Forum on Religion, Migration, and Foreign Policy

Experts from government, civil society, and academia met to discuss various issues related to the foreign policy impact of growing religious diversity due to immigration. Topics covered by the panelists in their presentations and then during the Q&A period varied widely. They ranged from the persecution of Hindus by Muslims in Bangladesh and their subsequent pursuit of asylum-seeker-status in the US and elsewhere; the relocation of Soviet Jewry in the US and Israel, and the status of Muslim minorities in Western Europe. This event was cosponsored by The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, the Luce/SFS Program on Religion and International Relations, and the Center for the Study of International Migration.

The Panelists

Ms. Ishani Chowdhury - Executive Director, Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
Dr. Helen Rose Ebaugh - Professor of Sociology, the University of Houston
Mr. Mark Hetfield - Senior Vice President for Policy & Programs, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
Mr. Cem Özdemir - Member, European Parliament