The Bishop of Coventry spoke at July’s General Synod in response to a motion calling for celebrations of the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in June 2015. His speech clearly identified links between Magna Carta and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – and particularly Article 18. Here is the full text of his speech:…
John Dayal of the All India Christian Council (AICC) reported on 22 August that, despite concerted advocacy, there has been no response from either the state or federal government to concerns expressed that on the advice of Hindu nationalist (Hindutva) agitators from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), more than 50 villages in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region had…
Investor’s Business Daily has carried a story analysing the link between religious freedom and economic growth. Written by Katrina Lantos Swett and Daniel I. Mark of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the article identifies the core facets of religious persecution that contribute to low levels of economic growth – namely the wasting of…
Ziya Meral, a Research Associate at the Foreign Policy Centre and a co-author of last year’s APPG for International Religious Freedom or Belief report Article 18: An Orphaned Right, which analyses the role the UK can play in promoting religious freedom around the world. Ziya’s recommendations centre around the necessity of integrating religious freedom with wider issues,…
The Archbishop of York has called for David Cameron to ‘take a lead’ in helping persecuted Iraqis by offering support to those minorities under attack. The Archbishop say that he wrote to the Prime Minister three weeks ago calling for Britain to offer asylum to those fleeing the country, but had yet to receive a…
Reverend Chhedar Lhomi Bhote, 37, was arrested in October 2012 after a Hindu mob attacked and burned his home in north-eastern Nepal near the Tibetan Autonomous Region. He was accused of having consumed beef – taboo in Nepal though not explicitly prohibited for non-Hindus – as well as having killed the cow himself, which is considered…
Islamic militants attempting ‘extermination’ of religious minorities must face international justice, insists a coalition of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh leaders. Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Zoroastrian leaders have written to the Daily Telegraph urging David Cameron to use the UK’s seat on the UN Security Council to begin the process of bringing war…
After reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury has backed calls for the UK Government to appoint a Minister for Religious Freedom to compensate for its silence over Christian persecution, Conservative Home has published an article by Paul Goodman headed Cameron should appoint an Ambassador for Religious Freedom. One tweet urged that it should be a post…
Chinese Buddhist leader Wu Zeheng (also known as Shi Xingwu) and approximately 18 of his followers remain in detention after police searched residences at Yinshi Yayuan complex in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, on 29 July, according to Wu’s followers, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Although Mr. Wu has largely refrained from advocating political change since his…
Lord Alton asked in a written question “How many officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are specifically focused on freedom of religion, and for what percentage of their time; and what resources are specifically allocated for the promotion of Article 18 through United Kingdom diplomatic services?” The reply came from Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of…