A group of young women in the city of Karaj in the northwestern province of Alborz were “identified and summoned” by Iranian authorities after they participated in an Ashura procession without hijabs.
As France prepares to kick off and welcome the world to the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics Summer Games of 2024, which will take place from July 26th to August 11th, French secularism (also called laïcité in French) is in the spotlight once more after a human rights organization published a report condemning the French government's decision to bar its athletes from wearing the hijab while competing in the Olympics.
From a Mughal-era mosque that was razed by radical Hindu nationalist militants more than three decades ago, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a newly constructed and highly anticipated Hindu temple that was built in the former mosque’s place, drawing both support and criticism from various groups and sectors of Indian society.
NPR: India's Modi inaugurates a long-promised but controversial Hindu temple in Ayodhya https://t.co/47r8d9zlj4
Ahead of the upcoming return of students to their classrooms, France’s education minister announced that the country will ban pupils from wearing the abaya, a loose-fitting, full-length robe worn by some Muslim women, in state schools.
Move comes after months of debate over wearing of abayas in French schools, where women have long been banned from wearing hijab. https://t.co/zeLsyFvl9y
A former top military recruitment official of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) warned that the country’s armed forces must find secular alternatives to religious chaplains, which has increased in recent years, or there would be risks to the members’ health and wellbeing.
Wellbeing of non-religious ADF personnel at risk, former recruiter warns https://t.co/phvgDEMs5w
In response to the derogatory attacks former US President Donald Trump made against atheists and other non-religious people at a recent event, the Secular Coalition for America, a group of non-religious organizations in the United States that also promote the separation of church and state, issued a statement condemning his remarks.
Leaving one’s religion can be difficult and more challenging for some people than others. Such is the case of the Ex-Muslims of Kerala (EMU) members, an organization formed by former Muslims living in the southern state of Kerala in India.
Around 2,500 people were arrested in Bangladesh on June 4th after an allegedly blasphemous Facebook post defaming the Prophet Muhammad sparked street violence in the Muslim-majority, South Asian nation.
Most of those arrested for participating in the violence in the country’s capital Dhaka were unidentified. Bangladeshi authorities also arrested a man named Mohammad Sohel for making the reportedly blasphemous social media post.
Two Filipino stand-up comedians are facing blowback from religious believers after making jokes about their beliefs and faith.
Gold Dagal and Jeleen Cubillas of the Comedy Manila group are constantly being chastised online by members of the famed Iglesia ni Cristo (or Church of Christ) and the Catholic Church, respectively, after their stand-up comedy performance videos went viral on Philippine social media.
Oklahoma gave the green light to establish the first religious charter school in the United States on June 5th, opening a new set of debates on the separation of church and state in public education.
