Inderjit Bhogal’s Biography

Inderjit Singh Bhogal, is Leader of the Corrymeela Community, a leading Theologian and Methodist minister.  He is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Ulster Thought for the Day.

Between 2005-2011 Inderjit was CEO of the Yorkshire and Humber Faiths Forum. He is a former President of the Methodist Conference.

Inderjit was born into a Sikh family in Nairobi and came with them in 1964 to live in Dudley, West Midlands. He took his first Degree in Manchester and his Masters Degree in Oxford.  Inderjit lived in Wolverhampton for 8 years where he helped to establish one of the first interfaith groups in UK and was Co-ordinator of the Group 1984–1987. Inderjit then lived in Sheffield where he worked in Multi-Faith inner city contexts. He established a Christian–Muslim Group out of which grew the Sheffield Interfaith Group. He has also organised Christian–Muslim Peace walks in the City. Inderjit helped to start Sheffield’s ‘Homeless and Rootless at Christmas’ project. This has involved several hundred volunteers.

Inderjit is the founder and President of the City of Sanctuary movement.  Sheffield was the UK’s first City of Sanctuary with support from over one hundred local organisations.  Inderjit has also worked as Director of the Urban Theology Unit and Consultant Theologian for Christian Aid. He is a Patron of many organisations, including the Bradford ‘Churches for Dialogue and Diversity’. He has been a member of the Race Equality Advisory Panel [Home Office], and is a Trustee of the Multi Faith Centre at the University of Derby where he is also a member of the Governing Council.

Inderjit was awarded the Hon. Doctor of University by the Universities of Oxford Brookes [2001] and Sheffield Hallam [2002].

He was awarded the OBE in the New Year’s Honours List 2005 for his work in Inter-Faith relations. Inderjit is passionately committed to the achievement of racial justice and Inter Faith dialogue.

Inderjit has four publications: A Table for All (2000); On the Hoof (2001); Unlocking the Doors (2002) and Pluralism and mission today (2007).