(OPINION) Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have announced major peace agreements with Israel, with Oman hinting it will join an agreement next, easing tensions and increasing economic opportunities in the Middle East. The peace agreements, with Israel promising not to annex the holy lands in Judea and Samaria, could mean not just long-elusive peace between Palestinians and Israelis but also increasing religious freedom across the region.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Turkish government’s conversion of the Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque has drawn sharp criticism, celebration, and now pledges to rebuild the church in Syria. The decision is part of a long-term agenda of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Islamist parties to restore national pride in its Ottoman past, drawing both sharp criticism for implications for religious minorities and mixed praise in the region.
Read More(OPINION) A report published by the Bar Human Rights Committee in the UK will hold China accountable for genocides and other related violence against Uighur Muslims.
Read More(OPINION) With Turkey President Erdoğan’s AKP party having suffered losses in municipal elections, his response to these drawbacks has been to emphasize his Sunni-Islamic credentials and to link these to the restoration of the splendors of the Ottoman Empire. One aspect of this propaganda effort has been to threaten the status of Hagia Sophia.
Read MoreThe first English-language biography of the exiled Turkish Islamic leader chronicles his life and philosophy and explains why it matters to the world.
Read More(OPINION) After Turkey’s invasion that bombed and killed civilians, Syrian Christians, Kurds and Arabs fled their homes and are in need of shelter and winter supplies. On a recent visit to the U.S, we talked to Syriac Christian Elizabeth Kourie about the geopolitical conflict and the needs of the community.
Read MoreNortheast Syria is a hub for religious freedom and pluralistic values, but this may no longer be the case. Among the first victims of Turkey’s war against northeast Syria were Christians, with reports of deaths, demolished homes, and broken crosses flooding social media.
Read MoreWe talked to human rights activist Dr. Widad Akreyi about the Yazidi community’s wait for justice on the international stage after the start of a genocide on Aug. 3, 2014. Thousands captured by Islamic State fighters remain missing.
Read MoreSaudi Arabia, China, Russia and Myanmar are the world’s worst offenders of religious freedom in 2018, according to the U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Russian Jehovah's Witnesses and Uighur Muslims in China are persecuted by their governments, in part because they’re seen as insufficiently loyal, and in part because the global community prioritizes good trade relations.
Read MoreThe Ottoman empire is gone, and Turkey is now a secular state with official freedom of religion. Bells are hardly heard these days at all, though in smaller numbers the ancient Christian communities remain.
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