The former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Scotland, has urged believers of all faiths to speak up in support of religious freedom, warning that continued silence only permits continued injustice.
Baroness Scotland was speaking at an event organised by Aid to the Church in Need and Farm Street Catholic Church in Mayfair, which hosted the event. The meeting was focused on Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which provides freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
During her remarks, the baroness said, “We are at one of the most difficult moments in our history. There are more conflicts in our world today than in any other period since the end of the second world war when Article 18 was crafted to give expression to the hopes for humanity.”
She referenced research by Aid to the Church in Need suggesting that two thirds of the world’s population live in countries in which religious freedom is far from guaranteed.
She added, “This is a moment of challenge for us, a challenge as to whether we truly believe in the tenets of our respective faiths and if we are willing to come together in one voice and say, ‘not in my name’.
“It is down to each of us. If we are silent, nothing will change. If we are silent, the injustice in the world will continue. There is power in the collective.”
Also present at the gathering was Professor Brian Grim, founding president of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation.
In his own remarks, Professor Grim said, “Religious freedom isn’t something a government gives, protects or takes away, it’s something people respect, give to each other and can take away from each other.
“Measuring these two we found where you have less government restriction and more social tolerance or social acceptance of each other you had peace. It was the first research done showing that religious freedom is a formula for peace.”
