Adventist Review Online | Threats to Religious Freedom Call for Doubling Advocacy Efforts

Grim, on the other hand, opened his slideshow about the current state of religious freedom around the world by sharing that 40 percent of world countries suffer high restrictions to religious freedom or freedom of belief. Since many of them are populous nations, however, this adds up to 5.9 billion of the world population, said Grim, based on a recent Pew Research Study of 198 countries and territories.

“It means that, compared with 2007, by 2015 1.1 billion more people were suffering a curtailment of their religious freedom,” he said.

Grim explained that restrictions usually come from two sources—governments, on the one hand, and society, or what experts call “social hostilities.” Both are often connected, he said.

For example, some states in India have passed laws to prevent anyone from killing cows, which are considered sacred animals, said Grim. “While this is a government restriction, it often leads to social hostilities, as some people are ready to kill anyone who decides to raise cows.”

Other startling facts derived from the Pew Research Study show that the number of governments harassing or intimidating their citizens on religious grounds has gone up from 118 to 157 in the same period, government use of physical force from 61 to 106, and government interference with worship from 112 to 146.

“In 54 countries, the government had regulations on religious symbols in 2015—up from just 21 in 2007,” said Grim.

In the area of social restrictions, Grim revealed that 27 percent of countries suffers high social restrictions, which amounts to 4.1 billion people, or 54 percent of the world population. Assaults on people accused of offending the country’s majority faith went up from being present in 48 countries in 2007 to 89 in 2015. On the other hand, coercive enforcement of religious norms was present in 73 nations (compared to 35 countries eight years before), and women were harassed over religious dress in 49 countries (compared to just 14 in 2007.)

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  IRLA’s secretary-general Ganoune Diop reminds attendants to the IRLA’s 8th World Congress about the mission of the organization, as he shares some of its activities and accomplishments in the last five years. [Photo: Mylon Medley, Adventist News Network]

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  IRLA’s 8th World Congress gathered around 600 religious liberty advocates, experts, and church leaders from 65 countries for three days of discussion and networking in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, United States. [Photo: Mylon Medley, Adventist News Network]

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  Simultaneous translation of the event proceedings assures everyone is able to follow IRLA’s 8th World Congress plenary sessions. Afternoon breakout sessions are offered in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. [Photo: Mylon Medley, Adventist News Network]

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  On IRLA’s 8th World Congress opening day, Brian J. Grim shared the current state of affairs of religious freedom around the world. While the overall situation is rather bleak, there is a silver lining, he said. [Photo: Mylon Medley, Adventist News Network]

“Countries where mob violence related to religion was documented went from 23 to 53, and religion-related terror—such as the one promoted by ISIS—went from 60 to 78,” said Grim.

A Silver Lining

Despite a rather bleak picture of the state of religious freedom around the world, Grim said there are reasons to hope.

“Currently, 83 percent of countries have initiatives to reduce religious restrictions, and 56 percent have interfaith initiatives,” he said. “Moreover, 38 percent of countries have initiatives to combat religious discrimination, and 20 percent have educational and training initiatives.”

Grim also highlighted a dozen of private persons’ initiatives around the world that contribute to healthy social environments where religious freedom can thrive. Among them, he featured Abdo Ibrahim El Tassi, a Lebanese Canadian entrepreneur who sponsors and provides microloans to Muslim refugees; Y. W. Junardy, an Indonesian businessman and philanthropist who sponsors mass weddings for low-income couples of multiple faiths who cannot afford the fees required for a legal marriage; and H. Bruce McEver, a rare combination of Harvard theologian and venture capitalist who launched the Foundation for Religious Literacy, an organization that offers seminars which bring together business leaders with religious thinkers, to promote religious understanding as a global good business practice.

Part of a Whole

Religious freedom is not an isolated right, but part of a wider network of human rights, said Grim, who shared how it aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG.)

Retired Harvard Divinity School Professor David Little, who presented after Grim, echoed Grim’s words.

Discussing the intersections of religious freedom and peace, Little said both are closely related. “There is empirical evidence of the strong connection between the two,” he said. “And religious freedom thrives when other rights are also protected, [especially] in the context of constitutional democracies.”

It is in this context of religious freedom as a road to peace that Little said that we must redouble our efforts to support this fundamental human right.

“The most important lesson [we can learn] is the importance of a commitment to religious freedom because promoting peace by ensuring religious freedom has power in itself,” he said.

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