Snapshot from a virtual IARJ dialogue

The International Association of Religion Journalists (IARJ) is launching a second global series of dialogues with journalists on the challenges of Religion and Politics, especially as these forces affect the human rights of minorities in various regions of the world. This is the first series of dialogues our organization has launched since Uday Basu became the new chair of our IARJ board and Peggy Fletcher Stack became our new interim executive director, as we reported earlier.

Uday Basu moderated this first panel and outlined an approach these complex issues. As he opened this 37-minute panel discussion, Uday told his colleagues: Religion is a system of belief that acts as an anchor holding mortals as they navigate the storm-tossed seas of life. On the other hand, politics is the art of addressing the basic questions of food clothing and shelter. Then, he asked, Is there any connection between religion and politics?

This panel featured journalists from south Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

In the following weeks these IARJ dialogues will move from one continent to another and IARJ journalists will grapple with these burning issues confronting our world, Uday said.

Please, watch the entire dialogue in the video screen below (and then please visit our new IARJ YouTube channel and click to subscribe to be notified when our future dialogues are posted from other parts of the world.)

The participants were:

  • Moderator Uday Basu, IARJ Chair and former coordinating editor of The Statesman in India.
  • Waqar Gillanni, contributor to The News International, Pakistan
  • Indeewari Amuwatte, broadcast journalist, AdaDerana TV, Sri Lanka
  • Priyadarshini Sen, independent journalist, India
  • Mir Afoz Zaman, editor The Politics of Bangladesh, Bangladesh

Here is a recording of that November 12, 2021, dialogue: (After live streaming on our IARJ Facebook page, these dialogues are permanently archived in YouTube. If you prefer, you also can watch this dialogue directly from our YouTube channel.)