Religion in the News

Digest for February 2006

A note to our readers

Freedom of conscience, religion and belief is promoted in international instruments and national laws, yet daily we hear ac-
counts of decisions and actions by legislators, state bodies, courts, religious leaders, the press and the general public which result
in discrimination, hardship and persecution. We hope this digest can increase awareness of these developments and in thus do-
ing, we may help to promote tolerance, respect and non-discrimination.

This digest primarily focuses on Europe. Excerpts are taken from news media and other sources, summarised to the best of our
understanding and we take no responsibility for errors. Please also note that views expressed in the summaries are not necessar-
ily those of the editors.

Further information available upon request: info@thefamilyeurope.org

Contents:
Legislation ...............................................................................................................................................................................1
Ukraine: Draft Religion Law Rejected...........................................................................................................................................1
Kosovo: Controversial Provisions in Latest Religion Law Draft..................................................................................................1
Russia: Act on Freedom of Worship and Religious Associations..................................................................................................2
Russia: Council of Europe opposes parts of Russia’s NGO Law...................................................................................................2
Romania: Draft religion law - updates...........................................................................................................................................2
Norway: Panel recommends separation of Church and State........................................................................................................2
Legal cases in the news ..........................................................................................................................................................3
England...........................................................................................................................................................................................3
Italy.................................................................................................................................................................................................3
Russia..............................................................................................................................................................................................4
Belgium...........................................................................................................................................................................................4
Moldova .........................................................................................................................................................................................5
Germany.........................................................................................................................................................................................5
Freedom of Expression vs Respect for Religion - The Cartoon Controversy and Other News......................................5
Timeline of cartoon controversy developments: February ............................................................................................................5
EU response to the cartoon controversy.........................................................................................................................................6
Other commentary on the controversy...........................................................................................................................................7
Other news relating to freedom of expression / respect for religion ............................................................................................8
Other News: Europe ..............................................................................................................................................................9
Other News: Central Asia....................................................................................................................................................11
Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas...........................................................................................................................12
Religious Movements – Traditional and non-traditional .................................................................................................15
Religion, Culture and Entertainment.................................................................................................................................16
Surveys and Statistics...........................................................................................................................................................16
Web Links for Further Reading..........................................................................................................................................18
“Contested Religious Movements: Psychology, Law and policies of precaution”.......................................................................18

Legislation

Ukraine: Draft Religion Law Rejected

On 21 February 2006, the Ukrainian Parliament considered and rejected the law “On the introduction of changes to
Ukraine’s law “On state registration of juridical and natural people, business people.” (registration number 4389-1). The Insti-
tute of Religious Freedom reports that a new edition of the law did not solve the problem of “double” registration of organiza-
tions and so could not find the necessary support in Parliament.
Source: Institute of Religious Freedom

Kosovo: Controversial Provisions in Latest Religion Law Draft

(February 2006)
Members of Kosovo's minority Protestant community are concerned about a new draft religion law, initially drawn up in
secret under the auspices of the Austrian Government, which they fear will privilege the Muslim community, the Catholics and
the Serbian Orthodox Church and will grant fewer rights other communities.
As well as the content of the latest draft law, the secrecy and lack of openness surrounding its drafting - involving the gov-
ernments of Austria and Kosovo along with only three of the religious communities - has also drawn strong criticism within
Kosovo. The new proposals for registration of religious communities are particularly troublesome, as it specifies that applica-
tions must include "the names and surnames, the numbers of identification documents.” It is unclear how many signatures
would be required in such applications.
The next census in Kosovo is expected this year, before the religion law is likely to come into force, and this will include a
requirement for people to declare their religion.
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For more details, see http://forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=727
Source: HRWF/Forum 18

Russia: Act on Freedom of Worship and Religious Associations

(February 22, 2006)
The draft amendments to the Act on Freedom of Worship and Religious Associations sanction the Federal Registration Ser-
vice to again inspect religious organizations, which have been registered before and are operating in Russia. The results of the
checks will suffice to close the organizations blaming “the unhealthy trading or extremism propaganda” on them.
The authority of the Expert Council for Religious Theory that operates at the Federal Registration Service will considerably
widen once the amendments take effect. Pursuant to the laws of Russia, any religious association should have worked in the
country at least for fifteen years before it gets registration. And exactly these organizations that are just en route to be registered
are checked by the Council now.
Masterminds of the amendments suggest probing into the religious organizations, which have been duly registered already.
Once any illegal or extremist actions are spotted, the Federal Registration Service may go to law seeking the ban on activities of
inspected organizations.
If passed, the amendments will actually vest the Federal Registration Service with authority more common to enforcement
bodies of Russia. It is Russia’s Interior Ministry and Prosecutor General’s Office that deal with investigating extremism activit-
ies in the country now.
Source: Kommersant

Russia: Council of Europe opposes parts of Russia’s NGO Law

(Feburary 17, 2006)
The Council of Europe (CE) considers Russia's new legislation on NGOs in contravention of a number of provisions in the
European Convention on Human Rights, despite claims by Russian leaders that the CE approved the bill, "Kommersant" repor-
ted on February 15.
According to the prominent Moscow newspaper that obtained a copy of the CE's conclusions scheduled for publication on
February 17, the amendments added to the initial draft of the bill were still insufficient to comply with CE standards.
During the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) session in late January, PACE approved an amend-
ment by a vote of 70 to 59 stating, "The PACE is concerned by the fact that the Russian Federation's recently-passed law on the
legal status of NGOs does not meet CE criteria. The PACE expresses concern about reports of NGOs being harassed by adminis-
trative and law enforcement bodies in the Russian Federation."
Russian legislators and diplomats charged that that the CE had not bothered to read the text of the law and that a small
group of members hostile to Russia initiated PACE's criticism that was not backed by expert assessments. In order to clarify
matters, CE Secretary General Terry Davis instructed CE lawyers to evaluate the NGO law again." Their conclusion, due to be
released this Friday, contains, the newspaper wrote, "the reassuring statement that overall, the latest version of the Russian law
is somewhat better -- although still not perfect."
The CE's strongest objections still concern the requirements for foreign NGOs operating in Russia: In the final version of the
law, these requirements are still far more stringent than the rules for Russian NGOs.
Accepting the fact that Russia's NGO law has been passed, the CE "decided against making a fuss after the event," the news-
paper concluded. "It is simply warning Russia that it needs to be very cautious in enforcing this new law. A number of its provi-
sions contravene the European Convention on Human Rights, which makes appeals to the European Court from Russian NGOs
an entirely realistic prospect."
Source: UCJB Bigotry Monitor

Romania: Draft religion law - updates

As reported last month, a draft religion law is being considered in Romania, which would grant official status and full reli-
gious rights only to those religious groups fulfilling certain criteria. Following is an answer by the European Commission to two
questions - Written Question E-4710/05 by Baroness Sarah Ludford (ALDE) and Written Question E-4193/05 by Charles Tan-
nock (PEE-DE), Excerpts of answer given by Mr Rehn on behalf of the Commission (13.01.2006):
The Commission would like to confirm to the Honorable Member that Romania is currently revising its legislation on religious
freedom. The draft law on religious freedom and the general legal regime of cults should replace the now obsolete Decree n° 177
of 1948 on the basis of which only a limited number of religions were officially recognized by the Communist Sate and all the
rest were banished. The draft under discussion indents to guarantee the protection of the Romanian State both to religious
groups and to religious structures which decide to acquire legal personality.
When recently meeting with representatives of various churches and the civil society, the Commission was informed that they
all welcomed the opportunity of a new framework law on freedom of religion. Even though the draft law received favorable opin-
ions (with amendments) from all the permanent commissions of the Senate, it would be noted that the following issues still raise
concern: freedom of association, statute of confessional schools and teaching religion, legal situation of cemeteries, minimum
number of believers for religious associations as well as the legal regime of recognition of cults. The draft law has subsequently
been sent back for a last check to the Senate legal commission and the Commission for human rights, minorities and cults.
Their final opinion has not been published yet.
The Commission will continue to follow closely the developments in this area and will provide an overview of the situation
when assessing Romania’s respect of the political criteria in the report it will publish in May 2006.

Norway: Panel recommends separation of Church and State

(February 9, 2006)
Norway has entered a debate on separating church and state after 469 years of Lutheranism as its official religion. Under the
current system, the church is funded by the central government, which employs bishops and clergy. This has led to conflicts,
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such as the state's 2000 appointment of a pastor in a gay relationship to meet secular anti-discrimination laws, overriding
church teaching. Now a 20-member State-Church panel has recommended separation. The earliest a divorce could occur is 2014
because this requires a constitutional amendment approved by two successive parliaments.
About 86 percent of the 4.6 million Norwegians were registered as Church of Norway members at birth. They continue on
the rolls unless they request removal, so that figure does not tell how many are devout or even sporadic churchgoers.
Source: AP

Legal cases in the news

England
Lord’s to rule on schoolgirl's right to wear Muslim gown
(February 06, 2006)
London, England - The House of Lords is being asked to rule on whether a schoolgirl who was refused permission to wear a
head-to-toe dress in class had her human rights violated.
In March last year, the Court of Appeal ruled that Shabina Begum was unlawfully excluded from Denbigh High School in
Luton, Beds, when she was sent home to change out of her traditional jilbab into acceptable school uniform. The Court ruled
that she had been denied her right to manifest her religion, but her school appealed the decision.
The judge ruled that "her freedom to manifest her religion or belief in public was being limited, and as a matter of Conven-
tion (the European Convention on Human Rights) law it would be for the school, as an emanation of the state, to justify the lim-
itation on her freedom created by the school's uniform code and by the way in which it was enforced".
The case will now be heard by the Law Lords, who will also decide whether Abdul Hakim Ali had his right to education viol-
ated after he was excluded from Lord Grey School in Bletchley, Bucks, on suspicion of being involved in a classroom fire.
Source: Telegraph

Italy
Satanic cult sentenced for killings
(February 01, 2006)
Five Satanic cult members have received heavy prison sentences for killing the singer of their amateur rock band and two
other women in brutal ritual murders that shocked Italy.
Nicola Sapone, one of the leaders of the "Beasts of Satan" rock band, was sentenced to life behind bars for the double hom-
icide in 1998 of singer Fabio Tollis and his girlfriend Chiara Marino.
The group had apparently believed that Marino, who was stabbed to death under a full moon, was the personification of the
Virgin Mary. She was 19. Tollis, 16, took a fatal hammer blow to the head after trying to prevent her murder.
Four other followers of the band received sentences of between 24 and 26 years.
The convictions were the latest for members and followers of Beasts of Satan, and followed the high-profile conviction of
band leader Andrea Volpe, who received a lighter, 30-year sentence after leading authorities to the bodies and confessing to the
killings.
Source: Reuters

Judge suspended over crucifix row

(February 02, 2006)
An Italian judge has been suspended for refusing to work in courtrooms adorned with a crucifix. Luigi Tosti has refused to
preside since May after authorities said he must not remove the crucifix from his courtroom wall.
The judge said the Christian symbol discriminated against defendants of other faiths or of none.
"I have a sacrosanct right not to work with a crucifix above my head," 57-year-old Mr Tosti said.
Italian authorities disagree. Mr Tosti was given a seven-month suspended jail sentence in December for refusing to carry out
his public duty, and yesterday he was suspended without pay by the professional body that governs Italy's judiciary.
Source: Reuters

Court says crucifix is educational

(February 15, 2006)
Italy's highest administrative court ruled on Wednesday that crucifixes should remain in the country's classrooms as a symbol
of key Italian values .
In what could turn into a landmark decision, the 'Council of State' threw out a case brought by a Finnish woman who had
asked for the removal of crucifixes in the Padua school attended by her children .
The judges issued a 19-page statement explaining that, as well as being a religious symbol, it was also a symbol of "the val-
ues which underlie and inspire our constitution, our way of living together peacefully". They said principles such as tolerance,
respect and the rights of individuals, which were now pillars of Italy's secular state, had their origins in Christianity. "In this
sense the crucifix can have a highly educational symbolic function, regardless of the religion of the pupils," they added .
Source: ANSA

Judge shelves case over Jesus' existence

(February 09, 2006)
An Italian atheist lost his legal crusade against the Catholic Church on Thursday when a judge rejected his attempts to sue a
priest for saying that Jesus existed 2,000 years ago, the priest's lawyer said.

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 Luigi Cascioli, 72, had argued his hometown priest and former schoolmate had effectively broken an Italian law meant to
protect the public from being conned. But instead of granting Cascioli his request to bring the case to court, the judge recom-
mended magistrates investigate him for slandering priest Enrico Righi, Righi's lawyer, Bruno Severo said.
Cascioli, author of a book called "The Fable of Christ", said the court had not yet informed him of the ruling. But he was not
surprised, and said he would appeal to Italy's highest court, and then to The Hague.
Source: Reuters

Russia
Complaint to European Court regarding deportation of Unification Church member
(February 3, 2006)
Mr Jack (John) Corley has been living in Moscow since 1990, involved with various activities associated with the Unifica-
tion Church. He works as one of the main organizers of the work of the International Educational Foundation (IEF) and it was
in that capacity that he had obtained his visa, which was due to expire on June 12, 2006.
On January 7, following a visit by eight members of the FSB (former KGB) to the office of Mr. John Corley, head of IEF (In-
ternational Educational Foundation) in Russia, Mr Corley left Russia on a lifht to Germany. Several representatives of the FSB
were at the airport to ensure that he left on the flight.
Mr Corley has launched at complaint at the European Court, based on Article 34 of the European Convention on Human
Rights, alleging “that the decisions, actions and omissions of the respondent State as represented by the police, the PVS and the
Basmannyy District Court disclose violations of their rights under the European Convention of Human Rights, including but not
restricted to Articles 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, Article 2 of Protocol No. 4 and Article 1 of Protocol No. 7.
The applicants have no access to any competent national authority within Russia empowered to grant suspensive relief from
the unlawful and disproportionate interference with his Convention rights, which includes a serious disruption in their private
and family life.”
Source: HRWF

NGOs controversy
(February 3, 2006)
While the Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG) is weighing a defamation suit over government allegations that Britain's intelli-
gence service has funded some Russian human rights groups, the Justice Ministry is trying to get the Human Rights Research
Center (HRRC) shut down, on the grounds that it failed to submit activity reports for the past five years.
Bypassing the usual procedure of issuing a warning to an NGO that breaks the law, the Justice Ministry has appealed directly
to the court to shut down the umbrella group HRRC that is supported by an alliance of 12 NGOs, including some of the coun-
try's leading human rights organizations such as the MHG, the United People's Party of Soldiers' Mothers, and the Independent
Psychiatric Association. HRRC Director Liubov Vinogradova says that the state agencies intend to carry out a purge of human
rights organizations.
If the Justice Ministry wins the case scheduled for February 27 in Moscow's Basmanny District Court, the HRRC will lose its
status as a legal entity and will not be allowed to maintain a bank account. Without a bank account, an NGO cannot accept out-
side funding.
Source: UCJB Bigotry Monitor

Charges of incitement to religious hatred

(February 8, 2006)
A Muslim activist in the southern region of Astrakhan, Mansur Shangarayev, has been charged with incitement to religious
hatred by the regional authorities, but his lawyer, Vladimir Ryakhovsky, insists that the charges are "absurd and very crudely
falsified." He strongly maintains that the conduct of a police and Interior Ministry search of Shangarayev's home, and the qual-
ity of the evidence presented in court, is highly questionable. Mukaddas Bibarsov, who heads the Volga Region Spiritual Direct-
orate of Muslims, expressed his doubts about the charges to Forum 18, and has claimed that one form of state discrimination
against Muslims in Russia is "the fabrication of criminal cases" and that Mansur Shangareyev's case was "one of the most flag-
rant examples." Some observers believe that the reason for the charges is rivalry between Muslim Spiritual Directorates, as well
as charges of extremism levelled against the Al-Furkan madrassah founded by Mansur Shangarayev's brother Ismagil
Shangareyev.
Source: Forum 18

Challenges to Protestant property ownership

(February 20, 2006)
Due to begin today (20 February) in Moscow Arbitration Court is a case challenging the 1997 purchase by the charismatic
Kingdom of God Church of a factory's social club to use as a church. The Federal Property Agency is seeking the return of its
"illegally occupied" property, although as church lawyer Vladimir Ryakhovsky pointed out the church has a valid ownership cer-
tificate and the deadline for legal challenges runs out after three years.
Elsewhere local officials have refused to register Protestant churches' ownership of land, arbitrarily rejected approved con-
struction plans and refused to redesignate property for religious use. This suggests that local authorities deliberately use bureau-
cratic and/or unofficial methods to challenge Protestant property ownership. Mikhail Odintsov of Russia's human rights ombud-
sperson's office noted in early February that while in the past complaints about religious freedom violations came from foreign
organisations, "now it is ours, our Protestants", with the number of complaints rising. "The percentage of complaints resolved is
miserable, and attempts to do so stop, start and go on for years."
Source: Forum 18

Belgium
Trial in Brussels of Spiritual Human Yoga leadership

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 (Note: This trial is to be significant not only because it is the first one against a religious group listed by the Belgian parlia-
mentary enquiry commission on sects in its 28 April 1997 report but mainly because it will create some jurisprudence about the
activities of a religious/spiritual movement in the health sector.)

On 9-10 February 2006, the founder of Spiritual Human Yoga (SHY), Mr. Dang (an American citizen of Vietnamese origin)
and Mrs. Vo Minh Hiep, his former representative in Belgium now living in the US, were to appear for the last time in court in
Brussels on charges of illegal practice of medicine and fiscal fraud.
Mrs. Vo Minh Hiep had traveled from the States to Brussels but Mr. Dang who is now in Australia could not stand trial be-
cause he had already used his quota of 90 days of stay in Belgium in the last six months, the maximum authorized by Belgian
law. At the last court hearing on 13 October 2005, Mr. Dang had indeed been arrested and kept in prison in Brussels (Forest)
until 10 January 2006. The defense lawyers asked for a postponement of the proceedings until after 12 April when Mr. Dang
would again be allowed to have access to the Belgian territory but the judge, Ms de Laminne de Bex, turned down their request
and the cause was pleaded from 2 pm to 5.30 pm every day. About 40-50 SHY sympathizers from Belgium, France, The Nether-
lands, Portugal, Hungary, Romania… attended the trial.
The procurator, Mr. Patrick Carolus, endeavored to plead that Mr. Dang had failed to pay taxes on the amounts he had
earned in Belgium through his seminars and conferences between 1993 and 1999, in which thousands of people had particip-
ated, and he argued that Mrs. Vo Minh Hiep had been his accomplice. He accused Mr. Dang of making a lot of money under the
false pretext of financing humanitarian projects in Vietnam and other countries. Last but not least, he accused him of teaching
illegal medical practices supposed to replace classic medicine and he substantiated his accusation by reading excerpts from a
handbook used in 1996. He finally argued on the basis of a complaint that the exclusive use of his techniques had led to the
death of a baby in Belgium.
The current trial concerns two persons and not SHY/Belgium. It is also noteworthy that since the opening of the proceedings
in 1999 no SHY group in Belgium has been banned or forbidden from teaching and applying Mr. Dang’s techniques, no com-
plaint has been filed and no practitioner has been prosecuted.
The judgment will be pronounced on 19 April at 2 pm at the Palace of Justice in Brussels.
Source: HRWF

Moldova
Criticism of delay in full implemetation of European Court judgement
(January 10, 2006)
“The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe today noted with concern the delay in the full implementation by the
Moldovan authorities of the judgment delivered by the European Court of Human Rights on 13 December 2001 in the case of
Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia and Others v. Moldova.
“The Committee noted that, under the legislation currently in force, the executive continued to enjoy a wide discretion in
granting, suspending or withdrawing registration of religious denominations, and that the relevant legal provisions fail to ad-
equately reflect the requirement of proportionality of possible restrictions on the exercise of religious freedom.
“The Committee therefore stressed the need for the Moldovan authorities to accelerate their work on a new law on Religious
Denominations, fully respecting the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights and taking into account also the conclu-
sions and recommendations provided by the Council of Europe experts. It decided to resume consideration of the case at its
meeting of 28-29 March 2006, with a view of deciding on further action if adequate progress is not achieved in the meantime.”
Source: Council of Europe

Germany

Federal Administrative Court grants long-awaited recognition to Jehovah's Witnesses

(February 17, 2006)

The Land (State) of Berlin has now recognized Jehovah’s Witnesses as a public corporation. With its decision (Ref 7B80.05
of 02/01/2006) published February 10, the Federal Administrative Court upheld the corresponding judgment of the Higher Ad-
ministrative Court of Berlin.
With this decision, the Federal Administrative Court makes clear that the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin has indeed
conclusively established the prerequisites for granting Jehovah’s Witnesses the legal status applied for. The Religious Associ-
ation is said to guarantee fidelity to legal norms. This decision was made by the Higher Administrative Court after thorough ex-
amination of all available sources of information.
Source: JW Office of Public Relations

Freedom of Expression vs Respect for Religion - The Cartoon Controversy and Other News

Timeline of cartoon controversy developments: February

1 February: Papers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain reprint the caricatures, defying Muslim outrage.

2 February: The editor of the French newspaper France Soir is sacked for printing the cartoons.

4 February: Syrians attack Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus, prompting UN chief Kofi Annan to call for calm.

5
5 February: Lebanese demonstrators set the Danish embassy in Beirut on fire. Interior Minister Hassan Sabeh resigns over the
violent protests.

6 February: Protests claim lives - at least five people are killed in Afghanistan, and a teenage boy dies after protesters attack po-
lice in Somalia.

7 February: Several hundred Iranians attack the Danish embassy in Tehran as the country announces it is cutting all trade ties
with Denmark.

8 February: French magazine Charlie Hebdo publishes the cartoons along with other caricatures. French President Jacques Chir-
ac condemns decisions to reprint the cartoons as "overt provocation".

9 February: Hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims in Lebanon turn a religious ceremony into a protest over the cartoons.

10 February: Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi tells a conference in Kuala Lumpur a huge chasm has opened between
the West and Islam, fuelled by Muslim frustrations over Western foreign policy. Thousands outside protest over the cartoons.

12 February: Denmark's foreign ministry urges all Danes to leave Indonesia over intelligence fears they may be targeted. In-
donesia describes the move as "hasty".

13 February: A leading Iranian newspaper, the Hamshahri Daily, launches a competition asking people to submit cartoons about
the Holocaust, which the paper says is to test the boundaries of free speech for Westerners.

14 February: Pakistani security guards shoot dead two protesters in Lahore. In Islamabad, police use tear gas to disperse students
who entered a diplomatic area.
Crowds attack British and German embassies in Iran and Basra city council in southern Iraq calls for the withdrawal of Danish
troops from the country.

15 February: Three people die in the Pakistan cities of Peshawar and Lahore.
Italian government minister Roberto Calderoli says he is distributing T-shirts displaying the controversial cartoons.

17 February: At least 10 people are killed and several injured in the Libyan city of Benghazi in clashes during a protest outside
the Italian consulate. Pakistan detains more than 100 people to stem protests.
Denmark temporarily closes its embassy in Pakistan because of the security situation. Pakistan recalls its ambassador in Den-
mark for consultations.

18 February: Sixteen people are killed in attacks against Christian targets in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri.
The Italian reform minister who wore a T-shirt with the cartoons resigns. Libyan Interior Minister Nasr al-Mabrouk is suspen-
ded and referred for investigation into police actions during the Benghazi rioting.
In Pakistan, four protesters are wounded after police reportedly open fire demonstrators in the eastern town of Chaniot.

19 February: Police use tear gas to disperse demonstrators who stage protest in defiance of ban, in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Tens of thousands of protestors chanting slogans against Denmark, Israel and the United States, rally in Istanbul, Turkey.

Source: BBC

EU response to the cartoon controversy

EU commissioner urges European press code on religion
(February 09, 2006)
Brussels, Belguim - Plans for a European press charter committing the media to "prudence" when reporting on Islam and
other religions, were unveiled yesterday.
Franco Frattini, the European Union commissioner for justice, freedom and security, revealed the idea for a code of conduct
in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. Mr Frattini, a former Italian foreign minister, said the EU faced the "very real prob-
lem" of trying to reconcile "two fundamental freedoms, the freedom of expression and the freedom of religion".
Millions of European Muslims felt "humiliated" by the publication of cartoons of Mohammed, he added, calling on journal-
ists and media chiefs to accept that "the exercising of a right is always the assumption of a responsibility". He appealed to
European media to agree to "self-regulate".
Accepting such self-regulation would send an important political message to the Muslim world, Mr Frattini said.
By agreeing to a charter "the press will give the Muslim world the message: we are aware of the consequences of exercising
the right of free expression, we can and we are ready to self-regulate that right", he said.
The code of conduct, as envisaged by Mr Frattini, would acknowledge the importance of respecting religious sensibilities but
would not offer a "privileged" status to any one faith.
Source: Telegraph

EU lawmakers reject calls for new media limits after cartoons

(February 16, 2006)
Strasbourg, France - EU lawmakers rejected on Thursday calls for limits on media freedom in the wake of the row over car-
toons of the Prophet Mohammad, insisting current law on offensive material sufficed.
6
 The episode has triggered soul-searching in Europe about whether new limits are needed on the media, whether by voluntary
codes of conduct or by an extension of existing legislation, a move the EU assembly said would be wrong.
"Freedom of expression and the independence of the press as universal rights cannot be undermined by any individual or
group that feels offended by what is being said or written," the EU assembly said in a resolution.
"Redress for any possible offence may be sought through the courts in accordance with existing national and European legis-
lation," it said, calling nonetheless on journalists to exercise media freedom in respect of human rights and religion.
The resolution pointed out that in some Arab countries and Iran "degrading and humiliating cartoons of Jews are regularly
printed, thus showing that they obviously do not apply the same standards to all religious communities."
EU lawmakers strongly condemned attacks on Danish embassies, threats of violence against its citizens and calls for boy-
cotts of Danish goods.
Source: Reuters

EU regrets 'offensive' cartoons

(February 27, 2006)
EU foreign ministers have expressed regret that cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published in European papers were
found offensive by Muslims.
At a meeting in Brussels they also agreed on a common line of action to rebuild ties with Muslim nations.
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik said the EU would seek dialogue and mutual understanding.
However, the ministers also defended freedom of speech and condemned the violent response to the cartoons.
"The Council [of EU member states] expresses its deep concern at the events that followed the publication of cartoons in a
number of European and other media," the foreign ministers' statement says. It adds: "The Council acknowledges and regrets
that these cartoons were considered offensive and distressing by Muslims across the world."
Diplomats said that at least one country, the Netherlands, had at first opposed the decision to express "regret".
The Czech government was also reported to be concerned that apologising would undermine the freedom fo the media.
While they upheld freedom of expression as a fundamental right, the ministers said freedoms "come with responsibilities".
"Freedom of expression should be exercised in a spirit of respect for religious and other beliefs and convictions. Mutual tol-
erance and respect are universal values we should all uphold," they said.
Source: BBC

OSCE unites on steps to ensure press freedom and respect for religious and other beliefs
(February 17, 2006)
An informal OSCE meeting, called by the Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, yesterday dis-
cussed the valuable contribution the Organization might make in response to the controversy over the recently-published car-
toons.
"The need for inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue was clearly and repeatedly voiced by participants," said Minister De
Gucht. "As Chairman-in-Office I will do everything in my power to ensure that the OSCE plays a full role in helping to turn
this crisis into an opportunity to strengthen mutual respect and understanding."
Among possible short- and long- term steps, mentioned by the participants, were support to the Alliance of Civilizations ini-
tiative of the United Nations, a proposal for media, religious leaders and civil society from all 66 States to meet within the
framework of the OSCE, and a study of existing self-regulatory systems of the media, with a view to better understanding the re-
lationship between media freedom and responsibility.
Participants included the OSCE's 55 participating States and their 11 Partners for Co-operation, as well as the Chairman-in-
Office's three Personal Representatives on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination, the Representative on Freedom of the Media, the
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Secretary General.

For full report, see: http://www.osce.org/documents/html/pdftohtml/18074_en.pdf.html

Source: OSCE

Other commentary on the controversy

Pope calls for respect for religious symbols
On February 20, Pope Benedict XVI condemned those who exploited offences to religious sentiment and called for interna-
tional cooperation to resolve problems caused by the mass migration to Europe from the south. According to the official Vatican
text, the pope said that there is "an urgent need for religions and their symbols to be respected, and for believers not to be ex-
posed to provocations that wound ... their religious feelings."
Source: UCJS Bigotry Monitor

World Council of Churches slaps cartoons

(The WCC includes mainline Protestants, Anglicans and Orthodox churches representing more than 500 million followers.
The Roman Catholic Church is not a member, but cooperates closely.)

(February 23, 2006)

Porto Alegre, Brazil - The world's biggest group of Christian churches criticized the use of military forces to fight terrorism
Thursday, and denounced both the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim rage they unleashed.
Freedom of expression is a "fundamental human right," the head of the world's largest Christian umbrella group, but Muslim
rage over cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad shows that the world must still tread with caution when dealing with reli-
gious views.

7
 The comments by the Rev. Samuel Kobia - at the beginning of a 10-day global assembly by the World Council of Churches -
illustrated how dialogue with Islam and worries over mounting religious-inspired violence have become priorities for the group's
more than 350 member churches.
"Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right," said Kobia, the WCC's general secretary, "but that is not the right to say
anything for any reason. Used to devalue human dignity, it devalues the very freedoms on which it is based."
Kobia, a Methodist pastor from Kenya, said both Muslims and Christians have responsibilities to "work together" to end the
unrest over the cartoons, which included riots and attacks on Western-affiliated hotels and restaurants in two Pakistani cities on
Tuesday.
Last week, representatives from the 34 U.S.-based churches in the WCC issued a statement sharply denouncing the U.S.-led
war in Iraq; they also apologized to other nations for Washington policies.
The gathering also closely followed the widening Muslim outrage to the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Kobia and
other WCC leaders described freedom of expression as a fundamental right, but noted that it must be used responsibly.
Source: AP

Commonwealth Secretary-General appeals for tolerance

Religious and cultural sensitivities must be respected in order to build harmony in our world, said Commonwealth Secretary-
General Don McKinnon in a special lecture delivered in Karachi, Pakistan on February 17th, 2006.
Mr McKinnon stated that the Danish cartoons controversy, which resulted in widespread protests in the Muslim world, has
sharpened tensions in a world being made ever smaller by the forces of globalisation. This globalisation has facilitated greater
interaction with people of different races and ethnic and religious groups, and yet, he said, "there are those who seek to force
these groups apart, expounding chauvinism, intolerance, threatening behaviour and extremism."
He continued: "It is not a matter of Islam versus Christianity. Extremists who distort the pillars of a faith are not peculiar to
any one religion -- sadly, they all have their share of them. Faith does not explain ethnic genocide or inter-clan warfare, nor why
appealing to racial prejudice wins votes in some elections.
"Alienation, marginalisation, exclusion are phenomena that have many roots -- religion, language and culture are among
them. But so too are poverty, illiteracy, environmental degradation and perceived political injustice."
The Secretary-General noted that the advancement and globalisation of technology today enables words and images to move
rapidly and largely unchecked around the world. This has brought about tremendous freedom, opportunity, as well as abuse. The
challenge, he said, is to use the channels of communication and freedom responsibly.

Link for full text of speech: http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=149037

Source: Commonwealth News and Information Service

Other news relating to freedom of expression / respect for religion

German court convicts man for insulting Islam
(February 23, 2006)
Dusseldorf, Germany - A German court on Thursday convicted a businessman of insulting Islam by printing the word "Kor-
an" on toilet paper and offering it to mosques.
The 61-year-old man, identified only as Manfred van H., was given a one-year jail sentence, suspended for five years, and
ordered to complete 300 hours of community service, a district court in the western German town of Luedinghausen ruled.
Source: Reuters

Australia: SBS drops South Park episode on the

(February 23, 2006)
An episode of cartoon program South Park that features the Pope has been pulled from Australian television.
The final episode of the current series of the long-running US animated series — which had been scheduled for Monday —
has been "deferred", according to an SBS spokesman.
Because of sensitivities about religious cartoons in the wake of the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, SBS
would have to give "some more thought" to the scheduling of the Bloody Mary episode.
Source: The Age

Two Madonnas upset Poland's Catholics

(February 09, 2006)
Poland's Roman Catholics expressed outrage on Thursday after a magazine published a picture of the much-revered icon of
the Black Madonna with pop icon Madonna's face transposed on to it.
"We are shocked to see, yet again, the miraculous icon of the mother of God used in a [profane] way for advertising and busi-
ness purposes," said Paulinian monks at Jasna Gora monastery in the southern city of Czestochowa, who are custodians of the
icon that Poles believe was painted by St Luke the Evangelist.
Pop magazine Machina published a photograph of the sacred icon, with pop idol Madonna's face transposed over the face of
the Virgin and one of the singer's children in the place of the baby Jesus, on the cover of the issue that hit the newsstands on
Thursday after a three-year publishing hiatus.
Source: AFP

Russia: Public Chamber member calls for ban on some books

(February 10, 2006)
Responding to a recent attack in a Moscow synagogue and an overall increase in hate crimes, the Public Chamber is calling
for a ban on books that promote extremism and racial intolerance. No books have been banned since the Soviet Union's collapse
in 1991, but Sergei Markov, a Public Chamber member and a Kremlin-connected analyst, praised the move as much needed. He
8
said: "After the attack at the synagogue and [President] Putin's recent statement saying that little has been done to stop national-
ist and xenophobic propaganda, we decided that it was necessary to analyze what kind of nationalist books are being sold in Mo-
scow underpasses."
The Public Chamber will review books and compile a list of titles that it believes incite hatred, Markov said. Then a court
will decide whether a book should be banned, he added. Such a list should already exist under a law against the incitement of
ethnic and religious hatred, said Alexander Brod, the head of the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights. The list would be a great
help to police and prosecutors, who are notoriously reluctant to take action against such literature, Brod said. "Russia has an aw-
ful lot of this kind of literature," Brod noted. He said up to 20 new titles are published each year, adding to the 500,000 copies in
circulation. He said that as many as seven publishers printed the books.
Source: UCSJ Bigotry Monitor

Anything goes at German carnival - except religion

(February 27, 2006)
At carnival time in Germany anything goes -- except, this year, mocking religion, a victim of the worldwide controversy over
cartoons of the Prophet.
In Cologne, home to Europe's biggest carnival parade, some 1.3 million people filled the streets, singing along with march-
ing bands and jumping up to catch candy swirling through the air while keeping a tight grip on their beer bottles.
While political satire is encouraged, Cologne revellers took care not to cross the line and religion was a declared no-go zone
amid a row over caricatures of the Prophet published first in a Danish newspaper that sparked worldwide protest.
Jacques Tilly, mastermind behind the parade in Duesseldorf that attracted 1 million people, said he regretted the limitation
while acknowledging the situation had changed.
"Religion is in my eyes a delusion and hence should be mocked," he said. "The humour depicted on the floats simply needs
to have some bite otherwise there is little point."
Source: Reuters

French farce outrages Hindu group in Britain

(February 21, 2006)
Britain's largest Hindu group launched a campaign targeting a major Hollywood studio over a French comedy film which, it
alleges, mocks a revered Hindu god.
In a statement, the Hindu Forum of Britain said "Les Bronzes 3: Amis Pour La Vie" (The Sun-Tanned Ones 3: Friends for
Life) shows the main characters swearing, laughing and tearing up images of Lord Shiva.
It appealed to Britain's large Hindu community to complain in writing or by e-mail to the London office of Warner Brothers,
the Hollywood studio that is distributing the summer holiday farce, directed by Patrice Leconte.
Warner Brothers in London declined to comment.
Source: AFP

Other News: Europe

Russia: Army Looks to Enlist Orthodox Chaplains

(February 06, 2006)
The influence of the Orthodox Church in the military has been growing with the encouragement of the top brass over recent
years, and it could get a further fillip later this year as officials look for ways to improve morale after a brutal hazing on New
Year's Eve that led to a conscript's legs and genitals being amputated, prompting a national outcry.
When asked about the case in his annual news conference this week, President Vladimir Putin called for greater efforts at
moral education in the military. One proposal already under consideration by the Defense Ministry is the formal recruitment of
chaplains into some military units.
Orthodox priests already preach in many units, including those fighting in the North Caucasus, but currently do not have the
formal status of chaplains. They are allowed in under agreements that unit commanders sign with local eparchies.
Defense Ministry officials have welcomed the idea of hiring Orthodox chaplains as a way to bolster soldiers' morale and
combat the incidence of hazing and suicide in the military. But nongovernmental organizations have raised concerns about the
exclusion of other faiths and denominations, and about official pressure on soldiers to attend Orthodox services.
Some religious scholars also claim that such a close relationship between the Orthodox Church and the military would be
unconstitutional, as it would blur the lines between church and state.
Source: Moscow Times

Romania: MISA protests against prosecutors' alleged abuses"

(February 02, 2006)
Dozens of representatives of the Spiritual Movement for Integration into the Absolute (MISA) yesterday organized a protest
in front of the government, accusing prosecutors of abusively interrogating MISA members.
"Besides Gregorian Bivolaru (the head of the movement), 25 of our practitioners are victims of prosecutors' abuses," said
MISA spokesman Eduard Franti.
Franti said the campaign carried out against them by the former government was an attempt to distract attention from the
serious accusations brought against former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and other government officials. The MISA spokes-
man said the former authorities have been accused of trafficking children.
The MISA protest also focused on alleged discrimination, as some of the protesters claimed they had been discriminated
against and lost their jobs merely because they practice yoga.
Source: Bucharest Daily News

9
Ukraine: Elections: Tension between Greek Catholics and Orthodox (Moscow Patriarchate)
On the eve of the March elections, a number of Orthodox and Greek-Catholic organizations are taking sides with political
parties. Ukrainian Greek-Catholic nationalists fear the bloc of Natalia Vitrenko "Folk Opposition" while nationalists close to the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) support it.
Recently, Ukrainian Greek-Catholic nationalists have accused the Union of Orthodox Citizens of Ukraine (UOCU) of intol-
erance and have expressed their concern about the possible access to power of the block of Vitrenko Natalia 'Folk opposition' be-
cause "it will promote a discriminatory policy towards the Greek Catholics and the members of the Ukrainian Autocephalous
Orthodox Church.”
Source: HRWF

Ukraine: National Democrats Demand “Sects” be “Forbidden” in Ukraine

(February 17, 2006)
Kyiv – The National Democratic Parties Bloc (NDP Bloc) demands that “the activity of totalitarian religious sects be forbid-
den in Ukraine.” Vitalii Zhuravskyi, a leader of the NDP Bloc and head of the Christian Democratic Party of Ukraine (CDPU),
said this on Era TV on 16 February 2006.
“[Sects] damage the spiritual, psychological and physical health of the residents of Ukraine,” said Zhuravskyi. “They ruin
families and create tension in denominational relations. The most dangerous thing is that such organizations attract children
and youth.” Zhuravskyi said that most of these religious movements have a shady history and are banned in many countries.
Also, he noted that now in Ukraine the representatives of such groups have a tendency to register not as religious but as civic or -
ganizations.
“Thus, they are beyond the attention of the State Department on Religious Matters and their activities are not controlled by the
state body. Among such communities we have Aum Shinrikyo, the White Brotherhood, Moon’s [Unification] Church, the Chil-
dren of the Sun organization, and others,” said Zhuravskyi.
The NDP Bloc considers that the government should take all necessary measures to protect the health and national and spiritu-
al identity of Ukraine’s citizens. “Such decisions will gain the support of most Christian churches of Ukraine,” said Zhuravskyi.
The NDP Bloc consists of the CDPU, the Democratic Party of Ukraine, the NDP and the Christian Liberal Party of Ukraine.
Source: RISU

England: Faith schools will have to teach other religions

(February 22, 2006)
Faith schools are to be instructed to teach their pupils about the tenets of other religions besides their own. Leaders from the
Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths have signed a joint statement backing the teaching of not only their
own religion but an awareness of the "tenets" of other faiths in schools. The declaration, made jointly with the Department for
Education and Skills says that religious education enables pupils to "combat prejudice" and helps them develop respect and
sensitivity to others.
The agreement commits faith schools to using the National Framework for Religious Education, drawn up in 2004, which
encourages the teaching of the tenets of the five major religions, but which is non-statutory.
Source: London Times

Bulgaria: Rights to exist for Jehovah’s Witnesses adherents

(February 1, 2006)
On November 25, 2005, Mr. Pavel Shopov, a member of the Bulgarian National Assembly who belongs to the extremist na -
tionalist fraction "Ataka" (Attack), asked the Minister of Interior, Mr. Roumen Petkov, a disturbing question about the right of
Jehovah's Witnesses to exist in Bulgaria.
He was quoted as saying "What made possible the existence of such a denomination, whose activities collide with articles
108 and 109 (1) of the Penal Code and is it not time to pass a regulation by which the National Security Services could put such
communities under control and surveillance ?"
According to Mr. Chernev, Jehovah' Witnesses should be prosecuted under the aforementioned provisions of the Penal Code
because they profess 'refusal of blood transfusion and military service', and the announcement of the establishment of 'a so-
called Heavenly Kingdom which will cause the destruction of all human governments'.
In his answer, Minister of Interior Roumen Petkov recalled the history of the establishment and development of 'Jehovah'
Witnesses' in Bulgaria. He claimed that "the sect" continued to violate the terms of the friendly agreement concluded before the
European Court (2) and was bringing discredit upon Republic of Bulgaria by filing complaints with that international jurisdic-
tion.
Moreover, Mr. Petkov stated that within the framework of the law the Ministry of Interior controls the activities of the for-
eign leaders of the "sect" in Bulgaria which may violate the Bulgarian legislation.
In addition the Minister of Interior said that the question of MP Pavel Chernev was 'more than appropriate' and also that he
'supported him wholeheartedly'.
Source: HRWF

Belgium: State Security and surveillance of minority religions

The Church of Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mandarom are displayed as examples of 'harmful sectarian organiza-
tions' in an exhibition on the history of the State Security from 1830 until 2005 organized in Brussels by the Kingdom's General
Archives on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the independence of Belgium. This is the result of the suspicion campaign
that the Belgian State has been carrying out against new and imported religious movements since 1997.
A window is devoted to 'harmful sectarian organizations' and conveys several messages. First, the fight against sects dates
back at least to the colonial period as two archives prove it. On the upper shelf, books and reports endorse the thesis that these
movements are harmful, that 'sects' need be fought against by the state and that 'anti-sect' activists are rightly combating against
evil.
10
 Source: Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers Int.

Austria: Holocaust Denier Convicted

On February 20 in Vienna, British historian David Irving, 67, arrived in court handcuffed, carrying a copy of one of the
nearly 30 books he has authored, "Hitler's War," that challenges what it calls "the exaggerations" of the Holocaust.
"I made a mistake when I said there were no gas chambers at Auschwitz," Irving tried to reassure the court before his senten-
cing for denying the Holocaust, a crime in Austria punishable by a prison sentence of up to ten years. "In no way did I deny the
killings of millions of people by the Nazis." He expressed sorrow "for all the innocent people who died during the Second World
War."
One of the world's leading Holocaust deniers, Irving pleaded guilty to denying the Holocaust. The next day Germany's "Die
Tageszeitung" observed that Irving's testimony "represented a first-class burial of the myth of the 'Auschwitz-lie': Irving apolo-
gized for his earlier views and withdrew the statements that brought him before the court... Neo-Nazis around the world have
lost an icon."
He was sentenced to three years in prison. According to the Associated Press, Irving appeared shocked as the sentence was
read. His lawyer, Elmar Kresbach, immediately announced that he would appeal the sentence. "I consider the verdict a little too
stringent," he said. "I would say it's a bit of a message trial."
Source: UCSJ Bigotry Monitor

Other News: Central Asia

Armenia: Nearly 50 Jehovah's Witness and Molokan Prisoners of Conscience

(February 20, 2006)
Numbers of religious prisoners of conscience in Armenian jails continue to increase, despite a January 2004 promise to the
Council of Europe to free all conscientious objectors and introduce a genuinely civilian alternative service. There are now 48 Je-
hovah's Witness and Molokan prisoners. Molokans are a Russian Christian group with pacifist leanings. Four more Jehovah's
Witnesses await trial after abandoning 'civilian' service run by the Armenian Army's General Staff, with military regulations im-
posed on participants.
Source: Forum 18

Uzbekistan: Assault arranged by authorities?

(February 2, 2006)
A Protestant pastor is convinced that a brutal assault he was subjected to, which left him unconscious and needing a week in
hospital, was arranged by the Uzbek authorities. He thinks that this is the reason why the police do not want to open a criminal
investigation. "In early January I saw my attackers on the street and now I even know where they live. But the police don't even
want to talk to me," Bakhtier Tuichiev told Forum 18 News Service.
Separately, sources from across Uzbekistan have told Forum 18 that recently the authorities have closed down many charit-
able organisations run by Christians. The closures include attempts to close down the charities "voluntarily," using similar tac-
tics as have been ordered against religious communities in the capital, Tashkent.
Source: Forum 18

Turkmenistan: Jailed Krishna devotee's appeal fails, but Jehovah's Witness freed
(February 10, 2006)
Hare Krishna devotee Cheper Annaniyazova has failed in her bid to have her seven-year jail sentence overturned and her ex-
act whereabouts remain unknown, as are the exact charges she was jailed on. It is believed within Turkmenistan that her jailing
was at the behest of the MSS secret police, to intimidate the Hare Krishna community.
However, Forum 18 has learnt that Jehovah's Witness A. B. Sogoyev, who was confined to a psychiatric hospital after refus-
ing military service last November, has now been released
Source: Forum 18

Turkmenistan: Commentary on Turkmenistan's fictitious religious freedom

(Extracts of an article written by a Turkmen Protestant)

Not only are published legal restrictions - which break international human rights standards - tight, but secret unwritten
laws operate as well as the published laws.
For example, we Protestants cannot build places of worship. Services in private homes have been banned, any religious com-
munity must have its own special building designated for worship or rented for the purpose.
We have no possibility to print or import religious literature. This has been banned since the mid-1990s. Officials of the gov-
ernment's Religious Affairs Committee have to look at each individual book and give specific permission - which they almost
never do.
Most of all we need Bibles, both in Turkmen and in Russian, a book available throughout the world. But our government re -
gards this issue as very sensitive and I do not know when printing and importing religious literature will be possible. Sharing
our faith is totally banned.
Christian congregations in Turkmenistan - even those that are registered as part of an international religious community -
find it difficult to maintain contact with the wider Church they are part of. Travel for religious purposes is restricted.
Legally communities are given the hope of functioning, but there are always excuses used for someone to stop our com-
munities from functioning. Officials can raid a service, take down the names of all participants and ban them from meeting, as
happened to the Baptist and Seventh-day Adventist communities in Turkmenabad (formerly Charjew), who were told they had
no registration in the region.
11
 All religious minority communities - including we Protestants, Hare Krishna devotees and peaceful minority Muslims - have
the experience of being banned. Pressure on banned communities is not only on a material level, with the confiscation of prop-
erty, but on a moral level. All minorities were in the recent past banned from meeting for worship. This ban was imposed even
though our country's constitution guarantees us the right to worship individually, or together with others, or not at all.
Source: Forum 18

Tajikistan: Demolition of country's only synagogue begins

On 7 February, the authorities in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe began the demolition of the city's sole synagogue - the only
functioning synagogue in the country. So far, the authorities have dismantled only half the synagogue complex. "The govern-
ment said it will not demolish the rest until June, but there is no guarantee that this promise will be kept," the resident insisted.
No compensation is being offered, though the authorities claim they are ready to provide a plot of land on the edge of Dushanbe
for the community to build a new synagogue. The synagogue serves the small, mainly Bukharan Jewish community in the city.
Source: Forum 18

Belarus: Pressure mounts on two more Minsk Protestant Churches

(February 23, 2006)
Following two warnings last year, Pastor Georgi Vyazovsky of Christ's Covenant Reformed Baptist Church now faces admin-
istrative charges for leading an unregistered congregation after a city official and a police officer arrived at his home during
Sunday worship on 5 February. The hearing is due on 3 March.
Meanwhile, court officials are demanding that Pastor Ernst Sabilo of the Minsk-based Belarusian Evangelical Church - a
veteran of Soviet labour camps for his faith - pay court costs of almost 60 US dollars for the liquidation of his congregation's
legal status last September. Sabilo told court officials that as a pensioner he cannot afford to pay the sum. The two churches are
among many religious groups in Belarus unable to gain registration under highly restrictive registration regulations, thus ren-
dering all their activity illegal.
Source: Forum 18

Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas

China

Communist Party in crisis: 20 million members go to church or temple

(February 28, 2006)
At least one-third of the 60 million members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) belong to a religious organization and
half of these, some 10 million members, participate regularly in religious services.
According to statistics of the CCP’s Disciplinary Commission, the number of cadres involved in religious activities in cities
stands at 12 million and among them, 5 million are regulars. In rural areas, 8 million CCP cadres attend religious events, and 4
million among them are regulars. There are those whose whole families are involved, and there are cases where local CCP or-
ganizations participate as a group. Various mid- and high-level cadres have set up a room in their home for use as an under-
ground domestic church in order to avoid problems with their leadership.
Source: Asia News

Pakistan
Cult leader gets capital punishment: Followers also convicted.
(February 07, 2006)
Faisaladad, Pakistan - The Anti-Terrorism Court on Monday awarded capital punishment, three-count life imprisonment and
43-year rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs1.7 million to a cult leader and life imprisonment on four counts with the same
fine to his 28 followers.
However, the court acquitted one of the accused, Zahid (14), giving him the benefit of doubt.
Shahbaz Ahmad and his followers were booked by the Nishatabad police under sections 295-B and 295-C of the Blasphemy
Act, 146, 148, 149, 186, 324, 353 and 427 of the PPC, 16-MPO, 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and 13/20/65 on a written com-
plaint of city DSP Malik Abdul Rasheed on Dec 15 last.
According to the prosecution, a group of some 30 armed men appeared on Sargodha Road and made an announcement that
‘Imam Mehdi’ had appeared. They also opened fire on the general public and the police party, headed by the city DSP. They
threatened if their leader was not accepted as ‘Imam Mehdi’, the entire country would be destroyed and there would be an earth-
quake. One passerby was injured in their firing.
Source: Dawn

Sangla Hill Christian accused of blaphemy released

(February 22, 2006)
Yousaf Masih, a Christian detained on blasphemy charges, has been released. His alleged crime led to the eruption of viol-
ence against the Christian community in Sangla Hill in Pakistan. On 18 February, the Anti-Terrorism Court granted him release
on bail. The Christian, who was released immediately, said he was happy and thanked all those who had supported him. News
of his release was broken by a press release of the Peace and Justice Commission, a branch of Pakistan’s Catholic Church in-
volved in human rights.
Source: Asia News

India
JMM to oppose bill on banning religious conversion
12
(February 09, 2006)
(This follows an announcement in December by Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda that his government would soon en-
act an anti-conversion bill.)
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha will vehemently oppose a bill on banning religious conversion in Jharkhand if it is tabled in the
state assembly, Union Coal Minister and JMM supremo Shibu Soren said today.
The conversion of religion was personal and a sensitive matter and therefore the BJP-led NDA government in the state must
not interfere with it, he told reporters here.
Source: PTI

Indonesia
The last hope for three Christian women accused of proselytising dies
(February 09, 2006)
Indonesia’s Supreme court has rejected appeals lodged by three Christian teachers accused of proselytising. It was the last
hope for the women following last Novembers decision by Bandung high court to refuse their legal appeal.
Thus the Court judges confirmed a three year prison sentence for Rebbeca Loanita, Etty Pangesti and Ratna Mala Bangun.
International Christian Concern (Icc), reports that the verdict was issued on February.
The three teachers ran a Dominican school in their local community of Indramayu, West Java. On September 1st 2005 they
were condemned for having violated the 2002 child protection law. The Indonesian Council of Mullahs (Mui) have accused
them of trying to convert Muslim children to Christianity. None of the children who attended the school have however converted
to Christianity. Moreover, all of the children had written parental permission to participate.
Source: AsiaNews

Iran
Qom Authorities crack down on Sufi minority
(February 17, 2006)
Human rights activists have expressed concern over the arrest on 13 February of some 1,000 Sufi worshippers in the Iranian
holy city of Qom. The arrests followed clashes between the police and members of a Sufi group over the closure of a house of
worship used by Sufi Muslims. Observers say the scale and violence of the crackdown on the Sufis is unprecedented in the Is -
lamic Republic.
Source: RFE/RL

Eritrea

Military Jails 75 Protestant Conscripts

(February 02, 2006)
Asmara, Eritrea - Eritrean military authorities jailed 75 Protestant Christians yesterday at the Sawa Military Training Camp
for “reading Bibles and praying during their free time,” local sources in the small East Africa nation confirmed.
Most of the newly arrested evangelicals, 37 of them women, are student youths doing their compulsory national military ser-
vice at Sawa, a remote center near Eritrea’s mountainous western border with Sudan.
According to confirmed reports, the 75 young conscripts put under “military detention and punishment” had not attempted
to conduct any Christian meeting at Sawa or committed any other transgression of military law.
“In Sawa, to possess your own Bible and keep your personal devotion and loyalty to Christ is not allowed,” an Eritrean
Christian told Compass. “This is considered an act of Christian extremism.”
Source: Compass

Zambia
Zambia deports 'satanist' pastors
(February 13, 2006)
Lusaka, Zambia - Two Brazilian pastors of an evangelical church accused of satanism were deported from Zambia at the
weekend, an official said on Monday.
Carlos Barcelos and Jamir Craveiro of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) were sent back to Brazil on
Saturday night after the home affairs ministry said they posed a security threat.
The UCKG was banned last year in Zambia for allegedly practising satanism but they were later allowed to operate after the
government conceded before the high court that procedure was not followed when banning the sect.
Source: AFP

Nigeria
Religious riots continue
(February 24, 2006)
Violence is continuing across Nigeria where religious riots have claimed more than 100 lives this week.
A number of deaths were reported and churches and shops burned on Friday in the towns of Kontagora and Potiskum in the
north and Enugu in the south-east.
Some 10,000 people are still sheltering in barracks in the south-east town of Onitsha after violence there killed 80.
Nigeria's 120m people are about equally divided between northern Muslims, and Christians and animists in the south.
The violence began last weekend with demonstrations by Muslims in the north against cartoons satirising the Prophet
Muhammad. More than 30 Christians were killed in riots in two mainly Muslim towns.
More than 80 people were then killed in Onitsha in two days of reprisal attacks by crowds of Christians armed with ma-
chetes.
Source: BBC

13
Uganda
Pastors and prophecies call Uganda election
(February 22, 2006)
Hundreds of born-again Christians drop their Bibles and begin singing songs hailing Uganda's long-serving President
Yoweri Museveni.
A pastor tells them he will only bless those who vote for the former rebel leader.
Outspoken religious leaders have weighed unashamedly into Thursday's polls -- the first multi-party ballot for 25 years in
one of the world's most Christian nations.
All five candidates seeking the key to State House have been hunting the Christian vote, but Museveni is leading the fastest-
growing group: evangelical born-again churches.
Source: Reuters

USA
High court upholds rights of minority sects vs. US drug laws
(February 22, 2006)
Washington, USA - American adherents of a Brazilian religious sect have won their battle to use hallucinogenic tea in their
worship services.
In a unanimous ruling with major implications for minority religious groups in America, the US Supreme Court on Tuesday
upheld the right of religious organizations to claim exemption from certain laws that undercut their ability to practice their faith.
At issue was a clash between US drug laws - which ban the hallucinogenic substance in the sect's sacred tea - and a 1993 re-
ligious freedom law that requires the government to grant religious exemptions when possible.
Although the central issue in the case was the religious use of a banned drug, Tuesday's ruling has broader significance. It
paves the way for others to win exemptions from generally applicable laws that impede their ability to worship. The ruling has
particular significance for minority religious groups whose faith includes practices and rites that are sometimes derided and ri-
diculed.
Source: Christian Science Monitor

Federal court allows schools' Jewish and Muslim symbols, bans Christian nativity
(February 09, 2006)
A federal appeals court has upheld New York City's policy on school holiday displays, which allows symbols of Jewish and
Muslim holidays but prohibits Christian nativity scenes. Santa Claus, reindeer and Christmas trees are permitted.
The 2-1 ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court judge, who said allowing secular symbols
neither advanced nor inhibited religion.
Source: AP

Grants to Religious Groups Fall, Study Says

(February 15, 2006)
Despite the Bush administration's rhetorical support for religious charities, the amount of direct federal grants to faith-based
organizations declined from 2002 to 2004, according to a major new study released yesterday.
White House officials immediately disputed the findings. They said they will release their own figures next month showing
an increase in federal funding for religious groups.
The dispute highlighted a lack of independent, widely accepted data about how many federal tax dollars are going to reli-
gious organizations, what they are doing with the money and whether they are more, or less, effective than other charities.
Source: Washington Post

Venezuela
US evangelicals lose Venezuelan court appeal
(February 14, 2006)
Venezuela's top court on Tuesday upheld a government decision against a U.S. evangelical group which President Hugo
Chavez had ordered out of the country last year after accusing them of spying.
Venezuela's Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed by the New Tribes Mission to block a government order that revoked a
1953 permit allowing them to carry out evangelical work in the country's indigenous communities.
New Tribes Mission representatives were not immediately available for comment. But spokesman Mike Griffis said before
the announcement that the organization would "abide by any decision from the court, and evaluate our options legally."
Source: Reuters

Australia

Howard's Muslim advisory team split

(February 16, 2006)
John Howard's hand-picked Muslim advisory body is in danger of imploding after the nation's Islamic spiritual leader
threatened to break up the group unless a member with links to a radical organisation was removed.
Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali warned that Mr Howard's advisory body could "break up" if Mr Kara-Ali were not removed. Sheik
Hilali said five of the 14 reference group members, including chairman Ameer Ali, would refuse to attend meetings at his re-
quest.
This would be a severe embarrassment for Mr Howard, who set up the group to build dialogue with the Muslim community.
Sheik Hilali claimed Mr Kara-Ali was linked to the Islamic Charity Projects Association, which has been accused of being a
violent cult organisation.
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 The Prime Minister set up the Muslim Community Reference Group six months ago following the London bombings to ad-
vise the Government on issues concerning Australians of Islamic backgrounds.
Source: The Australian

Religious Movements – Traditional and non-traditional

Pope convenes top cardinals over relations with schismatic group

(February 16, 2006)
Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI convened top cardinals and heads of Vatican departments Monday to discuss relations
with the schismatic ultraconservative movement founded by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
The Vatican excommunicated Lefebvre in 1988 after he consecrated four bishops without Rome's consent. The four bishops
were also excommunicated.
One of Benedict's agenda items the status of Lefebvre groups within the Catholic Church and the excommunication orders.
Lefebvre founded the Switzerland-based Society of St. Pius X in 1969 to oppose liberalizing reforms of the 1962-65 Second
Vatican Council, particularly Masses celebrated in local languages instead of Latin.
Benedict wants normalized relations with the society and met in August with its current head, Bishop Bernard Fellay. Both
sides said afterward they agreed on steps to resolve differences.
Source: AP

Anglicans hope to refocus church amid gay row

(February 02, 2006)
Cape Town, South Africa - The worldwide Anglican church is looking to re-focus attention on pressing global issues of
poverty and disease after being sidetracked by a damaging internal rift over gay priests, bishops said on Thursday.
"The Anglican church has always been at the heart of social justice issues ... but like any family sometimes there is a row,
and a row tends to make loud noises," South Africa's Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane told reporters in Cape Town, referring
to a furore in the church over homosexuality.
Ndungane is leading a steering committee tasked with preparing the 77 million-strong church for a major conference next
year in South Africa on poverty and AIDS.
Source: Reuters

Williams backs bid to disinvest in firms that aid Israeli 'occupiers'

(February 07, 2006)
The Church of England was on a collision course with Jewish leaders last night after it voted to disinvest in companies
profiting from the illegal occupation of Palestinian land.
The General Synod overwhelmingly backed calls for the Church Commissioners to remove funds from such firms, particu-
larly its £2.2 million investment in Caterpillar, which manufactures tractors used to demolish Palestinian homes.
The vote, which was supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is hugely symbolic, even if the Com-
missioners refuse to comply.
Source: Telegraph

Brown would end PM’s vote on bishops

(February 19, 2006)
Gordon Brown is planning to return the power to choose bishops to the Church of England for the first time since the reign
of Henry VIII.
The chancellor has told colleagues that if he becomes prime minister he will reach agreement with the church to give up
Downing Street’s role in the selection process.
It is understood that Brown believes Downing Street’s control over appointments is anachronistic. Returning the role to the
Anglican church would also fend off criticism that Brown, a member of the Church of Scotland, should not be in control of Eng-
lish bishops’ appointments.
Source: Sunday Times

Salvation Army names new international leader and first black U.S. commander
(February 02, 2006)
The Salvation Army's High Council elected Shaw Clifton, commander for the United Kingdom and Ireland, as its general, or
top international leader.
Clifton in turn appointed a new commander for the United States: Israel Gaither, the first black person to hold that post.
Gaither, an officer since 1964, served most recently as the commander for southern Africa and then the eastern United States.
Source: AP

US Evangelical Leaders Join Global Warming Initiative

(February 08, 2006)
Washington, USA - Despite opposition from some of their colleagues, 86 evangelical Christian leaders have decided to back
a major initiative to fight global warming, saying "millions of people could die in this century because of climate change, most
of them our poorest global neighbors."
The statement calls for federal legislation that would require reductions in carbon dioxide emissions through "cost-effective,
market-based mechanisms" — a phrase lifted from a Senate resolution last year and one that could appeal to evangelicals, who
tend to be pro-business.

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 Some of the nation's most high-profile evangelical leaders, however, have tried to derail such action. Twenty-two of them
signed a letter in January declaring, "Global warming is not a consensus issue."
Source: Washington Times

Poll: 70% of evangelicals see global warming threat

(February 16, 2006)
Washington, USA - A poll released today shows 70 percent of American evangelical Christians see global warming as a "ser-
ious threat" to the future of the planet.
Conducted by Ellison Research, the survey indicates a majority of evangelicals agree with 85 Christian leaders who signed an
Evangelical Climate Initiative unveiled Feb. 8 that calls for government action to deal with so-called global warming. The initi-
ative includes a campaign of newspaper, TV and radio ads.
Source: WND

USA: Presbyterian Church affirms Mideast decision

(February 15, 2006)
Chicago Presbyterians on Tuesday affirmed a controversial decision by the Presbyterian Church (USA) to exert economic
pressure to end the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and support a two-state solution that would enable Israelis
and Palestinians to live side by side in peace.
More than 300 commissioners from 106 Chicago-area congregations overwhelmingly approved a revised resolution that was
drafted after the local assembly evenly divided over the issue in December.
But it specifically leaves out the word divestment--a word that has evolved into an emblem since it was used in the 1980s to
urge the South African government to end apartheid. Instead, the resolution, which Presbyterians call an overture, calls for those
funds to be reinvested in peaceful pursuits such as hospitals, charities and schools in the region. It also invites American, Arab
and Israeli citizens of all faiths to collaborate with the church on work for peace.
Source: Chicago Times

Trial proceedings of Aum Shinri Kyo former head

(February 17-24, 2006)
The former leader of a Japanese cult sentenced to hang for masterminding a 1995 fatal gas attack on Tokyo subways has
been found to be mentally fit to continue his appeal, Japanese media said on Monday, quoting a report by a court-appointed psy-
chiatrist.
Lawyers for Shoko Asahara had argued that the 50-year-old ex-head of Aum Shinri Kyo (Supreme Truth Sect) was incom-
petent and had requested that the case be suspended.
Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was found guilty of responsibility for the nerve gas attack that killed 12
and sickened thousands, and was sentenced to death by a Tokyo court in February 2004.
With a psychiatric evaluation finding 50-year-old Matsumoto fit to stand trial, his death sentence could move a step toward
finalization.
The public prosecutors have now requested the Tokyo High Court on Friday to dismiss an appeal filed by Matsumoto against
the death sentence.
Sources: Asahi Shimbun, Reuters, Kyodo

Religion, Culture and Entertainment

Catholic Church set to release Bollywood film with a message

(February 16, 2006)

Mumbai, India - A song and dance movie with an AIDS message is set for release across India after an unlikely collaboration
between the country's Roman Catholic Church and the Bollywood film industry.
The film -- seen as the Indian Catholic Church's first foray into the commercial movie world -- was the brainchild of a priest
disturbed by the depiction of risk-free extramarital sex on Indian television serials.
Rev Dr Dominic Emmanuel, who has twin roles as executive producer and spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese, New
Delhi, said the Church had not previously gone beyond making documentaries in India.
The Hindi-language film, with trademark Bollywood songs, dance and melodrama, includes an HIV-positive character and is
titled "Aisa Kyon Hota Hain" (Why does this happen?")
Bollywood heroine Rati Agnihotri plays the lead role of a woman who singlehandedly raises her son after finding her hus-
band cheating on her. Her son does not believe in love and commitment and the film deals with their relationship after he dis-
covers he is HIV-positive.
The film -- made for 20 million rupees (450,000 dollars) -- will be released across India, a country with the second highest
number of people with HIV behind South Africa.
Source: AFP

Surveys and Statistics

Over half of the Russians trust the Russian Orthodox Church and about 70% trust Patriarch Alexy
(February 01, 2006)

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 Moscow, Russia - Over half of the Russian polled (54%) have trust in the Russian Orthodox Church and some 70% have
trust in Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and Russia personally. These are the results of the studies undertaken by sociologists of the
Bashkirov and Partners center in Moscow.
According to the poll they conducted, about 70% of the respondents claim to be believers, with 10% of them attending divine
services at least once a month and 15% celebrating major religious feasts.
The study has shown that the interest in religion is pronounced most of all in the Central Region, Transvolga Region and the
Far East. Those who are interested in religious life most of all are young people from 15 to 30 years of age.
The poll was conducted in all the regions in Russia. The number of the participants was 1500. The study registered the sex,
age and education of the respondent.
The director of the socio-political department of the Bashkirov and Partners center, Alexander Muzafarov, has stated that the
number of Russians who have never attended religious services has decreased by 20%.
Source: Interfax

20% of Italian youths pray daily

(February 07, 2006)
Rome, Italy - Young Italians have less and less time for religion but one in five still prays every day and one in three does so
'sometimes', according to a new survey .
Only 17% of young Italians go to mass regularly, compared to 25% in 1992, the survey found. The research, carried out on
3,000 young people from all over Italy, also found that girls are generally more interested in religion than boys and devotion is
strongest in the less developed southern regions .
One in four young Italians said they never prayed and never went to mass.
Source ANSA

Norwegians now more skeptical of Islam

(February 08, 2006)
Oslo, Norway - Nearly half of those polled say they have become more skeptical about Islam as a religion after the global up-
roar around the Mohammed caricatures.
The result comes from a survey carried out by InFact for Norway's best-selling newspaper VG.
According to the survey, which was carried out on Tuesday, 47.8 percent of those asked said they were more skeptical about
Islam, while 36.7 percent their opinion of the religion had not been affected by the caricature controversy. A small group of 6.5
percent said they were less skeptical about Islam after the turmoil.
At the same time, 30.8 percent say that they have become more mistrustful towards Norwegian Muslims after the caricature
reactions, while 53.6 percent say their attitude towards this group has not been affected. About 6.8 percent said they were less
suspicious of Norwegian Muslims after the controversy.
Source: Aftenposten

Russia: Study warns of growing threat of nationalist violence.

(February 02, 2006)
A study by Sova research center warns that Russian nationalists are turning more radical and working more closely together
in carrying out an increasing number of hate-based attacks, according to a front-page report by "The Moscow Times" of Febru-
ary 3. Extremist violence rose sharply last year, with 28 people killed and 366 injured in 179 attacks, according to the study by
Sova, a specialist in extremism. In 2004, violence was less frequent but more deadly, resulting in 46 killed and 233 injured in
119 attacks The article cited Moscow Helsinki Group activist Valery Nikolsky as saying that the figures were probably
much higher than reported by Sova. "Many attacks are either never reported or aren't classified as motivated by hatred, even
when they have a clear racist character," Nikolsky said.
This year so far two people died in 21 attacks, said Galina Kozhevnikova, the study's author. She said the most worrisome
trend was increasing ideological activity and closer coordination among radical nationalist groups. Over the past year, regional
nationalist organizations held joint events in Altai, Penza, Bryansk, Vladimir, and the Far East in what the Sova report charac-
terized as "self-styled 'test runs'" for unification.
Source: UCSJ Bigotry Monitor

Most Russians against satirizing religious figures - survey

(February 16, 2006)
Moscow, Russia - About 85% of Russians deem it unacceptable to satirize the saints and prophets of any religion, whereas
only 6% see nothing wrong with making light of religious figures, a leading national pollster said Thursday.
According to a survey taken by the Public Opinion Foundation February 11 and 12, 63% of the respondents condemn the
Prophet Mohammed cartoons that triggered a wave of protests across the Muslim world and are opposed to sacrilege in any reli-
gion.
Thirteen percent said they did not consider the prophet cartoons to be insulting.
Twenty-six percent of those surveyed said they were against the anti-cartoon protests, whereas 19% said they supported the
outcry.
Nearly 40% of the respondents fear the publication of the Mohammed cartoons in European newspapers will have long-term
consequences for the West, but 30% expect no backlash.
The nationwide poll, based on interviews with 2,100 adults, had a margin of error below 3.6%.
Source: Aftenposten

Study finds intolerance rising in Lithuania

(February 10, 2006)
A new study finds that intolerance toward ethnic and religious minorities is rising in Lithuania, according to a February 2
report by the Baltic News Service. The study compares attitudes over the years since Lithuania regained its independence. From
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1990 to 2005, the number of people who responded to a survey asserting that they would not want to live next door to Jews rose
from 18% to 31%, significantly higher than the number of people who would not want to live next to any non-Lithuanians in
general (9% in 1990, 20% in 2005). Roma (Gypsies) fared the worst (59-70%), with Muslims next in line (31-51%).
Source: UCSJ Bigotry Monitor

UK: More churches closing than opening survey finds

(February 28, 2006)
London, England - More churches are closing than opening, a new survey has found.
The figures are initial findings from the English Church Census, a large scale survey undertaken by the independent Christi-
an Research organisation which tracks changes over the last seven years.
The Methodist Church suffered a net loss of about 300 churches, and the Church of England fell by more than 100 during
this period.
It follows figures released by the Church of England at the beginning of the year, that showed little sign that its long-term
decline was being reversed.
The headline figures however mask underlying changes which saw more than 1,000 new Christian churches also created.
All the major denominations opened new churches but the biggest growth was among the black Pentecostal churches.
About half of the new congregations were created by the Pentecostal churches, with help from other ethnic minorities such
as the Chinese and the Croatians.
Source: Ekllesia

Web Links for Further Reading

“Contested Religious Movements: Psychology, Law and policies of precaution”

This interdisciplinary scientific study about sects can be downloaded in English from this link:

http://www.belspo.be/belspo/home/publ/pub_ostc/SoCoh/rSO10071_en.pdf

A summary of the study in several languages can be found at:

http://www.belspo.be/belspo/fedra/proj.asp?l=fr&COD=SO/10/071

The four authors of the study are Prof. Vassilis Saroglou, Dr. Louis-Léon Christians, Coralie Buxant and Stefania Casalfiore
(UCL/ Francophone Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve).

Excerpts of an explanation given by Mr Marc Verwilghen, Minister of Economy, Energy, External Trade and Science Policy of
Belgium, in response to questions about this study:

[The study] is part of the research program that covers several years (2001-2005) on topical issues related to social cohesion.
This program must enable the federal powers to deepen their scientific knowledge on some relevant issues.
The sect issue was included in the program because the work of the parliamentary enquiry commission on this phenomenon
revealed that there was a need for a deeper analysis and because the Information and Advisory Center on Harmful Sectarian Or-
ganizations needs broader information in this regard.
The researchers were mandated to carry out an empirical study on the psychological factors which determine the affiliation
of a person to a sect, and to consider how legislation can be improved in this regard.
The mission was granted to a team comprising psychologists and legal experts. The empirical study was realized by a group
of psychologists put under the authority of Professor Saroglou. The results were also analyzed by a group of legal experts put un-
der the authority of Prof. Christians.
The study was followed by an accompanying committee comprising, among other people, Sociology Prof. Dobbelaere and
Voyé who regularly expressed a number of comments.
At seminars, other researchers were requested to express their opinion on the implementation of the study. For example,
Canon Law Prof. Rik Torfs also expressed his point of view on the issue.
The study was therefore led and accompanied in an interdisciplinary way.
Source: HRWF

END

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