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31st Annual International Law and Religion Symposium

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Watch the Symposium Symposium photos

31st International Law and Religion Symposium

“Religious Freedom as a Tool for Peacemaking”

October 6-8, 2024

International Center for Law and Religion Studies
J. Reuben Clark Law School – Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah, USA

 

Conference Schedule

Sunday, Oct 6

7 – 8:15 PM

8:15 – 9:30 PM

  • RECEPTION

    Fritz B. Burns Memorial Lounge,
    J. Reuben Clark Law Building Second Floor

Monday, Oct 7

9 – 10:30 AM

10:30 – 10:45 AM

  • Break

10:45 – 11:45 AM BREAKOUT SESSIONS (choose one)

  • Academic Perspectives – Islam and Law

    Room 303

    Moderator:
    Paul Kerry, Associate Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University

    Panelists:
    Safi Kaskas, President, The International Qur’an Research Association, United States

    Samy Ayoub, Associate Professor of Law, University of Texas, United States

  • Latin America – Perspectives on Law and Religion

    Room 306

    Watch in English

    Moderator:
    Fábio Nascimento, Attorney, Brazil

    Panelists:
    Aloísio Cristovam dos Santos Júnior, Juiz Titular de Vara do Trabalho (TRT da 5ª Região) e Pesquisador, Brasil

    Silvia Godoy, Assistant to the Attorney General, Procuraduria General de la Republica de Honduras

    Víctor A. Pino Fuentes, Deputy, Cámara de Diputados y Diputadas de Chile

    Rubén Revello, Director del Instituto de Bioética, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina

  • Vietnam

    Room 314

    Watch in English

    Moderator:
    Hannah Clayson Smith, Associate Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University

    Panelists:

    Duy Tan Nguyen, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh Home Affairs, People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Năng Khiếu Nguyễn, Deputy General Director, Americas Department, Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations

  • Middle East

    Room 205

    Moderator:
    Quinn Mecham, Associate Professor of Political Science; Coordinator for Middle East Studies, Brigham Young University, United States

    Panelists:

    Ramin Mammadov, Chairman, State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan

    Seppe Wiet H Verheyen, Advisor, Abrahamic Family House Centre, United Arab Emirates

  • Africa – Religious and Interfaith Leaders

    Room 206

    Moderator:
    David Stanford, Area Legal Counsel, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

    Panelists:
    Abubakr Siddeeq Muhammad , Deputy Secretary General, Supreme Council for Sharia

    Wilfred Dimingu, General Secretary, Zimbabwe Council of Churches

  • Judicial Leaders

    Room 208

    Moderator:
    Hon. Susan Purdon-Sully, Judge, Supreme and National Court of Papua New Guinea

    Speakers:
    Hon. David Ashton-Lewis , Supreme Court Judge of the Republic of Fiji

    Hon. David Campbell, Senior Judge, United States District Court, District of Arizona; Chair, U.S. Federal Judiciary Committee on International Judicial Relations

    Hon. Maria Filomena Singh, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the Philippines

12 Noon – 1:30 PM

  • LUNCH FOR CONFERENCE DELEGATES AND INVITED GUESTS
    Wilkinson Student Center, Room 3220/22/24

1:30 – 2:00 PM

  • GROUP PHOTO FOR DELEGATES
    Wilkinson Student Center, Garden Court

2:15 – 3:45 PM

3:45 – 4:00 PM

  • Break

4:00 – 5:00 PM BREAKOUT SESSIONS (choose one)

  • Human Rights and Cross-Cultural Religious Liberty Education

    Room 303

    Moderator:
    Cory Leonard, Assistant Director, David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies, Brigham Young University, United States

    Speakers:
    Matius Ho, Executive Director, Leimena Institute, Indonesia

    David M. Kirkham, Executive Director, The Geneva Office for Human Rights Education

    Imam Ibrahim Alhassan, Director, Youth and Gender Advocacy, Office of the National Chief Imam, Ghana

  • Latin America – Democracy and Religious Freedom

    Room 306

    Watch in English

    Moderator:
    Scott Isaacson, Senior Fellow and Regional Advisor for Latin America, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Brigham Young University, United States

    Speakers:
    Paulina Corominas Etchegaray, Jefa de la Sección de Relaciones con Sociedad Civil de la Organización de los Estados Americanos, mexicana radicada en Washington, DC.

    Otilia Coti, Asesora del Programa Emblemático de la Mujer Indígena del Fondo Indígena de América Latina y el Caribe. FILAC., Guatemala

  • Indonesia

    Room 314

    Watch in English

    Moderator:
    Brett G. Scharffs, Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University

    Speakers:
    Sikumbang Harniati, Director of Human Rights Cooperation, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Indonesia

    Syamsul Arifin, Professor, Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, Indonesia

  • Central Africa

    Room 206

    Watch in English

    Moderator:
    Peter Leman, Associate Professor, English Department, Brigham Young University, United States

    Speakers:
    Hazel Maureen Danetta Dixon, Regional Desk Officer, African Union Commission

    Angelino Kandiyelo Segunda, Director Geral Adjunto, Instituto Nacional Para Os Assuntos Religiosos – Ministério da Cultura, Angola

  • Philippines

    Room 208

    Watch in English

    Moderator:
    Hannah Clayson Smith, Associate Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University

    Speakers:
    Elizabeth Aguiling-Pangalangan, Professor, University of the Philippines

    Pablito Baybado, Lecturer, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines

    Persida Rueda-Acosta, Chief Public Attorney, Public Attorney’s Office, Philippines

    Bishop Reuben Abante, Bishop / Senior Pastor, Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church and Ministries, Philippines

Tuesday, Oct 8

9 – 10:00 AM

10:00 – 10:15 AM

  • Break

10:15 – 11:15 AM BREAKOUT SESSIONS

11:15 – 11:30 AM

  • Break

11:30 – 12:15 AM BREAKOUT SESSIONS (choose one)

  • The Russian Orthodox Church and the Russia-Ukraine War

    Room 303

    Watch in Arabic
    Watch in English
    Watch in German
    Watch in Portuguese EU
    Watch in Russian
    Watch in Uzbek
    Watch in Vietnamese

    Moderator:
    Tony Brown, Professor, Department of German and Russian,
    Brigham Young University

    Speakers:
    Dmytro Vovk, Visiting Associate Professor, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, United States | Ukraine

    Jerry Pankhurst, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and of Russian and Central Eurasian Studies, Wittenberg University, United States

    Elizabeth A. Clark, Associate Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University; Program Chair, International Law and Religion Symposium; United States

  • Latin America – Peacebuilding in a Diverse Religious Context

    Room 306

    Watch in Portuguese

    Moderator:
    Denise Lindberg, Senior Fellow, International Center for Law and
    Religion Studies, Brigham Young University, United States

    Speakers:
    Pastor Luis Clemente Aruquipa Carlo, Presidente, Consejo Nacional Cristiano por el derecho a la Vida, la Familia y la Libertad, Bolivia

    Rev. Eduardo Augusto Gómez González, Canciller de la Alianza Evangélica Latinoamericana, Colombia

  • Asia — Academic Perspectives

    Room 314

    Watch in Mongolian

    Moderator:
    Hannah Clayson Smith, Associate Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University

    Speakers:
    Purevsuren Byambakhishig, Director, Institute of Philosophy, Mongolian Academy of Sciences

    Bataa Mishig-Ish, Chair of Department of Religious Studies, Institute of Philosophy, Mongolian Academy of Sciences

    Chae Young Kim, Professor, Sogang University, Republic of Korea

    Choonghyun Baek, Director General, Religious Affairs Office, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of Korea

  • Africa – Academic Perspectives

    Room 206

    Watch in English
    Watch in French
    Watch in Portuguese EU

    Moderator:
    Adesina Olukanni, President, Abu Nigeria Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

    Speakers:
    Ibrahim Mulushewa Eshete, Executive Director, Center for National and Regional Integration Studies (CeNRIS)

    Getachew Woldemariam, Dean and Associate Professor, College of Law and Governance Studies, Addis Ababa University

    Abiola Sanni, Professor, University of Lagos

  • Student Presentations

    Room 208

    Watch in English

    Moderator:
    Holly Lesan, Coordinating Editor, Law and Religion: National, International, and Comparative Perspectives ; Coordinator, ICLRS Young Scholars Fellowship, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Brigham Young University, United States

    Speakers:

    Dallin Everton, JD Candidate, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, United States

    Tanner Guisinger, Student, Brigham Young University, United States

    Songfeng Li, LLM Candidate, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University; Associate Professor, China University of Political Science and Law, China

    Graciana Messier, JD Candidate, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, United States

    R. McKay Moon, JD Candidate, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, United States

    Brendan Murphy, Philosophy and English Student, Brigham Young University, United States

12:30 – 1:30 PM

  • LUNCH FOR CONFERENCE DELEGATES AND INVITED GUESTS
    (Wilkinson Student Center, Room 3220/22/24)

12:30 – 1:30 PM

  • LUNCH FOR LATIN AMERICAN CONFERENCE DELEGATES AND INVITED GUESTS
    (Wilkinson Student Center, Room 3252 WSC)
  • Speaker: TBA

1:45 – 2:45 PM

2:45 – 3:00 PM

  • Break

3:00 – 4:00 PM BREAKOUT SESSIONS (choose one)

  • Religious Leaders

    Room 303

    Watch in English

    Moderator:
    Shon Hopkin, Department Chair for Religious Education; Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University, United States

    Speakers:
    Fareed Ahmad, National Secretary External Affairs, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK

    Patrick Fletcher, Senior Advisor for Theology and Social Doctrine, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

    Deina Warren, Director of Legal Affairs, Canadian Centre for Christian Charities

  • Latin American Religious Affairs and Human Rights Leaders

    Room 306

    Watch in Portuguese
    Watch in Spanish

    Moderator:
    Cynthia Juárez Lange and Dennis Lange Beltrán, Senior Fellows, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Brigham Young University

    Speakers:
    Saskia Ochoa, Coordinadora, Oficina Enlace del Poder Ejecutivo con la Comunidad Cristiana, Dominican Republic

    Alberto Herrera Rodríguez, Subsecretario de la Presidencia, Justicia y Relaciones con las Cortes – Gobierno de España

    Héctor Oswaldo Samayoa Sosa, Abogado; Director Ejecutivo, Comisión Presidencial por la Paz y los Derechos Humanos Copadeh, Guatemala

    Amanda Marchena, Coordinadora de Asuntos Religiosos, Gobierno del Estado de Sonora, México

  • Germany

    Room 205

    Watch in English
    Watch in German

    Moderator:
    Holly Lesan, Coordinating Editor, Law and Religion: National, International, and Comparative Perspectives; Coordinator, ICLRS Young Scholars Fellowship, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Brigham Young University, United States

    Speakers:
    Michael Gwosdz, Spokesman for Religious Policy, Green Parliamentary Group in the Hamburg Parliament, Germany

4:00 – 4:15 PM

  • Break

4:15 – 5:45 PM