Posts in Religious Equality
Islam’s Call To Prayer Is Ringing Out In More US Cities — Affirming A Long And Growing Presence Of Muslims In America

(ANALYSIS) Minneapolis recently became the first major U.S. city to allow the “adhan,” or Muslim call to prayer, to be broadcast from mosques five times a day. In April 2023, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a change to the city’s sound ordinance, effectively eliminating time constraints that previously prevented the pre-dawn and evening prayer calls from being broadcast.

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Bridging the Gap: How a Greek University is Supporting Thessaloniki’s Muslims

Some Muslims, Jews and other religious minorities in Thessaloniki also believe the city has found harmony between Abrahamic faiths in the past and can do so again. And one such olive branch toward religious understanding is taking root at the School of Theology in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, which is the first Greek university to implement an academic program on Islamic studies.

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Weaponization of Hindu Festivals: A Catalyst For Anti-Muslim Violence In India

The celebration of a Hindu festival, Ram Navami, which marks the birth of Lord Ram, was tarnished by violence in late March across 10 Indian states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Delhi and West Bengal. It’s this kind of religious violence and intolerance that belied the surface of diplomatic talks between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his state visit to Washington.

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The Broken: ‘Dalit’ Sikhs Fight Back Against Land Discrimination In Punjab

The caste system's historical legacy has prohibited dalits from owning land nationwide, and this pattern remains prominent in India's Sikh-majority state of Punjab, which has a population of about 30 million.

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How To Turn The Tide On Violations Based On Religion Or Belief?

(OPINION) Violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief, including in their most egregious manifestations, whether crimes against humanity, war crimes or even genocide, are not issues left behind in 2022, or in the past. The early days of 2023 already show that such violations will continue.

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Exclusive: Cardinal Zen Says Chinese Church Without Vatican's Help Will 'Die Out Soon'

Hong Kong pro-democracy leader and Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen told Religion Unplugged that if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were to pull out of cooperation with the Vatican and attempt to maintain an entirely Chinese Catholic Church without the pope as its head, the entire organization will be rejected by the laity. New regulations on the Church go into effect May 1 and appear designed to block the Vatican’s control of the Church inside China.

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One In Eight Christians Worldwide Live In Countries Where They May Face Persecution

The World Watch List 2021, a list compiled by Open Doors, an international NGO advocating on behalf of persecuted Christians, paints a concerning picture of the situation Christians face around the world. The most likely and violent place for Christians to be located is in North Korea, though the list grows daily as countries shift towards religious persecution.

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Evangelical leaders talk COVID restrictions and religious freedom

Prominent evangelicals Francis Chan, John MacArthur, Sam Rodriguez, Andy Stanley and religious freedom experts weighed in on how churches should navigate changing COVID-19 guidelines that some say unfairly target houses of worship.

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Remembering Rep. John Lewis As A Man Of Faith Who Inspired Others

(OPINION) What stood out to me most in regard to Lewis was that he put principles over politics and for that he was respected by Republicans and Democrats. At the height of the 2008 Presidential campaign I learned during a gathering President George W. Bush hosted at the White House it wasn’t certain that Lewis was going to endorse Hillary Clinton for president.

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Finding answers to the pandemic in the writings of Saint Pope John Paul II

(OPINION) Who’s to blame for the coronavirus pandemic? It’s not really a difficult whodunit to figure out. Just look to a system that rejects God and freedom: China’s Communist Party for the culprit.

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Russia continues to restrict religious liberty with broad definition of extremism

Deliberately vague definitions of “extremism” are infringing on the religious liberties of many in Russia. As a result of this legal language, at least 313 Jehovah’s Witnesses have been placed under investigation, and many more have been imprisoned and convicted.

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The Best of Religion Journalism in 2019

The Media Project staff, board and members worldwide submitted nominations for the best efforts in religion journalism that we admired most in 2019.

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The Rising Trend of Christian Persecution

(OPINION) Acts of violence based on religion or belief are on the increase globally. This includes atrocities that amount to genocide and crimes against humanity. While such acts of violence affect all religious groups (especially minority religious groups), over the recent months, report after report has been raising the issues that relate to the persecution of Christians globally.

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Cardinal Robert Sarah’s new book puts the spotlight on what ails the modern world

(BOOK REVIEW) Cardinal Robert Sarah’s new book examines the spiritual decline of the West amid scandals in the Catholic Church and secularization. He’s hopeful prayer can reverse the trend.

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5 reasons the world needs a wake-up call on religious persecution

(OPINION) The United Nations has established for the first time ever on Aug. 22 a day to draw attention to people groups around the world violently persecuted for their religious beliefs: Yazidis in Syria and Iraq, Christians in Nigeria, faith minorities in Pakistan, Rohingya in Myanmar, Uighur Muslims in China and others.

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The Yazidi community five years after Islamic State massacre

We talked to human rights activist Dr. Widad Akreyi about the Yazidi community’s wait for justice on the international stage after the start of a genocide on Aug. 3, 2014. Thousands captured by Islamic State fighters remain missing.

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Will the new British Foreign Secretary take religious persecution seriously?

(COMMENTARY) Jeremy Hunt’s resignation puts his plan for an international overhaul of asylum requests, from persecuted Christians especially, in limbo with the UK’s new foreign secretary Dominic Raab.

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This Indonesian village tradition has kept peace between Christians and Muslims

(COMMENTARY) In Maluku, two villages — one Christian and one Muslim — follow a unique tradition they say dates back to 1506 to live in harmony without diluting either of their faiths.

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Attacks on Muslims and Christians Continue to Rise in India

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election in 2014 and reelection this May, brutal mob attacks by Hindu nationalist groups against India’s Muslim and Christian minorities have continued to steadily rise.

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