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World Interfaith Harmony Week 2026 Expert Panel - Religious Freedom in Pluralistic Societies
Journalists and Writers Foundation JWFRELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN PLURALISTIC SOCIETIES: Collective Responsibility in Countering Discrimination, Hate, and Intolerance February 10, 2026 | 11:00am EST | Virtual World Interfaith Harmony Week offers an important global moment to reflect on peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and shared values across religious and belief traditions. Across the world, societies are increasingly confronted by religious intolerance, discrimination, hate speech, and identity-based polarization. These challenges affect entire communities and undermine social cohesion and peace. While journalists and writers playRead moreShow less
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN PLURALISTIC SOCIETIES:
Collective Responsibility in Countering Discrimination, Hate, and Intolerance
February 10, 2026 | 11:00am EST | Virtual
World Interfaith Harmony Week offers an important global moment to reflect on peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and shared values across religious and belief traditions. Across the world, societies are increasingly confronted by religious intolerance, discrimination, hate speech, and identity-based polarization. These challenges affect entire communities and undermine social cohesion and peace.
While journalists and writers play an important role in shaping public narratives, the responsibility to protect religious freedom and combat hatred rests with society as a whole. Families, faith communities, educators, policymakers, civil society organizations, and ordinary citizens all shape attitudes and behaviors through daily interactions and public discourse.
Convened by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), this panel discussion aims to uphold religious freedom and foster interfaith understanding while countering religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, which is a collective responsibility requiring empathy, dialogue, and ethical engagement from all members of society.
Opening Remarks: Mehmet Kilic, President, Journalists and Writers Foundation, USA
Moderator: Dr. Rajendran Govender, Social Cohesion Advocate, CRL Rights Commissioner, South Africa
Panelists:
- Dr. Rocío C. Rodríguez, Head of the Int'l Affairs Department of Theology, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile
- Dr. Joan H. Serret, Professor, Faculty of Communications, International University of Catalonia, Spain
- Ishka Eraman, Attorney, Vice Chair Hindu Unity Forum of South Africa, South Africa
- Dr. Ali Unsal, Theologian and Writer, Deputy Director, WISE Institute NJ, USA
- Dr. Marcel Israel, Board Member, Religions for Peace Bulgaria, Religions for Peace Europe, Bulgaria
Collective Responsibility in Countering Discrimination, Hate, and Intolerance
February 10, 2026 | 11:00am EST | Virtual
World Interfaith Harmony Week offers an important global moment to reflect on peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and shared values across religious and belief traditions. Across the world, societies are increasingly confronted by religious intolerance, discrimination, hate speech, and identity-based polarization. These challenges affect entire communities and undermine social cohesion and peace.
While journalists and writers play an important role in shaping public narratives, the responsibility to protect religious freedom and combat hatred rests with society as a whole. Families, faith communities, educators, policymakers, civil society organizations, and ordinary citizens all shape attitudes and behaviors through daily interactions and public discourse.
Convened by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), this panel discussion aims to uphold religious freedom and foster interfaith understanding while countering religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, which is a collective responsibility requiring empathy, dialogue, and ethical engagement from all members of society.
Opening Remarks: Mehmet Kilic, President, Journalists and Writers Foundation, USA
Moderator: Dr. Rajendran Govender, Social Cohesion Advocate, CRL Rights Commissioner, South Africa
Panelists:
- Dr. Rocío C. Rodríguez, Head of the Int'l Affairs Department of Theology, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile
- Dr. Joan H. Serret, Professor, Faculty of Communications, International University of Catalonia, Spain
- Ishka Eraman, Attorney, Vice Chair Hindu Unity Forum of South Africa, South Africa
- Dr. Ali Unsal, Theologian and Writer, Deputy Director, WISE Institute NJ, USA
- Dr. Marcel Israel, Board Member, Religions for Peace Bulgaria, Religions for Peace Europe, Bulgaria
