Podcasts about religious freedom center

Charles C. Haynes is vice president of the Freedom Forum Institute / Religious Freedom Center and a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center. Haynes is best known for his work on First Amendment issues in public schools. Over the past two decades, he has been the principal organizer and drafter of consensus guidelines on religious liberty in schools, endorsed by a broad range of religious and educational organizations. In January 2000, three of the guides were distributed by the U.S. Department of Education to every public school in the nation. These are “A Parent's Guide to Religion in the Public Schools,” “A Teacher's Guide to Religion in the Public Schools,” and “Public Schools & Religious Communities.” Haynes is the author or co-author of six books, including First Freedoms: A Documentary History of First Amendment Rights in America, and Religion in American Public Life: Living with Our Deepest Differences. His column, Inside the First Amendment, appears in newspapers nationwide. He is a founding board member of the Character Education Partnership, and serves on the steering committee of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools and the American Bar Association Advisory Commission on Public Education. He chairs the Committee on Religious Liberty, founded by the National Council of Churches. Widely quoted in news magazines and major newspapers, Haynes is also a frequent guest on television and radio. He has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal and on ABC's “Evening News.” In 2008, he received the Virginia First Freedom Award from the Council for America's First Freedom. Haynes holds a master's degree from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate from Emory University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Benjamin P. Marcus is the religious literacy specialist with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute, where he examines the intersection of education, religious literacy, and identity formation in the United States. He is a contributing author in the Oxford Handbook on Religion and American Education, where he writes about the importance of religious literacy education.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Benjamin P. Marcus is the religious literacy specialist with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute, where he examines the intersection of education, religious literacy, and identity formation in the United States. He is a contributing author in the Oxford Handbook on Religion and American Education, where he writes about the importance of religious literacy education.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Benjamin P. Marcus is the religious literacy specialist with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute, where he examines the intersection of education, religious literacy, and identity formation in the United States. He is a contributing author in the Oxford Handbook on Religion and American Education, where he writes about the importance of religious literacy education.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/education

Benjamin P. Marcus is the religious literacy specialist with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute, where he examines the intersection of education, religious literacy, and identity formation in the United States. He is a contributing author in the Oxford Handbook on Religion and American Education, where he writes about the importance of religious literacy education.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Grant helps us understand religious freedom in light of the experience of African Americans, who have found their religious identity, and freedom of expression, suppressed and under assault.

On August 22 as we mark the second International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief Sabrina Dent, Richard T. Foltin, Kristen Lavery, and The Rev. William H. Lamar IV shared their insights on religious freedom. Freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is the protection of the conscience and the free exercise of people’s understanding of the ultimate truth. It is not only a fundamental right but also an individual, institutional, private and public right as well. As enshrined in the First Amendment, the Articles 18,19, and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also protect the rights to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to peaceful assembly and association. However, not every region is always a stronghold of allowing people to live by their core values and beliefs. The rate of ill-treatment against religious institutions, people, objects, or events is increasing significantly. On August 22, 2019, UN General Assembly recognized this by adopting a resolution declaring “International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief”. Upholding these rights and responding to the alarming increase in persecutions of religious people and communities around the world, we believe within the scope of open, constructive, and respectful exchanges at various platforms across local, national, and international levels will be invaluable assets in confronting these ongoing acts of intolerance. To that end, Rumi Forum has invited distinguished speakers to address various dimensions of the topic. On August 20th, our moderator Sabrina Dent and speakers Richard T. Foltin, Kirsten Lavery, and Rev. William H. Lamar IV, will share their insights on highlight mechanisms to prevent unfair treatments towards individuals, communities, and minorities. Moderator: Sabrina Dent, Senior Faith Adviser, Americans United for Separation of Church and State Sabrina is a life-long advocate for human rights and social justice. Throughout her career, she has worked with vulnerable populations including women and children impacted by domestic violence and abuse, youth with mental health and behavioral challenges, and racial and religious minorities. However, she developed a passion as a religious freedom advocate in 2015 when she became a Fellow with the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Freedom. Before joining the AU team, Sabrina worked as director of recruitment and admissions at the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum. Prior to her time at the Religious Freedom Center, Sabrina served as program coordinator for the Doctor of Ministry Program at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University (STVU). Sabrina is the past president of the Interfaith Community of Greater Richmond. Sabrina earned her master of divinity degree and doctor of ministry degree from STVU. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech. Speakers: Richard T. Foltin, Fellow, Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Richard T. Foltin is a fellow at the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum. He served in a number of positions at the American Jewish Committee, most recently as director of national and legislative affairs in the AJC’s Office of Government and International Affairs in Washington, D.C., from 2009 to 2018. Prior to coming to AJC, he was an associate with the litigation department of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, a New York law firm. Mr. Foltin serves on the governing council of the American Bar Association’s Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice and as co-chair of the section’s Religious Freedom Committee; he previously served as chair and co-chair of the section’s First Amendment Rights Committee. Mr. Foltin is a member of the Committee on Religious Liberty, founded by the National Council of Churches and today convened by the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum. Mr. Foltin received his B.A. in Political Science from New York University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a member of the bars of New York State, Washington DC, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Kirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Kirsten Lavery is Supervisory Policy Analyst and Team Lead for International Law, Africa, and Latin America for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Prior to joining USCIRF, Ms. Lavery worked at the Public International Law & Policy Group and provided legal and policy assistance to civil society representatives in conflict and post-conflict states. Her work focused on transitional justice and human rights documentation, as well as legal and policy reforms to advance human rights protections. Ms. Lavery has also worked on a range of international legal issues at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the UN Office of Legal Affairs, the UN Office of Human Resources Management, and the International Narcotics Control Board. Ms. Lavery previously practiced law in the New York office of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, where she focused on international criminal investigations. Through her pro bono practice and prior clinic work, she has experience representing clients in immigration proceedings, including in asylum cases based on religious persecution. She holds a B.A. in Government and Spanish from Franklin & Marshall College and a J.D. with a specialization in International & Comparative Law from Tulane University Law School. Rev. William H. Lamar IV, Pastor, Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church The Rev. William H. Lamar IV is pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. He previously served Turner Memorial AME Church in Maryland and three churches in Florida: Monticello, Orlando and Jacksonville. He is a former managing director at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. While he continues to advocate for his community of Washington, D.C., you can find Rev. Lamar fueling his faith by proudly supporting the Poor People’s Campaign, the Washington Interfaith Network or every Sunday at pulpit of AME Church. Lamar is a graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Duke Divinity School. He is the co-host of "Can These Bones," the Faith & Leadership podcast.

Gene Policinski joins Tim to talk about the First Amendment and how it continues to influence American society. He’s a Senior Fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum and he’s President of the Freedom Forum Institute. In this conversation, Gene details how the First Amendment has shaped America and will continue to do so, as long as it is protected. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/First_Amendment_Final_auphonic.mp3 First things first. Let’s start this episode with the actual words of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is almost like four rights in one. It protects the freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of the press for all citizens. It also protects citizens’ right to peacefully protest and to petition the government. The newly formed country adopted the First Amendment in 1791 along with nine other amendments.  These 10 amendments defined the first iteration of the Bill of Rights, which is the founding document that protects the civil liberties of citizens under U.S. law. More amendments would follow in America’s long history. The First Amendment was conceived in 1787.  That’s when the nation’s founding fathers met in Philadelphia to create the new U.S. Constitution. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton were two of the key players in this effort.  They led a group dubbed The Federalists. There was a group of anti-federalists who opposed the ratification of the initial draft of the constitution.  They believed that the original document gave the federal government too much power over the states.  One of the leaders of this group was Patrick Henry of Virginia. Patrick Henry argued that the Constitution did not have proper protections for citizens’ individual rights. There was a debate, and the group came to realize that in order to ratify a new Constitution, to get everyone’s support, they had to adopt a Bill of Rights with a series of amendments to the Constitution. We all know who drafted the Declaration of Independence. That was Thomas Jefferson. But do you know who wrote most of the original Bill of Rights?  That was federalist James Madison. The Bill of Rights came to be during the 1st United States Congress, which met from 1789 to 1791.  The President of the United States at that time was George Washington. It’s not hyperbole to say that there has not been a time in American history when the First Amendment wasn’t critical to how the country addressed and overcame nearly every major challenge it faced. Gene Policinski is a senior fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum and the president of the Freedom Forum Institute.  He has devoted much of his working life to the study and the interpretation of those iconic 45 words. Links Freedom Forum First Amendment Center Freedom Forum Institute Constitution Annotated Story Behind the First Amendment, History.com Landmark First Amendment Cases, Judicial Learning Center About this Episode’s Guest Gene Policinski Gene Policinski is president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute, which includes the Religious Freedom Center, the First Amendment Center, and NewseumED. One of the founding editors of USA Today, he oversees all programs of the Freedom Forum Institute and also is a longtime proponent of diversity in journalism as an essential element of a free press. A veteran multimedia journalist, he also writes, lectures and is interviewed regularly on First Amendment issues. In 1996, he joined the Freedom Forum, the foundation that is the principal funder of the Newseum and Freedom Forum Institute.

Gene Policinski joins Tim to talk about the First Amendment and how it continues to influence American society. He's a Senior Fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum and he's President of the Freedom Forum Institute. In this conversation, Gene details how the First Amendment has shaped America and will continue to do so, as long as it is protected. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/First_Amendment_Final_auphonic.mp3 First things first. Let's start this episode with the actual words of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is almost like four rights in one. It protects the freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of the press for all citizens. It also protects citizens' right to peacefully protest and to petition the government. The newly formed country adopted the First Amendment in 1791 along with nine other amendments.  These 10 amendments defined the first iteration of the Bill of Rights, which is the founding document that protects the civil liberties of citizens under U.S. law. More amendments would follow in America's long history. The First Amendment was conceived in 1787.  That's when the nation's founding fathers met in Philadelphia to create the new U.S. Constitution. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton were two of the key players in this effort.  They led a group dubbed The Federalists. There was a group of anti-federalists who opposed the ratification of the initial draft of the constitution.  They believed that the original document gave the federal government too much power over the states.  One of the leaders of this group was Patrick Henry of Virginia. Patrick Henry argued that the Constitution did not have proper protections for citizens' individual rights. There was a debate, and the group came to realize that in order to ratify a new Constitution, to get everyone's support, they had to adopt a Bill of Rights with a series of amendments to the Constitution. We all know who drafted the Declaration of Independence. That was Thomas Jefferson. But do you know who wrote most of the original Bill of Rights?  That was federalist James Madison. The Bill of Rights came to be during the 1st United States Congress, which met from 1789 to 1791.  The President of the United States at that time was George Washington. It's not hyperbole to say that there has not been a time in American history when the First Amendment wasn't critical to how the country addressed and overcame nearly every major challenge it faced. Gene Policinski is a senior fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum and the president of the Freedom Forum Institute.  He has devoted much of his working life to the study and the interpretation of those iconic 45 words. Links Freedom Forum First Amendment Center Freedom Forum Institute Constitution Annotated Story Behind the First Amendment, History.com Landmark First Amendment Cases, Judicial Learning Center About this Episode's Guest Gene Policinski Gene Policinski is president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute, which includes the Religious Freedom Center, the First Amendment Center, and NewseumED. One of the founding editors of USA Today, he oversees all programs of the Freedom Forum Institute and also is a longtime proponent of diversity in journalism as an essential element of a free press. A veteran multimedia journalist, he also writes, lectures and is interviewed regularly on First Amendment issues. In 1996, he joined the Freedom Forum, the foundation that is the principal funder of the Newseum and Freedom Forum Institute.

Webinar recording from June 9, 2020. The discussion focused on how scholars of religion can share work related to the study of religion and this election season. Co-presenters were David Campbell, professor at the University of Notre Dame; Iva E. Carruthers, general secretary of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference; Robert P. Jones, CEO and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute; Terrence Johnson, associate professor of religion and politics at Georgetown University; Vincent Lloyd, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University; and Melissa Rogers, visiting professor at Wake Forest University Divinity School. The webinar included a presentation and extended Q&A. This webinar was hosted by the Public Scholars Project, a joint initiative of the Public Understanding of Religion Committee of the American Academy of Religion and the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum. Webinars feature scholars and practitioners who can provide tools, resources and recommendations for presenting in a variety of settings (e.g., social media, news, public events and community gatherings) about a range of topics. The Public Scholars Project created this webinar series to help scholars hone their skills at communicating with a variety of publics. To view the complete webinar schedule for the 2019-20 academic year, including recordings of previous webinars, please visit our webpage: https://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/resources/psp/

Covid 19 and Religious Freedom Richard Foltin, Senior Scholar for Religious Freedom, at the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum, discusses the impact of restrictions on religious freedom, and the propriety of specific enforcement against religious dissenters.

Covid 19 and Religious Freedom Richard Foltin, Senior Scholar for Religious Freedom, at the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum, discusses the impact of restrictions on religious freedom, and the propriety of specific enforcement against religious dissenters.

For our first edition of "Interfaith-ish Goes to the Movies", we review the new documentary 'Hail Satan?' Jack hosts an all-star panel, including Sabrina Dent of the Religious Freedom Center, Charles Watson Jr of the BJC, Derek from the Capital Area Satanists, and interfaith ish-tronaut Miranda Hovemeyer. We dive into religious liberty claims, confronting notions of Christian supremacy, and whether Satanists are welcome at the interfaith table. Plus an interview with filmmaker Penny Lane about her experience with The Satanic Temple. For more info about the film 'Hail Satan?' https://www.hailsatanfilm.com For more info about our guests' organizations: Capital Area Satanists http://capitalareasatanists.org BJC https://bjconline.org Religious Freedom Center https://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org

Contact info She can be reached at CharismaSpeakers@gmail.com or HarryWalker.com Bio: Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook (Ambassador Sujay) An International Influencer, international influencer, Business owner, Communications expert, Diplomat and Faith leader, Hon. Suzan Johnson Cook was the first female and African-American to hold the position of U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom. Nominated by Secretary Hillary Clinton, and appointed by President Barack Obama, she was the principal advisor to the President of the United States and Secretary of State, for religious freedom globally. Having all l99 countries in her portfolio, she integrated religious freedom into the foreign policy and national security discussions, and worked to empower women leaders around the world. She represented the United States in 28 countries and more than l00 diplomatic engagements, bringing faith leaders and women to the Religious Freedom table. Additionally, she has been the faith advisor to two U.S. Presidents, three cabinet secretaries, as well as political and celebrity leaders. She served as President Bill Clinton’s only faith advisor on the historic “President’s Initiative on Race”. In 2016, she was the only woman to run for NY’s 13th Congressional district, and most recently served as Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Religious Freedom Center at the Newseum in Washington DC. · Honorable Suzan Johnson Cook was the first female and African-American to hold the position of U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom. Nominated by Secretary Hillary Clinton, and appointed by President Barack Obama, she was the principal advisor to the President of the United States and Secretary of State, for religious freedom globally. · A Bold, transformative, leader, Her Mantra is to: Strategize, Monetize, Organize, Globalize!! · She can be seen frequently on her segment Let’s Talk Live on ABC. She also appears on CNN, MSNBC, FOX and ABC TV. She served Harvard’s Divinity School as an Officer, Associate Dean, and Faculty member for three years, as a President’s Administrative Fellow. Her alma mater, Union Theological Seminary, awarded her with the UNITAS and Trailblazing awards, as well as the Activist Scholar Fellowship for two years. She owns the only Black female owned, global professional speakers bureau. · She is also the Founder of Pro Voice International, a movement for women of color leaders not only to LEAN IN at the table but also to GET IN to have a seat at the table. It is a Faith Feminism movement, including, involving and impacting women of color, especially Blacks, Latinas, Asian and Native Americans. · Ambassador Sujay helps people who are ready to accelerate success globally, execute with excellence, and interested in personal and professional growth, development and transformation.. She’s got poise, personality and a proven track record. A “Leader’s Leader”, she gets the job done. Education and Excellence are her keys. · Ambassador Sujay has given more than 3,000 speeches and is connected worldwide. · Additionally, she has been the faith advisor to two US Presidents, three cabinet secretaries, as well as political and celebrity leaders. She has been featured on Good Morning America, Today, Good Day NY, NY1 and CNN. · Suzan Johnson Cook is the proud mother of sons Christopher and Sam. She lives in Washington, DC. and New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hugging imams in public, lying to avoid bad desserts, and other awkward anecdotes... This week, Jack welcomes Dr. Sabrina E. Dent of the Religious Freedom Center at the Freedom Forum Institute and Usra Ghazi of America Indivisible to talk about religious liberty and literacy, but also just as importantly, to laugh. Learn more about: Religious Freedom Center https://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org America Indivisible https://www.americaindivisible.org ISPU's American Muslim Poll https://www.ispu.org/american-muslim-poll-2019-predicting-and-preventing-islamophobia/

Today, we bring to you a recent wide-ranging conversation exploring the HBCUs as a response to and product of coloniality, sovereignty of the black imagination, the philosophical roots of Black Thought/Black Study, and the impetus of evolving black institutions (back) to becoming a maroon space with Corey Walker and Josh Myers. Dr. Corey Walker is a visiting professor at the University of Richmond. He collaborates with campus and community partners on research, teaching, and public programming on the University's recently acquired Wyatt Tee Walker collection. He is also Senior Fellow in Religious Freedom at the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute in Washington, D.C. An accomplished academic leader, Walker served as vice president and dean of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University just prior to coming to the University of Richmond. Other leadership roles he has held include serving as founding dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, Business, and Education at Winston-Salem State University, chair of the Department of Africana Studies at Brown University, and inaugural director of the Center for the Study of Local Knowledge at the University of Virginia. A dedicated teacher and scholar, Walker has served as a member of the faculty at the University of Virginia, Brown University, Winston-Salem State University, and Virginia Union University. He was also visiting professor at the Historisches Institut at Friedrich-Schiller Universität Jena in Germany and non-resident fellow at the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. Dr. Walker is author of the book "A Noble Fight: African American Freemasonry and the Struggle for Democracy in America," editor of the special issue of the journal Political Theology on the theme “Theology and Democratic Futures,” and associate editor of the award-winning SAGE "Encyclopedia of Identity." He has published over 50 articles, reviews, book chapters, and essays appearing in a wide range of scholarly journals. He co-directed and co-produced the documentary film "Fifeville" with acclaimed artist and filmmaker Kevin Jerome Everson. Walker's scholarship focuses on the complexities of religion, philosophy, history, memory, culture, and public life. In addition to being a valued member of the Africa World Now Project & AfricaNow! collective and its affiliates, Dr. Josh Myers is currently an Assistant Professor of Africana Studies in the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University. In addition to serving on the board of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations and the editorial board of The Compass: Journal of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations, he works with the DC area collectives, Positive Black Folks in Action and the Nu Afrikan Cultural Vanguard. His research interests include Africana intellectual histories and traditions, Africana philosophy, critical university studies, and disciplinarity. His work has been published in The Journal of African American Studies, The Journal of Pan African Studies, The African Journal of Rhetoric, The Human Rights and Globalization Law Review, Liberator Magazine, Decolonization: Indigeneity, Knowledge, and Society, Critical Ethnic Studies, and Pambazuka, among other literary spaces. His book, “We are Worth Fighting For: The Howard University Protest of 1989” is forthcoming. Our show was produced today in solidarity with the Native/Indigenous, African, and Afro Descendant communities at Standing Rock; Venezuela; Cooperation Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi; Brazil; the Avalon Village in Detroit; Colombia; Kenya; Palestine; South Africa; and Ghana and other places who are fighting for the protection of our land for the benefit of all peoples!

Charles C. Haynes is vice president of the Freedom Forum Institute / Religious Freedom Center and a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center. Haynes is best known for his work on First Amendment issues in public schools. Over the past two decades, he has been the principal organizer and drafter of consensus guidelines on religious liberty in schools, endorsed by a broad range of religious and educational organizations. In January 2000, three of the guides were distributed by the U.S. Department of Education to every public school in the nation. These are “A Parent's Guide to Religion in the Public Schools,” “A Teacher's Guide to Religion in the Public Schools,” and “Public Schools & Religious Communities.” Haynes is the author or co-author of six books, including First Freedoms: A Documentary History of First Amendment Rights in America, and Religion in American Public Life: Living with Our Deepest Differences. His column, Inside the First Amendment, appears in newspapers nationwide. He is a founding board member of the Character Education Partnership, and serves on the steering committee of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools and the American Bar Association Advisory Commission on Public Education. He chairs the Committee on Religious Liberty, founded by the National Council of Churches. Widely quoted in news magazines and major newspapers, Haynes is also a frequent guest on television and radio. He has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal and on ABC's “Evening News.” In 2008, he received the Virginia First Freedom Award from the Council for America's First Freedom. Haynes holds a master's degree from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate from Emory University.

Benjamin P. Marcus is the religious literacy specialist with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute, where he examines the intersection of education, religious literacy, and identity formation in the United States. He has developed religious literacy programs for public schools, universities, U.S. government organizations, and private foundations, and he has delivered presentations on religion at universities and nonprofits in the U.S. and abroad. He has worked closely with the U.S. State Department, Interfaith Youth Core, the Foundation for Religious Literacy, and the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme in the United Kingdom. In February 2018, Marcus was accepted as a Fulbright Specialist for a period of three years. As a Specialist, he will share his expertise on religion and education with select host institutions abroad. Marcus chaired the writing group for the Religious Studies Companion Document to the C3 Framework, a nationally recognized set of guidelines used by state and school district curriculum experts for social studies standards and curriculum development. He is a contributing author in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook on Religion and American Education, where he writes about the importance of religious literacy education. In 2015 he served as executive editor of the White Paper of the Sub-Working Group on Religion and Conflict Mitigation of the State Department's Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group. Marcus earned an MTS with a concentration in Religion, Ethics, and Politics as a Presidential Scholar at Harvard Divinity School. He studied religion at the University of Cambridge and Brown University, where he graduated magna cum laude.

On September 13th, Dr. Katayoun Kishi, Research Associate at Pew Research Center, presented her findings from the ninth in a series of reports by Pew Research Center analyzing the extent to which governments and societies around the world impinge on religious beliefs and practices. To measure global restrictions on religion in 2016 – the most recent year for which data are available – the study, released in June 2018, ranks 198 countries and territories by their levels of government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion. Speaker: Katayoun Mirfendereski Kishi is a research associate at Pew Research Center. She oversees the Center’s annual study on global restrictions on religion. Her previous work has included research on topics such as identity politics and religion, international conflict, survey research, and food security. Before joining Pew Research Center, Kishi held positions at the United States Institute of Peace and the office of the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland. She earned a doctorate in government and politics, with a concentration in comparative politics and quantitative methodology, from the University of Maryland. Moderator: Kristen Looney is director of the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute. Kristen works closely with the President of the Freedom Forum Institute to full the mission of the center and to oversee the day-to-day operations of the following four program areas: Educating Leaders, Promoting Civil Dialogue, Engaging the Public, and Transforming Schools. From 2012 to 2016, Kristen was the head of programs and partnerships for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in the United States. Previously, Kristen served as chaplain and department chair of religious studies at St. Paul’s School for Girls in Baltimore, Maryland and St. Timothy’s School in Stevenson, Maryland. Prior, Kristen served as clergy in parishes in Florida, California, and New York. Kristen is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Maryland. She is an awarded graduate of Yale Divinity School (M.Div.).

How do we live together as one nation of people with so many different religious faiths? Kristen Looney of the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute shares her insights.

Benjamin P. Marcus is the Religious Literacy Specialist with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute, where he examines the intersection of education, religious literacy, and identity formation in the United States. Join Commonweal Executive Director Oren Slozberg in conversation with Ben on the subject of religious studies in the educational system. Benjamin P. Marcus has developed religious literacy programs for public schools, universities, U.S. government organizations, and private foundations, and he has delivered presentations on religion at universities and nonprofits in the U.S. and abroad. He is a contributing author in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook on Religion and American Education, where he writes about the importance of religious literacy education. In 2016, Marcus was awarded a grant from the Germanacos Foundation to write lesson plans about religion for public secondary schools and to convene a regional conference on religious literacy pedagogies with teachers, administrators, subject matter experts, and professional consultants. He earned an MTS at Harvard Divinity School and studied religion at the University of Cambridge and Brown University, where he graduated magna cum laude.

April 21, 2016 | To many Americans, ISIS is a terrorist organization responsible for deadly plots in Paris and Brussels, for beheading Westerners, and for threatening America's security. The U.S. government has also recently declared the group a perpetrator of genocide. In the summer of 2014, ISIS committed genocide and crimes against humanity against ethnic and religious minorities in Ninewa province in Northern Iraq. The group forced more than 800,000 people from their homes and deliberately destroyed shrines, temples, and churches and kidnapped or killed hundreds, likely thousands, of people. ISIS decimated millennia-old communities, irrevocably tearing the social fabric of the once-diverse region. Distinguished experts in law and human rights discussed the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's latest Bearing Witness report on Iraq, which documented crimes against Yezidi, Christian, and other ethnic and religious populations in Northern Iraq. Panelists talked about the atrocities, analyzed current conditions in Iraq, and assessed future risks to civilians in the region. This event took place in the Newseum's Annenberg Theater, located at 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001. This event was co-sponsored by the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, and the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute.

Charles Haynes, founding director, Religious Freedom Center, Newseum Institute, discussing the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recent report concluding that discrimination laws trump religious freedom.

Charles Haynes

ALSO AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbaIUxpR9Yg Research shows that 9 in 10 of all news reports about Muslims, Islam and organizations are related to violence – war or terrorism. In fact, most Muslim newsmakers are warlords or terrorists. Alarmingly, media representations of Islam were worse in 2015 than any other time since 9/11. Are such portrayals representative of today’s global realities? Are Muslims simply over-sensitive? Are concerns with media depictions of Muslims and Islam in the West reflective of a liberal culture obsessed with political correctness? If not, are there opportunities for change? Moderator: Engy Abdelkader, Faculty, Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Speakers: John Esposito, Founding Director, Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University; Arsalan Iftikhar, The Muslim Guy; Dalia Mogahed, Director of Research, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. Special thanks to the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute for making this session possible. Read more on this panel at http://www.newseum.org/event/islamophobia-in-focus-muslims-and-the-media/

Attend this workshop to get an overview of how Google's tools can help you research stories, fact-check, find what's trending, and locate and quickly visualize useful datasets. The workshop will highlight: advanced Google Search techniques and refinements, Google Trends, Google Public Data Explorer, and more — to ensure you're fully covered on how to fully uncover things. Speaker: Samaruddin Stewart, Project Lead, Verified Pixel, SPJ-Google News Lab. Moderator: Brian Pellot, Director of Global Strategy, Religion News Foundation. Sample of Google News Lab tools: https://newslab.withgoogle.com/lessons Special thanks to the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute for making this session possible.

What are some of the top international religion stories we’re missing and how can we bring those stories home in ways that serve our editors' and audiences' needs? Leading journalists share practical ideas. Speakers: Tom Gjelten, Correspondent, Religion and Belief, National Desk, National Public Radio & Yonat Shimron, Managing Editor, Religion News Service. Moderated by Brian Pellot, Director of Global Strategy, Religion News Foundation. Special thanks to the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute for making this session possible.

With Rachel Leslie, Advisor for Public Diplomacy and Outreach, Office of Religion and Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Leslie works for Shaun Casey, the Special Representative for Religion and Global Affairs to Secretary of State John Kerry. She’ll discuss the office’s work on policy and refugees, particularly. Special thanks to the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute for making this session possible.

With various states enacting laws giving rights to some while restricting the rights of others, the idea of religious liberty is back in the news today. We will talk today with one of the nation’s greatest authorities on religious liberty, Charles Haynes, director of the Religious Freedom Center in Washington, DC.  We will talk about the essential freedom guaranteed by the 1st Amendment, what it means, and what it doesn’t mean.  I hope you’ll listen to this podcast to learn more about an issue that will certainly be part of November’s election, and to find out how you might learn more about this important freedom.