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…
Category: Current Events
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…
Putting a Smile on Human Dignity
By Ray Dabrowski – The stamina, and a victorious resolve of the people of Egypt brings back memories. For some of us, who experienced the 1980 Solidarity protests, and the ultimate collapse of the regime in Poland, smiles and tears painted our faces when the announcement was made that the Egypt’s strongman, Hosni Mubarak, has…
Investigation led ex-KGB agent to Christianity | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
Read the article.
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…
Russia’s Medvedev calls for Egypt to respect religious rights (ChannelNewsAsia)
EXCERPT: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday urged Egypt to hold legitimate elections and respect religious rights following the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. “Russia hopes democratic procedures in Egypt will be fully restored and all legitimate electoral procedures will be used for this,” Medvedev said in a statement published on the Kremlin website….
Step forward for church-state relations in Azerbaijan
8 Feb 2011, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States Bettina Krause/IRLA/ANN Seventh-day Adventists in Azerbaijan hope a recent meeting between church leaders and state officials will ease tensions and help the church gain official recognition for its congregations under Azerbaijani law. The January 31 meeting with representatives of the Azerbaijan State Committee on Religious Associations came…
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…
Human Rights Watch to Pakistan: Drop Blasphemy Charges Against Teenager (HWR)
EXCERPT: The Pakistani government should immediately drop blasphemy charges against a 17-year-old student and ensure his safe release from detention, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities arrested Muhammad Samiullah on January 28, 2011, and charged him under Pakistan’s “blasphemy law,” article 295-C of the criminal code, for allegedly including derogatory remarks about the Prophet…
Religious Undertones in Egyptian Protests? – (Liberty Magazine Round Table)
Over the past decade, Egyptian Copts have fallen victim to increasing discrimination and persecution, most recently with the January 1 suicide church bombing that killed at least 21 people and injured dozens more. Do the current anti-government demonstrations in Cairo have religious undertones, and what could this mean for the Egyptian Christian minority? Read some…