In the past two years, Sri Lankan Christians have been attacked by various hardline Buddhist and Hindu groups. Christian organizations reported 89 cases of discrimination, violence and threats against Christians in 2018, with 40 cases already in 2019.
Read MoreWhat would Jesus eat? Some of the world’s oldest Lenten bites, from Israel to India, are still sizzling. Others are cultural adaptions to fit the Lenten fast with local ingredients.
Read More(NEWS ANALYSIS) The country’s incumbent president Jokowi, seen as a liberal “metalhead of state”, chose conservative Muslim cleric Ma’ruf Amin as his running mate to win votes from an increasingly conservative Indonesia. Meanwhile, Jokowi’s challenger Subianto has been wooing radical Islamist groups.
Read More(NEWS ANALYSIS) India’s general election opens polls April 11 to May 19, with the final count expected May 23. Leaders of India’s minority faith communities are telling their flocks to elect candidates committed to pluralism and respect for everybody’s faiths amidst growing intolerance blamed on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party.
Read MoreThere has been little real learning from the New Zealand mosque attack that could shape what we do in the future. However, on Mar. 24, there was a remarkable article in the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph that suggests at least one way forward.
Read MoreHindu 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.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The most interesting figure in the culture wars today may be Patriarch Kirill from the Russian Orthodox Church, which with Russia has been promoting traditional Christian agendas on sexuality and abortion. This weekened the international non-profit World Congress of Families, founded by a Russian and an American, is hosting its annual meet to promote a pro-Christian worldview, conservative gender roles, anti-abortion policies and a hetero-normative agenda.
Read More(COMMENTARY) While western Christians today view fasting largely as an individual activity, Eastern Orthodox Christians practice fasting communally.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Religious persecution of Christians is more than at any other time in modern history, while other groups like Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Jews also suffer discrimination and violence in different regions of intolerance.
Read MoreCannabis has a long regard in Hinduism going back thousands of years, unlike the Western vices of alcohol and tobacco. No other day is this more apparent than during the ancient Hindu festival Holi.
Read MoreUnder 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.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Fake news and biased reporting characterizes the military conflict between India and Pakistan, with some news channels parroting government claims that haven’t checked out.
Read MoreThe president’s remarks over the weekend denounced clerical sexual abuse and corruption, but come after a string of insults hurled against Catholics that many believe encouraged religious violence.
Read MoreZafar agreed to an arranged marriage at age 17, believing the man and his family that the move from Pakistan to Canada would give her more educational opportunities. She didn’t expect to become a prisoner in her own home.
Read MoreShould the head of a government live out his religious beliefs in office? The Tibetan President-in-Exile Lobsang Sangay argues that that does not necessarily violate the separation of Church and State or the freedom of religion or belief.
Read MoreOngoing Indonesian elections are marked by blasphemy convictions, political imprisonment and a patchwork of laws aimed at preventing pornography, ethnic conflict and religious persecution.
Read MoreThe faith leaders, representing Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jewish, Ravidas and Bahá'í followers, declared to preach harmony and peace amidst rising religious violence in India.
Read MoreLong before he became an esteemed, internationally-recognized photographer — or even long before he owned a camera — Amir Hamja spent his college years in pharmacy school absorbing articles, books and tutorials of photography online.
Read MoreToday, China continues to escalate its massive suppression of Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners, Jews and Uighur Muslims.
Read More(COMMENTARY) A new documentary film recently aired on PBS beautifully shows faith as something lived-- not just a set of beliefs, traditions or doctrines on paper.
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