March 2010
IRLA Secretary General Meets Senior Indonesian Religious Leaders
In early March, IRLA Secretary General Dr. John Graz led a delegation to Indonesia where he met government leaders and a broad range of religious leaders to discuss ways of improving relations between Muslim and Christian populations. Among those he met were the Indonesian Director of Religious Affairs, the two of the largest Muslim organizations in Indonesia - Professor Dr. Din Syamsuddin, President of the Central Board of the Muhammadiyah and Professor Dr. H. M. Ridwan Lubis of Nahdlatul Ulama - and Catholic and Protestant leaders.
"Christians are well integrated into Indonesian society," States Graz, "but pressure from violent Muslim extremists in some areas makes their lives more difficult when it comes to opening a school or a church. We had frank and very productive discussions about the challenge faced from these fringe elements of society, and on ways the IRLA can work with Indonesian civil society to promote inter-religious understanding and peace."
IRLA Secretary General Meets the President of East Timor
On March 2, an IRLA delegation led by Dr John Graz, accompanied by Liberty magazine editor Lincoln Steed and Dr Jonathan Catholico, met East Timorese President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Mario Horta at the Timorese Presidential Palace. Dr Graz stated “it was an excellent meeting at which we were able to get past diplomatic pleasantries and discuss specific challenges to religious freedom and possible ways to address them effectively.” President Horta reaffirmed the commitment of his country for human rights and religious freedom. He further recognized that the society is, at times, having a difficult time adjusting to the nation’s growing religious diversity.
During the four day visit, the delegation also met a number of government and religious leaders, including the Catholic Bishop, the Vice Minister of Education, the leader of the opposition (who is also the former Prime Minister), the President of the Parliamentarian Commission on Religious Affairs, and European Union Ambassador Juan Carolos Rey and diplomats from the United States Embassy.
The goal of the delegation’s visit was to engage constructively with governmental and civic leaders to find practical means to reduce discrimination and societal hostility that is directed at times against non-Catholics. "It was a very useful visit,” states Graz, “in spite of challenges, the Government officials we met with made a credible case that they are committed to protect religious freedom for all, and that, further, they were open to practical steps to reduce instances of religious based discrimination. It is worth noting that the leader of the opposition is Muslim, which illustrates that while religious freedom challenges persist, East Timor is moving in the right direction to create a society in which all peaceful people of faith are respected."
First Religious Liberty Congress and Festival in Guatemala
Guatemala held its First Religious Liberty Congress along with other related activities on March 24 to 27, 2010. All events were organized by the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) of Guatemala.
The first of those activities was a breakfast with the Guatemala Association of Christian Lawyers and Notaries. John Graz, IRLA Secretary-General, James Standish, Deputy IRLA Secretary General, and Roberto Herrera, the IRLA director for the Inter-American region, were the special guests who presented lectures on freedom of conscience.
On March 24 and 25 the IRLA of Guatemala, along with the National Bar [affiliating lawyers and notaries of Guatemala] organized their First Juridical Congress under the theme, “The Constitutional State in Light of the Equality of Conscience.” Dr. Sergio Morales, Human Rights Attorney of Guatemala, presented on the “Freedom of Conscience in Guatemala.”The Honorable Roberto Alejos, President of the Congress of Guatemala, presented on the “The Role that the Guatemalan Legislation Plays in Protecting Freedom of Conscience.”
During the Juridical Congress both Dr. Sergio Morales and the Honorable Roberto Alejos were honored with the insignia of the International Religious Liberty Association of Guatemala along with leaders of the National Bar who were co-organizers of the Congress.