In the past month alone, a federal judge in Detroit, Michigan sided with a Christian funeral home that fired a transgender employee who wanted to dress as a woman. The truth is that both in the past and present, the ideal of religious freedom that Americans hold so dear, that is meant to protect the diversity that makes this country great, has often dissolved into a cover for intolerance. Religious freedom is a fundamental right in the United States, one that is enshrined not only in the Bill of Rights but also in the narratives Americans tell about the country’s history. The government claims the activist criticized the Prophet Mohammad in his piece. Religious freedom is a fundamental right in the United States, one that is enshrined not only in the Bill of Rights but also in the narratives Americans tell about the country’s history.

According to the State Department, the Syrian government has been targeting members of the Sunni majority in the country, destroying their property and their worship spaces.

Children are taught in elementary school that the Pilgrims came to North America seeking a land where they had the freedom to worship God the way they saw fit. In the past month alone, a federal judge in Detroit, Michigan.

Nowadays, proponents of religious liberty have repeatedly used that term to claim a right to discriminate against women and LGBT people ― whether it’s refusing to give female employees wide access to contraceptive services or refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

This is attributed to the “Treaty of Waitangi” which was signed in 1840. ,” the idea that Americans Christians are being targeted and discriminated against en masse for their beliefs ― despite the fact that Christians enjoy immense privilege in America by being the de facto majority religion. https://t.co/cw6thK1Ae6 pic.twitter.com/fJZewaFrO1. Jan 1 - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Catholic). Since 2013, Chinese authorities in the province of Zhejiang have targeted Christian worship spaces that they deemed were “illegal” structures. Part of HuffPost Religion. This distinction becomes even more stark when you take into stock the many countries in the world where worshipping in the way one sees fit is actually a threat to a person’s life. ".

Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter, Register to vote and apply for an absentee ballot today. Earlier in August, a powerful coalition of religious liberty organizations and denominations banded together successfully against a California bill that was originally intended to protect LGBT students attending religious universities from discrimination. A human rights lawyer working to help these churches was seized by authorities in August 2015 and released in March 2016. Since then, it has become increasingly sectarian, pitting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and its Shiite Muslim allies against Sunni Muslims, who make up the majority of the population.

The government has “targeted towns and neighborhoods in various parts of the country for siege, mortar shelling, and aerial bombardment on the basis of the religious affiliation of residents,” the report said.

In Iran, the government can execute people based on the charge of moharebeh, which translates to “enmity towards God.” The State Department alleges that at least 20 individuals were executed due to that charge in 2015 and hundreds of other remain imprisoned, the vast majority of whom are Muslims. By population as of 2004. All rights reserved.

“As a result of the registration requirement and the government’s inaction onapplications, unregistered religious communities lack a legal basis on which to practice their faiths publicly, including holding services or weddings," the State Department report claims. that fired a transgender employee who wanted to dress as a woman. The term "religious liberty" should be used as a, To put into context the increasingly popular, International Religious Freedom Report for 2015. ©2020 Verizon Media.

Although it was a step towards greater democracy in the country, in terms of religious freedom, the country’s new government hasn’t “taken any steps” to reverse old laws that have the power to “infringe on the exercise of religious freedom and other human rights.” According to the State Department, these laws were pushed forward by Buddhist leaders and appear to target members of the country’s Muslim minority. In the end, the wording of the bill was softened and so-called religious freedom proponents openly. It’s no coincidence that most, if not all, of these countries can also be found on the list of 25 least tolerant countries in the world. Don't forget about Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, sentenced to death in #Mauritania. according to the US Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom, David Saperstein. However, there is also a large group of about 42% who do not subscribe to any religion. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you.

Being persecuted for your faith is not the same as being asked to bake a cake. (also known as  “MKheytir”) is facing the death penalty in Mauritania for publishing an online article. Children are taught in elementary school that the Pilgrims came to North America seeking a land where they had the freedom to worship God the way they saw fit.

Even among the Christians, there are several d… In the end, the wording of the bill was softened and so-called religious freedom proponents openly rejoiced in the fact that faith-based universities had an exemption from Title IX that allowed them to freely discriminate against LGBT students who are in relationships and who want to use restrooms, locker rooms, and housing that corresponds to their gender identity. Today is National Voter Registration Day! U.S. State Department’s latest International Religious Freedom Report. Language matters. Religious freedom is a rare commodity in many regions of the world, according to the U.S. State Department’s latest International Religious Freedom Report. All other groups are required to register with the government and submit detailed documents about their activities. Language matters. In as much as most people in New Zealand are Christians, there is no state religion as per the constitution. The article “implicitly blamed the country’s religious establishment for the plight of the country’s forgeron (blacksmith) caste, which historically has suffered discrimination,” according to the State Department.

had an exemption from Title IX that allowed them to freely discriminate against LGBT students who are in relationships and who want to use restrooms, locker rooms, and housing that corresponds to their gender identity.

Even if a believer's religious convictions are genuine and sincerely held (which is certainly the case for many conservative Christians), fighting for your right to use your religion to discriminate is not the same thing as fighting for your religious freedom. Countries with the greatest number of people without religion … The story goes that they found that religious liberty here ― unless, of course, you were the kind of Christian who celebrated Christmas, or revered the pope, or believed in anything deemed heretical by the religious establishment. Earlier in August, a powerful coalition of religious liberty organizations and denominations banded together successfully against a California bill that was originally intended to protect LGBT students attending religious universities from discrimination. Syria’s civil war began in 2011 as an uprising against the country’s government. The report reads, “The government’s policy towards religion has been to maintain an appearance of tolerance for international audiences, while suppressing internally all nonstate-sanctioned religious activities.” However, arrests and punishments have been difficult to verify because of the country’s isolation. We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote!