Through “interpretation letters” and other tools, tax offices often try to rewrite the laws rather than just applying them—violating the principle of separation of powers.
Massimo Introvigne
Religious Freedom at Risk in European Union, USCIRF Report Says
Muslims, Jews, Christians, and groups unfairly stigmatized as “cults” are increasingly victims of secularism and of a widespread hostility to religion.
Historic Hindu Temple Demolished in Karachi, Mayor Vainly Tries to Deny It Happened
Hindus woke up on July 15 to see Mari Mata Mandir demolished. Mayor Murtaza Wahab tried to deny the facts until Sindh Provincial Government confirmed them.
A Press Conference of Hate: False Accusations of Sexual Abuse Against the Jehovah’s Witnesses
Anti-cultists claim that the cases of child sexual abuse among the Jehovah’s Witnesses are higher than among Catholic priests. The claim is false.
How the Taliban Make Money Out of the Buddhas They Destroyed
The Afghan regime desperately needs cash. It cannot show the Bamiyan Buddhas for the good reason it blew them up. But it would take tourists to the site for a fee.
Novopashin: “We Are Cleansing Ukraine from Cultism, Nazism, and Overt Satanism”
The Russian anti-cult leader spoke in Novokuznetsk, the economic center of Kuzbass.
Remembering Archbishop Giuseppe Casale (1923–2023), CESNUR’s First President
The Italian prelate died shortly before his 100th birthday. He was a larger-than-life figure, whose ideas on new religious movements still deserve to be studied.
Pakistan Claims 400,000 Social Media Accounts Spread Blasphemy
It also reports eleven “Internet blasphemers” have been sentenced to death, and two of the sentences have already been confirmed on appeal.
“Psychological Subjugation”: France Ready to Invent a New (or Old?) “Cultic Crime”
Secretary of State Sonia Backès announces a new anti-cult statute. It is yet another incarnation of the discredited notion of brainwashing and of the fabrication of false “victims.”
The Vatican-CCP Compromise on the Bishop of Shanghai: Who Won and Who Lost
The Holy See has accepted an appointment illegally made by Beijing. But the incident led the Vatican to acknowledge that a “clandestine church” still exists.
Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of Pennsylvania Press’ Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the "Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions" of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.