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religiousfreedom
Is Any Religion Or Belief Immune?
Religious Freedom in the World: A global report on freedom and
persecution (published by Freedom House in 2000) states that:
Religious freedom and religious persecution affect all religious groups. A variety of groups – Christians and animists in Sudan, Bahá’ís in Iran, Ahmadiyas in Pakistan, Buddhists in Tibet, and Falun Gong in China – are perhaps the most intensely persecuted, while Christians are the most widely persecuted group. … Religions, whether large, such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism, or small, such as Bahá’í, Jehovah’s Witness, or Judaism, all suffer to some degree. In many cases, these restrictions come from people who are members of the same general religious group but who are part of a different subgroup. Thus, non-Orthodox Christians in Russia, Greece, and Armenia suffer discrimination from the Orthodox, while Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and Afghanistan suffer persecution and even death from some of the dominant Sunni groups. Religious freedom is also not confined to one area or continent.
If you belong to a belief community that is ‘free’ in one
part of the world, it may not be so in another part of the world. It
all depends on whether that group is a majority, or a minority, in a
given country. Nor should we forget the belief systems such as atheism
or humanism. While these groups have been persecutors (such as under
Communism), they have also suffered persecution themselves in highly
religious societies. For all of these reasons, it is very important
to advocate for the rights of all religious and belief communities,
wherever they may be.
 Can
you think of any religious group that is not persecuted, anywhere
in the world, for its beliefs? |
Contents
/ Introduction / Persecution
Types / Immunity /
Global Case Studies / United Nations
/ Right&Responsibilities / Hard
Questions / Interfaith Initiatives
/ Summary / Inspiration
/ Resources
| © International
interfaith organisations network 2003 |