Pros and cons: International Ministerial on FoRB - London 2022

The fourth annual Ministerial conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) was held in London following a strong impetus to bring awareness of, and action to, the many transgressions against FoRB around the world.

This initiative was first held in Washington DC and the instigation of the US government in 2018, and then again in Washington DC in 2019. Lockdowns cancelled the 2020 conference whilst the 2021 conference, hosted by Poland, was virtual.

One of the most notable aspects of this initiative is that it seeks to go against the current of political interests driven primarily by economic factors – which certainly puts these deliberations on a higher ethical ground.

That the UK administration has embraced this initiative and held such a major conference – taking over the entire QE II Conference Centre in London for two days – is clearly a commitment to FoRB. Today, the state of religious freedom in many parts of the world is in a pretty poor state.

From China to Russia, from Nigeria to India and Pakistan, we find human rights abuses founded in religious discrimination ranging from rape and murder to organ harvesting and banning of innocent religious groups.

The two days of the conference along with many other additional ‘side events’ in Parliament, government buildings, and others around London and the UK were held with the intention to bring focus on the often egregious violations and suppression of this essential human right.

Will this bring about improved conditions for those believers – be it religious or non-religious – remains to be seen? But the signs are promising. A multi-country juggernaut is being built to highlight these issues rather than turn a blind eye.

A number of conference declarations were signed by governments – certainly not enough as we can see, the key declaration was signed by only 30 countries. Led by the United States and the United Kingdom, the remainder were mostly European – though notable omissions were France, Germany and Spain. Whilst outside of Europe, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Columbia, Israel and Japan were also signatories.

Overall statments

The Broad Conference Statement of Freedom of Religion or Belief can be found on the government site (here). It commits governments:

• to protect “freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief and ensure individuals can freely change their beliefs, or not believe, without penalty or fear of violence”;
• to “raise awareness of the current challenges to FoRB across the world, the relevance of FoRB to other human rights, and best practice in preventing violations and abuses and protecting and promoting FoRB for all”;
• to “speak out bilaterally, as well as through multilateral institutions, against violations and abuses of the right to freedom of religion or belief” whilst working “more closely together with international partners, civil society actors, human rights experts, academia and faith and belief actors to implement practical solutions to address FoRB challenges, exchange best practice, and build shared commitments” whilst
• strengthening “the voices and build the capacity of defenders of FoRB, including religious or belief actors, inspiring future leaders and young people, and building and reinforcing global coalitions for collective action”.

Words versus actions

We know that words are cheap whilst action and commitment can be expensive – but the simple fact that these governments have made such a move in the face of growing intolerance in some parts of the world is a positive sign.

Some actions taken, in particular by the US administration have shown their teeth by declaring the actions taken in Myanmar against Rohingya Moslems as genocide – something the UK government should emulate.

It goes without saying that civil society played a significant role in encouraging and moving this whole process along.

The creation of FoRB Round Tables or Forums are entirely civil society innovations open to any individual or belief group where issues of religious discrimination can be aired and actions taken to urge government or other sectors of civil society to take a stand on different issues.

These processes play an important role in keeping governments both informed and on their toes with regard to abuses occurring in the world. Most notable ones are in the US, UK and in Brussels (convening groups from around Europe) whilst one about to start in Mexico was announced during the conference.

Constructive Criticism

The conference organisation was not without criticism, however.

Many NGOs and even governments complained about the extremely late notification of seat availability and corresponding access passes for attendees which generated a lot of difficulties for attendees.

Quite a number of NGOs complained about the ‘discrimination’ between civil society and official government delegates as civil society did not have access to any of the main proceedings.

A floor had been assigned to civil society with 12 booths and this was relatively empty most of the time.

Those with limited civil society passes were consigned to stay in isolation whilst the main conference went on without them, with room for many more attendees.

This differentiation was seemingly at odds with the spirit of the whole conference and was not a credit to the organisers. Unfortunately, the successful model used by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Human Dimension Meetings, where all attendees are able to meet each other and attend all meetings was not adopted –creating discontent amongst civil society groups.

Conclusion

Still, whatever the thinking behind excluding sections of civil society, these things are mainly organisational issues which can be easily corrected for future conferences.

Overall, the initiative driven by the UK and US governments to ensure that the vital human right of freedom of religion or belief is raised, exposed, protected and nurtured was an extremely important step in moving the political momentum in the right direction.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon looks ahead to the UK-hosted conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief

Minister of State Lord Ahmad looks forward to the UK hosting the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in London in July 2022.

The conference will bring together government, civil society, faith and belief groups to agree on actions to:

• prevent Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) violations and abuses
• protect and promote freedom of religion or belief internationally

The conference programme will be wide-ranging and inclusive, involving a diverse set of participants and speakers with the overarching aim of promoting respect for FoRB around the world.

Statement from Lord Ahmad

I’m sincerely looking forward to welcoming our partners and friends from around the world to London in early July for the United Kingdom-hosted Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

This will be the first international ministerial conference on this theme since 2020 and the first to take place in person since 2019.

Together with our international partners we share a collective commitment to freedom of religion or belief for everyone, everywhere.

This is an issue that we all should care about. Although the right to freedom of religion or belief is enshrined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it is regrettable, indeed tragic, that too many people around the world continue to live in fear of persecution on the basis of what they choose to believe or not to believe, or indeed how they choose to practice those beliefs.

Being denied the fundamental human right of freedom of religion or belief can be devastating for individuals and communities.

At the conference we’ll therefore hear from survivors directly on the impact that persecution has had upon them, on their lives, on their communities.

As individuals suffer from being denied this human right, societies, countries where survivors live suffer too. They become smaller, diminished culturally and spiritually by this lack of freedom. Therefore, let us strengthen all of our communities by driving forward the collective importance of not just promoting this important issue, but strengthening freedom of religion or belief for all.

This conference in London will bring together ministers, but also importantly other representatives from government, from faith and belief group leaders, and indeed importantly from civil society as well.

Alongside the official ministerial conference, an associated conference fringe will see a series of events organized directly by civil society.

These will be taking place around the United Kingdom and provide further opportunities for all to join this important debate and discussion and learn from each other about this important issue.

I therefore hope that you will take this opportunity to really get involved and share our collective commitment to promoting and protecting, and indeed strengthening freedom of religion or belief for everyone across the world.

Source

MPs and faith leaders discuss at UK Parliament role and value of interfaith

The Interfaith Dimension – MPs and faith representatives convene at UK Parliament to discuss the Role and Value of Interfaith

The media often portrays religion as a source of contention, war and conflict, but does religion really give value to the world? Is interfaith important to society? Why must we stand up for freedom of religion or belief?

Henry Smith MP and sponsor of the AFN meeting in Parliament – By AFN UK

At a conference sponsored by Henry Smith, MP for Crawley, and organised by the All Faiths Network, MPs Stephen Timms, Chair of the APPG on Faith and Religion, and Fiona Bruce, PM’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief came together with people of faith at Parliament to deliberate these very issues.

Martin Weightman, Director of the All Faiths Network, introduced a 14 strong panel of speakers representing a wide variety of faith organisations in the UK who presented an undeniable snapshot of the incredible work that faith does. 

He also highlighted a book the group had recently published called People of Faith Rising Above COVID-19 giving testimony to the work of religious groups and documenting the tremendous and often unrecognised value of religious communities. The mentioned book was provided by the AFNs to all speakers for them to have a well-documented example of what different religious movements have done.

Henry Smith MP welcomed the attendees to the meeting and told of his own constituency experiences where there are many diverse religions saying that “faith can bring strength to our communities and particularly in the context of young people, helping them to grow and develop.”

Stephen Timms MP Chair of APPG on Faith and Society – By AFN UK

Stephen Timms MP, Chair for the APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) on Faith and Society outlined the important role that faith and interfaith activities have in fulfilling different needs in society and providing voluntary support. He explained that the APPG had issued a Faith Covenant, which local authorities are signing, to lay the ground rules for collaboration between councils and faith groups so as to encourage stronger cooperation. The APPG has also published a 2020 report on faith contributions to society where most councils surveyed found that their interaction with faith groups was a positive and supportive one.

Fiona Bruce MP, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief – By AFN UK

Fiona Bruce MP, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief, spoke of her endeavours to bring about greater FoRB around the world giving examples of different cases where this is heavily restricted but also of some of the successes where FoRB has won through. She also spoke of other initiatives she is involved with including the forthcoming Inter-Ministerial Conference in London this July being attended by governments from 50 countries around world, the subject of which is respect and adherence to religious freedom principles. Fiona Bruce later tweeted “Wonderful to be in the company of so any people so enthusiastic about FoRB at today’s meeting of the All Faiths Network in the UK Parliament”.

Following the presentation of Fiona Bruce, Alessandro Amicarelli, lawyer and Chair of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief highlighted the religious persecution in China and elsewhere and emphasised the need for coordinated action internationally to deal with these issues. He said that whilst the UN is taking some steps, it is not enough and it was very important for other countries, especially the UK and the USA to become involved. He said the upcoming Ministerial, as already outlined by Fiona Bruce was an important opportunity for this to occur and make pressure on different governments where persecution is occurring.

Sheik Rahman President of the Wimbledon Ahmadiyya Moslem Association then told the meeting that he wanted to thank the UK for ensuring that his faith was able to develop freely and without government discrimination in the UK. He reiterated the previous calls for ensuring human rights especially as we are living in an interconnected global world with social media bringing us even closer. He said that we must always connect and reflect on where we are and where we are heading. He also called for a more equal distribution of resources and the critical need to promote the embodiment of humanity and justice in our own lives.

Harriet Crabtree OBE, Director of the UK’s Inter Faith Network told the meeting of the quiet but consistent background activities that have been going on for many years since IFN’s inception 35 years ago, and how it has moved forward throughout these years. She said that interfaith work is not easy to do, that it is often underestimated, underfunded and undersupported, but that those involved want to be the people they have the potential to be, not to be snarled up by prejudice which only hinders happiness. She said that we are all pioneers in a constantly evolving world.

Rabbi Jeff Berger quite comprehensively summed up the spirit of interfaith by telling the meeting that “The challenge for those of us who hold a faith belief is having courage to move from exclusivity to inclusion. From ‘my faith is the only true faith, and everyone needs to join me’ – to ‘each of our faiths is a unique expression of the Divine message given at a specific time in history’. The responsibility of creating a more inclusive, tolerant religious dialogue, and teaching greater religious literacy, falls squarely at the feet of faith leaders.”

Tracey Coleman, Community Officer of the Church of Scientology (the religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard) told the meeting, “I believe that faith in the 21^st century plays a vital role in bringing real solutions and practical help to our communities. As faith volunteers, we are motivated by our desire to help other human beings. Working together with other faiths during the pandemic, we developed relationships based on true respect and friendship. This is the beauty of the interfaith dimension. It is a force that dissolves intolerance and builds peace, therefore actions to uphold freedom of religion and belief must be increased so that people of faith can continue their vital work.”

Mandip Singh, Trustee of the Central Gurdwara London and co-founder of Gurdwara Aid gave excellent examples of value of Sikh contributions to their own and the wider community through the Sikh tradition of langar – a community kitchen preparing and serving vegetarian food for free. At the hight of the pandemic he estimates that around 90,000 free hot meals each day were being sent to frontline staff and vulnerable communities. “It is a place where poor and needy can always get a nourishing meal,” he said, “This all stems from the Sikh spiritual motivation called Sewa (selfless service) and for caring about the welfare of all.”

Sheik Ramzy, Director of Oxford Islamic Information Centre and an imam of Oxford University, also addressed some of the worst religious discrimination issues in the world such as Uyghurs enslaved in China, Rohingya killed in Myanmar. He pointed out that, “interfaith offers an immense contribution to society, It reminds us that our neighbours matter. Upholding human rights is a vital part of loving our neighbours and for those discriminated against we must remember that their rights are our responsibility.”

Ahsan Ahmedi representing Crawley Interfaith Network (CIFN) gave some practical examples to the meeting explaining that CIFN had become a focal point for issues related to religion. Schools would contact them when they needed to have faith speakers, when local tensions arose the police would come to CIFN for assistance and overall they helped the community become more tolerant.

Rev. Dr. Precious Toe, founder Women Worship Gospel Music awards, said, “that working with other faiths is an empowering experience. We give value to society by building bridges. We are helping the next generations of women through our music and give voice to the voiceless as we rise for peace, love, humanity and oneness.”

Martin Weightman, Director of All Faiths Network

Summing up the meeting Mr. Weightman said, “the purpose of the meeting today was to highlight the value of faith and interfaith activity in society and to generate greater support, awareness and broader understanding of this work, the moral value that religions bring to society and the importance of setting an example to others. I think all attendees did this admirably and we will continue to develop this as a work in progress.

“There are clearly some tough issues to be addressed. The problem of violent religious extremism – which was raised during the meeting. There is Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and discrimination against minority religions to name some key issues – but whilst all these rightly have a focus in the mainstream media, they are but a small part of the activities which relate to religious activity. There should be more focus on the positive news relating to religions and interfaith activity. I am therefore very thankful for the support and backing of the MPs and all the attendees who truly care and wish to develop a greater understanding and awareness of these issues and to protect and value freedom of religion or belief”

All Faiths Network in UK Parliament discussing the role & value of faith. Beautiful gathering of faith friends- making a difference in this world. pic.twitter.com/25EUR3Fkzd

— All Faiths Network (@FaithsNetwork) May 18, 2022