Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, 2010

Photo taken from www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010/148657.htm

On Nov. 17, this year's Report on International Religious Freedom was published. The United States feels that religious freedom and tolerance is important, and publish this report to praise the countries that are doing well and document the countries where repression is highest. Notice that the cover pictured above was designed to show "places of worship found in some unexpected places." The report also acknowledges all contributors and says: "The work of all of these individuals advances the cause of freedom, ensures accuracy in our reporting, and brings hope to repressed people around the world."

I had no idea a report like this existed, and I'm glad the U.S. is leading a movement toward religious freedom and communication around the world. 

Take a look at some countries listed-- do any of the results surprise you?

Religious Freedom in Country X

This is my friend Josh, and he's going to talk about his experiences with religious freedom in an Asian country.

Freedom of Blogging...

If I blogged that...

I am God.

God says, smoke marijuana.

...What would happen?

Likely nothing. But in West Bank, that is not the case. Blogger Walid Husayin was arrested for the posts he placed on his blog and Facebook groups. He's an atheist, and some of his writings satirized the Koran. That was enough to get him imprisoned for heresy. He said the same things I said above, and his consequences were hardly small. Though he hasn't been charged yet, he is being detained for who knows how long.

This is a perfect example of the technological and governmental barriers that Palestine faces. Quite honestly, writing the above statements makes me feel like I should be a little wary. It's helping me realize how much freedom I have and how easily that freedom is taken away in certain countries around the world.

Attack of Iraqi Christians

This massive, brutal, and pre-meditated attack is a prime example of the danger of being a different religion (in this instance, Christian) and practicing it within a hostile environment. Here's an article from The New York Times that touches on its effect and the aftermath.

Religious freedom is something we have, but it's not always free. So unfortunate.

Hidden

After Amy's video post about the Chinese Christian church being demolished, I searched for it online. I wanted to see if because the video said that reporters were being punished for covering the demolition. Would there be any other footage or coverage that I could find?

I Google-searched "chinese christian church demolished" multiple ways. Every result gave a religious-watch website, usually Christian, that was reporting about the persecution, but zero news media articles or responses. I even searched Sky News, the outlet that somehow obtained the cell-phone video of the demolition, and I could not find an article or even the video clip. No news outlet had any results.

The commentator on the video was right. These happenings across China are not being reported or made available for the public's knowledge. It is up to people in the religious affiliations to let their congregations know, and maybe even to alert the general public.

Journalists Can't Cover Christianity in China

In response to Tony's post, I wanted to share a brief video clip about the repression of Christianity in China. Here, the government is destroying churches. Chinese journalists who tried to cover this story were thrown in jail, along with many other Christians who've been thrown in jail for holding private Christian services in their homes. This report suggests that there has been an explosion of Christianity in China, so now there are more Christians than communists-- a fact that the government most likely dislikes.