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Summary List of Recent & Current
IARF International
Religious Freedom Projects
Young Adult Programmes
- RFYN: The Religious Freedom Young Adult
Network
Following the adoption of IARF's Strategic Plan for 2001-07,
a variety of initiatives involving young adults have taken
place and are continuing to be planned. The overall approach
is under the leadership and planning of the Young Adult
Programme Co-ordinator in Oxford, together with the IARF
regional staff. Its shape is that of an integrated programme
with a longer-term goal of developing the necessary knowledge
and experience in 200 young people. The intention is that
they can both be active on religious freedom issues, particularly
in their own area, and derive support from each other to
do so.
- Interfaith Youth Summit - South Africa
A young adult from Langa, Xolisa Dingane, helped to organise
this event, which took place on Human Rights Day in Cape
Town, March 21st 2003. It was attended by 101 local young
people from a variety of faith traditions. A number of project
proposals were put forward. The summit was held under the
auspices of the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative, and the
IARF Secretariat also played a supportive role at a distance.
Xolisa's comments on religious freedom and his experiences
in India were reported in a local press article, which reported
favourably on the event. Xolisa first took part in the RFYN's
Gujarat project (see below). One of the aims of the RFYN
is to provide opportunities for young adults, via religious
freedom projects that motivate them to carry on this work.
- Philippines Tri-People Educational Tour
From 21st-28th April 2003, twenty-four young adults took
part in a spiritual tour that also included leadership training
and teambuilding. Participants included representatives
of ten tribes of Indigenous People, four major groups of
Muslims from Mindanao, Christians from the Visayas, and
another Indigenous young adult from Luzon in the north.
These young people visited sites of spiritual interest and
gained some understanding of each other's belief traditions.
Three young adults from each island were elected together
with a young adult coordinator, with the aim of encouraging
further collaborative projects. This project was funded
by the Remonstrant Church, Rissho Kosei-kai and the Hibbert
Trust, and involved an IARF International Council member
from the Philippines. A small group of young adults were
subsequently involved in a leadership training programme.
Participants from the project will be meeting from 26th
December 2003- 3rd Jan 2004 in Mindanao to learn how to
be more actively involved in interfaith work within their
own communities. The project will also provide an opportunity
for the young adults to discuss specific religious freedom
issues and reflect on their own spiritual beliefs.
- International Interfaith Project - India
This project was underway in Gujarat in late December and
early January, 2002. In an area of religious intolerance,
two faith communities, Muslim and Hindu, were identified
for this interfaith activity. Thirteen local young people,
nine young adults from all over India, and another ten from
overseas from many of the major world religions gathered
together to work on repairing both a mosque and a temple.
The project has enabled the young adults involved to gain
a deeper understanding of religious freedom issues and to
learn about promoting interfaith harmony. The public witness
to the values underlying freedom of religion and belief
was also a key aspect.
- Some Forthcoming Projects in 2004
In the Philippines, a young adult interfaith dialogue group
is being developed at Siliman University in Visayas, and
efforts are underway to find ways to include more indigenous
young adults from the Luzon area (in the north). In India,
a project is being prepared to take place in the Tirunelveli/Tenkasi
area in February. The project will involve young adults
from Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and seven areas of India.
Besides discussing the current religious freedom bill with
politicians, they will also be helping to paint some religious
sites in the area. Another religious freedom project will
take place in March in Vishakhaptnam, building on the work
already begun during interfaith workshops in February and
September 2003. In Hungary, a Budapest-based project will
focus on a series of short talks about different faith traditions,
with opportunities for young people to explore religious
freedom issues via drama. In Israel, the IARF is looking
at ways to support a young adult Jewish/Muslim dialogue
group in Jerusalem. In Spain, some RFYN activists are assisting
with training sessions for young adults to be held at the
Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona in July
2004. Finally, in August, young adults from IARF member
organisations (Unitarian Universalists and Jewish Reconstructionists
in the USA, and Shinto and Buddhists in Japan) will be taking
part in an educational tour visiting sites of spiritual
interest in both countries.
Trainings and Education
- Human Rights Education and Religious Freedom
The IARF has received a grant from the Dutch Government
for producing a package of educational materials related
specifically to the human right of freedom of religion and
belief. The project will take place from 2004-2006, and
IARF will be working closely with the People's Decade for
Human Rights Education (based in New York) to develop the
materials. Once the materials are developed, they will be
used in training programmes in Bangladesh, India, the Philippines
and South Africa, and subsequently shared with a variety
of community groups. The materials will also be a vital
resource for IARF chapters and member groups in these countries,
designed to help participants relate to religious freedom
struggles in a personal way, and to better understand their
rights under the UN's 'Declaration on the Elimination of
All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion
or Belief.'
- Religious Education and Schools:
At the top of IARF's agenda is finding ways that both religiously-based
and secular NGOs can cooperate in promoting the work of
the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion
or Belief, in respect of his initiatives on school education
in relation to freedom of religion and belief, tolerance
and non-discrimination. IARF was involved with a UN conference
on this theme in November 2001 (in Madrid, Spain) and is
now working closely with the Oslo Coalition to develop publications
to follow up the Madrid conference. This work has and will
entail contributions to a global survey of methods for teaching
about religion in schools. IARF young adults are also joining
a competition for collecting stories about tolerance.
- An Initiative on E-learning
An e-learning website for the promotion of interfaith knowledge
and training is being prepared by the International Interfaith
Centre, an organisation with which the IARF Secretariat
shares office space. Two prototype learning units, on Interfaith
work and Religious Freedom issues, were launched at IARF's
World Congress in July 2002. IARF is now continuing to develop
the section on freedom of religion and belief.
- The World Congress as a 'Training Programme'
This major event employing significant staff time and resources
was held in Budapest, Hungary in July 2002 on the theme
of "Religious Freedom: Europe's Story for Today's World."
The Congress drew some 460 IARF members and a broad range
of other interested individuals and representatives concerned
with religious freedom. Besides plenary highlights and cultural
events, a series of lectures and workshops were designed
as a training programme on six topical themes: programme
design, strategic planning, responsible practice of belief
communities, the application of I.T. to interfaith work,
and the practice of interfaith encounter. The Young Adult
Programme commenced just prior to the Congress with over
80 youth who created their own special atmosphere and presence.
Some lectures from the Congress are available on IARF's
web site at www.iarf.net
Defining Rights and Responsibilities
- Religion and Belief in the European Constitution
To ensure that the rights of different religious communities
were fairly represented in the new draft of the European
Constitution, IARF's regional coordinator for Europe worked
closely with Human Rights Without Frontiers on this
initiative and held workshops on religious freedom in Europe
at the Wesley Theological College in Hungary in both March
and June, 2003. The IARF has also developed a position statement
on this key debate as follows:
*The IARF recognizes that international law does
not prohibit state support for religion, but only requires
that any such support adheres to the principles of non-discrimination
and equality before the law;
*IARF believes that the new European Union Constitutional
Treaty must safeguard freedom of religion or belief and
freedom of conscience; and,
*IARF does not agree that the Constitution should
mention certain religions and beliefs and leave out others.
- Towards a 'Declaration
of Responsibility for all Religious and Belief Communities'
When religious and belief communities demand freedom, they
should also commit themselves to creating and following
a code of responsible conduct. Among other points, such
a code should protect young people, set guidelines to prevent
financial exploitation, and allow people to leave or join
a religion if they so wish. With the award of a grant from
the Rockefeller Foundation in 2002, a committee of experts
came together to consult on standards for responsible practice.
An outline was shared with participants at IARF's World
Congress, supplemented by a lecture and several workshops.
In 2003, work has focused on getting feedback from IARF
member groups. By the late Autumn, many responses have been
received and the Secretariat is endeavouring to identify
the policy matters in question and relevant teachings from
religious scriptures. While funds are being sought to re-call
the original committee, IARF will further discuss a draft
declaration at our International Council in late March 2004.
United Nations Activities
- CONGO Appointment
At December 2003, the IARF has just been elected to serve
as a board member of the Conference of NGO's in Consultative
Status with the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
IARF is one of 131 organisations with General Consultative
status with ECOSOC. This status entitles IARF representatives
at the UN in Geneva to make regular interventions on behalf
of religious minorities.
- Inter-Religious Dialogues
Initiated by our UN representative in Geneva, Dr. John Taylor,
IARF has been involved in a project to foster 'Inter-Religious
Consultations for Creating Educational Strategies to Maintain
and Promote Conditions for Supporting Freedom of Religion
or Belief'. A Muslim-Christian dialogue on these topics
was held in June 2002 in Geneva in which participants from
several countries made recommendations to promote education
about each other's religious traditions. A second dialogue
brought together a group of educators in October, 2002 in
India. Participants came from some five religious traditions,
and focused on the theme of rebuilding common cultural heritage
in multi-religious societies in Asia. The focus of both
of these consultations has been to support the preventive
strategy of the U.N. in promoting education for tolerance.
A similar workshop
for educators concerned with African Traditional Religions
was held in South Africa 13 to 15 January 2004. Contingent
on funding, IARF hopes to continue such dialogues in autumn
2004 in Costa Rica with under-represented indigenous communities
in South America.
- Geneva Committee on Freedom of Religion
or Belief
IARF is actively involved with the Geneva-based Committee
on Freedom of Religion or Belief, for which Dr. John Taylor
is secretary. This group has been instrumental in bringing
together interested non-governmental organisations to work
on common aims vis-à-vis religious freedom. Currently,
the Committee is studying a draft Convention on the International
Protection of Places of Worship as well as seeking a strategy
to restore consensus at the 2004 Commission in the expected
resolution on religious intolerance.
Publications
- Activity Report
At October 2003, the IARF has released its first Annual
Report of activities for 2002/03. The report offers a summary
of the organisation's history and member groups, as well
as a review of main activities over the past two years and
the organisation's current financial position. Complete
with colourful charts and photos, the report is a good resource
for informing others about the work of IARF.
- "Freedom of Religion and Belief: Europe's
Story"
This book was commissioned for our World Congress in July
2002, but is a useful resource for anyone concerned about
the history of religious freedom in Europe. A colourful
and engaging work of some 170 pages, it was written with
a view to both engaging the interest of those coming to
Europe, and informing those living in Europe about their
own heritage. It provides the full historical context for
the evolution of the concept of religious freedom on the
European continent.
- Web Site Postings
Regular issues of the organisation's newsletter are available
to download (as a PDF file) from our web site at www.iarf.net,
under 'About Us/Publications'. Updates on religious freedom
situations in different parts of the world are also posted
quarterly at 'Global
Issues'
- Religious Education in Schools: Ideas &
Experiences from around the World.
The International Consultative Conference on School Education
in Relation with Freedom of Religion and Belief, Tolerance,
and Non-Discrimination, was held in Madrid, Spain in
November 2001. A booklet of 11 essays on the models and
practice of religious education in schools from Asia, Europe,
the Middle East, Africa and the Americas was specially prepared
by our Research & Issues Co-ordinator for the event.
The essays are now on the website, click
here to view
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