Brazil, a county that by some measures has the most religious freedom in the world, is grappling with a court case pitting religious intolerance against freedom of speech.
The controversy began with 16 videos on You Tube that public prosecutors claim encourage discrimination toward Africa-based religions. It grew in May when a judge let the videos remain, but then also attempted to define religion, and excluded “African-Brazilian religious practices” from his definition. It intensified when the judge, facing angry blowback from religious-freedom groups, rescinded parts of his ruling concerning African-based worship. Meanwhile, new lawsuits are brewing to force the removal of the videos.
The Pew Research Center reported in February that Brazil has the least government restrictions on religions among the 25 most-populous countries.
Source: Index on Censorship