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Good morning. I recently heard the stories of two Afghan Sikh brothers, Kulvinder and Harinder. They recounted how their father, as well as Harinder’s wife Surpal and three year old daughter Tanya, were murdered in front of them in Kabul Gurdwara by ISIS in March 2020. Their testimony will stay with me forever. The brothers are the subject of a documentary called Baywatana, a Pashto word, that translates to ‘Without a Home and Country’. It details the plight of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, how they suffered discrimination and threats to their places of worship, lost their livelihoods and had to flee the country. Today, there are no Hindus and only nine Sikhs left in Afghanistan. Three are indigenous to Afghanistan and six Sikhs have crossed over from Pakistan, to escape religious persecution they faced there. The brothers were speaking at a conference I attended, on freedom and human rights, convened by the Parliament of World Religions. As I was listening to them speak, it made me think about what it means to practice one’s faith freely in my own society, and how this fundamental right can still create tensions closer to home. In France, from the start of this school year, Muslim girls in state-run schools will be banned from wearing abayas, which are loose-fitting full-length robes. The move has drawn mixed reactions, but many Muslims say they feel stigmatised. In the UK, Christian groups have written to the UK Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights, saying "too many Christians are unable to bring their whole selves to work, and in some cases face disadvantage or discrimination because of their faith, despite laws that should prevent this from happening." Yet, while we must never take freedom of religion for granted, we must also recognise the importance of freedom from religion. A healthy democracy must ensure everyone is protected and feels heard. Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs emphasized unity in diversity by proclaiming. ‘All inhale the same air. All are made of the same clay. The life essence within all is the same.’ The Sikh Gurus repeatedly stressed the equality of humanity but also the need to stand up against oppression against any community. In 1675 Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru laid down his life protecting another religious community from forced conversion. Listening to Kulvinder and Harvinder, and the many examples of persecution of communities in the name of religion was heart-breaking. It’s a reminder that upholding the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as enshrined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, falls to us all, as one human family.