2016

We publish the text of the bill against dangerous cults based on the notion of mental manipulation. Academics of MEIDA have mobilized themselves to counter this initiative by sending documents and studies that refute the notions of "cult" and "mental manipulation". The CESNUR site was the first one to give the news in Italy and HRWFspread the appeal of the Israeli scholars through its Newsletter. FOB is intervening, on the basis of its statutory purposes, to contribute to the campaign against this bill.

Statements by representatives of all religions and of many Muslim leaders, on the respect for religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries and on how to tackle terrorism by factions who call themselves Muslim though elated criminals that Muslims themselves condemned as such.

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate

Executive Summary of the Marrakesh Declaration on the Rights of Religious Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Majority Communities

25^th-27^th January 2016

The Board of Directors of F.O.B., European Federation for Freedom of Belief cannot exempt themselves from making the following known.

On 18 January, 2016, an article about our Organization was issued on an online newspaper by name of Linkiesta. The title is "Scientology and the others, here is how cults land in the Parliament".


I consider “Forbidden to pray” a key book. The investigation we carried out with Agenzia Radicale and Quaderni Radicali from 2012 to date, but also the action of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief are, in my view, directly inter-related to this text. It explains and confirms a number of data and analysis that we’ve had the opportunity to deepen with Giuseppe Rippa, Raffaella Di Marzio and others, and which are well summarized in the Parliamentary Question that Marco Perduca of the Radical Party introduced in 2012 to seek clarification on the Anti-Cult Team.

It is necessary to refute once and for all the refrain that some anti-cult groups are dangerously spreading against freedom of belief and conscience: "cults" would violate human rights and those who defend human rights should not "defend cults." First, we reiterate once again that "cult" is defined as a religious minority unsympathetic to the speaker, and is a term devoid of any scientific value.

Human Rights Without Frontiers Int'l (Brussels) has just released its annual Faith Prisoners' List. It documents over 1500 cases of prisoners of conscience from 15 religious or belief minorities in 20 countries.