** Due to inclement weather, the event has been postponed. A new date is forthcoming. Overview: Religious freedom for everyone lies at the core of America’s founding and its enduring strength. No other nation has recognized religious freedom as an “inalienable” right given by God, both establishing it constitutionally in law and respecting it broadly in culture. But the free …
RFI Security Toolkit for Religious Institutions
Title: RFI Security Toolkit for Religious Institutions Author: Nathaniel Hurd, Nathan Berkeley, Katie Davern, and John Wyman About: The RFI Security Toolkit for Religious Institutions provides a summary of actions religious institutions can take to improve the security of their facilities and the safety of those who gather or work there. Increasing crime rates, targeting of these types of institutions, …
RFI Welcomes Kenyan Delegation to RFI’s Capitol Hill Office
On March 13, 2023, Her Excellency Mrs. Dorcas Rigathi (Gachagua), Second Lady of Kenya, and an accompanying Kenyan delegation, visited RFI Headquarters to discuss religious freedom challenges in Kenya. Three Kenyans residing in the United States also joined the meeting. Rigathi and five members of her delegation, including Kenyan Ambassador Lazarus O. Amayo, met with RFI’s President Eric Patterson, Vice …
RFI’s Paul Marshall on NDT: ‘Distorted World Picture Through Media’s Secular View’
Paul Marshall, Director of RFI’s South and Southeast Asia Action Team, was recently interviewed on NDT’s “China in Focus” program to discuss religious repression in China, as well as the secular media’s distorted view of religion more broadly. When asked how human rights and the freedom of religious communities in China have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Marshall explained …
RFI Senior Fellow Farahnaz Ispahani Discusses New Book on ‘Religious Majoritarianism in South Asia’
Vandana Menon, journalist at ThePrint, recently interviewed RFI Senior Fellow Farahnaz Ispahani on her new book, The Politics of Hate: Religious Majoritarianism in South Asia. The book is a collection of 11 essays edited by Ispahani, who is also a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and a Steering Group Member of the International Parliamentarians Panel for Freedom of …
RFI’s David Trimble Presents at Conference of Christian Educators
Last week, David Trimble, RFI’s Vice President for Public Policy and Education, presented at the International Association of Christian Educator’s (IACE) 4th Annual Conference. Held on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth, Texas), the nearly 200 attendees encountered insightful presentations and learned of new initiatives on religious liberty and freedom of speech, crisis management, legal updates, and …
RFI Hosts Book Launch for Tim Goeglein’s “Toward A More Perfect Union”
This week, RFI hosted a book launch at its office on Capitol Hill for a new book by Timothy S. Goeglein titled, Toward A More Perfect Union: The Moral and Cultural Case for Teaching the Great American Story. Goeglein serves as Vice President of External and Government Relations at Focus on the Family, and formerly was a special assistant for …
RFI’s Paul Marshall Discusses Religious Freedom in China on NDT
Paul Marshall, Director of RFI’s South and Southeast Asia Action Team, was recently interviewed for NDT’s “China in Focus.” Marshall argued that China does not actually believe in religious freedom, saying: I would say in simple terms, totalitarian countries like China don’t believe in religious freedom. They say they would define it differently, but in practice they restrict it, they …
An Idolatrous State Tries to Smother the Church
RFI President Eric Patterson this week published a piece in WORLD Magazine discussing a new report detailing China’s control of religious institutions, which as Patterson highlights, “undermines not just the religious freedom of individual adherents, but also the important role that houses of worship and faith-based organizations play in society.” He writes: China’s government ‘exercises comprehensive and extensive control over …
Religious Freedom Day 2023 – Jefferson’s Virginia Statutes for Religious Freedom
RFI President Eric Patterson wrote an article published in Providence this week discussing the importance of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statutes of Religious Freedom, the passage of which is marked each year in the United States by Religious Freedom Day. Patterson argues that the Statutes “lay out a compelling vision of what religious freedom looks like” and then quotes them directly: …
“Hate Speech” and Blasphemy
Paul Marshall, Director of RFI’s South and Southeast Asia Action Team, authored an article for Providence discussing recent incidents in the United States that reveal a troubling attitude towards “hate speech” that is reminiscent of blasphemy accusations in repressive countries abroad. Marshall contrasts this attitude with a growing international effort to resist punitive restrictions on blasphemy and apostasy. He writes: …
Ringing in 2023 with Hope
RFI Executive Vice President Eric Patterson authored a piece for Providence this week titled, “Ringing in 2023 With Hope.” Patterson reflects on the past year and looks to the year ahead in light of Lord Tennyson’s 1850 poem, “In Memoriam,” or better known as “Ring Out Wild Bells,” writing: As the Sun sets on 2022 and rises on ’23, what are …
Will U.S. Religious Freedom Designations Drive Real Actions?
Jeremy Barker, Director of RFI’s Middle East Action Team, recently authored an op-ed for The Hill on the U.S. State Department’s latest report on severe violators of religious freedom and the importance of ensuring that transparency and accountability accompany the designation process. He writes: On Dec. 2, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the latest designations of severe violators of religious freedom. The annual …
Pope Benedict XVI: A Witness to Religious Freedom
My wife Kristin and I named our six-year-old son, our first-born child, after Pope Benedict XVI. Years before the Holy Father died, we agreed that I would go, if possible, to his funeral. She is sacrificially shepherding our three young children without me so I can be at the Mass of Christian Burial in St. Peter’s Square in Rome on …
Indonesia’s New Criminal Code Leads to Conflict with U.S.
Paul Marshall, Director of RFI’s South and Southeast Asia Action Team, wrote an article published in Providence this week on criticisms of Indonesia’s newly revised Criminal Code, including those provisions that have harmful religious freedom and other implications. He writes: Although it is the world’s fourth largest country by population, and the third largest democracy, Indonesia usually attracts comparatively little …
For Mideast Christians, This is Not ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’
Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett, Senior Fellow for RFI’s North America Action Team, and Richard Marceau, Vice-President for External Affairs & General Counsel at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, this week co-authored a piece published in National Post on the plight of Christians in the Middle East. They decry the fact that the very region where Jesus was born …
RFI’s Ismail Royer Speaks at Rally on 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis
On December 5, 2022, Ismail Royer, Director of RFI’s Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team, spoke at a rally held by Alliance Defending Freedom in support of the plaintiff, Lorie Smith, in the Supreme Court case 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis. The event took place in front of the Court during oral arguments for the case. Royer’s action team joined an amicus brief in …
70 Years of Religious Freedom in Sweden: Prospects and Challenges
DOWNLOAD THE PDF Although 2022 marks 70 years since religious freedom was enshrined in Swedish law, demands to control religious expression and criticism are regularly recurring in the world’s most secular country. Take, for example, the fundamental right to freely criticize a religious belief, which the attacks against Salman Rushdie and Charlie Hebdo have illustrated is under threat in Western …
RFI’s Jeremy Barker Joins International Religious Freedom Forum 2022
On October 27-28, a delegation of women leaders, distinguished guests, and media producers gathered at the National Press Club in Washington, DC for an International Religious Freedom Forum. 120 leaders from 10 countries discussed ways to advance religious freedom in Iran, Pakistan, and the Middle East. Nearly 80% of people in the world today reside in countries with significant societal …
Supreme Court Must Reject Government Attempts to Compel Speech
Ismail Royer, Director of RFI’s Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team, and Howie Slugh, General Counsel of the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty, co-authored an op-ed published today in the Washington Examiner. They address a case currently under consideration before the U.S. Supreme Court, 303 Creative v. Elenis. Oral arguments are scheduled for December 5th. The case concerns Lorie Smith, …
Stop the “No Plan” Plan: Start a New Political Process
Afghanistan: The Next Chapter Cornerstone Forum Series More than one year after the Taliban’s nearly unimpeded takeover of Afghanistan, religious freedom and associated rights in the country are spiraling towards an all-time low. The modest gains in these freedoms made over the past two decades risk complete erasure. The withdrawal of NATO forces and subsequent rapid fall of the previous …
Assessing the Taliban’s ‘Doublespeak’ and Women’s Rights in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: The Next Chapter Cornerstone Forum Series More than one year after the Taliban’s nearly unimpeded takeover of Afghanistan, religious freedom and associated rights in the country are spiraling towards an all-time low. The modest gains in these freedoms made over the past two decades risk complete erasure. The withdrawal of NATO forces and subsequent rapid fall of the previous …
RFI Crisis Toolkit for Religious Institutions: Community Relationships
Title: RFI Crisis Toolkit for Religious Institutions: Community Relationships Author: Nathaniel Hurd, Nathan Berkeley, Katie Davern, and Matthew Hawkins About: The RFI Crisis Toolkit for Religious Institutions offers practical guidance to help institutions prepare for, mitigate, and respond to crises while remaining faithful to their core convictions, identity, and mission. The Toolkit features three modules: Institutional Governance, Communications, and Community Relationships. Together they …
RFI’s Paul Marshall on Global Hostility Toward Christians
RFI Research Fellow Lidia Papp recently interviewed Paul Marshall, Director of RFI’s South and Southeast Asia Action Team, for the Hungarian Conservative. They discussed the state of global Christianity amid challenges of growing persecution and discrimination. “The places where we can expect growth in the persecution of Christians,” Marshall notes, “are the ones where it is already happening and is quite intensive.” Marshall proceeds to …
A Call for Political Re-Engagement in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: The Next Chapter Cornerstone Forum Series More than one year after the Taliban’s nearly unimpeded takeover of Afghanistan, religious freedom and associated rights in the country are spiraling towards an all-time low. The modest gains in these freedoms made over the past two decades risk complete erasure. The withdrawal of NATO forces and subsequent rapid fall of the previous …
Lula Is Back on the Scene
RFI Executive Vice President Eric Patterson this week authored a piece published in WORLD Magazine titled, “Lula Is Back on the Scene.” Patterson discusses the recent reelection of Luiz Inacio da Silva, more commonly known as “Lula,” as President of Brazil, and its consequences for religious freedom in the country. He writes: On Oct. 19, Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inacio …
Afghanistan Under the Taliban’s Hybrid Extremism and the Difficult Path Toward Peace and Statebuilding
Afghanistan: The Next Chapter Cornerstone Forum Series More than one year after the Taliban’s nearly unimpeded takeover of Afghanistan, religious freedom and associated rights in the country are spiraling towards an all-time low. The modest gains in these freedoms made over the past two decades risk complete erasure. The withdrawal of NATO forces and subsequent rapid fall of the previous …
Is Same-Sex Marriage a Religious Freedom?
By Nathan Berkeley An op-ed recently appeared in the The New York Times titled, “Same-Sex Marriage Is a Religious Freedom.” In it, the author advances an argument that twists freedom of religion into a license for culturally ascendant Americans to demand affirmation for their moral views and ways of life. The author, Steven Paulikas, is an Episcopal priest writing about …
Recent Supreme Court Rulings Have Not Undermined the ‘Separation of Church and State’
This article was originally published as part of a report in CQ Researcher titled, “Church and State: Is Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Eroding?“ The First Amendment begins by saying: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” Thomas Jefferson, in his letter to the Danbury Baptists, interpreted these words as “building a wall of separation …
If the U.S. supports the idea of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, then it needs to have an inclusive engagement with all Afghan factions
Afghanistan: The Next Chapter Cornerstone Forum Series More than one year after the Taliban’s nearly unimpeded takeover of Afghanistan, religious freedom and associated rights in the country are spiraling towards an all-time low. The modest gains in these freedoms made over the past two decades risk complete erasure. The withdrawal of NATO forces and subsequent rapid fall of the previous …
Securing Religious Freedom Amidst Transition in Sri Lanka
DOWNLOAD THE PDF On July 9th, Sri Lankan protesters, increasingly frustrated by the country’s worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, took over President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence in the capital city of Colombo [1]. He has since fled the country and resigned. The Rajapaksa family has run Sri Lanka since the end of the Sri Lankan civil war almost two decades …
RFI Senior Fellow Speaks at Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Event
Jennie Bradley Lichter, RFI’s Senior Legal Fellow and Deputy General Counsel at the Catholic University of America, recently joined a panel discussion at an event hosted by Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Initiative titled, “Careers in Religious Liberty.” Lichter gave advice on how to enter the religious liberty space, stressing the importance of first learning the craft of lawyering, …
Implications of Tunisia’s New Constitution on Religious Freedom, Associated Rights & Governance
Cornerstone Series: Implications of Tunisia’s new constitution on religious freedom and associated rights, governance, and national and regional stability This Cornerstone Series invites experts, advocates, and analysts to expound on the implications of Tunisia’s new constitution for citizens as well as the stability and security of the country and the region. The July 25 constitutional referendum passed with more than 92% of …
On Brother Andrew, “God’s Smuggler”
RFI Executive Vice President Eric Patterson wrote a piece for WORLD Magazine this week on Andrew van der Bijl, or “Brother Andrew,” who died just a few weeks ago. Brother Andrew, a Dutch Christian missionary and the founder of Open Doors, was famous for smuggling Bibles and other Christian literature into communist countries during the Cold War, which earned him …
New RFI Research Assistant Fights for Religious Liberty in Kansas
RFI is pleased to announce Vincent Schiffiano as a new Research Assistant for RFI’s North America Action Team. Schiffiano—who is currently pursuing an M.A. in Human Rights at The Catholic University of America’s Institute for Human Ecology and graduated from Benedictine College in May 2022 with degrees in Philosophy and Political Science—already has experience fighting for religious freedom “on the …