The United Nations Security Council may finally be taking international religious liberty seriously

For those of us who have followed the struggle of Egypt’s Coptic Christians, particularly during the presidency of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, there’s been both good news and bad news.

When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the formation of a Commission on Unalienable Rights in July 2019, many activists and pundits reacted sharply and negatively. But the world needs clarity on human rights.

Hagia Sophia’s conversion is the culmination of Erdoğan’s long campaign to transform Turkey into a neo-Ottoman empire.

Because the war analogy breaks down and causes problems, comparing the COVID-19 pandemic to natural disasters like hurricanes makes more sense and helps society think through current dilemmas.

On April 20, members of the world’s largest Muslim organization and one of the world’s largest Christian organizations announced the creation of a joint working group to counter two threats to religious freedom and to society more broadly: religious extremism and secular extremism.

Some argue that government restrictions on larger church gatherings are a violation of religious freedom. Others argue they are responsible and legitimate. Paul Marshall believes both positions are, or can be, correct.

Javanese voters linked to Nahdlatul Ulama will be the key swing demographic group in Indonesia’s elections moving forward. This is a mixed blessing in terms of religious freedom.

Real intolerance against Muslims exists, no question. But the term “Islamophobia” is too often deployed to inhibit rather than encourage dialogue about honest questions, concerns, or grievances.