WOMEN, ISLAM AND LIBERATION                                                                       FREE Saturday 8 August, 3.30pm - 5pm at Edinburgh Central Mosque (venue 48)
Farkhanda Chaudhry explains the position of Muslim women in societies and illustrates how they negotiate faith expectations in their personal and civic spheres.

Farkhanda is the first Muslim women Justice of the Peace in Scotland.
She has led in the field of equalities, human rights and community development. Over the years she has developed and delivered training at an international level.

KEYNOTE: SCOTLAND THE WHAT?                                                                    £7 (£5)Monday 10 August, 2pm – 3.15pm at St John’s (venue 127)
An ancient nation now part of a larger state. A warm but quarrelsome people. Hospitable and sectarian. Parochial and internationalist. Religious and pagan. Jekyll and Hyde? Ten years on from devolution Lord David Steel, first presiding officer of the new Scottish Parliament and political ‘wise man’, Revd Kathy Galloway, former leader of the Iona Community and John Loughton, winner of Big Brother Celebrity Hijack 2008, youngest ever chairperson of the Scottish youth Parliament and a member of the Commission for Scottish Devolution, discuss Scotland – her people, her soul, her creativity and ingenuity and … her dark side.

KEYNOTE: GOD, THE POET AND THE DEVIL                                                       £7 (£5)
Monday 10 August, 5.45pm – 7pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Robert Burns famously wrote: “O wad some pow’r the giftie gie us, tae see oursel’s as ithers see us.” How did he himself see the religious and other leaders of his day and the religion and politics they peddled? What has the satirical, insightful, subversive all-too-human bard got to say which is relevant still? With Donald Smith, director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre and author of God, the Poet and the Devil in conversation with Robyn Marsack, director of the Scottish Poetry Library.

KEYNOTE: THE GLOBAL QUEST FOR MEANING                                                  £7 (£5)
Tuesday 11 August, 5.45pm – 7pm at St John’s (venue 127)
While some would contest that spirituality is an innate human faculty, Ursula King offers a global vision of the quest for meaning and fulfilment and the potential of spirituality for personal and social transformation. How is spirituality lived out? How is it caught and taught? Does it really make a difference to people’s lives? Can it change the world as we know it? In conversation with Elizabeth Templeton, lover of God and neighbour and eminent Scottish theologian.

HOW THE CHILDREN OF VENEZUELA ARE TEACHING SCOTLAND HOW TO PLAY   £5 (£3.50) Wednesday 12 August, 12.30pm – 1.30pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Richard Holloway and Nicola Killean will talk about the revolutionary music education system, El Sistema, that has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in Venezuela (including the now world famous Gustavo Dudamel) and their work in bringing it to Raploch in Stirling. They will also show a short film of their work.
In collaboration with Sistema Scotland

IS GOD DISABLED?                                                                                           FREE
Wednesday 12 August, 2.15pm – 3.15pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Christians see Christ as fully human and yet as a figure who knows our limitations. How can we recast our theological views on disability so that we liberate people with disability – our largest minority? – from views that merely add to their social disadvantage? Why do we think that disability is a problem to be solved rather than a way of life to be valued and lived out? Where is God in disability? Could it be that God is disabled? With John Swinton, a registered nurse and theologian at the Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability in Aberdeen and Philip Conway, founder of Cool2Care, an organisation that brings together families of disabled children with people who want to care for them.

IS JESUS THE SON OF GOD                                                                                FREE
Friday 14 August, 7pm - 8.30 pm at Edinburgh Central Mosque (venue 48)
British writer Idris Tawfiq was a Roman Catholic priest before becoming a Muslim nine years ago. In this talk, he will explain how he has come to reconcile his former beliefs with what he believes today as a Muslim and why, in his opinion, Jesus came to be regarded as a god by Christians.

“PEACE! PEACE!” THEY CRY, BUT THERE IS NO PEACE                                  £5 (£3.50)
Saturday 15 August, 10.45am – 11.45am at St John’s (venue 127)
In N Ireland the Good Friday agreement has seen former foes come into government and a cessation of violence described as peace. What is the relationship between political change and movement towards peace in the hearts and minds of people? And how fragile is the settlement? What are the police to do while the politicians negotiate or do nothing? Bob, formerly an officer in the Royal Ulster Constabulary talks candidly about his feelings with Bishop David Chillingworth whose career in the ministry of the Church of Ireland was consistently focussed on issues of conflict and reconciliation.

DO I KEN YER FAITHER?                                                                            £5 (£3.50)
Saturday 15 August, 12.30pm – 1.30pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Three famous Asian Scots - writer, presenter and comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli, Suhayl Saadi (author of Psychoraag and Joseph’s Box) and Atta Yaqub (star of the film Ae Fond Kiss) – talk about their experience of growing up in Scotland and pursuing their chosen paths and reveal the places where art and life can enthuse us all!

WHOSE HOLY LAND: ISLAM’S VIEW ON JERUSALEM                                             FREE
Sunday 16 August, 3.30pm - 5.30pm at Edinburgh Central Mosque (venue 48)
Jerusalem and the Holy Land are at the heart of the three monotheistic religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Khalid El-Awaisi and Idris Tawfiq explore Islamicjerusalem's rich history and explain why the Holy Land is significant to Muslims.
Khalid El-Awaisi is the Director of the Centre for Islamicjerusalem Studies at Al-Maktoum Institute – University of Aberdeen. His latest book is “Geographical Dimensions of Islamicjerusalem”. Idris Tawfiq is the author of eight books about Islam, his latest being “Looking for Peace in the Land of the Prophets”.

KEYNOTE: PREVENTING VIOLENT EXTREMISM                                                    £7 (£5)
Monday 17 August, 2pm – 3.15pm at St John’s (venue 127)
The UK and Scottish Governments have stepped up efforts to prevent violent extremism. But what is the best way of tackling it - and what are its causes? Politicised Muslims? Foreign policy? How can we build a common home for all UK citizens and residents which is secure? A discussion with Nick Croft, Scottish Preventing Violent Extremism Unit, Professor David Miller, Strathclyde University and Osama Saeed, Scottish-Islamic Foundation

KEYNOTE: CONVERSION: DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON’T                 £7 (£5)
Monday 17 August, 5.45pm – 7pm at St John’s (venue 127)
In a world where the religions intermingle it is more and more likely there will be converts between them – whether through marriage or not. Are believers free to convert? Will this increase understanding or be itself a cause of conflict? Idris Tawfiq, a Muslim writer (formerly a Catholic priest) discusses this with Ravinder Kaur Nijjar (Sikh faith), Rabbi David Rose and Olav Fykse Tveit from Norway (where Muslims and Christians have agreed a joint declaration on the freedom of religion and the right to conversion).

KEYNOTE: FINDING THE DESERT IN THE CITY?                                                 £7 (£5)
Tuesday 18 August, 5.45pm – 7pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Now that over half the population of the world lives in cities, Philip Sheldrake, a prolific author on spirituality, and Riccardo Marini, Edinburgh City’s design leader help us to explore how spirituality and place inter-relate, particularly with reference to the cities. Both cities and spirituality can be places of escape, of isolation as well as of freedom. How do we experience cities and how can we design them as places which nourish the soul? In conversation with Revd Stuart MacQuarrie, chaplain of the University of Glasgow and practical man of the world.

WHAT IS SCHOOL FOR?                                                                                  FREE
Wednesday 19 August, 12.30pm – 1.30pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual picture of human development have given rise to many practical expressions, amongst them Ruskin Mill where Aonghus Gordon discovered that when young people with learning difficulties worked with craftspeople in natural environments on real-life, purposeful tasks, their personal, emotional, social skills and health improved dramatically. Cathy Bache, influenced by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh founded the Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery in Fife to offer children an opportunity to develop curiosity and learning through engagement with nature, the seasons and the elements. In discussion with Sebastian Tombs, director of Architecture and Design Scotland and a longstanding follower of the Steiner’s thinking.
Please see our linked exhibition on Steiner Education (from Tuesday 18 to Sunday 23 August) mounted by the Edinburgh Steiner School. In collaboration with the Anthroposophical Society

WHAT IS UNIVERSITY FOR?                                                                            FREE
Wednesday 19 August, 2.15pm – 3.15pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Recent decades have seen enormous changes in university education. From grants to top-up fees, ivory towers to ‘knowledge transfer’, and with an ever growing number of students, the role of Higher Education in our society is a subject of constant debate. Sir John Arbuthnott, former principal of the University of Strathclyde and Salters Sterling, former Academic Secretary of Trinity College Dublin, discuss the influence of government policy and corporate sponsorship on academic freedom and ask: what is the role of university education in modern society? Facilitated by Revd Di Williams, Chaplain at the University of Edinburgh.
Sponsored by the Student Christian Movement

THATCHERISM IN A COLD CLIMATE                                                            £5 (£3.50)
Saturday 22 August, 10.45am – 11.45am at St John’s (venue 127)
Thirty years since her election, much has been written commemorating Margaret Thatcher’s premiership. Notoriously the object of hostility in Scotland, have the passing years changed our perspective on her legacy? David Torrance, author of We in Scotland: Thatcherism in a Cold Climate in discussion with the Revd Dr Norman Shanks, former civil servant and convener of the Church and Nation Committee of the Church of Scotland for a four-year term from the 1988 General Assembly when she preached her ‘Sermon on the Mound’.

STORIES YOU CAN BELIEVE IN                                                                  £5 (£3.50)
Saturday 22 August, 12.30pm – 1.30pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Michael Morpurgo, famous childrens’ author and former Children’s Laureate and Linda Bandelier from the Scottish Storytelling Centre discuss how children and young people form their views of the world and the narrative for their lives. In an age when the bible and other sacred texts are less known, have books and films provided an alternative treasure of stories telling the great truths about good and evil, light and dark. Michael Morpurgo will also read from his forthcoming book The Kites are Flying (to be published in November 2009).

FASTING IN RAMADAN: exploring the significance of an age old rite in today's world  FREE
Sunday 23 August, 3.30 - 5.00 pm at Edinburgh Central Mosque (venue 48)
An interactive discussion with Professor Aziz Sheikh marking the beginning of the month of Ramadan.
Aziz is professor of Primary Care Research and Development (Division of Community Health Sciences at the University of Edinburgh). His personal and professional experience will allow him to shed both a practical and spiritual light on the concept of Ramadan

KEYNOTE: THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL?                                                          £7 (£5)
Monday 24 August, 2pm – 3.15pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Money scandals in high finance and in politics have rocked our economy and our political system to the core. After decades of ‘greed is good’ and the pursuit of money, what remains when we are dis-illusioned? Is this a crisis or an opportunity? Can a materialist society re-centre itself on other values? With two authoritative figures who saw it coming: Vincent Cable MP, author of The Storm and Nic Marks from the New Economics Foundation – chaired by Antonia Swinson, award winning financial journalist.

KEYNOTE: LIVING TOGETHER                                                                   £7 (£5)
Monday 24 August, 5.45pm – 7pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Can different peoples occupy the same homeland peaceably? Revd Naim Ateek is a Palestinian Anglican priest and an Arab citizen of Israel. He discusses with Dr George Wilkes, a Jewish academic and the founder of the Religion and Ethics in War and Peace-Making Programme at the University of Cambridge, whether it is possible for the people of Israel / Palestine to share a home.

KEYNOTE: EASTERN SPIRITUALITY … IN THE WEST                                     £7 (£5)
Tuesday 25 August, 5.45pm – 7pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Buddhism is an eastern religion which has enormous appeal in western countries. Why? And can westerners, part of an angst-ridden impatient culture, really adapt to a religious tradition from such a different culture? Rob Nairn, a world famous Buddhist teacher discusses this with Anne Donovan, author of Buddha da! (about a working man in Glasgow who perplexes his family and friends by embracing Buddhism).

TOXIC CHILDHOOD…                                                                               £5 (£3.50)
Wednesday 26 August, 12.30pm – 1.30pm at St John’s (venue 127)
A discussion on how modern life is damaging our children with Sue Palmer, author of the best-selling book Toxic Childhood and John Frank, Professor of Public Health. Britain’s teenagers have more problems than those in any other country in Europe. So what is going wrong? Why is there such an increase in childhood depression? Why are behavioural problems on the increase?

TOXIC CHILDHOOD… AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT                               £5 (3.50)
Wednesday 26 August, 2.15pm – 3.15pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Rob Nairn, an internationally renowned Buddhist teacher and author talks about the possibilities of using traditional techniques of mindfulness to offer people with significant mental or behavioural problems a path to a higher level of contentment and fulfilment in life. In conversation with Carol Craig, author of The Scots’ Crisis of Confidence and director of the Centre for Confidence and Wellbeing.
In collaboration with Mindfulness Scotland

ON CREATIVITY                                                                                    £5 (£3.50)
Saturday 29 August, 10.45am – 11.45am at St John’s (venue 127)
Through a career in television and the arts, John Tusa has met and interviewed some of the leading creative minds of our time. Here he discusses with Charlie Miller, hairdressing luminary and spiritual nomad, what makes for creativity and how new things are brought to be.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS                                                                  £5 (£3.50)
Saturday 29 August, 12.30pm – 1.30pm at St John’s (venue 127)
We welcome back Abbot Christopher Jamison of Worth Abbey (where the documentary ‘The Monastery’ was filmed) who turns to the monastic tradition to seek answers to the questions: what does it mean to be happy? Where do we find true happiness? In the credit-crunched world of today how can we be fulfilled? In conversation with Phil Hanlon, Professor of Public Health at the University of Glasgow.

SECULARISM – A POSITIVE ANSWER?                                                       £5 (£3.50)
Saturday 29 August, 2.15pm – 3.15pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Religion is often described as the cause of conflict and oppression. If this is so, can a secular state provide a safer home for people of all religions - and none? With Revd Naim Ateek a Palestinian Christian who is the founder and head of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre in Jerusalem and Revd Ewan Aitken who, as an ordained minister and local councillor straddles both worlds.

MARGARET ATWOOD                                                                             £9 (£7)*
Sunday 30 August, 3.30pm – 4.30pm at St John’s (venue 127)
Margaret Atwood in Edinburgh is always memorable but this year we have a very special event for the Book Festival. To launch her new novel, The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood has created a unique event of performance, music and song to be presented in the inspiring surroundings of St John’s Church on Princes Street. Come and join us as we step outside the gardens for what will be the highlight of 2009.

An Edinburgh International Book Festival event in partnership with the Festival of Spirituality and Peace
(* book through the Book Festival box office only or www.edbookfest.co.uk)

For our Closing Finale see...