On Thursday, November 16th, 2017, the Romanian Palace of the Parliament hosted the 5th edition of the International Conference on Freedom of Religion and Conscience.
At its 5th edition, the event sponsored by the “Conscience and Liberty” Association and its partners including the Juridical Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, the State Secretariat for Religious Affairs, University Politehnica of Bucharest and the Institute for Advanced Religious Studies and Internetworking Communication (IARSIC) has become a tradition with regular attendants including scholars, university professors, lawyers and lawmakers.
One of the regular attendants is State Secretary for Religious Affairs Victor Opaschi, who gives a special meaning to the fact that the event is hosted by the Romanian Parliament: “I am especially glad that this meeting is taking place here, in the Palace of the Parliament, as this highlights, once again, the commitment of the Romanian state in supporting freedom of religion and conscience. The Romanian state recognizes freedom of religion as a fundamental freedom not only because most of its citizens share religious beliefs, but also because this freedom represents a basis for other rights and freedoms.”
While the representatives of the Romanian government are optimistic in assessing the status of freedom of religion and conscience, religious freedom advocates seem to differ.
“Our global context presents us with a paradox. Human rights in general and freedom of religion or belief in particular seem to benefit from a worldwide recognition and acceptance. However, the legitimacy of the language, discourse, and concept of human rights is increasingly contested, certainly by totalitarian regimes but also in academic, philosophical, and political circles. Several scholars, contemporary thinkers, and politicians have written to deconstruct the recent publications making a case against the universality of human rights”, warned dr. Ganoune Diop, Secretary General of the International Religious Liberty Association.
But, argues dr. Diop, the universality of human rights cannot be recognized before one becomes conscious of its origins: “The universality of human rights is based, actually on the oneness of human race. When the reality of one human race is embraced, deep solidarity can flourish. So the way forward in affirming the universality of human rights is inseparable from the awareness of belonging to the same journey”.
The papers presented during the conference are published in the Journal for Freedom of Conscience, launched each year during the event.
