Prayer Focus
At the Institute for Global Engagement, we believe that prayer is important. It not only changes us, but it changes events, countries, and lives. We ask for your prayer support in the fight for a level playing field for all faiths. There are ongoing and severe problems of religious discrimination, intolerance, and violence the world over. The challenge can seem overwhelming, but it is essential to remember that religious freedom has a face. We must engage not just for the abstract "principle" of religious liberty, but identify with the face of individual persons — both those who are victimized by religious persecution and those who are doing the hard work of building sustainable environments for religious freedom.
Re-registration Threatens Legality of Faith Groups in Tajikistan
18 December 2009
By 1 January 2010 Tajikistan will fulfill its new Religion Law by re-registering its religious communities. According to state officials, more the half of Tajikistan's religious communities have not yet re-registered. Those who do not re-register (or whose applications are denied) will be considered illegal.
Read more: Re-registration Threatens Legality of Faith Groups in Tajikistan
Swiss Ban on Minarets Raises Concerns
03 December 2009
A referendum calling for a ban on the construction of minarets in Switzerland passed with over 57% support on 29 November 2009. The vote is being widely criticized by the international community as a violation of human rights.
Uzbek Authorities Crack Down on Religious Activities
19 November 2009
In the city of Karshi in southwestern Uzbekistan, a local Muslim woman was arrested for allegedly arranging religious meetings in her household. Mekhrinisso Hamdamova was appointed by city authorities to work with youth and solve residential conflicts.
Read more: Uzbek Authorities Crack Down on Religious Activities
Malaysian Government Confiscates Bibles
12 November 2009
In Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country, the government confiscated 10,000 Bibles that contain the word Allah to refer to God, claiming that this word is Islamic and its use in Bibles will offend. The Roman Catholic Church is appealing the action in court, claiming the government infringed upon the religious freedom of the minority Christian population in the country.
Nagorno-Karabakh Court Denies Jehovah’s Witnesses the Right to Register
05 November 2009
A local court in Nagorno-Karabakh, a semi-autonomous region in Azerbaijan, ruled against its Jehovah's Witness population on 28 October, 2009. Nagorno-Karabakh's Jehovah's Witness community was fighting for its rights to be recognized as an official religious group; this would enable them to hold public religious services and practice their faith openly.
Read more: Nagorno-Karabakh Court Denies Jehovah’s Witnesses the Right to Register
Turkish Religious Minorities Face Difficulties Retaining Property for Worship
29 October 2009
Under Turkish law, only mosques, churches, and synagogues are defined as "places of worship." This has put several of Turkey's religious minorities in conflict with the government. In Turkey, a religious group must be officially recognized by the government in order to be granted legal status to acquire and maintain property.
Read more: Turkish Religious Minorities Face Difficulties Retaining Property for Worship
Filipino Government and Rebel Group Both Seek Release of Catholic Priest
16 October 2009
In the early hours of the 14 October 2009 Father Sinnott, a Catholic priest, was seized by gunmen and taken hostage on the southern island of Mindanao of the Philippines. The identity of the kidnappers is unclear, though military intelligence sources believe it may be a ransom kidnapping and may be linked to Muslim extremists in the region.
Read more: Filipino Government and Rebel Group Both Seek Release of Catholic Priest
Escalating Violence in Iraq Threatens Christian Population
09 October 2009
In the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, a Chaldean Christian man's body was found in a field outside of the city in early October. His family identified him as a local health worker who had been kidnapped a few days earlier. When his family told his kidnappers they could not pay the ransom, they killed him.
Read more: Escalating Violence in Iraq Threatens Christian Population
Evangelical Baptists in Russia Fined for Proselytizing in the Street
02 October 2009
Although police admit public order was not disturbed, two Baptist communities in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, have been fined for singing and praying in the town center while handing out copies of the Gospel.
Read more: Evangelical Baptists in Russia Fined for Proselytizing in the Street
Azerbaijani Mosque Forced to Close during Ramadan
25 September 2009
Four days before the end of Ramadan, Azerbaijani police officers closed the only Sunni mosque in the northwest town of Gyanja. The mosque was closed despite pleas from local Muslims to postpone the closure until after ‘Eid al-Fitr, the ‘breaking of the fast' feast signifying the end of Ramadan.
Read more: Azerbaijani Mosque Forced to Close during Ramadan
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