Every year, Taiwan commemorates the 228 incident, a dark page of its past, and vows to protect democracy. But this should include protecting freedom of religion or belief.
Massimo Introvigne
Artistic Freedom, Religious Liberty, and Censorship
A book by an Italian curator raises important question on whether “offensive” art should really be excluded from museums and exhibitions.
Defending the Apache Oak Flat Site: It Is Not Over
Last month, a court decision allowed a copper mine to swallow the Arizona site. Now the Department of Agriculture has suspended the construction work.
French Law on “Separatism”: Where We Are
Passed in first reading by the National Assembly, the law is now in the Senate. The text is better than the original draft, but problems remain.
Kazakhstan: Doubts Grow About the Death of Dulat Agadil
The pro-democracy activist, a critic of China, died in jail shortly after arrest on February 25—for “natural causes,” police claims.
Offending Mahakali: Pakistani Televangelist MP Upsets Hindus with a Tweet
Aamir Liaquat Hussain is a TV personality, a politician, and the former Minister for Religious Affairs. He has also a reputation for offending religious minorities.
“Poverty Has Been Eliminated in China”—Only, It Is Not True
Triumphal ceremonies hailed Xi Jinping’s victory in the “war on poverty.” But data are either false or misinterpreted.
China’s Secret Weapon: Changing the Meaning of “Human Rights”
For the first time in history, a Chinese Foreign Minister addressed the UN Human Rights Council. His speech was a textbook example of Orwellian “newspeak.”
Social Justice, Taxes, and Freedom of Religion or Belief
A Webinar revisited the notion of “social justice,” and how it was violated in the Tai Ji Men tax case in Taiwan.
Women Routinely Raped in Tibetan Reeducation Camps Too
Just like Muslim women in Xinjiang, lay Buddhist girls and nuns are also submitted to systematic rape in Tibet’s transformation through education camps.
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.