Dr. Liviu Olteanu, (Ph.D.) the Secretary General of the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty (AIDLR) from Bern, Switzerland, Representative at the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the OSCE., and Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty of the Inter-European Division (EUD).
Aujourd’ hui je suis Brussels!
"All Europe is in shock by the terrorist attacks that took place on 22 of March 2016 in Brussels international airport and at metro of Brussels, with the consequences of dozens of victims and hundreds of people wounded. Today we are all victims and in complete solidarity with Brussels, the capital of Belgium and of Europe.
We strongly condemn the terrorism, the violence and the killing of persons, and we pray and express compassion and solidarity with the Belgium people and the European and international families affected. These barbaric attacks, perpetrated by terrorists, create confusion with regard to fundamental freedoms and religion.
We believe that education and training in the culture of diversity, the inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, the respect and protection of human rights, religious freedom or belief, freedom of expression and the understanding between people, religions and cultures, have to be developed strongly and intensively in Europe and all the world, with the support of different stakeholders - at national, regional and international level - i.e. politicians, religious leaders, diplomats, academia, non-governmental organizations, civil society, mass media.
In the context of present insecurity and panic scenario, the EUD & the AIDLR strongly condemns the terrorism and the violence, and asks the European and international community to be vigilant and to take every necessary precaution regarding the protection of life, dignity of every human being and security of the people.
All of us we need to live in freedom, happiness and peace, enjoying by national and international security; the fundamental freedoms, dignity, peace and security have to be respected and protected everywhere. But according with one international expert, the concept of national security often stands in one recurrent political multipurpose tool, versatile, capable of being adapted to the needs of any state.[1] And due to the fear, insecurity, crisis, confusion, wars, violence and terrorist attacks – as those perpetrated in Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, or perpetrated in Paris, San Bernardino, Ankara, Istanbul, Tunis, other places of the world, and now in Brussels, there is the risk that national security should be used as pretext, political abuse or ‘exces de zele’ against religious people, religious minorities, dissidents and against those who are different by the majority.
As the world has changed and has been produced an obvious progress of security at the expense of freedom, let us not leave the human rights and religious freedom be lower priority and let us not confuse one religion with terrorism. Let us pray and be united and in solidarity with Belgium and European people. Let us be in solidarity and empathy with the refugees, victims of the war and famine from Middle East and North Africa as we support the life and dignity, global peace and sustainable development, fundamental freedoms and security, non-discrimination, freedom of conscience and the principle of and freedom of religion or belief for all people."
[1] B. Buzam, People, States and Fear