Abstract of the Young Legal Scholar Lecture given by Dr. Emanuel Towfigh
To continue the discussion on the topics that were adressed at the conference.
Following the very interesting discussions still going on, about loyalty to the Government and fighting for rights, this subject bears a lot of potential debates.
One of the most insistent smouldering conflicts in Western societies is associated with the increasing degree of religious plurality. At the turn of the millenium the subject of religious plurality became something of a vogue, with a great deal of attention being devoted to it by academics working in a wide range of disciplines.
Particular interest was roused by the intensifying conflict between the "enlightened" or "Western" world, on the one hand, and the "Islamic" world, on the other, especially in the sphere of (global) politics. Latent antagonism flare up with grim regularity, serving as a painful reminder of the unresolved conflict and preventing our societies from attaining real peace and stability.
The complex of the themes relating to plurality in society, to the state and religion, will undoubtely concern us for some time to come and our ability to secure social stability in the long term will very much depend on a satisfactory solution for this problem being found.
Against this background the presentation considered from a Baha'i perspective the question of how religious plurality in society should be dealt with - even though the Baha'is themselves have neither a clergy no special items of obligatory clothing such as a kippa or headscarf, and although they, as "exotic" but well-integrated individuals, very seldom give cause for worrying about how to deal with religious plurality.
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