Discussion Topic: Why Religious Liberty?

"The possibility of belief in anything logically requires choice in the matter, as one cannot believe in anything without the freedom and ability to disbelieve in it."

~Dr. Abdullahi An-Na'im, Emory University School of Law


Talking about religious liberty can be a pain point for some. Liberty for all not only includes accepting those who want to become part of your religious/philisophical group, but also accepting that some may not want to become a part of your group and may even leave your group if they are currently a part of it.

Our discussion, inspired by an earlier speech about Why Islam and Democracy by Dr. Abdullahi An-na'im, focused on participants' experiences with religious liberty. Religious liberty from several religious perspectives were addressed, as was the fear some groups have of allowing others to talk about varying or different beliefs to their communities. The concept of an "unbeliever" was talked about and how various holy books and philosophical groups define and approach those who are consider outside a particular belief. Several participants had experienced varying degrees of religious liberty and even lived in situations where opposing religious views from the "norm" were punishable by death.

We also discussed how one can be true to one's own beliefs while still allowing for religious liberty. The importance of allowing disbelief in order to allow a person to understand belief in something was also addressed. Keith Ellison, a U.S. Congressman, Muslim and proponent of religious liberty, was discussed and this led to the group talking about belief and living within the standards setup by the U.S. Constitution.

In the end, this lively discussion yielded many points of view and how lucky the participants felt to be part of something where concepts such as liberty, belief and unbelief could be addressed without fear or coercion.

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Referenced in discussion:

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/rel_liberty/index.aspx
http://sharia.law.emory.edu/en/freedom_religion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Ellison_(politician)
http://www.irla.org/index.html
http://www.libforall.org/index2.html
http://quranconference.nd.edu/schedule

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Kelly
American Islamic Fellowship
blog@americanislamicfellowship.com