Author Archives: RFBF

Rt. Hon Stephen Timms MP who, using Dr Brian Grim’s extensive research, made particular mention of the “positive correlation of religious freedom and economic prosperity.”

On Human Rights Day, Thursday 10^th December, members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), secured a debate in the Main Chamber of the House of Commons. The debate considered Human Rights across the World with APPG members and others raising the relationship between FoRB and thematic Government priorities including, security, countering extremism, economic prosperity, overseas development aid and stabilisation of Syria.

In an unprecedented event, the House of Commons held a debate on International Human Rights Day which considered human rights across the world. The Backbench debate was secured by Jim Shannon MP (Co-Chair of the APPG for International Freedom of Religion or Belief), Fiona Bruce MP and Stephen Timms MP. It received considerable cross-party support, with members of all parties raising a broad range of human rights concerns from executions in Saudi Arabia, political prisoners in Burma to persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan as well as many more individual and country-based cases.

While debates around specific countries with human rights concerns and human rights themes have occurred in the last parliament, there has not been a wide-ranging debate on human rights, analysing the UK’s current policy on human rights, within the last government or even the current government so far. Securing this debate was truly an historic moment.

Jim Shannon MP stressed the importance of holding the debate to coincide with Human Rights Day, which commemorates the day that, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year’s Human Rights Day is particularly poignant with the launch of the 50^thanniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights – the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – that will occur next year.

Considering the unique nature of the debate, Mr Shannon proposed that the House should have an annual debate in the Chamber regarding International Human Rights to coincide with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s publication of their Annual Report on Human Rights.

During the debate, members of the APPG took a revolutionary approach in linking the freedom of religion or belief with Government priorities to highlight the importance and benefits of promoting human rights and, in particular, FoRB. This linkage unravelled the misguided notion that the promotion of human rights is a hindrance to our national interests. Members emphasised that promoting rights, including FoRB, is beneficial to our national interests. Members spoke about how FoRB assists in creating conditions conducive for security, economic prosperity, countering extremism and fostering peaceful and stable societies.

Mr Shannon spoke about how greater religious freedom leads to better security, stability and economic growth and that it reduces extremism, societal tensions, violence and even poverty. These points were elaborated by other members including Rt. Hon Stephen Timms MP who, using Dr Brian Grim of the Berkley Center’s extensive research, made particular mention of the “positive correlation of religious freedom and economic prosperity”, while Tom Tugendhat MP spoke of religious freedom and extremism and Alan Brown MP outlined the need for religious freedom in any new constitutional or legal orders in conflict states such as Syria for transition into a stable and peaceful society to occur. Fiona Bruce MP and Jeremy Lefroy argued that we cannot have long term development without freedom and that DfID must begin playing a more active role in the promotion of freedoms and rights. Mr Lefroy explicitly linked freedom of religion or belief to the four objectives of DfID’s November 2015 New Aid Strategy.

Members from across the House shared sentiments of urging the Government to speak out about religious freedom and other human rights abuses, calling the Government to pro-actively ensure that its current policies do not directly or indirectly support human rights violations.

The debate saw the freedom of religion or belief mainstreamed as a human right, with the Undersecretary of State, James Duddridge MP, explicitly mentioning the crucial role that freedom of religion or belief plays in countering extremism. Mr Duddridge also spoke of the profound concern that the Government has for FoRB and their commitment to uphold the rights of all religions and minorities.

All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief

Media Release: Issued 10 December 2015 APPG for International Freedom of Religion or Belief: Human Rights Day Debate

Contact: Gurinder Jhans
Phone: +44 (0) 207 219 2446
Email: jhansg@parliament.uk

WHEN: January 12, 2016 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

WHERE: Knight Conference Center, Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001, USA

COST: Free and open to the public. Registration is required.

REGISTER: RSVP

On Tuesday, January 12, 2016, we will co-host an event in anticipation of the President’s annual declaration of January 16th as Religious Freedom Day, calling upon Americans to observe this day through appropriate events and activities.

Research and experience tell us that the success of the U.S. economy and society is due in no small part to the success we have had promoting a strong and religiously diverse workplace, one that includes and protects people of all faiths and none. Recent research, however, finds that more than one-in-three American workers report experiencing or witnessing workplace religious discrimination.

The event will discuss how businesses can successfully negotiate religious freedom and workplace issues. In an era when millennials are especially concerned for fairness and equality for all, respecting the religion and beliefs of employees is not only fair and good policy, but is also good for business.

At the event, CEOs, representatives of major companies, heads of trade and commerce organizations, and the media will be introduced to a nonpartisan corporate pledge on religious nondiscrimination and inclusion in the workplace. This new resource and its associated resource documents will align with core American values of religious freedom while creating a more inclusive work environment that leverages religious diversity.

Gordon H. Smith, President & CEO, National Assoc. of Broadcasters, will give the keynote.

The event is co-hosted by the Newseum Institute’s Religious Freedom Center, the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, and Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding.

Gordon H. Smith
NAB President and CEO

Gordon H. Smith joined the National Association of Broadcasters as president and CEO in November 2009. Prior to joining NAB, he served as a two-term U.S. senator from Oregon and later as senior advisor in the Washington offices of Covington & Burling, LLP.

During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Gordon’s committee assignments included the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the panel that oversees all broadcast-related legislation. He also served on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Gordon’s role on the Commerce Committee and as chairman of a Senate High Tech Task Force helped foster his interest in new media and new technology issues.

Born in Pendleton, Ore., Gordon attended college at Brigham Young University, received his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, and practiced law in New Mexico and Arizona before returning to Oregon to direct the family-owned Smith Frozen Foods business in Weston, Ore. Before his election to the U.S. Senate in 1996, he was elected to the Oregon State Senate, rising to the position of president of that body after only three years.

Gordon and his wife Sharon live in Bethesda, Md., and are the parents of three children and two grandchildren.

Pope Francis told worshippers in a mosque in the Central African Republic that “Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters,” laying out the case for people from both faiths to work for interreligious understanding and peace.

Pope Francis was speaking to Muslims who had sought shelter in the capital Bangui after nearly three years of violence between Christians and Muslims.

Research clearly shows that interfaith understanding and religious freedom are foundations upon which peace can be built and sustained. This understanding is one that many Muslim scholars, activists and thinkers understand and argue for.

Below are links to a number of resources that make this case from a Muslim perspective.

“It is essential – and most of the time in their own interest – that enterprises and private firms contribute to a business culture that values diversity and is willing to accommodate and promote religious freedom.” – Dr. Pasquale Annicchino

The following is the transcript of the address by Dr. Pasquale Annicchino at the Treviso conference organized by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs on September 18th-19th 2015, titled “Pluralism, democracy, social and economic development and the interaction between freedom of religion and business.”

As the title I have been assigned by the organizing committee of the conference is rather broad and complex, I have decided to focus on two very broad issues which would need to be further developed, but unfortunately I can only briefly survey them due to time constraints. We all know from our different constitutional systems the complexities entailed in promoting a culture of respect of diversity which includes a robust protection of the right to freedom of religious expression and how, once a consensus on the relevance of this right has been reached, to the complexities of accommodating this right and balancing this with the rights of others. Let me therefore focus on two very specific questions:

• How do we promote a culture of robust protection of freedom of religion or belief?

• How do we accommodate diversity, and especially how do we accommodate it especially in the workplace?

Let me start with the first question, dividing it in two points:

a) The world is witnessing an incredible and, I would say, skyrocketing amount of violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief. I do not need to remind this audience how in several parts of the world the rights of people believing or not believing, and therefore the rights of atheists, are violated by groups who are trying to impose their ideology infused with a sick understanding of religious belief on other people, and especially, of course, on minority groups.

We all have in mind the faces of Yazidis on the Sinjar mountain siege or those of Middle Eastern Christians escaping from Daesh. I want to stress that, of course, many of the geopolitical problems that the world faces today are not only problems that stem from religious political variables, but a clear understanding of what is at stake from the religious point of view, and from the point of view of the protection of freedom of religious expression, helps us in understanding the political scenario and resonate on sounding policy options.

b) Once we have realized the relevance of this human right, what can we do to promote and advance it, especially in countries where we witness widespread and ongoing violations? Some countries such as the United States, the U.K., the Netherlands and others have enacted specific legislation, while the European Union has recently approved the EU guidelines for the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief in the external action of the European Union.

These are all important policy tools, but it is important to acknowledge that there is no magic solution for the improvement of the condition of human rights and freedom of religious expression. The first and most important effort has to focus on the promotion of a political culture of respect of the individual and the individual’s ethical, moral and religious choices.

Recent studies suggest that society with a higher level of protection of these rights have stronger civil societies and perform better economically. So far, no direct causation has been found between the protection of religious freedom and better economic performance, but recent studies suggest that a correlation is very likely[1]. Religious freedom is found to promote economic advancement by boosting other freedoms that are essential to economic development. Where religious freedom is respected, people find it more natural to respect political, artistic, and social freedoms. This is a basic reason why international freedom rankings are highly correlated. Countries with high levels of religious freedom have high level of political freedom, and vice versa. Religious freedom advances economic development by making people comfortable with diversity of opinion, the expression of new ideas, and challenges to vested interests.

Once we have acknowledged that freedom of religion or belief it is an important right to protect, we have also to understand how we do it within our different constitutional legal orders. Here, I would say, it is probably going to be difficult to have a global level playing field where the right is always protected and in every part of the world protected at the same level. It is, and will always be, a political struggle worth fighting. What we need to do is to better equip our public law provisions and our private law instruments. In this context, of course, the most important role is the one played by public institutions which produce legal norms and enforce them, but an important contribution can also come by private businesses and enterprises. It is essential – and most of the time in their own interest – that enterprises and private firms contribute to a business culture that values diversity and is willing to accommodate and promote religious freedom.

The Religious Freedom and Business Foundation[2] has already started many initiatives in this field with the aim to contribute at the development of a culture which values that diversity. Examples of such include: i) Corporate commitments in support of freedom of religion or belief; ii) Corporate pledges; iii) the creation of Global Forums on Business, Interfaith Understanding and Peace; iv) Global Business and Interfaith Peace Awards.

These are only some examples aimed at tackling the problem of violations of freedom of religious expression, but also at recognising the opportunity for an inclusive political culture which aims at accommodating diversity. In the struggle for freedom of religious expression, enterprises and businesses can therefore also have an important role. It is up to them to engage into this venture.

[1] See B. Grim, The link between economic and religious freedom, World Economic Forum Agenda, available at: https://agenda.weforum.org/2014/12/the-link-between-economic-and-religious-freedoms/ and also B. Grim, G. Clark and R.E. Snyder, Is Religious Freedom Good for Business? A conceptual and empirical analysis, Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion, 10, 4, 2014, pp. 1-19, available at:  http://www.religjournal.com/pdf/ijrr10004.pdf

[2] The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation educates the global business community about how religious freedom is good for business, and engages the business community in joining forces with government and non-government organizations in promoting respect for freedom of religion or belief. For info see https://religiousfreedomandbusiness.org/.

Press Release: RFBF President Brian Grim spoke at this week’s G20 Interfaith Summit in Istanbul, Turkey. He spoke on how religious freedom contributes to sustainable development. He also highlighted the Foundation’s interfaith Empowerment+ social cohesion initiative, which embodies why religious freedom is important: it sets people of faith free to do good.

Grim concluded with new research on how religious freedom is associated with gender empowerment and better lives for women. The research summary – written with Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church worldwide – was just published as part of Grim’s & Dr. Lyon’s work on the World Economic Forum’s global agenda council on the role of faith.

The summit came in the wake of a series of terror attacks by ISIS in Beirut, the Sinai and Paris. This week’s Weekly Number data blog looks at the growing level of religious hostilities that led up to the most recent attack.

See below for links to these resources.

Gaby Amarantos, singer

Gaby Amarantos is a Brazilian national superstar and the voice behind an anthem for the 2015 FIFA World Cup.

In the music video below, themes of religious diversity and freedom mix naturally in the lively environs of Rio de Janeiro.

Indeed, it comes naturally as Brazil leads the world in religious freedom, as attested to by research and Gaby herself.

Gaby Amarantos, in an interview with The Globa and Mail, observes that “Brazilian people are very faithful. Not only for religious purposes, because we also have an immense religious diversity, but… I think Brazilians believe a lot. Even that the World Cup will work out. If things are still going well for the country, it’s because Brazilian people are very positive. Brazilian people are very joyful – not just because of parties and carnival. We work a lot, we work our asses off. But we like a party in the end.”

“My Brazil is a country that is getting better,” she says. “I see the country growing. It’s not the perfect Brazil, but it’s undeniable that the country has improved. Of course, it’s a country being made by the people. Before, the country wasn’t administered for the people. So people in the elite are pissed off. There is an undeniable shift of power.”

“The periferia imposed this change, they didn’t ask for permission,” Ms. Amarantos said in a recent interview in her office in a Sao Paulo record label, seeking to explain her people and their moment. “They kicked the door: ‘Now it’s our turn.’ The elite was obligated to accept.”

“People who would have thought I was tacky 15 years ago think I am a fashion icon today. People who thought my music was laughable today think it is the most incredible thing in the country. People who thought I was the ugliest woman on earth think I am a beauty icon. And a role model. Today I’ve become the coolest thing in the world.”

She says this not arrogantly, but with a sort of delighted wonderment. Ms. Amarantos is 34, the single mother of a five-year-old, and grew up in a hardscrabble neighbourhood of Belem where she sang in church before she discovered tecnobrega. The name translates, literally, as “tacky techno.” The original brega was a twangy country music with lyrics about heartbreak and suffering; the new version was reinvented for a crowd that likes to see the biggest possible sound system set up for dance parties – twang with a synthesizer slapped on top.

“Without being pretentious, tecnobrega doesn’t sound like anything from outside Brazil,” she said, calling it “vibrant and authentic and danceable” and, perhaps most significantly, “born in the periferia.”

Her race also makes Ms. Amarantos a new style of superstar: although more than half of Brazilians identify as black or mixed race, success here (in business, politics, arts – anything other than sports) correlates with whiteness. But she believes this, too, is changing.

“People are becoming less hypocritical, they are no longer saying that there is no racism in Brazil. The majority of Brazilians are stating that they are black, for the first time … and this majority of Brazilians want to see this percentage reflected on other things.”

This week in Abu Dhabi, the annual Summit on the Global Agenda – the world’s largest brainstorming event – brought together the thought leaders of the World Economic Forum’s Network of Global Agenda Councils, comprising more than 80 groups of experts from academia, business, civil society, international organizations and government.

Among these councils, members of the Global Agenda Council on the Role of Faith aim to provide thought leadership that furthers within World Economic Forum activities the understanding of faith’s complex influence on global affairs. The council and its members seek to raise awareness of the criticality of “religious literacy” – ensuring leaders from government, business and civil society adequately comprehend religion’s nuances and drivers, as well as its impact on communities, markets and governance. It aims to transform perspectives on faith in government and the private sector, specifically in nations experiencing dramatic change (for example, immigration dynamics, internal conflicts, freedom of beliefs/religion and emerging market challenges).

The council is developing a toolkit to teach religious literacy through awareness, assessment and analysis. The first part of this toolkit highlights the impact faith has on economies, particularly through demographic and market analysis.

As part of this toolkit, Brian Grim presented a new study by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, Changing religion, changing economies, to the Global Agenda Council on the Role of Faith at the annual summit in Abu Dhabi.

For a summary of the research, see How Religious will the world be in 2050?

The study has been covered in the media, including articles in Forbes, Christianity Today, Deseret News, Il Folgio, Acton Institute & the World Economic Forum.

MESSAGE TO THE PARLIAMENTARIANS’ FORUM

• By +John Cardinal ONAIYEKAN, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja – Nigeria

NEW YORK, 19 September 2015 – In the face of rising religious persecution of people on the grounds of faith or belief, on September 18-19, over 100 parliamentarians from almost 50 countries assembled in New York City to discuss ways to advance freedom of religion or belief.

The event was cosponsored by the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPP FoRB), a network launched last year in response to the rising crisis of religious or belief based persecution, both by terrorist groups and authoritarian governments.

The IPP is an alliance of parliamentarians committed to advancing religious freedom for all, as defined by Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Following is the address of +John Cardinal ONAIYEKAN, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, to the assembly.

+John Cardinal ONAIYEKAN

Let me first sincerely thank the Baroness Berridge, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and the other organizers of this forum for inviting people like me and the Ayatollah Damad, who has just spoken, to contribute from our particular perspectives to the topic of this forum. I thank God for the concern and interest which you all, as parliamentarians from many parts of the world, are showing about this very important topic of religious freedom. This gives us great hopes that from you parliamentarians the interest and concern will reach your governments and then real change will begin to happen where it needs to happen.

As would be expected, since I was given the assignment before leaving home to speak at this occasion, I did prepare the short five minutes observation requested of me. But having heard much of what has been said since this session began, I have decided to put my prepared text aside and to share a few brief reflections with you from my own perspective as one who could be called “a religious leader”.

Permit me to simply list out my observations as follows, in no particular order or logical sequence.

a).  In the matter of restriction and harassment of religious freedom, an important distinction has been made between what governments do by law and what is the result of social habits and pressures [see The Price of Freedom Denied, Cambridge Univ. Press]. As regards legal framework, religious freedom has been an important provision of the universal declaration of fundamental human rights, a code that every member of the United Nations has agreed to respect. However, the reality on the ground still leaves much to be desired. Some nations still have laws, which are against at least the spirit, at times even the letter of the code. The UNO should no longer allow such countries to continue to get way with going against the rules that they themselves have signed on to. There should be no more benign neglect or diplomatic double talk in this matter. As parliamentarians, it is your duty to make sure that the laws of your nations uphold and defend the fundamental right of freedom of religion for everyone, citizens and visitors alike. We hope that a strong resolution will come out of this forum on this matter.

b). As for the so-called “social” restrictions which derive from traditional habits, to the extent that such behavior are outside the law or even against the law, the state must take effective action to uphold the law. Where such discriminatory behavior claims to be based on religious tradition, there is need to review such traditions.

c.) Let me at this point focus on the responsibility of religious leaders in this regard. In many cases, the negative attitudes of some religious communities against others are determined by the teachings and examples of the religious leaders themselves. They therefore have the duty to correct traditional religious teachings and habits, which wound or kill religious freedom. If it means reviewing their theologies, they should do so. My Church, the Catholic Church, went through such a review of theology fifty years ago during the great Second Vatican Council. Two important documents of that council deserve special attention here.  The first is the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium which explains the theological nature of the Church in such a way that we can now have a positive view of other religious communities, both Christian and non-Christian. The second is the Declaration Nostrae Aetate, which gave practical directives on how to relate in a positive manner with people of other religions. These documents, and the entire work of the Council have had a great positive impact, both within and outside our Church. This should be an on-going project for all religious communities.

d.) A particularly urgent task for religious leaders is to clearly disengage themselves from government restrictions and harassments of religious minorities. Often, rulers and politicians claim to be promoting the interests of the dominant religion by oppressing and suppressing other faiths. Unfortunately sometimes the religious leaders make themselves willing partners in this ungodly policy. It is time that religious leaders stand up against laws that restrict religious freedom and work for a change in such laws, even if they have for long been the legal basis for long established practice. Serious examples of this kind of situation are the cases of so-called “blasphemy laws” or laws against conversion, or the imposition of the religious law of a particular creed on all citizens.

e.) In the same vein, religious leaders ought to be in the forefront to defend the right to differ in religious conviction. This should be done, not only for other faiths but also for dissidents within the dominant faith. The right to freedom of religion is a gift of God to every individual. Religious leaders should be seen to be defending God-given rights, not destroying them.

f.) What about the violent religious extremists who commit crimes and acts of terrorism claiming to be acting in the name of God? We see here the limits of freedom of religion. They now constitute a major challenge in our world of today, with the exploits of groups like the Boko Haram in my county Nigeria, the ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Al Shabab in Somalia, etc. They are a small minority, but as dangerous to the entire community as a dose of poison is in a dinner. All the groups mentioned above claim to be Muslims. This puts a great challenge on the Islamic community globally. It is good that the main Islamic organizations have consistently condemned the terrorists, although unfortunately the mass media seems not to be able to give such statements the coverage that I believe they deserve. But I have always insisted that there is need to go beyond mere condemnation. There is need to engage the terrorists, as erring members of the same faith family. Our experience in Nigeria has shown that military engagement is important and necessary but not enough. There is also need for religious and theological dialogue within the house of Islam, a dialogue that only Muslim religious leaders have the capacity to undertake successfully, thereby building a much needed bridge between the extremists and the rest of the community.

g) Finally, let us not forget that violent religious extremism is a product of some non-violent religious extremism. Before people begin to throw bombs in the name of religion, they have already been exposed to the use of “verbal bombs” from extremist preaching that have nothing good to say about anyone who does not agree with them. It does matter what people preach and what people believe. There is need for vigilance.

h.) In conclusion this forum, and especially this session brings out the need for joint reflection and action between politicians and religious leaders in the task of upholding and defending freedom of religion, which is the greatest of all fundamental human rights, after the right to life itself. This joint task must be tackled both nationally and internationally. It is then that we can have religious peace and cooperation. Above all, it is only then that religion will be liberated from all charlatans and manipulators, liberated to do good, not evil, to promote the well being of humanity, not kill people, IN THE NAME OF GOD!

Forbes

Protecting Religious Freedoms Will Strengthen Our Global Economy

In Forbes, by Brian J. Grim & Brian W. Walsh

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, long a priority of administrations from both parties, highlights how the world’s economy is shifting in multiple ways. The United States is still the world’s largest economy, but today two Asian countries—neither historically nor majority Christian—have the second and third largest economies. The Pacific Rim as a whole, one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse regions on earth, is now also one of the most economically dynamic.

The strength of the global economy has become religiously diverse, and this diversity will only increase in the next few decades. According to a new study released today by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (of which one of us, Brian Grim, is president), the globe’s growing religious diversity is likely to be one of the 21st century’s most important developments for businesses and policymakers around the world. … read more

World Economic Forum’s Agenda

Today, seven of the G8 nations have Christian-majority populations. But by 2050 only one of the leading economies is projected to have a majority Christian population – the United States. The other mega economies in 2050 are projected to include a country with a Hindu majority (India), a Muslim majority (Indonesia), and two with exceptionally high levels of religious diversity (China and Japan). … read more

Christianity Today

Treasures on Earth: How Religion Is Redistributing the World’s Wealth

International Media

Italy

Bangladesh