DO WE NEED A WORLD CONGRESS?
Do we need a World Congress?
In a few days, the 7th IRLA World Congress will begin. But do we really need a World Congress? Is it worth the time, effort and expense? Can an event such as this make any real difference in the current state of religious freedom around the world? Will it help the millions of believers who are persecuted? Will it save Asia Bibi in Pakistan, imprisoned for her faith? Or Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, awaiting execution in Iran?
These are fair questions. The 7th World Congress is just one of the activities the International Religious Liberty Association organizes around the world, and it happens every five years.
Each year, the IRLA organizes a high-level international think tank on religious freedom; a Religious Liberty award dinner in Washington, D.C.; regional congresses and symposiums on five continents; mass meetings in stadiums called Festivals of Religious Freedom; television programs; lectures in academies, colleges and universities; training seminars; visits to countries where religious freedom is challenged; meetings with government leaders and religious leaders …
The list is long and I invite you to visit our website www.irla.org for a broad overview of our activities.
So, why do we need a World Congress, as well? Isn’t what we do already enough?
The first World Congress was held in Amsterdam in 1977. It was a tremendous initiative that brought together officials from Western Europe, the United States and Eastern Europe. Rome was chosen for the 2nd World Congress in 1984 and delegates met with the Prime Minister of Italy. In 1989, London hosted the event. I entered the picture in 1997. For this 3rd World Congress we went to Rio de Janeiro—the first congress to be held outside Europe—and we received great media coverage, along with an increased number of participants, including a number of government ministers.
In 2002, we went to Manila for our first religious liberty congress in Asia. Africa was waiting for us—members of the local IRLA affiliate organized their 2nd All African Congress in 2006 in Accra, Ghana, then invited us to Cape Town for the 6th World Congress in 2007. It was the largest world congress ever held by the IRLA—a tremendous success in the country of Nelson Mandela.
In 2008 in Luanda, Angola, brought together 45, 000 people, and was preceded by a regional congress with 600 participants. A strong delegation came from Central America and the Caribbean, where they had held a number of regional congresses and festivals. This prepared the way for the 7th World Congress.
When we chose Inter-America to host the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom we were assured of strong support from our regional and national associations. We got it. We can now say that the event in Punta Cana will be the largest congress ever organized by the IRLA, with more than 800 participants and 70 nationalities represented.
Is this, alone, enough to justify such an important event?
An event such as this always carries an implicit message—even if there is not an intent to do so. As an association defending and promoting religious freedom our message could not be clearer. Although writing and speaking are useful for communicating our message, an event such as a World Congress brings many additional opportunities. It's a culmination of our writing, public relations, and public affairs. It attracts the interest of authorities, the media, churches, and religious leaders. It creates so many opportunities before and after the event to explain why religious freedom is important, how it is threatened today in many parts of the world, and why it’s imperative that we act to protect this precious, but vulnerable, freedom.
A World Congress offers all these opportunities plus it gathers together experts, religious leaders and human rights activists. It helps them focus on religious freedom. It encourages them to do the same in their own countries and to organize a local religious liberty association. After every World Congress we've always seen a new wave of religious freedom promotion around the world. In the aftermath of the 6th World Congress in Cape Town, we had several international congresses, symposiums and Festivals which culminated in the first World Festival for Religious Freedom held in Lima, Peru. Several thousand people marched through the streets to the national stadium where 40-45,000 people met for the largest gathering held in that country for religious freedom. This unforgettable program included government ministers, ambassadors, and religious leaders. It made history!
I am sure that similar events—both large and small—will follow the 7th World Congress. Participants, attending from around the world, will take back to their country the conviction that religious freedom should not be taken for granted, but should be promoted, defended and spread around the world. And they will carry a renewed conviction that religious freedom is a wonderful gift from God for everyone, everywhere.