Tony Blair: A Leap of Faith After Downing Street Decade

Following the Faith Foundation launch in 2008, it was said that Tony Blair had the chance to do for the interfaith movement what Al Gore had done for environmentalism – "create a tipping-point effect on one of the most important issues of the 21st century".

The man who made this claim, US sociologist and activist Eboo Patel, still believes Blair has the clout to promote respect and understanding about and between major religions and show how faith can be a force for good. Patel, who founded the Interfaith Youth Core, cites the Faiths Act Fellows as an example.

The initative sends 30 young people, from diverse religious backgrounds, to malaria-infected countries in Africa, where they build relationships with congregations and schools to help eradicate the disease.

When asked whether he thinks the Faith Foundation is a way for Blair to atone for the war in Iraq, Patel replies: "He is using his network of relationships, he is very thoughtful about this, and this work stands alone as the work of a world statesman."

A three-year "multi-disciplinary, multi-faith course" has been established at Yale University on faith and globalisation to "examine the relevance of religion to economics, politics and society". The course, co-taught by Blair, is spreading to institutions around the world.