Progress and persistence: Putting freedom of religion or belief on the agenda

Forty years ago, I could not have imagined over 700 delegates representing 27 countries gathering in London to discuss freedom of religion or belief. When we formed CSW in the UK, it was something we could only have dreamed of!

There’s no doubt the advocacy movement for freedom of religion or belief has come a long way in the last 40 years – and much of it because of the persistence of CSW’s advocates. But, there is still much more to do.

Mervyn Thomas CMG

CSW Founder President

Making freedom of religion or belief a mainstream issue

We’ve come a long way since the early days of CSW, when only a few MPs and parliamentarians knew about the injustices being faced by countless people on account of their beliefs. Now, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Freedom of Religion or Belief is the largest in parliament, and for a number of years now the UK has had a Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief appointed by the Prime Minister, to ensure the UK government’s commitment to protecting and promoting this right is actively carried out.

The annual Ministerial events held in different countries since 2018, and hosted this year in London, are proof of the high levels of political awareness of freedom of religion or belief at the moment, but what we need to do now is to move from awareness to action, and transition from being a movement to becoming a mass movement.

As The Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro said at this summer’s Ministerial: ‘Freedom of religion or belief must continue to be a mainstream issue. We must not let it sink back to where it was before – largely ignored and overlooked.’

Beyond the crisis: keeping up the pressure when the news cycle moves on

It was incredibly moving to have the opportunity to meet so many members of religion and belief communities at this year’s Ministerial. Hearing the testimonies of victim-survivors and their loved ones renews my motivation, energy and drive to keep fighting with them and on their behalf, even when the situation looks bleak.

Many of the people I met had endured years of suffering, injustice or loss. Their plight continues long after the news cycle has moved on to the next crisis. That’s why I believe CSW’s work is so important, and perhaps even more so in the days of a 24-hour news cycle that moves from crisis to crisis.

We were working on issues such as the Uyghur genocide, the escalating cycle of violence in Nigeria or the plight of the Rohingya Muslims, long before those stories made it into the headlines. In fact, it was CSW’s fact-finding, evidence-gathering and advocacy which prompted the first ever news story on the plight of China’s Uyghur Muslims. And we will keep working on those issues until we see freedom and justice for those communities.

We need to make a concerted, collective effort to ensure crises stay at the forefront of the international agenda even when the news cycle has moved on.

Equipping the next generation of activists

We are at a critical point when political awareness of this issue is at the highest it’s ever been, and we cannot afford to stop now! It’s our job to build on the progress we’ve seen, and keep going until everyone, everywhere, is free to choose, change and practise a religion or belief freely.

That’s why I’m passionate about engaging the next generation of activists, who can carry the torch and keep the momentum going.

On page 12 you’ll read the inspiring stories of some of the young activists joining the movement for freedom of religion or belief, including the story of a young Sudanese activist who was part of CSW’s training programme and went on to inspire and train many more young people as a result.

It’s the resolve, persistence and courage of people like Nour that give me hope that change really is possible.