In yet another indication where French judiciary appear to be pushing further into, and limiting, the religious ‘space’ in the country a civil court, the Tribunal of Lorient, judged against the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Spirit, a Catholic Institution, was determined to have wrongfully dismissed a Sister of that Order. After internal apostolic investigation…
France has passed a shocking new law on 9th April, that targets religious minorities (though can be used against any religion) as well as certain natural health practitioners who have been recategorized as ‘cult leaders’ for not supporting mainstream medical treatments. The core of this new law now states that it is a criminal offence…
Members of All Faiths Network (AFN) attended a conference organised by United Religions Initiative (URI) and hosted by the New North London Synagogue and Barnet Multi Faith Forum. URI organised this conference to better understand the interfaith scene in the UK and introduce itself to other groups. Executives from both URI International and Europe attended….
When legislation can curtail freedom of expression Päivi Räsänen Päivi, a Finnish medical doctor, active parliamentarian, former Minister of the Interior, mother, grandmother, and Christian along with Bishop Pohjola were prosecuted for the crime of “agitation against a minority group”, under the section of “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in the Finnish criminal code….
Oslo District Court removes the status of religious organisation from Jehovah Witnesses The Oslo District Court has removed the status of religious organisation and denied subsidies, previously received by the organisation for 30 years, and given to all registered religions. This is not a prohibition of their religion or practices as they can still practice…
Not to be confused with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light are a religious organisation which has been at the receiving end of discrimination in several countries outside of Europe and targetted because some Muslim-majority countries consider them “heretics” where they have been imprisoned, tortured and targetted by both state…
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe issued issued its annual report 2022/23 last November. The report finds an increase of anti-Christian hate crimes, rising to 748 cases in 2022. This matches the data of the new OSCE Annual Hate Crime Report, which documents 792 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2022. OIDAC Europe’s…
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom published 2023 report on Religious Freedom Concerns in the European Union. It states that “The EU and many of its member states are active in the promotion of religious freedom abroad, yet some EU countries have nonetheless maintained or implemented laws and policies that restrict the rights…
The Working Group held an online meeting to explain and understand the potential discriminatory results that the French law proposal on “Reinforcing the Fight Against Cultic Deviances” could have. Since the law proposal on “Reinforcing the Fight against Cultic Deviances” was proposed it went before the Senate on the 19th December. Over 100 academics and…
A draft law “aimed at reinforcing the fight against cultic deviances”, presented to the Council of Ministers on November 15, 2023, and immediately forwarded to the Senate Law Commission under accelerated procedure, will be discussed in plenary session in the Senate on December 19[1] . Comprising 7 articles, if passed into law, it would seriously…
