Strategic Religious Engagement Hub Advisory Board Member
October 26, 2023
Reflecting on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act, Senior Research Fellow Peter Mandaville and Knox Thames discuss how global persecution continues while domestic battles around religious liberty have become increasingly partisan and high-profile.
Knox Thames is a globally recognized human rights lawyer, advocate, and author who has worked for over two decades to promote human rights, defend religious minorities, and combat persecution worldwide. His 20-year government career spans service under the George W. Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, reflecting a nonpartisan approach to diplomacy. As a reflection of this, he was named the first special advisor for religious minorities at the U.S. Department of State, working under both the Obama and Trump administrations to address persecution in the Middle East and South/Central Asia. Currently, Thames directs the Program on Global Faith and Inclusive Societies at Pepperdine University, a research initiative supported by the Templeton Religion Trust, and is a member of the Strategic Religious Engagement Hub Advisory Board, an initiative hosted by the Georgetown University Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. His book Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom (2024) comprehensively explores strategies to combat religious oppression worldwide. He was also the lead author of International Religious Freedom Advocacy: A Guide to Organizations, Law, and NGOs.
