Women face unique challenges simply because of their gender. The double marginalization they experience must be brought into conversations and uniquely addressed. Women in Iran, especially Baha'i women, have faced severe persecution for decades. This persecution has taken many forms, including unjust, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, death, social isolation, denial of higher education, and even desecration of burial sites and the bodies of the deceased. Over the last year, the Iranian government has systematically targeted women in response to the Women, Life, Freedom movement and, at the same time, noticeably targeted and increased the persecution of Baha'i women, often using discriminatory laws and policies to justify their actions.

Until a couple of years ago, Baha'i men had been targeted more than Baha'i women. However, a little over two years ago, a significant shift became noticeable. One indicator of this shift was that about two-thirds of Baha’i prisoners were women. At first, this seemed like an anomaly, but the persistence of this percentage over two years strongly suggests that there exists a deliberate government policy to target Baha'i women. An informal survey of those targeted reveals that these women are usually ones playing a role in Baha'i community-building activities such as children's classes and junior youth groups. Hence, these women are not just victims, but also leaders and educators, making their persecution even more tragic.

Despite the challenges they face, women, including Baha'i women in Iran, continue to engage in resilient ways to uphold their fundamental human right to religious belief and freedom. They are a powerful force for change, and their stories are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Speakers:

Hilary Miller- Policy Analyst at USCIRF covering Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Houthis in Yemen

Lou Ann Sabatier- Co-founded of FoRB Women's Alliance

Marjan Keypour (Greenblatt) - Founder and Director of the Alliance for Rights of All Minorities (ARAM)

Moderator: Tschika McBean Okosi - Human Rights Officer at the US Baha’i Office of Public Affairs

Join the Wilson Center on December 4 from 1:00 to 2:30 PM as we host an event on the intersection between religious institutions and peacebuilding in Ethiopia.

Religion continues to play a large role in public and private spheres in Africa despite global trends towards secularization. While religion's role in conflict is usually approached in paradox – both as an instrument of violence and peace – there has been increased attention in recent years towards the role of religious institutions in peacebuilding. 

With the prevalence of various conflicts in Ethiopia, including the two-year war in the Tigray region and the ongoing armed conflict in the Amhara and Oromia regions, the path towards peace remains difficult. In this context, there is a possibility for religious institutions to play an important peacebuilding role. 

This event will deliberate on the local contexts and agency for peacebuilding in Ethiopia. Based on case studies from first-hand research in Northern Ethiopia, it will critically examine the role of religious institutions in peacebuilding. It also navigates the different ways that religious institutions can contribute to peacebuilding and the lessons to be taken for peacebuilding policy not just in Ethiopia, but in Africa generally.

Speakers:

• Yirga Abebe Damtie: Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding Scholar; PhD Candidate, Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University

• Terrence Lyons: Professor, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution George Mason University

Your Ideas Are The Agenda

Across the globe, religiously-motivated conflicts devastate nations and divide families. But there’s hope. Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) offers a pathway to peace. By uniting young FoRB advocates across borders, beliefs, and backgrounds, this summit doesn’t just talk about tolerance—it models the very world we seek to create.

In our participant-led Open Space format, you’re not just another attendee—you’re a co-creator. So apply today for your chance to connect, collaborate, and catalyze change alongside a select group of visionary peacemakers.

Join us at the inaugural Global Summit hosted by the Center for Women, Faith & Leadership (CWFL) to amplify the voices of those most impacted by the world’s toughest challenges. From pursuing justice to fostering peace across religious divides, the work of CWFL has been a beacon of hope, empowering women to lead in the face of adversity.  Speakers include:

• Nadine Maenza - IRF Secretariat President & Board Chair of the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE)

• Fatimah Popal - Co-founder and Managing Director of MakeSpace

• Nikki Roberts - trainer and international bridge builder for multi-faith engagement

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing on the unique challenges that Entities of Particular Concern (EPCs) pose to international religious freedom (IRF) and suggested policies for the U.S. government to implement.  

EPCs have been a key element of U.S. IRF policy since the passage of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016, which added the EPC category to the U.S. Department of State’s available IRF designations. This updated designation category recognizes the persistent and global role of non-state actors in committing religious freedom violations, particularly through violence. However, IRF-focused discourse and policy initiatives often overlook EPCs in favor of addressing a foreign government’s violations of freedom of religion or belief.  

With these factors in mind, witnesses will discuss some of the ways that non-state actors—including those currently designated as EPCs—carry out violence and other actions that violate the right to religious freedom. They will also discuss policy options for the U.S. government to address, anticipate, and impede the capacity of current and future EPCs. 

Opening Remarks

• Stephen Schneck, Chair, USCIRF

• Eric Ueland, Vice Chair, USCIRF

• Mohamed Elsanousi, Commissioner, USCIRF 

Panel

• Aaron Zelin, Washington Institute for Near East Policy 

• Ebenezer Obadare, Council on Foreign Relations 

The Religious Freedom Institute will hold its 2024 Defender of Religious Freedom Award Ceremony on Wednesday, November 13th at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. The attire is cocktail. 

6:00 PM - Reception

7:15 PM - Dinner

Save Armenia: A Judeo-Christian Alliance is organizing a compelling webinar to expose Azerbaijan’s use of greenwashing to obscure its ethnic and religious cleansing of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. The webinar will explore how environmental rhetoric is being leveraged to justify mass displacement, cultural and religious destruction, and human rights violations while highlighting how Azerbaijan is using the opportunity to mask its atrocities in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). 

The webinar will include an overview of the geopolitical conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, focusing on the recent exodus of Armenians from the region. Experts will unpack how Azerbaijan is using the language of environmentalism—such as reforestation, renewable energy, and “eco-friendly” development—to mask the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage, the erasure of religious sites, and the displacement of indigenous populations. The webinar will also cover the international response to Azerbaijan’s greenwashing. Speakers will discuss how the international community’s focus on climate and energy collaborations with Azerbaijan risks overlooking the ongoing human rights abuses in Nagorno-Karabakh.

This event aims to gather together advocates, activists and first hand witnesses to extrajudicial violence as a result of apostasy and blasphemy charges. We hope this event will help bring attention to these egregious violations of human rights and urge states to be proactive in preventing future extrajudicial killings driven by intolerance against individuals for exercising their freedom of conscience, religion and belief.

The side-event will recommend concrete actions states can take today to prevent and protect individuals at risk of unlawful killings based on anti-apostasy and anti-blasphemy laws and how UN member states can help combat the culture of impunity surrounding these unlawful killings. It builds on the goal of the global coalition of over 90 individuals and organisations of diverse beliefs and backgrounds calling for the repeal of the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy.

Objectives

• To elevate awareness around the challenges in holding perpetrators of unlawful killings for alleged religious offence and expression accountable in environments which condone the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy; and provide recommendations from experts and survivors on how to tackle them.

• To inspire and equip policymakers to implement the Minnesota Protocol in investigating unlawful killings of individuals accused of apostasy or blasphemy

• To raise awareness about the chilling effect that impunity for unlawful killings has on the right to freedom of expression.

The Rumi Forum’s Center for Faith, Identity, and Globalization (CFIG) cordially invites you to our inaugural panel, Rethinking Religion and Nationalism in the Global Landscape, on Monday, October 28, 2024. We are honored to host distinguished scholars Mark Juergensmeyer from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Paul Marshall from Baylor University, who will discuss their latest research and perspectives on this complex and timely topic.

Mark Juergensmeyer will present his paper, Faith and Identity in the Global Era, which delves into the unsettling emergence of new forms of tribalism often built around ethnic and religious identities. He argues that religious othering is grounded in negative stereotypes and the systematic buildup of an imagined divide between one’s own faith and other creeds. Juergensmeyer sees this phenomenon as one of the most disturbing features of the global age, highlighting the urgent need for reevaluating faith-based identities.

Paul Marshall will offer insights from his recent publication, Myths of Religious Nationalism. Marshall's work addresses the increasingly blurred lines between religious nationalism and religion-infused politics, particularly in the United States. He contends that terms like "religious nationalism" have become politicized and diluted, losing their substantive meaning. His analysis aims to clarify what religious nationalism truly entails and distinguish it from the broader phenomenon of religion-influenced politics, which has critical implications for both global and domestic arenas.

The panel will be an enriching dialogue between two prominent voices, providing clarity on a topic that is reshaping our global landscape. We hope you can join us for what promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking discussion.

Discussion Papers:

Faith and Identity in the Global Era by Mark Juergensmeyer

Myths of Religious Nationalism by Paul Marshall

Program Outline:

4:00 pm - Doors open

4:30 pm - Panel Discussion

Welcoming: Mehmet Saracoglu

Opening & Introducing the Panelists: Allison K. Ralph

Mark and Paul`s Remarks (20 min. for each)

5:30 pm - Q&A

6:00 pm - End of the program

On October 16, the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) will host its fourth webinar of the year, focusing on Religious Freedom in Latin America. Stay tuned for more details on how to register and participate in this crucial discussion.

Please join us for a special conversation between ADF International and Algerian Pastor Youssef Ourahmane. In 2023, Pastor Youssef was convicted and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for his role as a church leader in Tizi Ouzou. He is currently appealing his case to the Supreme Court of Algeria with support from ADF International.

Pastor Youssef is one of the leading figures in the Èglise Protestante d’Algérie (EPA), the Evangelical Protestant group whose 43 churches have been forcibly closed by the Authorities since 2019, leaving only one with its church open today. Over the past five years, security police in Algeria have received orders from the Ministry of Interior to systematically shutter the EPA churches under the pretext of alleged building code violations.

Pastor Youssef is one of over 50 Christians to have been prosecuted since 2019 for vaguely defined offenses such as “shaking the faith” of Muslims and illegal worship. The prosecutions are thought to be motivated by the government’s concern over the large numbers of local Christian converts in the country. We are honored that Pastor Youssef will be speaking in-depth about his ordeal at this event and sharing his personal experience as a church leader in one of the most difficult countries in the world for Christians.

Light refreshments will be provided. Please register no later than October 11th. Registration is required to attend the event. Spots are limited.

The Africa Working Group invites you to an important virtual briefing where we will be discussing the proposed National Religious and Faith Organizations (RFOs) Policy 2023 in Uganda and the potential impact on religious freedom and constitutional rights. The webinar will provide an overview of the concerns raised by the IRF Community and Africa Working Group and discuss the letter that was circulated to the President of Uganda. It’s a vital opportunity to engage in the discussion and explore ways we can collectively influence this policy.

You are invited to join us for the next Hybrid IRF Roundtable with U.S. Government on Tuesday, September 17 from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM on Capitol Hill.  Special guest speakers will be announced in the coming weeks!

Thinking about submitting an agenda item? 

We encourage all roundtable participants to consider submitting an agenda item. Your voice and contribution is valuable. Agenda items to consider:

1. REPORT on conditions of religious persecution globally

2. SHARE IRF-related resources (reports, case studies, programs)

3. INVITE multi-faith action (multi-faith letter, upcoming event, working groups)

Due to time limitations, we will not be able to accommodate all requests. We apologize in advance for this, but will confirm agenda items by September 12.

INTRODUCTION (5:30-5:35 pm), Matthew Reynolds, UNHCR Representative

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS (5:35 pm – 5:45 pm)

• Chairman Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)

• Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT)

BRIEF REMARKS (5:45 pm – 6:05 pm)

• Bill Canny, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

• Christine Tobias-Nahi, Islamic Relief USA

• Rabbi Sarah Bassin, HIAS

• Mark Smith, World Vision

CONCLUDING REMARKS (6:05 – 6:10 pm), Suzanne Ehlers, USA for UNHCR CEO/President

The Abraham Women Alliance Zoom Panels are a call to action to support the lofty principles of equality, peacebuilding and empowerment in the daily fabric of our lives. Religious-based violence and anti-semitism have no place in our homes, families and societies.

Please join us for a candid conversation about the critical role that women play in the inter-faith and peacebuilding process among the Abrahamic faiths. Women in the Middle East must take the mantle of leadership for peacebuilding in the Middle East.

Objectives:

• Build trust and relationships

• Explore challenges and opportunities

• Share practical tools & resource

• Identify inter-faith & gender equality champions

• Foster religious harmony in the MENA region

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing on religious freedom conditions in Pakistan and policy options for the U.S. government.

In 2024, religious freedom conditions in Pakistan continue to decline. Religious minorities are frequently subjected to lengthy prison sentences or solitary confinement under the country’s draconian blasphemy law. Increasing instances of blasphemy accusations have contributed to waves of mob violence that disproportionately impact religious minority communities, resulting in lynchings and damaged places of worship. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community continue to face harassment and arbitrary arrest, and Hindu, Christian, and Sikh women and girls remain particularly vulnerable to kidnappings and forced conversion.

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department again designate Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. Witnesses will discuss the Pakistani government’s legal framework, including blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya laws, and laws pertaining to forced conversion. They will also examine the U.S.-Pakistan bilateral relationship and discuss opportunities for U.S. engagement and current programming efforts to advance religious freedom.

Opening Remarks

• Stephen Schneck, Chair, USCIRF

• Eric Ueland, Vice Chair, USCIRF

• Asif Mahmood, Commissioner, USCIRF

Panel I

• Änjali Kaur, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Asia Bureau, USAID

Panel II

• Peter Jacob, Director, Centre for Social Justice

• Asif Aqeel, Founding Director, Center for Law & Justice

• Amjad Mahmood Khan, Adjunct Professor, UCLA School of Law; National Secretary for Public Affairs, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA

*Additional witnesses may be added 

This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions or to schedule an interview, please email media@uscirf.gov.

The International Religious Freedom of Belief Alliance (IRFBA) invites you to a webinar marking the International Day Commemorating Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. The IRFBA focuses on prisoners of conscience and the fate that they have been facing globally. Among the speakers are former prisoners of conscience and also family members of those still imprisoned. They are to shine the light on what it means to be a prisoner of conscience and how they could be helped. 

Speakers include: 

• Amb. Robert Rehak - Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Interfaith Dialogue and Freedom of Religion or Belief (Czech Republic), IRFBA Chair 

• Cezar Pavalascu - Director, State Secretariat for Religious Affairs (Romania), Chair of the IRFBA Working Group on Atrocity Prevention

• Paweł Radomski - Foreign Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion (Poland)

• Rushan Abbas - Uyghur advocate, sister of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, prisoner of conscience in China

• Wade Kusack - Love Your Neighbor Community (LYNC), Founder and President 

• Amelda Ismael Khudeeda - Yazda, Documentation Team 

• Bianca Jagger - human rights defender working with former prisoners of conscience from Nicaragua 

• Bani Dugan - Principal Representative, Bahá'í International Community's UN Office

Hosted by Empower Women Media & Global Christian Relief

After the October 7 attacks, we must stand together and build a strategic, multi-faith network to support peace and the Abraham Accords. Please join us for a candid conversation between Arabs and Jews about their insights since the outbreak of the Hamas- Israel war. The event will include a special screening of the short film, Halfway, which won the Empower Women Media "Global Peace Award”.

Light appetizers & drinks will be served.