Once in awhile it is good for me to step back and read about worldwide trends that are happening, such as declining birth rates, Covid statistics, or religious discrimination. On November 10 Pew Research published the results of an ongoing study regarding worldwide religious restrictions and I will list below some of key findings:
In 2018, the global median level of government restrictions on religion – that is, laws, policies and actions by officials that impinge on religious beliefs and practices – continued to climb, reaching an all-time high since Pew Research Center began tracking these trends in 2007. (my note--this report obviously does not include restrictions placed on religious worship this year due to Covid)
The increase in government restrictions reflects a wide variety of events around the world, including a rise from 2017 to 2018 in the number of governments using force – such as detentions and physical abuse – to coerce religious groups.
The total number of countries with “high” or “very high” levels of government restrictions has been mounting as well.
Out of the five regions examined in the study, the Middle East and North Africa continued to have the highest median level of government restrictions in 2018 (6.2 out of 10).
The five countries categorized as full democracies with high levels of social hostilities are all in Europe – Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom – and all had reports of anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic incidents.
(https://www.pewforum.org/2020/11/10/in-2018-government-restrictions-on-religion-reach-highest-level-globally-in-more-than-a-decade/)
Today my "to-do list" does not include tackling religious discrimination in the Middle East and North Africa, but the first step to social change is awareness, so I want to at least be aware of the situation, along with knowing about religious restrictions and persecution in this country, at least to some degree. The heightening trend is of especial note.
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