RELIGIOUS FREEDOM INSTITUTE

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IRF Summit 2022 Side Event: Religious Freedom Under Fire in Ukraine
Jul 12
Renaissance Hotel
IRF Summit 2022 Side Event: Religious Freedom Under Fire in Ukraine
Renaissance Hotel

On Thursday, June 29th from 2:30-3:30pm EDT, RFI will host a side event at the International Religious Freedom Summit 2022: Religious Freedom Under Fire.

Renaissance Hotel
Building on Positive Developments in the Middle East and North Africa: Acknowledging Progress on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Identifying Further Steps and Opportunities
Jul 7
William Sangster Room, Methodist Central Hall
Building on Positive Developments in the Middle East and North Africa: Acknowledging Progress on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Identifying Further Steps and Opportunities
William Sangster Room, Methodist Central Hall

The Middle East and North Africa region is a hotbed of human rights violations and is one of the worst areas in the world when it comes to the right to religious freedom and the persecution of minority religious groups. It is right and important that much time is given to highlighting the crimes of perpetrators and challenging the lack of comprehensive responses to the crimes. However, it is also important to acknowledge places where there are signs of improvement to the religious freedom landscape and to identify opportunities to support and consolidate such developments for the common good of those communities and nations.

On the fringe of the UK-hosted Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (July 5-6), The Religious Freedom Institute in collaboration with Refcemi is hosting an event, focusing on countries such as Egypt, Iraq, and Tunisia. This will be a platform for experts to promote concrete solutions for the consolidation and advancement of religious freedom for all.

William Sangster Room, Methodist Central Hall
Advancing International Religious Freedom in the Special Relationship: A Transatlantic Conversation
Jul 6
The Cellarium Cafe, Westminster Abbey
Advancing International Religious Freedom in the Special Relationship: A Transatlantic Conversation
The Cellarium Cafe, Westminster Abbey

In a moment when religious persecution is rising around the world, and atrocities are being committed without consequence, this event is an opportunity to reflect on the present efforts of the United Kingdom and the United States, and explore where there is potential to improve our response for a greater impact.

On the fringe of the UK-hosted Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (July 5-6), this event is an opportunity to assess IRF policy and activism, for mutual insight, advice, and appraisal, and to explore a commitment to deeper partnership, along with all of the nations working in collaboration, towards international religious freedom.

The IRFB Alliance, established under United States Ambassador Sam Brownback’s initiative at the start of 2020, is a concrete witness to progress achieved internationally on IRF policy. 27 nations joined the Alliance as it launched and at last count that number stood at 35. The world has a number of emerging leaders on IRF, it certainly isn’t a concern which is exclusive to the US and UK.

The Cellarium Cafe, Westminster Abbey
IRF Summit 2022 Side Event: Religious Freedom and the Military Chaplaincy
Jun 29
Renaissance Hotel
IRF Summit 2022 Side Event: Religious Freedom and the Military Chaplaincy
Renaissance Hotel

On Thursday, June 29th from 1:30-2:30pm EDT, RFI will host a side event at the International Religious Freedom Summit 2022: Religious Freedom and the Military Chaplaincy.

Renaissance Hotel
Pentecost Martyrdom: Is There Hope for Nigerian Christians?
Jun 13
Pentecost Martyrdom: Is There Hope for Nigerian Christians?

On Sunday, June 5, 2022, at St. Francis Xavier Church in Owo, Nigeria, some 50 Catholics attending Pentecost Mass were slaughtered by Islamic militants. Such attacks are increasingly commonplace in Nigeria. And yet many in media and diplomacy downplay the threat against Christians, sometimes explaining it away by climate change.

Join us for an important webinar about terrorism against Christians in Nigeria with Stephen Rasche and Kathryn Jean Lopez, both of whom serve as RFI senior fellows. Rasche spent this year’s Holy Week and Easter in Nigeria and has been gathering information on persecuted Christians in the northern part of the country for two years.

Gathering The Evidence of Persecution: The Importance of Documentation and Launch of the “International Protocol On Documenting Violations Of Religious Freedom”
Jun 9
Gathering The Evidence of Persecution: The Importance of Documentation and Launch of the “International Protocol On Documenting Violations Of Religious Freedom”

With violations of religious freedom impacting individuals and communities across the globe, gathering and preserving evidence of violations is critical. For perpetrators to be held to account, for advocacy efforts to be launched, for the world to be made aware, reliable documentation is vital. This event brings together voices on the frontlines of protecting the fundamental right of religious freedom and holding to account those responsible for its violation and serves to launch the International Protocol On Documenting Violations Of Religious Freedom.