Tag: Religious freedom

Uzbek Protestants detained and their religious materials confiscated despite being legal

November 29, 2018 Uzbekistan Protestants, Religious freedom, Uzbekistan

Christian women in Uzbekistan meet for a meal and to pray together. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Uzbek police raided a home where eight Protestants had gathered for a meal, and to read the Bible together, and arrested all of them, Forum 18 reports. The incident took place in the town of Pap, in Uzbekistan’s eastern Namangan Region, on 19 November. Police conducted the raid without a search . . . Read More

Persecution of minority Christian women ‘hidden, complex, and interwoven with “everyday” discrimination’

November 26, 2018 Global News -- No Particular Country Central African Republic, Colombia, Education, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Minorities, Religious freedom, Women

Women's suffering because of their faith is often in daily life. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Five new reports – about Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Colombia and the Central African Republic – unmask the multiple domestic, societal and state dynamics used in the persecution of Christian women and girls in each country. When viewed individually, the tactics used against women – from subtle discrimination surrounding access to . . . Read More

Malaysia arrests four Finnish nationals for distributing Christian literature

November 23, 2018 Malaysia Apostasy, Malaysia, Proselytism, Religious freedom

Conversion to Christianity in Muslim-majority Malaysia is against the law in almost all states, as is evangelism among Malay Muslims. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Four Finnish nationals were arrested by police in Malaysia on Tuesday, 20 November, for allegedly distributing Christian pamphlets, reports AsiaNews. The four, two men and two women aged between 27 and 60, were arrested in their hotel on Langkawi Island, a well-known tourist destination, on charges of “disturbing religious harmony”. . . . Read More

Indian Christian forum demands withdrawal of ‘bogus’ charges of forced conversions

November 13, 2018 India BJP, Chhattisgarh, Hindu nationalism, India, Karnataka, Narendra Modi, Pentecostals, Punjab, Religious freedom, Uttar Pradesh

The Christian Forum of Chhattisgarh state in India called on its political parties to commit to ensuring freedom of religion, as elections for the state’s legislative house took place yesterday (12 November), Catholic news agency UCAN reported. Meanwhile, several attacks on Christians were reported in the first week of this . . . Read More

‘Complex labyrinth of “legal” restrictions’ for religious communities in Azerbaijan

November 12, 2018 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, Baku, Human rights, Religious freedom

Azerbaijan’s government continues to claim its “tolerance” but restrictions of freedom of religion and belief, censorship of religious literature and jail sentences for prisoners of conscience are ongoing, Forum 18 reports. According to Forum 18’s recent survey, the exercise of freedom of religion and belief in the country is impinged . . . Read More

UK government commits £12 million to championing religious freedom

November 9, 2018 Global News -- No Particular Country Alexandria, Bishop Angaelos, Copts, Easter, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palm Sunday, Plateau, Religious freedom, UK

More than 20 people lost their lives in the Palm Sunday attack on the St George Cathedral in Tanta, Egypt.

The UK government has committed £12 million ($15.5 million) to championing freedom of religion of belief worldwide. The UK’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Lord Tariq Ahmad, said the money “will go a long way in bolstering the work of civil society and NGOs to promote respect, . . . Read More

Malaysia’s ‘deep-seated tensions’ exposed by MP’s call for religious freedom

November 7, 2018 Malaysia Apostasy, Catholics, Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia, Proselytism, Putrajaya, Raymond Koh, Religious freedom, UN

A Malaysian Catholic MP’s call last month for the government to sign the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief has highlighted the “deep-seated tensions between ultra-conservative Muslims and the new government”, says the director of Malaysia’s Religious Freedom . . . Read More

China: Cultivate ‘patriotic’ clergy, Henan officials told

November 2, 2018 China Catholics, Chengdu, China, Churches, Fujian, Fuzhou, Henan, Human rights, Police, Proselytism, Religious freedom, Sichuan, Sinicisation, Three-Self Patriotic Movement

Local government officials in China’s central Henan province are being encouraged to cultivate “patriotic” clergy for leadership positions in the Catholic Church, according to a document outlining how to implement the new religion regulations. The guidelines, published in a confidential document titled ‘Supervision and Self-Inspection Framework for Implementing the Central . . . Read More

Eritreans still suffering despite peace deal with Ethiopia, says priest

October 29, 2018 Eritrea Abune Antonios, Asmara, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Human rights, Mussie Zerai, Religious freedom, UN

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Cathedral in Asmara, Eritrea. (Photo: David Stanley)

An Eritrean priest has called on the international community not to close their eyes to the reality of what is happening in his country, reports the Catholic news site Agenzia Fides. While bilateral relations with countries in the region are improving, the harassment of religious groups at home continues, Fr. Mussie . . . Read More

‘If the UN does not stand for Asia Bibi, what does it stand for?’

October 25, 2018 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Human rights, Islamic extremism, Pakistan, Religious freedom, UN

Asia Bibi is finally free, almost one decade after she was first imprisoned. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

An opinion piece published in the Washington Examiner has criticised the United Nations for failing to speak out against Pakistan’s treatment of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman on death row for blasphemy against Islam since 2010. The article, written by New Jersey-based William Mahoney, contrasts the UN’s response to France’s . . . Read More

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