In July 2023, I had the privilege of meeting remarkable women of faith from various religious communities in the Republic of Georgia: It was during Love Your Neighbor Community (LYNC)’s first women’s engagement event. During the event we shared personal stories and family life and explored the role women play in fostering understanding and multifaith relations. The connections made last year laid a strong foundation, so reuniting this year felt more like meeting friends than strangers.
In preparation for the conference, I researched the status of women in Georgia, uncovering inspiring data. The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security shows Georgia is making significant strides in the areas of inclusion, justice, and security for women. These advancements, particularly in education, financial inclusion, and parliamentary representation, highlight the increasing involvement of women in shaping the country’s future.
While these metrics don’t directly focus on women of faith, they reveal the growing role of women in societal leadership. During our discussions, we explored how women of faith could further contribute to the Covenantal Pluralisms Initiative, particularly in advancing religious freedom and social cohesion. Many women shared their involvement in charitable activities, serving vulnerable populations such as the elderly, incarcerated, and those struggling with addiction. Despite these efforts, there seemed to be limited multifaith collaboration in such charitable work, an opportunity for future growth.
One key observation shared by participants was the noticeable decline in social hostility toward religious expression, including “new religions,” since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Public engagement and humanitarian work no longer require women to hide their religious identities, a sign of decreasing social hostility, indicating progress in religious freedom.
In the discussion of multifaith relationship-building and cross-cultural religious literacy, almost all participants expressed that true progress would be seen when women were equally involved alongside men. This was further emphasized by the results of a post-event survey, where 100% of women showed interest in participating in various cross-cultural religious literacy educational opportunities. However, women’s current involvement in public square discussions was rated as low to moderate, highlighting an area where more work is needed.
My time with these Georgian women of faith reinforced the importance of their leadership in building stronger, more cohesive communities. Their dedication to serving others and promoting religious freedom is inspiring, and I am confident that their voices will continue to shape interreligious and multifaith dialogue, contributing to the development of social cohesion. I look forward to deepening our collaboration and working together to make a lasting impact.
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