Why A Sixth World Congress on Religious Freedom?

Dr John Graz, IRLA secretary-general

In March 1997, I was traveling when I received an e-mail message about a couple who had been killed by religious fanatics. The circumstances of their deaths were shocking. I saw once again that religious freedom can become an issue of life and death in some places around the world. The names of the couple were Gadzimurat and Tatyana Gadziyev. They lived in the city of Buinasksk, in Dagestan, a small autonomous republic of Russia. They were arrested and then tortured. Two days later a mob of 5,000 people gathered on the central square of the city. A car arrived with the couple. With the approval of the mob, a man poured a large can of gasoline on them and set them on fire. Local TV recorded this ghastly event.

Gadzimurat was accused of murdering a 12-year-old girl. There was no evidence and no trial. Instead, there was summary execution by a group of religious fanatics who accused Gadzimurat of speaking too much about his new religion.

As I travel around the world, I hear so many stories of religious discrimination and persecution. Religious freedom is not just an abstract idea or a nice theme for a congress; it is a necessity, because it affects the lives of so many people. In our world today, several million believers are persecuted. In more than 10 countries there is no religious freedom at all.

Do we need a 6^th World Congress on Religious Freedom? Why is it taking place in Cape Town?

When we announced Cape Town as venue of our 6^th World Congress, some remarked that it was “a good tourist location.” We heard the same comments when we went to Rio de Janeiro. People have asked me why we always choose places where religious freedom is accepted instead of where religious freedom is not accepted. Why don’t we go to places like Saudi Arabia or North Korea? I can assure you that if the authorities of Saudi Arabia or North Korea would allow us to have a congress on religious freedom in their country, I would not hesitate one minute. I would be happy to go there.

Unfortunately, we have not been given such authorization, and you can understand why. To promote religious freedom openly, to celebrate religious freedom for all, we need a place where freedom is not just a slogan but a reality. We need a country which recognizes religious freedom as a fundamental freedom and as a fundamental human right. The Republic of South Africa is such a country.

We thank the leaders of this country. We appreciate the outstanding examples they have been for the whole world. I have special appreciation for Nelson Mandela and other leaders and the people of this country who have led South Africa towards reconciliation after the dark years of racial and political apartheid. In my ministry for religious freedom, I often think about Nelson Mandela spending 27 years in a prison not too far from here. While there, he dreamed about a multi-racial South Africa where people wouldn’t be discriminated against because of their race. I am sure there were some around him who believed his dream would never become a reality. Mandela maintained his hope, and South Africa became a multi-racial republic. Hope is so important for those who are persecuted and for those who are defending religious freedom.

Being in South Africa reminds us that religious freedom cannot be isolated from human rights. We can openly celebrate religious freedom only when human rights are respected, because religious freedom is at the heart of human rights. In coming to South Africa and Cape Town, we didn’t come to satisfy our thirst for tourism, even though we are surrounded here by natural beauty. Rather we come to South Africa to be fed by its great example of freedom. We come to South Africa to be inspired by the history or the people who live here, by their faith, and by their victories. We come to South Africa to learn not to lose hope.

While you are here, I recommend that you visit Franschhoek, which is two hours from Cape Town. There you will find the Huguenot Museum and a beautiful monument, both of which are dedicated to the French Huguenots who came to South Africa because they were persecuted in their own country. They give us a message of freedom of conscience and religion from the seventeen century. History teaches us that religious hatred which produces religious intolerance is the seed of discrimination and persecution. We cannot build peace and security on hatred and intolerance. Thinking about Dr Martin Luther King Jr, I will say, we cannot respond to hatred by hatred as we cannot eliminate darkness with darkness.

Do we need a Sixth World Congress?

A Sixth World Congress means that we had already five World Congresses. The IRLA was chartered in 1893, but the first World Congress was organized in Amsterdam in 1977. Then we had one in Rome in 1984, and five years later we met in London. I have had the privilege of coordinating the last three World Congresses and, as Secretary General, I made sure they were held every five years on a different continent. Religious freedom is for all, not only for Europeans or Americans, but for the whole world.

Every year the IRLA organizes symposiums, international congresses, and meetings of experts. Our team of experts is probably one of the best in the whole world. In addition, we hold, in cooperation with Liberty magazine, the annual Liberty Dinner in Washington DC. We produce a TV program called Global Faith and Freedom, and we publish a journal on religious freedom titled Fides et Libertas. But of all these activities, the World Congress is a unique gathering of dedicated people who are not afraid to travel around the world to promote religious freedom for all people everywhere.

Distinguished guests, dear participants, Why should people be forced to practice a religion or belief which is contrary to their wishes or against their conscience? Why have some countries made it a crime for a person to change religions? Is there any God who forces people to love Him? The answer is no! God created us with the freedom to choose, because He loves us. He does not want us to be forced to love Him.

This Congress is one of the major forums on religious freedom. It will include:

· 30 speakers who are the best experts in the field of religious freedom

· 15 workshops with the participation of 60 experts

· The reports of 26 Regional Secretaries and NGO representatives

As we cannot accept injustice, oppression, and discrimination based on race, so we cannot accept discrimination and persecution based on religion or belief.

Religious freedom is the best answer to religious hatred. Do we need a Sixth Congress? Oh yes, we do! The world needs to hear our voice. We need a Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth World Congress on Religious Freedom. As long as the right to choose one’s religion is not respected, as long as innocent people are discriminated against, persecuted, and deprived of their basic rights just because of their beliefs, we need to have congresses on religious freedom, congresses like this one.

Our coming to Cape Town will not change the world in one day, but it will show the world that religious discrimination and persecution are not inevitable. There are people from all over the world, people from different faiths and traditions, who want to demonstrate that there is another way to deal with differences. There are people who have chosen to come to this Congress in Cape Town because they are determined to promote peace and justice through religious freedom for all people everywhere.

John Graz

February 27, 2007

Cape Town, South Africa