Synopsis of the Social Problem
Religious persecution has reached a global crisis and now affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Joint Public Issues Team (2021) defines the issue as “the systematic hostility of ill-treatment encountered by an individual or group because of their religious beliefs” (para. 2). This can imply human rights violations, direct violence, emotional abuse, and bullying. In addition, not only believers can be victims of religious discrimination but those associated with them, including family members, spouses, and even friends. The ethnic and religious cleansings conducted by Nazis during the first half of the 20th century are a horrifying example of the issue and its impact.
Interestingly enough, religious persecution can be tracked all the way down to pre-historic human groups. Certain people denied helping or intentionally hurting others because they were heretics. Unfortunately, based on the recent statistics, the group, which is still the most vulnerable to religious discrimination is Muslims (Warsi, 2020). Due to the fresh memories of highly publicized horrors of Islamic extremism, Muslims are more likely to deal with institutionalized inequities in the way they are treated or protected by authorities.
The primary factors influencing the issue of religious persecution, are the socio-political manifestations of fundamentalism, religious nationalism, and government-supported regulation (Imitiyaz, 2018). Policies that impact religious groups directly include legislative acts, internal corporate regulations and codes, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2021). With the rise of globalization and the growing number of migrants coming to fulfill their own American Dream, the concept of religious freedom is now more important than ever. This is why the suggested policy should be considered as a matter of urgency, which requires thoughtful consideration.
Identification of a Policy
The policy identified in the previous assignment is the International Religious Freedom Act, the purpose of which is to promote religious liberty in the United States. President Bill Clinton has signed the Act into law in 1998. Graver (2018) notes that the Act ensures that the country can intervene in global conflict on the basis of advocacy for individuals who are members of oppressed religious groups. The Department of State, the National Security Council, and other foreign policy commissions are in charge of monitoring the policy (Graver, 2018). Thus, the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 ensures that the U.S. government considers the issue of religious persecution when developing the nation’s foreign policy agenda.
Action to Effect Change
The proposed policy focuses on the implementation of a successful and efficient social change project. The location is the school I am currently enrolled in. The idea behind it is to issue a school-wide approval for the creation of a religious freedom club. Furthermore, members of the club could potentially earn the right to present the appropriate policies for the board’s consideration as representatives of the larger school body concerning the issues of faith, religious expression, and individual liberty. Such a policy is a local effort to involve youth in the conversation surrounding religious liberty as well as advocacy. Young people are the foundation of the nation’s future, which makes it especially important to open their minds up to the world and issues surrounding them (Alteri et al., 2016). The club would hold weekly meetings and organize special events for fellow students as well as members of marginalized communities locally. In addition, the meetings could be visited by distinguished experts in the field of human rights, religious persecution, lobbying, politics, and so on. Apart from that, the club would hold movie-watch gatherings and book discussions related to the subject of religion, faith, persecution, and discrimination.
Plan for Social Advocacy
Implementing the process of approval of the policy proposed in this assignment requires 3 basic steps. Firstly, I have to conduct primary research on the topic of religious persecution, youth activism, and advocacy. This is necessary to ensure the proposal I am going to submit to the school board contains the statistical support needed to convince its members of the urgency and importance of the issue (Adam et al., 2018). Secondly, I must conduct an on-site survey to determine the interest expressed by actual students to participate in the project related to the issue of religious liberty. Thus, I will attach these findings to the proposal in order to demonstrate the relevance of the issue and its potential solution. Most importantly, the survey will serve as a crucial testimonial addition to the calculations and statistics discussed in the first step. The last stage of the plan requires me to draft the final proposal, making sure to include sections on the resources required and the expected impact of the club. The process of creating and operating the club after the policy is adopted includes assembling a team, promoting the project offline and on social media, developing a quarterly plan, inviting the experts, searching for possible organizations to collaborate with, and so on.
Addressing the Social Problem
In order to construct a reliable implementation plan, it is crucial to identify the stakeholders involved and the resources needed in this project. The main stakeholders include the student body, teachers, local authorities, as well as the media. After all, in 2021, it is integral to involve media outlets and influencers, however small and under-the-radar they might be (Jansson, 2018). Implementing the project successfully requires catering to each of the aforementioned groups’ interests and balancing them to achieve a mutually beneficial and advantageous solution.
Continued Policy Advocacy
When it comes to continued policy advocacy, the solution identified for the chosen social problem is on a relatively local level, which means its scope is rather small. Certain efforts, which may take place after the creation of the club include monitoring, evaluation, and potential youth policy advocacy on the community and state levels. It is exceptionally important to identify the strategies and methods of monitoring and evaluating the results of the project (CARE USA, 2018). This is the most crucial part as in order for the club to continue to receive funding and support from the board, it has to demonstrate its effectiveness and long-term impact, in particular.
References
Adam, C., Steinebach, Y., & Knill, C. (2018). Neglected challenges to evidence-based policy-making: the problem of policy accumulation. Policy Sciences, 51(3), 269–290. Web.
Alteri, L., Leccardi, C., & Raffini, L. (2016). Youth and the reinvention of politics: New forms of participation in the age of individualization and precertification. The Open Journal of Sociopolitical Sciences, 9(3), 717–747. Web.
CARE USA. (2018). Monitoring and evaluation for advocacy and influencing: Guidance document. Web.
Imitiyaz, Y. (2018). Three faces of the Rohingya crisis: Religious nationalism, Asian islamophobia, and delegitimizing citizenship. Studia Islamika, 25(3), 504-540. Web.
Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Joint Public Issues Team. (2021). Religious persecution.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2021). Religious discrimination.
Warsi, S. (2020). Why do Muslims experience more discrimination than other faith groups in America. Desert News.