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Last Thursday, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for a snap election, meaning Britain will vote on July 4. While the United States is celebrating Independence Day, the U.K. public will be liberating themselves comprehensively, judging by current polls, from an unpopular Conservative government. The activities of ongoing governance and political campaigning will be uncomfortably interwoven in the coming weeks. With elections in the U.K. and the U.S. later in the year, international religious freedom (IRF) policy warrants both the urgent attention of current administrations along with the earnest deliberation of manifesto-drafters and transition teams.
Both the United States and the United Kingdom face the prospect of governments changing hands. Change means uncertainty, but in the current climate it must also represent an opportunity for political and social vision for revitalization. Amid the continued polarization of domestic politics and alarming chaos and disorder of global affairs, it is urgent that incoming Western governments articulate hope and optimism, unity and peace. This might sound idealistic in the modern political context, but in the interest of stability at home and abroad, these ideals must infuse leadership and triumph over cynicism and divisiveness.
Seriously formulated IRF policy has the potential to enjoy broad support and to contribute to a peace and stability that's so desperately lacking. Some might be surprised by this proposition, either because it is seen as a fringe issue or because anything containing the word "religion" must by definition be divisive and controversial. However, if rightly understood and properly prioritized, it is a universal cause for peaceful coexistence, and it has implications for a wide array of primary policy concerns.
At its core, religious freedom is about liberty and human dignity. It does not inherently promote one specific set of beliefs, or any one religious identity, over another. It defends the essential human instinct to pursue ultimate truth, to live freely in accordance with our convictions without any form of coercion or harassment. Religious freedom is done a disservice if it is represented as a uniquely American, Republican, Christian interest. It is not a partisan concern, and it must not be misappropriated by Left or Right to advance domestic cultural specifics.
Religious freedom is a humanitarian matter impacting everyone. Apart from paranoid authoritarian dictators, and cultural Marxists looking to eradicate religion and free thought, everyone else benefits from a society in which they are at liberty. In a world that is plagued by belligerent disunity on matters of culture, values and identity, freedom and peaceful coexistence are surely principles we should fight for at home and promote abroad.
Religious freedom is not only a humanitarian concern but also a strategic interest. It should matter to Western governments and citizens that human beings are pursued, harassed, repressed, and murdered in higher numbers than ever around the world on account of their faith and religious identity. However, should the suffering of peoples alone fail to stimulate concern and action, there are an array of pragmatic reasons to challenge persecution and prioritize religious freedom politically.
Religious freedom is one important foundation stone in flourishing societies. Nations that persecute or fail to defend their diverse religious communities cannot establish meaningfully democratic, and more broadly, rights-affirming governments. They are unreliable international partners for trade and security. Such nations become breeding grounds for extremism that thrive in instability, or they represent threats in their own right to the peace and liberty of their global ideological and commercial competitors. That insecurity spreads across borders destabilizing whole regions, and it contributes to the challenge of mass migration.
It should be noted that religious freedom is an extremely broad and inclusive cause, but it is defined and does have boundaries. It can legitimately overlap with issues including violence against women, the free press, aid, and development, and even climate change, wherever the beleaguered individual or community's religious identity is the critical factor precipitating their experience of suffering and injustice. However, that religion is attendant in the context of any given issue or abuse does not in itself make it a matter of religious freedom. Fresh-faced officials and politicians should beware attempts to misappropriate the cause for unrelated and sometimes antagonistic concerns, more fashionable though they may be.
The U.K. will have a new government in the summer. It is harder to predict who will be residing in the White House at the end of the year. On each side of the Atlantic, our leaders will require proper discernment in relation to this old, old cause, and the vision to innovate and engage effectively. The world desperately needs intelligent and strategic leadership.
Miles P. J. Windsor, based in London, serves in the Middle East Action Team at the Religious Freedom Institute, and he is the advocacy fellow for Global Christian Relief.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
