by Brian Grim

On Thursday, March 24, I had the pleasure of having a lunch meeting with Dr. Harbeen Arora Rai and Mr. Vinay Rai at The Imperial in New Delhi.

Dr. Harbeen Arora Rai leads the G100, an action + think tank comprising a league of powerful group of women leaders and achievers from all walks of life who wish to give back and move us all forward as architects of the future. These include Nobel Laureates, former Heads of States, Ministers, Businesswomen, Philanthropists, Investors, Entrepreneurs, Corporate and Community Leaders.

The G100 is also supported by The Denim Club: Group of 100 He-for-She Global Champions, of which I am a member.

Mr. Vinay Rai is author of THINK INDIA: The Rise of the World’s Next Superpower and What It Means for Every American. THINK INDIA is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand India’s new muscle on the global stage. In THINK INDIA, best-selling author William L. Simon combines with Vinay Rai, a philanthropist, and an icon of progress in India, to give an insider’s view into the country’s dynamic transformation, revealing the forces and unique characteristics behind India’s meteoric rise.

by Brian Grim

I’m in the final three days of my 18-day trip to India, preparing for Dare to Overcome 2023, which will be held in New Delhi in tandem with the G20 meetings hosted by India.

Yesterday I visited Kochi, Kerala, on India’s southwest coast. I visited the Paradesi Synagogue, which was established hundreds of years before, and shares a wall with a Hindu temple. In fact, some Jewish communities in India trace their lineage back to the time of King Solomon. Kochi is also where the Apostle Thomas came soon after the time of Christ in outreach to these Jewish communities. Indeed, the synagogue is very close to several of the most important Catholic churches in Kerala, with communities dating back to the time of Christ.

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that most people (84%) say that to be “truly Indian,” it is very important to respect all religions (see chart). Indians also are united in the view that respecting other religions is a very important part of what it means to be a member of their own religious community (80%). People in all six major religious groups overwhelmingly say they are very free to practice their faiths, and vast majority (91%) say that people of other faiths also are very free to practice their own religion.

Seeing the ancient heritage of such communities in India, helps understand the findings from a recent Pew Research Center poll (see below), which found that a number of religious beliefs and practices are share across religious groups in India.

Mar. 21, 2022: Bangalore, India

Intel Corporation’s CEO Pat Gelsinger and EVP Sandra Rivera received the 2021 Global Business & Interfaith Peace Gold Medal for their work in making Intel’s workplaces worldwide inclusive and welcoming for people of all faiths and beliefs. Due to covid, they were not able to receive their gold medals in person, but only in a virtual ceremony broadcasted from Tokyo, Japan, and Washington, DC, on August 24, 2021.

Today, two vice presidents from Intel India received the medals on their behalf: Anita Vijaykrishnan, VP / GM Enterprise Operations, and Sumedha Limaye, Vice President of Engineering, Xeon & Networking.

“We thank the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation and the United Nations Global Compact for recognizing Intel. It’s our honour to accept this award on behalf of Pat and Sandra,” said Sumedha and Anita. “Bringing our authentic self to work resonates with every Intel employee globally. There is more encouragement to realize your strengths and potential when the environment supports diversity of thought and expression.”

Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, expressed his appreciation for their willingness to receive the award and congratulated them on their strong support for diversity and inclusion. Grim previously delivered the Silver Medal to John Tyson at their headquarters in Arkansas, and other 2021 recipients will receive their medals in Washinton DC on May 24, 2022, at Dare to Overcome.

Dare to Overcome is the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s annual in-person gathering for Fortune 500 faith-oriented employee resource groups (ERGs) and corporate chaplains to come together to share best practices and to build supportive, intersecting networks nationally and globally at the three-day event. All faiths and beliefs are welcome.

In 2023, Dare to Overcome will be held in New Delhi, India.

Pune, India. March 17, 2022

Dr. Rahul Vishwanath Karad, Executive President, of the MIT (Maharashtra Institute Of Technology) World Peace University and RFBF President Brian Grim signed a years-long joint research agreement today at their university of 60,000 students, including 20,000 graduate students.

The aim of the research is to study and report on the socio-economic impact of India’s rich religious pluralism. This includes looking at the contributions of the Hindu majority as well as India’s diverse faiths, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, and many others.

This builds on similar studies the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation has done in the US and Canada. India is the next logical country to study, given that it is both the rising economy of the 21st century and the most religiously dynamic country on earth.

Dr. Karad celebrated the interdisciplinary nature of the research, involving the economics, business, religion and government departments of MIT World Peace University. He also emphasized that this research has never been done in India and how this will advance to India’s inclusive and pluralistic society.

The findings will be presented in 2023 in New Delhi during the G20 Meeting hosted by India as well as presented in Pune at a tandem interfaith forum.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE (MUMBAI, INDIA)

On March 15, RFBF President Dr. Brian Grim was received by Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.

Dr Brian Grim and Cardinal Gracias discussed the new developments among some of the world’s top companies to become faith-friendly. These include companies as diverse as Google, DELL Technologies, American Airlines, Coca Cola Consolidated, PayPal, Tyson Foods, Equinix, Ford Motor Company and Tyson Foods.

They also discussed the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Modi to Pope Francis to visit India.

Attending the meeting was Dr. Rahul Vishwanath Karad, Managing Trustee & Executive President, of the MIT (Maharashtra Institute Of Technology) World Peace University. Dr. Karad invited the Cardinal to come to the university in Pune, to address the faculty and students on his philosophy and perspectives on faith’s application to education, technology and society.

King Husein, CEO of Span Construction (USA) and a 2021 Global Business & Interfaith Peace Gold Medalists and Ashok Joshi, tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, also attended, sharing about their work with MIT Peace University and it’s commitment to interfaith collaboration and support for all religious communities in India.

Putin over my shoulder

by Brian Grim

Flying above the globe, I realized that the deranged ambition of the man over my shoulder in the 2014 picture above (Putin) has unleashed what could spiral into WWIII. My flight was nonstop from New York to New Delhi, across Europe and the Black Sea, south of Ukraine and Russia and onwards to the Caspian Sea, then over Afghanistan and Pakistan. And if you missed it, a misfired Indian missile had just flown into Pakistan the day before (we did zigzag near the end).

The picture at the top was of the Q&A with faculty following my 2014 talk on the socio-economic benefits of religious freedom in dialogue with the rector (president) of Russia’s National Nuclear University (MEPhI). MEPhI had just launched a Theology Department and opened a chapel for students, aiming to encourage them to apply faith and ethics to their professional and scientific lives (see RFBF Press Release and MEPhI Press in Russian or English translation.)

As we deplore Putin’s war and stand with Ukraine’s people, I also mourn for the oppression of the people in Russia who sought, even in the unlikely place of a nuclear university, to introduce free thought and open the door for religious freedom.

It is for those who have lost their voice — wherever they are on our small globe — that I dedicate my work. Freedom of religion and belief for all is definitely an antidote to what ails society when put to practice through Covenantal Pluralism. Now is the time to increase our efforts; please consider getting involved!

On March 17, at 4:30pm (Sao Paulo, Brazil time), the civil society committee meeting in support of the Parliamentary Front in Defense of Religious Freedom of the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo will take place.

Watch on YouTube here.

Renahan Gil, from the Institute for Economics and Peace, will speak about Positive Peace as a Pillar of Development.

Fabio Nascimento, from Religious Freedom and Business Foundation Brazil, will present on how Religious Freedom is good for Business.

Renahan Gil is a professional with more than 15 years of experience in consulting, always looking for effective solutions to current and future problems of societies and nations. He was advisor to Brazilian delegations at the High Level Political Forum at United Nations Headquarters, and today he supports governments, the private sector and civil society in understanding the benefits of having a common and well-integrated development agenda.

Fabio Nascimento is a lawyer, member of the International Committee of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society. He was a member of the National Committee for Respect for Religious Diversity of the Secretariat for Human Rights of the Presidency of the Republic. He chaired the OAB Criciúma Law and Religious Liberty Commission and was legal coordinator in Brazil for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Shirin Taber (email), Executive Director of Empower Women Media

Welcome to Live What You Believe, a booklet designed to equip stakeholders and leaders to support freedom of religion and women’s empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Over the last decade, violence toward women from groups like ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Taliban has increased. Despite women’s resilience, we rarely hear positive stories of women who challenge these violent acts of intolerance. This booklet, created in partnership with religious freedom advocates, explores how freedom of religion and belief is critical for women’s rights, peacebuilding and thriving societies.

Many organizations already put in significant efforts in documenting and publicizing the tragic cases of religious discrimination of women in Muslim contexts. While our booklet acknowledges these human rights violations, our focus is to draw attention to what is not being talked about enough – the many positive benefits of the universal right of freedom of religion, belief, and conscience for women in Muslim-majority contexts. As one of our network participants perfectly explains, “cultivating freedom of belief and conscience unleashes creativity and innovation which is needed more than ever in our increasingly global world.”

With the right tools and approaches, leaders can play a particularly important role in shifting attitudes and building social movements to support religious freedom for all. Unfortunately, religion has sometimes been misused to justify incitement to violence and discrimination toward women, and it is vital that leaders from all faiths show leadership to counter religious-based violations. In preparation for this booklet, we conducted dozens of interviews with women’s rights advocates and religious freedom experts from around the world. We connected with lawyers, social workers, artists, businesswomen, faith leaders and scholars as they shared their lived experiences. Complementing these interviews, we interwove case studies and women’s captivating personal stories about the benefits of religious freedom they shared in their workplace and community.

Through our work and research, we have learnt that women are more entrepreneurial and productive when they are allowed to freely express their beliefs (whether religious or secular) and bring their whole selves to work. Along these lines, Jacqueline Isaac, an international lawyer and religious freedom advocate, makes an excellent point: “We cannot ignore that in order to flourish, people have to be able to address their deepest questions of existence and meaning, both privately and in community with others.” With these words in mind, we are excited to share with you this religious freedom training booklet.

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to contact us personally. We hope this booklet stimulates rich conversations and fruitful advocacy efforts that shift the culture to support greater religious freedom worldwide. As we continue pushing for change, let us work together to support women’s rights to religious freedom and dignity.

The Russia and Ukraine battle you probably haven’t heard about involves the Orthodox Church

Lori Joe Brown, a Senior Manager at American Express within the Global Field Enablement Team, shares in the second of a two-part Driven 4word* podcast why she thinks it’s so important to find connection in the workplace, and what has driven her forward as she’s traveled God’s path for her life.

Tune in at the 23:00-minute mark to hear about how Lori is able to develop and encourage others in the workplace as co-lead to the American Express Christian employee resource group called SALT.

In a previous episode, Lori shared about her childhood in Brooklyn, how her parents’ divorce shifted her whole life, and how she stayed true to her dream of being a professional.

* 4word is the only global organization for Christian women in the workplace led by women. 4word leads, connects, and supports women in the workplace to help them achieve their God-given potential with confidence. 4word achieves this mission through 4word’s Digital Content, 4word Community Groups, and the 4word Mentor Program.

Lori Joe Brown has been working in Corporate American since the tender age of 18, as the summer-intern to VP of tenders & exchanges department, of a Wall Street shareholder relations firm.

Currently Lori is a Senior Manager within the Global Field Enablement Team at American Express which serves as the Center of Excellence for a 4,000+ person sales organization, delivering high impact global strategies, content, competencies, and connections that accelerate sales productivity. She has been with American Express for over 15 years in various roles developing her fellow colleagues in Human Resources and Leadership & Development.

Lori’s passion lies within developing and encouraging others in the workplace through her faith which she has been able to do as co-lead to the American Express Christian Colleague Network called SALT. Through this Christian employee resource group, she provides leadership to a 1,200-member group of employees. It has been an intricate part of the American Express employee experience globally for the past 20+ years, while assisting other Fortune 500 companies start their own Christian networks.

Lori’s non-profit work is just as important. She sits on the board of 4word, a Professional Christian Women’s organization that helps women in the workplace reach their God-given potential with confidence through mentorship, forums, blogs, and conferences.

Lastly, Lori is a certified John Maxwell Executive Coach, Trainer and Public Speaker. She holds a BA in Organizational Behavior & Change Management and a MS in Global Human Resources Management & Development both from New York University. She currently resides in Richmond, VA with her husband Dwayne Brown.