Jamaican Adventist advocate for religious liberty to participate in 33rd International Law and Religion Symposium in Utah

Adventist advocate for religious liberty Nigel Coke will be among several keynote speakers and presenters at the 33rd Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, to be held at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah.

The symposium will be held over three days from October 4-6, under the theme ‘Building an Infrastructure for Freedom of Religion and Belief’’.

Coke, a former public affairs and religious liberty director of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica, is the only Caribbean presenter at the symposium, which brings together more than 200 attendees from over 50 countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, North and South America, the United States, and the Caribbean. Attendees include religious liberty experts, scholars, religious leaders, public and government officials, and advocates.

Elizabeth Clark, associate director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU, said Coke’s experience in religious freedom advocacy and in building interfaith networks influenced the invitation to participate in the symposium.

“We’d love to have you talk about this and what you’ve learned from your experience about how to promote both religious freedom through connections with others and authentic interfaith respect,” Clark said to Coke in a written message.

Coke, who has been a prominent advocate for religious liberty in Jamaica for the past 15 years, will give a presentation on ‘Interfaith Respect for Religious Pluralism’ and sit on a panel to discuss the importance of interfaith relationships. Over the years, he has significantly advanced the promotion and protection of religious freedom in Jamaica and helped foster a culture of tolerance, understanding, and respect for religious diversity.

“I deemed it a privilege to be part of such an important symposium focused on religious freedom, which is a great challenge for millions of people around the world,” said Coke. “While we enjoy freedom of religion and worship in Jamaica, more than 70 per cent of the world’s population is experiencing mild to severe religious freedom challenges, according to a US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) 2025 report released in March 2026. This is significant, so it is very important that these discussions are held in the hope that meaningful changes may occur in the affected countries.”

Coke has served on boards and committees of the Seventh-day Adventist Church related to public affairs and religious liberty and has represented individuals facing religious liberty issues in the workplace and at school. He also served as the liaison with other denominations, government, and non-governmental organisations to ensure that laws and policies respect and protect religious freedom.

He has organised seminars and workshops to educate the public about religious liberty and how to promote and protect it, and has advocated for individuals’ right to conscientiously object to laws or policies that conflict with their religious beliefs.

In partnership with international organisations, such as the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA), Coke has advanced religious freedom globally and led the establishment of the National Religious Liberty Association (NRLA), the local branch of the IRLA, during the first-ever Festival of Religious Freedom, held at the National Arena in January 2015.