The Islamic State's Religious Cleansing and the Urgency of a Strategic Response
By Hudson Institute
Date and time
Thursday, May 7, 2015 · 9:30am - 3:30pm EDT
Location
The Peninsula Hotel
700 5th Ave New York, NY 10019Description
As military plans are being laid for an offensive to liberate Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, from Islamic State militants, this conference will focus on the policies and strategies urgently needed to help the Middle East’s vulnerable religious minorities.
Leading the discussion will be Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and Hudson Distinguished Scholar Walter Russell Mead. They will be joined by experts from multiple pontifical humanitarian agencies, writers, and noted experts.
Nearly a year after the Islamic State swept through northern Iraq and enforced its convert-or-die ultimatum, tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians and members of other ancient religions remain in encampments in Kurdistan and neighboring countries. They subsist on international humanitarian aid and their children lack access to education. Many are losing hope of ever returning to their homes and, with few options to resettle within the region, many are seeking to leave.
Is there any hope that these Christians and other religious minorities can remain in the Middle East?
PROGRAM
REGISTRATION
9:15 am—9:45 am
WELCOMING REMARKS
9:45 am—10:00 am
Kenneth R. Weinstein
President & CEO, Hudson Institute
Nina Shea
Senior Fellow & Director, Center for Religious Freedom,
Hudson Institute
PANEL I: Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity:
the Islamic State’s Impact on Vulnerable Religious Minority Communities
10:00 am—10:45 am
Mark L. Movsesian
Frederick A. Whitney Professor & Director, Center for Law and Religion,
St. John’s University School of Law
Sarkis Boghjalian
Executive Director of Aid to the Church in Need—U.S.
Michael J.L. La Civita
Communications Director, Catholic Near East Welfare Association
The Reverend Benedict Kiely
Founder, Nasarean.org
REMARKS BY HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN
11:00 am—12:00 pm
His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Archbishop of New York
His Excellency, Bishop Gregory John Mansour
Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
LUNCH SESSION: The Importance of Grand Strategy
12:15 pm—1:45 pm
Walter Russell Mead
Distinguished Scholar, American Strategy and Statesmanship,
Hudson Institute and James Chace Clark Professor, Bard College
Nina Shea
Senior Fellow & Director, Center for Religious Freedom,
Hudson Institute
Kenneth R. Weinstein
President & CEO, Hudson Institute
PANEL II: Policy Solutions: Protection and Reconstruction
or Resettlement for Christians and Vulnerable Minorities
2:00 pm—3:30 pm
Kirsten Powers
Columnist, USA Today and Author,
The Silencing: How the Left is Killing Free Speech
The Reverend Johnnie Moore
Author, Defying ISIS and Co-Founder, The Cradle Fund
Mindy Belz
Editor, World Magazine and author of a forthcoming book on Iraq
Joseph Kassab
President & Founder, Iraqi Christians Advocacy
and Empowerment Institute
Samuel Tadros
Senior Fellow, Center for Religious Freedom, Hudson Institute
9:15 am—9:45 am
WELCOMING REMARKS
9:45 am—10:00 am
Kenneth R. Weinstein
President & CEO, Hudson Institute
Nina Shea
Senior Fellow & Director, Center for Religious Freedom,
Hudson Institute
PANEL I: Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity:
the Islamic State’s Impact on Vulnerable Religious Minority Communities
10:00 am—10:45 am
Mark L. Movsesian
Frederick A. Whitney Professor & Director, Center for Law and Religion,
St. John’s University School of Law
Sarkis Boghjalian
Executive Director of Aid to the Church in Need—U.S.
Michael J.L. La Civita
Communications Director, Catholic Near East Welfare Association
The Reverend Benedict Kiely
Founder, Nasarean.org
REMARKS BY HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN
11:00 am—12:00 pm
His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Archbishop of New York
His Excellency, Bishop Gregory John Mansour
Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
LUNCH SESSION: The Importance of Grand Strategy
12:15 pm—1:45 pm
Walter Russell Mead
Distinguished Scholar, American Strategy and Statesmanship,
Hudson Institute and James Chace Clark Professor, Bard College
Nina Shea
Senior Fellow & Director, Center for Religious Freedom,
Hudson Institute
Kenneth R. Weinstein
President & CEO, Hudson Institute
PANEL II: Policy Solutions: Protection and Reconstruction
or Resettlement for Christians and Vulnerable Minorities
2:00 pm—3:30 pm
Kirsten Powers
Columnist, USA Today and Author,
The Silencing: How the Left is Killing Free Speech
The Reverend Johnnie Moore
Author, Defying ISIS and Co-Founder, The Cradle Fund
Mindy Belz
Editor, World Magazine and author of a forthcoming book on Iraq
Joseph Kassab
President & Founder, Iraqi Christians Advocacy
and Empowerment Institute
Samuel Tadros
Senior Fellow, Center for Religious Freedom, Hudson Institute