Tag: Freedom of Religion
Of Allah and the state of Malaysia
Earlier this month, the Malaysian Court of Appeal upheld an administrative direction by the government prohibiting the Catholic Church of Malaysia from using the word "Allah" to denote "God" in the Malay version of the Church's newsletter, The Herald.
The government asserts that the direction, along with a condition that...
Vietnamese Christians face arrest, violence
Religious freedom remains a dream for Vietnamese Christians, despite recent reports touting the country’s diversity and tolerance.
The communist government only recognizes some Christian groups in the largely Buddhist nation, so many meet in unregistered home churches, risking arrest. Officials monitor religious activities and sometimes harass even officially recognized churches,...
Malaysia: Freedom of expression and religion, not Islam, under siege – Josef Roy Benedict
The recent ruling by the Court of Appeal on the Allah case seems to send a message that Islam is under siege in Malaysia and requires greater protection.
This is despite the fact that the judges clearly failed to provide any evidence for these assertions in their judgments.
In reality, however,...
Malaysia: The pettifogging Jakim
All religions are branches of one big tree – George Harrison
The Oct 4 court verdict that ‘Allah’ can no longer appear in the Herald weekly publication has revealed more than meets the eye. Not only was the ruling a gross abuse of the judiciary, the decision also exposed the...
Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi urged to place human rights, anti-Muslim violence at the top of the agenda
Legislators from across Southeast Asia today called on Aung San Suu Kyi and European Parliamentarians and leaders to use the National League for Democracy (NLD) leader’s visit to Europe to secure greater commitments to tackle persistent human rights concerns in Myanmar, and draw particular focus on growing sectarian conflict...
Viet Nam: Buddhists and Christians denounce Hanoi for using law to control religions
Joint document by leaders of major religions in Vietnam , against the limitations to freedom posed by the communist government. The target the 2004 Norm on Religions and the implementation of 2012 Decree. The separation between state and religion is the basis for a democratic country , which must...
Myanmar: UN expert urges greater efforts to curb anti-Muslim sentiment
25 October 2013 – The United Nations expert on Myanmar today cautioned that the situation in Rakhine State is feeding a winder anti-Muslim narrative in the country which threatens the ongoing reform process aimed at a more open and broad-based democracy.
Speaking to journalists in New York, the UN Special...
Myanmar: Quintana warns of a ‘crisis’ in Rakhine State
The United Nations expert on human rights in Myanmar has said that Rakhine State is facing a “profound crisis”, with the government failing to address the root causes of religious violence that has left more than 100 dead and another 140,000 displaced.
Special rapporteur Tomas Quintana issued the warning in...
Myanmar turning a blind eye to plight of Rohingyas
Authorities in Myanmar are continuing their sad task in trying to recover the bodies of some 70 Rohingyas, who drowned off the nation’s coast when a vessel they were sailing in capsized in treacherous seas.
It is a tragedy, not just of the seas but also of the fact that...
Southern Thailand’s ‘ping pong’ of violence
As Thailand's southern provinces remain torn by violence, activists say human rights abuses are overlooked, despite efforts to re-open a dialogue between Thai authorities and Muslim insurgents.
The renewed insurgency, aimed at greater autonomy or creating a separate Muslim state for the region's 1.8 million Muslim ethnic Malays, escalated in...
