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PANEL: THE POWER OF BELIEF Margaritis Schinas, Vice President, European Commission Archbishop Nikitas, Greek Orthodox Archbishop, Great Britain Fatima Zaman, Advocate, Kofi Annan Foundation Moderated by Farah Nayeri, Culture Writer, The New York Times Each of the distinguished panelists brought with them a unique perspective based on their lived experiences of religious belief, political affiliation and identity within their respective communities. Each of them came with their own way of evaluating and combating intolerance based on belief. Archbishop Nikitas emphasized the importance of religious leaders and their role; removing their personal desires when deciphering divine messages and posited that religious leaders who succeed in this practice are able to manage religious disagreements or conflicts more peacefully and harmoniously than political leaders. According to Archbishop Nikitas, it is the obligation of religious leaders to guide others in “laying down their weapons” and “building bridges in place of walls.” Margaritis Schinas, a Vice President of the European Commission, spoke of the EU’s efforts to oppose acts of hatred and xenophobia through constitutional arrangements and community laws, saying that the antidote to the phenomena of anti-Semitism and xenophobia is “good policies,” which the EU is working on enthusiastically. Schinas regarded the EU as the “epicenter” and world champion of fundamental human rights fighting religious and minority intolerance, and described Europe not as a “bulldozer that imposes its own beliefs on others, but rather as a unique mirror that reflects our diversity, lifestyle, arts, religions, culture, language and history.” Fatima Zaman of the Kofi Annan Foundation described herself as a “hybrid” of multiple identities; a South Asian, a Briton, and a modern Muslim, each of which she says have been at odds with one another at some point in her life. Zaman forcefully disagreed with Schinas’ portrayal of the EU as a safe haven for minorities, citing her own experiences being threatened, bullied and harassed on the streets of Eastern Europe. The best way to counteract this intolerance, Zaman said, is to depoliticize religion and emphasize religion’s common values to bring harmony, to inculcate faith and its importance to the young, and to bring together diverse groups. The least ambiguous concept that arose from this panel was that the power and passion of religious belief cannot be understated or ignored. It must be addressed as explicitly as any policy, and interfaith dialogue is critical to understanding and breaking down intolerance and the violence that inevitably follows. This leads to the recognition of the universality of religious intolerance: it is detrimental to deny the lived experience of those who have been threatened by this hatred. According to the panelists, depoliticizing virtues of religion such as love, peace, goodness and tranquility is a means to prevent the weaponization of religion and move towards unity. Constitutional arrangements that attempt to create unity and tear down intolerance may be in place, but those laws do not immediately become common practice by constituents. The panel left us with this question: Is it the job of political or religious leaders to spearhead this universal struggle against division? The tension between Vice-President Schinas and Fatima Zaman on the topic of religious freedom, discrimination and intolerance is worth noting. It seemed that Schinas was insistent on emphasizing the religious freedom and protection against discrimination offered by the institutions of the European Union. On the other hand, Zaman was clearly stating that the lived experiences of religious minorities did not match institutionalized ideals. As young citizens of the world, we need to figure out the right way to match people's experiences and institutional ideals. The panelists also argued that we should try to depoliticize religion – demolishing our beliefs constructed on hate and rebuilding our faiths with love, tolerance, respect, harmony and humanity – so that it cannot be manipulated to divide. However, it is worth noting that religion, when politicized, has and can be used to unite as well. For instance, the Catholic Church in Latin America helped many countries in the region overthrow and democratize authoritarian regimes. Religious peace-building groups offered a strong unifying force in the Mindanao conflict in the Philippines. A politicized religion can be used to divide, but also to unite. The question one can ask is: Where does one draw the line? In an increasingly diverse world where individuals have diverse religious affiliations, can religion still be a unifying force in the political sense, or can it only foster rancor and resentment? Summary prepared by: Yasir Ali Khan, Forman Christian College Molly Douma, Hope College Mayank Dev Kumar, Denison University .

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