Georgetown Conference: The Future of U.S. International Religious Freedom Policy, 10 October 2008

On 10 October 2008, the Center co-sponsored the third and final conference in a series reviewing the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). This conference, titled “The Future of U.S. International Religious Freedom Policy: Recommendations for the Next Administration,” looked at IRFA and the U.S. international religious freedom policy in the specific contexts of religious extremism, public diplomacy, democracy, civil society, and the law. Professor Cole Durham, director of the Center, moderated the session dealing with U.S. International Religious Freedom and the Law. The sponsors are now working to prepare a paper that can be used by the new federal government administration as it seeks to further religious freedom worldwide. The first conference in the series provided a review of the topic “Why International Religious Freedom? The Origins and Promise of U.S. International Religious Freedom Policy,” while the second focused on “A Decade of U.S. International Religious Freedom Policy: Assessing the Results.” Each of these conferences has been held at Georgetown University, in conjunction with the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, the Council on Faith and International Affairs at the Institute for Global Engagement, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University, Council for America’s First Freedom, Ethics and Public Policy Center, The Federalist Society, Leonard Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life, Council on Foreign Relations, and Human Rights Watch. The generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the Templeton Foundation have also helped, in part, to make this series possible. To see a copy of the program, please visit click here.