Displaying items by tag: religious freedom

When the House of Lords debated a bill which aims to ban conversion therapy in the UK, 29 members opposed it, while 15 supported it.Christian Concern (CC) expressed gratitude for the opposition, citing concerns over religious freedom and free speech, and criticised the bill's potential impact on private conversations and parental rights. The bill defines conversion therapy broadly and threatens violators with fines. Its sponsor, Baroness Burt, argued for a nuanced approach, distinguishing between therapy and genuine counselling. However, CC disputed this, claiming that potential police involvement was not clearly addressed. The bill now heads to the House of Commons for further consideration; CC and others continue to advocate against its passage.

The Christian Institute, through its Let Us Pray campaign, is defending the normal activities of churches against potential government bans on so-called 'conversion therapy’. This term encompasses various practices, including abusive ones already illegal. LGBT campaigners seek to criminalise even biblical preaching, prayer, pastoral care, and parenting that does not endorse liberal theology. The Christian Institute has engaged solicitors in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland to prepare for a potential judicial review if such bans restrict religious freedom. Legal advice warns that an overly broad ban could breach the European Convention on Human Rights and lead to legal challenges against the government. The Christian Institute has previously succeeded in judicial reviews against UK governments in 2007 and 2016. However,the controversial legislation was left out of the King's speech: see

A court in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia has sentenced a Jehovah’s Witness (JW) follower to seven years in prison on charges of ‘extremism’. Yevgeny Bushev had been under house arrest for over a year on allegations of continuing ‘the illegal activities of a banned religious organisation’. In 2017 the Supreme Court declared the JW movement to be extremist, banning its estimated 400 branches across the country. Bushev is the 15th JW follower from the region to be prosecuted. The prosecution’s witness was an employee of the National Guard (Rosgvardia) who had ‘shown interest in the Bible’: a linguistic examination concluded that Bushev had ‘tempted’ him to accept the JW faith when responding to questions about religion. International human rights NGOs have condemned Russia’s crackdown on JW followers in the years since the ban, and in June 2022 the European Court of Human Rights said that Russia had violated over 1,400 followers' right to religious freedom.

Local councillor King Lawal, previously suspended for sharing his religious views on social media, has been reinstated after an investigation by Northamptonshire Council’s standards committee. He had been suspended and removed from various organisations for posting on social media that ‘Pride is not a virtue but a sin’ in response to pride parades. He also wrote about the biblical perspective on pride. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Lawal had been preparing for legal action, citing violations of his freedom of speech and religion. The decision to reinstate him has brought relief, and he hopes the Conservative Central Office, still investigating his membership, will follow suit. Lawal expressed surprise at the backlash, emphasising that he was sharing biblical doctrine that has existed for thousands of years. He believes public representatives should not have their speech curtailed and hopes that his reinstatement encourages people to stand up for their beliefs.

Yuri Sipko, a retired pastor and former president of the Baptist World Alliance, fled Russia when the authorities attempted to arrest him for publicly praying for peace in Ukraine. He decided to do this after his participation in an online prayer vigil for Ukraine at an event hosted by Mission Eurasia. From an undisclosed location in Europe, he said, ‘The law makes it a crime to call the war a war and forbids anyone to call for peace in Ukraine. But I prayed for peace and said it is a crime to drop rockets and bombs on the Ukrainian people’. He evaded capture on 8 August and has since been placed on a most-wanted list for disseminating false information about the invasion. ‘It is a terrible thing when the word “peace” is outlawed. Everything is upside-down in Russia’, he said.

There are 4.9 million Christians in Kazakhstan in the mostly Muslim population. Since 2011, religious freedom has been restricted as government surveillance and control increases. When somebody becomes a Christian, they risk being locked up by their families, kept from other Christians, verbally and physically abused or cut off from family, community and financial support. The authorities monitor and raid meetings of Christian converts and may arrest and imprison their church leaders. The risk of being forcibly married to a Muslim remains an ongoing risk for women who become Christians|: in rural areas, they are sometimes kidnapped for this purpose. Christian men are pressured by the state, and in the army, a highly controlled environment. It is difficult for Christians to earn a living; authorities can demand bribes from Christian business owners, and some keep their faith a secret. Converts and church leaders particularly risk losing employment.

Mubarak Bala, an outspoken Nigerian atheist, was sentenced to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to blaspheming Islam. The landmark case placed freedom of religion and expression under new scrutiny. A BBC Africa documentary entitled ‘The cost of being an atheist’ revealed the challenges which atheists face regarding freedom of speech and thought. Many disengage from social media activities because emotions and outrage are high. Once people discover someone is not a Muslim, they target them. Despite being a minority atheists face discrimination, harassment and persecution in the Muslim north and also in the Christian south.

India is the most ethnically diverse nation on earth, with over 2,500 people groups, 22 official languages, and thousands of castes. It hosts most of the world’s Hindus and Muslims. The country traditionally maintains free speech and religious freedom, but these are being tested by Hindu nationalism; this mainly targets Muslims, but Christians also face discrimination, persecution and anti-conversion laws. Pray that India’s proud traditions of tolerance and freedom will continue and strengthen. Its churches have sent 100,000 people across India to communicate the gospel, start churches, and relieve suffering and injustice: resulting in tens of thousands of new congregations. Pray that this amazing missionary movement will transform India through Christ. However, this week the most urgent prayer need is for the millions displaced by floods in the north and 25 days of heatwave in densely-populated Delhi, where vast numbers are falling ill from heatstroke. Some have little access to clean water.

Islamic teacher, Hiire Sadiki, was poisoned on April 2, shortly after his wife learned he had converted to Christianity. He put his faith in Christ on March 27 after several months of discussions with a Christian pastor. After he didn’t observe the Ramadan fast and his wife noticed him praying in the name of Christ she questioned his mode of praying. He told her he believed in Issa (Jesus]). His wife had studied the Koran and knew verses about apostasy punishment. She left the room and began phoning Muslim leaders, then returned and prepared supper. ‘After 30 minutes, a neighbour arrived, went to the kitchen and then immediately left. After supper Sadiki suffered convulsions and vomiting and phoned the pastor who took him to hospital. Tests indicated his food was tainted with insecticides used to kill rats. The assault was the latest of many instances of Christian persecution in Uganda. 

Justin Welby and other faith leaders contributed to a symposium marking the 80th anniversary of the ‘Final Solution’ when six million Jews were murdered before the Nazis were defeated. In his message, broadcast on 27 January, he said that for centuries antisemitism has been like a volcano that from time to time erupts with absolute destruction, emitting noxious and terrible gases, poisoning the atmosphere in Europe and around the world. ‘We must constantly be vigilant against the first signs of an eruption coming. We can never ever tolerate any antisemitism. There is no acceptable level of antisemitism.’ Representing the Jewish community of Europe, Gady Gronich, said we must carefully consider the challenges facing Jewish communities. Jews are asking themselves if there is still a future in Europe. New legislation is restricting Jewish practices of religious freedom. Without circumcision and kosher slaughter there can be no religious Jewish life in Europe.