Mutual Respect Crucial For Religious Freedom

Freedom of religion is a vital component of stable, democratic societies everywhere. Each year the U.S. Department of State releases a Report on International Religious Freedom (State Department website ( http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010/index.htm )) to document the ongoing struggle for people around the world to practice their religion freely. In the United States, the tenets of religious freedom were enshrined first in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom of 1786 (The Religious Freedom Page ( http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/sacred/vaact.html )), and later in the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the Virginia Statute reads, in part, "no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever...but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion." The United States marks the passage of this landmark statement of principle by declaring January 16 Religious Freedom Day.

Hannah Rosenthal, the State Department's special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, and Farah Pandith, the State Department's special representative to Muslim communities, work together to promote religious acceptance, respect and tolerance around the world. At a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010, Rosenthal and Pandith caught the attention of the international community by swapping their speeches, with Rosenthal addressing the importance of condemning Islamophobia (State Department website ( http://www.state.gov/s/srmc/143780.htm )) and Pandith speaking out against anti-Semitism ( http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2010/July/20100707173435SBlebahC0.5315014.html ). The two are now working together on an initiative to further promote discussion and understanding among Jewish and Muslim communities.

In honor of Religious Freedom Day 2011, Special Envoy Rosenthal and Special Representative Pandith sat down with America.gov to talk about their work and the importance of promoting religious freedom. Video clips and transcripts of their interview are available below.

Q: What does religious freedom mean to you?

Special Envoy Hannah Rosenthal: I am the child of a Holocaust survivor. And so, coming from a family - a very small family, because my father was the only survivor - the notion that this country guarantees you freedom and protection, and protects our freedom of expression, of association, and of religion, has been freedom for me. That's what it represents to me. It's in my DNA, it's in the country's DNA, because it's fundamental to human rights.

Watch Special Envoy Rosenthal's response. ( http://www.america.gov/multimedia/video.html?videoId=749700006001 )

Special Representative Farah Pandith: As I think about this country and I think about the strengths of this country, this is the greatest strength: the ability for any human being in America to be able to practice their faith freely. To be able to express themselves freely, to be able to have open discourse in a nonviolent way about their life, about their faith, about their identity, is central and very important. Our Constitution protects the rights of every citizen in America, and freedom of religion, and freedom of faith are central to that Constitution and those principles. I will also say from a very personal point of view, it's made our country very rich. It's a wonderful thing to be able to be an American, and to be able to have the opportunity to learn from each other, people of different faiths. To be in a country where a synagogue and a church, a temple and a mosque can be side by side. To be able to go to a friend's house and share a Seder, at the same time to in
vite somebody of a different faith to break fast [during Ramadan]. That's what America is.

Watch Special Representative Pandith's response. ( http://www.america.gov/multimedia/video.html?videoId=749700007001 )

Q: How does religious freedom support free and open societies?

Pandith: You have to be able to express yourself. You have to be able to understand that not all Muslims think the same way, that you can have a lot of diversity in thoughts and expression and identity. And so the ability to be able to express yourself, the ability to be able to have conversations in a way that's respectful of each other - this idea of mutual respect is central to the way in which a society must function, and that actually makes for a stronger and more robust community, period.

Q: What have you seen in your work for the State Department that underscores the importance of promoting religious freedom?

Pandith: There are two examples that I can think of right off the bat that are really profound for me. One is, I went on a trip to India in the earlier part of 2009, and in that trip, a lot of Muslims were talking to me about the fact that the only spaces online that talked about Islam were spaces that didn't represent them. And because it was a society in which you could express yourself freely, they were able to create alternative websites that were able to say, "This is who we are, and this is how we see our identity as a Muslim in India." Interestingly, that same conversation happened in Norway, in which I met a young woman who said, because it's a free society, because you're able to express your religion freely, was able to say, look, nobody is actually talking about Islam and my identity the same way that I am, and I'm going to start a blog. She called it The Insider - I don't know what the equivalent is in Norwegian - but that's what it is in English, and she was abl
e to talk about issues of identity and religion, and that balance between the both.

Rosenthal: I was in Lithuania, and I was talking about Lithuanian history, and the rich history the Jews played there, although most were exterminated during World War II. And so one of the young women I was talking to said, "Well I've never met a Jew." And I put out my hand, and I said, "Now you have. And how often are you on blogs, and how often are you communicating with the world? Guess what - you have relationships with Jews, Muslims, and people all over the world."

Q: Why did you and Special Representative Pandith switch your speeches at the recent OSCE meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan?

Rosenthal: You know the message of protecting religious freedom and calling out intolerance is a very important message. It's something we do here in the State Department in our diplomacy all the time. In addition to the message being powerful, the messenger can have more impact and be powerful. So Farah and I were getting prepared for the opening session of the Organization of Security and Co-operation - the OSCE, in Europe, OSCE conference. And the first workshop was on Islamophobia, and Farah had written the U.S. official statement to condemn Islamophobia. The second session was on anti-Semitism, and I had written the statement condemning anti-Semitism. And the night before we were talking about this and decided to switch who reads it. Because frankly, it is far more impactful for Farah Pandith, who is the special representative to the Muslim community, to say she will not tolerate any forms of anti-Semitism. And it is far more impactful for the special envoy on anti-Semi
tism to be calling out Islamophobia and condemning it. And it worked.

Q: What is the best thing individuals can do to promote religious freedom in their countries?

Pandith: So what we are doing in the upcoming year is taking a trip overseas to various countries that have a history of tolerance and respect for each other, Jewish and Muslim communities that have been working together, but we're also invigorating the young generation. We're asking them to give their time, to volunteer, by starting a campaign: 2011 Hours Against Hate, in which a Jew and a Muslim will come to the table, volunteer their time. A Jew will give their time to perhaps work at a nursery with young Muslim kids or give a lecture at a school to volunteer in a Muslim community. A Muslim will also then go out and go to a community of Jews and do something that helps that community in some way, whether it's helping build a school or it's donating their hours to feeding the poor - whatever it happens to be. But we're rallying the young generation to make a difference. And we understand how important it is that we think about this idea of mutual respect, that we start the
year in a way that says we can do better, and this is our small way of making an impact in that area.

Rosenthal: I think in today's world, where the communications are so different than my generation is used to, and hate is communicated and wonderful things are communicated through the new technologies, we have to make sure when bad things are being communicated that they are confronted right away. They are condemned, they are called out, and we can't just push delete. I think that becomes a very important thing, and stopping one dinner table conversation that goes wrong or expresses intolerance and calls other religious beliefs less than, that's a step forward. One person at a time. And that's why this initiative, of encouraging people to donate 2,011 - like the year - hours of their time to make a difference, it will make a huge difference.

ENDS

© Scoop Media