DICID participates in the International Religious Freedom Institute Summit in Washington DC

10 Aug DICID participates in the International Religious Freedom Institute Summit in Washington DC

The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue participated as partner among 80 other organizations in the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2021 that took place from 13-15 July at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington DC under the motto “Religious Freedom for Everybody, Everywhere, All the time”.

The summit is one of the biggest platforms for religious freedom in the United States of America, co-chaired by Mr. Sam Brownback, former Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom and Ms. Katrina Swett, President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights.

The summit brought together a wide range of leaders concerned with religious freedom, including foreign ministers, representatives of international organizations, religious leaders, and leaders from civil society and religious institutions officials to discuss challenges, identify concrete ways to combat religious persecution and discrimination, and ensure greater respect for religious freedom for all.

The summit invited Dr. Ibrahim Saleh Al-Naimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue who attended the summit.

The Summit was centred on two objectives, ‘to create a coalition of organizations that operate together for the cause of religious freedom around the world’ and ‘to increase public awareness and political strength for the international religious freedom movement.’ to bring about real and positive change, and the a realization of tangible results.

For the first time in the United States of America after the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, across three days, over 200 speakers took to stage including His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Former 70th United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (via video), US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (via video), Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Ahmed Shaheed, Executive Imam of All Dulles Area Muslim Society Imam Mohamed Magid and the Voice for Uyghur Women Tursunay Ziyawudun. The summit also held specific side events and training sessions targeted to empower young leaders advocating for religious freedom.

The first day of the summit touched upon the following themes: Forced Organ Harvesting and Global Impact, Religious Freedom in India: Challenges & Opportunities, Emerging Threats to Religious Liberty from Progressive Policies, The Forgotten Victims of Genocide, Boycotting the Beijing Olympics, Slavery and Slaughter in Nigeria and Religious Freedom in China.

The second day covered Religious Freedom in South Asia, Africa’s Violent Christian Persecution, Breaking the Silence on Christian Persecutions, China’s Criminalization of Islam in East Turkistan and India’s Rising Tide of Persecution.

The third and final day touched upon How Students and Young Professionals Can Make a Difference, The Role of Religious Freedom Roundtables, the IRF Summit, and IRF Secretariat in the Future of the Global Movement, Neutralizing the Harm of Blasphemy Laws: A Religious Freedom Problem, Why International Religious Freedom Has Failed over the Past Generation and How it Can Succeed, Allies, Antagonists, and Arm Sales: How Improved U.S. Defense Policy Can Support Religious Freedom in the Middle East and Taiwan: A Leading Voice for Religious Freedom among other sessions. It also recognized the efforts of 5 individuals instrumental in creating change in the arena of religious freedom via the IRF Champion Awards.

Among the topics discussed at the summit were religious freedom, combating extremism and terrorism, legal challenges to religious freedom, advocating equal rights for all, preserving cultural heritage and providing support and care for victims of religious violence or persecution.

The summit highlighted the need to build relationships between faith communities in a united effort to protect humanitarian values and religious freedom. It also highlighted the Uyghur voice on the religious, cultural and ethnic persecution taking place under the Chinese government since 2016. Tursunay Ziyawudun, a Uyghur genocide survivor, took the stage and addressed the audience on the realities she and her people face, with 1-3 million held in concentration camps, raped and forcefully sterilized.

The summit also brought forth the voice of Human Rights Activist with Yazidi Survivors Network and genocide survivor, Nasrin Rasho, who shared her story of persecution and that of her fellow Yazidis in Iraq under ISIS. Seven years since the genocide, her people are still left displaced, missing and unaccounted for – forced to live in temporary camps through the severe summers and harsh winters. Other persecuted religious communities were also brought into focus.

In creating change, the summit announced ten global multi-faith campaigns: Create a “Religious Freedom” Fair-Trade Certification, Recognize & Address Genocides, Global Watch Group to End Religious Violence, A Charter of Religious Freedom, and Advocate for Release of Prisoners of Conscience.

It is worth noting that The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) has long been working towards strengthening mutual understanding between various religious communities since its founding in 2007 and is one of the leading interfaith institutions in the region in the field of interfaith dialogue. The center firmly stands against religious persecution, genocide and ethnic cleansing and has continued to raise its voice against perpetrators of such crimes. The center also recognizes the role of hate speech in driving racism and aims to combat such narratives. In its efforts for achieving peaceful coexistence and harmony, DICID hosts an Annual Conference on Interfaith Dialogue bringing together religious, civil and governmental leaders on issues of dire concern for religious communities in the Middle East and around the world. In addition, the center also hosts training sessions, community roundtables and seminars locally on issues of local concern. DICID also has its very own international academic journal entitled Religions/Adyan along with other publications that help provide a platform for discussion on faith, faith-based communities, the challenges they face and means for peaceful co-existence and religious harmony.