A former official from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom encouraged BYU students to advocate for religious freedom during a Q&A on Zoom.

“The biggest threats to religious freedom don’t come from the Supreme Court and don’t start in Washington,” said Kristina Arriaga, the Commission’s former vice chairwoman. “They start with zoning boards. They start with school boards. They start in local government. They start in small, lower court cases. They start with people being censored or boycotted.”

The BYU Freedom of Religion or Belief Club hosted the online event. During the event, Arriaga answered student and faculty questions on how freedom of religion became a right in the United States and how students can uphold religious freedom in their careers.