By JoAnne Wadsworth

Audrey Kitagawa began the discussion by introducing the work of the IF20 Anti-Racism Initiative and the concept of “Religicide,” which is thoroughly explained in a book recently released by two of the panelists. In that book, Religicide is defined as follows:

“Religicide: A systematic attempt to eradicate a religion, its followers, and its sacred heritage, destroying diverse cultures and Indigenous communities. These diverse attacks include ecocide, factocide, and genocide.”

Kitagawa said that current international legal instruments have gaps that do not cover Religicide, then invited each of the speakers to offer their prepared comments.