The ethnic Kazakh dissident tells Bitter Winter she continues to be embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the authorities as she waits under virtual house arrest in Urumqi.
Zhanargul Zhumatai: “Help Me, I Just Want to Leave China”
Seoul Sungrak Church: One of the World’s Largest Baptist Churches Banned as a “Cult” in China
China’s desire to please Korean anti-cultists, with whom it regularly cooperates, may have been a factor in the decision.
Zero COVID: Chinese Propaganda Tries to Rewrite History
The Party claims it had decided to abandon the policy on November 10, before the Urumqi Fire and the protests. This is false.
News From the World
Scientology Churches Are Tax-Exempt Religious Buildings, UK Court Says
While Mormon temples (open to Mormons only) had been denied exemptions for not offering “public religious worship,” Scientology won its case.
Ahmadis Killed in Burkina Faso, Booked for Printing the Quran in Pakistan
Nine were slaughtered in Burkina Faso, five have been charged for blasphemy, as a radical cleric incites Sunni Muslims to “pour petrol rather than water” on Ahmadi houses on fire.
Russian Orthodox Leader: Ukraine is a Catholic Conspiracy, the Pope is a Monster and a Thief
Protodeacon Vladimir Vasilik defies ridicule by connecting the war to a plot by Pope Francis to incorporate Ukrainian Orthodox into the Catholic Church.
Testimonies From China
Wang Hai: Miao Christian Pastor Still Harassed and Investigated
The popular preacher from the Miao ethnic group was released in 2020 but his troubles are not over.
Hong Kong: Christian Scholar Peng Manyuan Released but Not Rehabilitated
Released from jail after serving his sentence, his appeals to be recognized as innocent were not accepted.
Where is Hu Xinyu? A New Scandal Rocks the CCP
Three months ago, a 15-year-old student disappeared from a private school in Jiangxi. Because of the lack of action by the police, all sort of rumors are circulating.
Testimonies From the World
UN: Pakistan Should Halt Forced Conversions, Marriages of Christian and Hindu Girls
Six Special Rapporteurs wrote to the government of Pakistan. They have now decided to publish their letter.
Pakistan: Boy Charged with Blasphemy for Calling God “Cruel” on Social Media
Confronted with tragedy, a young man shared his anguish and wrote God should be cruel if he allows it. Now, the boy risks the death penalty.
Religious Freedom Violations: Do Not Forget Cuba
Two U.S. documents reminded us this month that Cuba remains among the worst countries of the world when it comes to religious liberty.
Interviews
Ernest de Gengenbach: Satanist, (Pseudo-)Surrealist, Roman Catholic
Five books by French scholar Christophe Stener rediscover a forgotten but not irrelevant character of 20th-century literature and esotericism.
Op-eds China
The Weaponization of the CCP’s “Zero COVID” Against Tibet
Have the Chinese lockdown measures been a tool for more surveillance and control? And are the antigenic tests on Tibetans connected with organ harvesting?
Featured China
Stricter Rules on Private Tutoring Protect Ideology Rather than Parents
There were real concerns about the fees and role of tutoring firms. But as usual the CCP took the opportunity to impose more ideological control.
Op-eds International
Shincheonji: Why the Korean Supreme Court Dismissed a Lawsuit Based on Deceptive Evangelism
Overcoming a lower court’s decision, the highest court in South Korea ruled that what Shincheonji did was not illegal.
Featured International
L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the Visual Arts. 7. The Scientologist as Artist
Through its Celebrity Centres, Scientology systematically interacts with the artists, be they superstars or “commercial” painters.
Documents and Translations
Hubbard, Scientology e le arti figurative. 7. Artisti Scientologist
Tramite i suoi Centri delle Celebrità, Scientology coltiva consapevolmente il rapporto con gli artisti, che si tratti di superstar dell’arte o di pittori “commerciali”.
La loi japonaise sur les dons religieux. 3. Un précédent américain
En 1931, dans l’affaire historique « Ministère Public contre Blackburn », la Cour suprême de Californie a déclaré que la liberté religieuse protège, même pour un mouvement religieux marginal, la revendication d’une connaissance religieuse inspirée et la collecte de dons.
Ley de Donaciones Religiosas de Japón. 3. Un precedente estadounidense
En 1931, en el caso histórico “People v. Blackburn”, la Corte Suprema de California declaró que reclamar un conocimiento religioso inspirado y recolectar donaciones incluso para un movimiento religioso marginal es parte de la libertad religiosa.
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