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Slide 1. Canterbury, Strasbourg or the Council of Europe, there are different values related to culture, ideology and history. The work of represen>ng ICCS at the Council of Europe has several facets and the purpose of this interven-‐>on is to present the work of this INGO at the Council of Europe. There will be other exposés by Robert Jackson and Peter Schreiner. Remember that ICCS is the intereuropean Commission on Church and School. The Council of Europe has introduced a process of encounter with the religious organisa>ons. Never-‐theless the context is more or less laïque. The term refers to the las of 1905. The old laïcité, involved some disagreement with the church, but the new laïcité is perceived as crea>ng a neutral space for different convic>ons.
Slide 2: This is a brief descrip>on of how the Council of Europe works.
Note that crea>onism is more oNen used of biblical literalism than of the philosophical problems related to crea>on.
Council of Europe work is, generally speak-‐ing, good, but the Council of Europe is not a centre for religious philosophy.
Issues implicit in this slide are cross-‐religious or non religious. They are less in-‐terreligious.
Slide 3: We have been engaged with the Commit-tee of Ministers through the colloquies, e.g. that at Durres at the beginning of September 2012.
We have had some hand in drafting reports, e.g. that on creationism.
The CPLRAE is involved in the encounters. The President is Keith Whitmore from Manchester.
The INGOs speak for themselves. The Court of Human Rights touches on religious issues.
ICCS at the Council of Europe : corollaries, opportunities and questions:
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Issues includeCreationism, Education, Hate speech, Religious freedomDialogue with and among the religions
Interests of the Council of Europefirst decade of the twentieth century
A few points of information !
The Court of last resort in Europe is in StrasbourgThe Court of Human Rights has given judgement about :•Religious education (e.g. Folgero v. Norway),•Crucifixes in Italian Schools (Lautsi v. Italy)•Religious dress (e.g. Leyla Sahin v. Turkey)•Transsexual marriage Goodwin v. UK
StructureCommittee of MinistersParliamentary AssemblyCPLRAEINGOsCourt of Human Rights
Fundamental ValuesPluralist democracyHuman RightsRule of Law
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Committee of MinistersThe Colloquies with the religious organisations/on the religious dimension
Parliamentary AssemblyReports on religious issues
CPLRAEGods in the city : ISBN 978-92-871-6384-4
INGOsThe Religious Dimension of Intercultural DialogueHuman Rights and ReligionFora
Court of Human RightsJudgements : see previous page and www.iclrs.org
The Roles and Contributionsof the Players
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Slide 4• There is a widespread assump>on that Council of Europe values, especially the three classic pluralist democracy, human rights and the rule of law are universal values. That is probably right, but there may be other universal values not yet iden>fied.
• In the Council of Europe's language there are religious convic>ons and universal values. • We shall come back to religion and values. The dis>nc>on is important. In the context of plurality, convic>on are equal but not necessarily rela>ve, values, at least universal ones cease to be nego>able because of their universality.
• The issue may not be so simple. Note that human rights repose on human dignity, but the origin of human dignity, which does seem to exist, is open to debate.
The Encounters with the Religions -‐ the last three colloquies: Slides 5-‐7Slide 5: The encounter at Ohrid, which was about the role of journalists and the religions. Ohrid succeeded two somewhat tenta>ve mee>ngs in Strasbourg. In the first such mee>ng, in 2008, there was a certain amount of re>cence. The Permanent Representa>ves (ministers' depu>es) a[ended in force. Some people felt that the mee>ng might be conflictual.
The colloquy in Ohrid looks as though it implies less clarity between religion and its observers than we perceived, say, at Dürres. One observa>on by the journalists was that they might have done be[er at understanding religion if they had had a degree in the-‐ology.
The follow on encounter in Luxembourg (slide 6)spent quite a lot of >me on religion and aatudes to women's rights
In Dürres (slide 7) we were more au fait with religion. We thought about misunderstanding of which there was more or less none, also about causes of conflict, but not about conflict itself. Commi[ed ar>culate convic>on seems to facilitate dialogue in the sense of conversa>on, openness and understanding.
Reasons include an awareness that religion is something of a problem and percep>on of the probléma3que is not confined to relig-‐ion or non religion. For the Council of Europe the aim relates to living together in Europe. It is also interes>ng to look at a religious agenda as well as at the experience of "being religious." If we claim spiritual awareness how would we have explained it if we had been born in another culture (Rabbi Niesenbaum) interpret "Contradic>on" paragraph 1.
At Dürres the President, stopped a defence of the treatment of Pussy riot proposed by a Russian.
Universal Values
This report proposes building on what unites us rather than emphasising what separates us, and underlines the importance of the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue for the promotion of the values that make up the common core of any democratic society. The report points out the importance of education systems in fostering mutual understanding and learning of these values; it calls for enhanced dialogue at local and regional levels and for dynamic collaboration between public institutions, religious communities and groups that espouse a non-religious perception.
On the basis of the findings of the report, the committee proposes: the promotion of a partnership for democracy and human rights between the Council of Europe, the religious faiths and the main humanist organisations; the establishment, to this end, of a stable platform for dialogue, seeking to encourage the active involvement of all stakeholders in action to promote the fundamental values of the Organisation; to associate the European Union and invite the Alliance of Civilizations and, if appropriate, other partners to contribute.
5. These values should bring us together, but it is also important to acknowledge the cultural differences that exist between persons of differing convictions. Differences, as long as they are compatible with respect for human rights and the principles that underpin democracy, not only have every right to be there but also help determine the essence of our plural societies.
9. States have to establish the necessary conditions for religious and convictional pluralism and to ensure effective respect for freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as secured by Article 9 of the Convention.
10. ... States must also reconcile the rights of religious communities with the need to protect the rights of persons with humanist convictions who adhere to these fundamental values.
13. The Assembly reiterates the importance and the function of the education system for knowledge and understanding of the various cultures, including the beliefs and convictions which identify them, and for learning democratic values and respect for human rights. It recommends that states and religious communities review together, on the basis of the guidelines provided by the Council of Europe, the questions regarding teaching on religions, denominational education, and training of teachers and of ministers of religion or those with religious responsibilities, according to a holistic approach.
14. The Assembly emphasises that the principle of state neutrality applies to religious education at school and that according to the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, it rests with the national authorities to pay strict attention that parents’ religious and non-religious convictions are not offended.
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One cannot quite appeal willy nilly to human rights, but they do apply.
Luxembourg 2011MEDIA, CONVICTIONS ET RELIGIONS
« Le rôle des médias dans la promotion du dialogue interculturel, de la tolérance et de la compréhension mutuelle : la liberté d'expression des médias
et le respect de la diversité culturelle et religieuse »
•There are some subtleties (of interpretation). For example the woman is seen to be inferior because she was created secondly (after the man). She is also a companion and helpmeet with the possible implication that she is not an equal. (Gen ii)•So we were reminded that the story in the Quran is similar to that in
Genesis. Nevertheless in the Quran Eve is not seen as responsible for humanity's fall, although one may feel that the woman is physically and intellectually feeble because she is responsible for the fall from Paradise. •Now things have evolved. It was the women who stayed with Jesus so
it is necessary to look again at the texts and to question traditional interpretations.
Whose straightjacket ?
Specifically : the legitimate role of the media. Are there areas in which the media can help women to change their communities from within ? Should feminist rules be imposed or is the real issue human rights ?
Contradiction
Men and women are equal except in their differences. Women cannot be Priests and men cannot be mothers. Those things are gifts to the nature of each.Simplicity in the media. Schools should educate on how to read the media because, as receivers of information, we do not have time. Educate for critical examination. Specific issues raised included polarisation in debates about women on TV. In respect of understanding religion, the Wergeland centre sees its mandate as to work in education, so they train educational personnel and students about how to reflect about themselves.
The difficulty of deciding about religious matters at the political level. One may not like the veil, but many women choose to wear it. Conference in Rome on the role of women as agents of change in the Southern Mediterranean region. Awareness of the political agenda. Political actors in Spain adapted to a system where 40% of the deputies must be women. It is worth asking whether "restrictions" (sic) help to empower women.
Perception and what happens
Why stigmatise Islam? Religious authorities want to impose internal rules (perhaps ?)The disagreements over the ordination of women, gay bishops or women on Mount Athos.Culpability and misunderstanding : the celibacy of a religious is not that of a bachelor - or spinster.
The relationship of women with the media. Is there a place for women in the Europen media? Negative publicity about women. Religious women as parasites in the media.Women made ot look pathetic ! Need for a reference point in common law. A difficult concept, but soap operas now include gays etc. This seems to have an effect on public attitudes.
Perception and what does not happen
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Five colloquies Strasbourg 2008 Strasbourg 2009 Ohrid 2010
Luxembourg 2011 Dürres 2012
The principles:- We share a commitment to democratic, open societies in which there is
a clear separation of church and state, in the old way of putting it, or more positively in which people of all faiths and none work together through discussion and debate, and not power, authority, ex-communication or fatwa, to shape the values of society
- We share a commitment to the EHRC and the balancing exercises that are carried out by the Court of Human Rights. We may not agree with every decision but we respect the rule of law
- We support the norms and standards agreed through the Council of Europe relating to the media and religious liberty
- We recognise the importance of civil society in supporting those standards and commitments by member states
- We want to work in partnership together to achieve change for the better in the way in which we deal with each other as both media professionals and people of faith and commitment
- We agree that everyone deserves protection from incitement to hatred and denigration because they belong to a particular group but believe that God is able to protect himself from blasphemy
- We believe that working in this way will provide deeper security than can be achieved by force of arms or anathema
The challenges- We experience ignorance and see the need for better education and training about matters of faith, belief and non-
belief - We understand the importance of ensuring greater diversity and greater equality of opportunity in employment
within the media- We are aware of the “unconscious bias” that can impact on journalistic judgment and which needs to be
addressed- We wonder whether journalists should take a colour blind test when they deal with belief and religions- We understand the challenge of responsibility rather than the defeat of self-censorship - We see the need for raising standards, supporting journalists in their struggles with media owners to report fairly,
and the importance of media literacy - We are aware of the speed of modern media and its impact, and the fact that the internet can be as much a
hindrance as a help - We wonder why the media can sometimes be complicit in the ways in which extremists seek to manipulate them:
fools who are not fools but use their opportunities to deadly effect - We wonder whether religions work hard enough to explain themselves or to build bridges - We wonder whether the religions have done enough to ask themselves how much of what they assert is cultural
and how much belongs to their core beliefs - We ask whether the great faiths have done enough to articulate what they share in common: what unites rather
than divides - Have all we all done enough to engage civil society to support us in the challenges we have articulated?
Some solutions- Renew the commitment to accuracy, fairness, the right of reply and proper journalistic scepticism, and examine our own bias - Work harder at overcoming ignorance through better educational programmes and training for journalists and religious leaders - Work with our partners in the media to raise standards - Open the doors of the media to a wider recruitment base - Provide a space within public broadcasters for access for those of good faith and belief to share their ideas and faith perspective and to be the place where dialogue is affirmed - Support media literacy programmes so that people both understand how media works but also how they can contribute - As people of many faiths and none, strive to communicate more effectively by meeting people where they are rather than where we want them to be - Commit to transparency and openness - Engage with civil society to implement the Council standards - Commit ourselves to continue the exchange through the Council of Europe 5
Ohrid 2010
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In a number of ways Dürres was the best of the meetings in terms of dialogue and even more of meeting. A reason not yet mentioned was the open spirit of youth. There was an implicit challenge to religious representatives because young people were asking meaning of life questions. This does not really show in the Committee of Ministers' brief report. The young who came to Dürres do their theology more inductively than religious leaders. This is not just academic.
Religions seem to lose people because they ask difficult questions that they will not or cannot answer. They keep some people who don't ask questions. We will need to look at certainty and conviction. But first the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe asks how what we do filters through to the grass roots.
Slide 8: Keith Whitmore is president of the CLRAE argues that it is at the local level that one does very important work on the issue of religion. The reasons are evident, but not perhaps the skills. We were doing this in Preston Lancashire forty years ago. There are other levels of engagement. We ran an event at the Madni Mosque in Bradford following a jury meeting in the EP in Strasbourg. The long term effect is not easy to identify. A Canon at the Cathedral in Bradford which we visited with our mixed faith group told us solemnly that what they did was in Christ's name. There are nearly ninety Mosques in Bradford, (88?).You fascinate me, I want to know you better ...
Working Groups
Human Rights and Religion
The Religious Dimension of
Intercultural Dialogue
Buddhism Christianity
IslamJudaeism
Religion is a complex issue because the Council of Europe must have no engagement but it must recognise that its ambit includes people of conviction :
Une sensibilisation non confessionnelle au fait religieux ainsi qu’aux faits des religions :
• Les faits expérientiels :
• l’appartenance,
• la pratique de la religion
• la connaissance et l’expérience spirituelle
• les aspects philosophiques communs
• les doctrines qui s’exclurent mutuellement
• les conflits non dits qui apparaissent
• l’entente mutuelle
• surtout la bonne reception
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The young are people in the process of becoming. Like runners in a relay race they pass on the flame. Our common values define what is good but some people think that values are relative. Do Values differ from one society to another ? Are values universal ?
Reduction to what is identical (semblable) and the dignity of every human being whatever the tradition (appartenance). Take account of eveyrone in a fair and balanced manner. The foundaiton of religion in general and the foundaiton of JusaeismWhy are we created (each indivdual) ?
Read the founding texts in the Bible : for exemple the tower of Babel. Each human being must be free. What is not transmitted becomes a dead letter. It is for the parents to transmit. Family practice varies from one society to another, but the school is another circle. The capital (sic) role of intergenerational society.
•Youth is not only the future•We are already active in our communities. •The key is mutual trust between the generations. We
depend on experience and wisdom the older generation. •Financial support without controlling us.
Dealing with today's realities. •Support initiatives that spread dialogue. •Education, dialogue and the right to difference. •Importance of the teaching of history•Knowledge, diversity and religious realities today (in
society).
Replace common values by shared ones. There is no opposition between humanist and religious values (humaniste in French), but there is a difference of perspective. Mutual respect rather than tolerance. Mutual development (épanouissement). We need to develop interconvictional groups. Inteconvictional : acceptance of criticism.It is difficult to belong to a religion because
of otherness.We need a common will. How can we hand on our brotherhood (fraternité) ? Three obstacles :
The danger of radical individualism.The danger of refuge in
•identity, •chauvinism, •xenophobia, •fear of the difference of the other
The danger of regarding these values as relative.
Is this Religion ? Dürres : aspects of the debate.
Is this sensible
C’est sensible ? 7
Taizé : How do we express our solidarity ? All these young people are searching for something, but we do not know what it is ... To see that people do not know all about their faith is revealing. I do not feel that I have to protect my faith lest it disappear. We see that something can unite us although we are very different. We can overcome borders. We know that there is something beyond our understanding.
mercredi 3 octobre 12
CPLRAEThe Councilof Local and Regional Authorities in Europe
Keith Whitmore : President in DürresThe point of delivery is local. That is where real dialogue takes place, It is alwo where trouble should be avoided and harmony maintained. Mme Battaini Dragoni (Deputy Secretary General) asks
How do we ensure that our work filters down ... ? CPLRAE participates enthusiastically because theme of this exchange interests us. It brings together intercultural dialogue the engagement of young people in democracy
We need to build communications in our multiethnic communities. support religious freedom where solutions can be found and applied.
Working with young people is essential to the passing on of democratic values. young people are the future but they are the young people of today. They should be allowed to participate fully in the democratic process. We must recognise their role in building democratic societies - work in all fields ... Use Council of Europe's model used in the youth centre - working side by side and by example.
Intercultural (and interreligious) dialogue in our local communities. we propose local or regional participatory bodies intergenerational cooperation.
Establish a political framework and structural environment fthe construciton of the charter is a useful and practical Report of 2009 "A recommendation for intercultural cities".
Young people's frustration about the failure to deliver. Unemployment figures which are developing so dramatically. Age, sex, ethnic orgigin and economic standard Fourfold discrimination.
Activity is, sometimes used for wrong purposes, or even 'kidnapped'. Ensure that young people share the commitment of tolerance and respect for the other. CPLRAE held debate on new forms of activism in the wake of riots. Young Greek spoke of the crisis of values. We have the responsibility to prove that values are worthy if young people are to abide by the rules.
ICCS supportWe ran an event in Bradford with the COJEP : Conseil pour la justice, l'égalité et la paix
Background the Swiss vote on Minarets. Issue Article 9 and religious liberty
An interconfessional jury met in the EP in StrasbourgElected Madni Mosque in Bradford
Places visited
Council of MosquesCathedralMadni MosqueUniversity
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Working Groups
Human Rights and Religion
The Religious Dimension of
Intercultural Dialogue
Buddhism Christianity
IslamJudaeism
Religion is a complex issue because the Council of Europe must have no engagement but it must recognise that its ambit includes people of conviction :
Une sensibilisation non confessionnelle au fait religieux ainsi qu’aux faits des religions :
• Les faits expérientiels :
• l’appartenance,
• la pratique de la religion
• la connaissance et l’expérience spirituelle
• les aspects philosophiques communs
• les doctrines qui s’exclurent mutuellement
• les conflits non dits qui apparaissent
• l’entente mutuelle
• surtout la bonne reception
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Slide n° 9 is in French because translation is not easy. I preside a working party on the Religious Dimension ... Our report is nearly ready. We note our common philosophy, the mutual exclusiveness of doctrines and we get on well but ...
Certain sensibilities surface ... The interest is that we might not notice the problem, because it all seems normal. There are other factors. Ancestral disagreement, politics elsewhere ... Be we ever so reasonable, it is not enough. People care about religion, but they care about other things as well!
Buddhists cannot write about mystery because, if perfection is, even theoretically, possible, there is no mystery. That is interesting and coherent.
Slide 10 : There is a group of Christian INGOs. It is unofficial, it was initiated by the Catholics. Gilbert Caffin, an Orato-rian was President and he was succeeded by Gabriel Nissim. The group has become somewhat more Catholic and some-what more confessional in recent years, but is a forum and it does group together people with serious expertise. Wherever the churches are in the Council of Europe, it is only the Holy See that can claim an official status and that is only as a permanent observer - see Paul Gallagher in A Theology for Europe James Barnett ed. For a better view of this page visit http://www.cingo-strasbourg.eu/coe.htmlhttp://www.cingo-strasbourg.eu/coe.html
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The CINGO
See Cingo Website -
Christian Inspired INGOs
KEKICCSAndanteDecere
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G3i
Interconviction, pluralism, belief, interreligion
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A cette fin, le G3I a-t-il - contribué, au Livre Blanc sur le dialogue interculturel,
notamment sur sa dimension religieuse.
- organisé en octobre 2007, en concertation avec le Conseil de l’Europe, un colloque sur le thème : « Cohésion sociale dans une Europe multiculturelle, rôle et impact des courants de pensée et des religions », dont les actes sont publiés7.
- été invité à contribuer au colloque européen « Laïcité et Droits de l’Homme » organisé dans les l ocaux de l a Commiss ion Européenne par la fédération H u m a n i s t e E u r o p é e n n e à Bruxelles le 16 avril 2008
- été invité à la conférence débat organisée au Parlement européen en mars 2009 sur « Laïcité de l’Union Européenne » pour présenter sa vision8 à partir de son expérience interconvictionnelle et de son travail au sein du Conseil de l’Europe. Les actes de ce colloque viennent d’être publiés.
- organisé le 24 janvier 2012 une journée d’étude avec le soutien de la Direction Générale des Programmes du Conseil de l’Europe sur le thème « Devenir citoyens et citoyennes d ’ u n e E u ro p e p l u r i e l l e : E s p a c e s e t p r a t i q u e s interconvictionnelles », dont les actes sont en préparation.
Le Programme des G3i
Le#programme#comprend#:•Des#colloques#et#de#journées#d'étude#•L’ar9cula9on#entre#la#démocra9e#par9cipa9ve#la #démocra9e#et#représenta9ve.#
•Par9cipa9on# aux# événements #organisés# par# le#Conseil#de#l'Europe#et#de#certains #OING#avec#staEtut#par9cipa9f.##
•Conférence#sur#laïcité#interconvic9onnelleE avec#le#BEPA#de# la#commission#Européenne#qui#a# invité#le#G3i#à#lui#faire#part#de#ses#proposi9ons
E avec#le#Parlement#Européen
Pour#des#renseignements#sur#les#3Gi#E#et#pour#commander#les#textes#disponibles#:
On#peut#visiter#le#site#web#:#www.G3i.eu
Adresse#de#contactFrançois#Becker,##52#rue#de#Verneuil,#75007#Paris01#42#86#13#87
Les buts du G3iL'association a pour objet d’œuvrer au développement de la citoyenneté européenne. Elle favorise un triple dialogue : - international, entre tous les peuples d’Europe,- interculturel, entre toutes les formes de cultures- interconvictionnel, entre convictions athées ou religieuses.
Contributions récentes
Trois#membres#du#G3i#étaient#invités#à#la#Rencontre(2012( du( Conseil(de(l'Europe(sur( la( dimension(religieuse(du(dialogue(interculturel(:«"Prendre"des" responsabilités"pour"l’Europe"de" demain":"Le"rôle" des" jeunes" dans" la" dimension" religieuse" du" dialogue"interculturel"»"
On" était" frappé" par" le" retour" des"religions"en"Albanie,"par"la"construc@on"des" belles" églises," des" la" réouverture"des" Mosquées" et" de" la" réconstruc@on,"et" par" l'harmonie" religieuse." L'Albanie"était"le"seul"état"athée"de"l'Europe."
On"remarque" l'esprit"ouvert"des" jeunes" et" la" volonté"d'écoute"et"de"rencontre"de"l a" pa r t" d e s" t ou s" l e s"par@cipants."
La" représenta@on" des"tradi@ons"religieuses"à"part,"nous"avions"l'opportunité"de"travailler" avec" nos" amis" et" nos" collègues" dont" les"convic@ons" non" religieuses" enrichissent" la" pensée" et" le"dialogue"européen."
Le" G3 i" sou l i gne" l ' impor tance" p r imord ia l e" de"l'interconvic@onnel.""
"
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Nevertheless, there is an internal difficulty. Churches are hierarchical, their leaders are not elected (despite Bishops in the House of Lords). European plurality requires serious encounter and meeting. The G3i, which is seemingly well respected in the Council of Europe, works for interconvictional dialogue. Conviction is different from certainty. The latter is fixed, the former is perceived as evolving. We express laïcité which is a French notion of which the starting point was the separation of Church and State in 1905. The implication is that laïcité provides a neutral space in which people are free to hold convictions. We belong to different convictional positions that include religion and non religion.
It is worth comparing Article 17 of Title II of the EU treaty where the EU has to maintain an open, transparent and and regular dialogue with Churches and religious associations and communities as well as with philosophical and non con-fessional organisations.
In the unlikely event that you know about cricket, arguably the national game of English gentlemen, you might think that we are on a sticky wicket. Perhaps we are, but much less so than we were seventeen years ago. That is the opportunity, despite the challenge.
The changing pattern of INGO work is very complex (and complicated). There would, theoretically, be a welcome in the Council of Europe for a "hard" COGREE, but COGREE is not yet there. Theoretically, again, COGREE would be nearer to the G3i than a religiously sponsored organisation.
This is not in any sense a rallying cry. We need fora which group together people of different convictions, of which the lobbying for a principle but not necessarily an interest. They do exist, but they often have more to do with values than convictions.
NGO Forum: New multicultural challenges: how can NGOS play their part?", Istanbul, 24-25 March 2011Organised by the Conference of INGOs in the framework of the Turkish Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers and in co-operation with COJEP International, the Forum aimed to familiarise participating NGOs with the Council of Europe’s White Paper on intercultural dialogue, to identify good practice of NGO action in the field of intercultural dialogue and to contribute to the work of the Group of Wise Persons on the “Living Together in 21st century Europe – the Pan-European Project”.
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