COMMENT: Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan

By Benedict Rogers (Reposted from one year ago. Extended version available here) Benedict Rogers is a writer and human rights campaigner with Christian Solidarity Worldwide based in London. He also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission. On 11 August 1947, Pakistan’s founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah spelled out his vision for … Continue reading →

NEWS: Most People Live in Countries that Restrict Religion

According to a recent Pew Forum, nearly seventy percent of the world’s population live in countries with religious restrictions. According to the study, about one-third of the world’s nations can be classified as having a high level of restriction on religions, but these nations make up some of the globe’s most populated countries. Religious minorities … Continue reading →

NEWS: Non-Muslims Permitted to Use ‘Allah’

After a publication of the Catholic Church in Malaysia filed a lawsuit, the Malaysian High Court ruled that non-Muslims are allowed to use the Arabic word Allah when referring to God. Some Muslims suspect that Christians want access to the word Allah to convert non-Muslims to Christianity, which is currently a crime in Malaysia. The … Continue reading →

NEWS: Young Iranians Are Rapidly Turning Against Religion, Survey Finds

The London-based Association of Iranian Researchers has recently published the findings of a 2007 internet survey on Iranian identity, which gives some interesting insights into the lives of young Iranians aged 20-29. A detailed analysis of more than 4,000 valid filled questionnaires shows that some 40% of this age group does not self-identify as religious, … Continue reading →

NEWS: Malaysian Permitted to Revert to Buddhism

Fatimah Tan Abdullah, a Malaysian woman, has been granted permission by the Sharia Appeals Court to return to Buddhism, after her Muslim husband divorced her. Ordinarily a Muslim in Malaysia is not permitted to convert to another religion, but people from other religions may convert to Islam. The court ruled that the woman was never … Continue reading →

NEWS: International Reaction to State Crackdown on Bahais in Iran

The European Union, Amnesty International, U.S. State Department, U.S. House of Representatives, Simon Wiesenthal Centre, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the British Foreign Office, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, among many others, have expressed their deep concern over the escalation … Continue reading →

COMMENT: Blasphemy Laws and the Persecution of Minorities in Pakistan

By Benedict Rogers (Extended version available here) Benedict Rogers is a writer and human rights campaigner with Christian Solidarity Worldwide based in London. He also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission. On 11 August 1947, Pakistan’s founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah spelled out his vision for the new nation. Although Pakistan … Continue reading →

NEWS: A Faith Denied: Death or Conversion in Mona’s Dream

Production of a new film entitled Mona’s Dream, is due to commence in October this year, commissioned by director Jack Lenz. This potentially controversial film examines the story of Mona Mahmudnizhad, her father and her companions who were captured, interrogated, tortured and murdered by the Iranian government because of their Bahá’í faith in Iran, 1983. … Continue reading →