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Dec
10
Bahá’ís join call for PM to appoint religious freedom ambassador
Filed Under Human Rights, Parliamentary, inter-faith | Leave a Comment
The national governing body of the Bahá’í faith in the United Kingdom has joined a call for the Prime Minister to improve international efforts to protect freedom of religion and belief – specifically through the appointment of an Ambassador-at-Large for Freedom of Religion and Belief.
In a letter to Gordon Brown, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Release International and the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the UK, Dr Kishan Manocha, affirmed Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
Concerned that, sixty years on, international mechanisms and government action to uphold freedom of religion and belief do not reflect the centrality of this right, the letter challenges the British government to “redouble” its efforts in promoting freedom of religion and specifically recommends:
- the appointment of an Ambassador-at-Large for Freedom of Religion and Belief;
- provision of adequate training within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on freedom of religion issues;
- allocation of international financial and technical support to enable the better protection of freedom of religion and belief.
“The anniversary of the adoption of the UDHR reminds us of the distance the international community still needs to go to protect and uphold human rights,” said Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas. ”Freedom of religion is in many senses a “first among freedoms’, a cornerstone for a number of other rights and freedoms within the UDHR. This freedom is marginalised at best and is even now attacked, including at the UN itself. CSW and our partners call on the British government to implement the recommendations outlined in the letter and to accord freedom of religion and belief the importance it deserves.”