US Capital Hosts ‘World’s Largest’ Religious Freedom Summit with Ministers from Over 110 Countries
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the US State Department will host Washington as the venue for the second “Religious Freedom” summit with the participation of ministers and representatives from 115 countries, which according to “Sam Brownback,” the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, is “the largest summit in this field.”
Mr. Brownback stated that 115 ministers and representatives from other countries have been invited to participate in this summit.
The invited ministers to this summit are scheduled to visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum in the US capital on Monday, July 15th.
The official opening of the second “Religious Freedom” summit with the participation of ministers and representatives will be on Tuesday, July 16th. In addition to ministers from other countries, religious freedom activists, organizations, some religious leaders, and civil society activists will also be present at this summit.
“Sam Brownback” mentioned last week on the sidelines of a press conference the status of religious freedom in Iran, saying that the Islamic Republic of Iran has one of the worst records in violating religious freedom. Religious minorities such as Christians, Jews, Baha’is, Zoroastrians, Dervishes, and even Sunni Muslims face harassment, persecution, and imprisonment because of their beliefs.
He said that the Islamic Republic was not invited to this summit and we hope that one day they will accept and say, and we have enough confidence to allow other religions to also have the freedom to operate and work with each other in peace.
This is the second summit of ministers “to advance religious freedom.” The first summit was held in August of last year with the participation of representatives from 80 countries.
At last year’s summit, Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States, mentioned in part of his remarks the violation of the rights of religious activists in Iran and urged the Iranian people to continue their efforts.
Source: Voice of America
