On March 2, the Higher People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City rejected the appeals of Vietnamese Australian Chau Van Kham and two local pro-democracy activists Nguyen Van Vien and Tran Van Quyen, upholding the jail sentences given by the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City in the first-instance hearing on November 11 last year.
Read MoreWhen he first addressed the nation as Malaysia’s new prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin vowed to serve “all Malaysians,” but non-Malays already are criticizing his government by saying that his largely Malay-based ruling coalition could effectively shut out minorities.
Read MoreHate speech and extremist ideology are on the rise as parties vie for votes, and more violence could be the consequence.
Ethnic and religious nationalism has increasingly gripped Myanmar since intercommunal violence broke out between Burmese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in 2012. Viral disinformation, including videos of alleged terrorist attacks and anti-Rohingya propaganda linked to military accounts, has spread on Facebook, deepening divides along lines of ethnic and religious identity. With national elections looming in November, fake news and anti-Muslim hate speech inspired by militant Buddhist nationalism have the potential to incite further conflict.
Read MoreLogic has led to the acquittal of all charges of Suzethe Margaret, a schizophrenic Catholic woman previously indicted on blasphemy charges for wearing shoes and bringing a dog inside a mosque, even though she was proven to have committed blasphemy against Islam. This ruling, handed down on Feb. 5 at the Cibinong District Court in West Java, exactly follows the very reasoning that criminal law expert witness Bintatar Sinaga from the Pakuan University in Bogor offered up in his testimony on Nov. 18, 2019.
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Read MorePARIS, 27 February 2020 (VCHR & IBIB) – The Most Venerable Thích Quảng Độ, Fifth Supreme Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) died on Saturday 22nd February 2020 in Saigon at the age of 93. He suffered from diabetes, a heart condition and high blood pressure for many years. Four decades spent in prison, internal exile and house arrest also took a heavy toll on his health.
Read MoreAuthorities in southern Laos’ Sekong province have issued a ban on people erecting religious shrines in front of their own homes or businesses, arguing that the practice is offensive to Buddhist ideals in the one-party Communist state.
Read MoreAdvocates for abolition of female circumcision say it has no medical benefit for women nor religious basis.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Dr Harlina Siraj, an obstetrics and gynaecology specialist, still remembers with dread the day she witnessed her first-born daughter's circumcision at five months old.
Read MoreWe have a saying: Cacing saja kalau diinjak pasti menggeliat (even a worm will squirm when trodden upon).
Well, we Indonesians are certainly not worms. Radicalism and Islamic conservatism have been on the rise for a while now, not just treading, but stomping on other people’s beliefs, customs, traditions and human rights.
Read MoreThe Myanmar government should avoid criminalising expression as a primary means of combatting hate speech, ARTICLE 19 said in a policy briefing published today. Previous drafts of a proposed anti-hate speech law contain vague and overly broad language that would infringe on the right to freedom of expression. Instead of advancing legislation along these lines, the Myanmar government should adopt a national action plan incorporating a wide range of policy measures consistent with international standards and best practices.
Read MorePETALING JAYA: A prominent Muslim critic of Islamic bureaucracy has strongly condemned remarks by a Selangor religious official suggesting that the spread of Shia teachings posed a security threat to Muslims.
Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa of the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) said that Mohammed Khusrin Munawi, chairman of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) should be reminded that none of those who have been detained for terrorist activities in Malaysia were adherents of Shia Islam.
Read MoreThe masked woman nervously approaches her target, shuffles into position and then unleashes a flurry of lashes -- proving herself as the newest member of the first female flogging squad in Indonesia's Aceh province.
Read MoreYANGON — Divided by hatred but united over the written word, Rohingya Muslim poets in Bangladeshi refugee camps joined Buddhist bards in Myanmar by video link as part of a groundbreaking poetry festival in a country reeling from genocide allegations.
Read MoreThe International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered measures to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (formerly Burma).
The decision comes despite de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi defending her country against the accusations in person last month.
Read MoreIn yet another example of religious intolerance in Indonesia, a local group named the United Muslim Forum (FUIB) has urged the Karimun regency administration in Riau Islands to revoke a building license (IMB) for renovation work on Santo Joseph Church.
Read MoreThe construction of another Christian house of worship in Indonesia was abruptly halted after the Tanjungpinang administration in Riau Islands revoked the building permit (IMB) for the Bethel Church of Indonesia (GBI) My Home church last month. The move followed a claim by a local interfaith communication forum (FKUB) that the church had not met the requirements set by a controversial 2006 joint ministerial decree on places of worship.
Read MoreIn stark contrast to the pervading sense of gleeful anticipation of Christmas on Wednesday in many parts of the country, Christians in Jambi city, Jambi, still struggle to find joy on the eve of the holy day since the authorities sealed a number of local churches in the city.
Read MoreDespite reports that Christians in some regions faced problems as they were due to celebrate Christmas, religious groups and communities in many regions have proven that interfaith tolerance is still the norm in the archipelago.
Read MoreYANGON—Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the leader of the Myanmar Roman Catholic Church, called on the world to understand the people of Myanmar and their struggles and to not condemn, as he delivered his Christmas message on Saturday.
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