Barak Axes Religious Affairs Ministry

Pushing a key element in its alternate agenda for survival, the shrunken cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud decided to close the Religious Affairs Ministry by the end of the month. The move is a key plank in Barak’s “social revolution,” a second option to rebuild a secular/left coalition in case peace talks with the Palestinians collapse.

Borno becomes seventh Nigerian state to adopt Sharia

Borno becomes seventh Nigerian state to adopt Sharia 23 August 2000 (Newsroom) — Borno has become the seventh state in Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north to formally adopt Islamic law, or Sharia. Police in the state capital of Maiduguri stood guard as the move became official Saturday, fearing a possible backlash from non-Muslims. Earlier this year … Read more

Return to the Killing Fields

SAN JOSE, CA (August 18, 2000) — Faith Shaw was born in Rwanda, a country that between 1959-64 saw more than 500,000 people killed and a similar number or more fled the country. She was horrified when in April of 1994, a further 800,000 were killed and 1,000,000 fled to the neighboring countries.

Rights groups fear French cult bill would curb religious liberty

5 July 2000 (Newsroom) — France is set to pass a law aimed at cults that human rights campaigners fear could lead to the persecution of minority religious groups and possibly make evangelism illegal. The bill, which was signed by all the Socialist members of the National Assembly, was approved on June 22 and now awaits Senate approval.

Putin shows mixed signals on religion policy

19 April 2000 (Newsroom) — Russia’s newly elected president is displaying mixed signals in his approach to church-state relations, according to the Keston Institute, a British-based monitor of religious liberty. Though Vladimir Putin has not publicly discussed his policy initiatives in the run-up to his May 7 inauguration, two steps he has taken during his term as acting president point in “entirely different directions,” Keston says.