With the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist ideals, Muslims, Christians, and Dalits have been targets of increasing persecution at the hands of both the state and local mobs.

In today’s hyperpolarized environment, Beltway commentators and even think-tank scholars seem unable to resist the temptation to put a partisan twist on the most nonpartisan of causes. While some voices have attempted to politicize the issue of international religious freedom (IRF), the cause itself continues to attract wide bipartisan support.

The fact that many in Congress, as well as large segments of the American electorate and commentariat, consider court-packing a morally legitimate political tactic reveals serious deficits in our society’s understanding of and respect for the rule of law, America’s founding principles, and justice itself. What is more, it shows disrespect for the very idea of truth.

Hong Kong’s well-known pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was forced to run its final edition on June 24 after authorities used the new national security law to freeze the company’s assets without a court order. It is yet another sign that the light of the city’s freedom is flickering out.

In April, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan denounced the West, particularly France, and called for a coalition of Muslim countries to use economic power to force the West to pass blasphemy laws protecting Muslim sentiments.

Given the Turkish government’s particularly troubling conduct in 2020, Secretary of State Antony Blinken should deliver an honest message about the alarming trajectory of religious freedoms in Turkey.

If we are to take a constructive part in world politics our leaders cannot assume that religious questions are unimportant.

Why is there a rise in progressive and secular movements in Latin America, a region predominately inhabited by Christians? How should Christians and non-Christians view this concerning trend and its implications for religious freedom?

Although religious liberty is stronger today than it often was in the past, there is still much progress to be made.