EME Conference 2025 Opening Address by IARF President

Description

In his opening address at the 2025 Europe and Middle East IARF Conference, President Prof. George Williams highly commends the EME region as an exemplar, crediting its significant influence and financial support for many of the organization's recent successes, including its vital presence at the United Nations. He reports on IARF's growth with new member groups, such as the Pagan International Federation, and its improved administrative and financial health. The core of his address focuses on the concept of "liberating religion," a shift from merely advocating for religious freedom to exploring the universal, liberative essence within diverse spiritual traditions, a core mission of the new IARF Institute. Prof. Williams powerfully illustrates this concept with the story of Kumu Glen Keela and a persecuted indigenous Hawaiian group, detailing how IARF's direct and indirect support empowered them to break generations of secrecy imposed by American bigotry, share their sacred traditions openly, and ultimately launch a landmark legal case to defend their indigenous worship rights, demonstrating the profound and tangible impact of IARF in combating persecution.