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Kazakhstan releases Christian imprisoned ‘as message to Muslims thinking about converting’

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Kazakhstan releases Christian imprisoned ‘as message to Muslims thinking about converting’
Kazakhstan has released a 56-year-old man imprisoned for more than two years to dissuade other Muslims from converting to Christianity, reports Christian persecution charity Voice of the Martyrs. Yklas Kabduakasov, a father of eight, was arrested in August 2015 on a charge of “inciting religious hatred”. Police confiscated Christian books . . . Read More

Bangladesh orders removal of ‘jihad’ from madrassa textbooks

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Bangladesh orders removal of ‘jihad’ from madrassa textbooks
In a move to curb the growth of Islamic extremism in Bangladesh, the government has ordered chapters on jihad to be removed from next year’s textbooks for madrasas (Islamic schools), reports UCAN. According to the news agency, the National Committee on Militancy Resistance and Prevention, which advised the government on . . . Read More

Indonesia: ‘zero flexibility’ for adoptions by religious minorities

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Indonesia: ‘zero flexibility’ for adoptions by religious minorities
Religious minorities in Indonesia are discriminated against when they want to adopt, according to Human Rights Watch’s report, which highlights the case of a Christian policewoman from North Sumatra. Ida Maharani Hutagaol, took a month-old boy, found abandoned in a ditch in Binjal, to hospital and ensured he was well cared for. In . . . Read More

Myanmar: Kachin Baptists jailed for helping photograph bombed church

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Myanmar: Kachin Baptists jailed for helping photograph bombed church
Two Kachin Baptist pastors who helped a journalist to photograph a Catholic church, apparently bombed by Myanmar’s army in 2016, have been sentenced to two years in prison, for their alleged support of the Kachin Independence Army. According to advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide, which called the verdict a “serious . . . Read More

Indonesia: Jakarta’s new governor urged to protect rights of religious minorities

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New Governor of Jakarta, Anies Baswedan and his running mate, the new Vice Governor of Jakarta, Sandiaga Salahudin Uno arrived at Jakarta City Hal for the inauguration ceremony on 16 October 2017. (Photo: Getty Images)
As Jakarta’s new governor, Anies Baswedan, starts his new job, he should use his role “to protect and promote human rights in the Indonesian capital”, writes Human Rights Watch in a letter addressed to him. The rights group urges him to ”use the powers at your disposal to defend the . . . Read More

UN Special Rapporteur: ‘repeal blasphemy laws that invite hatred’

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Banner protesting against changes to the blasphemy laws, Peshawar 2017 (World Watch Monitor)
The UN’s Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), Ahmed Shaheed, has said that states that have blasphemy laws “should repeal them because of their stifling impact on the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief, and on the ability to engage in a healthy . . . Read More