Articles – Page 48

Colombia: new rebel threats against Americans renew concerns for missionaries

By Kenneth D. MacHarg, 22 August 2002

New reported threats against Americans in Colombia are once again causing U.S. missionaries to be careful about their movements. LAM News Service – 22 August 2002 – In addition, spillover of the over 40-year-old rebel conflict into neighboring countries is also affecting missionary work there. U.S. embassy officials said they were investigating a reported order from […]

Latin America Mission works in partnership with churches and Christian agencies throughout Latin America and supports missionaries and projects in many Latin countries as well as in Spain. The U.S. headquarters can be reached at Latin America Mission, Box 52-7900, Miami, FL 33152, by e-mail at info@lam.org, or by calling 1-800-275-8410.

Poland: poll scrutinizes attitudes toward Catholic Church

By RFE / RL, 21 August 2002

According to the latest public opinion poll conducted by the Public Opinion Research Center (OBOP), a majority of Poles are loyal Catholics, but by no means all happy about the role of the Catholic Church in politics and society. RFE/RL – 20 August 2002 – The survey, carried out by the OBOP survey agency, gives the […]

This news item was originally published by RFE/RL, Poland, Belarus,and Ukraine Report, Vol. 4, No. 31, 20 August 2002. Copyright © 2002. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

United States: Jewish groups feeling the pinch after post-9/11 hikes in insurance

By Rachel Pomerance, 16 August 2002

Beefing up security in the aftermath of Sept. 11 isn’t the only new hurdle for American Jewish institutions. Jewish institutions are struggling with new insurance rates — 50 percent increases or more in some cases — that threaten to consume critical funds. JTA – 14 August 2002 – At the same time, these institutions — including […]

JTA is an international news service that provides up-to-the-minute reports, analysis pieces and features on events and issues of concern to the Jewish people. It has no allegiance to any specific branch of Judaism or political viewpoint. Daily reports and more information about JTA are available on its web site at: <http://www.jta.org>

Uzbekistan: former mufti criticises anti-Islamic campaign

By Galima Bukharbaeva, 15 August 2002

A respected religious leader has warned that the government’s crackdown on Islamic extremism will backfire, radicalising ordinary Muslims. IWPR – 13 August 2002 – Uzbekistan’s most respected spiritual leader has publicly announced his views of the government’s religious policy for the first time, describing the current situation as “totally absurd“. Sheikh Mukhammad Sodyk Mukhammad Yusuf expressed […]

Galima Bukharbaeva is the director of IWPR in Uzbekistan.

This article was first published on 7 June 2002 (RCA No. 137) by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR), London. Posted on Religioscope with permission.

Articles published by the IWPR on Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Balkans, the Caucasus as well as other topics can be accessed on its website:
http://www.iwpr.net
IWPR supports recovery and development in crisis zones by providing professional training, financial assistance and an international platform to independent media, human rights activists and other local democratic voices. IWPR’s primary beneficiaries are local journalists who participate in its reporting, research and training programmes.

Belarus: church destruction sparks outrage

By Kathleen Knox, 8 August 2002

A newly built church in western Belarus was to have been consecrated last week. Instead, it and a parish house were bulldozed on orders from local authorities who cited a violation of planning regulations. The church’s supporters claim its destruction amounts to religious persecution. RFE/RL – 7 August 2002 – The first weekend in August was meant […]

This report was originally published by RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty). Posted on Religioscope with permission.

Belarus: independent Orthodox church bulldozed

By Felix Corley, 2 August 2002

2 August 2002 was to have been the day the Autocephalous Orthodox church in the village of Pahranichny close to Belarus’ western border with Poland was consecrated. Instead, at 8 pm on 1 August, the village was surrounded by troops in camouflage uniforms, all roads were blocked off and the church was destroyed, Keston News […]

Moldova: Bessarabian Orthodox Church wins ten-year registration battle

By Felix Corley, 2 August 2002

After what the secretary for the Bessarabian Orthodox Metropolia described as a “ten-year battle” for state registration, the Moldovan government’s State Service for the Affairs of Cults has finally registered the Orthodox jurisdiction, which forms part of the Patriarchate in neighbouring Romania. Keston News Service – 31 July 2002 – “Everyone is pleased. We have fought […]

Uzbekistan: Christian missionaries lure youngsters

By Ulugbek Khaidarov, 30 July 2002

The authorities’ crackdown on Islamic radicalism appears to have prompted many young Uzbeks to join the growing number of Christian groups in the country. IWPR – 26 July 2002 – Government intolerance of Islamic fundamentalism is driving scores of Uzbek youth into the arms of new Christian groups practising in the Jizak region – some of […]

Ulugbek Khaidarov is an independent journalist based in Uzbekistan.

This article was first published on 26 July 2002 (RCA No. 132) by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR), London. Posted on Religioscope with permission.

Russia: are religious organs equal before the law? Report on experiences in Tatarstan and Mari-El

By Geraldine Fagan, 26 July 2002

Russia’s 1993 Constitution declares that the country is a secular state, and that religious associations are equal before the law. Yet latterly, there have been complaints that Russia’s state institutions are becoming markedly less secular and that, in the sphere of social service, the law is not being applied to all religious organisations in equal […]

Russia: Upper Chamber to begin process of returning land to Church

By RFE / RL, 25 July 2002

Federation Council Agriculture Committee Chairman Ivan Starikov announced that he intends to start working on a law that would restore land seized by the Bolsheviks after the 1917 Revolution to the Russian Orthodox Church, Izvestiya reported on 24 July. RFE/RL – 25 July 2002 – The Church at one point owned about 3 million hectares of […]

Published on 25 July 2002 by RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty). Posted on Religioscope with permission.