TAG / RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
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RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Americans’ Support for Religious Freedom Hits Record High in Annual Becket Index
New survey finds Americans increasingly embrace public expression of faith while affirming key Supreme Court religious liberty rulings.
CHURCHES
In Brussels, Chocolate Meets Conscience and Freedom Has an Address
Sixteen years after its grand opening on Waterloo Boulevard, the Church of Scientology in Brussels is reintroduced in Destination: Scientology as a cultural landmark—and a hard-won beacon of religious liberty.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Atlantic City Settlement Strengthens Religious Rights of First Responders
A $400,000 agreement securing a firefighter’s right to wear a beard on duty reshapes how public agencies must weigh faith-based accommodations in the workplace.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Investigation Exposes How a False Media Narrative Cost a Religion Its Legal Status in Japan
New research uncovers how media hysteria and falsehoods led to the denial of religious rights for hundreds of thousands of believers across Japan.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Australia’s Religious Freedom Debate Splinters as Victoria Inquiry Draws Fire
While a federal royal commission probes rising antisemitism, a Victorian parliamentary inquiry into “cults” is being condemned by faith leaders for stigmatizing religions and fueling bigotry.
HUMAN RIGHTS
How Japan’s Courts Turned a Mother’s Faith into a Crime
A case thrown out by two lower courts was resurrected under a new legal standard that strips minority believers of basic rights.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Wisconsin High Court Affirms First Amendment Protection for Catholic Charities
After the state sought to erase a religious exemption, faith groups—including the Church of Scientology—intervened, warning the ruling would endanger religious freedom across denominations.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Outrage Erupts Over Quebec Bill 9 as Government Targets Public Prayer and Religious Expression
As the bill heads for a vote in the new year, communities across Quebec warn it would push religion out of public life and criminalize simple acts of religious devotion.
HATE
Bondi Beach Massacre Sparks Scrutiny of Government Inquiry Into Minority Faiths
The December 14 attack left 15 dead and 42 injured as antisemitic violence surges nationwide. Critics say a government inquiry into “cults” fueled suspicion of minority religions.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Hanukkah’s Message of Religious Freedom Resonates Worldwide
Rooted in a revolt for faith and survival, Hanukkah’s meaning now reaches far beyond borders and history books.
