Statesmanship and Religious Freedom(SaRF) Program Series

This week, the Catholic University in Erbil collaborated with and co-hosted, along with University of Kurdistan Hewler (UKH), RFI’s first-ever Statesmanship and Religious Freedom Seminar series in Erbil. 

The program series, “aims to cultivate in the emerging generation of global leaders the knowledge, skills, virtues, and vision to pursue political leadership for the common good.” 

The SaRF Seminar has been held in places such as Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia (USA) and London (UK). The seminars “bring together interactive sessions with religious freedom scholars, immersive experiences at world class locations, and meetings with public officials and civil society leaders working to advance religious freedom.” 

Moreover, on April 12, 2023, the first day of the seminar series at CUE campus, topics such as “Human Dignity: The Anthropological Roots of Religious Freedom”, “Why Religious Freedom is Critical to Iraq, its Diverse Communities, and Engagement in the Region and around the World”, and “Promoting Religious Freedom: Diplomats in Conversation”, were raised and emphasized.  Following, welcoming remarks by Dr. Nazar Shabila, CUE President and Dr. Keith Sharp, UKH President were delivered. Followed by a speech on “Building a Vision for the Future: Human Dignity and Religious Freedom” by H. G. Archbishop Bashar Warda, CUE’s Chancellor, and Chairman of Board of Trustees. Also, Ms. Rosy Cave, British Consul General in Erbil, delivered a talk during the seminars.  Furthermore, CUE’s International Relations department was also present for the first seminar, which will be continued until April 15th.