Religious freedom has never drawn a bigger crowd (from all walks of faith)

(COMMENTARY) The U.S. State Department’s second annual Ministerial on religious freedom drew over 1,000 official invitees and many more for side events.

Why India is trying to criminalize instant divorce for Muslim men

A bill to ban triple talaq, or Islamic instant divorce, is creating controversy in India. The bill could be unconstitutional in two ways: it would criminalize only Muslim men for deserting their wives and it trumps so-called personal laws meant to provide religious freedom in civil matters like marriage.

Are Brazilian Christians who elected Bolsonaro losing faith in him?

A fragile Christian alliance that supported Pres. Bolsonaro’s election to office in October is weakening amid rising unemployment, budget cuts to education, and their leader’s negative comments about women, black people and the LGBT community.

On World Refugee Day, an overview of a persecuted Muslim minority

The Rohingya, an ethnic minority persecuted by some Buddhist groups in Myanmar, are facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises of this century. We spoke to Yangon-based activist Sam Naeem about the evolution of their struggle so far.

The real story of America's bloody struggle for religious freedom

We talked with Steven Waldman, founder of BeliefNet and author of the new book Sacred Liberty, about America’s battles for religious freedom— how the notion that the US was founded with religious liberty in mind is wrong— our current challenges for preserving it, and much more.

Interfaith Ramadan events aim to counter hate

From the White House to London and Brooklyn, interfaith iftars — the fast-breaking meals of Ramadan — are trending this year.

The bell that saved abandoned babies in the Middle Ages

(COMMENTARY) Foundling wheels or baby hatches were safe spaces for women to leave unwanted babies anonymously for the church to adopt and care for. The same principle could be replicated today.

Modi's second term likely to keep choking philanthropy, especially from Christians

(NEWS ANALYSIS) India’s Hindu nationalist and populist Bharatiya Janata Party won reelection Thursday in a sweeping parliamentary majority. Here’s what that means for religious minorities, other marginalized groups and the organizations working for their welfare.

Why Kashmir’s small Sikh community boycotted Indian elections

The region has long been plagued by atrocities against Kashmiri Muslims, some of whom advocate for separating from India, and ethnic Kashmiri Hindus, who support India’s military occupation and takeover. Caught in the conflict is a tiny minority of Sikhs, who say their voices are not being heard.

Viral tweets highlight the question: should women be pastors?

(COMMENTARY) Echoing papal pronouncements, a position paper and then a columnist of the Southern Baptist Convention’s seminary said that Jesus Christ appointed only male apostles. Evangelical author Beth Moore was one among many voices to push back on Twitter.

Muslim families are suing Israel to bury their dead in a coveted cemetery

Jews, Christians and Muslims have buried their loved ones in Jerusalem’s Bab al-Rahma Cemetery for hundreds of years, but more recently Israel has banned burials, citing the need to protect Jewish antiquities. Now, Palestinian families who claim to own the land are suing Israel.

In Israel, a family of Ethiopian Jews protest police violence through art

Ethiopian Jews make up only two percent of Israel’s population, but they account for 40 percent of the public discrimination complaints. The art show “The Color Line” draws inspiration from the Black Lives Matter movement and the African-American writer W.E.B. Du Bois.

Hindu extremists are banning Christian churches across India

Hindu nationalist extremist groups have been using building code regulations to shut down house churches across India. Pastors and their lawyers say they’re being unfairly targeted.

Experts examine the state of religious liberty in America

Sohrab Ahmari, current op-ed editor of the New York Post; Mark Rienzi, Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School; Rabbi Dr. Meir Y. Soloveichik of Congregation Shearith Israel in Manhattan; and Dr. Jacqueline C. Rivers, the Executive Director of the Seymour Institute on Black Church and Policy Studies discussed upholding religious freedom in the US at a recent event hosted by The King’s College and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

Brenton Tarrant’s Mein Kampf: Inside the manifesto of New Zealand’s mosque shooter

Brenton Tarrant is becoming a sickeningly familiar figure in the modern West: an angry, disaffected, lone wolf who finds purpose and community online with extremists who offer an escape from the wrenching dislocations of modernity through a blood-soaked path to redemption. His manifesto resembles a ISIS recruitment video, giving a heroic and cosmic meaning to an apocalyptic act of terror.

Pakistani minorities are fighting religious discrimination in schools

Under Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Pakistani government aims to improve standards of education for even the most marginalized. It remains to be seen whether religious discrimination against Christian and Hindu students in the Islamic country will decrease.

Religious Tension on the Rise in Indonesia

Ongoing Indonesian elections are marked by blasphemy convictions, political imprisonment and a patchwork of laws aimed at preventing pornography, ethnic conflict and religious persecution.

A Royal Pickle: Jordanian Evangelicals and American ‘Help’

(NEWS ANALYSIS) Jordan’s King Abdullah II received the Templeton Prize for religious tolerance in November. Does he deserve it? Abdullah has invited prominent American Evangelicals to visit, including pro-Israel advisors to Trump, while one critical report says the government has shut down their churches and barred visas for foreign Christians.

A look at the Roman Catholic 'Womenpriest' movement

The Roman Catholic Womenpriest (RCWP) movement began in 2002 when two Catholic male bishops ordained seven women. Those women, and the ones after, have continued to ordain women to the priesthood. There are currently 264 ordained women in the RCWP movement throughout the world.

Is Trump's use of the term 'witch hunt' offensive?

President Trump has repeatedly referred to the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller a “witch hunt” – angering people who actually practice witchcraft. The investigation into whether Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election is ongoing. Witches say what’s not under debate is the use of the term “witch hunt.”

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