Ian Linden is the Director of Policy at the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Ian was formerly Director of the Social Action Programme, Faiths Act, and an Associate Professor in the Study of Religion at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in the University of London. He was Director of the Catholic Institute for International Relations for fifteen years and was awarded the CMG for work for human rights in 2000. He is a member of the Christian-Muslim Forum of the UK, worked in interfaith dialogue with Shia leaders in Iran and has acted as a DfID (UK government Department for International Development) consultant on matters of Faith and Development.