundation, USA
Senior fellow at The Century Foundation, non-resident senior fellow at the Reiss Center on Law and Security at New York University School of Law.
Dr Azza KaramUnited Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) / Religions for Peace, USA
Senior Advisor on Social and Cultural Development, is chair of UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Development and and founder of the Multi Faith Advisory Council of the UN IATF-R&D. She also serves as Secretary General of Religions for Peace.
Dr Kishan ManochaOSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Austria
Senior Advisor on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in Warsaw.
Professor Katherine MarshallBerkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, USA
Senior fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, Georgetown University (USA) and a professor of the practice of development, conflict, and religion in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Executive director of the World Faiths Development Dialogue and vice president of the G20 Interfaith Association.
Dr Omar MohammedMosul Eye, Iraq/France
Iraqi historian from Mosul, citizen journalist and civil society practitioner.
Dr Marie Juul PetersenThe Danish Institute for Human Rights, Denmark
Senior Researcher at Danish Institute of Human Right specialising in human rights and religion, Islam and Muslim organizations, development and humanitarian aid and freedom of religion.
Dr Peter PetkoffRegent’s Park College, Oxford/Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, UK
Law School, Brunel University London/Regent’s Park College, Oxford/Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, UK Senior Lecturer, Brunel Law School, Director of the Religion, Law and International Relations Programme collaborative international research network at Regent’s Park College, Oxford, and Managing Editor of the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion.
Professor Sajjad RizviUniversity of Exeter, UK
Associate Professor of Islamic Intellectual History and Islamic Studies.
Professor Rebecca ShahReligious Freedom Institute, USA
Research professor at Baylor University’s Institute for the Studies of Religion and Principal Investigator for the Religion and Economic Empowerment Project (REEP).
Ahmed ShaheedOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Switzerland
Mr Shaheed assumed his mandate as Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in 2016. He is also Deputy Director of the Essex Human Rights Centre, UK.
Professor Jeroen TempermanErasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Professor of international law and religion, Head of Department of International and European Union Law and editor-in-chief Religion & Human Rights.
Dr Michael WoolcockThe World Bank, USA
Lead Social Scientist in the Development Research Group at the World Bank and co-founder of the World Bank’s global ‘Justice for the Poor’ program. He is also a (part-time) Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Professor Mariz Tadros is an IDS Research Fellow specialising in the politics and human development of the Middle East. One of the co-founders of CREID in November 2018, her areas of specialisation include democratisation, Islamist politics, gender, sectarianism, human security and religion and development.
Kathryn CheesemanSenior Project Support Officer, CREID
Kathryn is the Senior Project Support Officer for CREID, based at IDS. Before joining IDS in January 2019, Kathryn worked for DAI Global Health as a Communications Assistant and for the House of Commons as an Accounts Officer.
Kathryn graduated from the University of Sussex with a BA(Hons) in International Development in 2016. Kathryn is also a director of the Wilding Network, a rewilding community interest company seeking to promote tree planting and establish wildlife corridors across the UK.
Helen Littler-Handlos(former) Project Support Officer
Helen worked as a Project Support Officer for the Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID) at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) until June 2022.
Helen holds a MSc in International Development from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in International Cultural and Business Studies from the University of Passau. She has worked in international development organizations in Europe and South America.
Andrea MariMonitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist
Susanne SchirmerProgramme Manager
Susanne is the Programme Manager CREID. She has worked at IDS since 2010 in a variety of roles, including providing project coordination for projects funded by DFID and SDC and in the Fundraising and Development Office.
Susanne combines excellent knowledge and understanding of international development with outstanding administrative and project management skills and strong interpersonal skills. She has worked in the international development sector, both in an international NGO environment and in a research environment at IDS since completing her MA in Rural Development in 2006.
Dr Sofya Shahab(former) Research Officer
Dr Shahab worked with CREID on heritage in Iraq until March 2022. She is a Social Anthropologist specialising in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Sofya’s research explores community-based responses to the physical and existential displacements resulting from heritage destruction among ethno-religious minority groups in Iraq and Syria.
Emilie WilsonCommunications and Engagement Manager
Leading communication, engagement strategy and implementation for CREID. Emilie is interested in engaging people with research through communication, and also in whether or how this activity can support evidence-based dialogue and decision making.
Sayid Yousif is Director of Public Affairs at the Al-Khoei Foundation and Director of the Centre for Academic Shi’a Studies. He is a founding trustee of several Muslim organisations, including the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board and the National Council for the Welfare of Prisoners in the United Kingdom. He is also a member of the Faiths Forum for London and has been awarded an OBE for Community Services. Yousif is heavily involved in dealing with community issues such as immigration, health, education, prison service with the home office and police.
Haidar LapchaHead of Programmes, Integrity UK / Iraq Lead for Al Khoei
Haidar Lapcha is Head of Programmes at Integrity UK. Haidar oversees the management of the organisation’s three departments and its work in the UK, EU and MENA Region, with a focus on Iraq. Haidar is currently overseeing and delivering projects pertaining to promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief throughout Iraq in addition to a programme that empowers peacebuilding civil society in Nineveh.
Yusra MahdiProject coordinator & CREID officer
Project coordinator for Al Khoei Foundation’s Iraq project Religious Education reform. A wealth of experience working in the Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) field coordinating and delivering projects on stabilisation, education, peacebuilding, social development, and civic engagement. Yusra works with local coordinators and stakeholders, as well as researching the application of FoRB. With a background in journalism and media production, Yusra has in-depth knowledge of ethnic conflict, press freedom, displacement, and poverty.
Maryam KanwerCREID Programme Manager
Maryam Kanwer is a human rights activist. Her work focuses on the persecution of marginalised groups based on their ethnic or religious backgrounds in Pakistan. She has worked on youth development through community resilience, peace-building messaging, and conflict resolution. Maryam has been working extensively in human development for over 13 years and currently is affiliated with Al-Khoei Foundation and managing CREID’s work on Pakistan. She is also an IVLP Alumnus 2015 on CVE.
Jaffer Abbas MirzaCREID Researcher
Jaffer is a researcher focusing to Freedom of Religion and Belief with a particular interest on extremism, terrorism, Pakistan and the Middle East. Before joining the Al-Khoei, Jaffer worked for a number of different NGOs and INGOs and think tanks the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs. Jaffer is the author of four research papers, a training manual for countering extremism and for analysis for media outlets.
With more than 15 years’ experience with Minority Rights Group Claire oversees four key areas which she considers critical to MRG’s success. These are Programme Design, Fundraising, Human Resources and Monitoring. Claire has a special interest in cultural programmes, advocacy strategies and techniques, gender, intersectional discrimination as well as the Sustainable Development Goals/Agenda 2030
Mays Al-JubooriCivilian Rights Officer (MENA)
Mays Al-Juboori is a human rights professional with expertise in conflict, post-conflict, and international Law. At MRG, she works toward building civil society capacity in the Middle East, specialising on Iraq. Mays works closely with local activists on national policy and law, including draft legislation on women and minority rights. She authors human rights publications and provides regular consultation and briefings to governments and international agencies on gender, minority rights, the situation of human rights defenders and internally displaced people. She holds a qualification in Law LLB.
Cecilia Bisogni CREID Assistant
Glenn PayotRepresentative to the United Nations
Glenn has been representing MRG at the United Nations since 2013. Previously, he worked as delegate to the UN for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and as UN advocacy officer for the coalition Impact Iran.
Naumana SulemanPakistan Lead and South Asia Coordinator
Naumana Suleman is a human rights professional, researcher and trainer with two decades of work experience. Her areas of expertise are international human rights law (minority rights, women rights, child Rights, protection of human rights defenders), peacebuilding, conflict analysis and resolution, international/ UN human rights system.
Archbishop AngaelosArchbishop of London / Director
His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Papal Legate to the United Kingdom, was enthroned as the first Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London in November 2017. Focussing on supporting those suffering persecution and displacement, His Eminence’s initiatives relate to advocacy, international religious freedom and development. Founder and convener of the Asylum Advocacy Group which works closely in partnership with the All Party Parliamentary Group on International Religious Freedom or Belief. In 2015 Archbishop Angaelos received an OBE for ‘Services to International Religious Freedom.’
Ewelina OchabDeputy Director
Dr Ewelina Ochab, is Refcemi’s Deputy Director. As a human rights advocate, author and co-founder of the Coalition for Genocide Response; Ewelina leads the agenda on the topics of genocide, persecution of minorities around the world, with primary projects including Daesh genocide in Syria and Iraq, Boko Haram atrocities in West Africa, atrocities against the Uyghurs, situation of the Rohingyas, amongst others. A prolific writer, she has written over 30 UN reports (including Universal Periodic Review reports) and have made oral and written submissions at the UN Human Rights Council sessions and the UN Forum on Minority Issues. Ewelina is also credited with authoring the initiative and proposal to establish the UN International Day Commemorating Victims and Survivors of Religious Persecution which led to the establishment of the UN International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief on 22 August each year.
Mark Habib Refcemi Projects Director
Mark Habib is Refcemi’s Projects Director; responsible for the day to day administration / reporting and financial elements of the joint initiatives between Refcemi & CREID.
With a BSc in Economics from the University of Bath, alongside being a Chartered Management Accountant; Mark brings extensive knowledge of both project management and financial reporting to Refcemi. A member of Refcemi since 2021; Mark has worked closely with His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Refcemi’s Founder and Director, and the Coptic Orthodox community in the UK since 2010.
