WASHINGTON, D.C. — Elder Lance Wickman will join Professor Cole Durham, Dean James Rasband, and various international guests at the 2nd Annual International Religious Liberty Award Dinner on October 6, 2011, in Washington DC, hosted by the J. Reuben Clark Law Society and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU.
This year’s International Religious Liberty Award will be presented to Seamus Hasson, the founder of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The Becket Fund is the premier organization in the world for defending in court the right of religious liberty. The day before the dinner, The Becket Fund will be arguing an important case on religious liberty before the United States Supreme Court.
The host committee for the event includes former Senators Gordon Smith and Robert Bennett. Also in attendance will be a number of international delegates from the Center’s annual symposium, which this year is on “Religious Freedom in a Pluralistic Age: Trends, Challenges, and Practices.”
“The International Religious Liberty Award was created to recognize those who protect and promote religious freedom, a right that is increasingly under threat,” explained Ginny Isaacson, DC Chapter Chair of the Law Society.
Michael Merrell, this year’s event chair, noted that “the International Religious Liberty Award was presented for the first time last year to Senator Joseph Lieberman for his role in sponsoring the International Religious Freedom Act and for his many other contributions in protecting and promoting religious liberty. We are pleased to continue the tradition of presenting this important award to another champion of religious liberty.”
The dinner will take place in the historic Mayflower Hotel starting at 7 PM. Rebecca Takemoto and Gene Summers will provide musical entertainment at the award ceremony. An educational program on religious freedom will be presented prior to the dinner at 6 PM. Tickets for the event can be purchased at https://www.jrclsdc.org/dinner/ until Friday, September 30.
Merrell noted that “the Award is part of a religious liberty initiative sponsored by the DC Chapter of the Law Society in cooperation with the International Center for Law and Religion Studies.” Other events include a student writing competition, and a moot court competition hosted by the Society’s student chapter at the George Washington Law School in February.
For more information, please contact Michael Merrell at mb****@gm***.com.