July 2011

IRLA Joins Call for South Central Asia and Near East “Religious Minorities Diplomat"

A range of faith groups in the region are under social and legal pressure, says expert

The precarious situation of minority religious groups in places such as Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan needs special attention from the United States State Department, according to a letter signed by 36 religious and advocacy organizations and sent to members of the US Congress.

The letter urges Senate and House representatives to support legislation that would create the role of Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia.

 “This would be a timely move by the US government,” according Mr. Dwayne Leslie, IRLA Deputy Secretary General, who signed the letter on behalf of the IRLA. “With the recent political shifts in this region, now is the time to work to ensure that freedom of conscience and belief will be protected under future political arrangements.”

He points out that religious repression in this region is on the upswing, with a range of faith communities—including Baha’i; Jews; Zoroastrians, and Christian groups, such as the Coptic, Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac, and Armenian communions—feeling increased pressure and isolation, both social and legal. According to the letter sent to Congress, the situation is now critical: “These ancient religious communities which have survived centuries and even millennia of persecution are now in danger of disappearing from the Middle East and South Central Asia altogether,” it says.

The Special Envoy position would be aimed at assessing the plight of these religious minorities, raising awareness of abuses, promoting protection of religious freedom, and informing US foreign policy in the region. Both a House and Senate version of the legislation have been introduced (H.R. 440 and S.1245) and the letter urges swift action to pass the bill.

IRLA Promotes Mutual Respect in Conflict-weary Chiapas

Event brings together government officials, activists, and religious leaders

Religious conflict has plagued the southern Mexican state of Chiapas for more than three decades, yet a meeting of religious freedom advocates in San Cristóbal de las Casas on July 16 aimed to send a strong message in support of acceptance and mutual respect for all people of faith. More than 650 people attended the Second Forum on Religious Freedom, organized by the Mexican Chapter of the International Religious Liberty Association. Among the speakers were the general director of the federal Department of Religious Affairs and the director of the Office of Religious Affairs for the State of Chiapas. Both speakers stressed the important role the government must play in protecting religious freedom and fostering a culture of tolerance.

Dr. John Graz, IRLA Secretary General, also spoke at the event, and he commended the national and state governments for increasing protection for religious minorities and for supporting victims of intolerance and violence. Roberto Herrera, IRLA Secretary General for Inter America, brought a message of encouragement to the participants, urging them to become even more active in their churches and their communities in promoting mutual respect between people of different faiths.

The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Mexico, Pastor David Perez, announced at the conclusion of the forum that Adventists plan to organize a major Religious Freedom Festival to be held March 2013 in Tuxtla Gutierez. They hope the event, which is planned as a celebration of improved religious freedom in Chiapas, will attract some 30,000 people.

The Second Forum for Religious Freedom marked the conclusion of Dr. Graz and Roberto Herrera’s visit to Chiapas. During their four-day stay, they also spoke to students at the University of Linda Vista in Nuevo Pueblo, and to two gatherings of pastors working in Chiapas.

IRLA urges South Sudan to make human rights a “cornerstone of national identity”

Building a culture of freedom will be one of country's most important tasks

The newly born country of South Sudan may face tremendous economic and social challenges, but according to Dr. John Graz, Secretary General of the International Religious Liberty Association, it also has before it one very significant opportunity: the chance to define itself as a nation that upholds democratic principles of freedom and human rights.

“The birth of a nation is a momentous event,” says Dr. Graz. “As the people of South Sudan frame a constitution, assess their resources, and craft policies, we pray that the leaders and lawmakers of the nation will set a course that will contribute to the promotion of freedom, justice and the wellbeing of all its citizens and of the foreigners who dwell among them.” 

Dr. Graz adds, “It’s our hope that human rights, as delineated by the United Nations, will be secured for all the inhabitants of the newly formed country.”

IRLA leader: "We Pray for Healing in Norway"

Secretary General urges caution in use of "Christian fundamentalist" label 

Much is still unknown about two brutal attacks in Norway on July 22 that devastated the nation and shocked the international community. “These horrific acts of violence have shattered the lives of so many people, and inflicted terrible suffering on individual families and on the people of Norway,” says Dr. John Graz, Secretary General of the International Religious Liberty Association. “On behalf of the IRLA, I want to express my deepest condolences. The terrible irony is that Norway is such a peace-loving, peace-promoting nation, home to the Nobel Peace Prize. We join with those around the world who are praying for all those who are grieving.”

Media reports that these acts may have been motivated by so-called right-wing Christian fundamentalism are “profoundly disturbing,” adds Dr. Graz. “Such acts are utterly alien to Christian teachings and values. Violence carried out in the name of Christianity is an absolute distortion of a religion that finds its genesis in Jesus Christ, the ‘Prince of Peace.’”

Dr. Graz urges caution, also, in the use of the term “fundamentalist” to describe the individual who is alleged to have carried out the attacks. “There’s a risk that ‘fundamentalism’ will become blurred in people’s minds with the idea of ‘Conservative Christianity’—a confusion that could serve to widen the gulf of misunderstanding between different religious traditions.” He suggests that the term “extremist” is a better description of the type of ideology and behavior that falls far outside the norms of a religious community.

According to Dr. Graz, people of faith everywhere—whether Christian, Muslim, Jew, or any other—should not allow distorted understandings of religion to drive a wedge of suspicion between them. “Instead, we must re-double our efforts to promote understanding and respect between people of different cultures and faiths,” he says.

“We must make this commitment in memory of those who lost their lives in these attacks, and we must do this for their loved ones who have been left behind to mourn. We can do nothing less.”