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Posts tagged religious freedom

India Targets ‘Fake Sadhus,’ Risking Overreach Into Religious Identity

India Targets ‘Fake Sadhus,’ Risking Overreach Into Religious Identity

(ANALYSIS) Operation Kalanemi comes dangerously close to the kind of state control over religion seen in countries like China and Vietnam, where the state tightly controls religious activity by licensing clergy, approving sermons and monitoring places of worship, allowing only state-recognized versions of religion to function. Without clear laws, fair process and respect for constitutional limits, this drive in Uttarakhand risks turning the police into arbiters of faith — something a secular democracy cannot allow.

Asia, hinduism, India, News, Politics, Religion, Religious FreedomVishal AroraJuly 17, 2025Vishal Arora, analysis, India, religion, Asia, Hinduism, politics and religion, religious freedom, recharge, Secondary featureComment

On Religion: After Justice Kennedy, SCOTUS Still Wrestles With Faith And Culture Wars

On Religion: After Justice Kennedy, SCOTUS Still Wrestles With Faith And Culture Wars

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy retired in 2018, but religious-liberty activists still want to know where he hoped to draw a bright line between religious freedom and the sexual revolution. Kennedy knew that the First Amendment's declaration that government “shall make no law ... prohibiting the free exercise of religion” was creating warfare in modern American law and politics. But he didn't know how to end the strife.

At Least 21 Christians Arrested In Iran Under Heightened Persecution

At Least 21 Christians Arrested In Iran Under Heightened Persecution

Iran is increasingly persecuting Christians under its ceasefire with Israel, arresting at least 21 believers, raiding house churches and promoting incendiary propaganda, according to religious freedom advocate Article 18.

Christianity, Human Rights, Middle East, Politics, Religion, Religious Freedom, NewsDiana ChandlerJuly 16, 2025Diana Chandler, news, Iran, Middle East, Christianity, religious freedom, politics and religion, Secondary featureComment

The Dalai Lama Turns 90: Why China Still Fears Him

The Dalai Lama Turns 90: Why China Still Fears Him

(ANALYSIS) Despite being a stateless monk with no official power, the Dalai Lama remains one of China’s most persistent challenges. As he nears 90, Beijing’s anxiety over his influence grows, especially over who will succeed him. For decades, China has tried to erase Tibetan identity and control its spiritual leadership, but the Dalai Lama’s global stature defy state power.

On Religion: More Than Politics When it Comes To Syria’s Christians

On Religion: More Than Politics When it Comes To Syria’s Christians

It was during a June 22 service, a jihadi — Syria blamed the Islamic State group — entered with a rifle and began firing. As worshippers tackled him, he detonated an explosive vest. In seconds the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch had more names to add to its two millennia of saints and martyrs.

America’s Founders And The Quran: A Forgotten Legacy Of Religious Freedom

America’s Founders And The Quran: A Forgotten Legacy Of Religious Freedom

At a time when the Trump administration has renewed a travel ban on various Muslim majority countries in Africa and across the Middle East, the Quran owned by John Adams is but one indication that our nation’s founders regarded Islam — as well as other, non-Western, non-Christian faiths — as worthy of respect and protection under the law.

British Politicians Call Upon Pope Leo XIV To Stand Up For Jimmy Lai

British Politicians Call Upon Pope Leo XIV To Stand Up For Jimmy Lai

(ANALYSIS) On June 21, 2025, Alex Sobel, a member of the U.K. Parliament, delivered a letter to Pope Leo XIV after a special audience for members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in the Hall of Benediction, the Vatican, calling upon him to stand up for Jimmy Lai, who has been imprisoned by Hong Kong authorities since December 2020.

Russia Escalates Religious Persecution, Targets Pastors And Churches

Russia Escalates Religious Persecution, Targets Pastors And Churches

Russia continued to persecute pastors and shutter churches within its borders and in territories it occupies in Ukraine, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in an updated report. The government has imprisoned, tortured and levied monetary fines against many religious leaders, including Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox Church of Ukraine and others.

Catholicism, Christianity, Human Rights, News, Europe, Politics, Religion, OrthodoxDiana ChandlerJuly 1, 2025Diana Chandler, news, Russia, Ukraine, Russia-Ukraine war, Christianity, Europe, religious freedom, Secondary featureComment

The Fragile Republic: Iran’s Internal Fault Lines Deepen After Israel Conflict

The Fragile Republic: Iran’s Internal Fault Lines Deepen After Israel Conflict

(ANALYSIS) The 12-day confrontation between Iran and Israel in June 2025 may not have escalated into a full-scale regional war, but it marks a potentially critical turning point in Iran’s internal political landscape. Though the Islamic Republic has entered into direct conflict with a foreign adversary before, it has never done so while so militarily weakened, internally fractured and increasingly alienated from its own population.

Violence Against Religious Minorities Undermines India’s Democracy

Violence Against Religious Minorities Undermines India’s Democracy

(ANALYSIS) A new study has found nearly 950 hate-related incidents in India during the first year of the main ruling party’s third term. Religious minorities, especially Muslims and Christians, were the main targets of violence and hate speech. This rise in unchecked and largely unpunished hostility should concern all citizens.

Supreme Court Rules Parents Can Opt Their Children Out Of LGBTQ-Inclusive Books

Supreme Court Rules Parents Can Opt Their Children Out Of LGBTQ-Inclusive Books

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled parents of public-school children in Montgomery County, Md., have a right to opt their kids out of classroom reading times with books the school board labels as “LGBTQ inclusive.” These books were introduced as part of a new curriculum in 2022 for pre-K through eighth-grade students. They promote storylines that teach gender is a construct rather than a biological fact.

Crossroads Podcast: New Martyrs Spill Blood In The Ancient Church Of Antioch

Crossroads Podcast: New Martyrs Spill Blood In The Ancient Church Of Antioch

It was just another bombing in a complicated corner of the Middle East, but this one was important — the Associated Press noted — because it had major political implications. In this week’s episode, we dig into what it all means.

Massacre in Nigeria: 200 Christians Slaughtered In Terror Attack

Massacre in Nigeria: 200 Christians Slaughtered In Terror Attack

The 500 Christians had already fled terrorism at home and found temporary shelter in storefronts transformed into living quarters in downtown Yelewata. But as they slept overnight on June 13, men identified as militant Fulani attacked from multiple sides.

Supreme Court Unanimously Sides With Catholic Charities In Tax Exempt Case

Supreme Court Unanimously Sides With Catholic Charities In Tax Exempt Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that a Catholic benevolent ministry qualifies for a tax exemption granted to churches.

Christianity, Catholicism, News, North America, Religious FreedomTimothy CockesJune 6, 2025timothy cockes, news, religious freedom, Catholic Charities, Supreme Court, Christianity, Secondary feature, Timothy Cockes, SCOTUSComment

New Wave Of Violence Targets Pakistan’s Ahmadi Community

New Wave Of Violence Targets Pakistan’s Ahmadi Community

The Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan has long experienced significant constraints on its religious practices. From not being allowed to call their places of worship “mosques” or use Islamic terms such as “Azan” (call to prayer) to not being able to vote because Ahmadis must either renounce their faith or agree to be placed on a separate electoral list categorizing them as “non-Muslim.”

China’s Boarding Schools And The Forced Separation Of Tibetan Children

China’s Boarding Schools And The Forced Separation Of Tibetan Children

China is operating a vast network of “colonial” boarding schools across Tibet that forcibly removes children—including those as young as four—from their families, a new report released Wednesday claims. The report, published by the U.S.-based Tibet Action Institute, says the system is designed not for education access but for political assimilation, cutting children off from their language, culture and religion.

How African Churches Are Shaping Western Christianity From Lagos To London

How African Churches Are Shaping Western Christianity From Lagos To London

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Christianity flowed from Europe and North America to Africa, often carried by missionaries. But in the 21st century, the pattern has reversed. African-led churches are now sending their own missionaries abroad, and many are planting churches in many former colonial capitals.

Imam’s Fight For Kids’ Education Following Mosque Demolition

Imam’s Fight For Kids’ Education Following Mosque Demolition

Zakir Hussain, the imam of the ancient Akhunji Mosque in Mehrauli, a section of South Delhi, has a vivid memory of Jan. 31, 2023. He described the terrible events of that morning, when the Delhi Development Authority destroyed not only the centuries-old mosque — but also the nearby Madrasa Bahrul Uloom and the cemetery next to it.

Asia, History, Islam, Religious Freedom, News, EducationAmit PandeyMay 26, 2025Amit Pandey, India, mosque, religious freedom, news, Asia, Asia news, conflict, Muslim, Islam, Secondary feature, education, recharge, RechargeComment

School Vouchers Would Expand Nationwide Under New Federal Plan

School Vouchers Would Expand Nationwide Under New Federal Plan

A federal tax credit proposal would provide up to $5,000 per student in tuition assistance for yeshivas and other Jewish schools nationwide. The proposal, which has been criticized by some as a threat to religious liberty, has been hailed as "historic" by Agudath Israel.

Special Report: India Abandons Rohingya Refugees Near Myanmar’s Border

Special Report: India Abandons Rohingya Refugees Near Myanmar’s Border

Indian authorities have allegedly “abandoned” — rather than deported — 40 Rohingya refugees in international waters near the Myanmar maritime border, forcing women, children and the elderly to swim to safety using life jackets. The action could be seen as a “secret rendition,” a term used to describe the covert transfer of individuals across borders without legal process.