July 26, 2022 A lot can happen in eight years. Children learn to walk and talk, tie shoes, and read. Young people come of age, fall in love, get married. Old people turn gray, grow a little wiser, move a little slower. Eight years is enough time to master a skill, build a career, fulfill a dream. On the other …
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Now in Effect
July 8, 2022 Last month the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) went into effect in the United States. The Coalition to End Forced Labor in the Uyghur Region urged US importers not to dump goods linked to the Uyghur Region into other markets and to not re-export tainted goods. Hundreds of companies have been publicly identified as having links to Uyghur forced labor. Numerous reports have …
Deborah Yakubu’s Murder Created An International Uproar
June 31, 2022 Deborah Yakubu was a Christian student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto state, Nigeria. She was beaten, stoned and her body burned May 12 by students who accused her of making blasphemous comments against the Prophet Mohammed in an online classroom group. Yakubu had allegedly cautioned her Muslim counterparts to stop making religious posts …
Stand with Ukraine: Defend Religious Freedom & Support Victims of Violence
April 26, 2022 On top of the horrific humanitarian crisis caused by the brutality and devastation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in areas occupied by the Russians and their supporters, non-Russian Orthodox Christians suffer “…slander, harassment, deportations, raids on worship services, robberies, forced closures of church-based orphanages, rehabilitation centers, charities, and seminaries, interrogations utilizing psychological and physical torture, and …
The Little-known Connection Between Religious Freedom and Putin’s War
March 7, 2022 Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is deplorable. Many factors contribute to this war, as to any war, including economic or territorial gain, nationalism, revenge, civil discord and religion, to name a few. But another factor, one that is usually overlooked, is a government’s restrictions on religious freedom. And in the current conflict, the quest of the Ukrainian Orthodox …
Sentenced to Death for Her Beliefs, Mariam Ibraheem Publishes a New Book
February 25, 2022 Mariam Ibraheem was born in a refugee camp in Sudan. Her Muslim father died when she was six, and her mother raised her in the Christian faith. After a traumatic childhood, Mariam became a successful businessperson, married the man she loved, and had a beautiful baby boy. But one day in 2013, her world was shattered when …
Afghanistan Becomes No. 1 Most Dangerous Place on Earth to be Christian According to 2022 World Watch List Ranking
January 26, 2022 For the first time ever, Afghanistan is the most dangerous place on the planet to be a Christian, according to Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List, which was released today. The World Watch List is a definitive, comprehensive research-based report that ranks the top 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. Afghanistan has supplanted North Korea, which now ranks …
The Power of Story: Must-Read Books about Religious Persecution
December 13, 2021 Living Lyrics, Poems from Prison, Pastor John Cao. Living Lyrics is a collection of prison poems written by Pastor John Cao. Cao received a seven-year prison sentence in March 2018 for his Christian faith. Cao, a legal resident of North Carolina, made many trips to his native China for humanitarian work before his detention in March 2017. …
21Wilberforce Working to Advance Religious Freedom
November 23, 2021 In the 19th century, British Parliamentarian William Wilberforce identified the slave trade as the single greatest violation of human rights. Over several years he led a successful abolition movement through collaborative partnerships, grassroots empowerment, and policy campaigns. 21Wilberforce is employing this powerful model to train and empower others, facilitate results-based solutions, and work with like-minded partners to …
IRF Leaders Call for Quick Affirmation of Rashad Hussain as Religious Freedom Ambassador
October 28, 2201 In this hyperpartisan era of American politics, international religious freedom has consistently been one aspect of American public policy that still enjoys strong bipartisan support and cooperation. Hussain has enormous credibility across a broad range of faith groups, built on years of leadership in efforts for religious freedom. His nomination has brought enthusiastic praise from groups ranging …