December
20, 2011
Interfaith
Breakfast Focuses on Freedom of Religion
By Nathalie Thirlwall
Ten Ottawa-area Bahá’ís attended
the 3rd Interfaith Breakfast on Parliament Hill on November 22nd. David
Sweet MP and Rabbi Reuven Bulka, Co-Chairs of the All Party Interfaith
Friendship Group, welcomed approximately 150 Members of Parliament,
Senators, Ambassadors and faith community representatives to the
breakfast in the Parliamentary dining room. The event marked the 30th
anniversary of the the UN Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms
of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
Following the breakfast, a workshop was held to discuss the role of
religious freedom. Diana Salguero, a Bahá’í youth who participated said
that the workshop discussion was “a personal highlight of the morning.”
She benefited from listening and learning from the comments, concerns
and thoughts of others about this important issue.
Keynote speaker, Mario Silva, provided an historical perspective and
current context to the UN Declaration. This topic has added relevance
in view of the Government’s plan to create an Office of Religious
Freedom. Mr. Silva explained that the Declaration supported the “global
effort to challenge the face of religious intolerance irrespective of
the cost.”
David Sweet MP invited Susanne E. Tamás, Director of Government
Relations for the Bahá'í Community of Canada, to describe the
importance of religious freedom. “It is not something we should take
for granted,” said Ms. Tamas. “We must treasure it for its contribution
to the well-being of the community. Canada [is at] the leading edge of
combating intolerance and is able to draw on its diversity,” she added,
saying that religious freedom helps to enable human development.
What can we do? Mr. Silva provided some concrete actions. He pointed
out that political leaders across the globe have the prime
responsibility to bring people together. He challenged citizens “to
stand up when the light of tolerance begins to fade”. Intolerance does
not stop at national boundaries. “Wherever we find persecution on the
basis of religious belief, we are sure to find all manner of
oppression, which if left unchecked will only grow and mature to a
point that reversal becomes all the more difficult.” He asserted that
“All nations that herald the value of religious freedom and human
rights in general must stand together.” |
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