Hundreds of people from all over the world and of various faiths attended the third annual gathering. international religious freedom summitwhich aims to shine a light on religious freedom around the world.
Approximately 200 of this year’s participants were under the age of 25, with the youngest participant being 16 years old. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tan, Youth Chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit, said young advocates have fresh minds and big hearts.
“If we don’t develop our young people now and prepare them to take over the leadership of this campaign of this movement, we won’t get anywhere. [grow]” Tan told FOX News Digital.
Belief in God or a ‘higher power’ rises among young Americans amid coronavirus pandemic: poll
Copies of the Christian Bible, Islamic Koran, and Jewish Torah. ((Photo credit: BSIP/Universal Images Group, via Getty Images))
Kinan Abdelnoah, a student at George Washington University, is volunteering at the summit for the second year.
He told Fox News Digital that there is a need to increase young people’s involvement, especially when it comes to religious freedom.
Kinan Abdelnoah and Ambassador Sam Brownback at the International Religious Freedom Summit.
“We see a lot of advocacy, a lot of advocacy going on around things like human rights in general, and people don’t really like to talk about human rights in particular. yeah. [religious freedom]. This is very good. . . It’s a niche problem happening in the world,” Abdelboh said.
Protests have erupted on college campuses across the United States since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began.
Abdelbol, who is from Syria, says the protests in the country should not be taken for granted.
“I see it as a blessing that they can promote whatever their position is, because in Syria, if you promote either side, you get killed. … In America, we’re lucky. “Freedom of protest, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech. So for me, rightly or wrongly, I think it’s a blessing to have this,” he said.
Protests erupt on college campuses across the US ahead of expected Israeli operation in Gaza
Robert Rehak, Ambassador and Special Envoy for the Holocaust, Interreligious Dialogue and Religious Freedom in the Czech Republic, became involved in religious freedom because he is currently on the “other side” and feels a responsibility to help them. Ta.
This photo taken by an individual not employed by The Associated Press and obtained by The Associated Press outside Iran shows the death of 22-year-old Martha Amini in the custody of moral police in Tehran on October 1, 2022. Iranians are protesting. (AP Photo/Middle East Images, File) (AP)
Rehak was a teenager in the late 1980s. Communist state police visited his school and, after a lecture, told him not to share or talk about his religious beliefs.
“When I came to school, there were two police cars. And… they came because of me. So did I.” [in] It’s dangerous because I heard on the radio that some people were killed. [saw] black [body] bag. . . I didn’t want to be in a plastic bag,” he told FOX News Digital.
Rehak added: “This was my first time.” [experience] . . . [I was] It was actually quite scary because the communists didn’t want anyone to be interested in how they practiced their religion…and then the revolution happened. ”
Chinese pastor who fled communism warns America is sliding into a ‘dark reality’ due to leftist censorship
Palm cross and leaves on burlap background. (St. Petersburg)
Marvin Thomas, CEO of Christian human rights organization CSW and chair of the UK-based Freedom of Religion and Belief Forum (UK FoRB), said he would include younger generations in the conversation. He says that is important.
Mr Thomas said two seats were reserved for people between the ages of 20 and 30 on FoRB’s main board to ensure their voices were not only heard but also included. .
“I’m really passionate about getting young people into this field, because what’s going on in the world is horrible, and the world doesn’t know about this,” he told FOX. He told News Digital.
Students have a right to know this shocking truth about communism
Thomas believes the cause of religious freedom should take a page in the climate movement’s book on how consciousness is shared.
“People my age don’t know how to use social media platforms at all. We need to use all these methods to tell the world that this is horrible. “I’ve been working for years on this issue with people like Greta Thunberg and with the young people who are the face of this issue,” he said.
Climate activists participate in a rally to phase out fossil fuels in New York, Sunday, September 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Brian Woolston)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Annie McKinney, one of the youngest members of the Parliament of the World’s Religions’ board of directors, echoed similar sentiments. There’s a BringBackOurGirls campaign. We saw young people tweeting in droves, but the movement didn’t capture people who were that passionate and interested in those topics. , social media is one important way to tackle it. ” McKinney said.
