FAITH & FREEDOM OF BELIEF-2019

FAITH & RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Hand of a man reaching to bird in the sky representing the freedom of thought.
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application to traditional religions or to religions and beliefs
with institutional characteristics or practices analogous to
those of traditional religions. The Committee, therefore,
views with concern any tendency to discriminate against any
religion or belief for any reason, including the fact that they
are newly established, or represent religious minorities that
may be the subject of hostility on the part of a predominant
religious community.”
Finally, there is also a practical aspect when it comes
to advocacy, to focus on defending the right to FoRB of
others. This aspect was summarized by a young Muslim
lady, participating in the Ministerial for Religious Freedom
in Washington this summer, the biggest ever event on this
topic, organized by the US State Department but with 80
National delegations participating. She was commenting on
the benefits she got from participating in the International
Religious Freedom Roundtable in Washington, and she said
it this way: “Before, I was always defending the rights of
Muslims. And in our society, it was very, very tiring. I was
exhausted. When I joined the roundtable, I started to defend
the rights of Christians or the ones of Scientologists, and I
discovered that it was much more rewarding. Then I stopped
exhausting myself defending Islam, as I realized that I could
count on Christians and Scientologists to defend them.” And
that is the way it works. FoRB to be for all, or not to be.
OUR WORLD | 2019
One day I spoke to a Russian
Orthodox Old Believer bishop in
Moscow. He was one of the most
conservative Christian Orthodox
I ever met in my life. He told me
that whilst he was very opposed
to Scientology beliefs, he would
fight for our rights to practice
freely our religion and would
always oppose any interference
of the government in this.
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