Montserrat Gas, vice-dean of the Faculty of Law at Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), was invited to participate in the 33rd International Law and Religion Symposium, held from 4 to 6 October 2026 at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, USA.

The event was organised by the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS) , based at the BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School, which is widely recognised as one of the world's leading academic centres for the study of law and religion and for research into religious freedom. 

Held annually since 1994, the symposium brings together international experts, academics, institutional representatives and religious leaders to examine the key challenges involved in protecting religious freedom in contemporary societies.        

This year's edition, under the theme "Building an Infrastructure for Freedom of Religion or Belief", focused on the legal, institutional and social conditions required to ensure the effective protection of this fundamental right.

Montserrat Gas took part in an academic panel on hate crimes and the legal challenges posed by hostility motivated by religious beliefs, alongside scholars from Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands and the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

The discussion explored, from an international and comparative perspective, the challenges of safeguarding religious freedom while responding to discriminatory conduct and hate speech.

The symposium provided an opportunity to share research findings, foster academic dialogue and enhance the international visibility of university research in the fields of fundamental rights, religious freedom and freedom of belief.