As part of our advocacy efforts, OLIRE collaborated with representatives of the State Congress of Hidalgo (Mexico) by developing two legislative initiatives for the protection and guarantee of the right to religious freedom. With these bills, we aim for the recognition of the right to religious freedom in the Constitution of the State of Hidalgo, …
According to the Open Doors International report World Watch List 2020 (WWL), about 260 million Christians face different degrees of persecution in 50 countries around the world. The highest scores can be identified in the top 10 countries on the list: North Korea (94), Somalia (92), Libya (90), Pakistan (88), Eritrea (87), Sudan (85), Yemen …
You are warmly invited to submit proposals by 20 January 2020 on “The Impact of Religious Freedom Research” for a special issue of the International Journal for Religious Freedom (IJRF). The IJRF is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the International Institute for Religious Freedom, accredited by the Department for Higher Education and Training of …
The biannual conference on Persecution of Christians was held at the Schönblick Kongress in Schwäbisch Gmünd (Germany) from 10-13 November 2019. Dennis P. Petri, the director of the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America, gave a conference about “Challenges to Religious Freedom: The persecution of Christians in Latin America.” He also gave a workshop …
The Brill’s Religious Studies, Theology and Philosophy Collection has just released the volume “Christian Faith, Philosophy & International Relations – The Lamb and the Wolf”, edited by Simon Polinder and Govert Buijs. We are pleased that Dennis P. Petri, Director of the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America and Frans Veerman, Managing Director of …
Last July 2019, the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review of Christian Persecution was presented to the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom. The document highlights the extent and nature of the global persecution of Christians, evaluates the United Kingdom’s foreign policy in this regard, and provides recommendations. The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Latin America …
On 26 March, following the London terror attacks, the Dutch (atheist) comedian Arjen Lubach proposed a tool to counter religiously inspired violence, “The Holy Bookmark.” While this may seem funny, it is at the same time very useful tool. This is how it works. Whenever someone decides he wants to act in the name of his religion, there are a …
Some pro-family activists can be wrong, and even outright crazy. The Spanish pro-family lobby HazteOir.org came up with a terrible campaign. In February 2017 this club rigged a bus to circulate around Madrid with the provocative message (in Spanish): “Boys have penises, girls have vaginas. Don’t be fooled. If you’re born a man, you’re a …
On the highway near my home, a monumental sign reads: “The Sabbath is the True Day of the Lord.” I find it very interesting but also quite puzzling. On a first impression, this sign can be interpreted as an example of a religious group exercising its right to freedom of expression. It’s likely a statement …
During the last decades of the twentieth century, indigenous movements emerged throughout Latin America. This unprecedented mobilization of indigenous groups, often referred to as indigenismo, had major political consequences. The indigenismo movement led to the first official recognition of the ethnic diversity of Colombia, as well as far-reaching self-administration rights. In Colombia, indigenous autonomy is far-reaching, but not …
