FOR SA repeats urgent call for religious community to speak out on religious licensing report

Freedom of Religion SA this week repeated an urgent call on the religious community to make submissions on the CRL Right’s Commission’s controversial religious licensing proposals by no later than August 21.

“It is absolutely crucial that religious communities make their voices heard on this issue to COGTA [ Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs ], who have invited such representations,” says FOR SA in special alert sent to its constituents and a post on its website.

In the website post, FOR SA executive director Michael Swain accuses the CRL of adopting a high-handed, adversarial approach to addressing the problem of reilgious abuses, and of ignoring attempts by itself and the broader religious community, to work together to address shared concerns.

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He also recommends that the CRL’s final report, which proposes the “unnecessary, unworkable and unconstitutional”  regulation of religion in South Africa, should either be withdrawn or rejected by the COGTA portfolio committee.

‘Thereafter, a national and broadly inclusive process should be initiated to strengthen the accountability of both government and the religious community, which should include better law enforcement and the formulation of a ‘code of ethics’ that all can voluntarily ascribe to and which would amount to true self-regulation of religion.

FOR SA says submissions to COGTA should be made to:
Shereen Cassiem (Secretariat) scassiem@parliament.gov.za
Mzameni Mdakane (Chairperson) mmdakane@parliament.gov.za
Bcc:
Freedom of Religion South Africa legal@forsa.org.za

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In an email sent to its constituents today, FOR SA explains (see below) how to access documents that offer assistance in making submissions:

1. Go to http://forsa.org.za/document-library/ and click on folder CRL Report on Commercialisation & Regulation of Religion.
2. In that folder, you will find available for download all the documents relating to the CRL issue, including particularly:

• “Sample Submission re CRL Report – COGTA”;
• The CRL’s Final Report (the Report is quite substantial and may take a minute or two to download);  and
• CRL Report – Summary of Issues Concerns and Action Steps FINAL.