WEDNESDAY, JULY 10
PANEL DISCUSSION
Women and Religious Liberty
Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, the first Black and female U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom at large, moderated the panel discussion.
"Women’s voices are necessary and we must be heard. We are the first teachers and stewards. We’re fighting for the soul of the world."
Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, Charisma Speakers
"Global events continue to confirm the vital importance of defending freedom of religion, conscience, and belief in every corner of the world. This wellspring human right is foundational to many other precious rights including freedom of speech, freedom of association, and a free press. It is often women who are on the front lines, fighting for religious liberty and when it is denied, they pay the price. Defending religious liberty requires both vision and vigilance. Brave women everywhere are equal to the task."
Dr. Katrina Swett, The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice
"Depolarizing religious freedom in America requires that we take a critical look at history and understand who has been privileged in the pursuit or protection of it. Ultimately, religious freedom is a justice issue that unearths questions about who has power, agency, and the right to be human."
Dr. Sabrina Dent, BJC Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation
"Along with your own faith tradition, religious freedom advocacy is supposed to include those who don’t see God like you, who don’t pray like you, and whose values don’t align with yours. Anything less would be considered self-serving."
Ms. Hurunnessa Fariad, Multi-Faith Neighbors Network
"FoRB is a foundational human right, and when this right is denied, especially to the most vulnerable sectors of our society, countless victims experience severe persecution. Women face unique challenges simply because of their gender. It's crucial that the double marginalization they experience is brought into conversations and uniquely addressed. Their strength and ingenuity in response to their own persecution must also be highlighted."
Dr. Tschika McBean Okosi, United States Baháʼí Office of Public Affairs
"The challenges that women face when religious freedoms are violated is unique. Often it is not discussed. When we address religious violations or conflicts, sometimes it can be crimes against humanity or even genocide. We have undermined or overlooked some of the issues and the situations that women uniquely face. When women have a voice at the table, it is incredibly impactful to avoid undermining the understanding of religious freedom and how to address it."
Ms. Wai Wai Nu, Women’s Peace Network
PANEL DISCUSSION
The Rise of Antisemitism and Islamophobia in France
"We believe that what happens in France extends to the world. You cannot understand what is happening in France unless you understand the context in which some of these laws were made."
Ms. Kimberlie Orr, Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic
"The sports federations and the Ministry of Sport have no objective data to justify decisions that severely restrict the freedoms of Muslim female athletes who decide to wear sports headgears. It is therefore incorrect and unjustified to claim that the rules excluding Muslim sportswomen are necessary, appropriate, and proportionate for the good functioning of the public service."
Dr. Haifa Tlili, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
"In France, Jews and Muslims are attacked differently. Jews bear the burden of attacks in the private sphere. Antisemitic attacks are primarily happening in schools and in homes. Jewish attacks tend to be lethal and people end up wounded or deceased. On the other hand, Muslims are being targeted in public spaces through political speech and through employment discrimination."
Ms. Rachel Miner, Bellwether International
"In France, religious freedom conditions are worrying. Over the past year, the rise of antisemitic incidents and acts of anti-Muslim hatred has been alarming. In addition, the French legal system maintains prohibitions on face coverings in public — which targets Muslim women — and places members of religious associations the government considers to be ‘cultic’ at risk of prosecution."
Mr. Luke Wilson, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
"Lacïcité only serves to deprive people from a sense of religious and cultural belonging through the daily expression of their faith in harmless ways. The problem with lacïcité is it doesn’t set itself as separate from religion; it sets itself above religion."
Dr. Marie Kawthar Daoud, Oriel College, University of Oxford
"Change in society happens one of two ways: the law changes and people get used to it. The other way is to change society. To educate society at a local level and hopefully, legislation follows."
Justice Ann Power, Court of Appeal, Ireland
LUNCH
Uyghur Cuisine Lunch and Uyghur Performance
Yesterday, attendees of the 2024 Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit enjoyed a special lunch featuring traditional Uyghur cuisine, accompanied by a performance from the Miras Silk Road Collective and Tara Catherine Pandeya.
The Miras Silk Road Collective, led by Rahima Mahmut, works to encourage collaboration among musicians from different cultures along the Silk Road, and celebrate their shared cultural heritage. The group of Uzbek and Uyghur performers has collaborated with musicians and dancers from India, China, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Rahima Mahmut, the executive director of Stop Uyghur Genocide, is the group’s lead singer and has composed songs from the poems of persecuted Uyghur writers. Her music has been featured in news documentaries highlighting the plight of the Uyghur people.
Tara Pandeya is a cultural advocate and one of the most renowned dancers and choreographers specializing in Central Asian dance. She is a second-generation dancer, cultural activist, choreographer, scholar, and bridge-building artist, dedicated to the promotion of dance from the Central Asian Silk Road region.
PANEL DISCUSSION
John Inazu Keynote and Learning to Disagree Panel
Professor Stephanie Barclay, director of Notre Dame Law School's Religious Liberty Initiative, moderated the panel discussion.
In his book "Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect," John Inazu reveals the surprising path to learning how to disagree in ways that build new bridges with our neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones — and help us find better ways to live joyfully in a complex society. Inazu shows us that it is possible to disagree productively and respectfully without compromising our convictions.
"The kind of empathy required in the classroom and the courtroom can also be applied to everyday disagreements with the people you encounter in your life. Find out what motivates them. Examine how their arguments get off the ground. Ask why the conclusions that seem so obviously correct to you seem so obviously wrong to them. These are critical lawyer skills, but they are also good people skills."
Professor John Inazu, Washington University in St. Louis
"If there is an antidote to our growing animosity, a way to disagree better, I think it lies in actions that are at the same time simple and extraordinary, and increasingly countercultural: forgiveness, admitting wrong, tolerating disagreement, listening patiently. The problem is that none of these actions happen naturally or quickly. You have to work at them."
Professor John Inazu, Washington University in St. Louis
"One of the questions I came away with after John's book is, 'How do we create and where do you create institutions and places in which we're intentional — institutions in which listening is not just occasional, but habituated in order to create the kind of ability to work across differences that John is pointing us to globally?' While we may aspire to a specific virtue, nothing begins to change your behaviors until it's inculcated a series of habits that you begin to pursue over time."
Mr. Greg Jao, InterVarsity Diversity and External Relations
"When you find someone you disagree with, this is an opportunity to acquire news, an opportunity to acquire information about the range of views that are out there in the world."
Andrew Koppelman, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
"John Inazu’s beautifully written book does not only tell us how to compromise, forgive, and understand each other, but also models how to do so. What an important book in these polarized times."
Professor Jeff Spinner-Halev, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Gala and Awards Dinner and Dedication of the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic
Last night, attendees enjoyed a black-tie gala at the University of Notre Dame. The 2024 Notre Dame Prize for Religious Liberty was awarded to Nazila Ghanea, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Director of International Human Rights Law Programmes at the University of Oxford, in recognition of her outstanding service preserving religious liberty around the world.
The 2024 Religious Liberty Initiative Scholarship Award was awarded to Thomas C. Berg, the James L. Oberstar Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. The award recognizes Berg’s scholarly accomplishments in the field of law and religion, and the many careful contributions made to theoretical thinking about religious liberty.
Read the other daily recaps from the 2024 Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit: