Dr. Dennis de Jong, Former Member, European Parliament

In this latest On the Frontlines of Freedom episode, we share an interview with Dr. de Jong, a former Member of the European Parliament for the Dutch Government who went on to successfully found and build the first working group on Freedom of Religion or Belief in the Parliament.

For over 20 years, de Jong’s personal beliefs and faith has been a driving force for his dedication, research and work in protecting freedom of religion or belief at the government level.  What makes his work so unique is that he was leading these efforts within the European Parliament as a member of the Socialist Party.  During our interview with him, de Jong lets us in on his strategy and approach as he tactfully gained broad support of other MEP’s and foreign diplomats, from “both sides of the aisle”. 

Dr. de Jong served in several Dutch Ministries, until elected to the European Parliament in 2009 and 2014 as his party’s top candidate.

Watch the interview on Hardwired's YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/JY5XLIC-Buo 

Chapters

• 0:00 Dr. Dennis de Jong and the Emergence of a Top Scholar on the Freedom of Religion or Belief
• 11:12 How the Internet has Changed the World and the Freedom of Religion or Belief
• 20:01 Protecting the Freedom of Religion or Belief on a Grassroots Level
• 27:12 Parliament’s First Freedom of Religion or Belief Working Group
• 37:05 Foreign Government Buy-in
• 39:23 When the importance of Religion, Belief, and Conscience is Ignored, People Suffer
• 44:55 Challenges to Building a Diverse FORB Coalition
• 46:55 The European Parliament Must Take Action in the Most Extreme Cases