Nina Shea

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Religious Freedom

Religious Freedom
Nina Shea

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Nina Shea is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Religious Freedom at Hudson Institute.

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Biography

Nina Shea is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Religious Freedom at Hudson Institute. Ms. Shea has been a human rights lawyer for over 30 years. She works extensively for the advancement of individual religious freedom and other human rights in US foreign policy as it confronts an ascendant Islamic extremism, and other authoritarian regimes. She advocates in defense of those persecuted for their religious beliefs and identities and on behalf of diplomatic measures to end religious repression and violence abroad, whether from state actors or extremist groups.

Ms. Shea was appointed by the US House of Representatives to serve as a commissioner on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom seven times from 1999 to 2012. During the Soviet era, Ms. Shea’s first client before the United Nations was Soviet Nobel Peace Laureate Andrei Sakharov. Since then, she has been appointed as a US delegate to the United Nation's main human rights body by both Republican and Democratic administrations. She also served as a member of the Clinton administration's Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad. In 2009, she was appointed to serve as a member of the US National Commission to UNESCO.

Ms. Shea played a leading role in building grassroot support for the adoption of the International Religious Freedom Act (1998). For seven years ending in 2005, she helped organize and lead a coalition of churches and religious groups that worked to end a religious war against non-Muslims and dissident Muslims in southern Sudan. In 2014, she initiated and helped lead a coalition of hundreds of prominent American religious leaders to issue The Pledge of Solidarity for Persecuted Iraqi, Syrian and Egyptian Christians and Other Minorities, which was released by a bipartisan congressional panel on May 7, 2014. In summer 2014, she met with Pope Francis to discuss the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

At Hudson, she has organized conferences for Nigerian schoolgirls and others who survived Boko Haram attacks, Christian converts formerly imprisoned in Iran, Coptic bishops from Egypt, Catholic bishops from China and the Gulf, Muslim scholars, and many others. Ms. Shea advocates on behalf of a broad range of persecuted religious minorities around the world. For such work, she was honored by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA with the Community's inaugural "Ahmadiyya Muslim Humanitarian Award."

She has authored or edited four widely-acclaimed reports on Saudi state educational materials that promote extremist views and in 2011 had an opportunity to travel to Saudi Arabia and speak directly about her findings with the ministers of Education, Justice and Islamic Affairs. Her reports include: Ten Years On: Saudi Arabia's Textbooks Still Promote Religious Violence (2011), Update: Saudi Arabia's Curriculum of Intolerance (2008), Saudi Arabia's Curriculum of Intolerance (2006), and Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Invade American Mosques (2005), all of which translated and analyzed Saudi governmental publications that teach hatred and violence against the religious "other."

She is the co-author of Silenced: How Apostasy & Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedom Worldwide, with a foreword by Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid, the former President of Indonesia and head of Nahdlatul Ulama, the world's largest Muslim organization (Oxford University Press, 2011). Her most recent book, which she also co-authored, is Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2013). She regularly presents testimony before Congress, delivers public lectures, organizes briefings and conferences, and writes frequently on religious freedom issues in leading publications. 

For the ten years prior to joining Hudson, Ms. Shea worked at Freedom House, where she directed the Center for Religious Freedom, an entity which she had helped found in 1986 as the Puebla Institute.

Ms. Shea is a member of the bar of the District of Columbia. She is a graduate of Smith College, and American University's Washington College of Law.

Events
Back to Nina Shea
15
November 2024
Past Event
Martyrs of Communism
Featured Speakers:
Salvatore J. Cordileone
Nina Shea
George Weigel
Marco Novoa
Helen Aguirre Ferre
Moderator:
Maggie Gallagher
Members of the organization Mothers of April hold portraits of their late loved ones outside the Cathedral in Managua on February 23, 2020. (Inti Ocon/AFP via Getty Images)
15
November 2024
Past Event
Martyrs of Communism

A panel of experts will examine common ideology and practices of the repression of churches in China and Latin America.

Members of the organization Mothers of April hold portraits of their late loved ones outside the Cathedral in Managua on February 23, 2020. (Inti Ocon/AFP via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Salvatore J. Cordileone
Nina Shea
George Weigel
Marco Novoa
Helen Aguirre Ferre
Moderator:
Maggie Gallagher
Learn More
18
September 2024
Past Event
Religion in the Crossfire between Russia and Ukraine
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Oleksandr Aliksiichuk
Dr. Maksym Vasin
Lauren Homer
Pavlo Unguryan
Dmitry Bodyu
Dr. Katharyn Hanson
Construction workers climb onto the roof of a destroyed church on January 4, 2023, in the village of Bohorodychne, Donetsk region. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)
18
September 2024
Past Event
Religion in the Crossfire between Russia and Ukraine

An expert discussion about a recent Ukrainian law that seeks to thwart the Kremlin-backed Russian Orthodox Church’s influence.

Construction workers climb onto the roof of a destroyed church on January 4, 2023, in the village of Bohorodychne, Donetsk region. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Oleksandr Aliksiichuk
Dr. Maksym Vasin
Lauren Homer
Pavlo Unguryan
Dmitry Bodyu
Dr. Katharyn Hanson
Learn More
17
July 2024
Past Event
China’s Persecution of Falun Gong at 25 Years
Featured Speakers:
Miles Yu
Dr. Larry Liu
Sarah Cook
Simon Zhang
Levi Browde
Ying Chen
Moderators:
Nina Shea
Cynthia Sun
A Falun Gong demonstrator sits in a cage in London, United Kingdom, on July 18, 2021, during the protest against the Chinese government's persecution. (Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
17
July 2024
Past Event
China’s Persecution of Falun Gong at 25 Years

Join Hudson Institute as expert panels take stock of the Falun Gong crackdown over the past quarter of a century.

A Falun Gong demonstrator sits in a cage in London, United Kingdom, on July 18, 2021, during the protest against the Chinese government's persecution. (Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Miles Yu
Dr. Larry Liu
Sarah Cook
Simon Zhang
Levi Browde
Ying Chen
Moderators:
Nina Shea
Cynthia Sun
Learn More
13
February 2024
Past Event
The Repression of Hong Kong and Heroism of Jimmy Lai
Featured Speakers:
William McGurn
Frances Hui
Nina Shea
Hong Kong media tycoon and Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai is escorted by the police to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Shelter Cove Clubhouse for evidence collection as part of the ongoing investigations on August 11, 2020, in Hong Kong, China. (Anthony Kwan via Getty Images)
13
February 2024
Past Event
The Repression of Hong Kong and Heroism of Jimmy Lai
Hong Kong media tycoon and Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai is escorted by the police to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Shelter Cove Clubhouse for evidence collection as part of the ongoing investigations on August 11, 2020, in Hong Kong, China. (Anthony Kwan via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
William McGurn
Frances Hui
Nina Shea
Learn More
15
November 2023
Past Event
Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong
Featured Speakers:
Benedict Rogers
Nina Shea
Nury Turkel
Olivia Enos
Moderator:
Miles Yu
St John's Cathedral in Hong Kong. (Getty Images)
15
November 2023
Past Event
Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong

Join Hudson Institute’s China Center for an expert panel with Benedict Rogers, cofounder and chief executive of Hong Kong Watch, to discuss his latest report on the impending threats to freedom of religion or belief in Hong Kong.

St John's Cathedral in Hong Kong. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Benedict Rogers
Nina Shea
Nury Turkel
Olivia Enos
Moderator:
Miles Yu
Learn More
17
August 2023
Past Event
The Chinese Communist Party’s Cognitive Warfare Campaign on American College Campuses
Featured Speakers:
Ian Oxnevad
Cynthia Sun
Nina Shea
.
17
August 2023
Past Event
The Chinese Communist Party’s Cognitive Warfare Campaign on American College Campuses
.
Featured Speakers:
Ian Oxnevad
Cynthia Sun
Nina Shea
Learn More
20
July 2023
Past Event
China’s “Transnational Repression” against Americans’ First Amendment Freedoms
Featured Speakers:
Levi Browde
Ying Chen
Olivia Enos
Ian Oxnevad
Moderator:
Nina Shea
A Chinese flag hangs over a pedestrian in Hong Kong. (Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
20
July 2023
Past Event
China’s “Transnational Repression” against Americans’ First Amendment Freedoms

Join Hudson Center for Religious Freedom Director Nina Shea for a discussion on China’s transnational repression.

A Chinese flag hangs over a pedestrian in Hong Kong. (Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Levi Browde
Ying Chen
Olivia Enos
Ian Oxnevad
Moderator:
Nina Shea
Learn More
08
March 2023
Past Event
The Continued Fight for Religious Freedom in China
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Jeremy Hunt
Uyghur rights activists stage a demonstration outside the Chinese embassy in London, England, on January 5, 2020. (David Cliff/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
08
March 2023
Past Event
The Continued Fight for Religious Freedom in China

Please join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Nina Shea and Media Fellow Jeremy Hunt as they discuss the implications of the CCP's atrocities against religious minorities.

Uyghur rights activists stage a demonstration outside the Chinese embassy in London, England, on January 5, 2020. (David Cliff/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Jeremy Hunt
Learn More
30
June 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | China’s Forced Organ Harvesting Continues
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Jessica Russo
Nury Turkel
Nina Shea
Falun Gong protestor holding a placard that says 'stop organ harvesting in China,' during a demonstration in London, United Kingdom on August 28, 2021. (Getty Images)
30
June 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | China’s Forced Organ Harvesting Continues

This event will premiere on this page at 10:00 a.m. EDT, Thursday, June 30. Register for the event here.

Falun Gong protestor holding a placard that says 'stop organ harvesting in China,' during a demonstration in London, United Kingdom on August 28, 2021. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Jessica Russo
Nury Turkel
Nina Shea
Learn More
17
February 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | The Olympics Boycott Series – Part 4: Organ Harvesting as an Instrument of Religious Repression
Featured Speakers:
David Kilgour
David Matas
Nina Shea
Protesters hold up placards and banners as they attend a demonstration in Sydney on June 23, 2021 to call on the Australian government to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights record. (Getty Images)
17
February 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | The Olympics Boycott Series – Part 4: Organ Harvesting as an Instrument of Religious Repression

This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EST, Thursday, February 17. Register for the event here.

Protesters hold up placards and banners as they attend a demonstration in Sydney on June 23, 2021 to call on the Australian government to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights record. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
David Kilgour
David Matas
Nina Shea
Learn More
10
February 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | The Olympics Boycott Series - Part 3: The New Threat to Religious Freedom in Hong Kong
Featured Speakers:
Reverend L
Nina Shea
Protesters hold up placards and banners as they attend a demonstration in Sydney on June 23, 2021 to call on the Australian government to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights record. (Getty Images)
10
February 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | The Olympics Boycott Series - Part 3: The New Threat to Religious Freedom in Hong Kong

This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EST, Thursday, February 10. Register for the event here.

Protesters hold up placards and banners as they attend a demonstration in Sydney on June 23, 2021 to call on the Australian government to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights record. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Reverend L
Nina Shea
Learn More
08
February 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | The Olympics Boycott Series – Part 2: Beijing’s Coverup of Human Rights Abuses
Featured Speakers:
Gordon G. Chang
Gulchehra A. Hoja
Ethan Gutmann
Nina Shea
Protesters hold up placards and banners as they attend a demonstration in Sydney on June 23, 2021 to call on the Australian government to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights record. (Getty Images)
08
February 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | The Olympics Boycott Series – Part 2: Beijing’s Coverup of Human Rights Abuses

This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, February 8. Register for the event here.

Protesters hold up placards and banners as they attend a demonstration in Sydney on June 23, 2021 to call on the Australian government to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights record. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Gordon G. Chang
Gulchehra A. Hoja
Ethan Gutmann
Nina Shea
Learn More
03
February 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | The Olympics Boycott Series - Part 1: Inside the US Decision to Call Out the Uyghur Genocide
Featured Speakers:
Miles Yu
Nina Shea
Protesters hold up placards and banners as they attend a demonstration in Sydney on June 23, 2021 to call on the Australian government to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights record. (Getty Images)
03
February 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | The Olympics Boycott Series - Part 1: Inside the US Decision to Call Out the Uyghur Genocide

This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EST, Thursday, February 3. Register for the event here.

Protesters hold up placards and banners as they attend a demonstration in Sydney on June 23, 2021 to call on the Australian government to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights record. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Miles Yu
Nina Shea
Learn More
18
October 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | China’s War on Religion
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Nury Turkel
Xiaoxu Sean Lin
Robert A. Destro
18
October 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | China’s War on Religion

Please be advised: This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Monday, October 18. Register for the event here.

Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Nury Turkel
Xiaoxu Sean Lin
Robert A. Destro
Learn More
15
July 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | Middle Eastern Christian Sites: Key to Religious Pluralism
Featured Speakers:
Mazen Karam
Stephen Rasche
Sara Savva
Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou
Nina Shea
15
July 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | Middle Eastern Christian Sites: Key to Religious Pluralism

Please be advised: This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Thursday, July 15. Register for the event here or via the register button

Featured Speakers:
Mazen Karam
Stephen Rasche
Sara Savva
Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou
Nina Shea
Learn More
04
May 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | The Plight of Pakistan’s Hindu Minority
Featured Speakers:
Daud Khattak
Farahnaz Ispahani
Deepali Kulkarni
Nina Shea
Aparna Pande (Moderator)
04
May 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | The Plight of Pakistan’s Hindu Minority

Join Hudson Institute’s Aparna Pande and Nina Shea and expert panelists Daud Khattak, Deepali Kulkarni, and Farahnaz Ispahani for a discussion on th

Featured Speakers:
Daud Khattak
Farahnaz Ispahani
Deepali Kulkarni
Nina Shea
Aparna Pande (Moderator)
Learn More
27
October 2020
Past Event
Advancing Religious Freedom Through U.S. Foreign Assistance: A Discussion with USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
John Barsa
27
October 2020
Past Event
Advancing Religious Freedom Through U.S. Foreign Assistance: A Discussion with USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa

On October 27, USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa will participate in an event at the Hudson Institute in observation of International Religious Fr

Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
John Barsa
Learn More
18
December 2019
Past Event
China's Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang and the U.S. Response
Featured Speakers:
Eric Brown
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
Nury Turkel
Adrian Zenz
Ambassador Sam Brownback
Nina Shea
18
December 2019
Past Event
China's Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang and the U.S. Response

Join Hudson Institute as prominent experts on the Xinjiang crisis address these questions and consider what the U.S. and its allies can do in response

Featured Speakers:
Eric Brown
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
Nury Turkel
Adrian Zenz
Ambassador Sam Brownback
Nina Shea
Learn More
04
June 2019
Past Event
Is America Experiencing Europe's Growing Anti-Semitism?
Featured Speakers:
Ken Weinstein
John McLaughlin
Mitchell D. Silber
Marc Weitzmann
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen
Nina Shea
Lee Smith
Hon. Elan S. Carr
04
June 2019
Past Event
Is America Experiencing Europe's Growing Anti-Semitism?

Experts discuss anti-semitism in the U.S.

Featured Speakers:
Ken Weinstein
John McLaughlin
Mitchell D. Silber
Marc Weitzmann
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen
Nina Shea
Lee Smith
Hon. Elan S. Carr
Learn More
10
December 2018
Past Event
Needed Now More Than Ever: The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998
Featured Speakers:
Samuel Brownback
Frank R. Wolf
Thomas L. Gallagher
Nina Shea
Kristina Arriaga
Paul Marshall
Hillel Fradkin
Elizabeth Prodromou
Erin Rodewald
Lou Ann Sabatier
Katrina Lantos Swett
(Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
10
December 2018
Past Event
Needed Now More Than Ever: The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

Experts discuss the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

(Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Samuel Brownback
Frank R. Wolf
Thomas L. Gallagher
Nina Shea
Kristina Arriaga
Paul Marshall
Hillel Fradkin
Elizabeth Prodromou
Erin Rodewald
Lou Ann Sabatier
Katrina Lantos Swett
Learn More
11
October 2018
Past Event
China-Vatican Relations and Religious Freedom in China
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Daniel Mark
Ted Lipien
Seth Cropsey
11
October 2018
Past Event
China-Vatican Relations and Religious Freedom in China

Nina Shea, Daniel Mark, Ted Lipien, and Seth Cropsey discuss Vatican-China relations

Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Daniel Mark
Ted Lipien
Seth Cropsey
Learn More
03
August 2018
Past Event
Living With Genocide: Four Years After ISIS Attacked
Featured Speakers:
The Hon. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman
Kent Hill
Pari Ibrahim
Sherri Kraham Talabany
Loay Mikhael
Nina Shea
Douglas M. Padgett
The Hon. Dr. Fareed Yasseen
Ashur Eskrya
Scenes from the now destroyed city of Sinjar, which was recently liberated from ISIL militants who originally captured the city on August 2014, November 26, 2015
03
August 2018
Past Event
Living With Genocide: Four Years After ISIS Attacked

Experts discuss the 2014 Yezidi genocide.

Scenes from the now destroyed city of Sinjar, which was recently liberated from ISIL militants who originally captured the city on August 2014, November 26, 2015
Featured Speakers:
The Hon. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman
Kent Hill
Pari Ibrahim
Sherri Kraham Talabany
Loay Mikhael
Nina Shea
Douglas M. Padgett
The Hon. Dr. Fareed Yasseen
Ashur Eskrya
Learn More
26
April 2018
Past Event
Iran: As Anti-Government Protests Continue, Can the U.S. Help Maintain Momentum?
Featured Speakers:
Masih Alinejad
Mehrangiz Kar
Mariam Memarsadeghi
Nina Shea
26
April 2018
Past Event
Iran: As Anti-Government Protests Continue, Can the U.S. Help Maintain Momentum?

Masih Alinejad, Mehrangiz Kar, Mariam Memarsadeghi, and Nina Shea discuss the Iran protests.

Featured Speakers:
Masih Alinejad
Mehrangiz Kar
Mariam Memarsadeghi
Nina Shea
Learn More
03
April 2017
Past Event
U.S.-Egyptian Relations in the Age of ISIS
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Ambassador Alberto Fernandez
Samuel Tadros
03
April 2017
Past Event
U.S.-Egyptian Relations in the Age of ISIS

Alberto Fernandez, Nina Shea, and Samuel Tadros discuss the security, political, and religious freedom challenges facing Egypt

Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Ambassador Alberto Fernandez
Samuel Tadros
Learn More
10
March 2017
Past Event
The Syrian Crisis: American Interests and Moral Considerations
Featured Speakers:
Rebeccah Heinrichs
Michael Doran
Marc LiVecche
Nina Shea
A Kurdish Syrian woman walks with her child past the ruins of the town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, on March 25, 2015. (YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images)
10
March 2017
Past Event
The Syrian Crisis: American Interests and Moral Considerations

Michael Doran, Nina Shea, Rebeccah Heinrichs and Marc LiVecche on U.S. interests, options and moral considerations for addressing the Syrian civil war

A Kurdish Syrian woman walks with her child past the ruins of the town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, on March 25, 2015. (YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Rebeccah Heinrichs
Michael Doran
Marc LiVecche
Nina Shea
Learn More
09
March 2017
Past Event
Purifying the Land of the Pure: A History of Pakistan's Religious Minorities
Featured Speakers:
Farahnaz Ispahani
Nina Shea
Pakistani Christians hold candles as they march during the Easter Celebration ceremony on April 20, 2014 in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
09
March 2017
Past Event
Purifying the Land of the Pure: A History of Pakistan's Religious Minorities

Farahnaz Ispahani and Nina Shea discuss Pakistan's blasphemy laws

Pakistani Christians hold candles as they march during the Easter Celebration ceremony on April 20, 2014 in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Farahnaz Ispahani
Nina Shea
Learn More
12
September 2016
Past Event
Religious Freedom in Vietnam: Its Importance for Regional and Global Security
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Elliott Abrams
Kristina Arriaga
Vo Van Ai
Tina L. Mufford
Penelope Faulkner
Vo Tran Nhat
Sara Colm
Tong C. Vang
Venerable Kim Muol
Prak Sereivuth
12
September 2016
Past Event
Religious Freedom in Vietnam: Its Importance for Regional and Global Security

Elliot Abrams, Nina Shea, Kristina Arriaga & Vo Van Ai (Vietnam Committee on Human Rights) on U.S. policy and religious freedom in South East Asia

Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Elliott Abrams
Kristina Arriaga
Vo Van Ai
Tina L. Mufford
Penelope Faulkner
Vo Tran Nhat
Sara Colm
Tong C. Vang
Venerable Kim Muol
Prak Sereivuth
Learn More
07
May 2015
Past Event
The Islamic State's Religious Cleansing and the Urgency of a Strategic Response
Featured Speakers:
His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Walter Russell Mead
Nina Shea
Kenneth R. Weinstein
The Reverend Benedict Kiely
Mark L. Movsesian
Sarkis Boghjalian
Michael J.L. La Civita
His Excellency, Bishop Gregory John Mansour
Samuel Tadros
Kirsten Powers
The Reverend Johnnie Moore
Mindy Belz
Joseph Kassab
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07
May 2015
Past Event
The Islamic State's Religious Cleansing and the Urgency of a Strategic Response

Is there any hope that religious minorities can remain in the Middle East? A conference with Nina Shea, Cardinal Dolan, and Walter Russell Mead.

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Featured Speakers:
His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Walter Russell Mead
Nina Shea
Kenneth R. Weinstein
The Reverend Benedict Kiely
Mark L. Movsesian
Sarkis Boghjalian
Michael J.L. La Civita
His Excellency, Bishop Gregory John Mansour
Samuel Tadros
Kirsten Powers
The Reverend Johnnie Moore
Mindy Belz
Joseph Kassab
Learn More
23
March 2015
Past Event
Boko Haram, the Islamic State's West African Franchise
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Bukky Shonibare
Emmanuel Ogebe
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23
March 2015
Past Event
Boko Haram, the Islamic State's West African Franchise

How will the new Islamic State affiliation impact the operations and reach of Boko Haram? Nina Shea, Emmanuel Ogebe, and Bukky Shonibare weigh in.

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Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Bukky Shonibare
Emmanuel Ogebe
Learn More
18
March 2015
Past Event
Prospects for Christians in the Path of Persecution
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Bishop Angaelos
Samuel Tadros
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18
March 2015
Past Event
Prospects for Christians in the Path of Persecution

Nina Shea and Samuel Tadros joined His Grace Bishop Angaelos to discuss the threats facing the Coptic community in the Middle East.

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Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Bishop Angaelos
Samuel Tadros
Learn More
02
December 2014
Past Event
The Race Against ISIS: Efforts to Preserve Ancient Christian Culture in the Middle East
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Amal Marogy
02
December 2014
Past Event
The Race Against ISIS: Efforts to Preserve Ancient Christian Culture in the Middle East

Amal Marogy of Aradin Charitable Trust and Nina Shea discuss the destruction of Aramaic and early Christian culture by ISIS in the Middle East.

Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Amal Marogy
Learn More
19
September 2014
Past Event
#WhereAreOurGirls? Escaped Schoolgirl Shares Her Account of Boko Haram Abduction
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Saa*
Emmanuel Ogebe
19
September 2014
Past Event
#WhereAreOurGirls? Escaped Schoolgirl Shares Her Account of Boko Haram Abduction

A Chibok schoolgirl who escaped Boko Haram shared her account in the first public appearance of this kind in the U.S.

Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Saa*
Emmanuel Ogebe
Learn More
13
May 2014
Past Event
A Survivor’s Account of Boko Haram’s Religious Cleansing in Nigeria
Featured Speakers:
Deborah Peters
Emmanuel Ogebe
Nina Shea
13
May 2014
Past Event
A Survivor’s Account of Boko Haram’s Religious Cleansing in Nigeria

First Hand Accounts from Chibok, Nigeria from a Survivor of Boko Haram’s Religious Cleansing in Northern Nigeria

Featured Speakers:
Deborah Peters
Emmanuel Ogebe
Nina Shea
Learn More
17
January 2014
Past Event
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation: Free Speech Implications of a Proposed Ban on "Islamophobia"
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Dr. Mark Durie
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17
January 2014
Past Event
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation: Free Speech Implications of a Proposed Ban on "Islamophobia"

"Islamophobia" is a widely used yet vague and controversial term referring to anti-Muslim bigotry. In recent years, identifying, monitoring, reporting

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Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Dr. Mark Durie
Learn More
14
November 2013
Past Event
Witness of Boko Haram'’s Religious Cleansing in Northern Nigeria: An Inside Look at the World’'s Deadliest Place for Christians
Featured Speakers:
Adamu Habila
Emmanuel Ogebe
Ann Buwalda
Nina Shea
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14
November 2013
Past Event
Witness of Boko Haram'’s Religious Cleansing in Northern Nigeria: An Inside Look at the World’'s Deadliest Place for Christians

Boko Haram, a Hausa phrase meaning "Western education is forbidden," is a militant Islamic insurgency whose stated aim is the establishment, by force,

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Featured Speakers:
Adamu Habila
Emmanuel Ogebe
Ann Buwalda
Nina Shea
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22
August 2013
Past Event
Motherland Lost: The Egyptian and Coptic Quest for Modernity
Featured Speakers:
Samuel Tadros
Robert Satloff
Nina Shea
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22
August 2013
Past Event
Motherland Lost: The Egyptian and Coptic Quest for Modernity

Hudson Institute hosted a lively discussion of Research Fellow Samuel Tadros's new book __Motherland Lost: The Egyptian and Coptic Quest for Modernity

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Featured Speakers:
Samuel Tadros
Robert Satloff
Nina Shea
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15
May 2013
Past Event
The Rise of Islamism: Its Impact on Religious Minorities
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Farahnaz Ispahani
Jamsheed K. Choksy
Stephen Schwartz
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15
May 2013
Past Event
The Rise of Islamism: Its Impact on Religious Minorities

With the rise of Islamism in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa, religious minorities have come increasingly under siege. Already this year, near

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Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Farahnaz Ispahani
Jamsheed K. Choksy
Stephen Schwartz
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09
April 2013
Past Event
Captive in Iran
Featured Speakers:
Maryam Rostampour
Marziyeh Amirizadeh
Nina Shea
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09
April 2013
Past Event
Captive in Iran

In 2009, two women were arrested in Iran on charges of apostasy, anti-government activity, and blasphemy, for which they were sentenced to execution b

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Featured Speakers:
Maryam Rostampour
Marziyeh Amirizadeh
Nina Shea
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10
January 2013
Past Event
Across the Frontlines: Ending the Nuba Genocide
Featured Speakers:
Mark Hackett
Dr. John Hubbel Weiss
Nina Shea
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10
January 2013
Past Event
Across the Frontlines: Ending the Nuba Genocide

This new film by Operation Broken Silence exposes the Khartoum regime's second and ongoing attempt of genocide in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan's South

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Featured Speakers:
Mark Hackett
Dr. John Hubbel Weiss
Nina Shea
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08
February 2011
Past Event
Egypt, Its Revolution and Future: How Should the U.S. Respond?
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Douglas J. Feith
Paul Marshall
Lee Smith
Samuel Tadros
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08
February 2011
Past Event
Egypt, Its Revolution and Future: How Should the U.S. Respond?

With Mubarak's reign in Egypt all but over, policy makers in the U.S. and around the globe are seeking to understand why Egypt's government proved so

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Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Douglas J. Feith
Paul Marshall
Lee Smith
Samuel Tadros
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26
January 2011
Past Event
How Necessary Is Christianity to European Identity?
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Paul Marshall
Marcello Pera
George Weigel
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26
January 2011
Past Event
How Necessary Is Christianity to European Identity?

Once the heart of Christendom, Europe now is increasingly a secularist culture. While many states retain Christian symbols on their flags and offici

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Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Paul Marshall
Marcello Pera
George Weigel
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19
January 2011
Past Event
The Organization of the Islamic Conference: Fatwas on Freedom and Democracy
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Dr. Mark Durie
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19
January 2011
Past Event
The Organization of the Islamic Conference: Fatwas on Freedom and Democracy

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), through its Saudi-based Islamic Fiqh Academy (IFA), seeks to bring Islamic jurisprudence to bear on

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Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Dr. Mark Durie
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A group of pilgrim from China waves a red flag during the Pope Francis weekly general audience in St Peter Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 22, 2019. (Photo by Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A group of pilgrim from China waves a red flag during the Pope Francis weekly general audience in St Peter Square at the Vatican on May 22, 2019. (Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Pope Xi
Nina Shea
Nina Shea
Nina Shea
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Religious Freedom
Nina Shea
Commentary
13 Min Read