Freedom of Religion

Our continuing series, Underreported looks at the ways in which international monitoring, foreign policy, and economic allegiances affect the intersection of religion and government policy in countries like Serbia, Turkmenistan, and Belarus. Preeta D. Bansal, the current Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, discusses religious freedom as an important US foreign policy interest, and Peter G. Danchin, Director of the Human Rights Program at Columbia University, explains the role international organizations play in protecting religious rights. Felix Corley of Forum 18—a Norwegian, Christian news service that monitors religious freedom concerns of all faiths—joins them by phone from London. Next up, Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk on his latest book, Snow. The book is set in a remote Turkish village against the backdrop of religious, political, and deeply personal tensions. Then, author David Suzuki focuses on one Douglas Fir tree in his unusual biography Tree: A Life Story. Finally, Norwegian author Lars Saabye Christensen spins a poignant, carnivalesque portrait of family life in his award-winning novel, The Half Brother.