January 2001

Dear IRLA Board Member:

Thank you for being so helpful and supportive of our action in favor of religious freedom. 2000 was a great year for the IRLA but 2001 will be still greater with your cooperation. I wish you and your family a blessed New Year, and best wishes for your work. Let me share with you some information...

1. A Great Team Completed!

    

   Richard Fenn, my deputy, left our office to enjoy a quiet life in Portland, Oregon where he is trying to retire. Thanks again, Dick, for your important contribution. Dr. Jonathan Gallagher has joined us and has already done a great work as liaison for the United Nations. He is now my deputy and will be responsible for the distribution of information and promotion of IRLA. Jonathan is working on the next United Nations conference in South Africa, to be held August/September 2001.

    

2. A Special Assistant for Washington

    

   It took six months to find the right person to be our liaison with the United States government. This position will be occupied by Attorney James Standish. James is a bright attorney, who is passionate about religious freedom. He received his MBA from Virginia University and his JD from Georgetown School of Law. He is currently working with a well-known firm in Washington D.C., but will be with us the first of March. James has had several articles published in Liberty magazine.

    

3. International Bermuda Conference on Religious Freedom March 14-16

    

   The Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel is ready to welcome our international conference. The theme is "Religious Freedom: An Answer to Discrimination and Intolerance." The Premier of Bermuda, The Honorable Jennifer Smith, will give the Inaugural Speech, and Ambassador Joseph Reed, Under-Secretary of the United Nations, will present our Keynote Address. We will have good speakers: Dr. Diéne from UNESCO, Tad Stahnke, from the U.S. Commission of International Religious Freedom, Dr. Arthur Fletcher, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Dr. Rosa Maria Martinez de Codes, Anatoly Krasikov, Lee Boothby, Cole Durham, Mitch Tyner, Bert Beach. It will be a very interesting meeting.

    

4. Two Important Meetings in May

    

   The IRLA Meeting of Experts will be held in Madrid, May 17-20 of this year. The meeting was called by Professor Alberto de la Hera, of the Department of Religious Affairs of Spain, to prepare the "International Conference on School Education in Relation to Freedom of Religion." The IRLA will send six experts to this meeting. The new Center for Religion and Government Relations of Andrews University, Michigan, is organizing with us a symposium on "Religious Freedom and Proselytism." We need to keep working on this theme. Dr. Gary Ross, Director of the Center, is in charge of the event. A good number of experts will participate.

    

5. Manila, Philippines

    

   I was in Manila with our treasurer, Don Robinson on January 11-18 of this year. Our purpose was there to sign the contract with the Westin Philippines Plaza Hotel and to promote the next World Congress of June 10-13, 2002. The venue is great and we have to limit the number of participants to 400. The theme will be "Religious Freedom: A Basis for Peace and Justice." We met the country's First Lady and worked closely with Ambassador Bien Tejano. The IRLA national chapters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore were also represented. Please mark your calendars for next year. This congress will be the first IRLA World Congress in Asia. This part of the world sent 25 participants to the IRLA World Congress in Rio in 1997. The regional Secretary General, Hiskia Missah, organized a training seminar during our visit. We have 1,339 IRLA members in the Philippines; 515 in Indonesia, and 21 in Bangladesh. A congress in Thailand has already been proposed for 2003.

    

6. Urgent Action for Indonesia and Turkmenistan

    

   During my stay in the Philippines, we studied how we can help those presently persecuted in Indonesia. We are working with churches and the United Nations to end this religious cleansing in Ambon, and in the Moluccan Islands. We have also been working with our regional Secretary General for Euro-Asia to protect religious minority members in Turkmenistan. We have sent letters to the president and reports to the United Nations. We are currently working on a letter campaign.

    

7. In Brief...

   •  

     The new issue of Fides et Libertas is ready. You will receive copies of it soon.
   • Of interest, Bert Beach, Jonathan Gallagher, and I have recently had articles published in Liberty and other journals.
   • We had the privilege of receiving Professor Jean Bauberot and also Patrice Gillibert, United Nations Human Rights officer, to Washington. I met the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Professor Amor, in Geneva and had an excellent opportunity to discuss matters of religious liberty with him.
   • We are just now making plans for a symposium in Beijing.
   • We are still working to gain United Nations Consultative Status for the IRLA in ECOSOC. Our application has been delayed until May.

Thank you very much for your support. Don't hesitate to contact us and to visit our webpage: www.irla.org.

Blessings to you,

John Graz
Secretary-General