The Brussels Office of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) attended a roundtable on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) at the European Parliament, hosted by Member of the European Parliament, Mr. Andrzej Grzyb. Participants were asked to give their views on the Guidelines and the mandate of the EU Special Envoy on the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU, of which Mr. Grzyb is the rapporteur. Other speakers included the Special Envoy of Freedom of Religion or Belief himself, Mr. Jan Figel, the co-chair of the European Parliament, Ms. Mairead McGuiness, as well as other religious and non-confessional organisations.

Representing the Baha’i International Community, Ms. Rachel Bayani touched on a range of points related to freedom of religion or belief in her address. “We need transformative efforts which are at the root of where limitations to freedom of religion or belief emerge. One of these efforts is inter-religious collaboration. And for that collaboration to be lasting, meaningful and wholehearted, religious communities need to have a profound reflection on how they speak about each other, think about each other and work together towards the common good.” She emphasized that, “we need to focus on that which unites rather than divides. Rather than highlighting differences in doctrines, rituals, dress, legal codes, this requires a constant effort to focus on the common purpose of religion, which is to enrich the spiritual life of humanity.”

The final report was adopted by the European Parliament on 15th of January in 2019.