January 2002

Dear Members of the Board and Experts:

I hope all of you have had wonderful holidays and a most Happy New Year! May God bless you and your family.

As we have a website up and running, you will find reports about all our meetings, But for the purposes of this letter, I will be short in this area and simply give you some information.

Dr. Graz (standing third from right) joined other religious leaders at an Orthodox Monastry in Soko, Serbia where a religious freedom symposium was held.

1. August 29-September 1, 2001: Belgrade - Symposium on Religious Freedom. We met the Minister of Religious Affairs and had a great symposium in the Orthodox Monastery of St. Nicholas Soko. Many religious bodies such as Orthodox, Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Adventists, Baptists, and Pentecostals were represented there. The Deputy Minister from the Yugoslavian Federation came to explain the new possible law. On Saturday, the participants visited churches, a mosque, and a synagogue. The timing was excellent because the new law was an important issue. IRLA participants included Bert Beach, Mitchell Tyner, Lee Boothby, Cole Durham, Silvio Ferrari, and myself. Dr. Radisa Antic made this meeting possible, and Martin Selak was the main sponsor.
2. September 27: Silver Spring - IRLA Board of Directors meeting, chaired by Denton Lotz (see news item).
3. October 1: Silver Spring - Representatives of 13 European Countries Hosted by IRLA. An international group of leaders visited Washington and attended a seminar of which the IRLA was a cosponsor. The IRLA provided a meal for the many Religious Affairs Secretaries, Deputy Directors, Deputy Ministers, and Human Rights officials from these countries at their headquarters. For the first time, France was represented at this meeting by an official of the Foreign Ministry.
4. October 15-21: Romania - Grand Tour for Religious Freedom Promotion. Viorel Dima, IRLA representative for Romania, organized an impressive program providing training seminars for clergy, and seminars for city government officials. Mitchell Tyner, Maurice Verfaillie, and I led seminars in several towns. Saturday, a religious liberty meeting was held in Bucharest with several hundred participants.
5. November 3: Nice - After September 11, there was great promotion of Religious Freedom in Nice, France with a meeting concerning the aftermath of September 11. Great interest!
6. November 15: Silver Spring - First Meeting of the Washington NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations). Called by Ambassador Robert Seiple and I, chaired by Ambassador Seiple, the first meeting on International Religions was very successful. The United States Commission, the OSCE, the future Ambassador John Hanford, Sam Ericsson, and several NGOs representing Egyptian Cops, Jews, Muslims, Evangelicals, and Baha'is attended. A second meeting will be held at the same location April 11 of this year. We wish to build a Washington Coalition for International Religious Freedom.
7. November 23-25: Madrid - United Nations Consultative Conference on School Education with Regard to Freedom of Religion or Belief, Tolerance, and Non-Discrimination. This was a very good meeting. Jonathan, Lee, Cole, Jeremy Gunn, and David Little came from the United States, and we met Professor Amor, Anatoly Krasikov, Roland Minnerath, Jean Bauberot, Gunnar Stålsett,...and of course, Professors de la Hera and Martinez de Codes. It was great to talk with Professor Jacques Robert, Pastor Jean-Arnold de Clermont, and 18 members of the group of Experts who were there. We gave a five minute speech (see webpage). This provided a good opportunity to shake hands with Prince Felipe, the Princess of Greece, Javier Perez de Cuellar, and the Minister of Justice from Spain.
8. November 23: Madrid - Meeting with United Nations High Commissioner Mary Robinson. The Honorable Mary Robinson, former President of the Republic of Ireland, had asked the organizers if she could meet a member of an NGO which is very involved in Religious Freedom. They answered: "IRLA" and contacted me! The meeting with Ms. Robinson lasted about 30 minutes, and Professor Kevin Boyle was with us. Mary Robinson asked many questions about our work and expressed her feeling that after September 11, the role of those who work for religious peace is even more important than before. She encouraged our association and all its members. Her December 17 letter states: "I appreciated the discussion we had on issues of your concern. I take this opportunity to thank you for briefing my Office on your activities and for your interest in further cooperation. I appreciate your organization's commitment to the fight against religious intolerance and encourage you to continue your efforts to promote freedom of religion or belief in the world."
9. November 28-30: Lima - First IRLA Congress in Peru. The theme of the congress was Religious Freedom: An Instrument of Peace." Two hundred participants from various churches and associations came from Mexico, the United States, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. There was excellent media coverage. Siloé Almeida was our link to the media. Several TV channels reported the congress and interviewed us. Professor Jaime Rossell came from Spain; Professor Elizabeth Clark came from the USA, and our team included Mitchell Tyner, Jonathan Gallagher, Lincoln Steed, and Dr. Eugene Hsu. Congratulations to our new IRLA-Peru Chapter, to its President, and to its Secretary General for the great congress! In August, 2003, another congress is planned in Chile, and in 2004, there is to be a congress in Rio.
10. December 20, 21: Azerbaijan - Symposium on Islam and Terrorism. It was very interesting to be immersed in a Muslim group of experts talking about Islam and terrorism. I was invited to give a speech of about 10 minutes. At the meeting, I met Human Rights leaders from Parliament, the OSCE, the United Nations, and from various churches. Religious minorities had been verbally attacked for months by ANS, a private television station. Victor Kruskenitsky was with me and gave a good interview on TV. The media announced my coming, my departure, and my comments concerning religious freedom in Azerbaijan. (See webpage.) The visit was considered useful by churches and authorities.
11. January 10-13, 2002: St. Lucia - Festival of Religious Freedom. It is not bad to spend a January weekend in St. Lucia, though I had no time to lie in the sun on the beautiful beaches! With Clive Dottin as guide, I met the land's Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs, and had a very good meeting. From Friday evening to Saturday evening, we had a Festival of Religious Liberty, at which one thousand people attended. Great program! The Caribbean Religious Liberty Association elected Magistrate Emerson Graham as President; and Clive Dottin as Secretary General. They planned a convention next year, and a congress for January, 2004 in Barbados.
    
    
12. In Brief...
    • On November 16, while in New York, James Standish and I met the President of the Philippines, who publicly supported our Congress.
    • Our two volunteer interns in New York are doing a great job working with the United Nations program, and Jonathan Gallagher has been invited to speak on the subject of religious freedom by an Episcopalian church in Virginia, and a Baptist church in Louisiana.
    • We now share an office in Washington, D.C. near the Capitol, which is especially useful for James and all the work that he does on the Hill.
    • Bert Beach was on the cover of the Adventist Review with the headline, Bert Beach: Adventist Statesman.
    • Don't miss the World Congress in Manila, June 10-13 of this year. It will be a great event in a very sensitive part of the world. Northwest is our official airline, providing great fares. If you are registered before March 31, you will save $50. The Congress also offers a free day-cruise tour to Corregidor Island on either the Sunday before, or the Friday after the Congress. Don't hesitate to call us for more information.
13. Dates to Remember:

    January-February: Liberty tour throughout the United States. All our team will be speaking for this worthwhile cause at different locations across the United States. Jonathan has been invited by an Episcopalian church in Washington, D.C., and by a Baptist church in Louisiana, to speak on religious liberty. February 26: Lecture at the University of Texas.
    March 5-22: Trip to Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines.
    April 2: Lecture for the International Centre on Government and Religion Symposium at Andrews University
    April 23, 24: Turkmenistan
    April 26-28: Institute Universitaire du Saleve/Geneve
    April 28-30: Kiev with the IRLA-Ukraine Chapter
    May 13-16: Geneva
    May 17-19: Moldova
    May 20: Geneva
    June 4-19: Manila World Congress

May God bless you.

Sincerely,

John Graz
Secretary-General