With a big and warm smile, Julie Elisabeth Pruzan welcomes you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can clearly sense a strong commitment to the cause, which combined with work experience as ambassador in several countries in North Africa, as well as a strong academic background, bodes well for Denmark's future efforts for freedom of faith and religion.
Working with freedom of religion or belief is complex
The debate about persecuted Christians has been lively, especially since the rise of the Islamic State in 2014. But the debate has also been black and white at times, with nuances not always highlighted. How do you navigate this field, I ask?
- My approach to working with freedom of religion or belief is that we are dealing with extremely complex contexts. You have to be very careful if you don't know the local contexts in which Christian minorities live. For example, what does it mean to be a Protestant in Turkey, what kind of Protestant are you, what local contexts are you part of? If you want to help Christian minorities, you have to think very carefully and the help must be carefully tailored to the context in which they live. Human rights, including freedom of belief and religion, are universal, but the way you promote them must be adapted to the local context.
- For example, organizations that go in from the outside and only help Christians, but not other groups, can be counterproductive. You should always start with the do no harm principle. I know of Egyptian Christians who were offered help simply because they were Christians, but turned it down because they didn't want to stand out in their community and become more prosperous than their neighbors. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't help, but help for vulnerable Christians should be delivered in a way that doesn't make them more vulnerable than they were before.
- We have many different approaches in our diplomatic 'toolbox' when working to promote freedom of religion or belief in the special unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can perhaps talk about three levels. Firstly, we work to strengthen freedom of religion or belief in international work, including in the UN and the EU. Secondly, we work through support for specific projects that promote freedom of religion and the protection of religious minorities in a number of countries. Thirdly, we work with individual cases, such as concrete efforts for Christian prisoners of conscience, as we do with you (Danish European Mission, ed.).
The quiet work is the best
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been criticized for not putting action behind the political intentions of the effort. What is your approach? I ask.
Julie lowers her voice slightly and says: "I think sometimes the quiet work is best. We don't necessarily make a difference by blowing a trumpet or making big headlines. The biggest victories I look back on in my work in the Foreign Service have not been noisy.
- When talking to diplomats from other countries, you often have to start by closing the door and creating a confidential space where you can get good answers. This can pave the way for change. And it can become clearer which tools are best to use.
- Respect and curiosity are often the best starting point for meeting others, even those you don't agree with. Why do some countries think that what we believe in Denmark is completely wrong, the ambassador asks rhetorically. If we don't understand it, it's hard to influence.
- A good diplomat can listen. And sow seeds. We need to be able to cross "the other side of the bridge" and understand how others see the world - to influence and promote the protection of Christians and other religious minorities. And create greater respect for freedom of religion and belief.
Julie Elisabeth Pruzan
Julie Elisabeth Pruzan is Ambassador and Denmark's Special Representative for Freedom of Religion or Belief. She has served as Denmark's Ambassador to Libya, Tunisia and Algeria and as Deputy Head of Mission in Afghanistan. Julie holds bachelor's degrees in anthropology and political science, a master's degree in political science and has written a PhD thesis on political reform in Morocco.
