In the wake of the ongoing anti-cult campaigns featuring so-called “defectors” – or apostates – we repost the article “The Defector's Syndrome” signed by FOB counsel Fabrizio d'Agostini. The occasion comes to us from Zona Bianca, the TV program that is treating the issue of religious minorities with a questionable approach. In fact, the narration of the life of and in the targeted religious communities (Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.
The European Times (13.02.2025) - Last 27 January 2025 in Rome, the signing of the Agreement (Intesa) between the Italian Republic and the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy (DOR) represents a significant moment for religious pluralism in the country.
A TV show offers a perfect example of how “not” to deal with the issue of religious minorities.
In this month of February, the Italian TV show “Zona Bianca” (“White Zone”) aired episodes devoted to Jehovah’s Witnesses that represent, in our opinion, a textbook example of how TV journalism should “not” deal with the very sensitive topic of religious minorities.
The Chinese government's anti-religious activities against religious minorities disliked by President Xi Jinping's Communist Party continue unabated. The following article reveals the uneducational behaviour of universities in Henan province, which, in essence, demand students who are believers of the Church of Almighty God to abjure their religion under penalty of being reported to the police. For those who do not adhere to the invitation, the gates are opened to forced indoctrination centers run by the CCP, often the scene of beatings, abuse and torture.
In this interview published by VaticanNews, Father Jens Petzold bears witness to a path of active pursuit of inter-religious coexistence between Muslim and Christians. Father Petzold's admirable philosophy can be encapsulated in his sentence: ‘Drinking tea together is probably much more effective for peacebuilding than having long discussions about human rights’.
by CAP Liberté de Conscience — The International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) in association with CAP Liberté de Conscience has continued to draw the world’s attention to the severe persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan.
Letter to the authorities of the Czech Republic about the announced liquidation of Jehovah’s Witnesses
This letter was sent (in Czech) to
By Willy Fautré (The European Times) — On 20 and 26 December 2024, Tbilisi City Court held hearings to decide whether Georgia should extradite Adina Stoian and her husband Mihai arrested in August 2024 on the Turkish-Georgian border on the basis of an Interpol arrest warrant issued on France’s request.
On December 2, 2024, UNADFI was condemned by the Marseille Magistrates’ Court, and forced to publish CAPLC’s right of reply on its website within 48 hours, subject to a penalty of 50 euros per day of delay. Convinced it could escape the law, UNADFI appealed in summary proceedings to obtain suspension of the decision. This action was curtly dismissed by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal.
by Massimo Introvigne — When Petr Pavel was inaugurated as the new President of the Czech Republic in March 2023, he vowed to align the country with European Union human rights standards. He also emerged as a staunch critic of the human rights violations in Russia. Some developments with respect to small minority religions were in fact regarded by local human rights activists as hopeful.
France's state grants funded with taxpayers’ money said to be misused by anti-cult groups stigmatizing and inciting hostility against some religious or belief groups and their members. In the framework of its 2023 Call for Projects, MIVILUDES (Interministerial Mission of Vigilance and Combat against Cultic Deviances) generously allocated a state subsidy of 150,000 EUR to CAFFES (Family Support Center Facing Cultic Control). This represents a considerable, if not completely disproportionate, grant for a small association with 90% of its annual budget funded with public money.
by Bitter Winter — Note: In publishing this appeal, “Bitter Winter” notes the historic importance of Moorish Science to African-American culture. It is one of the religions established by people of color during the Great Migration, and stands as a historic emblem of one stage in the long march to empowerment of Black people. Because it is a Black religion, Moorish Science has always provoked hostilities in the white-majority American population, but we all have a collective social duty to see that religious freedom is not circumscribed by racism.
