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Peter Waiswa (Uganda- JAP)

In Uganda, the population is predominantly Christian (about 80%) and Muslims  suffer discrimination based on stereotypes casted internationally. The rising  international Islamophobia has increased discrimination against the community. What can we do to mitigate this situation as sites of Conscience?

Katherine
The collective Islamophobia is of great concern. For example, in Kenya or Myanmar they are legislating against Muslims. The main issue is the spread of harmful speech in this age of social networking and speed of statements. To act against this, we must have a greater representation of these communities in the public sphere: movies, media, politics.

False information must be countered with education, education, education. Discrimination is contagious and we have to find ways to counter it.

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FoRB should be placed in a HR framework . It is a right that it is first and foremost a right of the individual to practice or not practice his or her religion or belief, even when this goes against the values and doctrines of the religious community of which he or she is a part.

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On Education and Religion I distinguish two separate issues:

Education through religion. A topic largely ignored by global educational policies although a large part of the world's educational institutions are managed by different churches.

Education about religion in public education. There are very few examples of programs that actually teach the population about how different religions work without trying to proselytize this public.

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The importance of religious narratives and the importance of local anchorage.

Elizabeth:

I love the importance of grounding the work in the local contexts, which resonates with Sites of Conscience ethos. Would you mind expanding a little bit on these two factors as pillars for programming?

Katherine:

1. The first part is to humanize testimonies, the people telling their stories.

2. The second issue would be the correct use of data.

3.  Finally, understanding how discrimination operates and is narrated at the local level. Understanding the complexity of intertwined factors.

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Violence and discrimination are getting worse around the world. But it is important to highlight that nobody knows exactly why, Is this part of the fragility of systems around the world? is it a spreading effect?  We should focus on the reasons underlying religious conflicts all around the world.

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The contextual aspects of religious freedom need to be understood. Each situation is different. Also, religion and religious freedom must be an integral part of human rights conceptualizations and policies.

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From Katherine:
The controversy I meet most often is the right to proselytizing: It is very controversial, has many laws against it in many countries so we should look very closely at the right to change religion.

Also, we need to look at the intersection between freedom of religion, cultural rights and gender-based optics. Freedom of religion is an individual right, but we should look and how this right is affecting other groups of people, such as women or the lgtbi+ population

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From Elizabeth:
Religious freedom is guaranteed by Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Freedom of religion and belief is an essential component for any growing democracy and strengthening pluralism.

In recent years, freedom of belief and religious freedom has come under common attack. In this regard, Sites of conscience works to confront the culture of intolerance and create just and inclusive societies.

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Elizabeth Silkes, Executive Director, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience

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Elizabeth Silkes, Executive Director, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience

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As Executive Director of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, Elizabeth Silkes guides the strategic growth and direction of a thriving coalition of over 300 museums, historic sites, and memory initiatives in 65 countries. Through regional and issue-based networks, the Coalition supports Sites of Conscience across the globe in developing innovative public engagement and human rights programs through exhibit design and methodological guidance, peer-learning exchanges, project grants, and joint advocacy initiatives. The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience is the only worldwide network dedicated to transforming places that preserve the past into dynamic spaces that promote civic action on today’s most pressing human rights and social justice struggles.

Prior to joining the Coalition, Liz served as CEO of Cinereach, a foundation supporting film and media projects focused on social change and as Executive Director of FilmAid International, a humanitarian relief organization using film and video to address the needs of refugees and other displaced communities. Prior to joining FilmAid, she led the major gifts program at Amnesty International USA to record growth while advocating for human rights in the U.S. and abroad. Her extensive experience with community-based media projects gives her a unique perspective on the power of the personal story to engage broad audiences in moving from past to present and memory to action. As a featured speaker at conferences and workshops around the world, Liz has addressed issues ranging from psycho-social relief initiatives in displaced communities to the role of memory in building civic engagement in emerging democracies and post-conflict settings. She has served on the board of ICOM-US, the U.S. National Committee of the International Council of Museums; is a member of the Law Advisory Council for the Fetzer Institute; and serves as an International Advisor to the Accounts of the Conflict project at the University of Ulster INCORE and as an International Advisor to UNESCO and the World Heritage Programme.

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Katherine Marshall, Senior Fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; Professor of the Practice of Development, Conflict, and Religion at the Walsh School of Foreign Service; Executive Director of the World Faiths Development Dialogue; and Vice President of the G20 InterfaithAssociation

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Katherine Marshall, Senior Fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; Professor of the Practice of Development, Conflict, and Religion at the Walsh School of Foreign Service; Executive Director of the World Faiths Development Dialogue; and Vice President of the G20 InterfaithAssociation

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Katherine Marshall has worked on international development for some five decades, focusing on the world’s poorest countries. A senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs and Professor of the Practice of Development, Religion, and Conflict in the School of Foreign Service, she is the executive director of the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), whose mission is to bridge gulfs separating the worlds of development and religion. Her long career with the World Bank, as an operational manager, focuses especially on Africa, but she also served on numerous task forces and in other leadership positions. Her position before she retired in 2006 was as Director, Development Dialogue on Values and Ethics. She works today to build links among different institutions, sectors, and approaches, with a focus on the imperatives of global peace and development, to bring both

hope and realism to the multilateral challenges involved. Among her publications is, with Susan

Hayward, Women, Religion, and Peace: Illuminating the Unseen (USIP).