Religion News Service, Thursday, April 26, 2018
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has cited more than two dozen countries as main contributors to an “ongoing downward trend” in religious liberty worldwide.
“Sadly, religious freedom conditions deteriorated in many countries in 2017,” said the independent watchdog in its 2018 report.
Examples of severe abuses in 28 countries include Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar; Tibetan Buddhists; Uighur Muslims; Falun Gong practitioners in China; Christians, Yazidis and Shiite Muslims under ISIS; and Russia’s harsh treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims and Scientologists.
“Entities of particular concern”, considered severe religious freedom violators, include ISIS in Iraq and Syria; Taliban in Afghanistan; and al-Shabab in Somalia.