International Center for Law and Religion Studies

The International Center for Law and Religion Studies has announced the 2010 Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, to be held 3-6 October at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School in Provo, Utah. This year's Symposium will address the topic "Religion in Contemporary Legal Systems." Participants will be invited to address such subthemes as the following:

• "Regulating Religious Speech and Symbols"
• "Islamic Practice: Differing Experiences"
• "The Religion Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights"

Please check back soon for more information.

Participating via teleconference from the United States, ICLRS Director W. Cole Durham, Jr. will testify concerning Indonesia's blasphemy law at a session of the Indonesia Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi) in Jakarta in March 2010. Recognized as a world expert in this matter, Professor Durham will speak during a Court session on a civil society petition for a review of the blasphemy law, in response to a request by seven non-governmental organizations:  the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation; Imparsial, the Community Advocacy Studies Institute; the Indonesian Legal Aid Union; the Association of Human Rights and Democracy Study Centers; the Setara Community Association; and Desantara Foundation.

The 16th Annual Conference of the International Society for African Philosophy and Studies (ISPAS) will take place in Legon, Ghana, on 17-19 March 2010.  The conference theme is "Culture and Justice in the Contemporary World," and it is organized in collaboration with the University of Ghana’s Philosophy Department and its Faculty of Law under the co-chairmanship of Professors Kofi Quashigah (Law) and Helen Lauer (Philosophy). The conference will examine "the validity of international standards in our multicultural and diverse world," asking the question, "Is justice possible in a world where there are diverse standards, ... [more]

International Law and Religion Center Director W. Cole Durham, Jr. has been invited to participate in a panel on defamation of religion and freedom of speech during the Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy, to be held 8-9 March 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland. Organized by an international coalition of human rights NGOs and meeting under the auspices of Mr. Lech Walesa, former President of Poland, and Mr. Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic, the Summit "plans to offer dissidents and human rights activists from around the world a global platform and forum to share their personal struggles, their fight for freedom and equality, and their vision for how to bring change." 

A conference on "Religion, Law and Governance in Southeast Asia: Comparative Legal Perspectives," sponsored by the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS), the Faculty of Law of the University of Malaysia, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies of Amity University, and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU, was held 29-31 January 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Representing the Center at the conference were ICLRS International Advisory Council members Linda Nearon, Duane Madsen, and Erlyn Madsen, Director W. Cole Durham, Jr., Managing Director Robert T. Smith, and Associate Director Brett G. Scharffs.

The ... [more]

The International Center for Law and Religion Studies is pleased to announce the release of the casebook Law and Religion: National, International, and Comparative Perspectives, co-authored by ICLRS Director W. Cole Durham, Jr. and Associate Director Brett G. Scharffs and published by Aspen Publishers / Wolters Kluwer Law & Business. Developed for use in English-speaking law-school courses, the work is a dynamic combination of international and domestic materials, designed to stimulate discussion of familiar and sensitive issues of conflict and debate in a global context. "Timely and incisive," the casebook "makes a valuable contribution to the study of Law and Religion, Church and State, International Human Rights, Comparative Constitutional Law, and First Amendment Law."

Ten years ago, on January 1 of 2000, Brigham Young University established the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. The formal establishment of the Center built on years of work we had done at the law school and abroad and was undertaken to promote scholarship and further knowledge in the field of law and religion. Growing from small beginnings, the Center has emerged as a recognized leader in the field of religious freedom, both at the national level in the United States and internationally. Center faculty have provided testimony before the U.S. Congress and have contributed to the drafting of laws and constitutions in numerous countries across the globe. Work in the United States has included Congressional testimony in support of draft legislation and participation in numerous conferences in the ... [more]

The "Conference on Religion, Ethics, and Peace: Honoring the Career of Professor David Little," co-sponsored by Harvard Divinity School and the Kroc Institute for International Peace at the University of Notre Dame, was held on November 13-14, 2009 at the Harvard Divinity School in Boston.  The conference, organized in honor of David Little, retiring Professor of the Practice in Religion, Ethnicity, and International Conflict, brought together leading scholars in the fields of religious ethics, religion, and human rights, and international peace studies to pay tribute to a scholar of great distinction and abiding influence.  A keynote lecture was delivered by John Witte, Jr., Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law and Director of the ... [more]

The St. Thomas More Society of Utah presented its First Annual Religion and the Law Program: "Reconciling Religious Values with Professionalism and Civility" on Thursday, November 5, 2009, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) at the Law and Justice Center, 645 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, Utah. The program focused on the blending of spiritual beliefs with professionalism, civility, and professional responsibility. The panel discussion was moderated by Professor W. Cole Durham, Jr., Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University. Panelists included Alan Bachman, Assistant Utah Attorney General; Michael Lee, partner at Howrey LLP; Father Mike Sciumbato, Parish Priest at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church; and (Sensei) Michael Zimmerman, partner at Snell and Wilmer, former Chief Justice of the Utah State Supreme Court.

ICLRS Advisors for Latin America, Gary B. Doxey (Center Associate Director) and Scott R. Isaacson (Senior Fellow and Executive Director for Latin America) traveled to Santiago, Chile, to attend an International Seminar, "Right to Freedom of Belief 10 Years after the Enactment of Law No. 19.638 [The 'Chilean Law of Worship'] on Legal Constitution of Religious Entities." The seminar, held 29-30 October 2009 at the Santiago Campus of the University of Talca, was organized by the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, University of Talca; the Faculty of Law, Catholic University of Valparaiso School of Law; Catholic University of Chile Law School; and the University of the Andes. The seminar was sponsored by the Chilean Ministry of Justice National Bureau of Religions Affairs (SEGPES), the ... [more]

Professor W. Cole Durham, Jr., ICLRS Director and member of the OSCE Advisory Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief, moderated a roundtable discussion—"Defamation of Religions:The Relationship between freedom of expression and freedom of religion"—held at the United Nations Headquarters on 28 October 2009. The meeting was co-sponsored by NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief, The BYU International Center for Law and Religion Studies, and The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. In addition to Professor Durham, the discussion featured Dr. Peter Petkoff of Oxford University, Nasser Weddady of the American Islamic Congress, ... [more]

ICLRS Director W. Cole Durham, Jr. traveled to Volgograd, Russia, to participate in a "Dialogue between the State and Religious Associations in Contemporary Culture," an international conference held 20-23 October 2009 and sponsored by the Expert Council under the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia, the Administration of Volgograd Region, Volgograd State University, The "Knowledge" Society of Russia (an All-Russia Public Organization), The Volgograd Branch of the Scientific and Educational Cultural Society, and the Association of Researchers of Religion.  Along with Andrei E. Sebentzov, Executive Secretary of the Commission on Religious Associations of the Government of the Russian Federation and State Councilor of Russia 1st Class, Professor Durham was part of the plenary ... [more]

ICLRS Associate Director Elizabeth Sewell presented a paper, "State Funding and Autonomy of Religious Groups," in the opening session of the international conference "Financing of Churches and Religious Societies in the 21st Century," held under the auspices of the Minister of Culture of the Slovak Republic, on 14-15 October 2009 in Bratislava, Slovakia. The conference was designed in part to provide comparative experiences on financing of churches to assist Slovak government officials in drafting changes to that country's system of financing of religious groups.  It was attended by scholars, religious leaders, and government officials from Europe, Russia, Japan, South America, and the U.S.  For more information about this conference ... [more]

Texts and summaries of some presentations from the 16th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, as well as audio and video recordings of sessions held in the J. Reuben Clark Law School's Moot Court Room, are now available on this site. In addition, photo memories of the Symposium and related events are available as slideshows. To view these items, please click the links below.

This year's Symposium brought together in Provo, Utah, more than 80 scholars, judges, and government and religious leaders from 44 countries to discuss challenges and successes in implementing principles of freedom of religion or belief worldwide. The Symposium convened Sunday evening, 4 October 2009, at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School, where delegates and other participants in the Moot Court Room as well as those accessing the live stream of the session available through this website, were pleased to witness the bestowal of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies' Distinguished Service Award for Religious Freedom upon Senior Judge J. Clifford Wallace, Chief ... [more]

The International Center for Law and Religion Studies was pleased to honor Senior Judge J. Clifford Wallace of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit with the 2009 Distinguished Service Award for Religious Freedom, presented Sunday, October 4, during the opening session of the 16th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium. "Judge Wallace has contributed to the growth of strong judiciaries in many parts of the world, particularly in Asia," notes ICLRS Director, Professor W. Cole Durham, Jr. "He has been a remarkable judge, a remarkable friend of democracy and democratization, and a great friend of human liberty. And this is part of a much broader pattern in his life. We are grateful that we have been able to work for so many years with such a devoted friend and ... [more]

The Center was pleased to receive and hear from this year's distinguished experts, whose contributions created a truly exceptional Sixteenth Annual International Law and Religion Symposium. We extend our deepest appreciation to the more than 80 esteemed scholars, judges, legal experts, and government and religious leaders from more than 44 countries who were willing to travel to Utah to be with us, and who now join a prestigious group of more than 800 past Symposium participants in our continuing dialogue about matters most urgent to freedom of religion and belief worldwide. The Center also expresses gratitude to this year's Student Executive Committee and many other students of Brigham Young University who provided invaluable help in organization, transportation, and translation. And we thank our colleagues at the Law School, the Law School's excellent technical staff, and our many friends, some of whom traveled long distances to be with us during the Symposium to act as hosts for the delegates and in many other ways to provide invaluable assistance to the success of this year's conference.

The Keynote speakers at the opening session of 16th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, 4 October 2009, have devoted their careers to the cause of human rights. Anastasia Crickley, Chair of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, is Head of the Department of Applied Social Studies at National University of Ireland Maynooth, which plays a leading role in education and training for social justice and rights work. The Honourable Mr Justice Pius Nkonzo Langa [more]

Each year in preparing for and carrying out the International Law and Religion Symposium, the Center relies upon a great number of student volunteers, most of them from the J. Reuben Clark Law School. This year approximately 100 students, supervised by ICLRS Director of Publications Christine Scott and organized under a student Executive Committee, have assumed responsibility for coordinating such aspects of the Symposium as transportation, informal translation, and other organizational logistics. The Center recognizes and thanks this year's student volunteers and gives special thanks to the [more]

The Center was pleased to hear during the closing plenary session of the 16th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium in Provo on 6 October 2009 remarks by Michael K. Young, President of the University of Utah.  President Young is a graduate of Harvard Law School and was clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist. Before coming to the University of Utah, he was Dean of the George Washington Law School, Director of Columbia University’s Japanese Legal Studies Center, and U.S. Ambassador for Trade and Environmental Affairs. Among many other positions, he also served as the chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which experience served ... [more]

Representing the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, David M. Kirkham, Senior Fellow for Comparative Law and International Policy and Regional Advisor for the European Union, addressed freedom of conscience concerns at the conference "Exploring Dimensions in Countering Ideological Support for Terrorism" at the Royal Jordanian National Defence College, Amman, Jordan, 28-30 September 2009. Co-sponsored by the Defence College and the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, the conference explored efforts by nations to delegitimize the culture of violence that often informs the thinking of ideological extremists. Dr. Kirkham addressed, among other things, concerns of government overreach in efforts to contain extremism. While reaffirming the need for ... [more]

Dear Friends,

Autumn 2009 signals for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies the beginning of a new era in communication with our colleagues around the world. This year, for the first time, we offered a live stream of the opening addresses of our Annual International Law and Religion Symposium.  We also announce improvements in our written communication.  For more than a year the Center has been updating and modernizing its websites and developing a new proprietary software that permits electronic newsletters to be created from information already posted to any of our four sites. With these new and expanding capabilities available to us, we wish to solicit your active input on timely matters affecting international law and religion.  Our ... [more]

The Center is pleased once again to enjoy the association of former Managing Director Gary B. Doxey, recently released as President of the Mexico City South Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Professor Doxey will be be affiliated with both the Law School and the Department of History at Brigham Young University and will assume a role with the Center as an Associate Director and Regional Advisor for Latin America.  Before coming to work at the Center, Professor Doxey served under Governor Olene S. Walker of Utah as chief of staff,  head of the cabinet, and chief operating officer of the executive branch.  Prior to that, he served six years as ... [more]

The Center is grateful for its new association with Gayla Sorenson and Donlu Thayer, who have accepted roles as volunteer Senior Fellows working with website development and content. Gayla in addition will be extensively involved in the design and recruitment of a volunteer network to identify and address freedom of religion issues on a country-by-country basis, with particular emphasis on a new Center project involving constitutional issues in Nepal. Donlu will assume responsibility for content management of the ICLRS websites, for generating the Center's newsletters, and for projects concerning the European Court of Human Rights. Gayla and Donlu both hold ... [more]

On March 4, 2009, the Center and the family of Wayne C. Durham hosted a recognition dinner in honor of Professor W. Cole Durham, Jr.'s receiving the International First Freedom Award from the First Freedom Center in Richmond, Virginia. Professor Durham joins former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former President of the Czech Republic Václav Havel, and then-Prime Minister Tony Blair in receiving this prestigious award. "This event was intended to thank all of those who have contributed so significantly to the success of the Center. It is altogether fitting that in addition to honoring W. Cole Durham, Jr. for his tireless efforts on behalf of international religious freedom, others should also be recognized for their significant contributions, including Cole's ever-supportive wife, Louise, the ... [more]