This booklet, which can be downloaded, has just been published by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). They are guiding principles for each country to apply with regards to respecting freedom of religion or belief. The following are extracts from the introduction: “While OSCE participating States have adopted different strategies to ensure…
One of the decisions of The European Freedom of Religion or Belief Roundtable meeting in June 2019 was to raise the issue of blasphemy laws in Pakistan. The letter was written, signed by members of the Roundtable and delivered to the Pakistan Embassy in Brussels and UK for transmission to the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Whilst on the opposite side of the world the Christchurch murders of 49 members of Islam in their place of worship is a shocking reminder that some in the Western world are so far out of line with basic human values and human rights. We send our heartfelt condolences to all involved. We strongly condemn…
The International Institute of Religious Freedom published all the 12 official reports to the UN Human Rights Council of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religions and Belief, presented by the present United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt. Each report has its own specific topic like religious minorities,…
London: All Faiths Network Director Martin Weightman chaired a panel at the International Media Conference on “Exposure of Conflict Areas in the World with Parlicular Referrence to Kashmir. In his opening remarks he highlighted the importance of interfaith dialogue and religious leaders separating themselves out from political motivations whilst holding true to the peaceful and…
Warsaw: AFN attended the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting covering sessions on Freedom of Religion, Belief and Conscience as well as Tolerance and Non-Discrimination. The OSCE is an intergovernmental body comprising 57 countries and provides a forum for governments and civil society to meet together. AFN’s Director gave a presentation to the meeting on the…
“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…
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an advisory council to Congress and the US President, has added Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria and Vietnam to its list of countries where religious freedom is of particular concern. The Commissions new Annual Report says that “religious freedom abroad has been under serious and sustained assault” during the past year, and…
Canadian governments and churches pursued a policy of “cultural genocide” against the country’s aboriginal people throughout the 20th century, according to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. After seven years of investigation, including the collection of evidence from thousands of people, the commission has called for a new era of forgiveness and understanding even as it…
A new analysis by Brian J. Grim of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation finds that violent incidents between religious groups are more prevalent in areas where governments restrict religious proselytization. According to Grim’s article in The Weekly Number, hostilities over proselytization are five times more likely in countries with laws restricting such activity. Grim says that conversely, restrictive…
