News

Free To Believe

Showing 76 to 100 of 118 posts.

09 December

Detention of human rights defender Ramy Kamel

On 27 February 2020, the Criminal Court of Cairo rejected the appeal of human rights defender Ramy Kamel and renewed his detention for an additional 15 days. The human rights defender has been detained since 23 November 2019.

08 December

Extremist Group Arrests Villagers in Syria

Although the Yazidi community had suffered immense persecution at the hands of ISIS, their safety is not assured even as people return to the area in which the once lived as other groups move and continue persecution.

Arzoo Raja, 13-year-old Christian girl in Karachi, and Ali Azhar on far right. (Photo released by Sindh government)
23 November

Parents Denied Custody of Allegedly Kidnapped Daughter

A high court in Pakistan has ruled that a 13-year-old Catholic girl allegedly abducted and forcibly converted and married to a Muslim man must remain in a government shelter home until she reaches age 18.

28 October

UN HRC 45 Side Event: China Bans Faith for All Children

Here is an introduction to a very important event highlighting the incredible pressure China is putting on parents and children as they continue to decimate personal rights, in this case the right to belief.

23 October

Answering the Call to Protect Religious Freedom: A Year in Review

A report from the U.S. Department of State on work to protect religious freedom over the past year.

Professor Naeem Ud Din Khattak was shot dead on his way home from college in a religiously motivated attack. (Photo supplied)
06 October

Ahmadi professor shot dead in Pakistan for his faith

Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistian continues, with more deaths.

03 October

Religious freedom under assault in 'Europe's last dictatorship'

Belarus President Lukashenko makes no secret of his atheism. He has mostly refrained from overt actions against religious groups, but now there are worrying signs that his government is actively undermining the independence of religious groups.

The Snezhkov family at a protest in Gomel on September 27
03 October

Old Believers denounce illegal detention of peaceful family in Belarus

Children taken by Belarus officials after parent express personal beliefs by protesting

Members of the mob damage a home in one of the villages. Credit: CSW
29 September

Christian families from tribal communities in five villages attacked by mob

Christian families belonging to the Scheduled Tribe community located in five villages in Kondagaon District, Chhattisgarh had their homes ransacked and farmland and property destroyed by a large mob in attacks which took place over two days.

28 September

Genocide Should Be Bad For Business

How far Do regimes like China and Mynamar have to go before right minded people and governments make them pay a price for their cruelty?

24 September

China continues to erase the cultures of its own citizens’

The Chinese Government has embarked on a systematic and intentional campaign to rewrite the cultural heritage of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

23 September

China continues to interfere with families and with the fundamental right of children to believe

NGO's demand the U.N. pressure China to take immediate steps to ensure the right to Freedom of Religion and Belief for children in China and cease violence against children from religious faiths.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons
22 September

Seeking a Viable Alternative to Indonesia’s Blasphemy Laws

Instead of criminalizing blasphemy, Indonesia should focus on penalizing incitement to discrimination, hostility, and violence.

22 September

Pastor returns to family after years-long imprisonment in Vietnam

asdfasdfasA pastor who says that he was falsely imprisoned, tortured and beaten is coming home.

20 September

Nigeria's Government ignoring growing violence

The increasing conflict in Nigeria is directly related to the present National government’s lack of interest in extending equal protection to all of its citizens.

Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of Maiduguri, Nigeria, inspects a burned church in his diocese in 2015, which has been a target of Boko Haram. COURTESY | AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED
16 September

Christian persecution at all-time high, say experts at Alexandria conference

The Saints Peter and Paul Conference in Alexandria heard from speakers from all around the world,including India, China and Nigeria. They all had one thing in common, they spoke for the persecuted Christians suffering within their homelands.

12 September

Tech Company Accused of 'Religious Discrimination, Censorship'.

A major tech company called MobileCause is now in the spotlight, accused of censoring conservatives by abruptly terminating a contract with the Christian organization the Family Research Council (FRC).

Representative Image (social media)
12 September

If Dalits can be Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists, why can’t they be Christians and Muslims?

Christian and Muslim Dalits have been denied benefits available to SC groups among Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists. A petition challenging the discrimination has been pending in Supreme Court for years

Walt Disney Pictures
08 September

Disney Under Fire for Filming ‘Mulan’ in Chinese City with Uyghur Concentration Camps

Disney has drawn a backlash for its indifference to religious freedom and human rights, cozying up to the Chinese Communist Party and filming parts of its new live action blockbuster in a city that incarcerates Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

Asif Pervaiz (right) with attorney Saiful Malook (center) at prison. (Morning Star News)
08 September

Another Christian Sentenced to Death in Pakistan on Weak Blasphemy Charges

A court in Lahore, Pakistan has sentenced a Christian to death over charges that he allegedly sent “blasphemous” text messages to a Muslim colleague seven years ago, his lawyer said.

Representational image | Photo Credit: S. RAMBABU
06 September

India's Government suspends FCRA clearance of 4 Christian groups

Of the six NGOs whose license under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) was suspended by the Union Home Ministry this year, four are Christian associations.

03 September

USCIRF Encourages Religious Freedom Progress on Vietnam National Day

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) congratulated the government of Vietnam on its National Day, and encouraged the government to take steps to improve religious freedom conditions in the country.

Asad Noor, outspoken Bangladeshi blogger
24 August

Bangladeshi blogger faces death threats for criticizing Islamic fundamentalism

Rights groups are urging Bangladeshi authorities to withdraw all charges against blogger Asad Noor, restore his passport and end harassment of his family members. Noor fled to India after multiple threats to his life.

A child from the Uyghur community living in Turkey participates in a protest in Istanbul on November 6, 2018, against oppression by the Chinese government of Muslim Uyghurs in the far-western Xinjiang province. >Credit: AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis
21 August

China Buys Turkey’s Silence on Uyghur Oppression

A quick explanation of how China uses economic leverage to silence Turkey on the Uyghur issue, coauthored by my colleague and friend, Aykan Erdemir.

17 August

The Ongoing and Intensifying Persecution of Christians in India

According to a new report by the group Persecution Relief, “Hate crimes against Christians in India [rose] by an alarming 40.87 percent” in the first half of 2020, “even despite the nationwide [coronavirus] lockdown in place since March 25."