Posts in Human Rights
Nigeria’s Christians Under Siege: Why CPC Designation Was Long Overdue

(ANALYSIS) President Trump recently designated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act. Like most of his acts, this ignited major controversy, much of it reflecting longstanding and now renewed disputes about what is really happening in that country. 

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The Religious Freedom Case That’s United Both Sides Of Church-State Divide

(ANALYSIS) In recent years, litigation on certain types of religious freedom lawsuits have been practically run of the mill: prayer on school premises, for example, and government funding for students at faith-based schools.

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As Violence Rages On, Nigeria’s Christians And Muslims Find Unity Through Soccer

Two soccer teams — each comprised of eight Muslims and eight Christians — faced off as a mixed crowd cheered. Only months earlier, 52 people were killed in yet another religious massacre nearby. Some of the players on the field had lost relatives in that attack. Yet, they chose sports over revenge.

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In War-Torn Syria, Muslim Women Unite To Ease Tensions

When she began wearing the hijab, critics accused Wafaa Al-Khudari of abandoning her sect, but now she and other Syrian women are leading the charge to ease religious tensions in their communities. The country, which recently ousted a regime, regularly experiences violent conflicts among the political and religious sects.

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When Rage Replaces Reason: The Rise Of America’s Violent Creed

(ANALYSIS) Street protests spill into riots. Universities host intimidation campaigns. Digital mobs savage anyone who dares step outside the script. Across America, political anger is spilling into the open, and on the left it increasingly takes a violent shape. What begins as dissent can tip quickly into destruction.

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Trump Calls Out Nigeria For Christian Persecution, Threatens Military Response

President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) Oct. 31 for tolerating religious freedom violations especially against Christians, and threatened sanctions and military force to discourage such persecution.

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At Cuba’s Notorious Garbage Dump, Locals Find Grace And Community

(ESSAY) Again and again, deadly incidents occur at Cuba’s largest garbage dump — sometimes from sudden eruptions of violence, sometimes from hunger or disease. But a group of about 50 locals, led by a pastor, have banded together to look out for one another. “Sometimes they kill each other over a piece of copper,” said one local woman.

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Public Executions Signal Deepening Human Rights Crisis In Afghanistan

(ANALYSIS) The U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, published a statement condemning the latest public execution in Afghanistan and calling on the de facto authorities to immediately impose a moratorium and abolish the use of the death penalty.

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Why Parts Of Africa Face Shortage Of Muslim Wudu Facilities

Ablution, or wudu, is often performed before prayer and involves washing the hands, face, mouth, nostrils, arms, and feet in a certain sequence with running water. “I always travel across Africa with work. Many buildings and public spaces have no wudu facilities. This makes most Muslims uncomfortable,” said one frequent traveler.

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Film On Slain US Christian Missionary Misses An Opportunity For Empathy

(REVIEW) John Chau was an American man who died trying to preach the Gospel to North Sentinel Island, home to a tribe cut off from the outside world. The story captured the world’s attention — but a new film, "Last Days", recalls what happened, but was also a missed opportunity for secular-religious empathy.

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Why Some Wars Move The World And Others Go Unseen

(ANALYSIS) Compassion loses nothing by being partial, only when it turns self-righteous. Empathy must be guided by conscience, not by those who claim the right to decide whose pain counts.

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Afghan Women’s Refugee Team’s Visa Denial Prompts FIFA To Relocate Tournament

The competition — called “FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025” — had been originally scheduled to be played in Dubai with teams from Chad, Libya and the host nation UAE. FIFA confirmed that the tournament would instead be be played in Morocco, starting on Sunday, with a revised lineup that includes the Afghan refugee squad, Chad, Tunisia and Libya.

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Vance Trip Underscores New Phase In US-Israel Relations After Gaza Ceasefire

While Vance emphasized “partnership” with Israel and pushed back on the notion that the Jewish state had become a “protectorate” of the United States, the underlying tensions in this evolving post-Gaza war framework reveals that the alliance has entered a new phase.

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The Buddhist Monk-Military Alliance Taking Over Myanmar

(ANALYSIS) In Myanmar, when the military has a hard time conscripting enough residents into their ranks, they turn to monks for help. The religious leaders — many of whom have been well-connected to the government — are backing the recruitment drive. The regime has been targeting men across all segments of society — including the urban poor, displaced populations and ethnic and religious minorities.

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The Christian Case For ‘No Kings’ Protests

(OPINION) After participating in multiple protests this year opposing authoritarianism, a Christian minister reflects on how people of faith can help sustain the growing No Kings movement — with hope, humor, and moral clarity. The “No Kings” movement, thank God, has only just begun.

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Sikh Pilgrims Allowed To Visit Pakistan After India Reverses Travel Ban

For thousands of devotees, the journey across the border is not just a trip; it is a reclamation of history, heritage and faith. As Prakash Purab approaches, the pilgrimage carries more than spiritual meaning. It represents the enduring resilience of a community whose beliefs and traditions transcend the walls of politics and conflict.

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What Are The Key Issues That Could Potentially Endanger Israel?

In 2006, I was able to travel to Israel for the first time. Even as a child, I had learned from my father about the spiritual legacy of the Jewish people, the land God had given them, and how He had protected them. And, best of all, during that amazing year, I was able to set foot on the land myself. There I began to meet and come to know Israelis as friends and allies, and to see with my own eyes the biblical heritage I had inherited as a Christian believer.

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Tribunal Hears Harrowing Testimonies From Afghan Women On Taliban Oppression

From Oct 8-10, the People’s Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan, part of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, an international opinion tribunal competent to rule on any serious crime committed to the detriment of peoples and communities, held public hearings in Madrid.

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Faith Leaders Outraged As South Africa Lets Husbands Take Wives’ Surnames

The Constitutional Court in South Africa decided last month that husbands can adopt their wives’ surnames upon getting married, ruling that until now the law discriminated against men. While it is being celebrated as a progressive decision by some, the ruling has outraged many — with some religious and traditional leaders saying this is an assault on marriage.

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Seeing The Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Through Jewish And Muslim Eyes: What’s Next?

(ANALYSIS) What’s striking about this ceasefire is not just how tentative it is, but how deeply entwined the experiences of Jews and Muslims have become — not in harmony, but in suffering. Both communities claim moral righteousness. Both grieve their dead. And both are trapped in narratives of fear and survival that often leave little room for compassion or compromise.

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