Initiatives of Change Netherlands was one of the organizers of the twelfth Interreligious Conference which took place at the Institute of Social Studies in the Hague in November. This annual event started as a small-scale interreligious meeting for international students and has now grown into a conference which draws people of many nationalities from all over the Netherlands.
The students had chosen the theme of ‘Gender, Spirituality and Religion: Endangering or Engendering?’ During the preparation meetings female and male students spoke of how their personal views on feminism and gender diversity often clashed with the more traditional views of their religious communities. At dialogue tables people discussed their personal struggles in relation to religion and gender. ‘I listened to a Muslim woman who shared the beauty and inspiration she gains from her religion,’ said one participant. ‘My eyes were opened.’