The history of the ICLRS and its commitment to help nations find solutions aligned with each country's values
Whether by providing expert reviews of draft legislations and constitutional proposals, or organizing conferences and events every year, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS) at BYU in Provo has made it the center’s mission to secure the blessings of freedom of religion and belief for all people, according to the organization’s official website. Since its beginning in 2000, the ICLRS has continued to be a global academic leader in the education of the interrelationship of law and religion, but the organization’s past achievements and goals stretch deeper and farther than its academic networks.
Origins in Berlin
Brett Scharffs, director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, said though the ICLRS officially began on Jan. 1, 2000, its roots go farther back to the fall of the Berlin Wall when the communist governments in Eastern Europe were transitioning to democracy. Cole Durham, founding director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, was the secretary of the American Society of Comparative Law during the time and found himself with an opportunity to help with the transition, said Scharffs. He said Durham helped them as they were drafting new constitutions and new laws to regulate religious organizations. “He was at the forefront of the effort to help them draft laws that would facilitate freedom of religion in those countries, and it was from those early efforts that the center emerged,“ Scharffs shared.
As per an article by Mary Lynn Bahr Johnson in the Winter 1998 issue of Y Magazine, Durham received an invitation to teach in Hungary during the Spring of 1991 that brought about a remarkable change in his teaching experience and the future of his career.
Durham shared, “I had been teaching students whose primary worries were what their jobs were going to be, what their starting salaries would be, and so forth. And all of the sudden I found myself with legal students whose questions were, ‘How do we remake our world?’ This had a major impact on me.”
As found on the its official website, Durham then launched the International Center for Law and Religion Studies within the BYU Law School in 2000, as he saw the need to establish an “institutional base to give greater support to his work.” Since then, the center has continued to proclaim the “security of the blessings of freedom of religion and belief for all people” as its mission, according to the website.
Chair of the Religious Freedom and Human Dignity (RFHD) Initiative at BYU-Hawaii Jennifer Kajiyama Tinkham, director of Legal Studies and adjunct professor of political science, said one of the most powerful lessons she learned from Durham is influence does not require a loud voice.
“His quiet, steady leadership, especially in high-stakes international settings, demonstrated that integrity, preparation and kindness can open more doors than force ever could,” she said.
Tinkham said she observed Durham brought comparative research, empathy and a sincere desire to help each country find solutions aligned with its values instead of just arriving with answers. “That completely changed how I understood law, not as a tool for imposing ideas but as a path toward dignity and peace,” she shared.
The beginning of change
Tinkham said the ICLRS was still relatively young when she was still a law student at BYU but was already making a significant impact. “My twin sister, Nicole Kajiyama Holmes, who was also attending BYU Law, introduced me to the center during my first year, and we immediately felt at home,” she shared. She said as graduates of BYU–Hawaii, they were naturally drawn to the center for promoting religious freedom and cross-cultural understanding.
“In today’s world, where political instability, religious tensions and cultural misunderstanding are increasing, organizations like ICLRS are not only important but also absolutely essential,” Tinkham shared. She said the center brings together voices from different faiths, countries and legal systems with a unique combination of academics, governments, NGOs and businesses. Rather than having a one-size-fits-all model, the center helps counties and communities find solutions that reflect their own unique values and uphold the universal principles of human dignity and freedom of conscience, she shared.
Tinkham witnessed this powerfully during a symposium session featuring a Roman Catholic priest from the Philippines, a Muslim representative from an interfaith organization in Singapore, and Christian leaders from churches and nongovernmental organizations in several countries, she said. She shared how their faiths guided them to build peace and promote interreligious cooperation in their countries. “That kind of exchange does not happen by accident. It is the result of trust, dialogue and mutual respect cultivated by conferences hosted by the ICLRS,” she said.
Today, having organized more than 1,000 events in more than 50 countries and contributing directly to law reform, constitutional drafting and global scholarship, the ICLRS has grown significantly, Tinkham shared. “Yet what inspires me most is despite its impressive growth, the heart of the center remains the same. It continues to honor the dignity of every voice, builds lasting friendships across differences, and remains committed to the belief that religious freedom is essential to peace, prosperity and human development,” she said.
[Scharffs and Durham] legacies are not only found in scholarly journals or global conferences but also in the lives of students like me who carry forward their vision with deep gratitude and resolve.
The mission to educate
Scharffs said the center was created to promote religious freedom for citizens of nations across the globe. “We do that by trying to create networks of scholars and religious leaders and government officials who are interested in religious freedom for all people, in all places,” he shared. He said the center completes its mission through scholarly work, conferences and publications and supporting law reform efforts around the world.
“We believe education is really the key,” he shared. Scharffs said when they identify and help people who are interested in teaching about the interrelationship of law and religion and the freedom of religion, these people become educators who will teach the rising generation of students around the world, creating a multiplying effect in countries everywhere.
Scharffs said they try to focus first on students, creating educational programs around the world. “We run certificate-training programs in places like China and Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia. We love partnering with places like BYU–Hawaii where we can work with the students,” he shared. He said they run a program for young scholars at Oxford University, where they bring professors who are interested in teaching about law and religion to help them become qualified to teach courses on law and religion in their own home countries around the world.
Tinkham said students and faculty from BYU—Hawaii annually attend the center’s two flagship conferences: the International Law and Religion Symposium and the Religious Freedom Annual Review. Remarking how these events have opened doors and opportunities for attendees, she said one student from Tonga was able to connect with a delegate from his home country and secure an internship at the Tongan Parliament, and another student from the Philippines gained a research opportunity after meeting a panelist at the symposium. “These moments are life changing. They allow students to build meaningful connections that lead to opportunities to return and serve in their home countries through internships, employment or graduate school opportunities,” she said.
Leaders and legacies
Tinkham recalled her experiences working with Scharffs and Durham, and how these lifelong mentors and dear friends have made an impact on her and the field of law and religion. “Their legacies are not only found in scholarly journals or global conferences but also in the lives of students like me who carry forward their vision with deep gratitude and resolve,” she said.
Scharffs and Durham invested in their students through genuine care, and their examples have shaped how Tinkham teaches, mentors and hopes to lead, she said. “My life was changed because of their influence,” she shared. Tinkham said she remembered Scharffs saying, “It is my hope that a fundamental, universal belief in the worth of souls can help build the bridges that need to be built, bring empathy where there is only apathy or worse, and begin to move society toward a brighter, more unified future.”
When the RFHD Initiative was still in its early developing stages, it was Scharffs that Tinkham reached out to, she said. “I was nervous and unsure if he would even remember me. Not only did he remember, but also he responded with warmth, generosity and genuine enthusiasm,” she shared. Tinkham said Scharffs encouraged them to dream big and believed the potential of their students. Now, they cohost international conferences and send students to ICLRS events every year, and it was Scharffs’ belief in them that helped transform their organization into something truly impactful, Tinkham shared.
Centers of strength
Tinkham said the center has been one of the most generous and impactful partners of the RFHD Initiative, as it co-sponsors the annual RFHD conferences. She said because of the center’s support, students and faculty have also participated in regional conferences around the world including in Indonesia, Malaysia, India and New Zealand. “They have gained valuable experience in diplomacy, legal reform and international collaboration while also deepening their ties to their home countries and cultures,” she said.
“We chose BYU–Hawaii because of the Religious Freedom and Human Dignity Initiative here and because of the students who are here,” said Scharffs. He said the partnership with RFHD began three years ago, with the plan to create a conference that focuses on the university’s centers of strength, which are the countries that the students come from. He said their hope is to institutionalize the conference and to see the attending delegates meet with students from the countries they are drawn from.
“BYU–Hawaii is uniquely situated to have an outreach to Asia and to the Pacific areas,” he shared. He said they focused the conference two years ago on Northeast Asia, the islands of the Pacific last year, and Southeast Asia for this year. He said their plan is to focus on South Asia or Indo-Asia next year.