religious freedom

China: Catholics, the Holy See and religious freedom

By Magda Hornemann - Forum 18 News Service, 12 April 2007

The relationship between China’s government and the Holy See has greatly improved. But contentious issues – such as government control of the selection of “patriotic” Chinese bishops and local officials cracking down on the “underground” church – remain. Some of this stems from conflicts between “patriotic” and “underground” Catholics. The current diplomatic situation may also reflect lack of consensus in the Chinese government on the desirability of a normalised relationship with the Vatican.

© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. – Forum 18 News Service (F18News, Oslo, Norway) is a Christian initiative which is independent of any one church or religious group. F18News is objective, presenting news in a deliberately calm and balanced fashion, and presenting all sides of a situation. Website: www.forum18.org/index.php

China: religious freedom and the legal system – continuing struggle

By Magda Hornemann - Forum 18 News Service, 1 May 2004

The Communist party-state remains determined to maintain control over society, using over the past 20 years an increasing number of laws and regulations as a means to this end. There is a complex web of laws and regulations on religion.

Turkmenistan: religious freedom survey

By Felix Corley - Forum 18 News Service, 7 April 2004

In its survey analysis of the religious freedom situation in Turkmenistan, Forum 18 News Service reports on the almost complete lack of freedom to practice any faith, apart from very limited freedom for Sunni Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity with a small number of registered places of worship and constant interference and control by the state. This is despite recent legal changes that in theory allow minority communities to register…

Kyrygyzstan: religious freedom survey

By Igor Rotar - Forum 18 News Service, 7 January 2004

In its survey analysis of religious freedom in Kyrgyzstan, Forum 18 News Service notes that both registered and unregistered religious communities appear to function freely, despite a 1996 presidential decree requiring religious communities to register. A dispute in 2003 about headscarves worn by Muslim schoolgirls seems to be over, however the closure of six mosques has not been overturned and the official who ordered the closure has not been punished. A Pentecostal Church which faced a massive tax bill and obstruction in registering affiliated congregations hopes that, due to international concern attributed to Forum 18’s reporting, a solution will be found. However, due to Muslim anger at conversions from Islam to Christianity, Forum 18 has been told by some that an official campaign against Christian proselytism may soon be launched.

Forum 18 News Service (F18News, Oslo, Norway) is a Christian initiative which is independent of any one church or religious group. Its independence is safeguarded by a board whose members are Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic Christians. F18News is objective, presenting news in a deliberately calm and balanced fashion, and presenting all sides of a situation. The overriding editorial objective of F18News is to as accurately as possible present the truth of a situation, both implicitly and explicitly.

Website: http://www.forum18.org/index.php

Kosovo: religious freedom survey – September 2003

By Branko Bjelajac and Felix Corley - Forum 18 News Service, 10 September 2003

In its survey analysis of the religious freedom situation in ethnically-divided Kosovo (Kosova in Albanian), Forum 18 News Service reports on the continuing systematic attacks in Serbian Orthodox churches, monasteries and graveyards. Protestant leaders have complained that ethnic Albanian church members from Muslim backgrounds at times suffer “persecution“, often from family members. The international bodies ruling Kosovo have done little to promote religious freedom.

Website: http://www.forum18.org/index.php

Azerbaijan: religious freedom survey

By Felix Corley - Forum 18 News Service, 28 June 2003

In Azerbaijan, government hostility to the idea of religious freedom appears to derive from officials’ fear of social forces they cannot control and dislike of pluralism. The main victims are Muslims, whose faith is regarded as a potential challenge and whose communities face government interference and control, and minority faiths the government tries to restrict.

Website: http://www.forum18.org/index.php

U.S.A.: State Department lists severe religious liberty violators

By Jeff Taylor - Compass, 14 March 2003

The U.S. State Department’s list of six countries designated as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) for severe religious freedom violations in 2002 has come under fire from religious liberty advocates primarily because of the countries it failed to include.

United States: U.S. commission dissatisfied with State Department religious freeedom stance

By Don Hill, 17 May 2002

In its International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the U.S. Congress established an Office of International Religious Freedom within the U.S. State Department. The law also created an advisory Commission on International Religious Freedom. As RFE/RL correspondent Don Hill reports, the State Department and the religious-freedom commission can, and sometimes do, disagree — a divide […]

This article was first published on 8 May 2002 by RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty). Posted on RELIGIOSCOPE with permission. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, international communications service to Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East, funded by the United States Congress. RELIGIOSCOPE highly recommends the RFE/RL website, with its informative daily newsline and various other reports: http://www.rferl.org/

China: Catholics, the Holy See and religious freedom

China: religious freedom and the legal system – continuing struggle

Turkmenistan: religious freedom survey

Kyrygyzstan: religious freedom survey

Kosovo: religious freedom survey – September 2003

Azerbaijan: religious freedom survey

U.S.A.: State Department lists severe religious liberty violators

United States: U.S. commission dissatisfied with State Department religious freeedom stance

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