Tag: Religious freedom

Laos government agrees to religious freedom education

March 23, 2018 Laos Buddhist nationalism, Human rights, Laos, Luang Prabang, Phongsaly, Religious freedom, Savannakhet, Southeast Asia

Vat That Khao, the Reclining Buddha, in Vientiane. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

The government in the Southeast Asian nation of Laos has agreed to sponsor religious-freedom education in the country. The US-based Institute for Global Engagement (IGE) will roll out a series of seminars focusing on “religious freedom as a human right, Lao government policy on religious activity and encouraging dialogue between . . . Read More

Brunei takes another step towards full implementation of Sharia

March 21, 2018 Brunei Borneo, Brunei, Islamic extremism, Proselytism, Quran, Ramadan, Religious freedom, Sharia, Southeast Asia, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Torture

Parliament building in Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Brunei’s Sultan and his Islamic Religious Council have approved a draft Criminal Code that brings the country another step closer to the full implementation of Sharia (Islamic law), the Borneo Bulletin reports. The draft outlines procedures for investigation, prosecution and the judiciary, and would facilitate the introduction of harsher punishments . . . Read More

5 years on, what has Pope Francis done for religious freedom?

March 19, 2018 Global News -- No Particular Country Al-Azhar, Asia Bibi, Boko Haram, Egypt, Havana, Human rights, Iraq, Latin America, Minorities, Myanmar, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Patriarch Kirill, Pope Francis, Religious freedom, Syria, Turkey

Pope Francis greets people during his inauguration on 19 March 2013. (Photo: Getty Images)

Pope Francis, the son of Italian migrants, appeared on the steps of St Peter’s Basilica five years ago to be introduced as the first Latin American pontiff. Below, World Watch Monitor looks at a few of the highlights of his tenure so far, and his impact on freedom of religion . . . Read More

UN ‘failing’ Eritrea’s detained Christians

March 16, 2018 Eritrea Abune Antonios, Asmara, East Africa, Eritrea, Human rights, Pentecostals, Religious freedom

Eritrea’s human rights record was again in the spotlight at the UN Human Rights Council earlier this week. Kate Gilmore, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in her opening remarks that over 100 people were arrested in Eritrea in 2017 for practising religions not officially recognised by the state. . . . Read More

UN told to renew mandate of Iran Special Rapporteur on human rights

March 15, 2018 Iran Children, Human rights, Iran, Minorities, Religious freedom, Torture, UN, Women

Asma Jahangir, Member of the International Fact-Finding Mission during the press conference presen's its findings on the implications Israeli settlements have upon the human rights of the Palestinian people. 31 Juanary 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferré

Forty-six Iranian and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have called for the renewal of the mandate of the UN’s Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. The NGOs addressed a joint letter to all diplomatic missions attending the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, as the US-based . . . Read More

Pakistan court orders citizens to declare religion

March 13, 2018 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Islamic extremism, Minorities, Pakistan, Religious freedom, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan

Religious minorities in Pakistan have to declare their religion when applying for identification papers or for government jobs making them "even more vulnerable" activists say. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Pakistan’s citizens must now declare their religion when applying for identity documents, or if they want to work in government or register to vote, Islamabad’s High Court ruled on Friday (9 March). Applicants who disguise their true religion defy the constitution and betray the state, the judge said. Their true . . . Read More

Saudi Prince ‘commits’ to interfaith dialogue

March 9, 2018 Saudi Arabia Apostasy, Converts, Islamic extremism, Mohammad bin Salman, Religious freedom, Saudi Arabia

As part of his first public trip abroad as the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman visited the UK and had a private meeting with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby yesterday, 8 March, at Lambeth Palace in London. As part of his reforms to modernise his country, the . . . Read More

Algeria government denies church closures are discrimination

March 9, 2018 Algeria Aïn Turk, Algeria, Bejaia, Churches, Oran, Protestant Church of Algeria, Religious freedom, Tizi Ouzou

"Notre Dame d'Afrique", the Roman Catholic Basilica in Algiers, Algeria. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

The Algerian Minister of Religious Affairs has denied discriminating against the country’s Christian minority by ordering the closure of several churches in recent months. The latest church closures took place last week, as two churches were sealed by police in the north-western city of Oran. A week beforehand, two more churches . . . Read More

Christian women at double risk of persecution – because of gender as well as religion

March 7, 2018 Global News -- No Particular Country Divorce, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Religious freedom, Trauma, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Women

Chibok girls. Two of them were abducted by Boko Haram in 2014. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

For the first time ever, the persecution of women as it differs to that of men has been examined by the analysts of the 2018 World Watch List. The list, compiled by Open Doors International, researches over 50 countries where it is most difficult for Christians to live. The resulting Gender . . . Read More

Colombia: the #OfCourseMeToo of Christian women and girls

March 7, 2018 Colombia Children, Colombia, FARC, Religious freedom, Women

In the Arhuaca culture girls as young as 14 are forced to marry men who maintain their indigenous beliefs, to make the girls forget about their Christian religion. (Photo: World Watch Monitor

If Christian women in Colombia could decide on a hashtag, it could be ‘OfCourseMeToo’: many of them also experience sexual violence, facing extra vulnerability because of their religion as well as their gender. Soraya*,15, and her family belong to one of the four tribes that form the indigenous community of . . . Read More

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