AFN members attended a conference on religious freedom relating to a small minority new religion in the UK. AFN’s Director had done a study of discrimination against the group in Sweden. The movement’s account of the conference is detailed here:
“Time To Abolish Blasphemy Laws, Uphold Freedom of Expression” says Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State David Saperstein. In a blog post on the US Department of State’s official page, Saperstein writes: “It is shocking to note that almost half of the world’s countries have laws and policies that criminalize…
By Martin Weightman. Martin has worked in the field of human rights for more than 40 years. He is the Director of the All Faiths Network, an interfaith group based in the UK. He is also on the Advisory Board of an African development organisation as their interfaith and human rights advisor. He was the European Human Rights…
We reprint here an article by Martin Banks of New Europe magazine. See the full article here Religious freedom and belief often “take a back seat” to policymaking, according to Martin Weightman, the director of the All Faiths Network, who told participants that the rights of religious minorities are overshadowed by issues affecting other groups….
Freedom of Religion or Belief: An International Law Commentary is the first commentary to look comprehensively at the international provisions for the protection of freedom of religion or belief, considering how they are interpreted by various United Nations Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies. Structured around the thematic categories of the United Nations Special Rapporteur’s framework for…
The French National Assembly is set to debate a bill banning clothing linked to religious practice in sports after it was approved by the Senate. While not explicitly targeting Muslim head coverings, critics argue it discriminates against the Muslim community and could further alienate them. Proposed by right-wing Senator Michel Savin, the bill passed the…
Writing in AlJazeera, Senior researcher with Georgetown University’s The Bridge Initiative Farid Hafez accuses the French Government of State-promoted or condoned Islamaphobia including physical attacks including murder. “There has been a significant spike in Islamophobic acts in France – something the French authorities remain reluctant to publicly comment on. One report showed a 72 percent…
