Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antillies …. [ANN Staff]
A new local organization devoted to protecting freedom of religion for all, the Netherlands Antilles Religious Liberty Association, was launched during meetings in Willemstad, Curacao, on Jan. 31. The group is an affiliate of the International Religious Liberty Association, whose headquarters are in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Although islands such as the Netherlands Antillies, where tourism is an important factor in the local economy, are not often thought of in terms of religious liberty, issues are beginning to arise. And while religious freedom was very much a part of the heritage of the Netherlands Antillies, changes are happening. In the neighboring island of Aruba, a law has been adopted to enforce Sunday business closings, and there’s a current political discussion about implementing a similar law in Curacao.
The new president of the Netherlands Antilles RLA is Errol Maduro, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor.
“Here in Curacao we have had religious liberty since the 16th century, but because we have not had to fight for it … it is not in the consciousness of the people,” Maduro said. “We have to make people understand that this is very important.”
Daniel Duffis, president of the Adventist Church in the Netherlands Antillies added “Discussions about Sunday laws are happening in the country now, and we need a national movement to help people understand what this means for religious freedom. This is for all people of all faiths here in Curacao.”
According to Pastor Julio Palacio, regional president of the Adventist Church for Venezuela and the Netherlands Antilles, “We need to maintain high values and principles–and everyone has the right that these should be respected, along with freedom of conscience.”
He said the new local association “comes to fill in this gap, so that freedom of conscience can be respected. It doesn’t matter what religious faith we profess. Religious liberty is important everywhere, not just here in Curacao. We need to educate the people and anticipate the problems of tomorrow, fight to keep the doors open, so that we can freely express our consciences.”
Mario Nino, who heads public affairs and religious liberty for the Adventist Church’s Inter-American region, said the new chapter is “a good thing” for the Netherlands Antillies.
“The main challenge in this region is that many countries provide for religious freedom in their constitutions, but in reality in a practical way, we don’t have it,” Nino told ANN. “So we need to work with governments, universities, and religious denominations to have a united effort for religious freedom for all.” Participating in the meetings was Dr. Jonathan Gallagher, deputy secretary general of the IRLA and United Nations Liaison for the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters.
“It’s a good idea to have religious freedom everywhere,” he said, “especially in smaller nations where a majority religion could otherwise dominate society.”
The IRLA was founded in 1893 by Adventist Church leaders and has developed into a non-sectarian organization dedicated to safeguarding religious civil rights around the world. Nearly 5,150 Seventh-day Adventists worship weekly in 28 congregations throughout the Netherlands Antillies region.
Copyright © 2003 Adventist News Network.
