Religious freedom fellows from nine countries visit Utah faith sites
Visa denials kept nine of 18 invited fellows from Nepal, Pakistan, Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe from attending.
Based on reporting by Deseret News. Read the original story →
A group of religious freedom advocates from around the world has spent weeks in Utah visiting houses of worship and meeting one another in person, many for the first time, Deseret News reported. [1]
The visit is organized by the First Freedom Foundation, which has built an online community of 1,200 people in 79 countries since its 2023 Global Youth Summit for Freedom of Religion or Belief. A subset of 36 fellows from 30 countries has met regularly online. Eighteen tried to come to Utah, but participants in Nepal, Pakistan, Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe had their visa applications turned down by U.S. officials, leaving nine able to attend. [1]
The fellows visited the Utah Islamic Center, Congregation Kol Ami, the Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple, the Church of God and the Cathedral of the Madeleine, and attended the G20 Interfaith Forum. Almost all are religious minorities in their home communities, and some still face danger there. [1]
Mohamad Radwan Al Omar, a lawyer and human rights advocate from Lebanon, said the visit showed him how much people have in common. "Why don't we count the things that unite us and see that they are much bigger?" he told Deseret News. Foundation leader Patrice Pederson said participants kept describing the experience as feeling like family. [1]
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