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On Thursday, February 6th, 2024, the Boisi Center hosted its 5th Annual Wolfe Lecture on Religion and American Politics, titled 鈥淩eligious Nationalism and the Dimming of Religious Freedom.鈥� Dr. Stephen Schneck, who was appointed by President Biden to serve on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), led the event.听听

Schneck began by articulating the danger of religious nationalism. He shared his experiences serving on USCIRF, where he has witnessed extreme suffering, spoken with victims of religious violence, and been blacklisted from certain countries for advocating for religious liberty. He recounted a trip to Myanmar where he met with Christian refugees living in horrific, heartbreaking conditions after Buddhist nationalists executed a genocide against them. These experiences have contributed to Schneck鈥檚 view that we are facing a 鈥済lobal epidemic鈥� of religious nationalism. Throughout the world, there has been an escalation of violence and persecution for individuals and groups believing 鈥� and not believing 鈥� in certain dogmas. Schneck fears that the proliferation of this violence poses a serious threat to contemporary societies and democracy. He believes that religious freedom is vital to the foundation of liberalism and the existence of human rights.聽

Schneck then transitioned to an in-depth discussion of the escalation of religious nationalism in India and Hungary. He mentioned how earlier in the month, India鈥檚 Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a new Hindu shrine that was built where a mosque used to stand prior to being torn down by Hindu nationalists in the 1990s. Schneck described how Modi鈥檚 political party has promoted Hindu nationalism across India, which has led to religious violence towards minority groups. Local and federal Indian government leaders are actively outlawing the traditions and practices of religious minorities, such as banning the wearing of hijabs and interfaith relationships. Schneck noted that a similar crackdown on religious freedom has also been occurring in Hungary. In 2010, Viktor Orb谩n, a right-wing nationalist, became Hungary鈥檚 Prime Minister. Drawing on anti-immigration sentiments, Orb谩n has employed rhetoric and implemented policies discouraging religious freedom. Although Hungary has had consistently low church attendance rates, Orb谩n鈥檚 leadership has redefined Hungary as a strictly Christian nation, leading many Hungarians to embrace a nominally Christian identity and jeopardizing the security of religious minorities. Schneck contrasted the rise of religious nationalism in India and Hungary, showing the different uses of the tool by right-wing politicians. In India, Hindu nationalism was inherent to the rise of Modi鈥檚 party, while in Hungary, it has been a tool used to consolidate political power. Both examples of religious nationalism have resulted in unsafe conditions for religious minorities.聽

Before transitioning to an engaging question-and-answer portion of the event, Schneck concluded his lecture by urging audience members to join him in the fight to save religious liberty. Given the recent rise of religious nationalism around the world and the grave threat it poses to democracy and human rights, the defense of religious liberty is vital. However, Schneck noted that extreme polarization and the 鈥渞ecent association of religion with the political-right鈥� has prevented 鈥渓iberal defenders of human rights鈥� from joining this cause. Schneck concluded that we urgently need this to change, as the preservation of religious liberty is vital for the preservation of human rights.聽 聽