Posts tagged religious freedom
School Vouchers Would Expand Nationwide Under New Federal Plan

A federal tax credit proposal would provide up to $5,000 per student in tuition assistance for yeshivas and other Jewish schools nationwide. The proposal, which has been criticized by some as a threat to religious liberty, has been hailed as "historic" by Agudath Israel.

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Special Report: India Abandons Rohingya Refugees Near Myanmar’s Border

Indian authorities have allegedly “abandoned” — rather than deported — 40 Rohingya refugees in international waters near the Myanmar maritime border, forcing women, children and the elderly to swim to safety using life jackets. The action could be seen as a “secret rendition,” a term used to describe the covert transfer of individuals across borders without legal process.

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New Trump Commission Displays DC’s Religious Power Grid

(ANALYSIS) Despite the disruptions of global economics and trade, and a couple dozen other hot disputes, let's not neglect such perennial realities as the way religion can affect politics and vice versa. As President Donald Trump promised, this is a central aspect of his agenda, underscored by the recent establishment of the new Religious Liberty Commission.

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Fact-Finding Teams Expose Violence Against Christians In Indian State Of Odisha

Many Christian families reported living in fear — facing threats of social boycott, electricity cuts and verbal abuse. Some have left their villages or publicly disavowed their faith to avoid conflict. Others now live with the trauma of having been denied the chance to grieve with dignity. In cases where women were disrobed or attacked during mourning, the abuse was not only communal but gendered.

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USCIRF Highlights Growing Violence Against Christians In Nigeria

Nigeria’s size, population and underdeveloped infrastructure make full and accurate data on such attacks difficult to obtain, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said at a Capitol Hill hearing on religious freedom in Nigeria, but the country is the deadliest in the world for Christians.

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Watch: Faith Vigilantism In The Indian State Of Odisha

Sadhu Sundar Singh, a Christian pastor, serves Adivasi/tribal communities in Odisha’s Balasore district. He helps people in these communities move away from alcoholism, hooliganism and the consumption of unsafe water. However, because he also shares his Christian faith with them, he has received death threats.

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‘A Faith Under Siege’ Documents Russia’s Persecution Of Christians In Ukraine

Christian faith threatens Russian President Vladimir Putin because it is out of his control. As such, his war on Ukraine has centered on the systematic persecution of Christians, their families and their churches. That is the central message of “A Faith Under Siege: Russia’s Hidden War on Ukraine’s Christians,” a documentary premiering May 10 on CBN, and following on TBN, Newsmax and several screening platforms.

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How These Supreme Court Cases Could Reshape The Law Regarding Religion

(ANALYSIS) The big U.S. Supreme Court decisions due in the coming two months include three cases on the religion clauses in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. At issue: Can a state deny a tax benefit to religious charities it thinks are not “religious” enough, can parents withdraw public elementary children from classes on gender identity and whether the state can fund a religious charter school.  

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Lynching In Mangaluru: The Story Of An Indian City Haunted By Hate

(ANALYSIS) Ashraf, a Muslim and daily wage labourer from Wayanad, Kerala, had arrived in this coastal Karnataka city just weeks earlier. On the evening of April 27, he was found dead near a temple in Kudupu — barely six miles (10 kilometers) from Mangaluru city’s centre. Reportedly killed on the sidelines of a cricket match, his death was a brutal act that felt grimly familiar.

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This Year’s National Day Of Prayer Events Draw On Hope

Now held on the first Thursday of May each year, the National Day of Prayer unites millions across the nation in prayer. President Trump signed the customary proclamation designating the first Thursday of May as the Day of Prayer. He also signed an executive order establishing the Religious Liberty Commission, which will focus on various aspects of religious liberty in America.

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China Bans Missionary Work Without State Approval in New Restrictions

The Chinese Communist Party enacted new restrictions on foreign missionaries there May 1, preventing them from preaching, evangelizing and establishing various religious organizations among other activities without official government approval.

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China’s Outlaw Minorities: Journalist Emily Feng Documents The High Cost Of Non-Conformity

(REVIEW) The strength of her book is that, for the most part, she does not feature dissidents who consciously oppose the government. Instead, she focuses on ordinary, law-abiding people who consider themselves to be loyal Chinese citizens but who unwittingly cross the CCP’s constantly changing redlines. The people Feng features find ways to live with dignity and integrity in the crucible of China’s dictatorship. 

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‘Voice For The Voiceless’: The Dalai Lama’s Struggle For Tibet And Religious Survival

(REVIEW) The Dalai Lama has hopes for Tibet, but as someone who knows the feeling of having governance forced upon him all too well, he does not say that these conditions are the absolutely correct ones. Instead, he makes clear that neither the CCP nor he should decide the destiny of the Tibetan people. While the Dalai Lama expresses disappointment at the fact that he will likely not return to Tibet.

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Tigray War Victims File The First-Ever Criminal Complaint In German Court

(ANALYSIS) In March 2025, eight survivors of the Tigray War filed a groundbreaking criminal complaint with the German Federal Public Prosecutor alleging that twelve senior Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials and military officers committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict.

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Why Iranians Are Rejecting Islam And Embracing Christianity

(ANALYSIS) Although the Ayatollahs have responded with bullets, prison cells, and executions, sheer force can only do so much against an idea whose time has come. The regime is losing its grip. The Islamic Republic has long ruled through force and fear. Yet, as disillusionment spreads, hope takes root. In this context, Christianity is not just a religion. It is an act of defiance.

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Crossroads Podcast: What’s Next With Global Religious Freedom?

As always, the annual U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report focused on trends in nations known for bitter religious conflicts and the persecution of religious minorities, including Christians. The list of offenders of “particular concern” included China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and others. The commission pushed to add Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Vietnam to that list.

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5 Religious Freedom Cases Loom Large As SCOTUS Decisions Draw Closer

Five cases addressing religious liberty ranging from parental rights to age verification on pornographic sites will be decided when the Supreme Court announces its decisions in the coming months.

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Proposed Texas Religious Freedom Commission Appealing, But Harmful

(ANALYSIS) Why empower a small group of unelected, perhaps unrepresentative, people from some religious communities with official privileged access to the governor? Why treat seven people as if they could speak for the millions of religious believers in Texas? Can a Baptist properly reflect Catholic concerns, or an Orthodox Jew reflect Muslim concerns?

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Advocates Urge US To Call Out Nations Who Violate Religious Liberty

Conditions in Afghanistan and India continued to deteriorate and remained poor in Nigeria and Vietnam, USCIRF commissioners said March 25 in its 2025 Report on International Religious Freedom, calling out countries where Christian minorities face murder, torture and other ills either sanctioned by the government or with little governmental intervention.

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