A week of initiatives allowed human rights scholars from different countries and continents to discuss religious liberty throughout the world and in Taiwan.
Massimo Introvigne
Remembering Romero: Prophecy, Truth, and the Tai Ji Men Case
The martyred archbishop reminded the world that prophecy means telling the truth on the basis of one’s “undisturbed conscience,” and that most prophets are persecuted.
Arizona Supreme Court Protects Secret of Confession in a LDS Case
Although a man had boasted of his sexual abuse of his daughter on social media, what he told to his Mormon church leaders in a confessional context remains protected.
PMC Ryodan: A Strange Story of Comics, Anti-Cultists, and the Kremlin
Anti-cultists persuaded Russian authorities that fans of a Japanese comic are “cultists” controlled by Ukraine—where they are also arrested, as “Russian agents.”
The Chitrali Case: In Pakistan, MPs Can Insult Religious Minorities and Get Away with It
Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali told the Parliament that the Torah and the Gospel are “canceled” scriptures. He has not been censored.
Russia, Pastor Moskvitin’s Church Headed for Liquidation
After its leader’s arrest, the Ministry of Justice is now seeking a “final solution” destroying the New Creation Church.
Man gibt den Opfern die Schuld: Schießerei in Hamburg und Jehovas Zeugen
Wie leicht vorauszusehen war, nutzten Vertreter von Anti-Sekten-Vereinigungen sogar das Massaker vom 9. März in Deutschland schamlos aus, um Jehovas Zeugen anzugreifen.
Georgia Becomes First U.S. State to Pass an Anti-Hinduphobia Resolution
Some media have criticized the text as an “answer” to the so-called “Seattle Caste Law.” But the campaign for the Resolution had started before the Seattle controversies.
Jehovah’s Getuigen: Beschuldigingen van seksueel misbruik in Duitsland ontmaskerd als ongegrond
Een ex-lid en een krant beschuldigden hen van verschrikkelijk misbruik. Ze hebben de openbare aanklager verzocht dit te onderzoeken. Er is geen bewijs voor gevonden.
USCIRF Denounces Discrimination of African Indigenous Spirituality in Africa
The American agency calls the attention of the international community to a neglected religious liberty issue.
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 California 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.