The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Several Western European countries rank among those with the highest scores in the category of social hostilities related to religious norms. And the global median score on the Social Hostilities Index increased slightly from 1.8 to 2.1 in 2017. , For details on this government harassment, U.S. Department of State. For example, Muslim herders carried out retaliatory attacks against Christian farmers after herders said they did not receive justice when the farmers killed members of the herding community and stole their cattle.70, In Iraq, there was Sunni-Shiite fighting following the liberation of certain areas from ISIS rule. This includes the Middle East-North Africa region. (See Methodology for more details on sources used in the study.) In the Maldives, for example, it is a criminal offense to promote a religion other than Islam, punishable by up to five years in jail.35 And in Laos, religious groups must get permission from the government in order to gather, hold religious services, build houses of worship and establish new congregations.36, Restrictions in this category also are common across Central Asia. July 30, 2012. Modi US visit: Biden makes trade-offs and India's PM steps out of his Maura Healey addressed the Irish Senate on Tuesday to help commemorate the 30th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Ireland. If medians were used, year-over-year change in many regions (as well as globally) would be more difficult to see. There also were reports that Rohingya were denied citizenship.46, Harassment also increased in Europe and Americas since the baseline year of the study, particularly between 2014 and 2016. May 20, 2013. As the church celebrates the Year of Consecrated Life, the number of men and women in religious orders in the United States has experienced a steady decline from peak numbers in the 1960s. But what does the Bible say a pastor is? In 2015, four countries Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of Congo and Niger banned Islamic veils for women in response to terror attacks within their borders.34, Among the countries with the highest levels of limits on religion, myriad policies restricting religious activities are enforced. More than half of the global population lives in a country in which state or non-state actors actively persecute people for their religious beliefs, according to the 2023 Religious Freedom in the World report. In Thailand, a new constitution came into force in 2017 with a provision that elevates the status of Theravada Buddhism by mandating special promotion through education, propagation of its principles, and the establishment of measures and mechanisms to prevent the desecration of Buddhism in any form.11 There also has been an increase in Asian governments deferring to religious authorities, texts and doctrines since 2007. Germany to give $1.4 billion to Holocaust survivors globally in 2024. In Canada, for example, the Supreme Court denied constitutional protection to a territory of spiritual significance to the indigenous Ktunaxa Nation in 2017. May 3, 2020 The religious issues of today Welcome to our article (83), Religious issues of today May God guide and help me to write the right things? 102 countries faced religion-related property damage in 2020 | Pew Interreligious tension and violence was the most common type of social hostility in the early years of the study. Pope Francis leaves Rome hospital 9 days after operation; surgeon says hes better than before. In the Middle East and North Africa, this was the case in more than eight-in-ten countries. Although the most severe cases of religious persecution are currently taking place in certain African and Asian countries, the 2023 Religious Freedom in the World report highlighted dangerous trends within Europe and the Western world. Religious Diversity and Religious Tolerance 7. Sports Illustrated published an article Tuesday night detailing alleged sexual misconduct by members of the Dallas Mavericks front office. And in a separate incident, a Muslim woman was attacked by two women who took off her veil and verbally abused her for being Muslim.55. After calendar change, many in Ukraine are looking forward to a new Christmas. In 2007, five countries were reported to have such restrictions in Europe, but by 2017, that number had increased to 20 countries. RNS covers global religion news, including politics, culture, spirituality, institutions and more through articles, photos, podcasts and videos. Did violence result from tensions between religious groups? All rights reserved. In sub-Saharan Africa, hostilities related to religious norms also have risen since the baseline year of the study. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Official says Yemeni pilgrims depart Sanaa on first direct flight to Saudi Arabia since 2016. In Jordan, for example, the government monitored sermons at mosques and required preachers to abstain from talking about politics to avoid social and political unrest and to counter extremist views. In Burkina Faso, for example, armed men entered classrooms in multiple schools and threatened to kill teachers if they did not teach the Quran to their students.56 Killings of people accused of witchcraft also occurred throughout the region. However, there were reports that the Chinese government arrested, tortured and physically abused members of both registered and unregistered religious groups.22, In Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, a new counterterrorism law published in November 2017 criminalizes anyone who challenges, either directly or indirectly, the religion or justice of the King or Crown Prince, and prohibits the promotion of atheistic ideologies in any form, any attempt to cast doubt on the fundamentals of Islam and publications that contradict the provisions of Islamic law. Indeed, public practice of all non-Muslim religions is illegal in the country, including public worship, proselytization and display of religious symbols. , U.S. Department of State. This decision was made more than a decade ago, at the beginning of the study, to prevent a few outliers (countries with extremely high or extremely low scores) from skewing the regional or global averages. Its not necessarily that type of persecution here [in the West], ACN-USA Director of Outreach Edward Clancy told CNA. Although the charges were dismissed, the prosecutors have appealed the verdict. The prosecutor general alleged that Rsnens post, which referenced a 2004 pamphlet published by Pohjola, was likely to cause intolerance, contempt, and hatred towards homosexuals.. But they also have been rising over the past decade and in some cases, even more steeply. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. What is the problem with religion? | Faith Forum - Reno Gazette Journal The German parliament has approved the construction of a memorial in Berlin to the Jehovahs Witnesses persecuted under the Nazis. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. The NYC founders of Pray March Act want church-led activism to outlive news cycles and divisive . Diocese of Matagalpa. For example, a law that restricts head or face coverings for women would fall into this category as well as the next one (government harassment of religious groups) if it is actively enforced. Since 2007, there also has been an increase in hostilities over conversions in the region. (Image credit: Getty Images) By Sumit Paul-Choudhury 2nd August 2019 Throughout history,. Some of the largest increases occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. Pilgrims in Mecca are performing their final rituals before heading to Mina in preparation for the Hajj. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults (73%) say religion should be kept separate from government policies, according to a survey conducted in spring 2022.Just 25% say government policies should support religious values and beliefs. April 13, 2016. Additionally, the countrys largest opposition party also proposed a ban on the niqab in all public places, though it was ultimately rejected.40 And, in more recent years, religious groups such as Latter-day Saints (sometimes called Mormons) and Jehovahs Witnesses have faced restrictions on public preaching and proselytizing from local governments in Spain.41. The challenges facing religious life today - U.S. Catholic In 2011, the Samoan government began to enforce a 2009 education policy that makes Christian instruction mandatory in public primary schools.18 And, in 2017, Samoas parliament amended the constitution to define the country as a Christian nation.19. In the midst of a violent conflict between Christian and Muslim militia forces, there have been widespread killings and displacement of people. Middle East still home to highest levels of restrictions on religion, although levels have declined since 2016, 4. In 2017, for example, the city of Lorette banned headscarves in a public pool.4 Laws regarding womens religious dress also have boosted Frances score in the category of limits on religious activities, but Qatar scores even higher in this category, in part due to laws that target non-Islamic faiths by restricting public worship, the display of religious symbols and proselytization.5. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. June 24, 2023. Juneteenth. In 2017, 83 countries (42%) experienced high or very high levels of overall restrictions on religion, from government actions or hostile acts by private individuals, organizations and social groups. For example, this report covers events that occurred in 2017. resigns following allegations he mishandled sex abuse allegations, priests complaints. Finns must become informed about racial violence against white persons and diseases spread by Muslim immigrants, according to the U.S. State Departments annual report on religious freedom. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Among the 25 most populous countries, Egypt, India, Russia, Pakistan and Indonesia had the highest overall restrictions on religion in 2017, Religiously unaffiliated people face harassment in a growing number of countries, Restrictions on religion among the 25 most populous countries, 2007-2020, 41 countries ban religion-related groups; Jehovahs Witnesses, Bahais among the most commonly targeted, Key findings about restrictions on religion around the world in 2019, Online Religious Services Appeal to Many Americans, but Going in Person Remains More Popular, As AI Spreads, Experts Predict the Best and Worst Changes in Digital Life by 2035, More than half of states now recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday, Inflation, Health Costs, Partisan Cooperation Among the Nations Top Problems, Government favoritism of religious groups, Laws and policies restricting religious freedom, Government limits on religious activities, Government harassment of religious groups. Anti-government protests that began in 2011 took on a sectarian dimension, with the Sunni government targeting mostly Shiite opposition protesters and religious leaders. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. As of 2017, the government in Turkmenistan continued to deny visas to foreigners if they were suspected of intending to do missionary work; the government also prevented the importation of religious literature.37 Similarly, in Uzbekistan, a government agency continued to block the importation of both Christian and Islamic literature.38 And a Kazakh law states that production, publication and dissemination of religious literature is allowed only after approval from the government.39, Spain has experienced some of the largest increases in its score for government limits on religious activities since 2007. Gerald Ridsdale has been in prison since 1994. U.S. Department of State. Religious Diversity and Justified Belief 5. Pew Research Center July 15, 2019 A Closer Look at How Religious Restrictions Have Risen Around the World Tenth annual report dives deeper into the ways government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion have changed, from 2007 to 2017 Both types of restrictions have been rising; the global average score in each of these categories increased more than 20% between 2007 and 2017. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. Harassment of religious groups steady in 2017, remaining at 10-year high, 3. This is the largest percentage of countries to have high or very high levels of social hostilities since 2013, but falls well below the 10-year peak of 33% in 2012. Many countries require some form of registration for religious groups to operate, and at least four-in-ten countries in the Americas and more than half the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the Asia-Pacific region and Europe had a registration process in 2017 that, at a minimum, adversely affected the ability of some groups to carry out their religious activities.
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