PERSECUTION: TRUMP AIMS TO PROTECT CHRISTIANS BUT SOME AREN’T SURE HE’S HELPING
With the plight of religious minorities around the world in the spotlight following last week’s US State Department summit on the issue, JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, reports on claims by some advocates and experts that the Trump administration’s policies have, for some, made their situation worse…
As religious freedom summit ends, US State Department announces new alliance, sanctions
Washington, DC RNS Trump administration officials announced a new alliance with US partners focused on religious freedom and new sanctions against foreign military officials supporting countries the US considers to be instigators of religious persecution. The developments on Thursday were among the highlights of the last day of the State Department’s Ministerial to Advance Religious […]
Religious freedom summit opens with stories of religious violence and resilience
Washington, DC RNS The rabbi of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, site of an October mass shooting, tries to avoid using the word “hate” and wishes others would do the same. A Muslim man who lost his wife in the March attack on his New Zealand mosque urges love for every human being. A Christian […]
US religious freedom ambassador wants “like-mindeds” at religious freedom summit; violators need not RSVP
Washingtonm, DC RNS China, Iran and other countries that the US considers the most egregious religious liberty violators aren’t invited to the State Department’s second summit on religious freedom this week, said Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback. Instead, the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom will focus on countries that have at least begun […]
US conference to host victims of religious persecution
Washington, DC Reuters The US State Department said on Thursday it would host a conference in Washington next week to highlight the problem of religious persecution, and has invited victims of recent attacks at a synagogue in San Diego, mosques in New Zealand and an Easter Day bombing in Sri Lanka. US ambassador for religious […]
“Push it hard” – US ambassador for religious freedom addresses religious freedom on law’s 20th anniversary
Washington DC, US RNS The US ambassador for religious freedom called for renewed activism on protecting faiths around the globe on Friday as religious liberty advocates gathered in the nation’s capital to mark the 20th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act. “We should push and we should push it hard,” said Sam Brownback at […]
UN must recognise persecution of Christians in Middle East as genocide, says human rights group
World Watch Monitor The European Centre for Law and Justice is appealing to the United Nations to recognise the persecution of Christians in Iraq and Syria as “genocide”, reports the US-based National Review. The ECLJ, an affiliate of the American Center for Law and Justice, said a “genocide” declaration is necessary to ensure victims are given […]
US State Department religious freedom summit ends with commitments, critiques
RNS The US State Department concluded its first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom on Thursday, with declarations promising further efforts to reduce religious persecution, even as critics said they are waiting to see its statements turned into actions. Closing the meeting of some 350 government officials, religious freedom advocates and others from more than 80 […]
Essay: A religious freedom summit can’t undo Trump’s record on Islam
In an article first published on Religion News Service, JACOB LUPFER, a US commentator on religion and politics, says it is critical gatherings like this week’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom hold the White House to account for its failures to stand up for everyone affected by religious persecution…
US religious freedom summit opens with plea to fight persecution
RNS US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback opened a summit at the State Department this week by urging leaders from a range of faiths to work together to help the persecuted across the globe. “We need your faith in action to move the world to not just tolerance of differences – although that’s […]