Article18: Afghanistan — The Land that Freedom Forgot; A Profile on Religious Persecution in One of the World’s Most Depressing Nations (Liberty Magazine)
The following excerpt is from an article written by RLTV associate editor and Article18 creator Martin Surridge that appeared in the November/December 2011 issue of Liberty Magazine. EXCERPT: The sound and smell of motorcycles roaring down a street in Kandahar must have overwhelmed 16-year-old Atifa in the moments before the attack. Before she really knew what was happening, one of the cyclists approached Atifa, her sister Shamsia, and several other... [Read More...]
Article18: Germany — Pope Benedict XVI Addresses Legislators; Chancellor Merkel Calls for Global Religious Tolerance
By Martin Surridge – Like many of the other countries profiled in this blog, Germany has had a problematic, yet fundamentally important religious history. Home to both the Holocaust and the Protestant Reformation, Germany provided Europe with the impetus to take giant strides forward in the name of religious freedom, but also inflicted terrible losses and unimaginable pain on millions. Today, Germany is the biggest economy in Europe and, whether... [Read More...]
Article18: Poland — Citizens March in Bialystok to Protest Antisemitism; Death Metal Singer Not-Guilty After Trashing Bible on Stage
By Martin Surridge – For much of the twentieth century, Poland served as a sort of punching bag for many of Europe’s strongest armies. Half a million Polish soldiers died in the First World War, the country was brutalized by the Nazis in the Second World War, and for the last half of the century, Poland was repressed by Soviet-inspired communists in Warsaw. Today, Poland is struggling with a completely different set of problems, many... [Read More...]
Article18: Kosovo — Muslim Headscarf Ban Upheld for Schools, Christians Required to be Buried in Islamic Graveyards
By Martin Surridge – Only a few years ago, the country of Kosovo, in Southern Europe, didn’t even exist. Like South Sudan in recent weeks, Kosovo became independent after the war-torn region declared independence because of a strong separatist movement that sought to break away from Serbia. While the country may be small, one of the smallest in Europe, there have been no short of dramatic moments in its young life, including battling for international... [Read More...]
Article18: Pakistan — Christian Flood Victims in Punjab Face Land Discrimination in Disaster Aftermath
By Martin Surridge – The bad news that comes out of Islamabad typically features either nuclear proliferation, harboring of terrorists, a military coup, or tension with India. Sadly for many of the citizens living within its borders, Pakistan is also one of the world’s most egregious violators of religious liberty. This is Article18–RLTV’s weekly blog specifically dedicated to religious liberty issues in other countries around the world.... [Read More...]
Article18: Norway — Personal Reflections on the Origin of a Tragedy
By Martin Surridge – My personal experience with terrorism is not extensive but is actual nevertheless, and extends through several phases of my life. As a child I lived in East England, and North London and I remember the daily news updates of the troubles in Northern Ireland that would frequently extend into England. When I was ten years old, an IRA terrorist killed himself and injured eight others when his bomb detonated in a bus traveling in... [Read More...]
Article18: Uzbekistan — Recent Incidents of Violence Against Christians Alarm Religious Minorities
By Martin Surridge – The former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan occupies a precarious and oft-forgotten spot in Central Asia. Unlike other egregious religious liberty offenders such as Saudi Arabia, China, and North Korea, Uzbekistan is discussed little in the United States and is not well-known for any one thing. Unfortunately, it is often lumped in with its immediate neighbors, the other “stans”–Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan–and... [Read More...]
Article18: Cuba — Three Protestant Pastors Interrogated; Roman Catholic Church in Havana Helps Free 126 Prisoners of Conscience
By Martin Surridge – Article18 is back, now that I’ve returned from my vacation in sunny California and coincidentally, this week’s entry, as well as the last few articles, focus on some of the more warmer countries around the world–warm in climate that is, not so much in temperament. Like the classic American cars that drive up and down Havana’s hot streets, communist Cuba is a country from another era–Cold War isolationism, a American... [Read More...]
Article18: Saudi Arabia — Prominent Saudi Cleric Hopes Women Who Violate Driving Ban Incur Wrath of God and Die
By Martin Surridge – Of the dozen or so countries that Article18 has profiled so far, Saudi Arabia might be the most repressive when it comes to religious freedoms. The famously oil-rich Middle Eastern nation is one of the world’s few remaining absolute monarchies, and the west consistently turns a blind eye towards its human rights abuses because of its international financial clout. Despite these problems, the United States counts Saudi... [Read More...]
Article18: Mexico — Confirmed Presence of Major Islamic Terrorist Group Near U.S. Border; Former Killer Preaches to Violent Gangsters
By Martin Surridge – The last week has brought some changes to Article18. In addition to the added subtitles for each article, a new emblem is featured at the bottom of each entry, created by artist and musician Bradley Kenyon, who also made the globe logo for Article18. I want to thank Bradley for his contribution to the blog as well as draw your attention to what he said about the new design. The hybrid house of worship concept serves as an “additional... [Read More...]
Article18: Laos — Four Christian Women Raped and Executed by Laotian Military Along Vietnam Border
By Martin Surridge – Just a short entry this week. My apologies to those who were looking for an Article18 post last week. As a teacher, the end of May can be rather hectic, which is why this is the first post since the end of April. I wish I had the opportunity to do more in regards to religious liberty in the classroom this year, but as an English teacher it doesn’t come up as much as it might in a social studies class. Although last year’s... [Read More...]
Article18: India — Christian Pastor Bludgeoned in Front of His Children; Government Blames “Predatory” Evangelistic Efforts
By Martin Surridge – The Indian subcontinent has a rich and religiously diverse history. In addition to Hinduism, often called the world’s oldest religion, India is also the ancestral home to Buddhism, Sikhism, home to millions of Muslims, and countless indigenous belief systems. With these and other introduced faiths, religious tension has often dominated the news coming out of India during the last half century, the violence in Kashmir... [Read More...]
Article18: Afghanistan — Quran Burning Protest Leaves Dozens Dead; Freed Christian Convert Flees Country
By Martin Surridge – Few countries around the globe can outdo Afghanistan when it comes to suffering and misery. Just in the last ten years alone, Afghanistan has been the permanent home for the Taliban, the temporary home for Al-Qaeda, the central battlefield for the Global War on Terror and graveyard for thousands of soldiers and civilians, the location for some of the most brutally enforced interpretations of Sharia law anywhere on earth, the... [Read More...]
Article18: France — Controversial Veil Ban for Muslim Women Continues to Divide Nation
By Martin Surridge – France can’t seem to stay out of global headline news at the moment. In a two week period, Sarkozy’s government managed to team up with the U.N. to lead the charge against Gbagbo in the Ivory Coast, play an important military role in the ongoing efforts in Libya against Gaddafi’s forces, and is now turning heads with a significant and controversial piece of domestic public policy–the enforcement of a... [Read More...]
Article18: Egypt — 29 Christians Dead After Attacks on Egyptian Churches; Terrorist Violence Concerns Population of Changing Nation
By Martin Surridge – Just a couple weeks before the revolution in Egypt inspired the Middle East and captured the attention of the world, we posted a link to an article that explained how Egypt’s Coptic Christian community was calling for more religious freedom after attacks on churches in Nag Hamadi and Alexandria left 29 people dead. Few could have predicted the events that followed–the further loss of life, historic protests in Tahrir... [Read More...]
Article18: Thailand Part 2 — Special Interview with Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Thailand Volunteer Bob Young
By Martin Surridge – Just a few weeks ago, I returned from one of the most beautiful and enchanting countries in Southeast Asia–Thailand–a country known for its love of soccer, its patriotic fervor, sandy beaches, and the rapidly developing, international city of Bangkok. But there’s much more to Thailand than the capital. In fact, much of the nation’s beauty lies in its mountainous northern provinces, where rural hill tribes from... [Read More...]
Article18: China — Personal Observations of Liberty and Reflections on Life in Beijing, China
Part 2 of the profile on Thailand will be featured next week. This slightly more personal entry previously ran under the title “Observations of Liberty in China” back in Spring of 2010 and is rerun this week as part of Article18. By Martin Surridge –The mass of strangers and suitcases pressed against me so tightly that I did not have to worry about the sharp turns and rapid acceleration of the train as it hurtled through the Beijing... [Read More...]
Article18: Thailand Part 1 — Dissenters Arrested for Insulting the Monarchy; Malay Insurgents Continue Terror Campaign in South
By Martin Surridge – On Tuesday I returned from one of the most beautiful and enchanting countries in Southeast Asia–Thailand–a country known for its spicy cuisine, tropical mountainous rainforests, marvelous Buddhist temples, and the cosmopolitan city of Bangkok. But there’s much more to Thailand than the glossy posters in the travel agent’s window. This is Article18–RLTV’s weekly blog specifically dedicated... [Read More...]
Article18: Thailand Preview
By Martin Surridge – This week’s entry will be short. In just a few hours I will be boarding a plane to Thailand to work with a non-profit group setting up a freshwater system for villages in the north of the country. I will also be speaking to people in the region about religious liberty and my first article after I get back on March 8 will be an in depth profile on Thailand. This will be followed by articles on India and Iraq. If you have... [Read More...]
Article18: Indonesia — Ahmadis Viciously Killed While Police Watch; Courts to Sentence Muslim Cleric to Life in Prison on Terrorism Charges
By Martin Surridge – President Barack Obama’s Kenyan connection and family lineage is well known, but the Hawaiian-born democrat from Illinois also spent several formative years in the nation of Indonesia–which he hailed last year as a country “defined by more than its Muslim population” and where “individuals are not defined solely by their faith.” The president may regret those words after the events of the... [Read More...]
Article18: Canada — Sikhs Upset After Quebec National Assembly Bans Religious Daggers; Controversy Reignites Multiculturalism Debate
By Martin Surridge – While the incredible events in Egypt continue to capture the hearts and minds of viewers and listeners around the globe, traditionally progressive and reliably tolerant Canada has been making unexpected headlines this week, unusually deciding to curb the religious rights of some of its citizens. This is Article18–RLTV’s weekly blog specifically dedicated to religious liberty issues in other countries around the... [Read More...]
Article18: Eritrea — Threatened by North African Protests, Government Believed to Be Torturing Thousands of Christian Prisoners
By Martin Surridge — A recent series of deaths, specifically occurring in both detention and torture centers, in the African nation of Eritrea, have a very concerning link to Christianity and the religious practice of the victims. Welcome back to Article18–RLTV’s first weekly blog specifically dedicated to religious liberty issues in other countries around the world. Each week, we will be focusing on a different nation, and the struggles... [Read More...]
Article18: Wales – Special Interview with the President of the Seventh-day Adventist Mission in Wales
By Martin Surridge – In the cold, northern reaches of Western Europe there is a small country that doesn’t often make international headlines, but might actually be a useful barometer for understanding the continent’s spiritual diversity and religious future. No, not France, Germany, or even England, but rather the western edge of Celtic Britain, Wales. Welcome back to Article18–RLTV’s first weekly blog specifically dedicated... [Read More...]
Article18: Pakistan — Fallout from Governor’s Assassination Disrupts Efforts to Eliminate Discriminatory Blasphemy Laws
By Martin Surridge – Usually it would be rare for massive crowds to gather and protest against a possible increase in religious liberty. But in Pakistan? Perhaps not that surprising. Welcome back to Article18–RLTV’s first weekly blog specifically dedicated to religious liberty issues in other countries around the world. Each week, we will be focusing on a different nation, and the struggles facing its various religious communities. This... [Read More...]
Article18: Sudan — Referendum Could Split Nation in Two; Potentially Good News for Millions of Sudanese Christians and Muslims
By Martin Surridge – Quietly making news this week, nestled between the East Coast snow storms and the Arizona shooting, is an event which, if all unfolds as expected, will make history in a corner of the world that has so often been tragically forgotten. Welcome back to Article18–RLTV’s first weekly blog specifically dedicated to religious liberty issues in other countries around the world. Each week, we will be focusing on a different... [Read More...]
Article18: A New Weekly International Blog by RLTV Associate Editor Martin Surridge
Read the Latest Article18 Blog Posts Here. This is the first entry for Article18 –RLTV’s first weekly blog specifically dedicated to religious liberty issues in other countries around the world. Each week, we will be focusing on a different nation, and the struggles facing its different religious communities, be they Muslim, Christian, Hindu, or Jewish. Of course, those aren’t the only religions that will be profiled on this blog;... [Read More...]