The answer from the French Government to the letter promoted by the International Religious Freedom Roundtable (IRF), and subscribed by various NGOs, amongst which the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), and private citizens and sent on the 30th November 2014, was not long-awaited.
If one found out that an NGO1 (non-government organisation) was targeting new or traditional religious groups, and if this NGO (FECRIS) was a federation of groups with similar aims, one would have every right to be surprised. The information presented in this document goes far beyond what you might imagine—and that’s probably what has allowed it to remain relatively unnoticed until now.
On the 11th of February 2015, the proceedings against the MISA Yoga group in Romania has been concluded with full acquittal of the 21 defendants by the Court.
"A liberty-destroying law forbidding to thousands of Lombard citizens – Muslims and non Muslims alike – the right to pray”. This is how the Steering Committee of FOB (European Federation for Freedom of Belief) voices its strong disagreement about the “anti-mosques law”, currently at the center of controversies in Lombardy.
The 26th of January 2015 in Rome (Italy) at str. Viale Angelico 38, the association named European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), has been officially incorporated by law.
Founders are: Prof. Pietro Nocita (Chairman), Attny. Fabrizio D’Agostini (Councillor), Dr. Raffaella Di Marzio (Secretary), Camillo Maffia (Councillor). Vice-chair is Attny. Alessandro Amicarelli. Other member of the Steering Committee is Prof. Sonia Bartol.
These are the days after bereavement and grief. Emotions joined us all across the planet, in the same way as when we saw the World Trade Center crumbling down and the London’s underground or the Madrid’s train blowing up.
The executors are terrorist criminals hiding behind the name of a Prophet venerated by millions of Muslims, who openly condemn this violence and feel betrayed by the fact that the persons carrying it out cry that it is done in the Prophet’s name. For millions of Muslims this is blasphemy. That’s what the brother of one of the victims said during a press release.
According to the 2013 Annual Report on the State of International Religious Freedom by The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF):
«The state of international religious freedom is increasingly dire due to the presence of forces that fuel instability. These forces include the rise of violent religious extremism coupled with the actions and inactions of governments.» said Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett [*], USCIRF’s Chair.
1. Swedish Prime Minister: religious freedom must be defended after latests mosque attack.
Five people were injured when the mosque in Eskilstuna caught fire on Thursday.
Source: http://www.euronews.com/2014/12/27/swedish-pm-religious-freedoms-must-b…
As a stakeholder NGO, European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FoB) is registered since December 8, 2014 on the Official Register of Lobbies before the EU Parliament and Commission in Bruxelles and Strasbourg. The registration was updated and confirmed on November 27, 2015
Its Transparency Register ID number is 015146319708-20.
On 4th December 2014, NGOs and leaders, including the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), signed a letter sent to Donald Tusk, President of the European Council and all members of this institution, urging them to take effective action to protect religious minorities facing ISIS.
Here is the letter and the signatories:
To Mr Donald Tusk President of the European Council
To All members of the European Council
General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175 B-1048 Brussels Belgium
Dear Mr President,
While on the State Police big cuts have been made affecting our daily and immediate needs of our forces remain standing teams and counselors of which utility not everybody agree.
In the ideological and political view of the European States, there is principle which cannot be negotiated: the guarantee for each individual to consider his State of belonging as a common home both for believers of all faiths and for non-believers alike.
Discrimination of any citizen, based on his/her faith or his non-faith, is not allowed.
Each State must prevent anybody from persecuting or discriminating any person based on his religious faith.
This is a press statement by FOREF Europe:
Threat of full-face veil to “open, personal relationships” trumps human rights
Vienna 3 July 2014 - FOREF Europe: By upholding a French ban on wearing full-face veils, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has failed to protect the religious freedom of Islamic women who choose the veil as an expression of their faith, according to the Forum for Religious Freedom-Europe (FOREF), an independent nongovernmental monitoring group.
Comment on the report "The protection of minors against excesses of sects" of Mr Rudy Salles (MP EPP/CD' France), no. AS/Jur (2014) 07 of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.
As a human rights lawyer with a specific interest for religious freedom and religious minorities I was not happy to read this draft report as it poses a real threat to religious freedom in Europe.
Basically, as declared in the explanatory memorandum (page 4), this report is the result of:
