bd479e26a0 - United States Department of State (2023)

After taking power in August, the Taliban failed to establish a clear and coherent legal framework, judicial system or enforcement mechanisms. The Taliban said the laws enacted under Afghanistan's previous government and in effect prior to their takeover remained in effect unless the laws violated Sharia law. Taliban leaders issued decrees specifying acceptable behavior according to their interpretation of Sharia, but referred to them variously as "guidelines" or "recommendations" and enforced them unevenly. Press reports following the Taliban takeover raised fears that the group would view Christian converts as apostates. Those reports, along with statements by some Taliban leaders as of August that reserved the right to impose harsh penalties for violating the group's strict interpretation of Sharia, pushed some Christian converts into deeper hiding, according to International Christian Concern , an international non-governmental organization (NGO). ), which focuses on the persecution of Christian communities. At the end of the year, there were no reports of Taliban officials ordering Sharia-related punishments. According to Amnesty International, Taliban fighters killed 13 Shia Hazaras in Daykundi province on August 31; The Taliban denied the allegations. In November and December, the Taliban arrested 28 members of Kabul's Ahmadiyya Muslim community. According to members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, the Taliban falsely accused them of belonging to ISIS-Khorasan (an affiliate of ISIS and a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, also known as ISIS-K). The Taliban held 18 of them by the end of the year. The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that in October the Taliban evicted Shia Hazara members from their homes in several provinces, in part to give land to Taliban supporters. In August, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in an interview with National Public Radio (NPR) that the group would respect the rights of members of religious minorities, including Shia Hazaras. On November 16, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the press, "We provide a safe environment for everyone, especially the Hazaras." Both before and immediately after the Taliban takeover, predominantly Shia Hazara communities expressed theirs Fear that the Ashraf Ghani government and the Taliban are unable to protect them from violence and discrimination. According to Hazara community officials and NGOs, before August 15, Shia Hazaras continued to face long-standing and widespread discrimination by Ghani government officials in the provision of public services, public sector hiring and other areas. After the Taliban takeover, Taliban leaders publicly pledged to protect the rights of Sikhs and Hindus, although some Sikhs and Hindus reported that they had stopped congregating in their gurdwaras (places of worship) and others out of fear violent attacks by the Taliban and ISIS-K tried to resettle abroad. In November and December, senior Taliban officials held meetings with Shia, Sikh and Hindu community leaders, reportedly to offer protection and improve relations. According to community officials, at these meetings, the Taliban laid down rules on women's behavior, banned music-making and presented restrictions on businesses owned by members of religious minorities. Some Hazara political figures expressed ongoing concern about the Taliban's involvement in supporting religious freedom, but noted that this involvement represented a departure from the Taliban's approach between 1996 and 2001. However, between 1996 and 2001, Hindu communities remained in the country, a decrease from about 400 at the start of the year. The Taliban closed the Ministry of Women's Affairs in September and announced that the restored Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, tasked with enforcing the Taliban's interpretation of Sharia, would be housed in the same building. While enforcement varied by province and district, local Taliban officials enforced decrees on gender segregation, women's dress and headgear, men's facial hair, unaccompanied women and music. On December 3, the Taliban “Supreme Leader” Hibatullah Akhunzada issued a decree stating that women should not be considered property and must consent to marriage. Media reported that the Taliban framed the decree as a call for compliance with the broader Islamic law on women's rights. Some observers praised the decree; others said it doesn't go far enough because it doesn't mention a woman's right to work or to access education and other public services.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility. ISIS-K also carried out such attacks against other groups. Overall, 20 incidents targeted the Hazara Shia community in the first six months of the year, killing 143 and injuring 357, compared to 19 attacks attributed to ISIS-K and other anti-government elements in 2020. According to UNAMA, in the second half of the year, attacks claimed by or attributed to ISIS-K increased and expanded beyond the movement's earlier focal points in Kabul and the east of the country. Between August 19 and December 31, recorded the United Nations identified 152 attacks by the group in 16 provinces, compared to 20 attacks in five provinces over the same period in 2020. In addition to attacks on the Taliban , ISIS-K also targeted civilians, particularly Shia minorities, in urban areas ISIS-K K claimed responsibility for suicide bombings on two Shia mosques in the cities of Kunduz and Kandahar on October 8 and 15 August, an ISIS-K suicide bomber killed 70 to 80 members of the Hazara community at a mosque in Kunduz. On October 15, a suicide attack on the largest Shia mosque in Kandahar, the Fatima Mosque (also known as Imam Bargah Mosque), killed more than 50 worshipers and injured at least 100. The Shia Hazara neighborhood remained unclaimed at the end of the year. Before the Taliban took power, anti-government forces carried out several attacks on religious leaders, resulting in deaths. According to the Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs (MOHRA), the Taliban and other extremist groups had killed 527 religious scholars over the past two decades, including about 50 Sunni and Shia religious leaders killed between February 2020 and July 2021, August and how in previous years, the Taliban killed and threatened Sunni clerics for preaching messages that contradicted the Taliban's interpretation of Islam. Taliban militants killed pro-government imams and other religious officials across the country, and the Taliban warned mullahs not to hold funeral prayers for Ghani government security officials. On May 8, unidentified gunmen detonated a car bomb in front of the Sayed ul-Shuhada school in a predominantly Shia Hazara community, killing at least 85 civilians and wounding another 216. Neither group claimed responsibility for the attack. According to press interviews in October, Shia Hazaras struggled to go to the mosque on Fridays, which some described as a "risk of life or death."

Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and other non-Sunni minority Muslim groups continued to report that some Sunni Muslims verbally harassed them, although Hindus and Sikhs said they were still able to publicly express their respective religions before August 15 exercise. According to international sources, Baha'i and Christians continued to live in constant fear of exposure and were reluctant to reveal their religious identities to anyone. Christian groups reported that public opinion, as expressed on social media and elsewhere, remains hostile to converts and Christian proselytization. They said that people who converted to or studied Christianity reported receiving threats, including death threats, from family members. Christians and Ahmadiyya Muslims reported that they continue to pray only privately and in small groups at home or at nondescript places of worship to avoid discrimination and persecution. Before the Taliban took power in August, observers said local Muslim religious leaders continued efforts to restrict social activities, such as concerts, which they felt were inconsistent with Islamic doctrine.

The US Embassy in Kabul ceased operations on August 31. In October and November, the US government condemned attacks by ISIS-K on Shia mosques and mandated the Taliban leadership to work to protect religious minorities from oppression and violence. On November 29-30, a US government delegation met with senior Taliban officials in Qatar. The US delegation expressed "deep concern over allegations of human rights abuses and called on the Taliban to protect the rights of all Afghans, maintain and enforce their policy of general amnesty, and take additional steps to form an inclusive and representative government." On August 11, the US government also consistently conveyed this message through the Afghanistan Affairs Unit at meetings with the so-called Taliban Political Commission in Doha, Qatar. Prior to the Taliban takeover in mid-August, US embassy officials worked with the government to promote understanding of religious freedom and the need for religious minorities to be accepted and protected. To strengthen the Ghani government's ability to counter violent religious extremism and promote religious tolerance, embassy officials met with the Office of the National Security Council (ONSC) and MOHRA, among others. The embassy regularly raised concerns about public safety and religious freedom with security ministers. Until the Taliban takeover, embassy officials continued to meet regularly with leaders of major religious groups and religious minorities, scholars and NGOs to discuss ways to improve religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue. While working with the Ghani government, the embassy promoted programs for religious leaders to increase interfaith dialogue, find ways to counter violent religious extremism, empower women religious leaders and promote tolerance of religious diversity.

The US government estimates the total population at 37.5 million (mid-2021). According to 2009 Pew Forum data, Sunni Muslims make up about 80–85 percent of the population, and Shia make up about 10–15 percent.

The Shia population, about 90 percent of whom are ethnic Hazaras, is predominantly Jaafari but also includes Ismailis, according to religious community leaders. Other religious groups, mainly Hindus, Sikhs, Bahai and Christians, together make up less than 0.3 percent of the population. According to Sikh leaders, fewer than 150 members of the Sikh and Hindu communities live in the country, compared to an estimated 400 at the beginning of the year and 1,300 in 2017. Most members of the Sikh and Hindu communities live in Kabul. with smaller numbers in Ghazni and other provinces. Hindu community leaders estimate that there are fewer than 50 remaining Hindus, all male and mostly business people with families in other countries.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community in the country numbers in the hundreds. Reliable estimates from the Bahai and Christian communities are not available. There are a small number of practitioners of other religions. After the departure of the country's last known remaining Jew following the Taliban takeover, there are no known Jews in the country.

Hazaras live predominantly in the central and western provinces and in Kabul; Ismailis live mainly in Kabul and in the central and northern provinces. Followers of the Baha'i faith live predominantly in Kabul, with a small community in Kandahar. Ahmadi Muslims live mostly in Kabul.

Religion and ethnicity in the country were often closely linked. Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and other non-Muslim minorities reported continued harassment by Muslims, although Hindus and Sikhs said they were still able to publicly practice their religion prior to the Taliban takeover.

According to international sources, Baha'i and Christians lived in constant fear of exposure and were reluctant to reveal their religious identities to anyone. According to some sources, converts and those studying Christianity reported receiving threats, including death threats, from family members who oppose their interest in Christianity. They said fears of violent societal repression have continued to rise since the Taliban takeover.

According to Christians and Ahmadi Muslims, members of their groups continued to worship only in private to avoid societal discrimination and persecution, including harassment from neighbors and colleagues. They also said that after the Taliban takeover in August, relatives and neighbors who were aware of their identities were more likely to treat them harshly or report them to the Taliban, whether for self-preservation or to ingratiate themselves with the Taliban.

Before the Taliban takeover, women of various faiths, including Sunni and Shia Islamists, continued to report harassment by local Muslim religious leaders because of their clothing. Ministers in numerous provinces preached that women must dress modestly and that believers should publicly enforce strict implementation of Sharia. As a result, some women reported that in rural areas and in some districts in urban areas, including Kabul, they continued to wear burqas or other modest clothing in public, as opposed to other more secure ones, by the Ghani government prior to the Taliban takeover controlled areas, where women said they felt comfortable not wearing what they considered conservative clothing. Almost all women reported wearing some form of head covering. Some women said they did so of their own choosing, but many said they did so because of societal pressures and a desire to avoid harassment and increase their safety in public. Before the Taliban took power, observers said local Muslim religious leaders continued efforts to restrict social activities, such as concerts, which religious leaders saw as inconsistent with Islamic doctrine. After the Taliban took power, the media reported cases of local Muslim religious leaders increasingly banning such activities.

Before the Taliban takeover, Ahmadiyya Muslims said they did not proselytize for fear of persecution. Ahmadiyya Muslims reported an increasing need to hide their identities to avoid unwanted public attention and their intention to leave the country permanently if there is a peace deal with the Taliban. Before the Taliban took over Kabul, members of the Muslim Ahmadiyya community said they could occasionally hold weekly congregational prayers in an inconspicuous place in Kabul. According to international Ahmadiyya Muslim organizations with close ties to Ahmadi Muslims in the country, after the Taliban takeover, fears of persecution by the Taliban and their sympathizers had prompted parishioners to desist from worship at their center in Kabul. About 100 Ahmadi Muslims left the country after the Taliban took over. Hundreds remained in the country by the end of the year. Ahmadi Muslims said they received both direct and indirect threats to their safety in the form of notes, phone messages and other threatening communications because of their belief. Ahmadi Muslim officials said they initially did not report or publicize these threats because they feared additional verbal harassment and physical abuse from Taliban officials.

Before the Taliban takeover, Christian officials reported that public opinion, as expressed on social media and elsewhere, remained hostile to converts to Christianity and the idea of ​​Christian proselytization. They reported pressure and threats, mostly from family, to give up Christianity and return to Islam. They said Christians continue to pray alone or in small gatherings, sometimes 10 people or fewer, in private homes for fear of societal discrimination and persecution. The dates, times, and locations of these services have been changed frequently to avoid detection. There were still no public Christian churches. After the Taliban takeover, Christians described Taliban raids on the homes of Christian converts even after they had fled or moved away from the country. Christian sources said the Taliban takeover encouraged intolerant relatives to threaten them with violence and to inform converts should they continue to practice Christianity.

Prior to the Taliban takeover, some Sikhs and Hindus had refused to send their children to public schools because other students molested their children, despite few private schooling opportunities available to them due to the declining size of the two communities and their members. declining economic conditions. Community members said the small number of remaining Sikh and Hindu children have not attended school since the Taliban takeover due to COVID-19-related school closures and inclement winter weather.

Until the Taliban takeover, Kabul's lonely synagogue remained occupied by the self-proclaimed last remaining Jew in the country, and a nearby abandoned Jewish cemetery was still used as an unofficial rubbish dump; According to reports, many abandoned Islamic cemeteries have also been used as landfills. The only known Jew left Afghanistan in late August, saying he feared the Taliban would not be able to protect him from an ISIS-K attack.

Before the Taliban took power, NGOs reported that some Muslims remained suspicious of development aid projects, which they often viewed as clandestine efforts to promote Christianity or proselytize.

On August 31, the US Embassy in Kabul ceased operations.

In October and November, the US government condemned ISIS-K attacks on Shia mosques and mandated the Taliban leadership to work to protect religious minorities from oppression and violence. On November 29-30, a US government delegation met with senior Taliban officials in Qatar. US officials expressed "deep concern over allegations of human rights abuses and called on the Taliban to protect the rights of all Afghans, maintain and enforce their general amnesty policy, and take additional steps to form an inclusive and representative government." Representatives expressed concern about the status of religious minorities at a meeting with senior Taliban officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, in December. The US government also consistently conveyed this message through the Afghanistan Affairs Unit at meetings with the Taliban Political Commission in Doha after August 31.

Prior to the Taliban takeover in mid-August, US embassy officials worked with the government to promote understanding of religious freedom and its importance and the need for acceptance and protection of religious minorities. In meetings with Presidential staff, ONSC, MOHRA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs and the Ulema Council, embassy officials promoted an understanding of religious freedom and the need to strengthen the government's ability to address it Violent religious extremism.

Prior to the Taliban takeover, senior embassy officials spoke to leaders of the Sikh and Hindu communities in June to understand their concerns and their ability to practice their faith freely.

Prior to the Taliban takeover, embassy officials met with government officials and religious institutions to promote cooperation with the ulema councils and to emphasize the possible strong influence of international Islamic scholars in moderating the Taliban. The Embassy coordinated with the ONSC and other governmental and non-governmental actors to promote respect for religious diversity. While working with the Ghani government, the embassy promoted programs for religious leaders to increase interfaith dialogue, find ways to counter violent religious extremism, empower women religious leaders and promote tolerance of religious diversity.

Prior to the Taliban takeover, the embassy also used social media to support religious freedom. On May 20, in response to a Taliban-attributed attack in Ghor that killed three Hazara shopkeepers, the Ambassador tweeted condemning the Taliban and ISIS-K attacks on Hazaras. This followed the Ambassador's condemnation of the May 8 attack on a girls' school in Kabul in a Hazara community, which killed more than 80 people.

After the Taliban takeover, the United States continued to support the Afghan people. The United States remained committed to providing humanitarian assistance and assistance with the basic needs of the Afghan people and, through its cooperation with the Taliban, continued to advocate the need to respect the human rights, including freedom of religion, of all Afghans.

The US government estimates the total population at 43.6 million (as of mid-2021), of which more than 99 percent are Sunni Muslims as defined by the Maliki school. Religious groups, which together make up less than 1 percent of the population, include Christians, Jews, Ahmadi Muslims, Shia and a community of Ibadi Muslims residing mostly in Ghardaia province. Religious leaders estimate there are fewer than 200 Jews.

Christian groups include Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, members of the EPA, Lutherans, the Reformed Church, Anglicans and an estimated 1,000 Egyptian Coptic Christians. Unofficial estimates by religious leaders of the number of Christians range from 20,000 to 200,000. In 2020, the Christian advocacy non-governmental organization (NGO) International Christian Concern estimated the number of Christians at about 600,000. According to government officials and religious leaders, foreigners make up the bulk of the Christian population. In the Christian population, too, the proportion of students and immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa without residence status has increased in recent years. Christian leaders say that citizens who are Christians predominantly belong to Protestant groups.

Christians live mainly in Algiers and the provinces of Kabylie, Bejaia, Tizi Ouzou, Annaba, Ouargla and Oran.

Legal framework

The constitution declares Islam to be the state religion and prohibits state institutions from behaving that are incompatible with Islamic values. The new constitution, which came into effect on December 30, 2020, removed the wording from the 2016 constitution guaranteeing freedom of conscience. The previous constitution read: “Freedom of conscience and freedom of opinion are inviolable. Religious freedom is guaranteed in compliance with the law.” The wording of the new constitution reads: “Freedom of opinion is inviolable. Freedom of worship is guaranteed when practiced in accordance with the law. The state guarantees the protection of places of worship from any political or ideological interference.”

The law does not prohibit conversions, including from Islam, but proselytizing of Muslims by non-Muslims is a criminal offence. The law prescribes a maximum fine of one million dinars (US$7,200) and five years in prison for anyone who “incites, restricts or uses any means of seduction to convert a Muslim to another religion; or through the use of educational, educational, health, social, cultural, training facilities... or any financial means.” The creation, preservation or distribution of printed documents or audio-visual materials with the intention of promoting “the faith” of a Muslim shaking is also illegal and subject to the same penalties.

The law criminalizes “insulting the Prophet Muhammad” or other prophets. The Criminal Code carries a penalty of three to five years in prison and/or a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 dinars (US$360 to 720) for denigrating the creed or the prophets of Islam by writing, drawing, pronouncing or other means. The law also criminalizes insults against other religions with the same penalties.

The law grants all people the right to practice their religion if they respect public order and regulations.

The constitution establishes a High Islamic Council and states that the council is to encourage and promoteijtihad(the use of independent reasoning as a source of Islamic law for issues not precisely addressed in the Qur'an) and is intended to express opinions on religious issues submitted to it for review. The President appoints the members of the Council and oversees its work. The Constitution requires the Council to report regularly to the President on its activities. A presidential decree further defines the Council's mission as taking responsibility for all issues related to Islam, correcting misperceptions and promoting the true foundations and proper understanding of the religion. The Council can issue fatwas at the request of the President.

The law requires that any group, whether religious or not, must register with the government as an association before engaging in any activity. The law requires all organizations registered before 2012 to re-register. The Ministry of the Interior grants association status to religious groups; only registered clubs are officially recognised. Unregistered clubs have no legal status and are not allowed to own property, open bank accounts, call meetings or collect donations. Members of active, unregistered groups are often prosecuted. State the ministerial registration requirements for associations at the national level

The law requires the Home Office to issue a receipt for the application once it has received all the required documentation. The Department has 60 days to respond to applicants after submitting a complete application. If the ministry does not respond within the 60 day period, the application will be automatically approved and the receipt can be used as proof of registration. If the Ministry considers the application incomplete, it will not issue a receipt for the application. The law gives the government full discretion in deciding on registration, but allows applicants to appeal a refusal to an administrative court. Clubs wishing to register at the local or provincial level have similar application requirements, but the club's membership and scope of operations are strictly limited to the territory in which it is registered. A registered association with thedistrict(Provincial) level is limited to that specific wilaya.

The MRA is responsible for examining registration applications from religious associations, but the Home Office makes the final decision. The law does not specify any additional requirements for religious associations or the role of the MRA in this process.

The National Commission on Non-Muslim Worship is mandated by law to facilitate the registration process for all non-Muslim groups. Non-Muslim religious leaders report no contact with the governing committee. The MRA chairs the committee, which is composed of senior officials from the Ministries of National Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs; the presidency; national police; national gendarmerie; and the state's National Human Rights Council (CNDH).

The constitution stipulates that a presidential candidate must be a Muslim. According to the law, non-Muslims can hold other public offices and work in the government.

The law prohibits religious organizations from receiving funding from political parties or foreign institutions. The constitution prohibits the formation of political parties based on religion. Membership in the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), a political party banned since 1992, remains illegal. In the 1990s, Islamist insurgents, FIS guerrillas and the government waged a bloody civil war.

The law sets out the manner and conditions under which worship, Islamic or otherwise, must take place. The law states that religious gatherings for worship or other purposes are regulated, and the government can shut down any worship that takes place in private homes or outdoors without official approval. Apart from the daily prayers that are permitted everywhere, Islamic services can only take place in state-sanctioned mosques. Friday prayers are also restricted to certain mosques.

Non-Islamic services may only be held in state-registered buildings for the sole purpose of religious practice and managed by a registered religious community, are publicly accessible and marked as such from the outside. An application for permission to participate in special non-Islamic religious events must be submitted to the competent authoritywali(Governor) at least five days prior to the event and the event must be held in buildings open to the public. Applications must include information on three main organizers of the event, its purpose, the expected number of participants, an event schedule and its planned location. The organizers of the event must be identified and must also obtain permission from the Wali.

The Wali can ask organizers to change the venue of an event or refuse permission if he believes doing so would endanger public order or harm "national constants", "morality" or "symbols of the revolution". If unauthorized meetings take place without permission, the police can disperse the participants. Anyone who fails to disperse under police orders faces arrest and a prison sentence of two to 12 months under the Criminal Code.

The penal code stipulates that only government-authorized imams, who the state employs and trains, may lead prayers in mosques, and punishes anyone else who preaches in a mosque with a fine of up to 100,000 dinars (US$720 ) and a prison sentence of one to three years. Any person, including state-authorized imams, who act "against the noble character of the mosque" or act in a manner "likely to offend public cohesion, as determined by a judge" can be fined up to 200,000 dinars ($1,400). US dollars) or receive a prison sentence of three to five years. According to the law, these acts also include the use of the mosque for purely material or personal purposes or with the intention of harming persons or groups.

The MRA provides financial support to mosques and pays the salaries of imams and other religious staff, as well as healthcare and pensions. The law also provides for the payment of salaries and benefits to non-Muslim religious leaders who are citizens. The Ministry of Labor regulates the salary level of an individual imam or mosque employee, and also sets the salaries of non-Muslim religious leaders based on their position in their individual churches.

The Ministries of Religious Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Interior and Trade must authorize the importation of all printed materials, including religious texts and objects, except those intended for personal use. Authorities generally consider "importation" to be about 20 or more religious texts or objects.

The law gives authorities broad powers to ban books that violate the Constitution, "the Muslim religion and other religions, national sovereignty and unity, national identity and the cultural values ​​of society, national security and defense, public... Order and human dignity and individual and collective rights.” According to a government decree, a commission within the MRA is examining the importation of the Koran. The decree requires that all applications include a full copy of the text and other detailed information about the applicant and the text. The Ministry has three to six months to review the text, after which time no response constitutes a rejection of the import application. A separate decree, concerning religious texts other than the Qur'an, states: "The content of religious books for import, regardless of format, must not violate the religious unity of society, the national religious reference, public order, good morals, not undermine fundamental rights and freedoms. or the law.” The importer must provide the text and other information, and the Department must respond within 30 days. A non-response after this period is considered a rejection. Religious texts distributed without authorization can be confiscated and destroyed.

The law states that the government must approve any change to structures intended for non-Islamic collective worship.

The Family Code prohibits Muslim women from marrying non-Muslim men unless the man converts to Islam, although authorities do not always enforce this provision. The Code does not prohibit Muslim men from marrying non-Muslim women. According to the law, children born to a Muslim father are considered Muslims, regardless of the mother's religion. In the event of a divorce, a court determines custody of the children.

The law requires couples to present a government-issued marriage certificate before imams are allowed to perform religious weddings.

The Ministries of National Education and Religious Affairs require, regulate, and fund the study of Islam in public schools. Religious education focuses on Islamic studies but also includes information on Christianity and Judaism and is compulsory at elementary and secondary level. The Ministry of National Education requires private schools to adhere to curricula that meet national standards, particularly in relation to teaching Islam, or else they risk being closed.

The law states that discrimination based on religion is prohibited and guarantees state protections for non-Muslims and for "tolerance and respect for different religions". It does not prescribe penalties for religious discrimination.

The law prohibits any expression that promotes, encourages or justifies discrimination. The government passed a separate hate speech law in 2021, and religious belief or affiliation are not among the categories covered by the law.

The CNDH is responsible for monitoring and evaluating human rights issues, including matters related to freedom of religion. The law empowers the CNDH to conduct investigations into alleged abuses, issue opinions and recommendations, conduct awareness campaigns, and work with other government agencies to address human rights issues. The CNDH may raise religious concerns with relevant government agencies on behalf of individuals or groups that it believes are not being treated fairly. The CNDH does not have the power to enforce its decisions, but may refer matters to the competent administrative or criminal court. He submits an annual report to the President, who appoints the members of the Committee.

By law, people converting from Islam to any other religion are not eligible to receive an inheritance by inheritance.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

In February, Ahmadiyya Muslim community leaders said 50 Ahmadi Muslims were defendants in cases in the court system, down from their estimate of 220 in October 2020. According to Ahmadiyya Muslim community leaders, authorities do not have many of the cases before 2018 followed up and the cases were dismissed.

In February, a court in Algiers convicted Said Djabelkhir of blasphemy for "violating the precepts of Islam" and sentenced him to three years in prison and a fine of 50,000 dinars (US$360). Djabelkhir is an expert on Sufism and founder of the Circle of Enlightenment for Free Thought, a coalition of thinkers and academics committed to progressive Islam. Authorities reportedly summoned Djabelkhir to court after a colleague lodged a complaint that his writings on various Islamic rituals, such as the Hajj and animal sacrifices on Eid al-Fitr, among other criticisms, were "an attack on and a mockery of authentic hadith." of Islam" constituted the Sunna [the custom and practice] of the Prophet" and had caused psychological harm to individuals.

On August 2, leaders of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community reported that the court had tried and sentenced two of their community members in Adrar for holding an unauthorized gathering. Their Algiers-based lawyer was unable to attend the trial due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions, and the judge denied the defendants' motion to postpone the trial. Authorities initially detained the two Ahmadis in November 2020, where they remained in custody pending their trial. The court sentenced her to six months in prison and a fine of 50,000 dinars (US$360).

In August, the authorities remanded Christian convert Soulimane Bouhafs on terrorism charges. According to press reports, plainclothes agents kidnapped Bouhafs in Tunisia in August and transferred him to Algeria. Bouhafs was a member of the MAK, a political group committed to political autonomy in the Berber region. The authorities classified the MAK as a terrorist organization in May. Bouhafs spent two years in prison for insulting the Prophet Muhammad, but the president pardoned him in 2018. After his release, Bouhafs fled to Tunisia, where he was granted refugee status by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. On his return to Algeria he was arrested.

In October, Ahmadi Muslim leaders reported that courts had convicted several of their parishioners of holding unauthorized meetings and fundraising. In Batna, a court sentenced an Ahmadi to a year in prison and a fine of 50,000 dinars (US$360); in Tizi Ouzou, a court sentenced an Ahmadi to two months in prison and a fine of 20,000 dinars (US$140); and in Constantine and Tiaret the court sentenced two other Ahmadis awaiting judgment.

In January during an interview with the daily newspaperrelease, the Catholic Archbishop of Algiers Paul Desfarges said he was concerned about the removal of the freedom of conscience article from the constitution, a decision that had "greatly distressed and saddened him" and he said he could not understand it. He added that he believed the article would "one day find its rightful place again" along with an article on religious freedom. The day after the interview, the MRA sent a letter to the Catholic Church, saying the reporter's question had misled the archbishop and that the conscience clause "does not exist in the 2016 constitution or the previous ones," adding added that the archbishop had misunderstood the translation of the constitution from Arabic. Other religious leaders have also expressed concern about the removal of this language from the constitution.

On March 22, an Oran court upheld the five-year prison sentence and 100,000 dinars (US$720) fine of Hamid Soudad, who was convicted in 2018 of “denigrating the dogma or commandments of Islam” for publishing a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad had posted on his Facebook page account. Soudad's lawyer Farid Khemisti attributed the harshness of the sentence to Soudad's conversion to Christianity.

In April a court in Algiers sentenced Said Djabelkheir, a prominent Sufi Islamic scholar, to three years in prison for "offenses against Islam". Djabelkheir wrote that sheep sacrifice predates Islam and condemned child marriage. Djabelkheir told the newspaperThe evening of Algeriathat he was surprised by the harshness of his sentence and intended to appeal.

In April, the authorities sentenced Hirak political protest activist Walid Kechida to three years in prison for insulting President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and “violating the dictates of Islam”. Authorities arrested Kechida in 2020 after attracting attention by sharing memes depicting the Prophet on the internet.

NGOs and Ahmadi Muslim religious leaders said the group was unregistered because the Ahmadi community's Home Office never issued a receipt for a completed registration application that the community submitted to the government in 2012 to re-establish the group as required by law to register. In September, the Interior Ministry said it had never received a registration application from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, and Ahmadi leaders said they were preparing to submit another application.

In September, Ahmadi Muslim leaders said they had sent a letter requesting a meeting with President Tebboune about their registration problems, but received no reply.

In September, the Ahmadi community again reported administrative difficulties and harassment as the community was unregistered and therefore unable to meet and fundraise legally. Members of the community stated that after their first attempt in 2012, the community tried again in 2016 and 2020 to re-register with the MRA and the Ministry of Interior as a Muslim group, but the government refused to accept these applications because they considered Ahmadis as did not look -Muslims. The government said in 2019 it would allow the community to register as non-Muslims, but the Ahmadis said they would not accept registration as non-Muslims.

The EPA, the United Methodist Church (UMC) and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church said they still have not received a response from the Home Office on their 2012 and later reregistration applications. According to a pastor associated with the EPA, the church resubmitted its 2014 registration application in 2015 and 2016, but despite several government follow-ups, the Home Office never accepted his application. Neither church received receipts for their registration attempts. In March, EPA said the MRA had informed it that the Department of the Interior had jurisdiction over registration-related decisions and that the MRA could not address EPA's registration issue.

In April, EPA leaders reported the church sent President Tebboune four letters requesting a meeting with the MRA to resolve their registration problem. At the end of the year, they said they had received no response.

Some religious groups said they were considered registered 60 days after submitting their application, although they had not received confirmation from the Home Office. However, such groups indicated that service providers such as utilities and banks refused to provide services without proof of registration. As a result, these groups faced the same administrative obstacles as unregistered associations. They also had limited powers to file legal complaints and could not engage in charitable activities that required bank accounts.

Numerous Christian leaders said they had no contact with the National Commission on Non-Muslim Worship, despite their legal mandate to work with them on registration. A Christian NGO and a Christian publication stated that the government disproportionately disadvantaged Protestant groups. Some Christian leaders in the country attributed this to some Protestant groups' emphasis on proselytizing and proselytizing, and to the EPA's primarily Algerian composition.

The MRA said it does not consider the Ibadis a minority and considers the Ibadi religious school to be part of the country's Muslim community. Muslim scholars stated that Ibadis could pray in Sunni mosques and Sunnis could pray in Ibadi mosques.

On February 14, then Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad reopened mosques, Catholic and Anglican churches and other public places that the government had closed for the second time in November 2020 as part of its COVID-19 containment strategy. On February 28, after the EPA asked the MRA if the reopening applied to other churches, the MRA told EPA leaders that it had no authority to authorize churches to reopen, labeling the EPA's request as "political matter". In March, the MRA told EPA President Pastor Salah Chalah that the MRA could not authorize its churches to reopen. In March, the EPA reported that local officials had denied the church's request to resume in-person worship in Oran. When the church questioned the decision, local authorities showed them a signed permit to seal the churches - threatening to do so if the church didn't stop asking permission to reopen. Despite the restrictions, some EPA churches chose to hold Easter services on April 4. Authorities did not react to the decision and some churches, alongside Catholic and Anglican, continued to hold in-person services. In April, Chalah reported that the EPA-affiliated Full Gospel Protestant Church in Tizi Ouzou, which Human Rights Watch called the largest Protestant church in the country, remained closed. The police closed the church in October 2019.

According to Catholic Church officials, in January the government changed the process for applying for permits to hold non-Islamic religious events. In previous years, the Church submitted its written applications to the local police department, who then stamped the application with a receipt to show that the application was registered and approved. As of January, the church said police stations had stopped issuing the receipts. Church leaders also said police had begun visiting a church to inquire about its activities, although church officials wrote to local police to inform them of these activities.

Some Christian citizens said they continued to use homes or businesses as "house churches" because of government delays in obtaining the necessary legal permits. Other Christian groups, particularly in the country's mainly Berber-dominated Kabylie region, reportedly held services discreetly.

According to the MRA, the government continued to allow government employees to wear religious clothing at work, including headscarves, crosses and niqabs. Authorities also ordered some women government employees, including members of the security forces, not to wear head and face coverings, which they said could make it difficult to carry out their official duties.

According to media reports, authorities have continued to arrest, detain and fine Christians for being proselytized by non-Muslims, prompting churches to restrict some activities, such as distributing religious literature and holding events at local community centers where Muslims could participate.

On June 30, a court in Ain Defla accused Christian convert Foudhil Bahloul of distributing Bibles, printing religious pamphlets for distribution to Muslims and "inciting the faith of Muslims." Bahloul has been in detention since his initial arrest in April for allegedly illegally receiving donations. At the time, police did not question him about the June 30 charges, but allegedly about his religion and his decision to convert from Islam. They also ransacked his home and confiscated religious materials and his identification papers. On July 7, the court sentenced Bahloul to six months in prison for illegally accepting donations and proselytizing. On December 7, the Ain Defla Court of Appeal sentenced Bahloul to a six-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 100,000 dinars (US$720).

Non-Islamic religious texts, music and video media continued to be available on the informal market, and shops and vendors in the capital sold Bibles in multiple languages, including Arabic, French and Tamazight.

In April, EPA leaders reported that the MRA was routinely limiting the number of Bibles allowed for import. For example, in late 2020, the Biblical Society, which imported religious texts for all Christian denominations, requested the import of 300 Bibles and the MRA approved 30. The EPA told the MRA that there were more than 100,000 Christians in the country and that the Case be needed more than 30 Bibles. The MRA responded by asking for a list of the names and exact number of Christians living in each parish, village and town. The EPA declined to provide this information, and the MRA increased the approved number of Bibles by an additional 5 percent, i. H. for a Bible or two. The EPA said the import fees cost more than the Bibles themselves, but that it would continue to import Bibles only through official channels to avoid legal problems.

On June 6, a judge sentenced Christian pastor Rachid Seighir to a year's imprisonment and a 200,000 dinars ($1,400) fine for "shaking the faith of Muslims" in his Christian literature bookstore. On June 2, authorities ordered the sealing of Seighir's Oratoire City Church in Oran. Bookseller Nouh Hamimi was also given a one-year suspended sentence and fined 200,000 dinars (US$1,400) in the same case.

On November 16, authorities accused EPA President Chalah and three Christian members of his leadership team of proselytizing on social media, performing unauthorized non-Muslim religious rites and inciting an unarmed gathering. Authorities have postponed their trial to 2022.

MRA officials again said the government did not regularly pre-screen and approve sermons before imams delivered them during Friday prayers. They also indicated that the government has sometimes provided pre-approved sermon topics for Friday prayers to address public concerns after major events or to encourage civic participation through activities such as voting in elections. The MRA said it does not penalize imams who do not discuss proposed sermon topics.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and limited resources, it was unclear whether the government continued to monitor sermons held in mosques. According to MRA officials, in the past the inspector had the power to summon the imam to a "scientific council" made up of Islamic jurists and other imams if he suspected an imam's preaching was inappropriate, particularly if it supported violent extremism who judged the "correctness" of the sermon. The government could remove an imam if he was summoned several times. The government also monitored activities in mosques for potential security-related crimes such as recruitment by extremist groups, and banned the use of mosques as public gathering places outside of regular prayer times.

On July 7, authorities sealed off three other EPA member churches in Oran: Oratoire City Church in Oran, House of Hope Church in Ain Turk, and an EPA church in al-Ayaida. In 2020, courts had upheld a 2017 government order to close the Oran City Church.

At the end of the year, there were a total of 20 EPA churches that the government had closed, including 16 that the government had physically locked down. The government said the churches it closed operated without government permits, illegally printed evangelical publications and failed to comply with building safety codes.

The UMC continued to own and maintain Methodist properties across the country, even though there was no bishop in the country. The government refused to extend the previous bishop's residency in 2008. Until 2019, the UMC retained a power of attorney to administer the legal affairs of the properties, although the expatriate Methodist bishop who oversaw the UMC in the country reported that Algerian embassies abroad were regularly delayed in the approval process to obtain the power of attorney. In 2021, the UMC continued attempts to establish another power of attorney as the previous one expired in 2019.

Christian leaders said that courts are sometimes biased towards non-Muslims in family law cases such as divorce or child custody cases.

According to religious community leaders, some local governments do not always screen religions before conducting marriage ceremonies. Therefore, despite the Family Code prohibiting Muslim women from marrying non-Muslim men, some couples were able to marry.

EPA leaders reported that public and private institutions had fired some of their members because of their Christian faith, and that the public sector government often withheld promotions from non-Muslims.

Religious and civil society leaders again reported that the Jewish community faced unofficial, religiously based barriers to government employment and administrative difficulties in working with government bureaucracy. The MRA said it has not received any requests to reopen synagogues, which were closed during the country's War of Independence.

Church groups also said the government failed to respond in a timely manner to their requests for visas for foreign religious workers and visiting scholars and speakers, resulting in the de facto refusal of visas. Catholic leaders also said their biggest problem with the government was the long and unpredictable wait times for visas for religious workers.

Catholic and Protestant groups continued to say that the delays significantly impeded religious practice. A religious leader said the lack of visas is a major obstacle to maintaining contact with the church's international organization. Higher-level interference with visa-issuing officials by senior MRA and State Department officials at the request of religious groups sometimes resulted in the issuance of long-stay visas, according to those groups.

In February, Catholic Church leaders reported that COVID-19-related entry requirements further exacerbated existing visa issues related to the church's foreign clergy. For example, in January a Nigerian priest traveling for a parish in Oran was granted a visa, but the government then refused his entry application.

In February, the government refused the Anglican canon residency and visa extensions. The MRA informed him that he could not renew his visa and had to reapply. The MRA also said the Cairo-based Anglican bishop must produce a letter reinstating the canon to office. The government approved Canon's visa in May, but had not approved a visa for his successor by the end of the year.

In April, the expatriate Methodist bishop who oversaw the UMC in the country said that the UMC had “given up” applying for clergy visas for its pastors. He said UMC-affiliated clergy were routinely denied tourist visas. The last official UMC visit to the country was in 2013.

During a May 5 speech to the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulemas (scholars), Bouabdellah Ghlamallah, former Minister of Religious Affairs and head of the High Islamic Council, declared: “Algerians can only be Muslims.” Ghlamallah said: “The seeds sown by France are still germinating,” and he urged Muslim scholars to “eradicate these residues.”

In October, local media reported that the management of Algerian radio fired Mourad Boukerzaza, director of Constantine radio station Cirta, as well as several other employees, because the station was broadcasting a Christian song: "Oh Jesus, Life in the Tomb," the Christian Lebanese singer Fayrouz. Algerian radio denied the reports as "fake news" and informed the state-run Algerie Press Service (APS) that the director was fired at the end of September for "malfunctions and errors".

State radio stations continued to broadcast Christmas and Easter services in French and Arabic. The country's state-run religious television and radio stations broadcast messages against religious extremism and integrated messages of religious moderation into the mainstream media. After Friday prayers, state broadcasters broadcast anti-extremism religious programs. Some examples includedAt the heart of Islam(In the Heart of Islam) on Radio Channel 3 andIn the sense of Islam(Understanding the meaning of Islam) on national television.

Senior government officials continued to publicly condemn acts of violence committed in the name of Islam and urged all members of society to reject extremist behavior.

Government and public and private companies funded the preservation of some Catholic churches, particularly those of historical importance. The province of Oran, for example, continued to work in partnership with local donors on a major renovation of the Notre Dame de Santa Cruz Catholic Chapel and its large statue of the Virgin Mary as part of its cultural heritage. Catholic Church leaders in Oran reported good relations with the authorities and ongoing interfaith dialogue with local Muslims.

According to the government, the MRA contributed to the renovation and restoration of non-Islamic places of worship, notably Notre Dame d'Afrique in Algiers, the Saint Augustin Basilica in Annaba and the Santa Cruz Chapel in Oran. The MRA also said it had organized an initiative to clean up Christian cemeteries in collaboration with the Home Office and local neighborhoods as part of ongoing efforts to preserve historical and cultural landmarks

According to the government, the authorities regularly invite accredited religious leaders to the celebrations of the national day.

Some Christian converts said that they and others in their communities continued to keep a low profile because of concerns about their personal safety and potential legal, family, work, and social problems. Other converts openly practiced their new religion, according to members of the Christian community. In January, Catholic officials reported that the Archdiocese of Algiers could not find a person willing to carve a cross on the tombstone of Archbishop Henri Teissier, who died in Oran in December 2020, in Algiers due to what they say was a rising intolerance towards Christians.

Several Christian leaders said that some Muslims who had converted or expressed an interest in learning more about Christianity were attacked by family members or otherwise pressured to renounce their conversion.

According to religious leaders, some individuals who were openly involved in religious practices other than Sunni Islam reported that family, neighbors or others criticized their religious practice, pressured them to return to Islam, and occasionally implied that they were in Islam because of their religion Danger could be selection.

Media criticized religious communities which they portrayed as "sects" or "deviations" from Islam or as "foreign", such as Ahmadi Muslims and Shias. Ahmadi leaders said the news outlets continued to reinforce what they saw as government misinformation, which portrayed Ahmadis as violent.

EPA leaders went on to say that when Christian converts died, family members sometimes buried them according to Islamic rites and their churches had no right to intercede on their behalf. Christian groups reported that some villages, for example in the Kabylie region, still forbid Christians to be buried next to Muslims. In these cases, Christians chose to be buried under Islamic rites so that their remains could remain close to those of their families.

Some Christian leaders reported having good relations with Muslims in their communities, with only isolated incidents of vandalism or harassment. Christian and Muslim leaders received one another throughout the year. Notre Dame de Santa Cruz, site of a fort and a Catholic chapel, and the Pierre Claverie Center, a Catholic church and community center, in Oran frequently hosted non-religious community events and reported that Muslims frequently attended alongside Christians.

Protestant leaders said other faiths had privately expressed their support, and the EPA again reported excellent interfaith dialogue within the faith community. The EPA reported that some local authorities have expressed regret at the closure of churches but said they have an obligation to follow government guidance, regardless of their personal opinion.

Embassy officials met with representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Justice and Religious Affairs to discuss the difficulties faced by Ahmadi, Shia, Christian and other minority religious groups when registering as associations, religious Import material and get visas. They also discussed church closures, registration issues related to minority religious groups, the impact of constitutional changes and imprisoned activists. In April, embassy officials requested a meeting with the National Commission on Non-Muslim Worship to discuss the inability of some religious groups to register, but received no response.

The then charge d'affaires and other embassy officials met during the year with pro-government and independent religious leaders and with representatives from Muslim and Christian communities, including the Catholic and Anglican Churches, EPA and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to discuss interfaith dialogue and tolerance and , in the case of religious minorities, their rights and legal status.

Embassy officials discussed religious practice, its intersection with politics, religious tolerance and the religious role of women with religious and political leaders, as well as the Muslim Scholars Association and the High Islamic Council. The embassy used special events, social media and speaker programs to reinforce a message of religious tolerance. Specifically, the embassy used its cultural engagement to emphasize tolerance and social media engagement to promote the benefits of diversity and inclusion, holding iftars during Ramadan with members of the country's diverse religious communities.

On November 15, the Foreign Minister placed Algeria on the special watch list in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, as amended, for having committed or tolerated serious violations of religious freedom.

The US government estimates the total population at 86,000 (mid-2021). The Andorran government estimates the population at 78,000 (2020 data), including 38,000 citizens and 40,000 other residents, mostly from Spain, France and Portugal. The local government does not provide statistics on the size of religious groups, and there is no census data on religious group membership. In 2019, government officials estimated that 92 percent of the population was Roman Catholic. Muslim leaders estimate that their community, made up largely of recent immigrants, has around 2,000 members. The Jewish community claims to have around 100 members. Other small religious groups include Hindus, Anglicans, Seventh-day Adventists, the Baha'i Faith, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, the New Apostolic Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

Legal framework

The constitution guarantees “freedom of ideas, religion and belief”. It prohibits discrimination based on religion and states that no one may be required to disclose their religion or belief. The Constitution states that such freedoms may be restricted only to protect public safety, order, health or morals as required by law, or to protect the rights of others. The Constitution recognizes a special relationship with the Catholic Church "in accordance with Andorran tradition" and recognizes the "full legal capacity" of the organs of the Catholic Church, giving them legal status "in accordance with their own rules". The Catholic bishop of Urgell in Catalonia, Spain, to whose diocese Andorra belongs and who is one of the country's two constitutionally designated princes, also serves as joint head of state with the other prince, the President of France. The current Bishop of Urgell is Archbishop Joan Enric Vives i Sicilia.

The law provides for the right to equal treatment and non-discrimination, including for members of all religious communities. The law establishes judicial, administrative and institutional guarantees that protect and compensate victims of discrimination. The law also provides for fines of up to 24,000 euros in cases of discrimination, including on the basis of religion, and places the burden of proof in such cases on the accused, who must prove that there is no discrimination.

Faiths other than Catholicism have no legal status as religious groups. The government registers religious communities as cultural organizations under the Associations Act, which does not specifically mention religious groups. In order to establish a place of worship or apply for government financial support for community activities, a religious group must obtain legal status by registering as a non-profit cultural organization. To register, a group must submit its articles of incorporation and charter, a statement confirming the names of those appointed to the board or other official positions in the organization, and an asset statement identifying the organization's legacy or endowment. A consolidated register of associations records all types of associations, including religious communities.

The National Ombudsman is responsible for investigating complaints of racism, discrimination and intolerance, including those with a religious motivation, in the public and private sectors. The ombudsman makes recommendations to the public administration to solve problems and reports annually to the parliament. The Ombudsman is a member of the commissions set up by the Equality Observatory to collect and analyze data and advise the government on equality and discrimination issues, including religious issues.

The law requires people applying for official documents such as residence permits, passports and driver's licenses to appear with their heads uncovered and to be photographed.

By law, municipalities are responsible for the construction, maintenance, and management of cemeteries and funeral services.

Government regulations permit ritual slaughter as required by Islamic or Jewish beliefs, so long as it takes place under the supervision of the country's slaughterhouse veterinary services.

Catholic education is optional in public schools. The Catholic Church provides teachers for religious instruction, the state provides premises for Catholic religious instruction in public schools and pays the salaries of the teachers.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

The Catholic Church continued to receive special privileges not enjoyed by other religious groups. The government paid the salaries of the eight Catholic priests who served in the local churches and granted citizenship to all foreign Catholic priests so long as they performed their functions in the country.

Despite long-standing requests from Muslim and Jewish community leaders for cemeteries where they could bury their dead according to their rituals and traditions, the government had not identified a site for a multi-sectarian cemetery by year's end, although it announced in 2020 it had begun searching for one public land on which such a cemetery can be established. Government officials said the Department of Spatial Planning is still looking for a suitable site on public land.

Representatives of the Muslim community said they were disappointed with the government's lack of response to their requests. According to the city administration, Jews and Muslims could use existing cemeteries, but they did not allocate separate burial areas to these communities. As a result, most Jews and Muslims continued to bury their dead outside the country. However, Muslim community officials said the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder to bury their dead outside the country due to pandemic travel and health restrictions.

The government continued to fund three primary and secondary public Catholic schools. These were open to students of all faiths. Catholic instruction was compulsory for all students attending these schools.

The Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and Youth stated that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Equality Observatory suspended its work during the year, but the work of the National Ombudsman continued.

During the year, the Office of the National Ombudsman did not report any complaints of religious discrimination or intolerance in the public or private sector. The main religious communities reported that they had not reported any incidents of discrimination to the Ombudsman. The Department for Social Affairs, Housing and Youth said it had received no complaints of religious discrimination.

In September, a Muslim family accused the French school Lycee Comte de Foix of discrimination and racism after the school required the family's 11-year-old daughter to remove her headscarf at school. Government officials said French law, which bans students from wearing "conspicuous religious symbols" including the Islamic headscarf, Jewish skullcap, Sikh turban and large Christian crosses, applies as the school is part of a bilateral agreement of the French public school system.

At the time of the complaint, the country had no overarching laws governing the use of religious symbols in its education system. On Oct. 4, following the complaint, the government changed public school regulations nationwide to include a ban on the use of conspicuous religious symbols in public schools, including headscarves, yarmulkes and large crosses.

The government continued to maintain a policy of issuing religious work permits for foreigners performing religious functions only to members of the Catholic Church. Foreign religious workers belonging to other groups said they could enter the country with permits for other positions, such as school teachers or shop clerks, and do religious work unhindered.

Catholic rituals, such as priests blessing those gathered at an event or leading a mass before an event, continued to be part of many state ceremonies, including the annual Bastille Day celebrations.

In the absence of a mosque in the country, the Muslim community continued to rely on two Islamic prayer rooms it rented in Andorra la Vella and in Escaldes-Engordany.

The Catholic Church of Santa Maria del Fener in Andorra la Vella continued to make its sanctuary available to the Anglican community twice a month so that visiting Anglican clergy could hold services for the English-speaking members of that community.

The US Ambassador to Spain, the Consul General and other officials at the US Consulate General in Barcelona reiterated the importance of religious tolerance in regular face-to-face and virtual meetings and other communications with officials in the Departments of State; social affairs, housing and youth; and Justice and Home Affairs and the Office of the Ombudsman. Consulate General staff discussed the implementation of the Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination Act with officials from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and Youth and expressed ongoing concerns to senior officials at the State Department about the lack of cemeteries for the Jewish and Muslim communities.

In regular talks and meetings with representatives and human rights NGOs, Consulate General officials discussed the groups' views on issues related to their exercise of religious freedom in the country, including the lack of legal status for religious groups other than the Catholic Church and the lack of cemeteries for the Jewish and Muslim community.

The US government estimates the total population at 45.9 million (mid-2021). According to a 2019 poll by CONICET, the country's national research institute, 62.9 percent of the population is Catholic; 15.3 evangelical, including evangelical Christian groups; 18.9 percent no religion, which includes agnostics; 1.4 percent Jehovah's Witnesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ); 1.2 percent others, including Muslims and Jews; and 0.3 percent unknown. Other sources state that Seventh-day Adventists, Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutherans, Methodists, and members of the Church of Jesus Christ together make up 3 percent of the population. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, there were 180,000 Jews in 2019. The Islamic Center estimates the Muslim population at between 800,000 and 1,000,000. Evangelical Christian denominations, especially Pentecostals, are growing, but no reliable statistics exist. There are also small numbers of Baha'i, Buddhists and followers of indigenous religions.

Legal framework

The Constitution provides the right to freely profess, teach and practice one's faith. It declares the federal government's support for "the Roman Catholic Apostolic Faith," but the Supreme Court has ruled that it is not an official or state religion.

The government grants tax-free subsidies to the Catholic Church, institutional privileges such as school subsidies, significant autonomy for parochial schools, and radio spectrum licensing preferences. The law does not require the Catholic Church to register with the Secretariat for Worship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Registration is not mandatory for other religious groups, but registered groups receive the same status and tax benefits as the Catholic Church, including tax exemptions, visas for religious officials, and the ability to hold public activities. To register, religious groups must have a place of worship, a charter of organization, and ordained clergy, among other things. In order to access many of these benefits, religious groups must also register as a civil association through the IGJ.

Registration is not required for private services, such as those held in private homes, but sometimes it is necessary to carry out activities in public spaces in accordance with local regulations. City authorities can require groups to obtain permits to use public parks for events, and they can require religious groups to be registered with the Secretariat of Worship in order to obtain a permit. After registration, an organization must report to the Secretariat any material changes or decisions relating to its governance, governance structure, number of members and address of its headquarters.

The compulsory curriculum in public schools is secular by law. Students may apply for elective classes in the religion of their choice in public schools, which may be conducted at school or at a religious facility. Many Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religious communities operate private schools that receive financial support, dependent on government registration.

Foreign officials of registered religious groups can apply for a specific visa category to enter the country. The validity period of the visa varies depending on the purpose of travel. Foreign missionaries of registered religious groups must contact the Worship Secretariat, which in turn will notify the immigration authorities to request the issuance of appropriate documents.

The law prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, nationality, ideology, politics, sex, economic or social status, or physical characteristics, and requires individuals found guilty of discriminatory acts to pay damages or serve a prison sentence. Discrimination can also be an aggravating factor in other crimes, leading to higher penalties. The Board of Directors of the National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI), a government agency under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, includes representatives of the main religious groups. INADI investigates allegations and reports of discrimination based on religion. INADI has no authority to enforce recommendations or findings, but its reports may be used as evidence in civil courts. The agency also supports victims of religious discrimination and promotes proactive measures to prevent discrimination. INADI produces and distributes publications to promote religious tolerance.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

Representatives of several religious groups went on to state that a government requirement for religious groups to register as civil associations first with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship and then with the Ministry of the Interior was redundant, noting that the Catholic Church faces no such requirement . The groups said these legal procedures are prerequisites for applying for tax-exempt status, visas for foreign clergy and permission to hold public activities. Religious leaders said they deserved a separate process from that for civil society groups.

Representatives from some religious groups continued to criticize a 2020 IGJ resolution that requires all civil society associations, including religious groups, to have gender parity in their administrative and supervisory bodies. Several religious groups went on to say that this requirement was unconstitutional and violated freedom of religion. They also said the government had not implemented the resolution by the end of the year and they were not aware of any religious organization that had been penalized for non-compliance.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has limited the size of religious activities nationwide to a maximum of 20 people in enclosed or private open spaces and 100 people in public open spaces through September. It similarly restricted cultural, social, and recreational activities, but did not restrict professional gatherings, government events, and educational events to the same extent. On October 1, the government allowed full capacity for religious activities, although gatherings of more than 1,000 people required stricter protocols.

On May 2, provincial police stopped and dispersed an open-air mass in Androgue, Buenos Aires province, attended by about 120 people. According to a police statement, the event "openly violated" national anti-COVID-19 restrictions. Local media reported that attendees said the fair was canceled "on very good terms". In a May 4 statement, CALIR President Juan Navarro said these police actions were not an isolated event and that local and national authorities had repeatedly violated the right to freedom of religion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On September 7, CALIR released a statement protesting some congregations' bans on worship services on Sunday, September 12 due to statewide primaries and related COVID-19 precautions. Although federal law prohibits large gatherings and proselytism on election days, authorities generally permitted religious services. Local media reported that the municipalities of Merlo and Bahia Blanca in Buenos Aires province had issued bans on religious gatherings for September 12, but Merlo authorities had revoked the order after consulting local religious leaders.

According to Jewish community leaders, there has been no progress in bringing the accused perpetrators of the 1994 AMIA bombing to justice. On July 18, the 27th anniversary of the AMIA bombing, AMIA President Eichbaum called on the government to "increase pressure on Lebanon and the Islamic Republic of Iran to cooperate in the investigation and the defendants they are currently protecting to deliver". On July 14, President Fernandez and devotional secretary Guillermo Oliveri invited AMIA leaders to the presidential residence to discuss seeking justice, and Fernandez told them he wanted progress on bringing those responsible for the 1994 bombing to justice. On July 18, Fernandez tweeted his support for the victims' families, writing, "In 27 years since the AMIA attack, the families of the 85 victims stand firm in their call for truth and justice. In memory of each and every one of them and in honor of those who have lost loved ones, we should stand united against impunity.” In response to Fernandez, dozens of people have criticized what some have called “hypocrisy” of his message because they believe were that the government was complicit in allowing impunity.

In August, the State Department condemned the Iranian government's appointment of two suspects in the AMIA bombing to senior posts in a new Iranian government. According to the MFA statement, the appointment of Ahmad Vahidi as interior minister and Mohsen Rezai as vice president for economic affairs was an affront to Argentina's judicial system and the victims of the bombing, adding that both Rezai and Vahidi play key roles in AMIA's decision-making and planning -Attack. It called on the Iranian government to cooperate fully with the Argentine judicial authorities and allow the suspects to be tried by a competent court.

According to press reports, on October 7 judges dropped charges of obstruction of justice against Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in connection with a memorandum of understanding signed with Iran in 2013, when she was president. The court found that the memorandum "regardless of whether it counts as a political success or failure, does not constitute a crime or a cover-up." On October 25, DAIA appealed the verdict, which was pending at the end of the year.

On January 24, a law came into force legalizing abortions up to the 14th week of pregnancy and later if the pregnancy was the result of rape or threatened the life of the mother. Many religious organizations including the Catholic Church andthe Christian Alliance of Evangelical Churches (ACIERA), criticized the law, and a growing number of medical professionals - especially in rural areas - refused to perform abortions on religious and ethical grounds. Most of the 120 gynecologists in Jujuy province, for example, declared themselves conscientious objectors, as permitted by law.

On March 27, organizers said about 50,000 people took part in demonstrations in 14 of the 23 provinces to show their support for the repeal of the abortion law. With ACIERA's encouragement, protesters demonstrated in the provinces of Rio Negro, Tucuman, Chubut, Entre Rios, Cordoba, Buenos Aires, Chaco, Corrientes, Salta, Mendoza, Chaco, Corrientes, Santiago del Estero and Santa Fe.

Catholic Church officials continued to discuss measures to reduce their use of federal funds following a 2018 agreement between the government and the Argentine Bishops' Conference (CEA), which represents the Catholic Church, and which set out a formal, mutually agreed plan to gradually reduce the state's direct finances outlined Church support. Under the agreement, government funds, which were allocated primarily to bishop salaries and seminarian scholarships, went from nearly 157 million pesos (US$1.46 million) in 2019 to 150 million pesos (US$1.39 million). -dollars) back in 2020.

On May 20, Juan Carlos Giordano, a member of the Lower House of Congress and a member of the Socialist Left Party, declared during a congress session: “The Zionist state must be brought to an end and a unitary state must be enforced throughout the whole of the historical territory of Palestine – lay people, no racist and democratic.” DAIA condemned the statement, saying it met the IHRA definition of antisemitism as adopted by the lower house of Congress in June 2020. By the end of the year, the House of Commons had not sanctioned Giordano.

On Jan. 6, Pablo Ansaloni, a representative of the lower house of Congress and president of Argentina's Agricultural Workers' Union (UATRE), said at a virtual meeting of the union: "We are more united than ever, nobody can break us - nobody from outside our province, because they are like the Jews, they have no homeland, they do not know where they are and who they represent.” Ansaloni was criticized for his comments by several civil society actors, including DAIA and UATRE. On January 20, UATRE dismissed Ansaloni on the grounds that his dismissal was due to his anti-Semitic remarks.

According to a representative of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, numerous public and private entities have adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism during the year, including the government of the province of Santiago del Estero.

Worship Minister Guillermo Oliveri, Human Rights Minister Horacio Pietragalla and other government officials continued to participate in religious freedom conferences, interfaith dialogues, Catholic services and Rosh Hashanah celebrations, and other religious activities, including those of Protestant and Orthodox churches. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on public gatherings, they often did so virtually or through recorded video.

During the year, the media reported that the country as a whole saw an increase in anti-Semitic incidents. According to the media and DAIA, in January, individuals violently stopped an Orthodox Jewish family traveling by car from La Falda to La Cumbre in Córdoba province, shouting: “[expletive] Jews, get out of here. Death to the Jews!” When the father of the family got out of his vehicle to try to calm the situation, the attackers beat him and continued to shout profanities. When his children tried to intervene, they too were beaten. According to the report, the father and children managed to get back into the car and later made a complaint to the police. Authorities later arrested the suspected attackers but took no further action by the end of the year. DAIA condemned the incident.

On February 19, actor and singer Nicolas Pauls posted a cartoon on Instagram showing a giant sleeve arm with a Star of David on it and a hand pressing on dozens of people with the caption: "To know who rules over you, just discover who you're not allowed to criticize." Martin Souto, a TV presenter and friend of Pauls, reposted the image. Both were heavily criticized by social media and both later issued a public apology.

AfterVis-a-VisNews portal, in March, an unidentified woman rammed her car into another car carrying two Orthodox Jewish women in downtown Buenos Aires. According to a witness, after the Orthodox Jewish women got out of their car, the attacker drove awayFuck(wig worn by Orthodox Jewish women) from one of the women and then pushed her to the ground and shouted, “You [expletive] Jew. I will kill you; you should all have died in the Holocaust!” Police initially ordered the attacker to leave, but later arrested her after attempting to run over the two Jewish women.

On March 2, unknown vandals damaged the sanctuary of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires province, and stole crowns from statues of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus.

On May 22, journalist Hugo Ojeda published an article entitled "Song to Palestineuschwitz" that compared Israeli actions in Palestinian territories to Nazi concentration camps, adding that Israel's "ethnic cleansing operations ... exceeded the crimes committed by the genocidal Nazis of the past century committed against Gypsies, Communists, homosexuals and Jews [sic].” DAIA condemned Ojeda's article and the editorpage 12later deleted the article. Ojeda did not apologize publicly.

In June, during a panel discussion at the College of Law in La Plata, the Israeli ambassador noted that the country was violating its trade commitments by restricting meat shipments to Israel. In response, butcher chain owner and former Justicialist Party politician Alberto Samid tweeted: “The best thing that could happen is that the Jews stop buying meat from us… the world doesn't want to sell them anything. They are a disaster as customers.” Samid did not apologize for his comments, despite receiving widespread public criticism. In April, Samid accused pharmaceutical company Insud CEO Hugo Sigman of selling COVID-19 Astra Zeneca vaccines to the "gringos". Samid wrote on Twitter: "This MOISHE knows no borders. He never gets tired of stealing from us!!!! When are we going to go to Garin [the city where Insud is located] to block his lab?”

On June 3, unidentified gunmen spray-sprayed an evangelical Christian church in Neuquen province and several Catholic facilities in San Luis province during a nationwide day of protests against gender-based violence. The Worship Secretariat condemned the vandalism in a statement on social media, noting that it detracted from the protesters' message of promoting women's rights.

On July 26, DAIA objected to the use of Anne Frank's likeness in an episode ofShow-Match, a game show on private televisionThe thirteen. Producers projected a photo of Anne Frank with a contestant singing about women "who don't leave the house." This incident was reported to the Public Defender. The show's producers issued a joint communiqué with the Anne Frank Center in Buenos Aires, calling the episode an "unintentional mistake" and promising to use it as a "learning experience."

In August, evangelical Christian groups, including ACIERA, condemned a Netflix television production titledThe kingdom("The Kingdom") and explained that it fuels stereotypes and prejudice against evangelical Christian groups. The plot featured a fictional evangelical Christian pastor with questionable ethics running for president.

On August 23, prominent lawyer Alejandro Fargosi ​​attacked parliamentarian and human rights activist Myriam Bregman as a “militant left-wing Jew.” Fargosi's remarks drew widespread criticism on social media from both politicians and Nobel laureate Adolfo Perez Esquivel, and President Fernandez expressed his solidarity with Bregman on Twitter. Bregman told local media Fargosi ​​never apologized.

On August 27, lawyer Gregorio Dalbon made anti-Semitic remarks during a radio interview. Dalbon, whose clients included President Fernandez and Vice President Fernandez de Kirchner, accused the Jewish community of bribing a prosecutor tasked with investigating a quarantine violation by President Fernandez, his wife and friends. DAIA condemned Dalbon's comments. On August 31, Dalbon issued a public apology after apparently meeting with DAIA officials. According to media reports, on September 2 a group of judges applied to the Argentine Bar Association for Dalbon's suspension for these and other offensive comments.

In September, people were caught trying to steal 223 bronze plaques from tombstones at La Tablada Jewish Cemetery in Buenos Aires. More than 100 headstones had been smashed the week before. AMIA leaders begged local authorities to increase security at the cemetery, saying it appears to be a "free zone."

A September 15 student media article from the University of Buenos Aires criticized the lack of Muslim viewpoints in the local media during events in Afghanistan. Noting a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment, the article described an incident in which a Muslim student was snubbed as she got off a bus: "Be careful, she has a bomb!"

On September 24, unknown vandals damaged the sanctuary of the Cathedral of San Maron in the Retiro neighborhood of Buenos Aires and stole items from the church. The CEA and the service secretary Oliveri denounced the vandalism.

Interfaith groups such as the Interfaith Committee for Peace in Argentina, whose membership included Catholics, Protestants, Evangelical Christians, Jews, Muslims, Baha'i, as well as indigenous religious groups and CALIR, continued to work to increase opportunities for interfaith joint action on societal challenges. CALIR issued statements denouncing vandalism of religious facilities and sponsored local conferences, including a regional religious freedom forum held on October 28-29.

In October, Jews, Christians and Muslims joined forces to paint over Nazi symbols placed on Jewish tombstones in the Santa Fe Jewish Community Cemetery. According to Horacio Roitman, the Santa Fe DAIA representative, this response to the hate acts was “due to society as a whole.”

According to a University of San Martin study released in June, nearly 40 percent of the population believed “Jewish businessmen” benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic. When asked if they agreed with the statement "Behind the coronavirus pandemic are figures like Soros and Laboratories of Jewish businessmen who want to profit financially," 30 percent of respondents said they "strongly" agreed. Another 7 percent partially agreed with the statement. Of the 43 percent of respondents who disagreed, 38 percent completely disagreed with the statement, and 19 percent said they didn't know or didn't care. The study's lead author, Ezequiel Ipar, said he was surprised at the "level of anti-Semitic sentiment," particularly among youth.

Embassy officials met with government officials, including the Secretariat for Worship and the State Department's Human Rights Office, to discuss ways to promote respect for religious minorities and interfaith cooperation. In meetings with government officials, the charge d'affaires and other embassy officials discussed tolerance and understanding between the country's many religious groups, the country's interfaith movement, and measures to combat religious discrimination.

In July, the chargé d'affaires toured a COVID-19 vaccination center run by the King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center in Buenos Aires and met with its leaders. They discussed the Center's members' relationship with the government, the community and other faith groups.

In July, embassy officials attended an online memorial service to mourn the victims of the 1994 terrorist attack on AMIA. The Embassy and AMIA also worked on an AMIA-produced memorial video for the victims of 9/11 in September, and the Chargé d'Affaires spoke at an in-person memorial service with AMIA President Eichbaum. The indictment said, "In our grief, the spirit of unity with like-minded partners like our friends at AMIA strengthens our resolve to continue to fight extremism and make the world a better and safer place for our children." Embassy officials met in September with DAIA, AMIA, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Simon Wiesenthal Center to discuss the state of religious freedom in the country and ways the Embassy could support communities of all faiths.

The embassy's outreach has included virtual meetings with religious and community leaders, including those of CEA, The Church of Jesus Christ, ACIERA, Islamic Center of Argentina, NGO Islam for Peace, DAIA and AMIA. At the meetings, embassy officials discussed the status of religious freedom and interfaith dialogue and ways to promote it. The embassy's social media accounts also promoted respect for religious diversity.

The US government estimates the total population at 1.5 million (mid-2021). The NGO World Population Review estimates the population at 1.7 million. According to the national government, there are approximately 712,000 citizens, making up less than half of the total population. According to national government estimates from 2020, Muslims make up about 74 percent of the total population. The Ministry of Information's website states that 99.8 percent of the citizens are Muslim, while the rest of the citizens are Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Baha'i. The ministry's website states that 70.2 percent of the total population (both citizens and non-citizens) are Muslims and 29.8 percent belong to other religions and beliefs, such as Christian (10.2 percent), Jews (0.21 percent), Hindus , Bahai, Buddhists and Sikhs. According to members of the Jewish community, there are between 36 and 40 Jewish citizens (six families) in the country.

The government does not publish statistics on the split between the Shia and Sunni Muslim population. Most estimates by NGOs and the Shi'a community-state Shi'a Muslims represent a majority (55 to 65 percent) of the citizen population.

Most foreigners are migrant workers from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and other Arab countries. According to the national government's 2020 census data, approximately 401,500 foreign residents are Muslims; 387,800 are Hindu, Buddhist, Baha'i, Sikh or Christian (mainly Roman Catholic, Protestant, Syriac Orthodox and Mar Thoma Syrian from South India). According to Boston University's World Religions Database 2020, the population includes approximately 1.4 million Muslims, 205,000 Christians and 109,000 Hindus.

Legal framework

According to the constitution, Islam is the state religion and the state protects the country's Islamic heritage. The constitution provides for freedom of conscience, sanctity of places of worship, freedom to perform religious rites, and freedom to hold religious parades and religious gatherings “in accordance with the customs in force in the country.” The constitution provides for the freedom to form associations so long as they do not violate official religion or public order, and prohibits discrimination based on religion or belief. All citizens have equal legal rights. According to the constitution, all people are equal without discrimination based on gender, origin, language or belief. The constitution states that Sharia is the main basis for legislation, although civil and criminal matters are governed by a civil code.

Labor law in the private sector prohibits discrimination against employees on the basis of gender, origin, language, religion or belief. The Labor Code considers dismissal on religious grounds to be arbitrary and unlawful, but does not provide for an automatic right to reinstatement. Among other things, the law prohibits wage discrimination based on religion. The Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MOLSD) is investigating allegations of discrimination in existing employment relationships; it can escalate violations to the public prosecutor's office. MOLSD has no authority to receive or process complaints of religious discrimination in employment. There is no law on discrimination in public service.

The constitution guarantees the right to express and publish opinions, provided they do not violate "fundamental beliefs of Islamic doctrine" and do not prejudice "the unity of the people" or create discord or sectarianism.

The law bans anti-Islamic publications and broadcasts and prescribes a prison sentence of not less than six months if "the state's official religion is exposed to offense and criticism". The law states: "Any publication which interferes with the dominant system of the country and its official religion may be barred from publication by ministerial decree."

Islamic religious groups must register with the MOJIA in order to operate. Sunni religious groups register with the Ministry through the Sunni Waqf (Foundation), while Shia religious groups register through the Jaafari (Shia) Waqf. MOJIA Boards of Trustees oversee, fund the work and conduct a variety of activities related to mosques and prayer halls. Non-Islamic groups have the status of civil society organizations and as such must register with MOLSD and obtain a license in order to operate. To register, a group must submit an official letter requesting an operating license. Copies of the minutes of the founding committee meeting; a detailed list of founders and board members, including names, ages, nationalities, occupations and addresses. She must also provide other information such as the group's articles of association, candidates seeking election to the organization's board, a physical address and a bank account with a bank registered with the Central Bank of Bahrain. The group must also apply for permission to receive grants or transfer grants. Religious groups may also require approval from the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Information, or the Ministry of the Interior, depending on the nature of the group's intended activities. The law prohibits associations from engaging in political activities. The law prohibits activities outside of an organization's charter. The Criminal Code does not specifically deal with the activities of unregistered religious groups, but provides for the closure of any unlicensed branch of an international organization, and prison terms of up to six months and fines of up to 50 dinars (US$130) for those who who are responsible for establishing the branch.

According to MOLSD's website, the following non-Islamic churches and spiritual groups were registered with the ministry: National Evangelical Church, Bahrain Malaylee Church of South India Parish, Word of Life International Church, St. Christopher's Cathedral, Church of Philadelphia, St Mary and Anba Rewis Church (St. Mary's Indian Orthodox Cathedral), Jacobite Syrian Christian Association and St. Peter's Prayer Group (St. Peter's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church), St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Church, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of the Saints Latter-day Church, Church of Christ, Greek Orthodox Church, Pentecostal Church, Baps Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Bahrain (Hindu Temple), Indian Religious and Social Group (Hindu Temple), Sikh Spiritual Cultural and Social Group, St. Thomas Evangelical Church of Bahrain, Marthoma Parish, House of the Ten Commandments Synagogue, Shri Krishna Hindu Temple and the Baha'i Social Society.

The Criminal Code provides for a term of imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 100 dinars (US$270) for insulting any of the recognized religious groups or their practices, or for openly defaming a religious figure associated with the members of a certain group is considered sacred.

There is no explicit legal prohibition on apostasy. The Penal Code punishes anyone who insults another religious sect with up to a year in prison and a fine of up to 100 dinars (US$270). It punishes a person for desecrating religious books with up to a year in prison and a fine of 100 dinars (US$270). The law also prohibits any person from imitating a religious ritual or ceremony with the intent to ridicule them.

The law provides for fines or imprisonment for, among other things, insulting an institution, spreading false or malicious news, spreading rumours, encouraging others to despise another religious denomination or sect, collecting illegally, or advocating a change of government. The Office of the Home Office Ombudsman, the Prisoners' and Detainees' Rights Commission and the National Institute for Human Rights deal with the rights of prisoners, including the right to practice their religion.

The law allows prisoners "alternative non-custodial sentences" instead of imprisonment, provided such a sentence would not endanger public safety. The Home Office monitors individuals after they are released to an alternative sentence, and the trial judge and prosecutor decide on their eligibility and the conditions for an alternative sentence. Alternative punishments may include community service, house arrest, electronic surveillance, contactless orders, or participation in rehabilitation programs.

The MOJIA oversees the activities of both the Sunni Waqf and the Jaafari Waqf, which are appointed by the King on the recommendation of the President of the government-run and funded Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA). Each board of trustees oversees the activities of mosques and prayer halls, reviews and approves ecclesiastical appointments for religious sites in their jurisdiction, and funds expenditures for the construction and maintenance of religious sites. The government allocates 2.7 million dinars ($7.16 million) annually to each board of trustees. Zakat (Islamic tithes), income from property rentals, and other private sources largely fund the remainder of the foundation's bodies' operations. The trustees may pay lump sum commissions and bonuses to preachers and other religious figures.

On January 20, the king issued a royal decree to reorganize the Sunni and Jaafari Waqf directorates. According to the decree, the Sunni and Jaafari foundations are overseen by two independent councils, which come under the direct supervision of a "minister of foundation affairs." Each council administers its respective endowment, pays out income and has full authority over endowment assets, including houses of worship. The foundations were previously under the direct supervision of the Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Foundations.

The SCIA oversees general religious activities in the country, as well as the publication of Islamic studies curricula and official religious texts. The council consists of a chairman, a vice-chairman and 16 religious scholars - eight Sunni and eight Shia, most of whom are prominent preachers or Sharia judges. The king appoints all councilors for a four-year term. Independent of other government scholarship programs, the council offers university scholarships for advanced Islamic studies to low-income students. The SCIA reviews all legislation proposed by Parliament to ensure that bills comply with Sharia law. The council also consults with other government agencies before granting permits to new Islamic societies or centers. The Council is responsible for reviewing the content of Islamic programs broadcast on official government media such as official television and official radio programs. The council also organizes interfaith conferences and workshops.

The king has sole statutory authority to allocate public lands, including for religious purposes, although he can delegate this authority to government officials. By law, the construction of Islamic places of worship requires the approval of MOJIA. Non-Islamic groups must obtain MOLSD accreditation. The municipal authorities give the final approval for the construction. Citizens can also offer private land to build mosques. Approval for the construction of a new mosque, whether Shia or Sunni, requires a government determination of the need for a new mosque in the area. The government is also assessing the need for non-Islamic places of worship. The law allows non-Islamic places of worship to display crosses or other religious symbols outside their premises.

The law regulates Islamic religious education at all levels of the education system. The government funds public schools for grades 1 through 12; Islamic studies based on Sunni doctrine are compulsory for all Muslim students and optional for non-Muslims. Private schools must register with the government and, with a few exceptions (e.g. foreign-funded and foreign-operated schools), also offer Islamic religious education to Muslim students. Private schools wishing to offer non-Islamic religious instruction to non-Muslims must obtain approval from the MOE. Outside of school hours, Muslim students may participate in MOJIA-sponsored religious studies if their parents deem it appropriate.

In coordination with the SCIA, a team of MOE-appointed experts routinely reviews and develops the Islamic Studies portion of the public school curriculum to highlight the shared Islamic values ​​between different Sunni and Shia schools of thought, reject extremism, and promote tolerance and coexistence. According to the government, the SCIA is providing financial support to the six registered peoplehawzas(Shia seminars); other hawzas choose to be privately funded. The government does not allow foreign donors to participate in privately funded hawzas. There are no restrictions on religious studies abroad. The government also allows non-Muslim groups to teach religion to their followers in private schools.

MOE's specialized religious schools provide more in-depth religious education -- the Jaafari Institute for Instruction in Shia Islam and the Religious Institute for Instruction in Sunni Islam -- for students from elementary to high school. The rest of the curriculum is consistent with the non-religious curriculum of other public schools.

Regarding matters of family and civil status, the Constitution states that inheritance is a guaranteed right governed by Sharia. The constitution also guarantees the duties and status of women and their equality with men "without violating the provisions" of Sharia. The Personal Status Law states that either the Sunni or Shia interpretation of Sharia, depending on the religious affiliation of the parties, should govern family matters, including inheritance, child custody, marriage and divorce. Mixed Sunni-Shia families can choose which court system hears their case. The provisions of the Personal Status Act apply to both Shia and Sunni women, requiring the woman's consent to marriage and allowing women to include conditions in the marriage contract. Non-Muslims can marry in civil or religious ceremonies; However, all marriages must be registered in a civil court. Civil courts also rule on matters such as divorce and child custody for non-Muslims.

The government does not indicate religious affiliation on national identification documents, including birth certificates. However, applications for birth certificates and national identity documents record the child's religion (either Muslim, Christian, Jewish or other), but not their denomination. Hospital admission forms and school enrollment forms may also request information about a person's religion.

The constitution states that the state should strive to strengthen ties with Islamic countries. It stipulates that the succession in the position of king is hereditary, passing from eldest son to eldest son. The royal family is Sunni.

The law prohibits any person from being a member of a political society or engaging in political activities while serving in a spiritual capacity in a religious institution, even on a voluntary basis.

By law, the government regulates and monitors fundraising by religious and other organizations. Islamic organizations wishing to raise funds must first obtain approval from MOJIA. Non-Islamic organizations must obtain MOLSD approval. On Aug. 4, the MOJIA enacted an amendment to a royal decree regulating fundraising, requiring Sunni and Jaafari foundations to submit annual reports to the ministry on funds they raise for religious purposes, including building or renovating places of worship . Foundations must also deposit funds raised with a bank accredited by the Central Bank of Bahrain and notify the MOJIA. The amendment prohibits foundations from receiving funds from abroad without approval from MOJIA.

The law guarantees prison inmates the right to attend funerals and receive condolences outside prison.

The country is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, with the proviso that it interprets the Covenant's provisions regarding freedom of religion, family rights and equality before the law of men and women as "in no way affecting" the regulations. . the Sharia.

government practices

Because religion and political affiliation are often closely linked, it has been difficult to categorize many incidents solely on the basis of religious identity.

According to media reports, on 21 November the Court of Cassation dismissed the appeal of a Shia preacher and upheld a one-year suspended sentence for "insulting religious figures worshiped by a group of people" (i.e. Sunni Muslims) during a sermon. Authorities also accused the preacher of organizing an illegal gathering of more than five people during the pandemic.

NGOs, media and opposition sources reported that the government continued to question, detain and arrest Shia clerics. NGOs reported that prison authorities routinely denied that Shia prisoners required medical treatment more often than Sunni prisoners. The Interior Ministry confirmed that Shia inmate Abbas Hassan Ali Malallah died of a heart attack in Jaw prison on April 5. Shia Rights Watch said that on April 4, according to fellow detainees, Malallah asked for medical treatment and complained of chest pains, but the authorities denied his request. The National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR), a quasi-governmental organization responsible for investigating human rights complaints, including complaints of prison abuse, said it found no evidence that prison guards deliberately denied Mallalah medical care.

On June 8, Hussain Barakat, who was serving a life sentence in connection with a terrorism case involving the Shia militant group Zulfiqar Brigades, an organization linked to armed religious groups, died in prison after contracting COVID-19 had been diagnosed. Human rights activists reiterated their calls for the release of other prisoners, saying prison authorities had not adequately addressed the pandemic.

According to local media, on November 15, the Criminal Court of Appeals upheld the sentences of 10 Shiites to prison terms ranging from three years to life imprisonment. They, along with four other men, were charged with forming a terrorist cell linked to the al-Ashtar Brigades (a US-designated foreign terrorist organization also known as the military wing of the Islamic movement al-Wafa) and laying Bombs condemned in Bahrain National Bank ATMs in Naeem and Jid Hafs areas in February. The four other men escaped after their trials and remained at large at the end of the year.

According to the government, on September 16 the Interior Ministry arrested four Shiites and charged them with attempting to plant a bomb in an ATM at the National Bank of Bahrain in Muharraq. The government said the men were suspected members of the February 14 Movement, a branch of the Islamic movement al-Wafa. Opposition sources said authorities arrested 14 people.

A human rights activist tweeted that Shia cleric Sheikh Abdullah Isa "Mirza" al-Mahroos, who was serving a 15-year sentence in Jaw Prison, went on a hunger strike on July 1 to protest abuse, lack of medical care, and he was prevented from seeing his son, who was also imprisoned in Jaw Prison. The authorities sentenced al-Mahroos to 15 years in prison in 2011, along with 13 other people identified as leaders of the 2011 anti-government protests and hundreds of other opposition activists. His family said he was eligible for an alternative sentence and had chronic medical problems.

Several Shia clerics arrested during the 2011 anti-government protests remained in prison at the end of the year. They were serving prison sentences ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment on charges related to terrorist activities or incitement to hatred. Some human rights organizations considered them political prisoners. According to the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), activists commemorated the tenth anniversary of the protests amid what HRW described as "continued severe repression". According to sources, the protests on February 13 and 14 included slogans against King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and pictures of exiled and detained opposition figures.

The Office of the Home Office Ombudsman said the office resolved 664 complaints from inmates and detainees, accounting for 94 percent of the total of 691 complaints filed during the year.

In March, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), part of the prosecutor's office responsible for investigating complaints against security forces, reported that it received 33 complaints and questioned 13 Home Office officials in the first quarter of 2020. On March 15, the SIU referred three security officers to criminal court for abuse of inmates in 2020, and on April 15, the court found the three officers guilty. Two of them were sentenced to prison terms and one officer was fined. The SIU received 68 formal complaints of torture, ill-treatment and excessive force by police officers. It questioned 107 Home Office officials linked to the allegations and prosecuted 16 in criminal courts for police misconduct. The SIU referred at least 11 Home Office officials to the forensic and psychiatric departments; three others were referred before military courts for disciplinary measures. In September, military courts began disciplinary action against nine other Interior Ministry officials on cases previously referred to them by the SIU.

During the year, the Home Office prosecuted a woman for blasphemy and defamation of Islam and other religions on social media platforms, according to government releases. The government did not release any further details about the nature of the incident. The case was still ongoing at the end of the year.

According to the Home Office, during the year the ministry investigated 26 people for defamation of religions, a charge usually arising from remarks made during sermons, and the government prosecuted six of them for inciting religious hatred and sectarianism. Courts sentenced two of the six people, but the authorities did not announce their sentences. The other four proceedings had not yet been completed at the end of the year. The government also prosecuted 11 of the 26 people for "contempt for other religions" and convicted one person of blasphemy.

The government continued to add witchcraft and wizardry charges to some cases involving theft and fraud. In March, the Director-General of Police of the Capital Governorate announced that authorities had arrested a woman on charges of using magic and stealing money and personal belongings from customers. In October, the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensics arrested two men on charges of practicing witchcraft and sorcery. Authorities also accused the men of violating public morals. The case was referred to the public prosecutor's office and was pending at the end of the year.

On May 23, the Interior Ministry's Anti-Cyber ​​Crime Directorate arrested a Sunni woman and charged her with inciting sectarian hatred. According to the government, the woman said Shia Muslims are responsible for the spread of COVID-19. She appeared before the criminal court on May 27. At the end of the year, no further information on the outcome of her case was available.

Zuhair Ebrahim Jassim and Hussain Abdulla Khalil Rashid, two prisoners convicted of involvement in attacks on security forces and killing of a police officer in a police bus explosion in November 2017 and killing another officer in a bomb blast in Damistan in 2014, remained End of year on death row. In June 2020, the Court of Cassation upheld her appeal against the death sentence. NGOs said their confessions were obtained through torture and that the trial was unfair. A 2020New York TimesThe report identified the men as members of the Shia community who had previously opposed the government.

According to media reports, the Interior Ministry announced on December 9 that it had arrested a male citizen for blasphemy and for inciting immoral activities on social media. The Interior Ministry referred the case to the public prosecutor's office, which was still pending at the end of the year.

On February 24, a court sentenced two employees of the Jaafari Waqf to seven years in prison and a fine of 68,000 dinars ($180,000) for embezzlement related to the renovation of Shia mosques. On March 14, a Council of Representatives committee of inquiry into the misuse of Jaafari Foundation funds and property submitted its final report to the committee's board of directors. The committee of inquiry set up in September 2020 consisted of six Shia and three Sunni MPs. The results of the report had not been published by the end of the year.

On January 21, authorities released Shi'a preacher Abdul Mohsin Mulla Atiyya al-Jamri after he spent a year in prison for a 2019 sermon he "slandered a [historical] figure revered by a religious group “. The preacher reportedly spoke against the founder of the Umayyad dynasty, Mu'awiya I, who took over the caliphate after the assassination of Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law Ali, who is revered by Shia Muslims, in 661.

According to a supporter's Twitter post, authorities released prominent Shia cleric Sayed Kamel al-Hashemi on April 9 on an alternative sentence after serving more than two and a half years for contempt for the king and inciting sectarian hatred due to his anti-government stance utterances.

On April 2, the government released Shia citizen Abdulnabi al-Sammak from prison on an alternative sentence. Authorities arrested al-Sammak in 2020 for publicly reciting Ziyarat Ashura, a Shia prayer said to be defamatory of religious figures revered by Sunnis. They accused al-Sammak of publicly insulting symbols and slandering the Islamic faith.

The government announced that on April 12, King Hamad pardoned 91 prisoners by royal decree at the start of Ramadan.On May 12, the eve of Eid al-Fitr, the king pardoned 203 prisoners. On July 18, the eve of Eid al-Adha, he pardoned 32 people, including some foreigners.

The NGO Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) said Shia prisoner Mohamed Abdulnabi Abdulla (also known as Mohamed Abdulnabi Juma al-Khoor) went on an 11-day hunger strike on January 1 to demand access to medical services institutions to protest. Authorities sentenced Abdulla to life imprisonment with deprivation of citizenship over allegations related to an explosion in Karranah village in August 2015 that killed one police officer and injured seven others. According to the ADHRB, his health deteriorated in prison and he asked for specialist medical treatment from July 2020 until he went on hunger strike. On January 11, a prison doctor examined Abdulla and transferred him to Qala'a Hospital to see an orthopedist who, according to the ADHRB, did not order an X-ray. Abdulla continued to say he was not receiving adequate specialist treatment and remained in prison at the end of the year.

The government continued to monitor the content of the sermons and provided general guidance on the content, sending circulars to mosques and summoning for questioning clerics who spoke on unauthorized subjects. The MOJIA continued to monitor clergy's compliance with an ethical promise it had prepared for those engaged in religious discourse. According to MOJIA, preachers who backed off from the promise were reprimanded or removed by authorities because their actions endangered national security. The MOJIA reported weekly reviewing sermons submitted to the government. MOJIA reported making regular unannounced visits to mosques to ensure preachers' sermons were "moderate," avoided discussing controversial issues, did not incite violence, and did not use religious discourse to serve political ends. According to representatives of the Shi'a community, during Ashura, the police again called out some Shi'a singers and preachers and asked them to sign pledges that they would avoid discussing politics in their sermons.

On August 24, supporters tweeted that the authorities arrested Shia singers Mohamed al-Gallaf, Salih Sahwan, Hasan Norooz, Mahdi Sahwan and Sayed Ahmed al-Alawi for religious songs they sang during Ashura, and cleric Abdelmohsin al- Jamri, Mohamed al-Rayyash, Hani al-Banna and Aziz al-Khadhran for their sermons during Ashura. The men were released shortly thereafter without charge. Supporters tweeted that Hoora authorities summoned Shaikh Majeed al-Meshaal to the police station on June 12; They released him without charge the same day.

International and local NGOs reported that police summoned three Shia clergymen in August in the days leading up to and following the Ashura commemoration. The authorities interrogated the men about the content of their sermons and specifically about "inciting sectarian hatred". Authorities released two of the men a day after their arrest. The third priest was still in police custody at the end of the year.

Political opponents said on social media that during the year the police had summoned clergymen and community leaders for the content of their sermons or for creating or distributing publications deemed anti-Islamic. The Home Office dismissed those reports, saying police had not summoned or arrested anyone for those reasons during the year.

In January, the family of imprisoned Shia cleric Zuhair Jasim Ashoor, also known as Sheikh Zuhair Jasim Abbas, released a statement describing the inhuman treatment by prison authorities. They said Ashoor has endured prolonged solitary confinement, beatings, sleep deprivation, restricted access to water, death threats, authorities confiscating Ashoor's religious books, including texts he wrote, and prohibiting him from performing religious rituals. Authorities arrested and convicted Ashoor in 2013 on terrorism charges. Ashoor's family said authorities tortured him in prison for taking part in a prison protest, a charge the government denied.

According to local social media accounts, on April 20, Jaw prison authorities allowed Shia scholar Abduljalil al-Meqdad, who was serving a life sentence, a temporary release to attend his mother's funeral. Authorities sentenced al-Meqdad to life imprisonment after he was arrested along with other political figures in March 2011 for attempting to overthrow the government. At least five of his relatives, including his brother Habib al-Meqdad, continued to serve prison sentences of between 10 and 15 years.

The Home Office said its community policing program had recruited individuals directly from communities to act as informal community police with the goal of maintaining local peace and security, resolving local community-level problems and escalating conflicts with the community to avoid law enforcement. The Interior Ministry explained that these informal community police monitored religious gatherings and funerals to prevent these gatherings from degenerating into protests or acts of violence.

The NGO Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) recorded one incident of harassment, one incident of threats and nine incidents of the authorities preventing worship during Ramadan, although the NGO did not provide details. ACLED also reported that authorities were refusing iftar meals to inmates at Jaw Prison.

According to ACLED, authorities regulated the Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power) celebrations through an ad hoc decree issued on May 2 that limited the capacity of mosques and restricted attendance to men receiving the second dose of the coronavirus had received the vaccine.

ADHRB reported that police had arrested or summoned several Shia Muslims for interrogation in connection with Ashura observances. These included multiple subpoenas on people who had raised black flags on the roofs of their homes during the holy day of August 18, as well as interrogations, arrests and detentions, and the levying of fines on other members of the community across the country. ADHRB stated: “The violation of fundamental liberties and religious rites [was] not an isolated case... The pandemic has presented the authorities with an opportunity to continue this repression under the guise of preventing the spread of COVID-19. This has dangerously expanded the powers of state security forces and systematically denied religious freedom in the country.”

In August, family members and supporters tweeted that inmates at Jaw Prison were on a hunger strike to protest, among other things, religious discrimination and lack of access to medical facilities. Some detainees, citing efforts to contain COVID-19, told prison officials that time for practicing Ashura rituals was limited. However, the NIHR said authorities were giving inmates extra time to practice Ashura rituals in public areas. Officials confirmed that religious rituals are generally not allowed in prison cells and that religious commemorations are only allowed in designated common areas of the prison.

Activists and opposition media criticized the Home Office for removing Ashura banners in Ras Rumman, South Sehla and Hamad Town.

In a study published in October, ACLED found that Ashura commemorations in the country are "rooted at the community level and have religious, social and political significance" and "which lies at the heart of the dispute between the Sunni regime and Shia citizens Ashura's political potential.” According to the report, in August the authorities implemented several restrictions on worship to curb the spread of COVID-19 that effectively suppressed Ashura practice and practice, including limiting attendance at places of worship to 30 vaccinated adults and prohibiting children from attending Ashura rituals. ACLED stated that these restrictions were enforced through "judicial harassment" (35 incidents) and the removal of Ashura banners (31 incidents). Authorities arrested and invited in preachers, religious singers and othersMutter(a Shia prayer house, sometimes also calledhusseiniin other countries) directors for attending Ashura commemorations. According to the study, officials denied Shia prisoners the right to celebrate Ashura and punished them if they performed rituals, including discriminatory acts such as a ban on contacting their families.

The defunct Shia political society Al-Wifaq released a report on government actions during the first 10 days of Muharram, culminating in the observance of Ashura, marking the death of Hussein in the Battle of Karbala. In his statement, Al-Wifaq said the security forces had summoned Shia scholars, preachers, religious center officials and others during this period and torn down Ashura banners and flags across the country. The statement also said the government has used the COVID-19 pandemic to restrict religious activities. According to Al-Wifaq, the government investigated 100 citizens and arrested three for "exercising their freedom of religion," and there were 45 government actions that disrupted Ashura rituals, including the confiscation of banners or flags and other "provocative practices."

The government stated that prisoners, regardless of their religious affiliation, have special rooms available for worship and prayer. On August 22, the NIHR released a statement of its findings from prearranged visits during Ashuras to male and female detention centers. The NIHR said officials at these facilities said inmates could practice their religious rites "with ease." The NIHR said it spoke indiscriminately to inmates who said officers provided them with the facilities and services necessary to perform their religious rites. However, independent NGOs cited cases where the authorities denied detainees the right to perform religious rituals.

A foreign-based human rights group said that in at least one case, a judge barred another beneficiary from participating in social, cultural and religious activities, including visiting mosques and maatams or attending religious ceremonies, while serving his sentence, without deprivation of liberty served.

According to an Aug. 24 report by ADHRB, the National Task Force to Combat COVID-19 (COVID-19 Taskforce) announced two days before the start of Muharram that it would allow Ashura processions near mosques and maatams, provided participants observed social distancing and other precautionary measures, such as wearing face masks and using disinfectants regularly. The ADHRB report noted that these precautionary health measures were “allegedly in line with recommendations from the government medical team…. However, the authorities have instead used these measures to whitewash restrictions on religious freedom in the country while covering up systematic violations of various other human rights.” ADHRB also reported that King Hamad's son, Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, was in the media emerged while attending India's Onam festival amidst large crowds without any apparent public health measures.

Other restrictions on maatams and mosques included a ban on children visiting and limits on capacity (30 people), hours of operation and geographic limits on processions. Also, the government forbade the leaders to move from one maatam to another. Some Shia religious leaders and opposition politicians said these restrictions are stricter than those applying to other public buildings such as shopping malls. Video of a large crowd at a basketball game circulating on social media prompted some members of the Shia community to question whether the COVID-19 task force was scrutinizing Maatams more closely than other facilities. Media commentators negatively compared the Home Office's response ahead of Ashura to more permissive government preparations for Hindu and Christian holidays.

Media reported that a group of 65 maatams issued a joint statement on Aug. 14 calling on the COVID-19 task force to review the requirement to restrict Ashura processions to certain areas and saying the requirement is contributing Overcrowding at and contrary to the goals of COVID-19 precautionary measures.

On August 19, following Ashura's visit, the king thanked the Shia community for taking steps to limit the spread of the coronavirus during the visit, saying in a statement that he "commended the awareness and national responsibility." , which everyone showed for themselves, their surroundings and society during the Ashura commemoration.”

Women's prayer rooms and toilets remained closed until the end of September, while men's prayer rooms opened in April. Media reported that on September 5, MP and head of the Services Committee Ahmed al-Ansari said the continued closure of women's chapels and toilet facilities and the government's order that the Koran should not be opened as anti-COVID-19 measures failed Restaurants and shops were open where groups congregated and were more vulnerable to objects touched by multiple people. On September 23, the MOJIA announced that all prayer rooms and toilet facilities for women in mosques would reopen, with appropriate health measures in place.

Supporters of minority religious groups reported that they could produce and distribute religious media and publications in bookstores and churches, although the government did not allow publications they perceived as critical of Islam. The Ministry of Information Affairs screened all books and publications prior to issuing licenses for printing. The MOJIA also reviewed books related to religion.

According to representatives of the Christian and Hindu communities, the government did not interfere in their religious customs and publicly encouraged tolerance of minority religious beliefs and traditions.

The government reported that there were 598 licensed Sunni mosques and 91 Sunni Islamic centers, the same number as in 2020. Authorities reduced the number of licensed Shia mosques to 763 (from 764 in 2020) and increased the number of maatams to 624 (from 618 in 2020). During the year, the government issued permits to build three Shia mosques, three Maatams and 23 new Sunni mosques. Authorities temporarily closed 49 Sunni mosques, five Shia mosques and nine maatams during the year for violating COVID-19 guidelines. MOJIA has closed three older mosques for renovation.

MOLSD reported that it had received no new requests for land or building permits from religious groups. There was no registered Buddhist temple; However, Buddhist groups reported meeting in private facilities.

After completion of the construction work, the new Catholic Cathedral "Our Lady of Arabia" in Awali was opened in December. The government donated the land for the cathedral, which will serve as the main church for the Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of North Arabia, which includes Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. By the end of the year, the Awali community had not given approval for the construction of three proposed Christian churches, citing unspecified safety concerns. In 2014 the king donated land for the churches.

In December, the government allocated land for a new Christian cemetery in Salmabad, fulfilling a longstanding request from the Christian community since the country's second Christian cemetery filled its last burial ground in 2014.

The government allowed both registered and unregistered non-Muslim religious communities to maintain identifiable places of worship, hold religious gatherings and display religious symbols such as crosses outside of churches.

According to a Dec. 13 report by Canadian-American magazineVisa, the government failed to fulfill its promise to rebuild 38 Shia mosques destroyed in the 2011 uprising. An ADHRB official told the magazine, "Every year there are instances where they [Shia worshipers] pray on the land of these destroyed mosques and end up being summoned and forced to sign promises that they won't do it anymore." Another ADHRB official said: “The rebuilt mosques are mainly being rebuilt by the community itself. Many of them are not properly maintained.” In response to the article, the government said in an emailVisa, “All 30 unlicensed … structures used for religious purposes referred to in your inquiry have been regulated and remodeled to the standards of other Muslim places of worship in Bahrain (over 1,456 mosques and 625 maatams), except for three , which are still under investigation.”

In March, the justice minister confirmed that maatams are considered places of worship and are therefore exempt from paying utility bills.

In November, some commentators explained that a photo in a 10th grade family education textbook that promotes positive self-image and self-esteem deviates from Islamic values ​​by promoting homosexuality. The photo showed a boy looking in the mirror surrounded by hearts. Deputy Secretary of State for Curriculum and Educational Supervision Ahlam al-Amer released a statement defending the photo as linked to Islamic and educational values. MPs unanimously voted to launch an investigation into alleged homosexual content in secondary schools and to suspend family education classes until the "offensive" content was removed.

The independent but pro-government King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence (King Hamad Centre) reported that it offered student exchanges and educational programs focused on eliminating ignorance, discrimination and intolerance, including religious intolerance. During the year, the center's Cyber ​​Peace Academy developed an online tool for interfaith dialogue and a mobile app.Growing Peaceto enable young people to explore scenarios and case studies on issues such as violence, discrimination, hate speech, racism and religious rights. The King Hamad Center's Board of Trustees consisted of representatives from the country's Sunni, Shia, Christian, Catholic, Baha'i, Hindu and Buddhist communities.

The University of Bahrain continued to offer religious studies and Islamic jurisprudence courses for Shia and Sunni students.

All students, regardless of religion, were eligible to enter the Crown Prince International Scholarship Program (CPISP); the government did not provide a statistical breakdown of participants by religion. CPISP published a list of grantee names, majors, and schools on its website. Some Shia community leaders went on to say that the MOE favors Sunni students in awarding scholarships rather than allocating them solely on the basis of student merit.

Human rights activists continued to report discrimination against Shia students in receiving university scholarships.

There have been reports that the MOE has refused to recognize the foreign degrees of some students, particularly those studying in China. Some activists said these rejections disproportionately affected Shia students, a higher proportion of whom were graduating in China.

State-run Bahrain TV broadcast Friday sermons from the country's official Al-Fateh Mosque and other Sunni mosques such as the Sabeeka bint Ebrahim Mosque and Sabeeka al-Nusf Mosque, but no sermons from Shia mosques or clergy. Some Shia activists said it was discriminatory, while others said it was better not to be subject to state broadcasting restrictions. Many Shiite mosques shared sermons on social media. A pro-government human rights watchdog said Shia prisoners could watch Shia preaching videos on their cellphones.

On February 6, Shia cleric and spiritual leader of the defunct Al-Wifaq political society, Sheikh Isa Qassim, who was stripped of his citizenship by the government in 2016 and has lived in Iran since 2018, issued a statement opposing the restructuring of the Waqf directorates by royal decree, a move that subordinated the directorates to independent councils. He said the move was "illegitimate" and "hostile" to Jaafari jurisprudence. Qassim also criticized that the budget allocated to the Jaafari Waqf Directorate is dependent on the government. He described both actions as "manipulation" by the government at the Jaafari Waqf. In April, Qassim issued a statement saying a new constitution was the only way to resolve the country's divisions. In May, hundreds of supporters rallied in Qassim's home village of Diraz to mark the anniversary of a 2017 police raid on his home that killed two protesters.

While Arab applicants with 15 years of residency and non-Arab applicants with 25 years of residency were entitled by law to apply for citizenship, the arbitrary implementation of the law from the application stage to approval remained a common criticism of both Shia and Sunni citizens as well Activists for migrant rights. The government said foreign residents applying for citizenship are not required to declare their religious affiliation. However, Shia politicians and community activists continued to say that the government's naturalization and citizenship process favored Sunni over Shia applicants. They said the government continues to recruit Sunnis from other countries to join the security forces, grant them accelerated naturalization and provide them with social housing, while barring Shia citizens from those forces. According to activists in the Shia community, the continued recruitment and accelerated naturalization of Sunni Muslims represents an ongoing attempt to shift the demographic balance of the country's citizens.

The government kept no official statistics on the religious affiliation of civil servants, MPs or ministers. According to informal estimates, the 40-member Shura Council included 19 Shia Muslim members, one Jewish member and one Christian member, while the remaining 19 members were Sunni Muslims. After the 2018 general election, out of 40 seats in the elected Council of Representatives, 25 were won by members identified as Sunni and 15 identified as Shia. Five of the 22 cabinet members, including one of the four deputy prime ministers, were Shiites.

According to Shia leaders and community activists, the government continued to favor Sunni citizens for government positions, particularly in the senior ranks of the civil, military and security services. They also said Sunnis would prefer other government-related jobs, particularly in the senior ranks of state-owned companies. Few Shia citizens held important posts in the defense and internal security forces. According to members of the Shia community, recruitment and promotion processes for senior officials favored Sunni candidates.

Members of the Shia community said that educational, social and community services are inferior to those in Sunni communities in most Shia neighborhoods. The government said it was trying to support public schools in Shia and Sunni neighborhoods alike. MOLSD organized exhibitions, job fairs, professional advice and help for needy families in predominantly Shia neighborhoods.

The MOLSD, which has an oversight role in the implementation of labor law in the private sector, said again that there had been no reported cases of religious or sectarian discrimination during the year. Activists from the Shia community again responded that they did not trust the effectiveness of state institutions in combating discrimination and therefore did not use them.

NGOs reported that the government continued to closely monitor the collection of funds, including charitable donations, by religious organizations, with some NGOs calling this state overreach. NGOs said religious leaders and organizations not authorized to collect money, or who the government believes have mishandled the money, may face legal action.

On July 7, the government announced that it had created a new Peaceful Coexistence Medal named after King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to recognize leaders and international organizations supporting interfaith and coexistence in the country. The King Hamad Center Board of Trustees said the medal will "help raise regional and global awareness of the importance of respecting religions and accepting others in order to achieve peace and harmony among diverse peoples and societies."

Media reported that King Hamad's son, Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, attended the celebration of the Hindu Onam festival on August 22, where he said the observance affirmed the importance of dialogue and understanding in the country.

On September 13, during the G20 interfaith forum in Italy, Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Shaikh Khaled bin Ali Al Khalifa stressed the importance of establishing the rule of law without distinguishing between people of different faiths.

The Baha'i World News Service and local media reported that Hamad Center Chairman Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and foreign diplomats attended a ceremony in Manama on October 30 to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Abdu'l-Baha, the head of the Baha, attended 'I Believe' from 1892-1921.

The government said developments surrounding the signing of the Abraham Accords and the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel had promoted tolerance and acceptance of Jews in Bahrain.

Non-Muslim religious leaders reiterated that there is ongoing societal pressure on individuals not to convert from Islam. Those who did so were unwilling to speak publicly or privately to family members or acquaintances about their conversion for fear of harassment or discrimination.

Both anti-Shiite and anti-Sunni comments appeared on social media. Anti-Shiite posts have described Shia opponents of the government as "traitors," "agents of Iran," "terrorists," "murderers," "criminals," conspirators, and occasionally "roh' (a derogatory term describing Shias who refused to accept the early caliphs). Anti-Sunni posts described the royal family and their supporters as "i own them' (a pejorative term used to describe Sunnis hostile to the family of Prophet Muhammad).

NGOs working on civil discourse and interfaith dialogue reported that Sunni-Shia tensions and historic political divisions continued to have negative economic impacts. Shia officials said that persistently higher unemployment rates among members of their community, limited prospects for social advancement, and the Shia's lower socioeconomic status, exacerbated by persistent discrimination against them in the private sector, exacerbated tensions between the two communities strengthened. Because religion and political affiliation were often closely linked, it was difficult to categorize these effects solely on the basis of religious identity.

In February, Jewish communities in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia announced the formation of the region's first community organization, the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC), incorporated in Dubai. The President of the AGJC was Ebrahim Dawood Nonoo, a citizen of Bahrain. On August 22, for the first time since 1947, Bahraini Jews held services at the newly renovated synagogue in Manama, attended by diplomats, members of Jewish communities from all Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and Bahraini and Emirati Muslims. In October, the AGJC organized the first Jewish wedding in the country in 52 years. The event, held under the auspices of the Orthodox Union, which bills itself as "the world's largest kosher certification body," marked the first strictly kosher wedding in the country's history.

The government-backed NGO King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence held a conference on religious freedom entitled "Ignorance is the Enemy of Peace" in December. The center ran anti-Semitism programs as part of the normalization of the government's relationship with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords.

According to religious minorities, there was a high level of tolerance within society for minority religious beliefs and traditions, but not for conversion from Islam or atheist or secular views. Holiday foods, decorations, posters, and books were widely used during major Christian and Hindu holidays, and Christmas trees and elaborate decorations remained prominent features in malls, restaurants, cafes, and hotels. The news media continued to print reports of non-Muslim religious holidays, including Christmas celebrations and Hindu festivals such as Diwali and Holi.

Anti-Zionist comments on social media peaked with announcements of government normalization efforts with Israel alongside protests with anti-normalization slogans such as "death to the Zionists" and "death to Israel". After normalization took place, there was negative public reaction to a Twitter post by Houda Nonoo, a former Bahraini ambassador to the United States, inviting Jews from abroad to visit and settle in Bahrain.

Research and consultancy firm PSB, based in the United Arab Emirates, conducted a survey of youth aged 17-24 in 17 Arab countries in June and reported that 37 percent of Bahraini respondents said their religion was the most important factor in determining their personal identity, slightly higher than the regional result of 34 percent and the result of the previous year's survey of 32 percent. Other choices offered by the survey as possible answers were family/tribe, nationality, Arabic heritage, political beliefs, language and gender.

The charge d'affaires, other senior US government officials and embassy officials met with senior government officials, including the secretary of state and the secretary of justice, Islamic affairs and endowments, as well as national human rights monitoring institutions, to call for respect for freedom of religion and free speech, including the rights of clergy and other religious leaders to speak and write freely. Embassy officials encouraged the government's continued efforts to counter religious extremist narratives and ensure the full inclusion of all citizens, including members of the Shia majority, in political, social and economic opportunities. US officials have advocated publicly and in private meetings that the government enact policy reforms that meet the needs of all citizens regardless of their religious or past or current political affiliations, such as ensuring that electoral districts are chosen to ensure a representatively elected lower house of parliament, promoting an impartial application process for government posts and allowing people previously associated with religiously-based political opposition groups to run for public office.

The charge d'affaires and other embassy officials met regularly with religious leaders from a wide range of faiths, representatives of NGOs and political groups to discuss freedom of religion and freedom of expression in relation to religious practices. Embassy officials and senior US officials visited various places of worship and participated in religious events throughout the year, including celebrations of Ashura, Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Christmas, Hannukah and Diwali. At these events, they discussed issues related to religious tolerance with participants and emphasized the US government's commitment to religious freedom.

The Embassy continued to encourage religious leaders to participate in exchange programs in the United States designed to promote religious tolerance and a better understanding of the right to practice one's faith as a fundamental human right and source of stability. In August, the chargé d'affaires and the chair of the King Hamad Center met to discuss potential opportunities for cooperation under the 2020 US-Bahrain Memorandum of Understanding on Combating Antisemitism. The embassy also supported religious freedom through its online presence, regularly promoting high-level contacts with religious leaders on social media, the embassy's participation in religious celebrations, such as during Diwali, and hosting a virtual event for Ramadan.

The US government estimates the total population at 164.1 million (mid-2021). According to the 2013 government census, the latest official data available, Sunni Muslims make up 89 percent of the population and Hindus 10 percent. The rest of the population is predominantly Christian, mostly Roman Catholic and Theravada Hinayana Buddhist. The country also has small numbers of Shia Muslims, Ahmadi Muslims, Baha'i, animists, agnostics and atheists. Leaders of minority religious communities estimate their respective follower numbers at anywhere from a few thousand to 100,000.

Ethnic minorities concentrated in the CHT and northern districts generally practice non-Islamic faiths. The Garo in Mymensingh are predominantly Christian, as are some of the Santal in Gaibandha. Most Buddhists are members of the indigenous people of the CHT. Bengali and Christian ethnic minorities live in communities across the country, with relatively high concentrations in Barishal City and Gournadi in Barishal District, Baniarchar in Gopalganj District, Monipuripara and Christianpara in Dhaka City, and in the cities of Gazipur and Khulna.

The largest non-state population group are Rohingya. Human Rights Watch estimates that around 1,500 Rohingya in the refugee settlements are Christians. A State Department official said about 400 refugees are Hindu, while activists and leaders on the ground say the number is closer to 550 to 600. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, more than a million have been Rohingya since the early 1990s -Refugees have fled Burma in successive waves. As of August 2017, approximately 769,000 Rohingya who fled violence in Burma have found refuge in the country, bringing the total to over 918,000. Almost all who arrived during the 2017 influx sought shelter in and around the Kutupalong and Nayapara refugee settlements in Cox's Bazar district.

Legal framework

According to the constitution, "The state religion of the republic is Islam, but the state ensures equal status and rights in the practice of Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other religions." Should allow religion and prohibits religiously based political parties. It provides the right to profess, practice or propagate any religion “subject to law, public order and morality” and states that religious communities or denominations have the right to establish, maintain and administer their religious institutions . The Constitution states that no one attending an educational institution is required to receive instruction in, or attend ceremonies or services related to, a religion to which he or she does not belong.

Under the Criminal Code, statements or acts made with “willful and malicious” intent to offend religious sentiment are punishable by a fine or up to two years in prison. Although the Code does not further define this forbidden intent, the courts have interpreted it to include insulting Prophet Muhammad. The Penal Code allows the government to confiscate any copies of newspapers, magazines or other publications containing language that "incites enmity and hatred among citizens or denigrates religious beliefs." The law imposes similar restrictions on online publications. Although there is no specific blasphemy law, authorities use the Criminal Code, along with a section of the Information and Communications Technology Act and the Digital Security Act, to charge individuals with acts considered an offense to Islam. The Information and Communications Technology Act criminalizes various forms of online opinion, including "obscene material," "expressions likely to degrade law and order," and "statements offending religious sensibilities." The Digital Security Act also criminalizes the publication or dissemination of "any information that offends religious values ​​or sentiments" by refusing bail to detainees and increasing penalties if convicted to up to 10 years in prison.

The constitution prohibits freedom of association when an association is formed with the aim of "destroying religious peace", promoting the peaceful coexistence of religious communities or creating discrimination on religious grounds.

Individual places of worship do not have to register with the government. However, religious groups wishing to establish multi-house associations must register as NGOs with either the NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB) if they receive foreign aid for development projects, or with the Department of Social Welfare if they do not. The law requires the NGOAB to approve and monitor all foreign-funded projects. The NGOAB Director-General has the power to impose sanctions on NGOs for violating the law, including fines of up to three times the foreign donation or the closure of the NGO. NGOs are also penalized for making “derogatory” statements about the Constitution or constitutional institutions (e.g. the government). Expatriate employees must obtain security clearance from National Security Intelligence, Special Branch of Police and Directorate General of Forces Intelligence; the standards for these distances are not specified.

Registration requirements and procedures for religious groups are the same as for secular associations. Registration requirements with the Department of Social Welfare include confirmation that the registered name has not yet been taken and submission of the organisation's charter/statutes; Confirmation of security clearances for leaders of the organization by the National Security Intelligence; Minutes of the meeting for the appointment of the Board of Directors; a list of all members of the Executive Committee and general members and photographs of the officers; a work schedule; a copy of the deed or lease of the organization's office and a list of property; a budget; and a recommendation from a local government representative.

The requirements for registration with the NGOAB are similar.

Family law relating to marriage, divorce and adoption contains separate provisions for Muslims, Hindus and Christians. These laws are enforced in the same secular courts. Separate civil family law applies to mixed-denominational, non-denominational or non-denominational families. The family law of the religion of the two parties involved governs their marriage rituals and procedures. A Muslim man may have up to four wives, although he must obtain written consent from his existing wife or wives before remarrying. A Christian man can only marry one woman.

Hindu men can have multiple wives. Officially, Hindus have no opportunity for divorce, although informal divorces do occur. According to family law, Hindu women are not allowed to inherit property. Buddhists are subject to the same laws as Hindus. Divorced Hindus and Buddhists are not legally allowed to remarry. Divorced men and women of other religions and widowed persons of any religion can remarry. Marriages between members of different religious communities only take place under civil law. To be legally recognised, Muslim marriages must be registered with the state by either the couple or the clergyman conducting the marriage; However, some Muslim marriages are not registered. Marriage registration for Hindus and Christians is optional, and other faiths may set their own guidelines.

According to the Muslim Family Ordinance, a Muslim man may marry women of any Abrahamic faith; However, a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim. According to the ordinance, a widow receives one-eighth of her husband's property if she is his only wife, and the rest is divided among the children; each female child receives half the share of each male child. Wives have fewer divorce rights than husbands. Civil courts must approve divorces. The law requires a Muslim man to pay alimony to a former wife for three months, but this protection generally only applies to registered marriages; unregistered marriages are, by definition, undocumented and difficult to justify. Even in the case of registered marriages, the authorities do not always enforce maintenance obligations.

Alternative Dispute Resolution is available to all citizens, including Muslims, for out-of-court settlement of family disputes and other civil matters not related to land ownership. With the consent of both parties, attorneys may be appointed to facilitate the arbitration, the results of which may be used in court.

Fatwas may only be issued by Muslim religious scholars and not by local religious leaders to regulate matters of religious practice. Fatwas may not be used to justify punishment, nor may they replace existing secular laws.

Religious education is compulsory and part of the curriculum for grades three through ten in all public, state-recognized schools. Private schools do not have this requirement. Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian students are to receive instruction in their own religious beliefs, although teachers are not always adherents of the students' beliefs.

The Prisons Regulation Act allows prisoners to observe religious observances, including access to extra food on feast days or being allowed to fast for religious reasons. The law does not guarantee prisoners regular access to clergy or regular religious services, but prison authorities can organize special religious programs for them. Prison authorities are obliged to give prisoners facing the death penalty access to a religious figure of a faith of their choice before execution.

The Property Rights Restoration Act allows the government to return confiscated property from individuals, mostly Hindus, whom it had earlier declared enemies of the state. In the past, authorities have used the law to confiscate property abandoned by minority religious groups fleeing the country, particularly after the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

In response to the violence and destruction that ensued in October following a Facebook post that sparked attacks on Hindus, government officials at the highest levels, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, condemned the attacks, describing the violence and destruction of Hindu temples and properties as inappropriate. Islamic. The Ministry of Religious Affairs donated building materials and food packages to Hindu families, and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, in partnership with the government, provided tents for displaced victims. To stem the spread of violence, the government took action to remove social media posts it deemed provocative, such as fake images that sparked attacks on Hindus. However, some human rights organizations said the government's actions to arrest and charge thousands of people were excessive and in some cases deliberately aimed at political rivals. As of October 26, police arrested 583 suspects for their role in the violence and filed 102 criminal charges against 20,619 people, including the local resident who first posted the alleged desecration on Facebook. Authorities charged a Hindu youth under the Digital Security Act with alleged anti-Islamic remarks he posted online on October 17, which they say angered Muslims and prompted anti-Hindu reprisals in the northwestern city of Rangpur. On October 20, the government announced the formation of a panel of the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the October 17 attacks on Hindu facilities in the peer gang area of ​​northwest Rangpur District. The government deployed border guards and Rapid Deployment Battalion units across the country to deter violence and successfully maintain peace during the subsequent Hindu holiday of Diwali on November 4.

Some leaders of the Hindu communities said the government's actions in response to the communal violence helped calm the situation. Other Hindu organizations disagreed, saying the government had taken insufficient action to quell the violence, stating that the government's failure to punish perpetrators of previous periods of religious violence contributed to the October events. When the foreign minister declared that four Muslims and two Hindus died during the violence, but none of the Hindus died as a result of communal attacks and no temples were destroyed, Hindu organizations protested violently, noting that this contradicted other official government statements. The Bangladesh Hindu Law Reform Council said the foreign minister's statement was an attempt to cover up anti-Hindu attacks, and some human rights activists said the foreign minister's statement enabled further violence. An international Hindu organization said police are standing by in many places instead of protecting Hindus from mob violence and that the government has arrested several Hindus whom the organization called "prisoners of conscience" for sharing information about the ongoing violence shared on social media.

On February 10, a judge at the Special Anti-Terrorism Tribunal in Dhaka sentenced eight Islamist militants to death for the 2015 murder of a publisher. Two of the eight convicted men were still at large at the end of the year. The tribunal convicted the men, members of the Islamist militant group Ansar al-Islam, of hacking to death Faisal Abedin Deepan, a publisher of books on secularism and atheism.

On February 16, a court sentenced five men to death and one to life in prison for the 2015 killing of atheist blogger Avijit Roy. The trial began in April 2019 before the Anti-Terrorism Tribunal and has been postponed several times due to COVID-19.

A special tribunal in Dhaka on March 23 sentenced 14 members of the banned Islamist group Harkak-ul-Jihad-al-Islami to death in a case involving a conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2000. The group began assassination in 2005 was banned, planted a bomb at a political rally where Hasina was scheduled to address supporters the next day. Of the 14 convicted, five remained at large at the end of the year.

On 23 November the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for Salauddin Salehin, a member of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), convicted of the 2004 killing of Goni Gomez, a Christian convert from Islam, in Jamalpur. The Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal initially sentenced Salauddin to death in 2006.

On November 1, a cybercrime tribunal in Rajshahi sentenced three people to 10 years in prison under the Information and Communications Technology Act for sharing a satirical cartoon, commenting on the tribunal about Prophet Muhammad in 2013 from a Facebook account as obscene. According to prosecutors, two of the convicted defendants allegedly shared a distorted image of the Prophet on a Facebook account on behalf of a Hindu who had nothing to do with the posting. The third accused then printed copies of the cartoon and sold them to Muslim villagers. In response, local Muslims set fire to the Hindu man's house. In addition to the three people sentenced to prison, authorities charged seven others after the incident, but the court acquitted them.

In April, police arrested more than 300 members of the Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam over deadly protests surrounding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in March. The group accused Modi of inciting religious discrimination against Muslims in India and led violent protests in several districts during Modi's two-day visit.

On February 25, Forest Service officials demolished a Seventh-day Adventist church in Sathirampara, Bandarban district. The community replaced the bamboo hut they had used for many years with a more permanent brick building. A Forest Service official said the community does not have permission to build on the land and in the village “there are only three or four Christian families; there is no need for a church.”

In October, the Bangladesh Cyber ​​Tribunal formally charged baul-folk singer Rita Dewan with blasphemy stemming from an incident in February 2020 when a lawyer accused her of making derogatory remarks against Allah during a music competition, for which she later apologized. Criminal charges under the Criminal Code and the Digital Security Act were filed against Dewan that same month, and a court issued an arrest warrant for her in December 2020. Dewan turned himself in to authorities and was released on bail in January.

Human rights organizations reported an increase in the use of extrajudicial fatwas by community leaders and local religious leaders to punish individuals for perceived "moral transgressions" compared to 2020. The incidence increased from eight cases in calendar year 2020 to 12 cases from January to November. An organization that closely followed the issuance of these fatwas attributed the surge to a deterioration in law and order and unrest due to COVID-19.

Thousands of mosques, including the national mosque Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka, were under the direct supervision of the Islamic Foundation; Imams and staff at these mosques were funded by the government. Mosques not overseen by the Islamic Foundation were still operated under the supervision of a governing committee dominated by local politicians and the ruling party administration. Islamic leaders said the government continues to influence the appointment and removal of imams and provides guidance on the content of sermons for imams across the country. This included issuing written instructions emphasizing certain verses of the Qur'an and quotations from the Prophet Muhammad. The government also ordered imams to denounce extremism. Religious leaders said imams in all mosques usually continue to avoid sermons that go against government policy.

The BHBCUC said property restitution cases were suspended as tribunals and courts of appeal were not in session from March 2020 to October 2021. According to the Land Department's 2018-2019 report, the latest available figures from 2018, authorities had decided 26,791 out of 114,749 asset restitution cases filed under the Vested Benefits Act. Of these verdicts, the owners, mostly Hindus, won 12,190 of the cases and recovered 10,255 acres of land, while the government won the remaining 14,791 cases. Media reports and human rights activists attributed the slow return of land confiscated under relevant laws by Hindus who had migrated to India to the inefficiency of the judiciary and general government indifference.

Freedom House's 2021 report found that religious minorities remain underrepresented in politics and government agencies, and that members of ethnic and religious minorities face some discrimination in law, harassment and violations of their rights in practice were.

Religious minorities also reported that students from religious minorities were sometimes unable to enroll in religious classes because there were not enough teachers to provide compulsory religious education for students of non-Islamic faiths. In these cases, school officials generally permitted local religious organizations, parents, or others, to hold religious instruction for such students outside of school hours, and sometimes exempted students from the obligation to attend religious instruction.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs had a budget of 22.4 billion taka (US$260.47 million) for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, covering the period July 2021 to June 2022. The budget included 19.35 billion taka (US$225.0 million) allocated for development by autonomous religious bodies. The government provided 17.58 billion taka (US$204.42 million) to the Islamic Foundation, which is administered by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The Hindu Welfare Trust received 1.724 billion taka (US$20.05 million) and the Buddhist Welfare Trust received 32 million taka (US$372,000) from the allocation. While the Christian Welfare Trust received no development funding from the budget, it did receive 10.3 million taka (US$120,000) to operate its office. For comparison, in 2020 the ministry had a budget of 16.93 billion taka (US$196.86 million), including 14.25 billion taka (US$165.70 million) allocated by autonomous religious institutions for the development were provided. The government provided 8.12 billion taka (US$94.42 million) for the Islamic Foundation, 1.435 billion taka (US$16.69 million) for the Hindu Welfare Trust, 46.8 million taka (US$544,000 ) for the Buddhist Welfare Trust and seven million taka ($81,400) for the Christian Welfare Trust.

Property and land disputes and forced evictions, including some involving the government, continued to be reported by Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and members of other minority religious communities, who are sometimes also ethnic minorities, and remained unresolved at the end of the year. Some human rights activists said it is often difficult to determine whether these disputes and evictions are the result of deliberate government discrimination against religious minorities or government inefficiency. The government continued construction projects on land traditionally owned by indigenous communities in the Moulvibazar and Modhupur forest areas. In January, more than 1,000 Garo and Koch people, mostly Christians, gathered at a bus stop in Tangail to protest a statement from the Forest Service urging them to vacate their ancestral land in Modhupur Forest. According to minority religious groups, land disputes have broken out in areas near new roads or industrial development areas where land prices have risen. They also indicated that local police, civil authorities, and political leaders facilitated the appropriation of property for financial gain or protected politically influential property appropriators from prosecution. Some human rights groups have attributed the failure to resolve some of these disputes to inefficient judicial and land registry systems and the insufficient political and financial clout of affected communities, rather than to government policies that disadvantaged religious or ethnic minorities. Indigenous groups in the CHT in particular have large communities of Buddhists, Hindus and Christians. Some of these communities speak tribal languages ​​rather than Bangla, making it difficult for them to access government services and further marginalizing these groups.

The government continued to station law enforcement officers at religious sites, festivals and events identified as potential targets for violence, including Diwali, Christmas, Easter and the Buddhist festival of Buddha Purnima.

Due to COVID-19, President Abdul Hamid did not hold his usual annual receptions to commemorate major Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian holidays.

Freedom House found in September that members of religious minorities - including Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, as well as Shia and Ahmadi Muslims - faced harassment and violence, including mob violence against their places of worship. Communal attacks on ethnic and religious minorities continued throughout the year, according to the BHBCUC and the Hindu American Foundation (HAF).

From October 13 to 24, during and after the Hindu festival of Durga Puja, national and local media reported that mobs had attacked and destroyed Hindu homes and temples after a local posted a post on Facebook with the Koran on his lap of the deity Hanuman displayed in a Hindu temple in the city of Cumila. The post went viral and sparked strong reactions across the country. According to the World Hindu Federation (WHF) and the HAF, the mob demolished more than 340 Hindu temples and Buddhist monasteries, demolished or burned nearly 1,650 Hindu homes, and looted Hindu-owned shops and businesses. Reporting of the number of those who died varies:The guardreported seven people died, but the WHF said more than 14 Hindus died in the violence. At least four Muslims were also killed in clashes with police, according to media and official estimates. The United Nations attributed four deaths to anti-Hindu violence but said others died as a result of subsequent law enforcement efforts to quell the violence. BHBCUC said communal violence against minorities continued throughout the year, saying mobs destroyed 70 temples and 100 homes and businesses. Ain o Salish Kendra, a domestic human rights organization, estimates that there have been 3,769 attacks on Hindus since 2013, including those in October. In response to the violence, there were several interfaith demonstrations across the country denouncing the attacks. Hindus refrained from public celebrations of Diwali on November 4 and held private ceremonies in their temples and homes. Hindu worshipers covered their faces with black cloth to protest the lack of security for Hindus.

AfterAl-DshasiraOn June 19, activists from an indigenous minority killed an indigenous man in Bandarban, CHT, for converting to Islam.

News from Asiareported the attack and death of Joy Haldar, a Christian student at St. Joseph's High School and College. Eleven Muslim students sent Haldar death threats by phone before attacking him and three other Christian students later on May 16. Haldar suffered blows to the head and eventually died in hospital after 22 days. The students attacked Haldar in an argument over Pubg, an online video game. After Haldar's brother lodged a complaint with the police, the accused were arrested and released on bail. "As Christians, we are far from enjoying security and justice," the brother said.

On May 31, according to various media reports, two men with machetes attacked and abandoned Augra Jyoti Mahasthabir, a Buddhist monk from an indigenous community, at a monastery in Khagrachari, CHT. The attackers, two Bengali builders working at the monastery, also stole money from the temple. The officer in charge at Panchhari Police Station said police had opened an attempted murder investigation into the case.

On February 10, a group of Muslims smashed the sign of Emmanuel Church in Lalmonirhat district in the north of the country, felled trees, vandalized the church's entrance and stole chairs and carpets. The local pastor said Muslims in the area are angry with Christians because new members have joined their denominations as converts from Islam. According to media reports, the destruction was spurred on by anti-Christian propaganda at a local Islamic gathering place where Muslim religious leaders were spreading hate speech. The Bangladesh Christian Association condemned both incidents of violence.

According to media reports, on March 17, a crowd of Muslims demolished dozens of Hindu homes and temples in Noagaon village, Sunamganj district, after a Hindu criticized Hefazat-e-Islam's joint secretary-general, Mamunul Haque, on Facebook. The media reported that after the attacks, police arrested 113 people, including a party leader of the Jubo League (the youth wing of the ruling Awami League), and many of them were released on bail. On March 25, police filed a Digital Security Act case against the man whose Facebook post sparked the attacks. The court granted his release on bail in September.

In September, Freedom House assessed the recent violent incidents as "part of a pattern in recent years in which violence against religious or other minorities appears to have been deliberately provoked via social media." Human rights organizations and religious leaders echoed the sentiment, saying social media had contributed to religious polarization and an increase in attacks on religious minorities.

On May 8, scores of people sent offensive comments to actor Chanchal Chowdhury's Facebook account after he posted a photo with his mother in celebration of Mother's Day. In the photo, his mother wears a vermilion bindi mark on her forehead. Numerous supporters expressed surprise at Chowdhury's religion, and some made offensive comments about his mother being Hindu. Some individuals also made negative personal comments about Chowdhury, and the comment thread was characterized by negative back-and-forth postings between Muslims and Hindus. In response, Chowdhury said, "What do you have to gain or lose if I am Hindu or Muslim? The greatest identity of all is that we are human. May these vulgar questions and embarrassing discussions stop everywhere. Come and let us become human.”

Human rights activists have expressed concern about the well-being of Hindu and Christian groups, including the Rohingya Christian Assembly, in the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. They said the Hindu community had been separated from the rest of the camp in response to the increase in violence against the community. Hindu leaders said they struggle to hold festivals as they are banned without special permits, which are rarely granted. Hindu leaders said access to the erected temple was inadequate, as entry was only allowed for a maximum of 24 people. However, government officials said the restrictions on gatherings or building new permanent structures were the result of general restrictions in the refugee camps. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, authorities rarely gave permission for any group in the camps to gather during the year. The camp authorities did not allow permanent structures such as shelters, places of worship or learning centers, regardless of religious affiliation.

On September 29, unknown assailants killed prominent Rohingya leader Mohammed Mohib Ullah in Cox's Bazar. Although the authorities did not attribute a motive to his killing, Mohib Ullah was known to be an active defender of the Rohingya community and advocate for rights, including freedom of religion. According to media reports, police arrested up to a dozen suspects in October and November.

In November, theNew York Timesreported that Rohingya Christian refugee families were relocated to Bhasan Char Island in the Bay of Bengal after suffering persecution and violence against them in the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. Members of the Christian minority in the camps alleged that the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a Rohingya militant group present in the camps, temporarily abducted and tortured some Christian refugees.

Media reported that Rohingya Muslims protested the funeral of Mohi Uddin, a Christian Rohingya refugee, in Kutapalong refugee camp in September and prevented the funeral for 30 hours. According to the pastor of the Baptist church at Chattogram, where Uddin was eventually buried, the burial of people of different faiths at the same place had not been an issue in the camp in the past, but despite the intervention of the camp director and UN staff, Rohingya Muslims formed on the occasion Refugees set up a barrier to protest Uddin's funeral.

According to media reports, large protests took place before and during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh on March 26. On March 19, 500 Muslims demonstrated on the street in front of Baitul Mokarram Mosque in Dhaka and 200 student activists marched through the streets of Dhaka University campus. The protesters said Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party were oppressing Muslims in India.

Media reported that on June 9, Christians and other religious minorities continued their annual monitoring of "Black Day" protests against the 1988 constitutional amendments that established Islam as the state religion in the country.

According to local human rights organizations, a growing group of Hindu activists in the country were working to reform Hindu family law to give Hindu women greater rights, including women's inheritance of property and provisions on divorce. According to media reports, Hindu groups, which they describe as conservative, protested in August at the presentation of a series of reform proposals by the NGO Manusher Jonno Foundation (Foundation for the People) to the Legal Commission. The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance called on the government to take legal actionThe day starEditor Mahfuz Anam and his wife Shaheen Anam, executive director of the Manusher Jonno Foundation, who advocated changes in the law because they hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community and caused chaos in Hindu families. These tensions between different elements within the local Hindu community continued until the end of the year with no change in family law.

Harassment, social isolation and physical violence against converts from Islam and Hinduism to Christianity continued to be reported by human rights NGOs. The NGOs said that individuals commonly associate a person's faith with their last name. Despite constitutional guarantees protecting an individual's right to change faith, the NGOs said harassment, threats and social isolation could result if a person's professed faith departed from the faith tradition commonly associated with their surname .

The ambassador and other embassy officials met regularly with officials from the Prime Minister's Office, the Department of Religious Affairs, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Social Welfare and local government officials to underscore the importance of religious freedom and tolerance. They discussed the importance of integrating religious freedom and other human rights into security policies and stressed the importance of respecting the views of religious minorities, including religious minorities in society and protecting religious minorities from attacks.

Following communal anti-Hindu violence in October, the ambassador visited several places of worship to meet with leaders of major religious communities to promote interfaith harmony. He attended a Catholic Church on October 26, the Star Mosque and Madrasah of Dhaka on November 1, and the Dhakeshwari Hindu Temple on November 2. After visiting the Shakyamuni Buddhist temple on November 10, the ambassador tweeted: everywhere, support for interfaith harmony and the fundamental right of religious freedom.” On November 17, a senior State Department official met with representatives of interfaith communities for a discussion in which She stressed that the United States deeply values ​​religious tolerance and stands with Bangladeshis of all faiths who promote diversity, unity and mutual respect.

The United States provided $302 million in humanitarian assistance funding for programs in the country in support of Rohingya refugees and their host communities in fiscal year 2021, and emphasized U.S. support for the protection of vulnerable religious minority groups. In September, the US government announced nearly $180 million in additional funding at the UN General Assembly session. With this new funding, the US response to the Rohingya crisis has reached more than $16 billion since August 2017.

As part of US-funded community policing training, the embassy continued to encourage law enforcement officials to protect the rights of religious minorities.

Throughout the year, the embassy continued outreach to promote interfaith tolerance between religious groups. On October 29, State Department officials attended a virtual meeting with Hindus and Christians, including the Bangladeshi diaspora community in the United States, to discuss communal attacks, possible causal factors and appropriate response measures. Embassy officials attended religious festivals celebrated by Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim communities and at these events emphasized the importance of tolerance and respect for religious minorities.

Throughout the year, the embassy released messages highlighting the U.S. government's commitment to promoting religious freedom, including stepping up the State Department's Twitter messages marking International Religious Freedom Day. The Embassy's social media messages on religious tolerance reached more than 2.5 million people. The embassy released a statement on October 19 expressing condolences to the families of victims of anti-Hindu violence and supporting freedom of religion.

The embassy and other US government officials expressed their support for the rights of religious minorities and stressed the importance of protecting them. Embassy officials continued to meet regularly with a variety of religious organizations and representatives including Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, BHBCUC, HAF, Bangladesh Christian Association, Buddhist Religious Welfare Trust, Christian Religious Welfare Trust, World Buddhist Association Bangladesh, Bangladesh Buddhist Federation, Christian Freedom International, International Buddhist Monastery of Dhaka and the Aga Khan Foundation. At these meetings, embassy officials, other US government officials, and representatives of groups discussed the state of religious freedom in the country, underscored the importance of religious tolerance, and identified the challenges faced by religious minorities.

The US government estimates the total population at 857,000 (mid-2021). According to a 2012 Pew Research Center report, approximately 75 percent of the population follows Buddhism and 23 percent is Hindu. Hindus mainly live in southern areas adjacent to India. The 2020 World Christian Database report estimates that Buddhists made up 83 percent of the population and Hindus 11 percent in 2019.

The 2012 Pew Research Center report estimates the size of the Christian community at 0.5 to 3.6 percent of the total population. The Open Doors 2021 report puts the Christian population at 30,000 (about 3.5 percent). Most Christians are concentrated in the southern cities. According to scholars, while individuals often combine Bon practices (an indigenous Tibetan religious tradition) with Buddhist practices, very few citizens adhere exclusively to this religious tradition. The Sharchop ethnic group, which makes up the majority of the population in the East, practices elements of Tibetan Buddhism combined with elements of Bon tradition and Hinduism, according to scholars.

Most of the country's guest workers come from India. In 2019 (latest available data), the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimated that 60,000 Indian nationals resided in the country and 8,000 to 10,000 additional temporary workers entered the country every day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some Indian residents left the country and the government restricted the entry of most foreign workers. Although there is no data on their religious affiliation, most foreign workers are likely to be Hindus, with a smaller number being Muslims.

Legal framework

The constitution recognizes Buddhism as the state's "spiritual heritage" and states that it is "the responsibility of all religious institutions and figures to promote the spiritual heritage of the country". The constitution provides for freedom of thought, conscience and religion and prohibits discrimination based on belief. The constitution states that the king must be a Buddhist and requires the king to be the "protector of all religions".

The Constitution further states: “No one shall be compelled, by coercion or inducement, to conform to any other faith.” The Religious Organizations Act states that “No religious organization shall compel a person to conform to any other faith by offering a reward or provides an incentive for a person to belong to another faith.” The Criminal Code criminalizes “coercing or inciting conversion” as an administrative offense punishable by imprisonment for up to three years. Neither “coercion” nor “incitement to convert” are defined in any law or regulation.

The law bans oral and written communication that "encourages enmity between religious groups" and carries prison sentences of up to three years for violations.

The Criminal Code states that persons found guilty of encouraging civil unrest by advocating "religious abhorrence," disturbing public peace, or committing an act "of maintaining harmony" among religious groups are punishable at ages five to nine be punished in prison.

The law requires religious groups to register with the CRO. To be registered, a religious group must submit an application proving that its leaders are citizens of the country and disclose their education and financial assets. The law also sets out the organizational structure, statutes and rules of procedure for registered religious organizations. It prohibits religious organizations from violating the country's "spiritual heritage" and obliges them to protect and promote it. The law also states that no religious organization may do anything to interfere with the country's sovereignty, security, unity or territorial integrity. It requires the CRO to certify that religious groups applying for registration meet established requirements.

Registered religious groups can collect donations for religious activities and are exempt from taxes. Registered groups require approval from local government agencies to hold public gatherings outside of their registered facilities and must obtain approval from the Department of Home and Cultural Affairs to invite foreign speakers or receive foreign funding.

Unregistered religious groups are not allowed to organize public worship, own property, collect donations, engage in public relations, or import literature. Penalties for unregistered organizations engaging in these activities range from fines to jail time, depending on the crime. The law states that it is a criminal offense for a religious group to provide false or misleading information in its religious teachings, to misappropriate investments, or to raise funds illegally. The CRO has authority to determine whether the content of a group's religious teachings is false or misleading and whether it has been raising funds illegally. Penalties include fines and possible revocation of registration.

The law states that the CRO should consist of an eight-member board responsible for overseeing the structure of religious institutions, enforcing constitutional separation between government and religious organizations, and overseeing religious fundraising activities. The panel is chaired by a cabinet minister appointed by the Prime Minister. A senior Treasury official and a King-appointed National Councilor also sit on the board. The culture director of the Ministry of the Interior acts ex officio as secretary. The remaining seats are occupied by heads of Buddhist religious organizations and the Hindu Dharma Samudaya, a registered Hindu organization. The law requires the CRO to "ensure that religious institutions and figures promote the country's spiritual heritage" by developing a society "rooted in the Buddhist ethos."

The constitution states that the king shall appoint the chief abbot of the country's central monastic body on the advice of the Five Masters of the Buddhist monastic body. These individuals and a civil service administrative secretary form the Monastic Affairs Commission, which deals with matters related to Buddhist teachings. The constitution states that the state will provide funds and “facilities” to the central monastic body.

The law allows the government to "avoid breaches of the peace" by requiring permits for public gatherings, banning gatherings in designated areas and imposing curfews. The government can apply these measures to groups and organizations of all kinds, including religious groups.

Government approval is required for the construction of religious buildings. By law, all buildings, including religious structures, must conform to traditional architectural standards. The CRO determines compliance with these standards.

The constitution states that religious institutions and figures are responsible for ensuring that "religion in Bhutan remains separate from politics". It also states: "Religious institutions and personalities should be above politics." The law also prohibits religious organizations from participating in political activities. Ordained members of the clergy of any religion may not engage in political activities, including running for office and voting.

The country has not joined the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

International NGOs also reported that the lack of clarity in the law on "incentives" to conversion put the activities of religious minorities at risk of legal sanctions, although the country's religious minorities faced no such sanctions or pressure during the year.

There were no applications for registration of religious organizations during the year, compared to 14 in 2020. No information on the composition of the 14 groups was available. As of December, 139 religious organizations were registered with the government: 137 Buddhists and two Hindus. The CRO took no action on pending Church registration applications. The government gave no official explanation to the applicants.

Unregistered religious groups, including Christians, said they could hold services privately, although unregistered groups were not allowed to publicly organize, own property, fundraise, do public relations work, or import literature.

Christian groups said they remain unable to purchase burial sites and there is no clear government process for doing so. Some groups instead buried their dead in undeveloped areas away from settlements. One group said there was no official policy mandating the cremation of the dead, but government contacts had informally pushed for cremation. The group said cremation remains the clear national preference given the broad influence of Buddhist practice and tradition and that Christians, as a minority religious group, have little influence on the issue.

Some Christian groups said Christians have fewer officially sanctioned public celebrations than the Hindu community.

The 2021 Open Doors report states that Christians have often struggled to obtain "clearance certificates" from local authorities; These were needed for credit and employment applications, property registration, and identity card renewals. A local organization said obtaining a certificate is not difficult unless the applicant has a criminal record.

The government continued to provide financial support for the construction of Buddhist temples and shrines and funding for Buddhist monks and monasteries. According to the NGO Minority Rights Group International, the authorities gave Buddhist temples priority over Hindu temples in the approval process.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government imposed strict safety protocols and banned religious gatherings and related activities during the nationwide lockdown from January to February 13.

Some courts and other government institutions remained housed in or adjacent to Buddhist monasteries. Some religious groups stated that government ceremonies continued to include mandatory Buddhist prayer rituals.

Members of the Hindu Dharmic Samudaya continued to point to strong official support for Hindu religious practice.

Some converts reported continued societal pressures on individuals to engage in Buddhist traditions and practices. The Open Doors 2021 report states that converts to Christianity faced intense pressure to return to their former religion, particularly from relatives who viewed the conversions as a disgrace to their entire family. The NGO described the persecution of Christians in the country as "very high". The NGO report states that anyone who left Buddhism was viewed with suspicion by neighbors and friends, and great efforts were made by family members to bring converts back to their original beliefs. A local organization said the persecution varied in different regions of the country, with pressure to return to Buddhism likely to be greater in rural areas.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Bhutan; The US Embassy in New Delhi oversees unofficial bilateral relations. Throughout the year, the embassy has contacted government officials on religious freedom issues and met virtually with community and religious leaders.

The US government estimates the total population at 471,000 (mid-2021). According to the 2011 census (the most recent), 78.8 percent of the population is Muslim, 8.7 percent is Christian, and 7.8 percent is Buddhist, while the remaining 4.7 percent are of other religions, including indigenous beliefs.

There are significant differences in religious identification between ethnic groups. According to official statistics from 2019 (the latest), ethnic Malay citizens make up 66 percent of the population and are defined by law as Muslims from birth. The ethnic Chinese population, which makes up approximately 10 percent of the total population and includes both citizens and stateless permanent residents, is 65 percent Buddhist and 20 percent Christian. Indigenous tribes such as the Dusun, Bisaya, Murut and Iban make up approximately 4 percent of the population and are estimated to be 50 percent Muslim, 15 percent Christian and the remainder adherents of other religious groups including adherents of traditional practices. The remaining 18 percent of the population are foreign-born workers, mostly from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and other South Asian countries. According to official statistics, about half of these temporary and permanent residents are Muslims, more than a quarter are Christians and 15 percent are Buddhists.

Legal framework

The constitution states that the country's religion shall be the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islam, but allows all other religions to be practiced "in peace and harmony" by those who profess them.

The legal system is split between secular law and Sharia, which have parallel systems of both criminal and civil/family law and operate separate courts under a single judicial body. The civil courts operate under the common law. The Sharia courts follow the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence, in which there is no concept of precedent and the judges are not bound by the decisions of a higher court. Sharia courts have jurisdiction over both criminal and civil/family matters involving Muslims and deal with cases falling under long-established Sharia law as well as the SPC.

The SPC establishes corporal punishment and capital punishment provisions for murder, theft, adultery, rape, sodomy, apostasy, blasphemy and other acts that are considered crimes under Sharia law. These penalties include fines, imprisonment, flogging, caning, amputation of hands or feet, or death (including by stoning), depending on the nature and specifics of the offence. The SPC identifies murder, adultery, rape, bestiality, apostasy and blasphemy as capital crimes, although the law requires either confession or the testimony of multiple devout Muslim eyewitnesses to support a death sentence. However, apart from caning, no capital punishment or corporal punishment has been imposed or carried out since 1957. A de facto moratorium on the death penalty, announced by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in 2019, remained in effect throughout the year.

Most SPC sections apply to both Muslims and non-Muslims, including foreigners, and they also apply to offenses committed by citizens or permanent residents outside the country. Non-Muslims are exempt from certain sections, e.g. B. From the obligation for men to attend and pay for Friday prayersZakat(mandatory annual almsgiving). The SPC states that for the purposes of the law, Muslims are identified by "general reputation" but without further definition.

The SPC contains long-established Sharia-based national laws that prohibit drinking alcohol, the proliferation of religions other than Islam, eating in public during the fasting period of Ramadan, cross-dressing and close physical proximity between unmarried persons of one another prohibit sex. It prohibits "indecent conduct," including illegitimate pregnancy, and criminalizes any act that "tends to tarnish the reputation of Islam, corrupt a person, exert a bad influence, or anger the person who is likely to have seen the act." . ”

Penalties included in the SPC have different standards of proof than the common law Penal Code, e.g. B. The requirement that four pious men must personally witness an act of fornication in order to support a stoning verdict. However, stoning verdicts may be supported by confession rather than testimony at the discretion of a Sharia judge. If there are neither relevant statements nor a confession, the possible penalties are limited to caning, imprisonment or a fine.

The government describes its official national philosophy as Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB) or Malay Islamic Monarchy, which it defines as “a system that incorporates strong Malay cultural influences, emphasizes the importance of Islam in daily life and governance, and respects the monarchy as represented by His Majesty the Sultan.” The government has said that this system is essential to the country's way of life and is its main defense against “extremism”. The government-led MIB Supreme Council seeks to spread and strengthen the MIB philosophy and ensure that the MIB is enshrined in the nation's laws and policies. MIB is a compulsory subject for students in both public and private schools, including at the university level.

MORA's Religious Enforcement Division directs investigations into crimes unique to the SPC and other Sharia law, such as: B. Male Muslims who do not pray on Fridays. The RBPF investigates cases of crimes not covered by Sharia law, such as human trafficking. Officials from the RBPF and the Religious Enforcement Division work together in investigating crimes falling under both secular and Sharia law. In such cases, an "evaluation committee" composed of secular and Sharia prosecutors and secular and Sharia law enforcement officials decides which court system will hear the case. The evaluation committee's deliberations to determine whether certain cases will be tried in a secular or Sharia court are not public, and the government does not publish the committee's decision-making basis.

The government bans religious groups it considers "deviant," including the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, al-Arqam, Abdul Razak Mohammad, al-Ma'unah, Saihoni Tasipan, Tariqat Mufarridiyyah, Silat Lintau, Qadiyaniah, the Baha'i -Faith and Jehovah's Witnesses. The list is based on fatwas promulgated by the State Mufti, or Islamic Religious Council - a government agency and the Sultan's highest authority on Islamic affairs - and is available on MORA's website. The SPC also prohibits most non-Sunni forms of Islam and any practice or display of "black magic."

The SPC contains a list of words and phrases including the word "Allah" reserved only for Muslims or relating to Islam. MORA officials explain that non-Muslim use of certain words such as "Allah" does not constitute an SPC offense when used in a non-religious context or social activity.

Under the SPC, Muslims are not permitted to renounce or change their religion. Non-Muslims must be at least 14 years and seven months old to convert or renounce their religion. When a parent converts to Islam, their children under the age of 14 years and seven months automatically become Muslims.

The law requires all organizations, including religious groups, to register and provide the names of their members. Applicants are subject to background checks of executives and board members, and proposed organizations are subject to naming requirements. Registered organizations must provide information regarding governance, election of officers, members, assets, activities and any other information requested by the registrar. Benefits of registration include being able to operate, reserving space in public buildings, and applying for a permit to raise funds. The Registrar of Societies under MOHA oversees the application process, exercises discretion over applications, and has the power to deny approval for any reason. Organizations are prohibited from affiliating with an out-of-country organization without written permission from the Registrar. Unregistered organizations can be charged and fined for unlawful assembly. Individuals who participate in unregistered organizations or encourage others to join unregistered organizations can be fined, arrested and imprisoned. The penalty for violations of organization registration and operation laws is a fine of up to BND 10,000 (US$7,400), imprisonment for up to three years, or both.

The law states that any public gathering of five or more people must have prior official approval. Under long-standing emergency powers, this applies to all forms of public gatherings, including religious gatherings. In practice, however, places of worship are considered private places where gatherings do not require a permit.

The law prohibits Muslims or persons without faith from teaching or promoting any religion other than Islam. Under the SPC, the penalty for propagating religions other than Islam is up to five years in prison, a fine of up to BND 20,000 (US$14,800), or both. The SPC contains a provision making it illegal to criticize Islam, as well as the SPC itself.

Laws and regulations restrict access to religious literature. The law states that it is an offense for a person to import a publication deemed objectionable, defined in part as describing, depicting, or expressing racial or religious matters in a manner likely to incite "feelings of hostility, hatred, malevolence, or animosity between different racial or religious groups.” The law also prohibits the distribution of materials related to religions other than Islam to Muslims or non-believers. All religious texts are listed as an import restricted item and require government import authorization prior to shipment.

The law provides for two types of schools: those offering the national or international curriculum and administered by the Ministry of Education, and those offering supplementary religious education (Religion) managed by MORA.

Schools run by the Ministry of Education teach a course on Islamic religious knowledge, which is required for all Muslim children between the ages of seven and 15 living in the country with at least one parent who is a citizen or permanent resident. Non-Muslims are exempt from all religious study requirements and receive instruction in moral conduct. Non-Muslim students are still required to take MIB courses.

Ugama teaching at MORA schools is a seven to eight year course that teaches the daily practice of Sunni Islam according to the Shafi'i school. According to a 2012 government regulation, Ugama instruction is compulsory for Muslim students between the ages of seven and 14 who hold citizenship or permanent residence. many students attend the ugama schools in the afternoon after the schools are closed by the ministry of education. Parents can be fined up to BND5,000 (US$3,700), imprisoned for a maximum of one year, or both, for failing to comply with the order. The law makes no adjustments for Muslims who have non-Shafi'i faiths. MORA also manages a number of schools taught in Arabic that offer the national curriculum combined with Ugama religious instruction.

Public and private schools, including church-run private schools, are prohibited from providing religious instruction on any faith other than the Shafi'i school of Islam. Under the SPC, schools can be fined or school officials jailed for teaching non-Islamic religious subjects. The SPC prohibits exposing Muslim children, or the children of parents who have no religious affiliation, to the beliefs and practices of any religion other than Islam. The law requires that any person wishing to teach on Islamic matters must obtain official approval. Churches and religious schools may hold private religious education classes in private settings, e.g. B. at someone's home, offer.

All parental rights are given to the Muslim parent when a child is born to a Muslim parent and a non-Muslim parent. The non-Muslim parent will not be recognized in any official document, including the child's birth certificate, unless that parent has converted to Islam. The law prohibits any Muslim from relinquishing custody of a minor or dependent in his or her guardianship to a non-Muslim.

Under the SPC, non-Muslims can be arrestedOthers(fornication or adultery) orlonliness(close physical proximity between two unmarried people of opposite sex) provided the other accused is a Muslim. Foreigners are also subject to these laws.

A regulation requires companies that manufacture, supply and serve food and beverages to obtain a halal certificate or apply for an exemption when serving non-Muslims.

MORA explained circumcision for Muslim girls (clipping) a religious rite obligatory in Islam and describes it as the removal of the clitoral hood (Type I according to the World Health Organization classification). The government has stated that it does not consider this practice to be female genital mutilation/circumcision (FGM/C) and has expressed its support for the World Health Organization's call for the abolition of FGM/C. In his 2017 fatwas, the state mufti stated that both male and female circumcision are required, and specified that female circumcision involves a "small incision above the vagina".

The country has not joined the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

In response to a COVID-19 outbreak, the Minister for Religious Affairs announced that all mosques and other places of worship would be closed on August 7 until at least 70 percent of the population was fully vaccinated. As a result, many services have moved online. Unlike the closures ordered in 2020, MOHA and MORA did not update members of minority religious groups on the rules for closing and reopening churches and places of worship, instead having to rely on press conferences and news articles for details.

By the end of the year, the government had still not ratified UNCAT, which it signed into law in 2015 after the government widely condemned the implementation of the first phase of the SPC regulation in 2014. However, Foreign Minister Dato Erywan stated that the government was in the ratification process.

Legal sources reported that Sharia courts continued to prosecute criminal, divorce and probate cases until August 7, when the country went into lockdown to stem a second wave of COVID-19. Before the COVID outbreak, local media reported on cases being heard in Sharia and civil courts, but coverage of Sharia court hearings was halted during the lockdown, while coverage of civil court cases continued.

The government offered no official or public condolences and did not recognize the death of the country's first Catholic cardinal, Cornelius Sim, in May. Cardinal Sim had led interfaith dialogues and gatherings of interdenominational faith leaders from churches across the country, and frequently acted as the Christian community's liaison to the government.

Non-Muslims and members of minority Muslim groups reported no significant changes regarding the practice of minority religions since the SPC was fully implemented in 2019, but they said the law still prohibits the ability of non-Muslims to proselytize Muslims or others -Muslims. MORA announced that 414 residents had converted to Islam in 2020, 94 of whom belonged to the indigenous Iban community who inhabit rural areas, areas where the Sultan had asked MORA to do more to spread Islam support financially. A non-Muslim said that some Muslims saw COVID-19 as a curse from God that led to an increase in efforts to convert Christians to Islam, but also said that members of the Christian community in general believed they were becoming fewer in comparison controlled and pressured until the introduction of the SPC in 2019. They said the SPC's blasphemy provisions could be used to restrict the activities of non-Muslim groups, but expressed more concern about the government's subtle pressure than the possibility of harsher ones Penalties under the SPC.

The government continued to regularly warn the populace against preaching non-Shafi'i versions of Islam, including both "liberal" practices and those associated with jihadism, Wahhabism or Salafism.

MORA awarded contracts worth more than BND13.5 million ($9.99 million) to local companies to build three new mosques in a virtual signing ceremony in October, resulting in more than 99 registered mosques, according to government data from 2015 Added to this was. According to the contracts, the mosques would take two years to build and are expected to serve more than 6,000 parishioners. The mosque construction fund was funded in part by monthly deductions from the salaries of Muslim government employees, except for those who took the necessary steps to opt out of automatic deductions.

MORA continued to provide all mosques with approved sermons for Friday services. The government required registered imams to deliver the sermons and banned deviations from the approved text.

There was no legal requirement for women to wear headgear in public; however, religious authorities continued to reinforce social customs to encourage Muslim women to wear a head covering (known locally as alid), and many women did. Muslim women were required to wear a tudong when applying for passports, driver's licenses and ID cards. Muslim women employed by the government were expected to wear a tudong to work, although some chose not to, with no reports of official repercussions. In state schools and colleges, Muslim female students had to wear a uniform with a hat. Male students were expected to wear thesesquatting(a traditional hat), although this was not required in all schools. Women who were imprisoned, including non-Muslims, were required to wear a uniform that included a tudong.

As in previous years, the government limited the traditional Lunar New Year lion dance performances to three days, confining them to the country's only Chinese Buddhist temple, Chinese school halls and private residences of members of the Chinese Association (consisting of the members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and several others Chinese business associations). Members of the royal family publicly participated in Lunar New Year celebrations and lion dance performances during the permitted period, with extensive coverage in state-influenced media.

The government continued to impose strict customs controls on imports of non-Islamic religious texts such as Bibles, Islamic teaching materials or scriptures intended for sale or distribution. Authorities generally continued to ban the importation of non-Islamic religious texts, and the censorship board continued to screen Islamic texts to ensure they did not contain texts that deviated from the Shafi'i school of Islam. Customs officials continued to check personal packages entering the country to ensure they did not contain anything of a non-shafi'i Islamic or allegedly sexual nature, such as: B. Magazines that show women in bathing suits.

Customs and Excise officials in October confiscated a Bible sent to a foreign worker by his wife for personal use. Customs officials reported that the worker could reclaim the Bible because it was for personal use, but the procedure required the applicant to obtain prior written approval from the RBPF, the Department of Homeland Security and MORA's Islamic Learning Center.

Christian leaders went on to explain that a longstanding fatwa preventing Muslims from supporting non-Islamic faiths discourages the expansion, renovation or construction of new non-Islamic facilities; In accordance with the fatwa, government officials have slowed down or not processed construction plans and permits for churches. Christian religious groups said authorities generally allowed churches and affiliated schools to repair and renovate buildings on their sites only when necessary for safety reasons. The approval process for the renovation of church buildings and associated school buildings remained lengthy and difficult, and there were persistent reports that the government was delaying new building projects because they failed to meet complicated requirements. With only six licensed churches in the country, the last of which was built in the 1960s before the country gained independence, the facilities were often too small to accommodate their congregations without significant outdoor crowding. Several sources reported that schools affiliated with Christian churches had to pay state business taxes even though they were non-profit organizations. They said this measure will not apply to other non-religious non-profit private schools. The Chinese temple was also subject to the same fatwa. Christian worshipers continued to report difficulty accessing churches on many Sundays due to government road closures for official events, with some services being postponed.

The government reported that many non-Muslim children have opted for Islam courses. Those applying for government-funded scholarships reportedly believed that having such courses on their credentials could be beneficial. Most textbooks were illustrated to present Islam as the norm, and women and girls were carried in the tudong. There were no textbook accounts of the practices of other religious groups.

The authorities continued to ban non-Muslims and non-Shafi'i Muslims from receiving non-Shafi'i religious instruction in schools. All church schools were recognized by the Ministry of Education and were open to students of all religions, but were not allowed to offer any religious instruction other than Shafi'i Islam.

The Minister of Religious Affairs reported that in response to online public criticism of difficulties faced by Muslim parents in sending children to MORA religious schools, the ministry is researching and evaluating religious school schedules. Parents said children were forced to change their school uniforms and eat lunch in the car while traveling from non-religious schools in the morning to religious classes in the evening. The parents also reported that they were often late for work after lunch because of the religious school schedule.

Throughout the year, the government continued to enforce restrictions requiring all shops to close for the two hours of Friday prayers.

Religious authorities again allowed non-halal restaurants and non-halal sections in supermarkets to operate undisturbed, but they continued to hold public awareness events to encourage restaurants to become halal.

The government continued to offer incentives to potential converts to Islam and the Shafi'i school, particularly those from indigenous communities in rural areas, including housing assistance and social assistance. The government provided travel funds so those who were unable to attend the Hajj during the year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions could do so in the future. The government made presentations on the benefits of converting to Islam, which were widely covered in the state-controlled media. According to government statistics, 414 people converted to Islam during the year, compared to 293 in 2020. Converts included citizens and permanent residents, as well as foreigners. Government policy supported Islam through the national MIB philosophy, as well as government pledges to make the country onememorynation (one that remembers and obeys Allah).

At a roundtable meeting in January with members of the LGBTQ community, participants discussed what they described as societal pressures stemming from the country's deep-rooted Islamic culture and discussed MORA's "heist" of a private party where members of their community were targeted.

Despite the lack of a legal ban on Muslims marrying non-Muslims, all Islamic marriages continued to require Sharia court approval, and the officials, who had to be government-approved imams, also required the non-Muslim party to do so of marriage to convert marriage.

Most government meetings and ceremonies began with an Islamic prayer, which the government went on to say was not a legal requirement but a matter of custom.

The government continued to urge residents to carry identity cards showing the bearer's ethnicity, some of which were used to identify whether he or she was Muslim; For example, all ethnic Malays, including those who traveled to the country, were believed to be Muslims. Malaysians had to follow certain Islamic religious practices or potentially face fines, arrest and imprisonment. Visitors to the country have been asked to indicate their religion on their visa applications.

Social media users criticized MORA's December 22 orders requiring stores to remove Christmas images and products, a month after many stores had already started Christmas promotions. California-based Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf was among the establishments the MORA official visited, prompting some social media users to call for more religious tolerance. Although December 25 remained an official holiday with government offices, including MORA, closed, according to the social media accounts, MORA officials said the enforcement action was needed to "control the excessive and open celebration of Christmas , which could harm the faith of the Muslim community." The government allowed Christmas decorations in private homes.

MORA has faced online criticism after it fined a local non-halal restaurant that caters to non-Muslim customers for violating laws banning dine-in service during the Ramadan fast. While previous years had seen similar incidents and the online criticism that followed, comments have been more numerous and personal over the year, after the MORA minister's son was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzlement and corruption.

Non-Muslims and Muslims are under social pressure to adhere to Islamic codes of conduct. Some male Muslims reportedly felt pressure from family and friends to attend Friday prayers, even though they did not have strong religious beliefs. Members of the LGBTQ community have expressed fears about openly expressing their sexual or gender identity, saying they believe doing so will shame their families for breaking religious mores.

Following Cardinal Sim's death in May, according to the local press, numerous comments from people of different faith backgrounds made comments on online forums praising the cardinal for his efforts to serve the people of the country.

Legislative Council member Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash-ari faced social media backlash when she presented a 2012 proposal for the MOHA to open village headship positions to women at the annual parliamentary sessions in March. In her speech, she pointed out that women hold significant leadership positions in government and in the private sector and there should be no problem in electing a village chief regardless of gender. Many social media users disagreed with the use of Instagram to explain that women should not be eligible to participate due to Islamic responsibilities mixed with the otherwise administrative role of village head. The Home Secretary said the matter was being looked into but had taken no action by the end of the year. A local online newspaper,The shovel, disabled comments for using "offensive and derogatory" language and comments containing misogyny, racism and prejudice.

Social media users expressed anger after a court acquitted a religion teacher accused of sexual abuse. Comments on Reddit, Borneo Bulletin's Instagram and Media Permata's Instagram drew comparisons and contrasts to another sexual assault case reported on the same day in which a court sentenced the defendant to a long prison term. Many commentators said the country's judicial system was flawed in granting leniency to the rich and powerful, and said the court gave preferential treatment to the acquitted teacher because of his connection to MORA. They also questioned the need for six witnesses to prosecute the religion teacher's case, while this was not required in the other case.

There were renewed reports that some people who wished to convert to another religion continued to fear social retribution, such as ostracism from friends, family and their community. When parents converted to Islam, there was often family and official pressure on the children to do the same, even if they were not young enough to be automatically converted with their parents. Some non-Muslims said they continued to feel pressure to convert to Islam at work or in social groups. While the SPC imposed severe penalties on Muslims who convert to another religion, there were no known instances during the year of the government imposing such penalties. However, non-Muslims reported that government officials monitored their services and events to ensure that no Muslims attended and that there was no anti-Islamic content.

The chargé d'affaires and other embassy officials raised concerns in the US about the impact of the SPC, the importance of ratifying UNCAT and protecting the rights of religious minorities among government officials, including the State Department, the Attorney General's Office, and the Chief Justice of Brunei. The charge d'affaires also encouraged MORA to support religious freedom by resuming interfaith dialogue with religious minorities. US officials continued to coordinate with other governments, including Australia, France and the United Kingdom, over shared concerns about the SPC.

Embassy officials visited places of worship and met with religious leaders to discuss religious minorities' concerns about the impact of the SPC on the non-Muslim community and restrictions on the open practice of other religions. Embassy officials stressed US support for religious freedom and encouraged minority religious groups to keep communicating with the embassy.

The US government estimates the total population at 16.5 million (mid-2021). According to MCR, approximately 93 percent of the population are Buddhists, of whom 95 percent practice Theravada Buddhism, with an estimated 4,400 monastic temples across the country. The remaining 7 percent of the population are Christians, Muslims, Animists, Bahai, Jews and Cao Dai followers. Most ethnic Vietnamese traditionally practice Mahayana Buddhism, although others have adopted Theravada Buddhism and Roman Catholicism, and represent most of the country's Catholics. Catholics make up 0.4 percent of the population. Non-governmental estimates of the Protestant population, including evangelical Christians, vary but make up less than 2 percent of the total population.

According to government and NGO estimates, between 2 and 5 percent of the population is Muslim and predominantly ethnic Cham, although not all Cham are Muslim. The Cham typically live in towns and rural fishing villages along the shores of Lake Tonle Sap and the Mekong River and in Kampot Province. Almost 90 percent of Muslims are followers of Sunni Islam and belong to the Shafi'i school of Islamic law. The remaining minority practices Salafist, Wahhabi Sunni teachings; There are also Ahmadi Muslims. Part of the Cham community also belong to the indigenous Iman-San sect of Islam, combining traditional ancestral practices with Sunni Islam.

According to government estimates, 0.28 percent of the population belong to ethnic Bunong, most of whom follow animist religious practices. Another estimated 0.25 percent of the population are Baha'i, Jews and Cao Dai followers.

Legal framework

The Constitution provides for freedom of belief and religion so long as that freedom does not interfere with the beliefs and religions of others or violate public order and security. The constitution establishes Buddhism as the state religion and provides state support for Buddhist education; it also prohibits discrimination based on religion. The law requires that religious groups not openly criticize other religious groups, but it does not address the legal ramifications for these types of violations. The law also prohibits religious organizations from organizing politically oriented events, rallies, gatherings and training sessions.

The law requires all religious groups, including Buddhist groups, to register with the MCR. The law requires religious organizations to inform the government of their goals; describe activities; providing biographical information for all religious leaders; note funding sources; Submit annual reports detailing all activities; and refrain from insulting other religious groups, fomenting strife, or undermining national security. Registration requires approval from numerous local, provincial, and national government agencies, a process that can take up to 90 days. There are no penalties for not registering, but unregistered religious groups cannot obtain income tax exemption from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The law prohibits non-Buddhist groups from public proselytizing and stipulates that non-Buddhist literature may only be distributed within religious institutions. The law also prohibits offering money or materials to entice people to convert. The law prohibits and penalizes acts that constitute an "offending against the state religion," including the unauthorized wearing of Buddhist monks' robes in public, damaging Buddhist religious structures or sacred objects, and "insulting" a Buddhist monk or nun.

The law requires separate registration of all places of worship and religious schools. Authorities may temporarily close unregistered places of worship and religious schools until they are registered. The law also makes a legal distinction between “places of worship” and “places of worship.” The erection of a house of worship requires that the founders own both the building and the land on which it is located. The facility must have a minimum capacity of 200 people and the permit application requires the support of at least 100 community members. A prayer office can be located in a rental property and has no minimum capacity requirements. The prayer ministry permit application requires the support of at least 25 parishioners. Houses of worship must be at least two kilometers apart and may not be used for political purposes or to house criminals or refugees. The distance requirement only applies to the construction of new places of worship and not to offices of religious organizations or places of worship.

Religious studies schools must be registered with the MCR and the Department of Education, Youth and Sport (MOEYS). MOEYS advises religious schools to follow the ministry's core curriculum, which has no religious component. Non-Buddhist religious schools are permitted and can be either public or private. Secular public schools may choose to have additional Buddhist instruction, but must coordinate this with MOEYS. Not all secular public schools offer additional Buddhist instruction, and non-Buddhist students may opt out of these instruction. The law prohibits non-Buddhist supplementary religious instruction in secular public schools.

The law does not permit a religious entity to own land and forces some religious leaders to register land in their personal capacity rather than that of their organization. There is no visa category that is specific to religious workers.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

In December, the government issued a directive barring monks from taking part in political protests and requiring them to be politically neutral. The order came after authorities arrested a monk for his involvement in social and environmental causes. The MCR, in consultation with religious leaders of various faiths, prepared a bill criminalizing "religious people" participating in political activities, including "organized activities against any political party". Experts reviewing the draft law said that the term "religious people" is commonly used to refer to monks and is not further defined in the draft law, making it unclear whether the proposed rule would apply to non-Buddhists. Criminal penalties can include up to 15 years in prison.

The government has taken steps regarding religious practices related to COVID-19 deaths. Prime Minister Hun Sen met with Muslim groups to discuss their concerns shortly after the government ordered all remains of COVID-19 victims to be cremated in March. In April, in response to public calls to allow religious burial rites, the prime minister reserved land in Kampong Speu province for the burial of Muslim COVID-19 victims. The prime minister publicly called on adherents of non-Islamic religions to support this exemption. The Supreme Council for Islamic Religious Affairs then issued instructions to local Muslim councils to allow faith-based burials for COVID-19 victims.

The government urged all public hospitals to set up Islamic prayer rooms and formalized women's right to wear Muslim headscarves in public schools, responding to concerns raised during an iftar attended by the prime minister and Muslim leaders in 2019 participated. Three medical institutions opened new prayer rooms in 2021: the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital, Ang Duong Hospital and the School of Medical Care. Wearing a head covering indoors is often seen as a sign of disrespect in the country, and schools had previously discouraged it to wear in classrooms.

The ruling Cambodian People's Party, though the MCR, exercised control over appointments to leadership positions in the country's main Buddhist and Muslim groups. Senior Buddhist leadership positions were approved by the Prime Minister and the King. In June, the government announced that a senior Buddhist leader, Supreme Patriarch Bour Kry, had appointed an online lotion seller and a fortune teller as personal advisors, a decision riven by the advisors' perceived lack of education on social media provoked public criticism and religious education.

In January, government officials and local Muslim leaders serving on Cambodia's Halal Steering Committee established a new department for Halal affairs under the Department of Commerce's General Department for Consumer Protection, Competition and Fraud Prevention. The ministry oversaw the production and proper labeling of halal products, a move that should in part help boost Muslim tourism in the country after the pandemic.

An official with the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts said the ministry is actively working to register land for Indigenous communities based on the land's importance to religious worship, in response to previous complaints about slow land registration and deforestation affecting spiritual practices and affect economic livelihoods.

The government continued to reject a UNHCR application for permanent admission from a group of Christian Montagnards from Vietnam who came to the country to apply for refugee status. Of the originally estimated 200 Christian Montagnards who fled Vietnam and were in Cambodia in 2017, 12 remained in the country after two illegally traveled to Thailand, and 13 returned to Vietnam voluntarily in 2020. The government continued to ask them to live in a certain area of ​​Phnom Penh. The adults were not allowed to work, the children were not allowed to go to school. These 12 chose to remain in the country until they were permitted to travel to a third country.

The government continued to promote Buddhist holidays by granting them official status and declaring government holidays. The government also provided Buddhist education and training to monks and laypeople in pagodas, and sponsored an institute that conducted research and published materials on Khmer culture and Buddhist traditions. The government did not accord similar treatment to other religious groups, including by declaring government holidays.

In April, a Cambodian Youth Network report found that more than 3,200 acres of a 7,400-acre protected forest in Kratie province had been illegally cleared, while another 1,140 acres were under threat. The forest is a religious site for the Bunong indigenous people. A network official accused "wealthy and powerful individuals" of illegally clearing the forests to profit from logging or to convert the land for other commercial uses. Indigenous community leaders reported that individuals and companies purchasing sacred Indigenous land often concealed their intent to clear the land of forest, a fact which, if known, would have caused local residents and religious leaders to object to the sale of the country to raise. Sources said local communities were finding it difficult to prevent the forest being cleared after a sale was finalized and payments made.

Observers and religious leaders reported improved public acceptance of those practicing non-Buddhist religions, although some prejudice and prejudice remained. Leaders of the Cham community's Muslim minority stated that the Cham had equal employment and educational opportunities.

After meeting Tep Vong, the Supreme Patriarch of Mohanikaya Buddhism, Roman Catholic Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, head of Phnom Penh's Apostolic Vicariate, reported that there was "mutual religious respect" among the country's religious groups and that government policy and social tolerance were instrumental in improving interreligious relations.

In June, the Roman Catholic Church donated 20,000 masks to the High Council on Islamic Religious Affairs to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. A council representative thanked the Church for its solidarity with Cambodian Muslims.

The Ambassador raised the issue of Vietnamese Christian Montagnards on several occasions with government ministers and other officials, encouraging the government to allow their permanent resettlement. The ambassador and other officials highlighted to government officials the vulnerabilities faced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of actively ensuring that these groups are not discriminated against and receive all public services to which they are entitled. Embassy officials regularly spoke with government officials about the importance of fully integrating religious minorities into Cambodian society and stressed the benefits of supporting religious pluralism. The ambassador called for tolerance towards different religious views on social media and encouraged the government to continue to protect the rights of all people to freely practice their faith.

Embassy officials, along with leaders of Buddhist, Christian and Muslim groups, underscored the importance of accepting religious diversity and stressed the importance of interfaith tolerance in a democratic society. The Ambassador met with minority Muslim leaders in the Cham community to discuss religious freedom and challenges their community faces during a fact-finding trip to the province in June. He also met with members of the Cham minority and graduates of a US-funded English language teaching program on a separate provincial tour in September.

Embassy officials met with ethnic Cham and other Muslim community members, indigenous leaders and representatives of the country's small Christian community to understand their views on religious tolerance, respect for minority culture, equal economic opportunities and integration of ethnic minorities into the broader culture. and to express the Embassy's support for religious freedom. To document the religious persecution by the Khmer Rouge regime, the embassy also funded transitional justice programs involving the Cham Muslim community.

Some embassy programs have focused on supporting the preservation of religious heritage sites, such as B. the temple Phnom Bakheng in the province of Siem Reap.

The Constitution of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which cites the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), states that citizens "enjoy freedom of religion" but limit the protection of religious practice to "ordinary religious activities" without it to define "normal." The government recognizes five official religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism and Catholicism. Only religious groups affiliated with one of the five state-sanctioned "patriotic religious associations" representing those religions are allowed to register with the government and hold religious services officially, although other groups have reported meeting unofficially. CCP members and members of the armed forces must be atheists and not engage in religious practices. National law prohibits organizations or individuals from interfering with the state education system for minors under the age of 18, effectively barring them from participating in most religious activities or receiving religious education. Some provinces have additional laws that prohibit minors from participating in religious activities. The government continued to maintain control over the religion and restricted the activities and personal freedoms of religious adherents, which religious groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international media reports said they viewed as a threat to state or CCP interests. NGOs and media continued to report deaths in custody and that followers of both registered and unregistered religious groups were tortured, physically abused, arrested, disappeared, imprisoned, sentenced to prison terms, subjected to forced labor and forced indoctrination in CCP ideology, and harassed by the government's activities related to their religious beliefs and practices. The NGO Human Rights Without Frontiers estimates that on December 7 the government arrested 2,987 people for exercising their right to freedom of religion or beliefMinghui, a Falun Gong-affiliated publication, 101 Falun Gong practitioners died as a result of the persecution of their beliefs during the year, compared to 107 in 2020, and bothMinghuiand the Falun Dafa Information Center reported that the police arrested more than 5,000 practitioners and harassed more than 9,000 others. According to the Church of Almighty God (CAG) annual report, authorities arrested more than 11,156 of its members and subjected them to physical abuse, including beatings, sleep deprivation and being forced into stressful positions, resulting in the deaths of at least nine people. There were reports that the government was pressuring people to renounce their religious beliefs. The government continued its multi-year campaign of "sinicization" to bring all religious teachings and practices into line with CCP doctrine, which included requiring clergy of all faiths to attend political indoctrination sessions and suggesting content for sermons that emphasized loyalty to the CCP and the state. The State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) has issued regulations effective May 1 entitled "Administrative Measures for Religious Clergymen," requiring all clerics to pledge allegiance to the CCP and socialism, and a database of "religious Personal" created to track their performance. Authorities did not issue a “cleric ID card” to anyone who did not belong to one of the five officially recognized patriotic religious denominations, including pastors of Protestant house churches and Catholic clergy, who rejected the government’s 2018 interim agreement with the Holy See and refused to surrender to the Chinese to join the Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), teachers and ministers in independent mosques and Buddhist and Taoist temples, rabbis and religious staff of new religious movements. SARA issued new regulations on Sept. 1 requiring all religious schools to teach Xi Jinping thought and adhere to "sinicization of religion." The government banned private teachers, including those based abroad, from using textbooks that "disseminated religious teachings" and closed several informal, religiously-affiliated schools.

During the year, officials across the country closed religious institutions, including some belonging to authorized patriotic religious associations, in some but not all cases, citing COVID-19 restrictions. The government intensified its campaign against religious groups, which it labeled "cults," including the CAG, maintained a ban on other groups such as Falun Gong, and conducted propaganda campaigns against themxie jiao(literally "heterodox teachings"), aimed at school-age children. Authorities have restricted online worship. Authorities continued to restrict the printing and distribution of the Bible, Quran and other religious literature, and penalized companies that copied and published religious materials. The government has removed religious apps from app stores and censored religious content from popular news service WeChat. Authorities censored online posts related to Jesus or the Bible, and there were persistent reports that authorities across the country were destroying public displays of religious symbols. The government continued to remove architectural features that identified some churches and mosques as religious sites and removed crosses from private property. SARA's "Administrative Measures for Religious Clergymen" made no provision for the Holy See to play a role in the selection of Catholic bishops, despite the tentative 2018 agreement between the Vatican and the government on the appointment of bishops. At a national conference on religious affairs in December, CCP President and Secretary-General Xi Jinping urged religious personnel and government officials to "uphold and develop a religious theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics."

Christians, Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners reported severe societal discrimination in employment, housing and business opportunities. International media reported increasing anti-Muslim sentiment in society as a result of the government's Sinicization campaign.

The chargé d'affaires and other officials from US embassies and consulates general met with a number of government officials to advocate for increased religious freedom and tolerance and the release of those imprisoned on religious grounds. The prosecution and other embassy and consulate general officials met with members of registered and unregistered religious groups, family members of religious prisoners, NGOs and others to reaffirm US support for religious freedom. The embassy has continued to expand the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' initiatives on religious freedom and advocacy directly with Chinese citizens through outreach programs and social media. The US Secretary of State, Charge and other State Department and Embassy officials made public statements, including via social media, supporting religious freedom and condemning the PRC's violations of the rights of religious minorities. The US Secretary of State, Assistant Secretary of State, Chargé d'Affaires and other senior State Department officials, as well as representatives of embassies and consulates general, have repeatedly and publicly expressed their concern about abuses of religious freedom in China, Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang. On January 19, the then foreign minister stated that the PRC had been committing genocide and crimes against humanity against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang since at least March 2017. On January 13, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a withhold release order banning the import of all cotton and tomato products produced in Xinjiang. On March 22, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two officials under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. On May 12, the Foreign Minister announced visa restrictions on a PRC government official for his involvement in gross human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners. On June 24, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the US Department of Commerce and the US Department of Labor cracked down on polysilicon companies that use forced labor by religious and ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. On July 9, the US Commerce Department added 14 Chinese electronics and technology firms and other companies to its Entities List for helping enable "Beijing's campaign of repression, mass arrests and high-tech surveillance" against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. On July 13, the U.S. Department of State, Treasury Department, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security and Labor, and the U.S. Trade Representative issued an updated Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory, which highlights the risk for companies with potential supply chain and investment links to Xinjiang complicity with forced labor and human rights abuses. On December 6, the Presidential Press Secretary announced that the United States would not send diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics or Paralympic Games due to human rights abuses in China. On December 10, the US State Department imposed visa restrictions on four current and former PRC officials for complicity in human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and the US Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on two officials and one company. On December 23, the President signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

Since 1999, China has been designated a County of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having committed or tolerated particularly serious violations of religious freedom. On November 15, 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs redesignated China as a CPC and identified the following sanction accompanying the designation: the existing ongoing restriction on the export of crime suppression and detection instruments and equipment to China under the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1990 and 1991 (Public Law 101-246), pursuant to Section 402(c)(5) of the Act.

The US government estimates the total population at 1.4 billion (mid-2021). According to the report of the Information Office of the State Council (SCIO).The Pursuit of People's Happiness: 70 Years of Human Rights Progress in China, published in September 2019, there are more than 200 million religious followers in the country. An April 2018 SCIO white paper on religion in countries states that there are approximately 5,500 religious groups.

Local and regional figures on the number of religious adherents, including those belonging to the five officially recognized religions, are unclear. Local governments do not publish these statistics, and even official religious organizations do not have accurate figures. The Pew Research Center and other observers say adherents to many religious groups are often underreported. The U.S. government estimates that Buddhists make up 18.2 percent of the country's total population, Christians 5.1 percent, Muslims 1.8 percent, followers of folk religions 21.9 percent, and atheists or the unaffiliated 52.2 percent, with Hindus, Jews and Taoists make up less than 1 percent. According to a February 2017 estimate by the US-based NGO Freedom House, there are more than 350 million religious followers in the country, including 185-250 million Buddhists, 60-80 million Protestants, 21-23 million Muslims, and 7-20 million Falun Gong -Practitioners, 12 million Catholics, six to eight million Tibetan Buddhists and hundreds of millions who follow various folk traditions. According to Boston University's World Religion Database 2020, there are 499 million folk and ethnic religious (34 percent), 474 million agnostics (33 percent), 228 million Buddhist (16 percent), 106 million Christian (7.4 percent), 100 million atheists (7 percent), 23.7 million Muslims (1.7 percent) and adherents of other religions, together making up less than 1 percent of the population, including 5.9 million Taoists, 1.8 million Confucians, 20,500 Sikhs and 2,900 Jews. According to Christian advocacy NGO Open Doors USAWorld Watch List 2022report there are 96.7 million Christians. According to 2015 data from the World Jewish Congress, the country's Jewish population is 2,500, concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai and Kaifeng.

The SCIO's April 2018 white paper found that the number of Protestants is 38 million. These include 20 million Protestants affiliated with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), the state-sanctioned umbrella organization of all officially recognized Protestant churches, according to information on the TSPM's website as of March 2017. The SCIO report states there are six million Catholics, although media and international NGO estimates suggest there are 10-12 million, about half of whom practice in churches not affiliated with the CCPA. Accurate estimates of the number of Catholics, Protestants, and other faiths are difficult to calculate because many adherents practice exclusively at home or in churches that are not state-sanctioned.

According to the 2018 SCIO White Paper, there are 10 minority ethnic groups totaling more than 20 million people for whom Islam is the majority religion. Other sources indicate that almost all Muslims are Sunni. The two largest Muslim ethnic minorities are Hui and Uyghur, with Hui Muslims mainly concentrated in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and in the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan. SARA, also known as the National Religious Affairs Administration, estimates the Hui Muslim population at 10.6 million. A June report on the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang), released by the Population and Employment Statistics Division of the PRC's National Bureau of Statistics, estimates the total population of Xinjiang at 26 million. The report states that Uyghurs, along with ethnic Kazakhs, Hui, Kyrgyz and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities, make up about 15 million residents, or 58 percent of the total population there.

Although there is no reliable state breakdown of the Buddhist population by school, the vast majority of Buddhists are followers of Mahayana Buddhism, according to the Pew Research Center. Most ethnic Tibetans practice Tibetan Buddhism, although a sizable minority practice Bon, a pre-Buddhist indigenous religion.

Before the government banned Falun Gong in 1999, the government estimated the number of adherents at 70 million. Falun Gong sources estimate that tens of millions continue to practice privately, and Freedom House estimates there are seven to 20 million practitioners.

Some ethnic minorities follow traditional religions, such as Dongba among the Naxi people of Yunnan Province and Buluotuo among the Zhuang people of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The central government classifies the worship of Mazu, a folk deity with Taoist roots, as an expression of "cultural heritage" rather than a religious practice.

Legal framework

The constitution, which cites the leadership of the CCP and the leadership of Marxism-Leninism and the ideas of Mao Zedong and Xi Jinping, states that citizens "enjoy the freedom of religious belief," but it limits the protection of religious ones Practice based on "normal religious activities" without defining normal. It states that religion must not be used to disrupt public order, harm the health of citizens, or interfere with the education system. The Constitution provides the right to have or not to have a religious belief. It states that state organs, public organizations and individuals must not discriminate against citizens “who believe or who do not believe in a religion”. The constitution states: "Religious bodies and religious affairs are not subject to foreign rule."

The law does not allow individuals or groups to take legal action against the government based on the constitution's protection of religious freedom. Criminal law allows the state to sentence government officials to up to two years in prison for violating a citizen's religious freedom.

The government recognizes five official religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism and Catholicism. Regulations require religious organizations to register with the government. Only religious communities belonging to one of the five state-recognized religious communities may register and only these organizations may legally hold religious services. The five associations operating under the direction of the CCP's United Front Work Department (UFWD) are the Buddhist Association of China, the Chinese Taoist Association, the Islamic Association of China, the TSPM, and the CCPA. Other religious groups, such as Protestant groups not affiliated with the official TSPM or Catholics professing to be Holy See but not affiliated with the CCPA, are not permitted to register as legal entities. The law does not provide a mechanism for religious groups independent of the five official patriotic religious associations to obtain legal status.

The CCP is responsible for creating religious regulations and overseeing the UFWD, which in turn manages SARA's functions and responsibilities. SARA is responsible for implementing the CCP's religious regulations and administers the provincial and local religious affairs offices.

On January 18, SARA issued new regulations, effective May 1, entitled "Administrative Measures for Religious Ministers." The regulations require all clergymen to pledge allegiance to the CCP and socialism and to create a database of "religious personnel" to track their performance. Article 3 of the regulations states that religious ministers "love the motherland, support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, support the socialist system, abide by the constitution, laws, regulations and rules, practice core values ​​of socialism to be adhered to Principle of independent and self-governing religion in China, adhere to the direction of Sinicization of religion in China, and work to uphold national unity, religious harmony and social stability.” Article 6 states in part that clergymen “engage in illegal religious activities and religious extremist ideology and should resist infiltration by foreign powers through religion”. The regulations also state that "access to religious places of worship should be regulated by strict gatekeeping, verification of identity and registration".The regulations also provide for thisthat the authorities will hold religious organizations and institutionsresponsible for the behavior of individual religious clergymen.Article 7 prescribes that religious workers should "focus on the improvement of their own quality, the improvement of their cultural and moral education, the study of the content of doctrines and regulations conducive to social harmony, the advance of time, health and civilization should focus and integrate into the sermon, and play a role in promoting the Sinicization of religion in our country.”

The Counter-Terrorism Act describes "religious extremism" as the ideological basis of terrorism and states that religious extremism "employs distorted religious teachings or other means to incite hatred or discrimination or to advocate violence."

The authorities require CCP members and members of the armed forces to be atheists and prohibit them from engaging in religious practices. Members found to be affiliated with religious organizations are expelled, although these rules are not universally enforced. The vast majority of holders of public office are CCP members, and membership is widely regarded as a prerequisite for success in a government career. These restrictions on religious belief and practice also apply to retired CCP members.

The law prohibits certain religious or spiritual groups. The criminal code defines banned groups as "cult [xie jiao, literally 'heterodox teachings'] organizations" and provides for criminal prosecution of individuals belonging to such groups, with punishment of up to life imprisonment. There are no published criteria for determining or procedures for contesting such designation. A national security law also expressly forbids cult organizations.

The CCP maintains an extra-legal security apparatus run by the Party to eliminate the Falun Gong movement and other organizations. The government considers Falun Gong an "illegal organization." The government continues to ban the religious group of the Guanyin Method (Guanyin Famen or the Way of the Goddess of Mercy) and Zhong Gong (aQigongpractice discipline). The government also characterizes a number of Christian groups as "cult organizations," including the Shouters, CAG (aka Eastern Lightning), Society of Disciples (Mentu Hui), Full Scope Church (Quan Fanwei Jiaohui), Spirit Sect, New Testament Church, Three Degrees of Servant (San Ban Puren), Union of Disciples, Established King Church, Family Union for World Peace and Unification (Unification Church), Family of Love, and South China Church.

Under the regulations, for registration, religious organizations must submit information about the organization's historical background, members, teachings, major publications, minimum funding requirements, and the state sponsor, which must be one of the five state-sanctioned religious associations. Registration information is required only once, but religious organizations must re-register if changes are made to the required documentation.

Under the amendments to the Civil Code passed by the National People's Congress in 2020, a legally constituted religious institution can apply for the status of a "legal person" (non-profit corporation) under Article 92 of the Civil Code. The revisions formalize organizations' ability to own property, publish approved materials, train staff, and fundraise, facilitating authorities' ability to track and regulate religious institutions.

Religious and other regulations allow official patriotic religious groups to engage in activities such as building places of worship, training religious leaders, publishing literature, and providing social services to local communities. The CCP UFWD, including SARA, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs provide political guidance and oversight in the implementation of these regulations.

Revisions to religious affairs regulations in 2018 tightened restrictions on unregistered religious groups. Persons participating in unauthorized religious activities are subject to criminal and administrative penalties. The regulations stipulate that any form of income from illegal activities or illegal property will be confiscated and fined one to three times the value of the illegal income or illegal property. If the illegal earnings or possessions cannot be identified, officials impose a fine of less than 50,000 renminbi (RMB) (US$7,800). Authorities can punish property owners who rent premises to unregistered religious groups, confiscating property and illegal earnings and imposing fines ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 RMB (3,100 to 31,400 U.S. dollars).

Government policy allows religious groups to engage in charitable work, but regulations specifically prohibit religious organizations from conducting missions while conducting charitable activities. Authorities require religious charities to register with the government like any other non-profit group. Once registered as official charities, the authorities allow them to publicly fundraise and receive tax benefits. The government does not allow unregistered charities to publicly fundraise, hire employees, open bank accounts, or own property. According to several unregistered religious groups, the government requires religious charities to obtain official endorsement of their registration application from the local religious affairs office. Authorities often require these groups to join one of the five state-sanctioned religious groups.

The Religious Affairs dictates that members of religious groups must obtain permission to travel abroad for "religious training, conferences, pilgrimages and other activities." Anyone who organizes such activities without a permit can be fined between 20,000 and 200,000 RMB (3,100 to 31,400 US dollars). Illegally earned earnings related to such trips may be confiscated and "if the case constitutes a criminal offence, criminal liability will be investigated in accordance with the law."

The regulations state that no religious structure, including clergyman's homes, may be transferred, mortgaged or used as an investment. The SARA regulations restrict religious groups from doing business or making investments by stipulating that the property and income of religious groups, schools and venues may not be redistributed and should be used for activities and charities appropriate to their purposes; Individuals or organizations that donate funds for the construction of religious sites are prohibited from owning the sites.

The regulations limit foreign donations to religious groups and state that such donations must be used for activities that authorities deem appropriate for the group and location. The regulations state that all donations exceeding RMB100,000 (US$15,700) must be submitted to the local government for verification and approval. Religious groups, religious schools and "places of religious activity" are not permitted to accept donations from foreign sources with strings attached.

The regulations require that religious activities "not interfere with national security" or support "religious extremism." The regulations do not define "extremism". Measures taken to maintain national unity and respond to “religious extremism” include surveillance of groups, individuals and institutions. Penalties for “damaging national security” can include suspension of groups and cancellation of clergymen's credentials.

National laws allow each provincial government to make its own regulations on religious matters, including penalties for violations. Many provinces updated their regulations after the 2018 national regulations went into effect. In addition to the five officially recognized religions, local governments may, at their discretion, permit adherents of certain unregistered religions to engage in religious practices.

According to the law, prison inmates have the right to believe in a religion and to maintain their religious beliefs while incarcerated, but not the right to practice their beliefs, e.g. B. through access to places of worship or meetings with clergy. According to reports, Muslim prisoners are allowed to eat meals with the "Halal" label.

The law does not define what constitutes proselytizing. The Constitution states that no state entity, social organization or individual may compel a citizen to believe or not to believe in any religion. Violators will be prosecuted under administrative and criminal law.

A 2016 amendment to the Criminal Code and judicial interpretation by the national Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Supreme People's Court criminalizes the act of forcing others to wear "extremist" clothing or symbols; this is punishable by imprisonment of up to three years, short-term imprisonment or controlled release and a simultaneous fine. Neither the amendment nor the court's interpretation define which garments or symbols the law considers "extremist."

The publication and distribution of literature with religious content must follow the guidelines established by the state publishing administration. The publication of religious materials must also conform to guidelines set by the CCP Central Committee's Propaganda Department. Online activities (“online religious information services”) by religious communities require the prior approval of the state religious office. Unauthorized published religious texts, including Bibles, Qur'ans, Buddhist and Taoist texts, can be confiscated and unauthorized publishers can be shut down.

In December, the government released new regulations to restrict religious content online. The measures to manage online religious information services, scheduled to come into effect on March 1, 2022, would ban foreign organizations and individuals from operating online religious information services in the country.

The government offers some subsidies for building state-licensed places of worship and religious schools.

To construct places of worship, religious organizations must first obtain approval from the local government's Department of Religious Affairs when the facility is proposed, and again before worshiping at that site for the first time. Religious organizations must submit dozens of documents for registration during these approval processes, including detailed management plans of their religious activities, complete financial records, and personal information on all employees. Religious communities that do not go through the formal registration process may not have a designated facility or meeting space for worship. Therefore, each time such groups wish to reserve a space for worship, for example by renting a hotel room or apartment, they must obtain a separate permit from government agencies for that specific service. Worship in a room without prior authorization, obtained either through the formal registration process or by obtaining a permit for each worship service, is considered an illegal religious activity and is subject to criminal or administrative penalties.

If a religious structure is to be demolished or relocated due to town planning or the construction of “key projects”, the party responsible for the demolition of the structure must consult with its local Religious Affairs Office (headed by SARA) and the religious group with the Structure. If all parties agree to the demolition, the party performing the demolition must agree to rebuild the structure or pay compensation equal to its estimated market value.

The religious order contains registration requirements for schools, which only allow the five state-sanctioned religious communities or their subsidiaries to establish religious schools. Children under the age of 18 are prohibited from participating in religious activities and from receiving religious instruction, including in schools run by religious organizations. One rule states that no one may use religion to interfere with the national education system and that no religious activities may take place in schools. The law mandates the teaching of atheism in schools, and a CCP policy provides guidance to universities on how to prevent proselytizing of foreign students. SARA also issued new regulations on September 1 titled "Administrative Measures for Religious Schools," stipulating that religious schools should ensure that the CCP's ideological education is included in all religious education classes, including compulsory classes on the thoughts of Xi Jinping, ideological and political theory and socialism.

The Regulations on Religious Affairs of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region states: “Minors are not allowed to participate in religious activities. No organization or individual may organize, induce or compel minors to participate in religious activities.” Minors are also prohibited from entering religious sites. Several provinces send letters instructing parents that "teachers and parents should strictly enforce the principle of separation between education and religion and ensure that minors are not allowed to enter religious sites, participate in religious activities, or attend religious training." Individuals, including parents, who violate these regulations may be prosecuted. However, the implementation of these rules varies greatly between and within regions.

On September 1st, the Department of Education published Administrative Measures for Off-Campus Training Materials for Primary and Secondary School Students. "Off-campus training" refers to private tutoring services designed to help students prepare for entrance exams. The regulations prohibit private teachers, including those based abroad, from using textbooks “which contain religious teachings, doctrines, canons orxie jiao, or feudal superstitions, etc."

The law states that applicants for employment must not be discriminated against on the basis of their religious beliefs.

In 2020, the administrative measures for religious communities came into force. These policies include six chapters and 41 articles dealing with the organization, function, offices, oversight, projects and economic management of communities and groups at the national and local levels. The measures state that only registered groups can operate legally, and stipulate that religious organizations must support the CCP's leadership, adhere to the direction of Sinicization, and implement the values ​​of socialism. Article 17 states that religious organizations "follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, abide by laws, regulations, rules and guidelines, correctly manage the relationship between national law and canon, and promote national consciousness, awareness of the rule of law, and citizenship" .

The country has not joined the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Regarding Macau, the central government partially informed the UN Secretary-General that Macau residents shall not be restricted in the rights and freedoms due to them, unless otherwise provided by law, and in the case of restrictions, the restrictions shall not violate the ICCPR violated Regarding Hong Kong, the central government partially informed the Secretary-General that the ICCPR would also apply to Hong Kong SAR.

government practices

Authorities continued to arrest and detain leaders and members of religious groups, often those associated with groups not registered with state-sanctioned religious organizations. The authorities reportedly used vague or unfounded allegations, sometimes related to religious activities, in order to convict leaders and members of religious groups and sentence them to years in prison.

NGOs, religious groups and media sources continued to report deaths in custody, enforced disappearances (often through "surveillance of residences in a specific location" - a form of clandestine detention used by the authorities against those deemed to be a threat to state security accused) and organ removal from people in prison who have been targeted by the authorities because of their religious belief or affiliation. NGOs and the media reported that the authorities used force during arrests and tortured detainees, including forcing them to maintain stressful positions, beating and depriving them of food, water and sleep. NGOs reported that some previously detained people were denied freedom of movement even after their release.

The NGO Human Rights Without Frontiers estimates that as of December 7, the government has detained 2,987 people for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief.

The political prisoner database of the human rights NGO Dui Hua Foundation counted 3,793 people detained for "unorthodox" religious beliefs as of September 30, including 2,751 Falun Gong practitioners, 578 CAG members and 147 members of other Protestant groups.

Minghuireported that 101 Falun Gong practitioners died as a result of the persecution they suffered because of their belief, compared to 107 in 2020. It was also reported that during the year the authorities banned 5,045 (8,160 in 2020) Falun Gong -Practitioners arrested and harassed 9,245 (10,973 in 2020) Falun Gong practitioners. The Falun Dafa Information Center reported that the police arrested more than 5,000 practitioners and harassed more than 9,000 others during the year.

Minghuiexplained that the police often use force when arresting Falun Gong practitioners and that those in detention are tortured. Police in Anyang City, Henan Province arrested shopkeeper Li Xianxi on May 11 for speaking about Falun Gong at a market. When he practiced the Falun Gong exercises after his arrest at the local detention center, the authorities handcuffed and shackled him. On June 13, the authorities informed his family that Li died on June 12. According to those who saw his body, he was emaciated, his head was swollen, and there were injuries on his back and knees.

Bitter winter, an online publication that tracks religious freedom and human rights abuses in the country, reported that authorities at 12 gong had died in prison. He was forced to retire when the authorities found out he was a practitioner. Authorities arrested Gong in 2017 and sentenced him in 2018 to seven and a half years and a fine of 20,000 RMB (US$3,100) for being active in a banned religious group. According to authorities, Gong suffered a "sudden cerebral hemorrhage" and died despite receiving medical treatment. His family and friends reported seeing signs of torture on his body, leading them to doubt that he died of natural causes.

Minghuireported that Hu Hangjiao from Hubei Province died in prison while serving a four-year sentence for practicing Falun Gong. Authorities arrested Hu on March 15 for speaking to people about Falun Gong, and the Xiaochang District Court sentenced her in late June. During the seven months that the authorities held her in the Hanchuan City Detention Center, Hu went on a hunger strike to protest and was force-fed. Thirteen days after she was transferred to Hubei Province Women's Prison, the prison authorities called Hu's husband to say that she had died. They refused to give her body to her family.

In June,Bitter winterreported that government and police officials confirmed that the government had ordered increased arrests of members of all dissident groups, particularly CAG members, in connection with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CCP. A document issued by the Shanxi Provincial Domestic Security Bureau called on officials to "make real efforts to strengthen surveillance of key personnel and carry out a crackdown on The Church of Almighty God." AfterBitter winter, authorities across the country arrested more than 1,000 CAG members in the first half of the year. From May 19 to May 25, Guangdong Province police arrested about 160 CAG members in Foshan, Guangzhou, Zhuhai and other cities. Authorities also arrested 403 CAG members in Shanxi Province from the beginning of the year to June, and at least 265 CAG members in Henan Province from mid-April to mid-June. In April, the Anhui provincial government arrested at least 116 CAG members after a long-term surveillance and persecution operation and confiscated at least 750,000 RMB ($118,000) of church and personal property.

During the year,Bitter winterreported several cases of authorities detaining CAG members, pressuring them to sign statements renouncing their faith and subjecting them to mental and physical abuse, including beatings and stress positions when they refused. A CAG member from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said that during his detention, a guard tightly wrapped a copper wire the size of a little finger around his body five times, cutting off his circulation. After the authorities forced him to stand for four hours, the man's legs became swollen, his hands were numb and trembling, and his abdomen felt numb. A CAG member from Anhui Province said that the authorities forced her into a stressful position for eight hours a day for five consecutive days, in which she was forced to squat while keeping her upper body upright, her hands raised above her head, and her body immobile held. Another CAG member reported being sleep deprived for five nights. Two CAG members said when they refused to sign a statement renouncing their belief, guards encouraged fellow inmates to beat them, resulting in bruises and broken teeth. Another KAG member described how fellow prisoners smeared his body with feces at the instigation of the guards.

In April, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that authorities in Sichuan province had arrested members of Christian house churches in unofficial detention centers where they pressured individuals to renounce their faith. One Protestant said the authorities held him in a windowless basement for eight or nine months, during which time he was physically and mentally abused. He said, "You can't see the sun, so you lose track of time," and that suicidal thoughts and self-harm are common among inmates. The secret police tried to force inmates to sign guilty pleas and held those who refused in solitary confinement for long periods. Another Christian told RFA that similar facilities are being used to abuse members of the underground Catholic Church and Falun Gong practitioners.

According to the annual report released by the CAG, at least 68,456 church members were directly persecuted by authorities during the year, compared to at least 42,807 in 2020. The report states that authorities harassed at least 57,300 church members (at least 35,752 in 2020) , arrested 11,156 (7,055 in 2020), detained 3,636 (4,045 in 2020), tortured or subjected to forced indoctrination 6,125 (5,587 in 2020), convicted 1,452 (1,098 in 2020), and confiscated at least 250 million RMB (39.23 million US dollars) in church and private assets. At least nine Church members died as a result of physical abuse while in custody (at least 21 in 2020).

The NGO ChinaAid reported that police in Guiyang, Guizhou province, arrested Pastor Yang Hua of the Guiyang Living Stone Church on May 23 for conducting religious activities. The leaders of the Guiyang Yunyan District Party Committee reportedly beat Yang at the police station, causing injuries that required medical attention.

According to media reports, authorities used measures allegedly intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including facial recognition software and phone tracing, to identify and arrest members of unregistered or banned religious groups. The government installed surveillance cameras outside unregistered churches during the pandemic.

Bitter winterreported that the People's Court of Qinnan District in Qinzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on June 7 sentenced 21 members of the evangelistic group "Blood and Water of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit" to prison terms for being active in a cult . They were among a group of Church members arrested by the Qinnan Branch of the Qinzhou Public Security Bureau in August 2020. The police also confiscated 113 books, 989 loose "propaganda materials", 183 CDs, 3 calendars, 2 diaries and 48 signs. among other things. The movement was founded in Taiwan and declared a cult by the government in 1995.

AfterMinghui, police arrested and harassed Falun Gong practitioners across the country. The harassment increased in April and May around the "sensitive dates" of April 25, the anniversary of 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners' appeal in front of the central government building for the right to practice their beliefs in 1999, and April 13 May 29th, the 29th anniversary of Falun Gong's introduction to the public. AfterMinghui, the harassment was also promoted by the "Maintain Stability" campaign ahead of the CCP's centenary. From July to August, the provinces where most practitioners were attacked were Hebei, Heilongjiang, Shandong, Jilin, Sichuan, Shanxi and Liaoning. Those arrested included teachers, restaurant owners, librarians, construction workers, factory workers, academics, nurses, engineers, farmers, shopkeepers and many retirees.

Am 12.09.Minghuireported several examples of police harassment and arrests of Falun Gong practitioners. On March 10, police in Fushun City, Liaoning Province arrested Yang Xiaozhi for distributing Falun Gong materials. She said detention officers shocked her with electric batons before releasing her on bail on March 15. On May 14, police in Jilin City, Jilin Province arrested 98-year-old Cai Xiufang for talking to people about Falun Gong. They held her in a metal cage at the police station for several hours and ransacked her home before releasing her on bail. Authorities arrested Gong Ruiping, a former elementary school teacher in Beijing, on July 20 in connection with practicing Falun Gong. Guards force-fed her when she attempted a hunger strike. On July 23, authorities arrested Li Lihong, a middle school teacher in Ningxiang City, Hunan Province, for talking to people about Falun Gong.Minghuireported that Zhang Jie, the head of the Baimaqiao Police Station, threatened to shoot and kill her. On August 15, a plainclothes policeman in Handan City, Hebei Province beat Wang Shuqin for talking to him about Falun Gong. Wang suffered two broken ribs and was taken to the hospital.

ChinaAid reported that officials detained Chen Wensheng for 25 days in January in Hengyang city, Hunan province, for preaching Christian doctrines on the street. After his release from custody on January 29, local authorities came to his home to persuade him to stop "street evangelism."

On June 14, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a statement by a group of 11 independent UN human rights experts, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Ahmed Shaheed, who “were informed by reports of alleged organ harvesting against minorities, including Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Muslims and Christians detained in China.” The independent experts said they had received credible information from NGOs and activists that the authorities “may have … detainees from ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities forcibly subjected to blood tests and organ examinations such as ultrasound and x-rays without their informed consent,” while other detainees were not required to undergo such examinations. The results of the examinations were reportedly registered in a database of living organ sources, which facilitated organ attribution. The independent experts stated: “According to the received claims, the organs most commonly removed from detainees are reportedly hearts, kidneys, livers, corneas and, less frequently, parts of the liver. This form of trafficking of a medical nature allegedly involves healthcare professionals, including surgeons, anesthesiologists and other medical specialists.” The experts said that despite the gradual development of a voluntary organ donation system, “information about serious human rights violations in the procurement of organs for transplants in China continues emerging,” and that there is continued concern about the lack of independent oversight as to whether consent to donation and organ allocation was actually given by prisoners or detainees. The experts noted that the authorities reportedly prevented families of deceased detainees and prisoners from claiming their bodies.

On August 9, the government replied to the High Commissioner, claiming that the expert report was "based on false information and baseless allegations against China" and was "full of malice and prejudice." The government said Witnesses are "'actors' who repeatedly engage in slander and rumors about the human rights issue in China[.]". physical condition of the detainee upon admission to the facility and prompt treatment if ill.” It noted that by law organ donation was “voluntary and unpaid” and that organ trafficking and involuntary organ harvesting had been criminalized.

In July,MinghuiAuthorities reportedly collected DNA, blood samples and other biometric data from Falun Gong practitioners against their will. In the first half of the year, this reportedly happened in 18 provinces and municipalities -- Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Gansu, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Guizhou, Hebei, Hubei, Henan, Shanxi, Sichuan, Guangdong, and Shaanxi . Between April 26 and April 29, four practitioners in Shanghai reported that the police broke into their homes and forcibly took blood samples. Practitioners reported that the police also collected handwriting samples, fingerprints, size information, photos and phone numbers. AfterMinghui, some practitioners suspected that the authorities were collecting these biometric data and blood samples to set up a DNA and organ matching database and improve practitioner surveillance.

According to the CAG's annual report, the harassment of members included collecting biological data such as blood samples and hair.

DieUnion of Catholic Asian News(UCA News) Local Catholic sources reported that authorities abducted Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of Yongjia (Wenzhou) Diocese in Zhejiang Province on October 25 and held him incommunicado for two weeks before releasing him. Shao was ordained a bishop in 2011 with Vatican approval, but his appointment was not approved by the two state-sanctioned church bodies — the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC) and the CCPA — and he was not among Vatican-recognized bishops, recognized by the CCPA as a result of the 2018 China-Vatican Interim Agreement. AfterUCA News, this was the seventh time authorities had arrested Shao since 2016, and his previous arrests stemmed from his refusal to join the CCPA.

Media reported that the status of Catholic Bishop Taddeo Ma Daqin, who authorities placed under house arrest in Shanghai after he resigned from the CCPA in 2012, remained unchanged in April.

RFA reported that police in Chengdu city, Sichuan province, raided the Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC) during a study session on April 21 and arrested 19 members of the church, including 12 children. At the local police station, officers interrogated the children without their parents, in violation of the Law on the Detention of Minors. According to a member of the church, police released 16 of the 19 people after detaining them for 11 hours and continued to detain three people without telling their families a reason.

International Christian Concern reported that police in Chengdu city broke into the home of an ERCC member during a Sunday church service on August 22 and arrested 28 people, including 10 children. During the arrests, the police injured Pastor Dai Zhichao's arm and confiscated his cell phone. An ERCC member said police beat many people in custody and when the children became unruly, officers threatened to hit them on the head. Police held Dai and homeowner He Shan in custody for 14 days and fined them RMB1,000 (US$160) for holding an illegal religious gathering.

Bitter winterreported that the Beijing City Court in May sentenced Lin Xianzan, a member of the Shouters, to three years in prison for being active in a banned religious group.

There have been reports that the authorities have continued to crack down on qigong movements they classify as cults or cult equivalents.Bitter winterreported that the People's Court of Zhaouyan City in Shandong Province on April 27 sentenced Sun Xuhui to two years in prison after she confessed to leading a branch of Zhonggong, a qigong movement, and "brainwashing" followers. AfterBitter winter, the Ministry of Public Security set up a special task force with anti-Zhonggong departments in Beijing and Tianjin districts, as well as in Yunnan, Hebei, Liaonin and Shandong provinces. In May, police in Luoyang, Henan province, arrested several followers of Buddhist master Tian Ruisheng (also known as Shijakai) and accused them of spreading the teachings of the banned movement Xiang Gong, originally known as Buddhist qigong.

ChinaAid reported that on March 7, during a Sunday service in Chengdu city, Sichuan province, authorities ransacked the house church of the Well of Life and took Pastor Zha Changping, his wife and three other church members to the local police station for questioning. The authorities released them after several hours.

AfterBitter winter, authorities arrested 181 members of the Association of Disciples in a major operation carried out in late 2020 and early 2021 in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. They accused the members of being active in a sect. Authorities told local media that the arrests were the result of the program implemented in 2018 to award rewards of up to 50,000 RMB (7,800 USD) to those who denounce their neighbors or acquaintances as cult members; The program contained a tip line for this.

On May 5, RFA reported that authorities had arrested two elders from Zion Church in Beijing and elder Zhang Chunlei from Renai Reformed Church in Guiyang city, Guizhou province, on suspicion of fraud. Zhang's defense attorney said the fraud allegations were related to his earning a living from donations from members, saying, "This [practice] happens in all religions and does not constitute fraud."

Bitter winterreported that on May 27, authorities arrested 10 teachers at a Christian school in Wuhu city, Anhui province. Authorities claimed the school was an illegal company because it was not affiliated with the TSPM. AfterBitter winter, local Christians viewed the crackdown as part of a larger crackdown on all forms of education not directly controlled by the CCP.

On May 27, a ChinaAid source reported the arrest and detention of scores of Christians belonging to the local congregation, a house church, in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Beijing, and accused them , "to use a cult to undermine law enforcement."

ChinaAid reported that the Intermediate Court of Xi'an city in Shaanxi province on November 16 sentenced Chang Yuchun and Li Chenhui to seven years in prison and a fine of 250,000 RMB (US$39,200) for "illegal business activities." a lower court upheld. Chang and Li were printing and selling Christian books from 2015 to 2020, when local police closed their shop, confiscated more than 210,000 books and forcibly removed them "at a certain place under residential surveillance."

On August 7, RFA reported that police in Taiyuan city, Shanxi province, arrested nine leaders and members of the Golden Lamppost Church who refused to join the TSPM, including Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and Preacher Yang Rongli. Sources say the group was performing a house church baptism when police arrested them. Shortly after, local authorities used dynamite to demolish a church with a golden lamppost in Taiyuan city. On September 27, police arrested seven members of the Church. On December 27, authorities accused her of fraud. RFA said the arrests and demolitions came amid a series of raids on unofficial Protestant house churches in Linfen County, Shanxi Province.

Bitter winterreported that on August 14, a court in Kaili city, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, convicted four clergymen of the Seventh-day Adventist Church of fraud for collecting offerings outside the jurisdiction of the TSPM. The court sentenced one member to 12 years in prison and the others to three to six years.

In November,Minghuireported that on October 14, nine officers came to Yi Shuying's home and ordered her to sign a letter renouncing Falun Gong. They threatened that officials would deny their granddaughter, a middle school student, future college admissions if Yi didn't renounce Falun Gong. Yi refused to comply.

In June, ChinaAid reported that ERCC pastor Wang Yi, who authorities sentenced to nine years in prison in December 2019, was "treated very badly in prison", held in solitary confinement under constant supervision and malnourished in Chengdu Province's Jintang Prison . ChinaAid explained that prison officials continued to prevent family members and lawyers from visiting him and refused medical treatment. According to the NGO International Christian Concern, Wang's wife and child have been living at an undisclosed location since his arrest and have been under surveillance.

On April 20, RFA reported that the Yulin City Police Department, Shaanxi Province, had confirmed to his wife that she was still detained as Gao Zhisheng, a human rights lawyer who was arrested in September 2017. Previously, Gao's family did not know his whereabouts, nor did he know that he was alive. Gao had previously defended members of Christian groups, Falun Gong practitioners and other minority groups in court.

On July 20, ChinaAid reported that the Xiamen City Religious Affairs Bureau fined Pastor Yang Xibo of Xingguang Church, an unregistered church in Xiamen City, Fujian Province, and his wife RMB200,000 (US$31,400) dollars) for organizing an "illegal religious activity". According to the RFA, several dozen state security police officers and officials from the local religious affairs bureau raided church services in April and May 2020. Yang told RFA the community was targeted for refusing to join the state-sanctioned TSPM.

During the year, authorities arrested Cui Haoxin, a Hui Muslim poet known by his pen name An Ran, over Twitter posts criticizing the government for the detention, surveillance and persecution of Muslims in Xinjiang and across the country. Authorities took Cui into custody in January 2020 and charged him with "starting quarrels and stirring up trouble."

Am 9. AprilBitter winterpublished an article describing several CAG members who had to do forced labor during their imprisonment. A CAG member said she had to produce 250 artificial flowers a day, and if she didn't meet her quota, authorities forced her to stand for four to six hours a night. The article said that the plastic used in the artificial flowers contained chemicals and heavy metal elements that are harmful to the human body, such as vinyl chloride, formaldehyde and lead, leading to endocrine disorders, decreased immunity, aplastic anemia, leukemia and other blood diseases . The report also found that exposure to the chemicals disrupted women's menstrual cycles. Another female CAG member, who was sentenced to three years in a women's prison, described working on 550 dresses a day in a tailor's shop while standing for 13 hours. After her discharge, she was diagnosed with a herniated disc that caused her pain when she sat for more than 10 minutes.

AsiaNewsreported that the new SARA regulations, titled "Administrative Measures for Religious Ministers," which took effect on May 1, imposed additional ideological controls over the training, selection, and supervision of ministers, including an emphasis on loyalty to the CCP and the socialism. The new regulations also stipulated that the government would hold religious organizations and institutions accountable for the behavior of clergy and created a new centralized database to record information about clergy and track their behavior and "misdeeds". Local governments have been ordered to update the database with information on clergymen's "rewards and punishments". On February 11thBitter winterpublished an English language translation and analysis of the new regulations. AfterBitter winterRegistration in the government database is "complicated". Anyone not listed but posing as a clergyman would be committing a crime. Those who cannot obtain a “cleric ID” include those who do not belong to any of the five officially recognized patriotic religious communities, such as the CCPA, teachers and ministers in independent mosques and Buddhist and Taoist temples, rabbis, and religious personnel of new religious movements. AfterAsiaNews, according to the regulations, "living Buddhas will not be able to perform any service, nor will they be considered true reincarnations without the [CCP]'s permission." AfterBitter winter, individuals had to show that they “support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and the socialist system”.Bitter winterstated the regulations created "an Orwellian system of surveillance and reinforced the already tight scrutiny of all clergy."

SARA continued to keep publicly available statistics on some, but not all, registered religious groups. According to SARA, 42,439 Buddhist temples and 8,349 Taoist temples were registered in the country at the end of the year. SARA did not publish the number of registered Islamic mosques, Catholic churches and Protestant churches. According to the 2014 SARA statistic (the most recent available), more than 5.7 million Catholics worshiped at CCPA-registered sites. The SCIO's April 2018 white paper stated that about 144,000 places of worship in the country were registered to conduct religious activities, including 33,500 Buddhist temples (including 28,000 Han Buddhist temples, 3,800 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and 1,700 Theravada Buddhist temples), 9,000 Taoist temples, 35,000 mosques, 6,000 CCPA churches and meeting places in 98 dioceses, and 60,000 TSPM churches and meeting places. The SCIO White Paper also estimates that there are more than 384,000 religious workers in the country: 222,000 Buddhists, 40,000 Taoists, 57,000 Islamists, 57,000 Protestants and 8,000 Catholics.

The government continued to shut down or impede the activities of religious groups not affiliated with state-sanctioned religious organizations, including unregistered Protestants, Catholics, Muslims and other groups. Sometimes the authorities said they shut down a group because the group or its activities were unregistered; at other times because the place of worship lacked the necessary permits. Some local governments continued to restrict the growth of unregistered Protestant church networks and cross-denominational affiliations. Authorities allowed some unregistered groups to operate but did not legally recognize them. In some cases, authorities have required unregistered religious groups to disband, leaving the congregants of those groups the only option to attend services under a state-sanctioned religious leader.

International media and NGOs reported that the government continued its nationwide campaign to "sinicize religion" by changing teachings and practices in all faith traditions to conform to and strengthen CCP ideology and loyalty to the CCP and the state to emphasize. The CCP's administrative measures for religious groups, promulgated in 2020, further formalized administrative procedures for sinicizing all religions. A Catholic priest commented on the administrative measuresAsiaNews, “In practice, your religion no longer matters whether you are Buddhist or Taoist, Muslim or Christian; the only religion permitted is belief in the Chinese Communist Party.”

The five-year plan to promote the sinicization of Christianity, issued in 2018, called for "the incorporation of Chinese elements into church services, hymns and songs, clerical clothing, and the architectural style of church buildings" and suggested "retranslating the Bible reading or rewriting Bible commentaries." On On its website, the TSPM pledged in 2018 to "cultivate and practice core socialist values," "carry out patriotic education," and Sinicization into Christian theology, TSPM rules and regulations, theological education, and the practice of the believers' faith through symposiums and to include seminars, essay competitions, and commemorative activities such as art exhibitions. During the year, the TSPM celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CCP and sponsored activities to "cultivate a Christian charity culture with Chinese characteristics." The TSPM website states that the plan for 2022 is to examine experiences of Sinicization in different regions, identify best practices from the 2018-2022 Five-Year Plan, and formulate a 2023-2027 work plan to further promote the Sinicization of Christianity .

On March 31st, theeconomistreported that the government was targeting all religions for Sinicization and directing Christian preachers to promote "core socialist values." theeconomiststated that government policy dictates that "[interpretations of the Bible] should be more sinified - which presumably means that they should help to strengthen belief in socialism". Authorities urged state-recognized churches to display national flags and portraits of President Xi, a move opposed by some TSPM pastors, and encouraged them to use "Chinese architecture and Chinese melodies for hymns, as well as Chinese painting, calligraphy and other popular ones." cultural forms.'” According to theeconomistDespite increasing pressure on house churches, authorities have had difficulty imposing sinicification on these unofficial, unregulated religious communities.

UCA Newsreported that on September 24, according to the state-controlled BCCCC and the CCPA, Catholics from two churches in Zibo city, Shandong province, attended an event organized by the BCCCC called "One Hundred Sermons," which attempted to Religious instructions from President Xi to explain activities and promotion of Sinicization in the Catholic Church and how Catholicism can be adapted to socialist society. On September 27-29, 18 key members of the CCPA from different provinces and cities gathered in Xibaipo Village, Hebei Province, for an educational program on "Take the Red Footprints and Inherit the Red Spirit" aimed at positive growth cultivate feelings towards the CCP, patriotism and socialism.

AfterBitter winterIn some parts of the country, local authorities regularly reviewed sermons by TSPM pastors to ensure they were consistent with CCP ideology and contained praise for government leaders.Bitter winterreported that on October 26, authorities in Shangqiu City, Henan Province held a "Sinicization Seminar and Exchange Conference" for TSPM pastors and teachers. During the conference, participants raised the national flag and sang patriotic songs. The authorities informed the participants that Christian social teaching was to be sinicized and that they would set up a "Research Bureau for the Sinicization of Christianity" in Shangqiu. They said sermons should be given on socialist issues.

Bitter winterreported that at the national conference of the TSPM and the Chinese Christian Council on July 8, state-appointed heads of the TSPM and the Council ordered pastors to study and preach President Xi's July 1 speech marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CCP . During the conference, religious authorities urged pastors to make President Xi's speech a main topic of sermons and Bible study groups. TSPM Chairman Xu Xiaohong offered the pastors a model sermon based on nine points in the speech that glorified the nation, the CCP and President Xi. He said pastors should instruct Christians to say, "Long live the great, glorious and correct Chinese Communist Party. Long live the great, glorious and heroic Chinese people.” Wu Wei, chairman of the China Christian Council, said pastors should instruct Christians to “thank God for bringing us into this great era” and “the spirit of the speech of Secretary-General Xi to keep learning."

Bitter winterreported that on October 29 in Tianjin Township, Huasheng Temple authorities required Buddhist monks to watch a movie titled "The Battle of Changjin Lake." On its WeChat account, the Temple said the activity consisted of "conducting thorough education on the party's history and promoting the spirit of patriotism." The film depicted the "story of Chinese soldiers defeating American troops against great odds" in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. A monk toldBitter winter, “The Party class shall be an activity in which only members of the Communist Party are required to participate. Forcing monks to attend a Party film class is something incestuous, which makes the temple look like a branch of the Communist Party.”

According to the UFWD, the Nanhai Buddhist Academy held a training session for more than 50 Buddhist deacons in Hainan Province on May 20-24. Themed "Love the Party, Love the Country, Love Socialism," the training included studying President Xi's speeches and the PRC's religious laws and regulations, as well as watching patriotic documentaries. Provincial UFWD Deputy Minister Liu Geng praised the party, urged participants to familiarize themselves with its history, promoted the Sinicization of religion, and advocated socialist values ​​in religious settings. He urged deacons to be "politically reliable, religiously savvy, and morally persuasive."

According to the Religious Affairs Bureau of Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, on Aug. 11, the Guangdong Taoist Association held an interfaith conference on "Love the Party, the Country, and Socialism" to promote Xi Jinping's speech commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth establishment of the CCP and to watch "patriotic" films and exhibitions. The chairpersons, vice chairpersons and general secretaries of the Guangdong Buddhist Association, the Islamic Association, the Catholic Association and the Christian Association attended. The participants vowed to promote Sinicization in their respective religious teachings.

According to the Haixia Buddhist Network website, monks and staff at the Guangdong Buddhist Association and Guangxiao Temple in Guangzhou city, Guangdong province, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the CCP's founding on Feb. 26 by watching a video lecture on the history of the CCP CCP presented by the CCP Central Party School. According to the network's website, the monks present said that the CCP's history was "a history of people's pursuit of happiness" and that "under the leadership of the CCP, the Chinese people have become prosperous and strong." Master Mingsheng, President of the Guangdong Buddhist Association, urged Buddhists to uphold the sinicization of Buddhism and "guide Buddhism to be compatible with socialism."

According to a TSPM news agency, the two Christian Councils of Guangdong Province held a ceremony at the Guangdong Union Theological Seminary on March 5 to launch a series of programs to celebrate the CCP's 100th anniversary. Pastoral staff and about 200 teachers and students attended. The programs included lectures on Party history and a knowledge competition on the topics "Knowing the history of the Party, feeling the Party's favor, listening to the Party and following the Party". There was also a seminar on the Sinicization of Christianity. Pastor Fan Hongen told attendees that the two Christian Councils of Guangdong Province are actively adapting to socialist society and strengthening the mission of sinicizing Christianity.

According to ChinaAid, the TSPM-affiliated Shandong Theological Seminary in Shandong Province held a theatrical performance on June 25 with the theme "Sing Praises to the Party" to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CCP.

According to the Guangdong Provincial UFWD, the Guangdong Islamic Association organized imam training courses at the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Socialism from March 22 to 28. Thirty-six imams from nine cities in the province attended the week-long training, during which they studied the history of the CCP, socialism and "how to stick to the sinicization direction of Guangdong Islam." Imams who attended the training said they listened "steadfastly" to the party.

According to the CCPA website, the Guangdong Catholic Association celebrated the CCP's 100th anniversary by organizing a CCP training session for 40 priests from 21 different cities in Guangxi province on April 12-16. Participants toured several CCP "red schools," learned about "heroic deeds of revolutionary martyrs," and were encouraged to "love the Party."

In May, the Minnan Buddhist Institute held a public speech contest on "Studying the Party's History, Thanking the Party, and Following the Party" at Nanputuo Buddhist Temple, Xiamen City, Fujian Province. About 700 faculty members and students participated in the competition to praise the party's "brilliant history and great achievements," according to the Nanputuo Buddhist Temple website. RFA reported that a Shandong monk criticized the competition, saying the Buddhist Institute forced monks to participate. He explained that the institute would ban students who did not attend from studying there.

Media reported that crackdowns on some foreign-affiliated churches across the country intensified significantly during the year. Many religious groups, including groups affiliated with the five "patriotic religious associations," faced extensive scrutiny that included background scrutiny, organizational framework, membership, online evangelism, and finances. On April 3, International Christian Concern reported that the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) plans to intensify efforts to shut down social organizations, private non-corporate entities and foundations that are not registered with the relevant authorities. Organizations that have had their registrations revoked but are still continuing their activities would also be targeted, the ministry said. According to the RFA, “The MCA's recent campaign has already started in some provinces such as Sichuan. The Sichuan Ministry of Civil Affairs on March 25 released a list of 84 'illegal social organizations,' which included several Buddhist and Christian groups, including the heavily persecuted house church Early Rain Covenant Church.”

ChinaAid reported that authorities continued to harass members of Trinity Gospel Harvest Church in the city of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, throughout the year. On March 1, security officials warned members not to gather to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Church's organization. On April 25, police and religious affairs officials searched the church's worship services and arrested Pastors Mao Zhibin and Cao Yuan and eight members for interrogation without explanation. On July 11, the authorities raided Sunday services again. The government officially banned the church at the end of April. According to ChinaAid, in May authorities closed a beach where baptisms of new members were scheduled to take place to prevent the baptisms, prompting the group to move to another beach. In September, on orders from local police, a Shenzhen hotel refused to serve Church members and refunded the fees they had paid to stay there.

Bitter winterAuthorities reportedly cracked down on religious groups organizing prayer meetings in hotel rooms. On March 16, the Renai Reformed Church in Guiyang city, Guizhou province, held a prayer meeting at the Wenzhou hotel complex. The police searched the room and arrested several parishioners. When church elder Zhang Chunlei went to the police station to negotiate the release of the church members, the police also arrested him and held him in custody for 15 days. They ransacked the homes of followers and confiscated computers and religious materials. RFA reported on the same March 16 raid and said officers said they arrested the individuals because gatherings were limited to family members due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October, ChinaAid reported that the local government of Jiake Village in Yunnan Province, the TSPM and the China Christian Council banned Kai Yiduo from participating in religious activities, which ChinaAid said was in retaliation for his dispute with the local government. Yiduo said the government did not compensate him after his house was demolished.

In November, theJerusalem Postreported that the authorities in the city of Kaifeng, Henan Province, again did not allow Jews to celebrate Hanukkah.Sources reported that the Jewish community in Shanghai was able to hold a Hanukkah memorial service on November 28.

In September,Bitter winterreported that the China Christian Council instructed all churches and congregations to "organize worship services" to commemorate the 76th anniversary of China's victory over Japan in World War II and to "further promote the beautiful tradition of patriotism and love of religion and that." good image of peace-loving Christianity in China.” The guideline states: “Churches are asked to submit evidence of the relevant activities (text, video and photo materials) to the Media Ministry Department of the China Christian Council by September 10 .” An accompanying photoBitter winterThe article showed students at Fujian Theological Seminary in Fujian Province praying for the Red Army's "martyrs."

Throughout the year, the government closed venues across the country, including religious venues, and banned mass gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Media reported that authorities were trying to prevent many religious groups from gathering online or holding services during the COVID-19 lockdown. According to media reports, government officials in some places used the COVID-19 precautions as an excuse to prevent religious organizations from resuming activities long after restrictions in analogous non-religious contexts had been lifted. According toNational Catholic Reporter, authorities prevented Catholics from celebrating the May 24 feast of Mary at Shanghai's Sheshan Shrine, the country's most famous Marian shrine and traditionally a place of pilgrimage. Authorities cited the COVID-19 pandemic, but critics noted that the government allowed amusement parks and a golf club in the area to remain open during the same period. However, there was at least one instance when the authorities eased restrictions: when monks at Shenyang Ci'en Buddhist Temple in Shenyang city, Liaoning province, declared, "Monks and believers love the Party and will continue to follow the Party to promote the." To achieve Sinicization”, government officials authorized them to resume large-scale services.

According to one source, the government used COVID-19 prevention as an excuse to close Islamic sites, particularly in Qinghai and Gansu provinces and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, where Hui Muslims are concentrated while Buddhist temples remain open.

RFA reported that officials in Yunnan province on April 30 closed the Bulai Protestant Church in Lao Muden Village, Fugong County, ostensibly to prevent the spread of COVID-19, although the church was previously allowed to convene during the pandemic.Chinese Christian Daily Newspaperreported that on August 1, an unregistered church in the city of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, was forced to suspend its Sunday worship service when local officials cut power, citing "crowd reduction for epidemic prevention and control" and Seals stuck on doors. Authorities also suspended services at other local churches in Suzhou.Chinese Christian Daily Newspaperreported.

Seaeconomist, many house churches were holding services online, and there were numerous Bible study groups and church forums on WeChat. Some unauthorized seminaries and mission schools have gone online. One pastor said some online churches are 50 percent larger than in-person meetings. In March, however, Open Doors USA reported that officials were monitoring online activity and "even officially registered churches have been ordered to stop online worship."

In December,Bitter winterreported that authorities have taken measures to prevent Christians from gathering for Christmas celebrations, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, although they have allowed some musical and cultural events to take place thereBitter winterdescribed as "cosmetic" activities designed to create the appearance of religious tolerance.Bitter winterreported that the authorities in Rong'an County, Liuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region ordered elementary and kindergarten teachers not to celebrate Christmas at school or at home, calling the holiday a "Western Festival". The policy included the name and contact number for a people-tipping hotline to report people doing "any event" at Christmas.

Media and human rights organizations reported that the SARA regulations enacted in 2020, according to which only the Islamic Association of China could organize Muslim pilgrimages, remained in effect. The regulations stated that those applying to take part in the hajj must be "patriotic, law-abiding and decent", have never taken part in the hajj and be in good physical and mental condition. They also had to be able to pay for all expenses associated with the Hajj trip and oppose religious extremism. The government suspended all Hajj activities throughout the year, according to a June 15 notice from the Islamic Association of China, citing the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government continued to label several religious groups, including the CAG, the Shriekers, the Union of Disciples, the All Sphere Church, and many others, as cults or xie jiao organizations. The government also continued to ban groups like Falun Gong, which it classified as illegal organizations.

Bitter winterreported that the Supreme People's Court issued its "Opinion on Provision of Justice Services and Protection to Accelerate Modernization of Agriculture and Rural Areas" on July 26. The "opinion" included provisions on "tightening the punishment of illegal religious activities and overseas infiltration activities" in rural areas, "cracking down on the organization and use of xie jiao organizations to commit crimes" and "ending the use of religion and xie -Jiao“. meddling in rural public affairs.”

Bitter winterreported that on October 23, about 100 children from preschools in Jiaocheng District in Ningde City, Fujian Province participated in a "preventive education" program. The children, ages three to six, received picture booklets, viewed a panel exhibit, and watched cartoons warning about "xie jiao and illegal religion." One film portrayed the CAG as a sect, others warned against "superstition" and "illegal religion" in general.

Bitter winterProvincial governments reportedly shut down local branches of the Good News Mission, a Protestant religious group with ties to South Korea. On March 30, the Shaoxing City Civil Affairs Bureau in Zhejiang Province banned the group and raided local communities. On April 30, the government of Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, announced that the prefectural authorities had banned the Good News Mission and closed its churches. AfterBitter winter, the Good News Mission "was not in the Xie Jiao list, but it is now a common strategy to ban one religious movement in one region and province at a time, leading to a de facto national ban."

Bitter Winter reports aAuthorities continued to link Xie Jiao to criminal activities and other social ills.In November, border police and "legal education" officers conducted a surveillance and propaganda operation in Ningming County, Guangxi Province, and Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefectures, Yunnan Province, both on the border with VietnamBitter winterIt was about fears that illegal religious groups could enter the country via Vietnam. The campaign against drug smuggling and HIV/AIDS included indoctrinating residents against "illegal religion" and xie jiao. It targeted 600,000 Hani, who have predominantly shamanistic beliefs, and 900,000 Yi, who practice both Christianity and shamanistic religions.

Bitter winterreported that on National Security Education Day on April 15, authorities held exhibitions as part of an anti-xie jiao campaign, and students across the country signed pledges to stop illegal religious activities by groups labeled as cults. Zhou Qiang, President of the Supreme People's Court, called cults "a cancer" and said the CCP has three main goals: Falun Gong, the CAG, and the Association of Disciples. He also said cults had colluded with Western anti-China forces and he accused the Association of Disciples of rigging some local elections. The article included a photo from social media site Weibo showing students at Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications in Chongqing Province signing a large billboard pledging to renounce xie jiao.

State media reported that the Qiongshan District in Haikou City, Hainan Province, organized a series of anti-drug and anti-cult propaganda activities in middle schools on September 10. Government officials distributed pamphlets, put up propaganda banners, and gave lectures to teachers and students on how to identify and "consciously oppose" a cult.

Media reported that in June in the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, volunteers conducted large-scale COVID-19 tests in several locations, distributing educational literature warning about Xie Jiao alongside personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer. The volunteers reportedly put up signs releasing an "anti-xie jiao" app, and digital billboards warned residents about xie jiao's harmful influence and advised them "to beware of cult organizations that are destroying the epidemic." use it to spread rumors and create havoc".

AfterBitter winterIn October, prefecture-level city authorities in Hui'an County and the nearby city of Quanzhou, Fujian Province, launched an anti-xie jiao program as part of their celebrations of the CCP's 100th anniversary. Teachers organized classes in all elementary and middle schools and distributed propaganda materials against itxie jiaoand "illegal religion". Individuals played a WeChat game proving they had read the propaganda material by answering questions. Prizes were awarded to those who answered the most questions correctly. AfterBitter winter, the names of those who scored low were sent to local CCP secretaries. Local CCP officials said the initiative is necessary because "illegal religion" and xie jiao have increased in Fujian during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the media, through the development and widespread use of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, CCTVs and social media applications, authorities have maintained a near-ubiquitous surveillance system. In October, an academic working on the topic said theDiplomatthat domestic police departments in ethnic minority areas in Ningxia, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and elsewhere have purchased digital forensic tools to scan cellphone hard drives for "more than 50,000 markers or patterns of illegal activity." More than 500 cities and towns across the country developed "smart city systems" that used forms of biometric surveillance that could monitor ethnic and religious minorities.

According to ChinaAid, the Siming District Bureau of Religious Affairs in Xiamen city, Fujian province, issued a circular on March 19 directing police officers to patrol office buildings and hotels in the district on Saturday evening and Sunday to warn of a resurgence of house church gatherings to prevent that have been suppressed in the past months and years. The circular identified several buildings and streets for priority patrols.

CBN News reported in August that the government had asked citizens to report anyone distributing printed religious materials or holding religious services. Authorities offered the whistleblowers 1,000 RMB ($160). A Hui Muslim source said officials have instructed children to tell about the religious and cultural practices of their parents and family. ChinaAid reported that authorities in Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Xingtai and other areas in Hebei province in early January encouraged the public to report house churches. Authorities in Xingtai issued a "Notice of Rewards for Reporting Religious Activities During the Epidemic," promising whistleblowers a reward of more than 500 RMB (US$78). In early August, authorities in Meilisi Daur District, Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province announced a "reward system for reporting illegal religious activities and crimes," under which individuals report by phone, email, or letter and pay RMB1,000 (US$160). dollars) can get ). According to ChinaAid, reportable violations included "unqualified religious personnel, unauthorized nationwide activities, preaching and distribution of printed religious works, audiovisual products outside places of worship, unauthorized donations, and private family gatherings."

In January, the Christian rights NGO World Watch Monitor reported that authorities in Henan and Jiangxi provinces had installed surveillance cameras at all government-approved religious sites. Many of the cameras were reportedly installed alongside standard surveillance cameras, but were connected to the Public Safety Bureau, meaning artificial intelligence could instantly connect to other government databases.

DieNew York Timesreported in February that authorities in Sanya City, Hainan province, continued to take action against the 10,000-strong, predominantly Muslim Utsul ethnic minority group, including efforts to ban girls from wearing traditional clothing, including hijabs and long skirts, at school . Signs on shops and houses that read "Allahu akbar" (God is Greatest) in Arabic were covered with a foot of stickers reading "China Dream," a nationalist official slogan. Restaurants removed the Chinese characters for halal from signs and menus. The authorities closed two Islamic schools. Local mosque leaders said authorities told them to remove loudspeakers that broadcast the call to prayer from the tops of minarets, place them on the floor and turn down the volume. The authorities stopped the construction of a new mosque because of its alleged "Arab" architectural elements. According to residents, the city banned children under the age of 18 from learning Arabic. The restrictions followed a 2019 government-issued "Working Document to Strengthen Overall Management of Huixin and Huihui," which referred to the only two predominantly Utsul-dominated neighborhoods in the island province. An academic commenting on the measures told demNew York Times, “This is about strengthening state control. It is pure anti-Islam.”

Sea aNational ReviewIn an article published in July, the government continued to urge churches to display banners with CCP slogans, sing the national anthem before singing Christian hymns, and "demonstrate their loyalty to the CCP first and the church second." According toNational Review, "Consistent indoctrination and blatant submission to communist standards spread to all religious groups."

According to Open Doors USA, authorities in Shanxi, Henan and Jiangxi provinces threatened Christians with cutting social benefits and pensions if they refused to replace Christian images such as crosses with images of Xi Jinping. A Christian on welfare told officials that since he believes in God, he should ask God for food instead of living off the CCP.

In April,UCA Newsreported that authorities in Zhaoxian city, Hebei province, closed the House of the Dawn orphanage run by Catholic nuns from the Sisters of Child Jesus Congregation, accusing the nuns of "illegal adoption practices." Local sources stated that authorities had indeed closed the orphanage as part of a crackdown on church facilities run by the unregistered Catholic Church. The orphanage served more than 100 children, many with special needs. AfterUCA News, authorities accused Christian-run organizations of proselytizing and converting children through their social and charitable work.

According to ChinaAid, on September 4 in Harbin city, Heilongjiang province, more than 30 CCP officials, including SWAT officers, police officers, officials from the Religious Affairs Bureau and local school district administrators, ransacked Maizi Christian Music High School and arrested all the staff Pupils. They confiscated school property, including pianos, computers and documents. Before the raid, the police took the principal into custody. The students were released after 24 hours, but the authorities held the staff for several days for interrogation. AfterAsiaNews, there were reports that the authorities would accuse the headmaster of proselytizing.

The authorities continued to restrict the printing and distribution of the Bible, the Koran and other religious texts. The government continued to allow some overseas educational institutions to provide religious materials in Chinese, which were used by both registered and unregistered religious groups. However, during the year many provinces launched campaigns against "illegal religious publications" coming from unofficial distribution channels.

ChinaAid reported in July that the Bao'an District Court in Shenzhen city, Guangdong province, found four Christian workers at the Shenzhen Life Tree Technology Development Company guilty of "illegal business" and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from fifteen months to six years prison, with fines of up to 200,000 RMB ($31,400). Authorities arrested people in 2020 for illegally selling audio Bible players and confiscated their electronics and other belongings.

Local authorities across the country continued to ban the sale and display of religious couplets (banners with poems) traditionally displayed during the Lunar New Year. Local authorities threatened anyone caught selling it with fines or jail time. According to ChinaAid, officials in Pingdingshan, Henan province, went from house to house tearing down verses from the doors of Christian families that displayed faith-related messages.

In October, the BBC reported that Apple had removed the Quran Majeed app, which allows users to download the Qur'an, from its store at the request of the government. The media outlet said: "The BBC is aware that the app was removed for hosting illegal religious texts." Apple declined to comment to the BBC.

Christian organizations that try to use social media and smartphone apps to distribute Christian materials have reported that the government is increasing censorship of those materials. According to International Christian Concern, authorities have removed Bible apps from app stores. The Catholic News Agency reported in October that a digital Bible company had removed its app from the Apple App Store after Apple said the company had to prove that it was government-authorized to launch an app containing book or magazine content in mainland China expel.

In May, International Christian Concern reported that, according to a tweet by Father Francis Liu of the Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness, the homepages of some WeChat Christian accounts such as Gospel League and Life Quarterly were no longer showing content. Instead, visitors saw a message that read: "[We] received a report that [this account] has violated the 'Regulations on the Administration of Public Account Information Services for Internet Users' and their account has been suspended and suspended."

Chinese Christian Daily Newspaperreported that the government blocked the WeChat accounts of many registered churches during a crackdown on Christian content online. The suspended accounts were managed by TSPM-approved churches in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Yunnan provinces. Shanghai Pure Heart Church, Jiangsu Province's Huai'an Church and Jiangsu Province's Nanjing Holy Word Church were among the churches whose official WeChat accounts were blocked by the authorities. Today's Nanjing Union Life, the WeChat page of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, the country's only national Protestant seminary, was unavailable from May until the end of the year. China Christian Daily further reported that WeChat censored the words "Christ," "Gospel," and "Communion." ChinaAid also reported that the authorities blocked keywords related to Christianity in search engines.

International Christian Concern said paper Bibles are not available for sale online and said TSPM-owned bookstores are increasingly selling books promoting Xi Jinping thought and CCP ideology. According to International Christian Concern, "Even their WeChat accounts are turning into propaganda channels for the CCP."

ChinaAid reported that a court upheld the original verdict in the second trial of Chen Yu (aka Zhang Xiaomai) at the end of the year. Chen owned and operated the Xiaomai Bookstore in Linhai, Zhejiang Province, which sold Christian books online and in stores. In September 2019, the government arrested Chen for selling "illegal religious publications abroad" online and sentenced him to seven years in prison and a fine of 200,000 RMB (US$31,400). Authorities also confiscated 12,864 books and investigated more than 10,000 people who bought from Chen. Across the country, authorities confiscated all copies Chen had sold by ERCC Pastor Wang Yitransformation of the gospel.

ChinaAid reported that the CCP Central Committee's Propaganda Department censored information about Christianity in school textbooks. In a textbook that included an image of Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, authorities changed the word from "God" to "Old Man" in the description and in the description of a painting of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, they changed "Holy Mother and Holy Son" to "Mother and Son."

A Hui Muslim source told international media that the government is trying to remove features of Hui religion and culture in order not to distinguish Hui citizens from Han citizens, with whom they share physical traits and language. Authorities have demolished minarets and domes and consolidated mosques. He said authorities had trained clergymen in party doctrine and instructed them to pass those teachings on to their religious communities. The government targeted the Hui cultural and business elite to remove Hui texts and art and stop independent financial support for the community. The source called this a form of "cultural genocide."

On October 24, National Public Radio (NPR) reported that the government had removed domes and minarets from thousands of mosques across the country, saying it was evidence of "foreign religious influence" and replacing them with more traditional Chinese architectural features . Authorities removed the dome and minarets of Dongguan Mosque in Xining city, Qinghai province. According to a local resident, "The government is saying that we should 'sinicize' our mosques to make them look more like Beijing's Tiananmen Square." NPR said the campaign coincided with rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the country and growing religious restrictions.

For the second time, authorities removed a 100-year-old cross from Shuixin Church in Wenzhou city, Zhejiang province, against the will of the congregation, according to ChinaAid. They first cut power to the building and then arrested the church's night watch. According to a Christian observer, several security forces held a church member in a headlock and confiscated his mobile phone. They warned him, "Don't fight back. We enforce orders from senior officials.” Authorities removed the cross in June 2014, but the church later put it back.

ChinaAid reported that authorities in Zhoushan city, Zhejiang province, on July 28 forced several fishermen to remove crosses from their private fishing vessels. Authorities also removed "Emmanuel" slogans painted on boats and threatened that authorities would not issue fishing licenses or allow them to buy petrol for their boats if they refused to cooperate. The authorities did not produce any legal documents to support their actions. The fishermen wrote on social media: "The government is completely unreasonable. Fishing boats are our personal property. We have the right to put crosses on our boats. Freedom of religion is enshrined in the constitution. However, this is just empty talk. The government never enforces the constitution.”

AfterBitter winter, authorities sentenced Pastor Li Juncai of the Yuan Yang County House Church in Xinxiang City, Henan Province, to five and a half years in prison in January. In early 2019, Li had defied government orders to remove the cross from his building and change the church's motto from "Love God and Love Others" to "Love the Country and Love Religion." He also opposed the building of a stand in the church on which a national flag would be displayed. Authorities arrested Li in February 2019, and the Yuan Yang County Procuratorate charged him with "embezzling office, obstructing official duties, and destroying accounts." He remained in prison pending his trial. The court found him guilty on all three counts.

According to SARA data, religious groups operated 87 schools in the country at the end of the year, including 37 Buddhist, 10 Taoist, 10 Islamic, nine Catholic and 21 Protestant. Authorities banned religious instruction for students under the age of 18, but enforcement and implementation of the ban varied greatly from region to region. According to SARA, there were six national-level religious colleges. Although there were two CCPA seminars in Beijing, civil society sources said one of these institutions was mainly used as CCPA propaganda for international visitors.

In March, Open Doors USA reported that authorities using video surveillance observed a woman in Shandong Province taking her child to a state-affiliated church. Officials reprimanded her for violating bans on children participating in religious activities such as church attendance.

im maiBitter winterreported that police came to the home of Zhao Weikai, a worker at Taiyuan Reformed Church in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, with an arrest warrant for "religious fraud." The police arrested Zhao and confiscated his cell phone and other items. They reportedly asked Zhao to stop homeschooling minors, which is forbidden by law. Those present questioned the validity of the subpoena, saying court officials had neither signed nor stamped it.

In November, ChinaAid reported that the government closed several informal Christian schools during the year. On May 27, authorities raided the Xuan De Learning Center affiliated with the Wuhu Jiamishan Christian Church in Anhui Province. They confiscated books, computers, and cell phones, and arrested the principal and teachers. On May 28, the Wuhu Civil Affairs Bureau labeled the center an "illegal social organization," and in July, the Wuhu local government classified the church as an "illegal congregation." On October 12, police arrested five educators at Abeka Academy, a US-based Christian home schooling program in the city of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, and detained children, parents and teachers.

Individuals wishing to enroll in an official seminary or other religious learning institution were still required to seek the support of the relevant state-recognized religious association. The government continued to require students to demonstrate "political integrity," and political subjects were included in exams for graduates of religious schools. Both registered and unregistered religious communities reported shortages of trained clergy, partly due to government controls on seminary admissions.

National regulations required Muslim clerics to meet the following requirements: “Uphold the leadership of the CCP; love Islam and serve Muslims; have a degree or formal training in Islamic scripture education; have completed junior high school or higher and additionally acquired knowledge of Arabic; and be at least 22 years old.” According to sources, imams had to pass an exam to renew their ideological knowledge every year in order to renew their license.

The government and the Holy See remained without formal diplomatic relations, and the Holy See had no official representative in the country. Media explained that SARA's "administrative measures for religious ministers" made no provision for a Vatican role in the selection of Catholic bishops, despite the 2018 interim agreement between China and the Vatican, which reportedly included both the Chinese authorities and the saint Chair involved in the appointment process bishops.AsiaNewssaid the regulations undermined the interim agreement between China and the Vatican. The news agency said: "Even Catholic bishops can only minister after registering with SARA, despite being 'approved and ordained' by the Chinese Bishops' Council. In this way the State and not the Church retains the direction of the bishops' pastoral ministry.” AfterAsiaNews, the provisions reaffirmed the distinction between official and unofficial priests and bishops, thereby “reaffirming and supporting the division imposed by the regime.” However, some senior Chinese sources told the Catholic News AgencyThe pillarthat the new rules would not invalidate the agreement. A Catholic minister said the financial management regulations were not aimed at Catholic churches but rather at Buddhist temples, while the “foreign rule” regulations were mainly aimed at underground Protestant house churches. He said the government exempted the Vatican from regulations because the CCP, despite coordinating the selection of bishops, in no way wanted to publicly identify a foreign power.

Media reported that authorities on May 20 arrested seven priests and an unspecified number of seminarians in Xinxiang city, Henan province, for using an abandoned factory as a seminary to train priests. On May 21, they arrested Vatican-appointed Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu. All were accused of violating the May 1 SARA order, which bans religious activities, including worship, in places not registered with the state. The CCPA does not recognize Xinxiang as a diocese, although it was established by the Vatican in 1936. Zhang was ordained a bishop by the Vatican in 1991, but his appointment was not approved by the two state-sanctioned church bodies — the BCCCC and the BCCPA — and he was not among the Vatican-recognized bishops appointed under the interim agreement between China and the recognized by the Vatican.

Media reported in April that authorities in Cangnan County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province fined Catholic Huang Ruixun RMB200,000 (US$31,400) for allowing Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin and about 20 believers to worship his private chapel had offered. They accused the event of being an illegal religious activity. Shao was ordained Bishop of Yongjia/Wenzhou Diocese by the Vatican in 2016, but was not among the Vatican-recognized bishops recognized under the China-Vatican Interim Agreement.

On September 8, the Franciscan Father Francis Cui Qingqi was ordained Bishop of the Diocese of Hankou/Wuhan with the approval of the state and the Catholic Church. This makes him the sixth bishop to be ordained since the China-Vatican Interim Agreement of 2018, and the fourth since it was renewed in 2020. The director of the Vatican Press Office told journalists that Pope Francis appointed Cui on June 23, 2020. Media said the state-sanctioned BCCCC "democratically" elected him on September 27, 2020.

A number of Catholic clergy, including some Pope-appointed bishops, remained unable or unwilling to register with the CCPA.

DieSouth China tomorrow post(SCMP) reported that during an Aug. 27-28 conference on ethnic affairs attended by CCP leaders, lawmakers and the Political Advisory Body, including all seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, President Xi urged participants to "continue to root out toxic thoughts of ethnic separatism and religious extremism." The SCMP reported that Xi's comments were an apparent attempt to "refute international allegations of human rights abuses."

According to the State Council's website, the government convened a national conference on religious affairs on December 3-4, the first since 2016, which called on clergy, the CCP and government officials to ensure that religious teaching follows the CCP. At the conference, President Xi said the country's religions have made progress in "strengthening their recognition" of the Chinese nation and culture along with the CCP and socialism. Xi stressed the need to "uphold and develop a religious theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics, work in line with the Party's basic policy on religious affairs, and uphold the principle that religions in China must be Chinese-aligned." Xi urged "full and strict governance of religions." He called on the CCP and government officials to train individuals "well versed in the Marxist view of religion, conversant with religious matters, and competent to engage in work related to religious believers." According to media reports, Xi further emphasized strengthening the "management of online religious affairs," which critics say implies that religious practitioners will be disciplined for inappropriate online comments.

The Associated Press reported that on May 18 the host of a program on CGTN, the foreign channel of state broadcaster CCTV, used anti-Semitic language. Speaking in English, Zheng Junfeng said, "Some people believe that US pro-Israel policies stem from the influence of wealthy US Jews and the Jewish lobby on US foreign policy decision-makers...Jews dominate the financial and internet sectors." On Twitter, the Israeli embassy in China replied: "We hoped that the days of the 'Jews control the world' conspiracy theories were over, unfortunately anti-Semitism has reared its ugly face again. We are appalled by the blatant anti-Semitism expressed in an official Chinese media outlet.”

In a June SCIO white paper titled “The Chinese Communist Party and the Protection of Human Rights – A 100-Year Quest,” the government declared that it “protects normal religious activities” and “does not interfere in the internal affairs of religions “.

On August 13, the outletgeneralista caricature of the US Secretary of State owned by the state as anti-SemiticXinhuanews agency published alongsideXinhuaArticle on the Minister's July meeting with the Head of the World Health Organization, Tendros Ghebreyesus. The cartoon showed the secretary as a red-skinned devil with horns and a large, elongated nose, holding a report titled "COVID-19 Origins Tracing." The American Jewish Committee denounced the cartoon on Twitter, calling it "disgusting."

Because the government and individuals intertwine religion, culture and ethnicity, it has been difficult to categorize many incidents of societal discrimination as based solely on religious identity.

Despite labor laws against discrimination in hiring based on religious belief, some employers continued to discriminate against religious believers. Religious minorities also reported that employers had terminated their employment because of their current or past religious activities.

In 2020 theeconomistreported that discrimination against ethnic minorities in the workplace was pervasive, citing a study that found that Hui job seekers had to send twice as many applications as Han applicants and that Uyghurs, on average, had to send almost four times as many applications just to get from to hear from potential employers. The study found that the gap was larger among high-skilled workers, with Uyghur candidates, who were in the top 1 percent academically, having to submit six times as many applications as their Han counterparts. According toeconomist, the application gap “was similar in both smaller cities and the provincial-level regions of Guangdong, Beijing and Shanghai. State-owned companies, which have an official mandate to hire more minority workers, seemed at least as biased as other companies.”

Reportedly, potential or current tenants continued to face discrimination based on their religious beliefs. Since 2017 and 2018, when articles in the Public Security Agency's 2005 Criminal Law relating to "suspicious activities" were seriously enforced, Falun Gong practitioners have reported continued difficulties in finding landlords who would rent them apartments. According to sources, state enforcement of this law has moved the country further away from informal discriminatory practices by individual landlords toward more formal enforcement of codified discriminatory laws.

In June, theDiplomatreported growing anti-Muslim sentiment in society as a result of the government's Sinicization campaign, which launched theDiplomatsaid could lead to violence. Sources said government propaganda portraying Uyghurs as radicals, extremists and terrorists created societal hostility towards the group. Anti-Muslim comments on social media continued to be widespread, according to reports.

There were reports that Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and other religious minorities continued to have difficulties finding accommodation when travelling.

In January, media outlets on social media reported that local Catholics from Shijiazhuang city and "several priests from Europe and the United States" were blamed for the spread of COVID-19 in Hebei province, leading to a lockdown on Jan. 6 . Local priests condemned the posts, saying there had been no religious activities, masses or gatherings since December 24, 2020.

The US Secretary of State, Deputy Secretary of State, Charge d'Affaires and other senior officials at the State Department, as well as representatives from embassies and consulates general, have repeatedly and publicly expressed concern about abuses of religious freedom in the country, including in Hong Kong, Tibet and China's Xinjiang. In July, the Secretary of State met virtually with Uyghur family members, Xinjiang detention center survivors and advocates to express US commitment to urge the government to end atrocities in Xinjiang. In July, the Deputy Foreign Minister met with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and raised concerns about human rights abuses in the country, including in Hong Kong and Tibet, and the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang. During the foreign minister's October meeting with Foreign Minister Wang, the foreign minister's spokesman said the foreign minister "expressed concern about a number of measures that undermine the international rules-based order and run counter to our values ​​and interests and those of our allies and partners, including Measures related to human rights, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, the East and South China Seas and Taiwan.”

Embassy and consulate officials sought regular meetings with a range of government officials who manage religious affairs to learn more about government policies and to advocate for greater religious freedom and tolerance. Embassy and consular officials, including the Charge and the Consul General, called on government officials at the central, provincial and local levels, including the State Department and other ministries, to implement stronger protections for religious freedom and release prisoners of conscience. The prosecution highlighted freedom of religion in meetings with senior officials. The State Department, embassy and consulates-general regularly called on the government to release prisoners of conscience and advocated individual cases of people being held on religious grounds.

The PRC authorities routinely harassed and intimidated religious leaders to discourage them from speaking to US officials. Members of religious communities were routinely prevented by authorities from attending events at embassies and consulates general, and security services questioned those who attended. Authorities routinely refused to approve or delay requests from US officials to visit religious sites and meet with religious leaders.

The impeachment, consuls-general in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang and Wuhan, and other officials from the embassies and consulates-general met with religious groups, as well as with academics, nongovernmental organizations, members of registered and unregistered religious groups, and family members of religious prisoners to bolster U.S. support for freedom of religion. Representatives of embassies and consulates-general held events around religious holidays and held roundtables with religious leaders to convey the importance of religious pluralism in society and to learn about issues faced by religious communities.

The embassy has continued to share the State Department's religious freedom initiatives directly with local audiences through postings on the embassy's website and on its Weibo, WeChat, and Twitter accounts. During the year, the embassy released nearly 50 messages promoting religious freedom, including videos, statements, images and infographics. The message highlighted the minister's attendance at the civil society-led international summit on religious freedom in July and his visit to the Vatican in June to emphasize US support for religious freedom.It published or retweeted posts on the status of religious freedom in Xinjiang and Tibet.For example, on the International Day of Religious Freedom on October 27, the embassy released the minister's message supporting respect for religious freedom, as well as information describing the Chinese government's continued control over religion and restrictions on the activities of religious adherents.On December 10, the embassy released a Human Rights Day statement on its website and through its international and Chinese social media accounts. The statement highlighted the scale of gross human rights abuses in the PRC, including restrictions on freedom of religion.The Embassy also conveyed greetings from the President and Secretary of State on special religious days for Muslims, Jews, Christians and Tibetan Buddhists; These have been viewed by millions of social media users.In total, message posts have been viewed almost 10 million times on social media and around240.000Engagements.

On Jan. 13, the CBP issued a declassification order banning the import of all cotton and tomato products manufactured in Xinjiang "based on information reasonably indicating the use of inmate or prison labor and forced labor situations."

On January 19, the then Foreign Minister stated that the PRC's repressive measures against Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs and other religious minorities since at least March 2017 in Xinjiang amounted to genocide and crimes against humanity.

On March 22, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Wang Junzheng, Secretary of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) Party Committee, and Chen Mingguo, Director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau (XPSB), under Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, the builds on and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act because of its connection to gross human rights violations against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. The US coordinated the timing of the sanctions with the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada, who imposed their own sanctions on Chinese individuals and entities on the same day. In response, the Chinese government imposed sanctions on two officials from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on March 27, a move the foreign minister condemned as "unfounded."

On May 12, the foreign minister announced visa sanctions against Yu Hui, the former office head of the Central Leading Group for Preventing and Combating Heretical Religions in Chengdu, for his involvement in gross human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners.

Also on May 12, the United States, along with 17 other countries and six NGOs, held a high-level virtual event on Xinjiang. Speaking at the event, the US Ambassador to the United Nations described the Uighurs' desire to "practice the fundamental freedoms of religion, belief, expression and movement...". In another multilateral action, on June 22, the United States joined a group of 44 countries in releasing a Canadian-led joint statement expressing deep concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, as well as deep concerns about the deterioration of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong and Hong Kong the human rights situation in Tibet are expressed. On October 21, it joined a group of 43 countries in making a joint statement on the human rights situation in Xinjiang before the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly.

On May 27, the secretary condemned the PRC's sanctioning of a former USCIRF commissioner. The secretary stated: “Beijing's attempts to intimidate and silence those who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion or belief, only draw additional international attention and scrutiny to its egregious abuses. These include the ongoing crimes against humanity and genocide in Xinjiang, and the repression of religious and spiritual followers, including Tibetan Buddhists, Christians and Falun Gong practitioners.”

In response to the use of forced labor by ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang's polysilicon industry, the CBP on June 24 issued an Order withholding Clearance against Hoshine Silicone Industry Co., Ltd, a company headquartered in Xinjiang. The US Department of Commerce has added Xinjiang-based Affiliates to its list of companies subject to special licensing requirements for the export, re-export and/or entry of certain items (the "Company List"); the US Department of Labor has updated its list of goods manufactured by child or forced labor with related products; and the White House issued a factsheet on forced labor in Xinjiang.

On July 9, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security announced it would add 14 companies to its list of entities for complicity in China's campaign of oppression, mass arrests and high-tech surveillance against Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs and other dependents Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The penalties prohibit US companies from selling equipment or other goods to these companies.

On July 13, the US Department of State, Treasury Department, Department of Commerce, Homeland Security, Department of Labor and US Trade Representative issued updated Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory, which addresses the risk for companies with potential supply chain and investment links to Xinjiang of complicity highlighted forced labor and human rights violations.

On December 6, the Presidential Press Secretary announced that the US would not send any diplomatic or official mission to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games “given the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses by the PRC China".

On December 10, the US State Department imposed visa restrictions on four current and former PRC officials -- Shohrat Zakir, Erken Tuniyaz, Hu Lianhe and Chen Mingguo -- for their involvement in gross human rights abuses, particularly the arbitrary detention of Uighur and other ethnic and religious people minorities in Xinjiang. The US Treasury Department has also named Shohrat Zakir and Erken Tuniyaz under the Magnitsky global sanctions program related to serious human rights violations. The Treasury also imposed financial sanctions on the company SenseTime Group Limited for its involvement in the development of facial recognition programs to identify ethnic Uyghurs. On December 21, the PRC announced sanctions against four USCIRF officials in response to the December 10 US sanctions.

On December 23, the President signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act "to ensure that goods manufactured using forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of [the PRC] do not enter the United States market." The legislation banned the importation of goods made through forced labor by "Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tibetans and members of other persecuted groups", including goods that were mined, produced or manufactured in whole or in part. The law directed the CBP to presume that Xinjiang imports were manufactured using forced labor unless the importer proved the CBP wrong and imposed sanctions on foreign individuals responsible for forced labor in the region.

Since 1999, China has been designated a CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for engaging in or tolerating particularly serious violations of religious freedom. On November 15, 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs redesignated China as a CPC and identified the following sanction accompanying the designation: the existing ongoing restriction on the export of crime suppression and detection instruments and equipment to China under the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1990 and 1991 (Public Law 101-246), pursuant to Section 402(c)(5) of the Act.

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Tibet|Xinjiang|Hongkong|Macau

The US government estimates the total population at 864,000 (mid-2021), of which 98 percent are Sunni Muslims. Catholics, Shias, Ahmadi Muslims and Protestants together make up less than 2 percent of the population. Non-Muslims are mostly foreign residents and are concentrated in the country's capital, Moroni, and Anjouan's capital, Mutsamudu. Shia and Ahmadi Muslims live mainly on the island of Anjouan.

Legal framework

The constitution states that Islam is the state religion and citizens are to derive principles and rules regulating worship and social life from the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islam. The preamble "reaffirms the will of the Comorian people" to cultivate a national identity based on a single religion, Sunni Islam. It proclaims equal rights and duties for all people, regardless of religion or belief. A law designates Sunni Shafi'i doctrine as the "official religious reference" and carries penalties of five months to a year in prison, a fine of 100,000 to 500,000 Comorian francs ($230 to $1,200), or both for campaigning , propaganda, or religious practices or customs in public places that could cause social unrest or undermine national cohesion.

The law prohibits anyone from insulting a minister in office, which carries a fine of 50,000 to 150,000 francs (US$120 to 350), and anyone who hits or attacks a minister in office will be punished it shall be punished with imprisonment from one to five years.

Proselytizing for any religion except Sunni Islam is illegal and the law provides for the deportation of foreigners who do so. The penal code states: “Anyone who reveals, propagates and teaches a religion other than Islam to Muslims shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of three months to one year and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 Comorian francs” (120 to 1,200 US dollars). The law also states that "the sale [or] free distribution to Muslims of books, pamphlets, magazines, records and cassettes, or other media that teach a religion other than Islam" is punished with the same penalties.

There is no official registration process for religious groups. The law allows Sunni religious groups to build places of worship, train clergy and assemble for peaceful religious activities. It does not allow non-Sunni religious groups to gather in public places for peaceful religious activities, although foreigners are allowed to pray in three Christian churches in Moroni, Mutsamudu and Moheli, and foreign Shia Muslims in a Shia Moroni mosque.

The law prohibits proselytizing or performing non-Sunni religious rituals in public places to "hurt the cohesion of society and endanger national unity." Without specifying religion, the penal code provides penalties for desecrating rooms intended for religious services, for obstructing religious leaders in the performance of their duties, or for cases where the practice of sorcery, magic, or charlatanry disturbs public order. The new penal code, passed in February, carries a penalty of up to six months in prison and a fine of 150,000 to 750,000 francs (350 to 1,700 US dollars) for these offenses.

According to the constitution, the Grand Mufti is the highest religious authority in the country. The President appoints the Grand Mufti, who manages the affairs of religion and religious administration. The Grand Mufti heads an independent governmental institution called the Supreme National Institution in Charge of Religious Practices in the Union of the Comoros. The Grand Mufti advises the government on the practice of Islam and Islamic law.

The law stipulates that before the month of Ramadan, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and the Ulema Council will issue a ministerial decree with instructions to the population for events during that month.

The government uses the Koran in public elementary schools for teaching Arabic reading. There are more than 200 fee-paying schools that teach the Koran, which are also supported by the government. The teachings of Islam are sometimes taught in conjunction with Arabic in middle and high school public and private schools. A new education law passed in May stipulates that "pre-school education (ages three to five) aims to acquire the first elements of the Muslim religion," including initiation to reading the Koran.

The country is a signatory but not party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

A Shia leader said in July that 2021 had been "generally calm and peaceful" for Shia Muslims in Moroni and that private Shia commemorations of all Eids, Ramadan and Ashura were allowed to take place peacefully on all three islands. Shia Muslims continued to report government surveillance during religious holidays important to their community. For the second year in a row, the President and other political leaders refrained from making public statements against religious minorities. A religious minority leader attributed the government's relative reluctance to international engagement on the matter.

There were no reports of arrests of Comoros practicing other religious practices, but members of non-Sunni groups reported widespread self-censorship and said they only practiced or spoke about their faith in private. Shia and Ahmadi Muslims said they were unable to pray in public and that government authorities sometimes attended religious gatherings in private homes to observe their practices but did not interfere.

Ahmadi Muslims said the piece of land on Anjouan Island that housed an Ahmadi mosque that was confiscated and destroyed by local authorities in 2017 has not been returned to them. Shia Muslims on Anjouan said local authorities prevented them from practicing at the Shia mosque, which has been in place on the island for more than a year. Instead, they have been forced to pray at a Shia community center that only has a rooftop prayer room, leaving them exposed to the elements. Ahmadi and Shia Muslims on Anjouan said they do not live in fear of violence but must exercise caution and self-censorship to avoid unwanted attention from local authorities.

Christian parishioners living abroad reported that they had waited more than four years for a government response to their application for permission to build a new non-denominational church.

There have been persistent reports that local communities unofficially shunned individuals suspected of converting from Islam to Christianity. Societal abuse and discrimination against non-Muslim citizens, particularly Christians or converts from Islam, continued. Non-Muslim foreigners reported little to no discrimination.

Reportedly, most non-Sunni Muslim citizens did not openly practice their faith for fear of societal rejection, and some Shia Muslims reported being harassed by Sunni Muslims. Societal pressure and intimidation continued to restrict the use of the country's three churches to non-citizens. Christians reported that they would not eat in public during Ramadan to avoid drawing attention to their faith.

There is no permanent US diplomatic presence in the country. The Ambassador and representatives from the US Embassy in Madagascar visited the country and discussed religious freedom issues with government officials, including President Assoumani and officials from the Departments of State, Interior and Justice, focusing on the importance of individuals' ability to practice their religion exercise freely and to stop government statements criticizing religious minorities.

Embassy officials met with a diverse group of Muslim and Christian religious and civil society leaders, including Sunni, Shia and Ahmadi Muslims, on religious freedom issues. The embassy also used social media posts to highlight the importance of religious freedom and diversity and to engage with civil society and the general population.

On 15 November 2021, the Secretary of State placed Comoros on the special watch list under the International Religious Freedom Act 1998, as amended, for having committed or tolerated serious violations of religious freedom.

The US government estimates the total population at 5.2 million (mid-2021). Catholics make up about 47 percent of the population (compared to 49 percent in 2019), according to a University of Costa Rica (UCR) study released later this year; no religious affiliation 27 percent (20 percent in 2019); evangelical Christians 19 percent; other Protestants 1.0 percent (the 2019 study put all Protestants together at 36 percent); no answer 6 percent and other 2.7 percent.

Most Protestants are Pentecostals, with smaller numbers being Lutherans and Baptists. There are an estimated 32,000 Jehovah's Witnesses, mostly on the Caribbean coast. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints estimates its membership at 50,000. The Jewish Zionist Center estimates that there are between 3,000 and 3,500 Jews in the country. About 1,000 Quakers live near the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Puntarenas. Smaller groups include adherents of Islam, Taoism, the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, Scientology, Tenrikyo, and the Bahai faith. Some members of indigenous groups practice animism.

Legal framework

The constitution establishes Catholicism as the state religion and obliges the state to help maintain it. The constitution forbids the state from impeding the free practice of other religions that do not undermine "common morality or right conduct." Unlike other religious communities, the Catholic Church is not registered as an association and enjoys special legal recognition. Their assets and interests are regulated in accordance with Catholic canon law.

The Constitution recognizes the right to practice religion of one's choosing. Under the law, a person alleging a violation of religious freedom can file a complaint with the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, and can also petition the Constitutional Chamber for a declaration that a law or regulation is unconstitutional. In addition, a person alleging a violation of religious freedom can appeal to the Administrative Court to sue the government for alleged discriminatory acts. Legal protections include discrimination by individuals and corporations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship is responsible for managing the government's relations with the Catholic Church and other religious groups. According to the law, a group of at least 10 people can establish itself as an association with judicial status by entering into the public register of the Ministry of Justice. The government does not require registration of religious groups; However, religious groups must register if they choose to do any type of fundraising. Registration also entitles them to obtain legal representation and own property.

The constitution prohibits Catholic clergymen from serving as president, vice president, cabinet minister, or Supreme Court justice. This prohibition does not apply to non-Catholic clergy.

An executive order provides the legal framework for religious organizations to establish places of worship. Religious organizations must submit applications to the local community to build a place of worship and to comply with safety and noise regulations set by law.

By law, public schools must provide non-denominational Christian religious instruction by a person capable of promoting moral values ​​and tolerance and respecting human rights. If a parent wishes to refuse religious instruction on behalf of a child, the parent must submit a written request. The Department of Public Education provides religious education support to both Catholic and non-Catholic private schools, including the direct hiring of teachers and the provision of teachers' salaries and other funds.

The law allows the government to provide land to the Catholic Church free of charge, but the government also provides funds to evangelical Christian groups. Government-to-Church land transfers are usually granted through periodic legislation.

Only Catholic priests and public notaries are allowed to perform state-recognized marriages. Marriage ceremonies performed by other religious groups must be legalized through registered civil partnership.

The Immigration Act requires foreign religious workers to belong to a religious group accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship for immigration control purposes, and it requires religious workers to be granted residency permits for a minimum of 90 days but no more than two years be able. The permit is renewable. To obtain accreditation, a religious group must provide documentation about its organization, including its full name, number of adherents, banking information, number of places of worship, and the name and information of the group's board of directors. Immigration regulations require religious workers to apply for temporary residency prior to arrival.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

The deadline for passage of a 2009 bill that would reform the constitution to make the country a secular state expired in September 2020, and the Legislative Assembly did not introduce a new bill on the issue during the year .

On June 17, the Legislative Assembly passed its first vote on a public employment law that included an article on conscientious objection. Some lawmakers, including members of the pro-government Citizen Action Party and the National Liberation Party, opposed the inclusion of the article and appealed to the Constitutional Court. On August 1, the Constitutional Court upheld the article on conscientious objection as constitutional. Some religious communities had requested this provision to allow public employees to be exempted from attending government-mandated LGBTQ+ training. Another initial vote required to pass the law was due at the end of the year.

Some non-Catholic leaders continued to state that the Constitution does not adequately address the specific concerns of non-Catholic religious groups, particularly with regard to registration procedures. Members of Protestant groups registered as secular associations also indicated that they prefer a separate registration process that specifically includes building and operating churches, permission to organize events, and pastoral access to hospitals and prisons for members of non-Catholic religious groups covers. These Protestant groups continued to seek legislative reform to allow for these changes through the passage of a Religious Freedom Act, which has been under scrutiny by the Legislature since 2018. In the case of the Catholic Church, the government continued to address such concerns through the special legal recognition accorded to the Church by canon law.

During the year, the Constitutional Chamber received 12 lawsuits alleging denial of the free exercise of religious liberty in educational institutions, Catholic institutions or public places, compared to 24 lawsuits in 2020. Of the 12 lawsuits filed during the year, seven were filed dismissed, three were accepted and two were unresolved by the end of the year. The drop in the number of applications was reportedly due in part to COVID-19 restrictions on in-person learning throughout the year. The court dismissed seven claims for insufficient evidence of discrimination or because it found no basis for alleging discrimination. InIn some of those dismissed cases, the applicants alleged that they faced discrimination because of the government's closure of places of worship during the COVID-19 pandemic and because of a pandemic-related restriction that capped the number of people attending a service at 200, regardless of who size of the venue. For the purposes of restricting gatherings, religious organizations fell under the same category as sporting, cultural, and academic activities; the 200-person limit applied equally to all groups. The court dismissed the lawsuits on the grounds that the pandemic-related restrictions apply to all places of worship for health reasons.

TTwo claims related to the obligation for public sector workers to take a course on LGBTQ+ equality remained unresolved by the end of the year.The Chamber allowed three other claims. In one case,a Jewish community employeefiled an appeal to get permission to observe the Saturday Sabbath. In another case, the board ruled in favor of a plaintiff who was a minorhas withdrawn from religious instruction on the grounds that the minor cannot be obliged to attend a non-mandatory course. The parents of children attending public schools filed the third lawsuit against the Department of Education because the Department failed to replace the school's religion teacher several months after he retired. In its decision, the chamber ordered the appointment of a new religion teacher.

The government has again included financial support for the Catholic Church and evangelical Christian groups in its annual budget.Around 32.6 million are plannedcolonies($51,100), 23 millioncolonies($36,000) for the Catholic Church and $9.5 millioncolonies($14,900) for evangelical Christian groups,for various projects requested by religious groups, including funds to improve churches and parish buildings in different parts of the country. This total funding of 32.6 million colones ($51,100) for religious groups was included in the additional budgets for the year and compared to 55 million colones ($86,200) provided in the 2020 budget. According to a legal adviser, the drop in the allocation for religious groups was due to the general decrease in the budget due to the impact of COVID-19 on the economy. A semi-autonomous government institution once again sold lottery tickets and used the proceeds to support social programs sponsored by religious groups.

In June, Marco A. Fernandez Picado became the new Director of Religious Education at the Ministry of Public Education. Because most classes during the year were virtual due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, Fernandez Picado said no 2019 Department of Education policy was implemented that school principals should make decisions about whether to display religious imagery in educational institutions based on "mutual respect for the Rights and freedoms of all, and the values ​​and principles by which the education system operates.”

According to political observers and opinion polls, in the run-up to the 2018 federal election, religious issues such as same-sex marriage were polarizing campaign issues influencing voters' decisions. According to press reports, candidates during the February 2022 election campaign tended to avoid raising these issues, likely to avoid a repetition of such polarization.

Representatives from political parties that defined themselves as evangelical Christians continued to occupy 14 of the country's 57 parliamentary seats, and evangelical Christian parties contested local elections in February.No evangelical Christian mayors were elected, but 38 evangelical Christians were elected as representatives in 82 local governments. The President of the Evangelical Alliance again instructed pastors to refrain from electoral politics, while Catholic leaders continued to defend the Catholic Church's right to participate in the political process. By the end of the year, 30 political parties had registered for the 2022 general election; seven of these parties indicated a Catholic or Evangelical Christian religious affiliation.

Religious groups, including the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Alliance, have continued to oppose same-sex partnerships and laws passed and implemented around 2020 that recognize same-sex marriages on moral grounds. In July, evangelical Christian groups affiliated with the Evangelical Alliance, including its president, organized a radio-broadcast night of prayer "for families, life and children." Other Christian radio stations joined the program.

Abortion continued to be a frequent topic of public debate involving religious groups.According to a December 2019 executive order requiring hospitals to develop protocols for doctors to perform an abortion when the woman's life and health are at risk, the abortion in such cases was permissible under the Criminal Code. The order also allowed health workers to refuse to participate in abortion procedures on religious grounds.Media reported that opposition to abortion from the Catholic Church and evangelical Christian groups continued.From March 22 to April 4, MP Nidia Cespedes of the evangelical Christian party New Republic (Nueva Republica) protested barefoot in the chamber of the Legislative Assembly, expressing her opposition to a bill to decriminalize abortion that was later introduced in August. That same month, the Catholic Church organized its members to sign a letter urging the government to consider abortion illegal. By the end of the year, the Legislative Assembly had not voted on the bill.

In July, the Ministry of Public Education organized a National Religious Education Week to preview the ministry's new religious education programs, which will be offered as part of general basic education and diversified levels of education. As a result of the July meeting, the ministry drafted an Interfaith Statement on Religious Education for a Culture of Peace, which the ministry presented on September 22 at a conference of the Ministry of Education.

According to UCR surveys, the demographic shift towards fewer adherents to the Catholic Church continued. About half of those who left the Catholic Church joined evangelical Christian groups, while the other half gave up their religious affiliation altogether. However, according to Catholic Chancellor Rafael Sandi, there were fewer requests to formally leave the Catholic Church during the year than in 2020, 2019 and 2018.

An increase in anti-Catholic statements on social media was noted after media reports detailed the ongoing high-level investigations into Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse. In May, the extradition of Catholic priest Mauricio Viquez from Mexico on four counts of child sex abuse led to negative comments on social media against Viquez, his alleged supporters and the Catholic Church, the latter for trying to prevent the case being tried by Viquez. At the end of the year, Viquez was still in preventive detention. The statute of limitations for three of the four allegations ended in 2019.

Jewish community leaders continued to report anti-Israel comments on social media, some they said were anti-Semitic, although not directed at Jews living in the country.In September, the Israeli Zionist Center of Costa Rica reported anti-Semitic comments it discovered online through its anti-discrimination web observatory, which collects anti-Semitic incidents and messages posted on social media. SomeNews combined negative comments against Jews with actions taken by Israel. For example, some news reports have compared former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to former Nazi officer Heinrich Himmler. Another online comment accused Israeli citizens of using their religion and the Holocaust to repeat their experiences with Palestinians. A social media post said: "Israel does not exist. Not only are they appropriating territory that does not belong to them, but also … most of these people are not even Semites, they are Central European Aryans.”

Interludio, a forum of religious groups founded in 2017 by Pastor Jose Castro to promote interreligious dialogue between the country's religious groups, continued to promote dialogue between religious leaders, bringing together representatives of Catholics, Evangelical Christians, Protestants, Lutherans, Jews and Baha participated 'i, and Buddhist faiths. The group met regularly throughout the year and hosted a variety of events, includingConversations about spiritual growth and moral values.

The Museum of Empathy, which is affiliated with Interludio, continued to sponsor a Resilience Academy that provides psychological and spiritual support to populations most at risk from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the elderly and single mothers.

Embassy officials took to Cyrus Alpizar, Director of Religions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, the application of some religious groups to be registered through a church-specific registration process. On May 26thEmbassy officials hosted a virtual roundtable with the Director of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, the Director of Religious Education of the Ministry of Education, leaders of the Muslim, Jewish, Catholic and Protestant communities and other religious groups to discuss challenges in holding the event religious gatherings and celebrations can be addressed during the pandemic.

The embassy again used social media to send congratulatory messages to religious groups on special religious occasions, emphasizing tolerance and respect for religious diversity. Examples included messages sent to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the evangelical Christian celebration of the month of the Bible, and the January 16 celebration of Religious Freedom Day.

The US government estimates the total population at 5.9 million (mid-2021). According to Statistics Denmark, 73.2 percent of the Danish population were ELC members at the end of 2021. In 2021, 8,961 members left the ELC, the lowest number of departures from that church since 2007. A church historian from the University of Copenhagen attributed this development to the pandemic, which highlighted the importance of religious communities. The Danish government does not collect data on religious affiliation outside of the ELC. A professor estimated in April 2020 that there are approximately 250,000 Muslims, which is 4.4 percent of the population. Muslims are concentrated in the largest cities, particularly Copenhagen, Odense and Aarhus. The State Department estimates that other religious groups, each accounting for less than 1 percent of the population, include, in descending order of size, Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Serbian Orthodox Christians, Jews, Baptists, Buddhists and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Saints Latter-day, Pentecostal, members of the Bahai faith and non-denominational Christians. About 11 percent of the population does not identify as belonging to a religious group or as atheists, according to a 2020 survey released by the Department of Immigration and Integration. The organization Jewish Community in Denmark estimates that between 6,000 and 8,000 Jews live in the country, mainly in the Copenhagen area.

Legal framework

The constitution declares the ELK to be the country's state church, which receives state support and of which the incumbent monarch must belong. The Constitution also states that individuals shall be free to establish congregations to worship their faith provided that nothing "is taught or done contrary to good morals or public order". The Constitution provides that no person shall be deprived of full enjoyment of civil and political rights on the basis of religious beliefs, and that such beliefs shall not be used to evade the fulfillment of a common civic duty. It prohibits requiring individuals to make personal financial contributions to religious communities to which they do not belong.

The law prohibits hate speech, including religious hate speech, and carries a penalty of a fine (unspecified amount) or imprisonment for a maximum of two years. The law also prohibits incitement to terrorism, murder, rape or violence related to religious movements or education and provides penalties including a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of three years.

The ELC is the only religious community funded by government grants and voluntary, tax-deductible contributions from its members through wage deductions. Voluntary payroll contributions account for an estimated 79 percent of the ELC's operating budget, and government grants contribute another 10 percent; The remaining 11 percent comes from a variety of activities, such as B. Income from the Use of Church Property. Members of other recognized religious communities are not allowed to participate via the wage deduction, but can donate voluntarily to their own community and receive a tax deduction. The ELC and other state-recognized religious communities are authorized to register civil partnerships and name changes. The ELC also registers births and deaths of its members.

The Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs is responsible for granting official status to religious groups other than the ELC through recognition by royal decree (for groups recognized before 1970) or by official registration. Municipalities are not required by law to register, although registration is required to receive tax benefits. Religious communities must meet annual reporting requirements to maintain their state recognition. According to the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs, there are 448 religious groups and communities officially recognized by the government or belonging to the recognized groups: 338 Christians, 65 Muslims, 16 Buddhists, seven Hindus, three Jews and 19 other groups and communities, including Bahai, the Alevi community and adherents of the indigenous Norse belief systemAntique Sidr.

Recognized religious communities can perform legal marriages, legally name and baptize children, issue legal death certificates, obtain residency permits for foreign clergy, set up cemeteries, and receive various VAT exemptions. The law allows only pre-1970 recognized religious communities to issue birth, baptism, and marriage certificates. Under the Recognition of Religions Outside the ELC Act of 2018, this privilege expires in 2023 for all religious communities except the ELC. Members of other religious communities or persons who do not belong to a recognized religious community can have birth and death certificates issued by the health authority.

The state authorizes groups not recognized by royal decree or the registration process, such as B. The Church of Scientology to engage in religious practices without public registration. The state does not grant full tax exemption to unrecognized religious groups, but members may deduct contributions to these groups from their taxes.

The law codifies the registration process for religious communities other than the ELC, treating those recognized by Royal Decree and those authorized by registration equally. A religious community must have at least 50 adult members with residency status and Danish citizenship. For communities in sparsely populated regions such as Greenland, the government applies a lower population threshold that varies based on the region's total population.

Religious groups applying for registration must submit a document to the Ministry of Church Affairs describing the group's core traditions and key rituals. A group applying for registration must also provide a copy of its rules, regulations and organizational structure; audited financial statements (which he must submit annually); Information about the leadership of the group; and a statement of the number of adult permanent residents in the country. Groups must also have formal membership procedures and make their teachings available to all members. The ministry makes the final decision on registration applications after receiving recommendations from a group consisting of a jurist, a historian of religion, a sociologist of religion and a non-ordained theologian. Religious organizations that fail to submit financial statements or other required information may lose their registration status.

The law bans masks and face coverings, including burqas and niqabs, in public spaces. Violators face fines ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 Danish kroner ($150 to $1,500). The fines are 1,000 kroner ($150) for the first offense, 2,000 kroner ($310) for the second, 5,000 kronor ($760) for the third, and 10,000 kronor ($1,500) for the fourth and subsequent offenses.

The law prohibits judges from wearing religious symbols such as headscarves, turbans, skullcaps and large crucifixes during a court hearing.

The law requires people to shake hands during their naturalization ceremonies in order to obtain Danish citizenship, although authorities have suspended this requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic. In December, the government passed legislation to reinstate handshakes at citizenship ceremonies from January 1, 2022.

All public and private schools, including religious schools, receive government financial support. The Department of Children and Education oversees private schools, which includes overseeing teaching standards, regulating compliance with the country's curriculum regulations, and financial review. The Council for Education and Quality carries out systematic monitoring and has the authority to issue directives to individual institutions, to refuse grants and to discontinue financial support. Public schools are required to teach ELC theology. Instructors are public school teachers and not ELC staff. Religious education is compulsory in grades 1-9, but students can be exempted upon written request from a parent. No alternative courses are offered.

The curriculum of the ELC course in grades 1-6 focuses on philosophies of life and ethics, biblical stories and the history of Christianity. In grades 7-9, the syllabus adds a module on world religions. The course is optional in grade 10. If the student is 15 years of age or older, the student and parent must apply together for the student's exemption. Private schools must teach religious education in grades 1-9, including world religions in grades 7-9. Religious education taught in grades 1-9 need not include ELC theology. The law allows communal prayer in schools, but each school must regulate prayer in a neutral, non-discriminatory manner, and students must be given the opportunity to opt-out of attending.

The law requires parents in communities with significant non-Western populations to send children as young as one to a state-funded daycare center where they learn what are considered Danish values, including Christmas and Easter traditions. The penalty for non-compliance is the loss of quarterly welfare payments of up to 4,557 kronor (US$700).

Military service, usually for four months, is compulsory for all able-bodied males over the age of 18. For conscientious objectors, also for religious reasons, there is an exception that allows alternative civilian service. A person wishing to do civilian service as a conscientious objector must submit an application within eight weeks of receiving the notification of military service. The application will be decided by the Conscientious Objection Administration and must demonstrate that military service of any kind is incompatible with the individual's conscience. Alternative service can take place in various social and cultural institutions, peace movements, United Nations agencies, church and ecumenical organizations and environmental organizations.

The law prohibits the ritual slaughter of animals, including kosher and halal slaughter, without prior stunning and restricts ritual slaughter with prior stunning to cattle, sheep, goats and chickens. All slaughter must take place in a slaughterhouse. Slaughterhouses that carry out ritual slaughter must register with the Veterinary and Food Administration. Violations of this law are punishable by a fine or up to four months in prison. Halal and kosher meat may be imported.

The law requires clergymen with legal permission to marry to have a working knowledge of the Danish language and to complete a two-day course on family law and civil rights administered by the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs. The law also requires religious workers "not to conduct or act in a manner that renders them unworthy of exercising public authority." The government can remove the right to marry religious workers who it deems not complying with these regulations.

The Ministry of Immigration and Integration can by law refuse entry to foreign religious figures without a residence permit if it determines that their presence endangers public order. In such cases, the ministry puts people on a national sanctions list and bans them from entering the country for two years, which it can extend. The sanctions list does not apply to nationals and residents of the European Union.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

In January, ahead of parliamentary debate on the 2020 bill that would require sermons to be translated into Danish, the Danish Council of Churches sent an open letter to Prime Minister Frederiksen opposing the law. The letter said: "We welcome the broader political intention to integrate ethnic minorities into an open and pluralistic Danish society - but we see dangers in a law leading to religious harassment." The letter said the bill was "discriminatory and ill-considered" and would impose "significant burdens" on economically weak religious minorities. Similarly, in February, the Islamic Faith Society issued a press release concerning concerns about the proposed bill's potential to increase the alienation of Danish Muslims, calling it "an encroachment on religious freedom" and "a clear impediment to the practice of Danish Muslims." “. their religion.” In July, the government indefinitely postponed plans to introduce the law, which had been backed by the ruling Social Democratic Party but opposed by ELC, Muslim, Jewish and Catholic religious leaders.

Representatives of the Muslim and Jewish communities continued to express frustration at the country's restrictions on slaughtering cattle that meet their religious requirements, but reported that halal and kosher meat could be imported from the European Union.

In March, Parliament passed a new law banning foreign countries from funding and funding mosques in the country. The new law was supported by all major political parties. Social Democrat Immigration and Integration Minister Mattias Tesfaye called the law an important step in curbing what he called "Islamist extremism". The law states: "Anyone who, within a period of 12 consecutive calendar months, receives from an individual or entity that is on the public blacklist one or more donations that individually or collectively exceed 10,000 kronor (US$1,500) will be found with a fined.”

In March, the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee held a hearing on hate crimes against Muslim women in the country at the request of Free Green MP Sikandar Siddique. During the hearing, Siddique criticized the government for not doing enough to publicly denounce incidents such as an altercation between an elderly couple and a Muslim woman in a Copenhagen suburb in February. In that incident, a Muslim woman reported that an elderly woman repeatedly slammed her car door against her car and when the young woman confronted the woman and her husband, they called her a racial slur and spat on her. Police charged the elderly couple with assault and the husband with threats of violence and vandalism. In May the court sentenced the husband to 50 days of probation, which was subsequently reduced to 60 days of community service because it was his first offence. The court acquitted his wife.

Siddique contrasted what he described as the government's weak response to attacks on Muslims with what he described as its stronger response to hate crimes against the Jewish community. He called for an action plan to combat what he called Islamophobia. In response to Siddique's comments, Justice Secretary Nick Haekkerup cited improved hate crime law enforcement efforts and increased police training to identify and deal with hate crimes. In October, Siddique and his parents became the target of hate speech outside Parliament when a man approached them and yelled at them, "Go home" and "Your Arabic culture has no place in Denmark, you are not welcome here."

In March, Parliament amended the law for religion teachers wishing to extend their residence permits, increasing the pass mark required for the Danish language competence test and knowledge of Denmark and Danish society to qualify for an extension.

In April, Jakob Naesager, chairman of the City of Copenhagen residents' committee and a member of the Conservative People's Party, said local legislation should be changed to ban the Islamic call to prayer in this city, as there is no such legislation at national level. Lawmakers did nothing about it during the year.

On May 18, Parliament failed to pass legislation proposed in 2020 to ban and criminalize ritual circumcision for boys under 18. The vote followed extensive political and public debate, including opposition from Prime Minister Frederiksen, leader of the main opposition party, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, and leader of the Jewish community. The Institute for Human Rights (IHR) said the proposed ban would have been "a serious interference with religious freedom". The Society for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine supported the legislation, which was proposed in 2020 for the third consecutive year. Despite government opposition, about 74 percent of the public supported the ban, according to an opinion poll conducted in April by Danish research firm Epinion. In a similar poll conducted in September by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Jewish Community, only 38 percent of respondents supported the ban because the question was phrased differently. Representatives of the Jewish and Muslim communities expressed concerns that Parliament could reconsider the bill after the next general election, which will be held no later than June 2023.

In May, the Danish People's Party (DPP) proposed that cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed and discussion of the 2005 controversy surrounding the publication of these cartoons should be included in school curricula. In a media interview, DPP parliamentary group leader Peter Skaarup said the cartoon controversy was "part of Danish history" and reflected the country's "firm stance" in favor of free speech. Skaarup said the requirement would be "a protection for teachers who are threatened today because they want to show what the Muhammad cartoons are about, but they can't because someone comes and threatens them". At the annual meeting of the Socialist People's Party in September, party leader Pia Olsen Dyhr said there was a need for teachers to be able to use such "tools" in the classroom without fear of consequences. The leader of the teachers' union said the DPP proposal, which has not been tabled as a bill, still leaves the decision of whether to include the cartoons up to teachers. Representatives of the Muslim community expressed concern that the proposal, if enacted, would further stoke anti-Muslim sentiment.

In June, the government agreed with five major political parties to change policies from 2018 to reduce the number of so-called "parallel societies" by 2030. The agreement was passed into law in November, replacing the term "ghetto" with the term "parallel society," which the government defined as a neighborhood of more than 1,000 residents in which at least two criteria based on employment, income, education and crime rates were met and in which the proportion of non-Western immigrants and their descendants exceeded 50 percent. The agreement also introduced a new category called "prevention areas," defined as meeting two out of four socioeconomic criteria, and in which the proportion of non-Western immigrants and their descendants exceeds 30 percent. The agreement's stated goal was to prevent the emergence of new parallel societies by reducing the proportion of non-Western residents in such neighborhoods to less than 30 percent within 10 years, according to the Ministry of Interior and Housing website. In May, Parliament rejected a civil society petition calling for the complete repeal of the pre-November "ghetto" law, with 55,000 signatures.

The media continued to largely interpret “non-Western” in terms of Muslim-majority communities. In March, Housing and Home Affairs Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek said the government's aim was to "prevent weaker housing areas" by "creating more mixed housing areas" across the country. He also said, "The term ghetto is misleading... This is about helping residents and creating equal opportunities for all children, no matter where they grow up in Denmark." The November law required of neighborhoods classified as parallel societies , four years in a row to reduce the amount of public housing in their area by 40 percent through demolition, sale or privatization. The government would be responsible for relocating displaced persons. The legislation aimed to integrate Danish residents from these neighborhoods into other neighborhoods to reduce "the risk of religious and cultural parallel societies emerging," according to Bek. The legislation also required that parents living in these areas educate their children sent to daycare to learn Danish values ​​and doubled sentences and penalties for crimes committed in the neighborhood such as vandalism, burglary, arson, drug offenses and gun possession.

An activist from a neighborhood affected by the legislation said: “The ghetto lists and the ghetto laws are an expression of politicians' desire to change the composition of the population [in these areas]. societal integration stems from anti-Muslim sentiment and therefore focuses on predominantly Muslim immigrant communities. DIHR advocated removing ethnic origin from the legislation's criteria to avoid discrimination, saying the term "parallel society" could be as stigmatizing as the term "ghetto". Several NGOs demonstrated against the new law on December 1, as the Home Secretary announced the expansion of the list of areas to be covered by the law.

In a report released in September, based on data collected in 2019, the Pew Research Center ranked the country as having "moderate government restrictions on religion," the second tier in the report's four-tier system (low, moderate, high, and very high government restrictions).

In November, the Immigration Service updated its national sanctions list of religious preachers barred from entering the country to include 21 people; five were US citizens. The Department of Immigration and Integration said the individuals were barred from entering the country "on grounds of the public order of the nation," but gave no further details.

In consultation with the Jewish community, the government continued to provide security at locations considered at high risk of a terrorist attack, including the Copenhagen Synagogue, the community center and a school.

In a December letter to Parliament, DIHR reiterated the need for religious communities to seek COVID-19 exemptions in future revisions of the epidemic law that governed the country's COVID, to allow religious services, weddings and funerals to protect their freedom of religion - 19 logs. However, most faith group leaders reported that the pandemic has not had a major impact on their worship services as they have been able to adapt by implementing safety protocols such as social distancing.

The government is a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Police reported 194 religiously motivated crimes in 2020, the most recent year for which statistics were available, up 8 percent from 2019, when 180 such crimes were reported. 87 crimes against Muslims were reported, compared to 109 in 2019; 79 against Jews, compared to 51 in 2019; 25 against Christians, compared to eight cases in 2019; and three against members of other religions or belief groups, compared to 12 in 2019. Most incidents involved harassment, hate speech and vandalism, including desecration of cemeteries, and mainly affected the Muslim and Jewish communities. The report identified hate speech as the most common form of religiously motivated hate crime. In 2020, 45 percent of reported cases of sectarian hate crimes were directed against Muslims. The number of hate crimes against Jews has increased significantly since 2018, when 26 cases were reported. The police report attributed the increase in hate crimes against Christians in 2020 to the 12 cases of pastors receiving threatening text messages in April and May this year.

Police Inspector Claus Birkelyng said it was unclear whether the increase in reports in 2020 reflected an increase in actual crimes or a higher number of reported crimes than in previous years. He also said there had been an increase in hate crimes committed online compared to previous years, from 128 in 2019 to 164 in 2020. Of the 164 online hate crimes reported, 99 were identified as religiously motivated, of which 32 were against Muslims judged and 51 for Jews.

In January, witnesses discovered the words "[expletive] the Quran" accompanied by a drawing of a hand with the middle finger up painted on the side of the mosque owned by the Danish-Turkish Islamic Foundation in Aabenraa in the southern part of the country. This was the third time vandals damaged the mosque since 2019. By the end of the year, officers had not arrested anyone in connection with the incident.

In April, vandals placed two dolls in slings near a grave in the Jewish cemetery in Aalborg and poured red paint over the dolls and the wall surrounding the cemetery. The vandals also left anti-Semitic leaflets near the dolls, which linked to a website of the far-right organization Nordic Resistance Movement. Police charged a man with vandalism and racism for the crime and in June a court sentenced him to one year in prison. He appealed the verdict and officials released him in November, with the court expected to rule on his appeal in January 2022.

On April 6, a court sentenced a man to nine months in prison for racism, violating the peace in a cemetery and grossly vandalizing a grave in a Jewish cemetery in Randers in 2019.

In May, a video of a Dane swearing at a Muslim couple and their two young children went viral, prompting several politicians, including Prime Minister Frederiksen, to condemn the act. Frederiksen said: "We all have a responsibility to speak out - against racism, hate and discrimination. It doesn't belong in Denmark.”

The newspaper in JulyChristian daily newspaperpublished the results of a survey the newspaper conducted among 81 Muslim associations in the country. The survey found that 30 per cent of clubs contacted had been vandalized since January 2017. Incidents ranged from graffiti and hate-mongering stickers on walls to doorknobs wrapped in bacon. The survey found that in two-thirds of the cases, the mosque or organization involved did not report the incident to the police. In a media report on the survey, Ismail Celik, chairman of the Odense Mosque and spokesman for the Danish-Turkish Islamic Foundation, said: “People are concerned about hatred of Muslims. We want to be part of society and to be respected in the community.” Similarly, a study released in February by the Ministry of Church Affairs showed that 19 percent of all churches had experienced vandalism since 2017.

In its September report, the Pew Research Center ranked the country as having "moderate societal hostility toward religion."

In September, a Danish-Somali family appeared on television after being molested by their downstairs neighbor in Copenhagen. The family shared videos, including a clip of the neighbor yelling, "Do you know what you are? You are dirty Muslim animals.” Authorities have not pressed charges in this case.

Also in September, unknown persons physically and verbally assaulted a Muslim woman at a public library in Copenhagen, where one person called her a "Muslim [swear language]" and told her to "take off those [swear words]," referring to her hijab related The authorities accuse the perpetrator of assault. No further information about the case was released.

The US Special Envoy on Holocaust Issues met with the Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief to encourage the country to include the examples of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in applying the Alliance's definition. Embassy officials met with parliamentarians and the State Department's Office of the Special Adviser on Freedom of Religion or Belief to emphasize the importance the United States places on religious freedom and to discuss ways to counter anti-Muslim sentiment and anti-Semitism. Embassy officials have expressed concern about legislation proposing a ban on circumcision and requiring sermons to be translated into Danish, and urged support for protecting religious expression.

Embassy officials have worked throughout the year with religious leaders from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities to discuss issues such as the proposed ban on circumcision, the ban on ritual slaughter, the proposed law requiring sermons to be translated into Danish and the impact of COVID on discuss -19 pandemic on their faith practices. Embassy officials met with representatives from the Danish Islamic Centre, Muslim World League and Danish Muslim Aid to discuss opportunities and challenges for interfaith engagement for Muslims in the country, including anti-Muslim sentiment.

The embassy funded a project designed by the Jewish community to survey attitudes and knowledge about male circumcision and create a website to counter misinformation on the subject. Representatives of the organization discussed their concerns about negative societal attitudes, which they attributed to rising anti-Semitism in the country and fueled by extremists such as the Nordic Resistance Movement. Embassy officials also supported the development of a national action plan to combat anti-Semitism.

Embassy officials also met with Christian groups, including representatives from the ELC and the Roman Catholic Church, and discussed the proposed requirement for sermon translation and broader issues of religious freedom and practice. The embassy worked with interfaith organizations, including NGOs Religion and Society, the Islamic Christian Study Center and DIHR, to discuss efforts to improve interfaith dialogue and understanding.

On May 6, the chargé d'affaires hosted an iftar with leaders of the Muslim community and discussed religious freedom issues and the groups' concerns, including the ban on ritual slaughter, the proposed ban on circumcision and the proposed bill requiring the translation of sermons into Danish.

The US government estimates the population at 106.4 million (mid-2021). Most experts and media sources estimate that about 90 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim and 10 percent is Christian. About 90 percent of Christians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, according to Christian leaders.

Other Christian communities together make up less than 2 percent of the population. These include Anglican/Episcopalian, Armenian Apostolic, Catholic (Armenian, Chaldean, Melkite, Maronite, Latin and Syrian) and Orthodox (Greek and Syrian) Churches. Most Protestant denominations are members of the umbrella organization of the Protestant Churches of Egypt, also known as the General Evangelical Council. These include Apostolic Grace, Apostolic, Assemblies of God, Baptists, Brethren, Christian Model Church (al-Mithaal al-Masihi), Church of Christ, Faith (al-Eyman), Gospel Missionary (al-Kiraaza bil-Ingil), First Grace (al-Ni'ma al-Oula), Second Grace (al-Ni'ma al-Thaneya), Independent Baptist, Message Church of Holland (ar-Risaala), Open Brethren, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Revival of Holiness ( Nahdat al-Qadaasa) and Seventh-day Adventists. There are an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Jehovah's Witnesses and fewer than 100 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ), the vast majority of whom are expatriates. Christians live all over the country.

Scholars estimate that Shia Muslims make up about 1 percent of the population. Bahai officials estimate the size of their congregation at between 1,000 and 2,000 people. There are very small numbers of Dawoodi Bohra Muslims and Ahmadi Muslims, as well as expatriate members of various other religious groups.

According to a local Jewish NGO, there are six to ten Jews in the country.

There are no reliable estimates of the number of atheists; In 2020, local media sources quoted a former Minister of Culture and a scholar from al-Azhar University as estimating the number of atheists at “several million” and “four million” respectively.

Legal framework

The constitution establishes Islam as the state religion and the principles of Sharia as the primary source of legislation. The Constitution states that "freedom of belief is absolute" and "freedom to practice religious rituals and to establish places of worship for the adherents of divine [Abrahamic] religions is a statutory right". The constitution also states that citizens are "equal before the law," prohibits discrimination based on religion, and makes "incitement to hatred" based on "religion, belief, sex, national origin, race...or any other reason" a crime. The constitution prohibits political activity or the formation of political parties based on religion. The Constitution also states: “No political activities shall be engaged in or political parties formed on the basis of religion or discrimination based on sex, race, sect or geographic location.

The government officially recognizes Sunni Islam, Christianity and Judaism and allows only their adherents, as defined by the government, to practice their religion publicly and build places of worship. The constitution defines al-Azhar, the chief authority on theology and Islamic affairs, as "an independent scholarly Islamic institution with exclusive jurisdiction over its own affairs... It is responsible for the worldwide preaching of Islam and the dissemination of religious studies and the Arabic language." The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar is elected by the Council of Senior Scholars of al-Azhar and formally appointed for life by the President. The President has no power to fire him. The constitution declares al-Azhar an independent institution and requires the government to provide "sufficient resources to enable it to achieve its purposes."

According to the law, death sentences must be submitted to the Grand Mufti, the country's highest Islamic judicial officer, for deliberation before they can be carried out. The Grand Mufti's decision in these cases is advisory in nature and does not bind the court that rendered the verdict.

The Constitution states that the canon laws of Jews and Christians form the basis for legislation governing their personal status, religious matters, and the selection of spiritual leaders. Individuals are subject to different civil status laws (relating to marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc.) depending on their official religious affiliation. The Ministry of the Interior issues national identity cards that contain official religious designations. Designations are restricted to Muslim, Christian or Jewish citizens. Although the government identifies Jehovah's Witnesses as “Christians” on identification cards, a presidential decree prohibits their religious activities. Since a court order in 2009, Baha'i's religious affiliation has been marked with a hyphen ("-") on their identity cards. The Minister of the Interior has the power to issue implementing regulations specifying what data national identity cards must contain.

Neither the constitution nor the civil or penal codes prohibit apostasy from Islam or proselytizing efforts. The law states that individuals can change their religion. However, the government recognizes conversion to Islam, but generally not from Islam to any other religion. The government recognizes conversion from Islam for people who were not born Muslim but later converted to Islam, according to a Home Office decree following a court order. Conversion to Christianity requires the presentation of a document from the receiving church, ID card and fingerprints. After determining that the purpose of the change – which often involves a change of name – is not to avoid prosecution for a crime committed under the Muslim name, a new ID card is issued with the first name and religious denomination. In cases where non-Muslim-born Muslims convert from Islam, their minor children and, in some cases, adult children who were minors when their parents converted remain classified as Muslims. When these children turn 18, they have the opportunity to convert to Christianity and have this noted on their identity cards.

The law stipulates that Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men. Non-Muslim men wishing to marry Muslim women must convert to Islam. Christian and Jewish women do not have to convert to Islam to marry Muslim men. A married non-Muslim woman who converts to Islam must divorce her husband if he is non-Muslim and does not wish to convert. If a married man is found to have left Islam, his marriage to a woman whose official religious designation is Muslim will be dissolved.

A divorced mother is entitled to custody of her son until the age of 15 and of her daughter until she marries. The children's father has the right to petition the court to ask the children to choose between remaining with their mother or father, unless one parent is Muslim and the other is not. In this case, the Muslim parent is granted custody.

The government only recognizes marriages of Christian, Jewish and Muslim citizens with documents from a clergyman and does not recognize civil marriages between Egyptian citizens. Marriages of Shias are recognized as Muslims. The government recognizes civil marriages of Baha'i as well as people from other unrecognized religious groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindus and members of the Church of Jesus Christ if one or both are foreign nationals. Authorities deny Bahá'ís the rights of married couples to inheritance, divorce and sponsorship of a foreign spouse. In practice, however, Bahá'ís have reported occasional success in filing individual applications for recognition of their marriages in civil courts.

The law generally follows Sharia in matters of inheritance. In 2017, however, an appeals court ruled that applying Sharia to non-Muslims violated the section of the constitution that states that matters of personal status for Christian and Jewish communities are governed by their respective religious doctrine.

According to the Criminal Code, use of religion to promote extremist ideas with the aim of fomenting controversy; demeaning or disparaging Islam, Christianity or Judaism; or violation of national unity is punishable by imprisonment from six months to five years.

There are currently four bodies authorized to issue fatwas (religious decisions binding on Muslims): the al-Azhar Council of Senior Scholars, the al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy, the Dar al-Iftaa (House of Religious Edicts) and the Ministry of Awqafs (Islamic Endowments) General Fatwa Directorate. As part of the Ministry of Justice, Dar al-Iftaa has been an independent organization since 2007.

Islamic, Christian and Jewish denominations can apply for official recognition from the government, which gives previously unrecognized religious groups the right to be governed by their own canon laws, practice religious rituals, establish places of worship and import religious literature. To obtain official recognition, a religious group must submit an application to the Department of Administrative Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior. The department then determines whether the group poses a threat to national unity or social peace. As part of this provision, the department consults with leading religious institutions, including the Coptic Orthodox Church and al-Azhar. The President reviews and then decides on the application for registration.

The law does not recognize the Bahai faith or its religious laws and prohibits Bahai institutions and community activities. The law does not provide penalties for banned religious groups or their members who engage in religious practices, but these groups are barred from rights afforded to recognized groups, such as religious literature.

The government, through the Ministry of Awqaf, appoints, pays their salaries and supervises imams who lead prayers in licensed mosques. Under the law, penalties for preaching or giving religious instruction without a license from the Ministry of Awqaf or al-Azhar include imprisonment for up to a year, a fine of up to £50,000 (US$3,200), or both. The penalty is doubled for repeat offenders. Inspectors from the Awqaf Ministry also have judicial powers to arrest imams who break this law. A ministry decree prevents unlicensed imams from preaching in mosques, bans Friday prayers in mosques smaller than 80 square meters, bans unlicensed mosques from holding Friday prayers (other prayer services are allowed), and pays bonuses to imams who preach Friday sermons , which are written and disseminated by the Ministry of Awqaf. Ministry officials monitor Friday sermons in major mosques, and an imam who fails to follow ministry guidelines on sermons may lose the bonus and be subject to disciplinary action, including the possible loss of his or her preaching license.

The Prime Minister has the power to stop the distribution of books that "denigrate religions". Government departments can obtain injunctions to ban or confiscate books and works of art. The cabinet can ban works which it deems contrary to public morals, harmful to religion or likely to cause a breach of the peace. The Islamic Research Academy of al-Azhar has the legal authority to censor and confiscate all publications dealing with the Quran and relevant Islamic traditions (Sunnah) and to confiscate publications, tapes, speeches and artistic materials deemed incompatible with Islamic law.

A 2016 law delegates the power to issue statutory permits and authorize the construction or renovation of churches to the governors of the country's 27 governorates. The governor must respond within four months of receipt of a request for certification; any refusal must be justified in writing. The law does not provide for a review or appeal of a denial, nor does it establish a remedy if a governor fails to respond within the required timeframe. The law also includes provisions to legalize existing unlicensed churches. It provides that while an application is pending to permit an existing building to be used as a church, the building may not be prevented from being used to conduct worship and rites. Under the law, the size of new churches remains dependent on a government determination of the "number and need" of Christians in the area. The construction of new churches must comply with certain land registration procedures and building codes, and is subject to stricter government control than the construction of new mosques.

Under a separate law governing the construction of mosques, the Ministry of Awqaf reviews and approves building permits. A 2001 cabinet decision includes a list of 10 provisions stipulating that new mosques built after that date must, among other things, be at least 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the nearest other mosque and have a floor area of ​​at least 175 square meters (1,900 square feet) and only be built in areas where "the existing mosques do not accommodate the number of residents in the area." The law does not require approval from the Ministry of Awqaf for mosque renovations.

In public schools, Muslim students in all grades are required to take Principles of Islam courses and Christian students are required to take Principles of Christianity courses. Schools determine students' religious identity, and the religious education courses they should take are based on official ID card designations, not personal or parental decisions. Students who are neither Muslims nor Christians must choose one or the other course; You cannot opt ​​out or switch from one to the other once selected. A common set of textbooks for these two courses is required for both public and private schools, including parochial schools. Al-Azhar maintains a separate school system that serves an estimated two million students from kindergarten through secondary school under a dedicated curriculum.

The Criminal Code criminalizes discrimination based on religion and defines it as "any act or omission leading to discrimination between people or a sect on the basis of...religion or belief". The law provides for imprisonment, a fine of not less than £30,000 (US$1,900) and not more than £50,000 (US$3,200) or both as penalties for discrimination. If the offender is a civil servant, the law provides that the prison sentence should be no less than three months and the fine should be no less than £50,000 ($3,200) and no more than £100,000 ($6,400).

Customary reconciliation is a form of dispute resolution that existed before the country's modern court and legal systems and is legally recognized in cases that do not involve serious crimes (e.g. murder, aggravated assault or theft). Customary reconciliation sessions rely on the collection of a set of customary rules to address conflicts between individuals, families, households, or workers and employees of specific occupations. Disputing parties agree on a solution that typically includes provisions to pay an agreed amount of money for breaching the terms of the contract.

When spouses are members of the same religious community, the courts in family matters apply the canonical laws of that religious community. In cases where one spouse is Muslim and the other is of another religion, both are Christian but belong to different denominations, or the persons do not clearly belong to one religious group, the courts apply Sharia law.

Sharia provisions prohibiting adoption apply to all citizens. However, the Ministry of Social Solidarity administers a program called “Alternative Family” which recognizes permanent legal guardianship if certain conditions are met, including requirements that the guardians have the same religion as the child and have been married to each other for at least 2 years 5 Years.

The quasi-governmental National Council for Human Rights, whose members are appointed by Parliament under a 2016 law, is tasked with strengthening protection, raising awareness and ensuring respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion. It is also tasked with overseeing the enforcement and application of international human rights treaties. The Council's mandate includes investigating reports of alleged violations of religious freedom.

The 2014 Constitution requires the state to eliminate all forms of discrimination through an independent commission to be appointed by Parliament, but Parliament has not yet established such a commission.

The country is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but issued a reservation that it had become a party because the covenant's provisions do not conflict with Sharia law.

government practices

Authorities executed Ahmad Saeed Ibrahim al-Sonbati on June 21 for the 2017 killing of Coptic priest Father Samaan Shehata of the Church of Yulius al-Aqfahsi in the village of Ezbet Girgis in Beni Suef governorate. Sonbati's 2017 death sentence was upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2018 and finally upheld by the Court of Cassation, the country's highest court, on November 9, 2020.

In October, the Alexandria Criminal Court sentenced brothers Nasser and Ali al-Sambo to life imprisonment for the December 2020 murder of Coptic Christian Ramsis Boulos Hermina in Alexandria. Hermina was attacked at his plastics and housewares store. According to press reports, Nasser and Ali Sambo, as well as their brother Anwar, were known in their neighborhood for harassing Coptic shopkeepers.

On February 10, the Court of Cassation upheld 15-year prison sentences for 10 defendants who took part in a 2013 church fire in Kafr Hakim, Giza governorate.

On October 11, the Court of Cassation dismissed the first appeal of those convicted of the 2013 arson attack on Mar Girgis Church in the city of Sohag, who had originally been sentenced by the Criminal Court in 2015 and 2020 to between three and 15 years in prison. Authorities charged the defendants with attacking Christian places of worship, destroying and burning police cars, possessing firearms and ammunition without a permit, attempted theft, attacking public and private property and businesses, inciting violence, vandalism and intimidation by citizens.

According to press reports, on June 15, the Minya Criminal Court sentenced 10 defendants to five years in prison for “vandalism, violence and burning of the homes of Coptic citizens” during a sectarian uprising in the village of Karm, Minya governorate, in 2016, and sentenced 14 others on appeal lack of evidence free. The June 15 court rulings related to a separate attack on Souad Thabet, an elderly Christian woman who attackers stripped and dragged through the village of Karm during the 2016 riots. Authorities originally charged four people with attacking Thabet and another 25 with attacking Thabet's home and six other Christian-owned homes, in response to rumors that her son was having an affair with the wife of a Muslim business associate. In January 2020, the Minya Criminal Court sentenced three defendants in absentia to 10 years in prison for the attack on Thabet. After the men surrendered, the Minya Court referred the case back to the Beni Suef Criminal Court for retrial. When that court acquitted the three accused in December 2020, the Attorney General subsequently appealed to the Court of Cassation in January. At the end of the year, no meeting had been convened to consider the complaint.

BBC Arabic on November 25 broadcast an interview with Ahmed Abdou Maher, described as a "lawyer, researcher and writer," who a court sentenced on November 17 to five years in prison with hard labor for defamation of Islam in his book.How the Imams' Jurisprudence Misleads the Nation. Maher told the interviewer that his book contains not a word of extremism, blasphemy, or incitement against Islam; rather, it only criticized what he called the "blood-soaked ideology" of Islam. In a separate interview, Abdou told al-Mayadeen TV that the Islamic "nation" is "static" and that "enlightenment" requires courage. According to media reports, "liberals" defended him, insisting his prosecution was "a disgrace" and "an attack on freedom of speech and expression". Activists and NGOs responded to the case by calling for the repeal of the country's blasphemy law, which some estimate had committed 130 counts of blasphemy in the past 10 years, with sentences ranging from six months to five years in prison.

On June 21, the Alexandria Economic Crimes Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal brought on behalf of atheist activist and blogger Anas Hassan against a February 27 verdict that sentenced him to three years in prison and a fine of £300,000 ($19,100). US dollars) was convicted for writing “The Egyptian Facebook page of the atheists. Authorities originally arrested Hassan in 2019 for publishing atheist ideas and criticizing "divinely revealed religions." Hassan's next court hearing was scheduled for February 2022, according to a local civil society group.

The detention of human rights lawyer Ramy Kamel Saied Salib (commonly known as Ramy Kamel) continued. Authorities originally arrested Salib in November 2019 after he applied for a Swiss visa to speak at a UN forum in Geneva, where he had previously presented issues affecting the Coptic community. The government accused him of joining a banned group and spreading false news. On October 10 and again on November 27, a Cairo court extended his detention by 45 days. Kamel's defense team said he had been subjected to harsh prison conditions, including solitary confinement, which may have endangered his health.

On October 12 and again on November 27, the authorities renewed the detention of Koranist Reda Abdel Rahman. During the year, the courts considered several appeals by Abdel Rahman's defense team to his release. Koranists (Quraniyyun) believe that the Quran is the only source of Islamic law and reject the authenticity and authority of the QuranHadith(the entirety of the sayings and traditions attributed to the Prophet Mohammed). The NGO EIPR called for Abdel-Rahman's release and for the charges against him to be dropped.

In September the government released four prominent Salafist preachers who were members of a political group arrested in 2019. The authorities had charged Mahmoud Shaaban, Ashraf Abdel Moneim, Hisham Mashali and Saad Fayyad with "inciting violence and joining a terrorist group". Shortly after their release, the government arrested Shaaban again and charged him with inciting violence, joining a group that seeks to disrupt the country's constitution and laws, and disturbing social peace. His case was still pending at the end of the year.

On September 8, social media activists posted videos of the demolition of a 4,300 square meter unlicensed church building in Bastra village, Beheira governorate. As reported by the Coptic newspapercompatriotsthe city council in Beheira's capital, Damanhour, implemented the eviction order in cooperation with the local security forces. Clashes between community members and security forces while carrying out the demolition order left at least four injured and the arrest of 21 Coptic protesters, who were subsequently released; no interfaith violence was reported because of the demolition of the building. Observers, including Coptic Church officials, and administrators blamed local clergy for failing to erect the building through official registration channels.

On November 8, al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb and Coptic Pope Tawadros II held a celebration to mark the 10th anniversary of the government-sponsored family home (Beit al-'Aila), a foundation established after the 2011 suicide bombing of All Saints Church in Alexandria. Family House's mission is to "preserve the fabric of Muslim-Christian unity within Egyptian society and uphold the principles of coexistence and tolerance," primarily through communal reconciliation efforts. Former President Adly Mansour was present, as was the Minister of Justice, who spoke on behalf of the Prime Minister. In a remark at the event, al-Tayyeb said that freedom of religion is "one of the most valuable human rights". According to press reports, Tawadros II said at the event, "God did not bestow religion on man for the sake of rivalry, but for the sake of cooperation." Muslim and Christian religious leaders said Family House is very active in some areas, such as the governorate Assyut, while in others, such as Cairo and Alexandria, it is much less engaged.

While the Coptic Orthodox Church does not rule out attending government-sponsored customary reconciliation sessions, a church spokesman said reconciliation sessions should not be used in lieu of applying the law and should be limited to "clearing the air and making amends." ' after they were sectarian quarrels or violence. At least one Coptic Orthodox diocese in Upper Egypt continued to refuse to attend reconciliation sessions, criticizing them as a substitute for criminal proceedings rather than a means to deal with attacks on Christians and their churches. Other Christian denominations continued to attend the usual reconciliation sessions. Human rights groups and some representatives of the Christian community have described reconciliation sessions as interfering with the principles of non-discrimination and citizenship, and that Christian participants were regularly pressured to retract their statements and deny facts, which in some cases resulted in charges being dropped .

Some Christians expressed dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly's failure to declare Easter 2 May an official public holiday. Instead, he announced a day off to prevent overcrowding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Citing Article (No. 53) of the Constitution, which states that the state should take all necessary measures to eliminate discrimination, human rights activists said that fundamental religious holidays should be official holidays for all citizens and should be referred to as such. The government had not previously designated Easter as a public holiday.

Efforts to combat atheism received official support. In 2019, al-Azhar established a bayan (statement) unit at his electronic fatwa center to "counteract atheism" and prevent youth from "falling into disbelief." The unit remained active through the end of the year. During the year, her activities included posting more than 15,000 social media comments aimed at disproving atheist opinions.

On October 18, the Supreme Administrative Court postponed hearing an appeal by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) against a 2020 administrative court ruling that ordered the NTRA to block Shia websites in generalIbn al-NafisNews site, particularly from the web, pending a November 15 hearing. The case was pending at the end of the year.

In August, a religious leader in the Presbyterian community said police stopped dozens of converts on their way to a church retreat, confiscated ID cards and arrested and questioned some parishioners. Although all detainees were eventually released, the leader said many continue to face harassment and occasional detention.

The EIPR on September 9 called for the release of Coptic Christian Gerges Samih Zaki Ebeid and the dropping of charges against him for writing a post on his personal Facebook account that villagers, social media commentators and prosecutors deemed offensive designated for Islam. On September 7 and again on November 24, a court extended Samih's detention by 45 days pending an investigation into allegations that he had joined a terrorist organization, spread false news with the aim of disturbing the public peace and a Online account used with intent to commit a crime. Authorities arrested Samih in November 2020 in Delta governorate after sectarian violence in al-Barsha village in Mallawy district of southern Minya governorate, which emerged from the Facebook post. After inter-religious clashes, the Minya prosecutor's office held 35 suspects, including 15 Copts and 20 Muslims, for 15 days pending investigation and released them on 12 January pending further questioning.

Members of the country's Shia community said they risked being accused of blasphemy if they publicly expressed religious opinions, prayed in public or owned books that promoted Shia thought.

The government has labeled the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization (the government banned the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, in 2013). On June 14, the Court of Cassation upheld the death sentences imposed on 12 senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including Mohamed al-Beltagy, Safwat Hegazy and Abdel-Rahman al-Bar, following a mass trial of 739 people for their participation in large-scale anti-government sit-ins at the Muslim Brotherhood Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in July and August 2013. On July 11, the Court of Cassation upheld the 2019 sentence of 10 Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including the group's Supreme Leader Mohammed Badie, to life imprisonment for “killing police officers, organizing mass breakouts from prisons and undermining national security by conspiring with foreign militant groups, including Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah” during the 2011 riots. On April 8, a court sentenced Mahmoud Ezzat, the former acting supreme leader, to life imprisonment. Media reported that the court had convicted Ezzat in connection with terrorist charges arising from clashes between Brotherhood supporters and their opponents in Cairo in 2013. In an April 8 statement, the Brotherhood denounced the verdict as politicized and based on fabrication, and described Ezzat as a "dedicated religious leader."

On July 12, Parliament passed legislation, signed by the President on August 1, allowing the dismissal of state employees who have undermined national security or who have been identified by the government as members of a terrorist organization. Press and NGOs said the new law targets the Muslim Brotherhood. On July 26, the Supreme University Council directed the country's university presidents to prepare and submit lists of workers covered by the new law to be submitted after the law goes into effect. In September, the press reported that the country's railway authority had fired about 190 employees over alleged Muslim Brotherhood links.

In August, the Awqaf Ministry issued an order banning books on extremism and the Muslim Brotherhood from all mosque libraries. The director of the ministry's religious sector warned its directorates in all governorates to screen books, journals and publications in mosque libraries and remove any items containing "extremist ideology". In a statement, Awqaf Minister Mokhtar Gomaa ordered the punishment of any officials disobeying these orders. The ministry's order also warned imams not to include books in mosque libraries without permission from the ministry's office in charge of religious guidance.

In November 2020, the Supreme Administrative Court included Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, leader of the Strong Egypt Party, on a list of designated terrorists based on charges that the party was linked to an Islamist group. The court dismissed an appeal by Aboul Fotouh on November 18.

In December the authorities banned Shia activist Haidar Kanil, a reporter foral-Dustournewspaper, of having traveled to Moscow, where he said he was planning to seek employment. Kandil told the news websiteThe new Arabthat the police asked him to check in weekly at his hometown of Tanta City. He said officials accused him of contempt for religion, spreading Shi'ism and anti-state ideas, and founding a group in violation of the law. The Minister of Awqaf Gomaa ordered the punishment of any official who disobeyed these orders. The ministry's order also warned imams not to include books in mosque libraries without permission from the ministry's office in charge of religious guidance.

At the end of the year, authorities continued to arrest Ahmed Sebaie, who was arrested in 2020 after he posted a video on his YouTube channel that discussed the Bible and Christian doctrine. More than 400,000 subscribers followed Sebaie's religion-focused YouTube account. In the past, he has produced videos discussing Christian doctrinal issues, commenting on atheist social media posts, and promoting Islam.

On June 28, the Awqaf Ministry banned Alaa Mohammed Hussein Yaqoub, the son of a prominent Salafist imam and preacher, from preaching in mosques, allegedly for failing to follow guidelines on sermon length and content. The ban came after Alaa Yaqoub's father, Mohammed Hussein Yaqoub, testified for the government in a terrorism case before a Cairo court, denying that he was a religious scholar and criticizing Salafism. The press said that Mohammed Yaqoub's testimony, which appeared to contradict long-standing sermons, had sparked "widespread controversy".Al Masry al-Youmreported that, based on the testimony, an MP introduced a law preventing lay people from speaking on religious matters or issuing fatwas. Alaa Yaqoub said he will fully comply with the government order prohibiting him from preaching.

On Jan. 17, Egypt's Court of Urgent Affairs accepted a lawsuit brought by the chairman of the Judicial Committee for the Inventory, Seizure and Administration of Terrorist Funds, aimed at seizing assets from 89 Muslim Brotherhood members and leaders -- including family members -- of the late ex- President Mohammed Morsi - and transfer them to the state treasury.

On September 18, the Awqaf Minister ordered the dismissal of the Under-Secretary of the Awqaf Ministry in Ismailia after a dispute with believers at al-Matafy Mosque. The secretary of state reportedly angered some of the believers by calling them extremists during a sermon, which led to a confrontation with believers after his address.

On September 25, local media reported that the Supreme Administrative Court had issued a final ruling that banned the use of mosques for political purposes and upheld the state's right to police them. This ruling upheld a previous decision by the Minister of Awqaf to place 42 mosques in Beheira Governorate under the ministry's supervision.

Local media reported in October that a new prison complex in Wadi al-Natroun included a church, making it the first in the country with church facilities. Media reported that Christian ministers had previously had to hold prison services in multi-purpose rooms. The government said publicly that clerics would be allowed to provide services to inmates in prisons during the Copts' Christmas celebrations on January 8. Jailed labor activist Khalil Rizk asked a warden at Tora prison on January 1 for permission to attend upcoming Coptic Christmas services, according to the NGO Arab Network for Human Rights Information. Although authorities told Rizk that his application had been approved, they did not allow him to attend Christmas prayers or allow a priest to visit him.

The government largely continued to allow Baha'i, members of The Church of Jesus Christ, Jehovah's Witnesses and Shia Muslims to worship privately in small numbers, but continued to deny requests from unregistered religious groups to attend public religious gatherings.

Baha'i have been the subject of inconsistent application of administrative court rulings on the recognition of marriages. Members of the community reported that members whose marriages were officially recognized by the state were occasionally challenged by the government to have that recognition revoked.

Shia community sources and religious freedom monitors said information in a 2019 report by Minority Rights Group International (MRGI), an international NGO, on the challenges facing the country's Shia community remained valid in 2021 Shia community halls (husseiniyas) in the country, and Shia Muslims continued to be unable to establish public places of worship. Members of the Shia community risked being accused of blasphemy if they publicly expressed religious opinions, prayed in public, or owned books that promoted Shia thought.

Based on 2020 Supreme Administrative Court rulings banning faculty and teachers from Cairo and Ain Shams Universities from wearing the niqab in class, a lawyer on Oct. 5 filed a lawsuit in an administrative court to oblige the Minister of Education to issue a decision enacted banning the wearing of the niqab for teachers, students, workers and administrators in public, private and international schools. According to the memo submitted to the court in support of the lawsuit, criminals wearing the niqab had exploited anonymity to commit crimes, including terrorist attacks. The case was still pending at the end of the year.

According to analysis by the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, an international human rights-focused NGO, the government continued to ban the import and sale of Bahá'í and Jehovah's Witness literature and authorized customs officials to confiscate religious material from adherents of these groups.

On July 9, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported that among the materials presented at the state book fair, a wide range of anti-Semitic books continued to be displayed, “including the infamous anti-Semitic forgeryThe Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” The ADL noted that in previous years it had raised the sale of anti-Semitic Cairo Book Fair titles with government officials. The NGO said the 2021 Book Fair, which began June 30, continued to sell every problem book sold at the 2020 fair that the ADL had identified in its previous communications to the government.

The Mansoura Emergency State Security Misdemeanors Court on December 7 ordered the release of EIPR researcher Patrick George Zaki after 22 months in custody pending an investigation into "spreading false news" after a 2019 article Zaki authored about anti-Coptic discrimination had, was pending. The court set February 1, 2022 as the next hearing date in Zaki's case.

The Coptic papal office, local dioceses and Coptic media have spoken positively about the pace of church registration and construction five years after the passage of the 2016 Church Building Act. However, the EIPR listed 25 cases where churches and places of worship had been closed after the passage of the 2016 law and called for new laws guaranteeing freedom of worship and building places of worship for all citizens.

In a statement Nov. 7, a cabinet committee tasked with registering unlicensed churches approved the legalization of 63 churches and church-related entities that operated without a license, bringing the total number of churches and service buildings legalized since 2017 to 2,021 . In November, the Prime Minister ordered governorates to speed up approvals and send him regular reports on their progress.

In August, the Ministry of Awqaf said 1,650 mosques had opened since September 2020, including 1,510 new mosques, while 140 were under maintenance or restoration. The construction and renovation works, carried out under the supervision of the regional directorates, brought the number of new or renovated mosques to 1,810 between September 7, 2020 and August 27.

Local media reported that pharaonic inscriptions on the facade of the Ibrahim Abdel Latif Mosque, located in the Youssef al-Siddiq center in Nazla village, Fayoum governorate, sparked controversy in September. Local media said the community paid for the construction of the mosque, but the inscriptions escaped the technical department of the Awqaf Ministry (the mosque inscriptions are limited to Islamic themes or texts). An engineer in the technical department of Fayoum Awqaf Directorate was under investigation.

On January 5, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities opened the first stop on the 2,100-mile Holy Family Trail - marking the path taken by believers of Mary, Joseph and Jesus - in Samanoud, Gharbeya governorate. Development projects in Samannoud included the preservation and restoration of the Church of St Abba Noub and the surrounding area. The ministry announced the project in 2020, saying the trail would run from Sinai to Asyut, including stops at churches, monasteries and water wells.

On July 24, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led the renovation of the shrines of Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet Muhammad's family) across the country, particularly the tombs of Sayyida Nafisa (Muhammad's great-granddaughter), Sayyida Zeinab (Muhammad's granddaughter) and Sayyid al-Hussein (Muhammad's grandson), including the restoration of the interiors of the mosques at these sites and their architectural details.

In November, the Awqaf Ministry issued a decision banning the use of collection boxes in mosques. The boxes are often used for donations for mosque repair and maintenance, the provision of social services, and charitable causes. Authorities said the decision was due to security and transparency concerns. After the government's initial announcement, the ministry said an exception would be made for mosques owned by Sufi religious orders, which have "vow" collection boxes used for donations if a believer believes God has answered a prayer.

On February 14, Deputy Education Minister Reda Hegazy announced in parliament that the ministry backs a proposal by MP Freddy al-Bayadi to promote the school curriculum that emphasizes the shared values ​​of Islam, Christianity and Judaism and the principles of tolerance. citizenship and coexistence. Sources in Parliament said schools were gradually updating curricula to include messages of interfaith tolerance, although al-Bayadi's proposal made no progress in the chamber by the end of the year. According to news websites, Hegazy also said there were new government orders to remove verses from the Qur'an from the general curriculum and restrict them to religious courses. He explained that the inclusion of religious texts in courses such as Arabic, history and geography allowed unskilled teachers to provide an "extreme and destructive" interpretation of the texts. A former senior Awqaf Ministry official replied that the measure represented "a plan to transform Egypt's Islamic identity" and that President Sisi had "used all of his media to attack al-Azhar, his Grand Sheikh and Islam." The Salafist al-Nour party said the removal of Koranic texts from the general curriculum was "unacceptable".

In December, Parliament debated a bill that would support the use of Standard Arabic, the Koranic form of the language. During the debate, a representative of al-Azhar expressed his support for the proposed law's requirement that primary school students should memorize verses of the Qur'an. Yousef al-Husseini, a member of the House of Representatives, said: "There are non-Muslim students like Copts who should not be forced to memorize the Quran." removing is an explicit call to distance students from their religion and values ​​and to cut them off from their language, culture and identity as it opens the door to destructive ideas and interpretations.”

The Ministry of Education and Technical Education has continued to develop a new curriculum that will give greater attention to respect for human rights and religious tolerance. In 2020, third grade students began using revised textbooks, including the bookvalues ​​and respect for others, an ethics text drawn from Islamic and Christian religious traditions. For the 2021/2022 school year, the use of the text has been extended to first and second grade classes.

On March 9th, theJerusalem Postreported that the Ministry of Education approved for the first time a measure enabling Egyptian children to learn verses from Jewish scriptures.

On January 2, television host and journalist Ibrahim Issa cited a lack of "appropriate references" to Christian history in school curricula, with the exception of material dealing with monasticism, monasteries and participation in the 1919 revolution. In June, Pope Tawadros II called on the Ministry of Education to include information about the route of the Holy Family in its curricula, calling the story of the Flight into Egypt a source of "pride for every Egyptian". The Minister of Education promised to consider the Pope's proposal "in the general framework of the Ministry's new curricula".

In early September, the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MOSS) released a statement reaffirming a Dar al-Iftaa fatwa urging preschools not to post verses from the Qur'an or the Bible above their entrances. The fatwa and statement followed the viral dissemination on social media of a photo of a kindergarten gate showing a Qur'anic verse taken out of context with grammatical errors. The MOSS statement also emphasized that "Egypt is a home for all" and said that the inclusion of religious verses could be construed as meaning that certain schools or kindergartens are only suitable for Muslims or Christians respectively.

Christians reported being underrepresented in the military and security services, and they said those inducted into government at entry-level had limited opportunities to advance to the higher ranks.

No Christian has served as president of the country's 27 public universities. The government banned non-Muslims from being employed in public university training programs for Arabic teachers, citing that the curriculum included study of the Koran.

The Minister for Immigration and Expatriate Affairs was the only Christian in the cabinet, which consists of 32 ministers. Of the 27 governorates, only Damietta and Ismailia had Christian governors. The governor of Damietta was the country's first Christian governor. The electoral laws reserve 24 seats for Christian candidates in the House of Representatives. During the year, the House of Representatives surpassed quota with 31 Christians out of a total of 596. There were a total of 24 Christian senators - 17 elected and seven appointed by President Sisi - out of 300 seats in this chamber, including the deputy speaker. Observers explained that President Sisi also had several senior Christian advisors.

Some Shias reported being barred from serving in the armed forces and from employment in the security and intelligence services.

The government generally allowed foreign religious workers into the country. However, sources continued to report that some religious workers were refused visas or denied entry on arrival without explanation.

On March 1, the President issued a decree establishing Boards of Trustees for the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches of Egypt. The decree followed the passage of a law in Parliament that would put the Catholic and Protestant communities on an equal footing with the Coptic Orthodox Church.

On August 22, local NGOs reported that the Supreme Judicial Council — the country's highest administrative body of the judiciary and headed by the President of the Court of Cassation — had granted a request by the Attorney General to transfer 11 women judges, including one Coptic, to work in the prosecutor's office for the judicial year beginning in September. On Aug. 5, the Official Gazette published two presidential decisions appointing deputy delegates to the State Council — an independent body that primarily decides administrative matters affecting the country's judiciary — from the 2016 and 2017 graduates. According to EIPR researchers, the first decision three Copts out of 204 delegates or 1.5 percent. The second decision involved three Copts out of 207 delegates, or 1.4 percent.

Grand Imam al-Tayyeb made several public references to theDocument on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Coexistence, which he signed with Pope Francis in 2019 as a framework for “a world of prosperity, tolerance, peace and love”. Al-Tayyeb and Pope Francis met in person on October 4, following a Vatican-hosted summit entitled "Faith and Science: Towards COP26," along with other world faith leaders, and discussed the initiatives emerging from the document .

Al-Azhar continued to monitor and counter online statements by ISIS and other extremist groups through the al-Azhar Observatory on Countering Extremism. The observatory's roughly 100 employees observed religious expressions on jihadi websites and offered counter-arguments. The center's website and social media used numerous languages ​​to reach foreign audiences, including English, Arabic, Urdu, Swahili, Chinese and Farsi. Al-Azhar also continued to offer courses for imams and preachers in 20 countries on a wide range of subjects related to Islam through the al-Azhar International Academy. Al-Azhar largely restricted travel and in-person training throughout the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but continued to offer virtual training.

In May, the government announced that it would add all civilians killed in terrorist operations since January 2014 to the list of those eligible for state aid through the official Fund for the Honor of Martyrs, Victims, Missing and Injured in Terrorism - and security operations of 2018 have their families. The list of beneficiaries included the families of 1,260 civilians killed and 1,804 civilians injured in terrorist attacks against religious minorities.

During an Aug. 3 meeting with participants at a conference "Fatwa Institutions in the Digital Age" organized by Dar al-Iftaa, President Sisi said scholars must confront electronic platforms that propagate false ideas that distort the essence of Islam and the religion exploit to achieve political goals through terrorism. During an Aug. 24 television interview, the President said, "According to our credentials, we are all born Muslims and non-Muslims, but we recognize that we need to restate our understanding of the faith we follow." On Sept. 11 , during the launching ceremony of the National Human Rights Strategy, President Sisi asked: “Why are you upset to see a church or a synagogue? The state has effectively countered this issue and ensures respect for all religions through laws.” He added, “I respect non-believers. If someone tells me [he or she is] neither Muslim nor Christian nor Jew or that he or she doesn't believe in any religion, I would tell them that you are free to choose." Sisi also said: "And that's not because that I don't protect my religion. I am. And that's why I respect the will of the unbelievers, which is based on freedom of belief – a God-given right.” On social media, some users criticized Sisi for normalizing acceptance of people who don't believe in God, saying she does This attitude is unacceptable for a large part of the Muslim majority in the country. On October 17, on the occasion of the celebration of Mawlid al-Nabi (the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad), Sisi called on religious institutions and scholars to intensify their efforts to spread values ​​such as tolerance, intellectual diversity and acceptance of others.

The National Strategy on Human Rights included a section on "Freedom of Religion or Belief," which detailed several steps the government had taken in recent years, including the establishment of a National Council to Counter Terrorism and Extremism and the Supreme Committee on Countering sectarian incidents and the Ministry of Higher Education's strategy against extremism andtakfiri(to declare someone an infidel) ideology in the country's universities. It said the Ministry of Awqaf dedicated some Friday sermons to promoting tolerance and combating violence and hatred. The document also cited efforts by al-Azhar, Dar al-Iftaa and Christian churches to promote inter-communal understanding. The strategy states that the government often encourages interreligious dialogue.

On Jan. 24, the Grand Mufti issued a fatwa allowing Muslims to work in church construction for pay, a decision that sparked controversy on social media. Activists recalled previous 2013 fatwas on Salafist websites banning such employment. Dar al-Iftaa based the more recent decision on an earlier ruling by Imam Abu Hanifa, in which he stated that such work is permissible and an obligation unless it involves the humiliation of a Muslim or requires him to accept anything that contradicts Islamic theology. Some media interpreted the fatwa as giving permission for Muslims to contribute to the ongoing or planned construction/restoration of churches across the country.

On Oct. 13, at a workshop training religious leaders to raise awareness of women's issues, the Awqaf Gomaa minister said a pilot program involving women preachers and nuns provided an excellent model for national action, he added , an approach adopted by the ministry in partnership with churches and the National Council for Women. Gomaa said women's equality is a religious, national and humanitarian obligation. According to local press, the number of women preachers in September was 304, including 251 women volunteers and 53 women mentors appointed by the ministry.

The Cabinet Media Center released a documentary promoting the values ​​of citizenship, loyalty, non-discrimination and equality between Muslims and Christians. The documentary stressed the importance of strengthening these values ​​in maintaining the country's security and stability and countering attempts to sow rebellion within communities, the center said in a Jan. 7 statement.

On January 9, the Al-Azhar Observatory on Countering Extremism published a report in 12 languages ​​under the titleFreedom of Religion: An Authentic Islamic Principle. The Observatory said in the report that freedom of religion is one of the most important principles of Islam. On May 5, the Grand Imam said: "To congratulate non-Muslims on their holidays and joys and to comfort them in their misfortunes... [is] the righteousness that Islam enjoins."

On August 11, President Sisi extended the term of office of Grand Mufti Shawky Allam by one year by presidential decree. The president issued a separate but related decree that same week, designating the Dar al-Iftaa as a "special institution" not subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Act. Some observers said these decrees redistributed power traditionally vested in the Council of Islamic Scholars to the President. In July, a proposed law sought to make Dar al-Iftaa and the Grand Mufti independent of al-Azhar. Sources told the press that the main objective of the proposed law is to create a parallel entity to al-Azhar under direct government control. Under his terms, the President would have had the right to appoint the Grand Mufti. The State Council declared the bill unconstitutional, after which the government withdrew it.

On September 14, after the launch of the National Strategy on Human Rights, the Minister of Awqaf announced his intention to set up a Human Rights Unit to implement the provisions of the strategy. According to the statement, the unit will work to promote values ​​of citizenship and religious tolerance, contribute to social protection and community service programs, and fulfill the rights of people with disabilities (e.g., by incorporating sign language during weekly sermons).

On March 7, the EIPR filed a complaint with the Supreme Constitutional Court on behalf of a Coptic woman over the constitutionality of requiring Christian citizens to apply Sharia rules in matters of inheritance. The lawsuit alleged that this requirement violated Article 3 of the Constitution, which allows the canonical laws of religious minorities to prevail in civil matters. The defendants in the lawsuit included the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice and the Speaker of Parliament. On September 12, the court's committee reviewed the case, and on November 14, the court referred the case to the Constitutional Court to set a date for a further review. The case was still pending at the end of the year.

On December 4, news website Cairo 24.com reported that the Justice Ministry had finalized the draft of the Family Law (personal status for Christians) after representatives of Christian denominations agreed on its text at meetings earlier in the year. On July 4, a representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church announced the completion of a review of the bill at the Ministry of Justice after 16 meetings at which ministry officials met with representatives of Christian denominations to agree on its articles. The newspaper in SeptemberAl-Dustourreported that the bill would be tabled in Parliament after other Christian churches expressed their support. In December, the ministry sent the bill to the cabinet for approval. At the end of the year, the Cabinet had not submitted the bill to the House of Representatives.

There has been public debate and court challenges over the issue of listing religions on ID cards. Coptic human rights lawyers filed a lawsuit on August 25, demanding that the Interior Ministry's Civil Registration Department remove the "religion" field from ID cards. Citing the positive atmosphere of religious unity promoted by the Sisi government, the lawsuit found that some people still used the religious designation on ID cards to discriminate against religious minorities. During a panel discussion in September, journalist Ibrahim Eissa called for religion to be removed from citizens' identity cards. Justice Minister Omar Marwan responded that "there needs to be some form of official documentation of a citizen's religion" to ensure that laws and services specific to one's religion are properly provided.

On December 27, the Alexandria Administrative Court dismissed a lawsuit filed in January by the EIPR on behalf of a group of Baha'i citizens in Alexandria, seeking that the government designate a cemetery for those whose Identity card a "-" (i.e. the No. selection) under religious affiliation. The government cited statements by al-Azhar, which, despite previous rulings and practices, said it was illegal to give property to anyone who is not Muslim, Christian or Jewish. Cairo's Bassatine Cemetery, which members of the Baha'i community described as overcrowded and uncomfortably far away for Baha'i living outside of Cairo, remained the only cemetery in the country where Baha'i could be buried. The EIPR announced that it would appeal the decision.

In June, the ADL reported that it had completed a review of elementary, middle and high school textbooks as part of an investigation into antisemitic content in state-published curricula. The ADL explained that while the country's most recent textbooks contained positive material about the Jewish people, this content "was in direct contradiction to other, much more problematic, teachings in the curriculum." The report cited a fifth-grade textbook that taught students that "the betrayal of the Jews" was "one of their characteristics" and that Jews had "betrayed God and his prophet."

The press reported that the al-Azhar International Center for Electronic Fatwas warned on June 29 about the online video game Fortnite, saying it contained a depiction of the destruction of the Kaaba, the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The game's designers posted a statement on Facebook, stating that they respect all religious beliefs and that the problematic content was created by an independent player in "creative mode".

On June 20, President Sisi met with Sultan Mufadal Saifuddin, the head of the Bohra branch of Ismaili Shia Islam. According to press reports, the president noted the country's close ties to the Bohra Ismailis and thanked the group for their help in restoring several historic mosques and shrines in the country.

On March 16, the minister of Awqaf Gomaa said that the president and government had always called for moderate Islam to be exported to Africa. Gomaa said the government has regularly sent imams and preachers to many African countries, stressing that the government attaches great importance to countering extremism. On August 2, al-Azhar announced a counter-extremism training course for 23 Malian imams and preachers. On August 10, after meeting the ambassador from Senegal, Grand Imam al-Tayyeb said that al-Azhar was ready to establish a similar institution in Senegal, while confirming that 350 Senegalese students are currently studying at al-Azhar who had sent 41 teachers to Senegal. In separate statements in June and August, al-Azhar said she would step up efforts to train imams in Pakistan and Russia.

Terrorist groups, including the Islamic State of Sinai (or ISIS-SP, formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis), continued sporadic attacks on government, civilian and security targets in North Sinai governorate. According to an international NGO, at least 26 civilians, 51 security forces and 31 terrorists were killed in the Sinai conflict between January and July. According to an ISIS media partner, ISIS-SP claimed 101 attacks during the year, resulting in 206 deaths.

In April, ISIS-SP released a video documenting the killing of Nabil Habashi, a local Coptic Christian and co-founder of the only church in the Bir al-Abd district, one of the focal points of ISIS-SP's operations. ISIS-SP kidnapped Habashi in November 2020 on the grounds of "Christian support for the Egyptian military and state" and held him for ransom until killing him in February. Pope Tawadros II released a statement mourning the loss of "faithful son and servant" Habashi, offering condolences to his family and church, and "saluting the heroes of the Egyptian military and police." EIPR described the murder as "murder based on religious identity".

On July 27, Shenouda Salah Asaad, a Copt, was allegedly stabbed to death by a Salafist neighbor in al-Qusiyah, Assiut governorate. Salah's wife was injured and hospitalized. The investigative police in al-Qusiyah reportedly intensified their efforts to apprehend the perpetrator. At the end of the year there had been no official confirmation of his fears.

In April, sectarian clashes in al-Mudmar village, Sohag governorate, left at least one dead and six injured in hospital. Witnesses in al-Mudmar said events began with a dispute between two Copts and later involved a would-be Muslim mediator. After the violence, security forces advanced into the village. According to eyewitness accounts, there was generally friendly relations between Muslims and Christians in the village.

On October 11, local media reported that a pharmacist in Sharqia governorate accused her colleagues of assaulting, harassing and stalking her because of her decision not to wear hijab. The pharmacist filed a complaint against her colleagues with the Zagazig District Police Department, urging the Sharqia governor to offer assistance pending the prosecutor's investigation. The pharmacist also appealed to the pharmacist syndicate to intervene, and one of her colleagues documented the alleged assault at her workplace with a video that was widely shared on Facebook. A week after the pharmacist's complaint, prosecutors from the Supreme State Security Service ordered her to be detained for 15 days pending investigation into "joining a terrorist organization and spreading false news". In November and again on December 21, prosecutors extended the pharmacist's detention by 15 days. The pharmacist was still in custody at the end of the year.

In September, the press reported that two doctors and another employee at a Cairo hospital had anonymously posted a video on social media in which they harassed a nurse and asked him to kneel and pray to a dog. The nurse explained that if he complied, it would be a sin on all of them. The press reported a "wave of outrage on social media". The Department of Health later said it fired the chief physician; The country's Attorney General ordered the three men's detention pending an investigation into bullying, abuse of power and disregard for religion. The case was referred to a criminal court, which sentenced the three to two years' imprisonment in October.

According to human rights groups and religious communities, religious discrimination persisted in hiring workers in the private sector.

A July report by the NGO Coptic Solidarity said that out of 141 athletes on the national Olympic team who took part in the Tokyo 2020 games (held in 2021), only one was a Coptic. The 2012 and 2016 Olympic teams had similar meltdowns, which the NGO said stemmed from "ingrained, ingrained, systematic and systematic discrimination against Copts."

In February,Al-Monitor, a news website, reported that Christian soccer players formed a team called Je Suis Club in 2016 to provide opportunities for Christians to play. The report stated that the main Egyptian teams, including Zamalek, Ahli, Ismaili and the Alexandria Union, had only Muslim players in their rosters.

During a nationally broadcast television program, a professor at al-Azhar University responded to a woman's beating by her husband by saying that women tended to exaggerate when they complained that no man would resort to this level of violence , unless strongly provoked, and that women were guilty of inciting domestic violence upon themselves. A local abused spousal advocacy group posted the video on social media, criticizing the downplaying of spousal abuse by a member of the country's religious establishment. A colleague of the professor at al-Azhar's Tadwein Center for Gender Studies condemned the professor's televised remarks, saying Islam under no circumstances justifies violence against women.

Reuters reported that the country's first all-female Muslim recitation choir, al-Hour, "challenges entrenched taboos about women singing or reciting the Koran in public." Al Hour founder Nemaa Fathi said: “Having women in the field of Muslim religious singing not only breaks social stereotypes about female singers. It also brings a new, distinctive style to an art that has long been dominated by men alone.”

The press reported that a video of a girls choir singing Christian hymns on the Cairo Metro has been widely reposted after it was originally posted by Nabila Makram, a Coptic woman and minister of emigration and expatriate affairs. A human rights lawyer called the chant courageous, adding: "The reality is that Egyptian society does not tolerate the public display of faith by Christians."

In June, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar welcomed a proposal to set up a center for Islamic studies in Egypt, put to him by a delegation from the Anglican Episcopal Church. The proposal was the first of its kind in the history of al-Azhar-Church relations. The proposal also included the establishment of an Islamic library in cooperation with al-Azhar University.

In November Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa inaugurated the Patriarchal Center for Studies and Dialogue at the Holy Monastery of St. George in Cairo as a new center for interreligious and intercultural dialogue.

In October, the Syndicate of Music Professions in Egypt issued a decision banning its members from doing business with Egyptian rapper Marwan Pablo for "defiling a religious invocation" during a concert in New Cairo. In a statement, the syndicate said Marwan "repeated a well-known religious invocation, but replaced its words with vulgarity and stripped them of their moral content."

According to a Jan. 8 report viaAl-Monitor, following a decision by the Pakistani government to ban the release of a British film,The Lady of Heaven, a number of social media activists, Islamic scholars and Salafist imams called for a ban on showing the film in Egypt. They urged the issuance of fatwas banning viewing of the film and called on the UK to halt international distribution of the film. According to press reports, the film portrayed the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, Fatima, who was also the wife of Ali, the fourth Caliph of Sunni Muslims and the first Imam of Shia Muslims. Several newspapers reported that the film featured Prophet Muhammad's voice as the narrator in the film.

On April 3, 22 royal mummies and 17 sarcophagi were transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in Cairo to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilizations, also in Cairo. During the broadcast, prominent actors and actresses portrayed figures from the history of Egyptian civilizations, including the centuries-long coexistence of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - including prominent scenes in churches and synagogues.

Research and consultancy firm PSB conducted a survey of young people aged 17 to 24 in 17 Arab countries in June and reported that 24 percent of Egyptian respondents said their religion was the most important factor in their personal identity, which was lower than across the region score of 34 percent. Other choices offered by the survey as possible answers were family/tribe, nationality, Arabic heritage, political beliefs, language and gender.

U.S. government officials at multiple levels, including the ambassador, other embassy officials, and other senior government officials, regularly raised concerns about religious freedom with senior government officials. The ambassador and other embassy officials discussed legalizing and building churches, preserving Jewish cultural heritage and sites, interfaith dialogue, and countering religious extremism with the State Department, MPs, regional governors, senior religious leaders, and civil society and minority religious groups . At these meetings, embassy officials emphasized the US commitment to religious freedom and raised issues including alleged harassment of religious converts; anticipated changes in Egypt's civil status law; recognition of Baha'i, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ; access to Jewish community archives; and the use of religious designations on national identity cards.

Throughout the year, embassy officials met with senior officials at the offices of the Grand Imam of al-Azhar; Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II; Bishops and senior pastors of the Catholic, Protestant and Anglican Churches; and members of the Jewish community. At these meetings, embassy staff discussed cases in which administrative courts applied inconsistent or discriminatory standards against members of unrecognized religious minorities; persons prosecuted for religious defamation; and enabled religious discrimination through the continued inclusion of religious designations on national identity cards. They also discussed progress on religious freedom issues, such as continued church building and permitting, political support for Christian and Jewish communities, and the protection and restoration of Muslim, Christian and Jewish religious sites.

US officials met with human rights activists and religious and community leaders to discuss recent incidents of sectarian conflict and gather information to present in meetings with government officials. Embassy officials on several occasions attended court hearings or sent letters to court officials expressing their official interest in cases where Egyptians were being held in pre-trial detention on the basis of religious expressions or scriptures.

On April 18, after a five-year restoration project carried out with US funds, the Ambassador attended the reopening of the country's largest mausoleum dome: the tomb of Imam Abu Abdullah Mohammed bin Idris al-Shafie, the founder of the Shafie school for Islamic jurisprudence. On August 28, the Ambassador toured the Red and White Monasteries of Sohag Governorate - 3rd-century monastic churches that are among the best preserved of their kind in the country - where he met with church officials and worth a US-funded preservation of more than five million dollars and underscored the US commitment to preserving the country's religious and cultural heritage. On September 15, the Ambassador opened a US government-sponsored academic conference on the Jewish Pluralism-12 Rabbi and scholar Maimonides in Egypt. On October 20, the Embassy in Upper Egypt hosted the public launch of a girls' empowerment event. The $3 million program, with a strong focus on religious tolerance, was implemented in Qena and Minya governorates, two areas historically characterized by higher levels of interfaith discord between Muslims and Copts. In the second half of the year, the Embassy conducted a six-month virtual interfaith dialogue program with Muslim and Christian religious influencers from the United States and Egypt, focused on conflict resolution and peacebuilding. The embassy facilitated a 12-week professional development course for more than 70 English teachers at al-Azhar University, which enabled broader U.S. government cooperation with al-Azhar and, according to al-Azhar officials, allowed the institution to better itself to deal with them The outside world.

The US government estimates the total population at 6.5 million (mid-2021). According to a February poll by the University of Central America's Institute of Public Opinion, 43.3 percent of the population identify as Catholic, 33.9 percent as Evangelical Protestant, and 18.6 percent with no religious affiliation. About 3 percent report “other,” including Anglicans, Jehovah's Witnesses, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Muslims, Baha'i, Jews, Buddhists, and members of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. About 1.2 percent of the population identify themselves as agnostics or atheists. A small portion of the population holds indigenous religious beliefs, with these beliefs sometimes blending with Christianity and Islam. Muslim leaders estimate that there are around 500 Muslims. According to Imam Emerson Bukele, President Nayib Bukele's half-brother, the 2020 estimate of 20,000 probably represents people of Palestinian descent, most of whom are Christian and not Muslim.

Legal framework

The constitution provides for the free exercise of religion. It states that all people are equal before the law and prohibits discrimination based on religion. The PDDH monitors the state of religious freedom in the country, including issuing special reports and receiving petitions from the public about alleged violations of freedom of religion.

The Criminal Code imposes penalties of one to three years on anyone who publicly violates or insults the religious beliefs of others, or who damages or destroys religious objects. The law defines a criminal offense as any act that prevents or interferes with the free exercise of religion, publicly denies religious traditions, or publicly insults a person's belief or religious dogma. Penalties increase to four to eight years if individuals commit such acts to gain media attention. Repeat offenders face three to five years in prison.

The constitution states that members of the clergy cannot hold the positions of president, cabinet ministers, vice ministers, justices of the Supreme Court, magistrates, governors, attorney general, public defender, and other senior government positions. Members of the clergy may not belong to any political party. The electoral code stipulates that judges of the Supreme Electoral Court and members of municipal councils must be lay people.

The law restricts support for and interaction with gangs, including clerics, and defines gangs as terrorist organizations. However, rehabilitation programs and spiritual activities for gang members are legal.

The constitution allows religious groups to seek official recognition by registering with the government. It grants the Catholic Church automatic official recognition and exempts it from registration requirements and government financial oversight. Religious groups can operate without registration, but registration confers tax-exempt status and facilitates activities that require official approval, such as B. the construction of places of worship. To register, a religious organization must apply to the Office of the Director General for Charitable Associations and Foundations (DGFASFL) at the Government Ministry. The group must submit its charter and articles of association, which describe the nature of the organization, the location of its offices, its objectives and policies, the requirements for membership, the roles of its governing bodies, and the amounts or contributions. The DGFASFL analyzes the group's charter and charter to ensure that both are compliant with the law. Once approved, the government publishes the statutes and charter of the group in the Official Gazette. The DGFASFL does not keep records of religious groups once it has approved their status and there are no requirements for registration renewal.

Due to its special legal recognition under the Constitution, the Government Ministry is empowered by law to register, regulate and monitor the finances of non-governmental organizations and all religious groups except the Catholic Church. Foreign religious groups must obtain special residency visas for religious activities, including proselytizing, and are not allowed to proselytize while on a visitor or tourist visa. Religious groups must be registered in order for their members to obtain this special residency visa for religious activities.

The Criminal Code imposes penalties of six months to two years on those who publicly violate or insult the religious beliefs of others, or damage or destroy religious objects. If these acts are committed for advertising purposes, the penalties can increase to one to three years imprisonment.

Public education as funded by the government is secular and there is no religious component of education. The constitution grants the right to establish private schools, including schools run by religious groups, that operate without government support or funding. Parents decide whether their children receive religious education in private schools. Public schools may not refuse admission to students based on their religion. All private schools, denominational or not, must meet the same academic standards in order to receive Department of Education approval.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

According to the Attorney General's Office, during the year the authorities pursued one case under the Criminal Code for publicly insulting or offending the religious beliefs of others; Details of the case were not given. At the end of the year, the PDDH reported that it had not been notified of any cases of alleged violations of religious freedom.

According to the government ministry, there were 169 applications for registration of religious groups during the year, compared to 122 in 2020. Of these, the ministry approved 28 and rejected 24 because of incomplete documentation; 117 were pending at the end of the year. Government officials said the COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact the registration process, with several ministry officials teleworking and unable to access all relevant documents. The government ministry reported that although the registration process was available electronically, many religious groups failed to provide the required documents on time. According to the ministry, registration approval was delayed because religious groups were initially asked to obtain documentation for legal entities and the documentation they submitted to the ministry was incorrect or incomplete.

Although the Minister of Prisons officially banned religious organizations, non-profit organizations and the PDDH from visiting prisons due to COVID-19 safety protocols, several religious organizations reported having sporadic access to prisoners.

Alvaro Rafael Saravia Merino, a former military captain with a pending arrest warrant for the 1980 assassination of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, as he was celebrating Mass, remained at large. In March, civil rights attorneys said the case still hadn't progressed 41 years after the crime. They accused the attorney general's office of negligence in failing to appoint a team to investigate the case, which was pending at the end of the year.

In February the Criminal Chamber of Spain's Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of former Salvadoran Army Colonel Inocente Orlando Montano, upholding his sentence of 133 years and four months in prison. In September 2020, Spain's top criminal court, Audencia Nacional, convicted Montano of planning and ordering the November 1989 assassination of five Spanish Jesuits at the Central American University in San Salvador.

According to press reports, the Attorney General's Office had not responded to a December 2020 call by human rights activists to reopen the trial of former Generals Juan Orlando Zepeda and Francisco Helena Fuentes and former President Alfredo Cristiani, all accused of plotting the 1989 Jesuit killings . Jesuit priest Jose Maria Tojeira said he is urging prosecutors to reopen the cases and investigate two judges who ordered the cases to be dropped in September 2020 because they appear to be willfully ignoring a 2007 decision by the Supreme Court's Constitutional Chamber . The 2007 decision repealed the 1993 Amnesty Act, which had granted amnesty from prosecution to war criminals, including the perpetrators of the 1989 Jesuit killings.

On April 12, gang members attacked an elderly priest, Father Gregorio Landaverde, in Santa Tecla, parish of La Libertad, as he unknowingly drove into a gang-controlled neighborhood to find an alternative route around a traffic jam. When Landaverde, pastor of Asuncion Pleca Parish in Delgado parish, stopped to ask for directions, gang members immediately surrounded him and searched his truck, where they found a machete he had used the previous day to clear land for relatives, the gang Members said the priest was a potential threat. The gang members hit him with rocks, took his wallet and damaged his car. Landaverde was hospitalized and the parish church canceled mass until Landaverde recovered.

In January, Father Manuel Acosta, a theology professor at Central American University Jose Simeon Canas, told the Catholic pressKernthat he was concerned about violence against Catholic priests, including the previously unsolved murders of three priests in less than three years to 2020. All were his former students. "I had no words," Acosta said, recalling his thoughts the morning he heard of the August 2020 killing of another former student, Father Ricardo Cortez, who was found dead after being shot in the head was.

According to law enforcement officials, gang members continued to extort organizations with known funding sources, including religious groups, demanding payments in exchange for allowing them to operate in some areas. Reports continued of criminals targeting churches, stealing religious relics and other valuable cultural assets, and violently attacking parishioners.

According to media reports, on July 28, security forces killed one thief and injured another when they tried to rob the Los Heraldos del Evangelio Catholic Church in the Santa Elena neighborhood of San Salvador. A third attacker managed to escape. Authorities investigated the incident and charged the injured suspect with trespassing; He remained in custody and awaited trial at the end of the year.

Media again reported, and religious leaders also said, former gang members who joined Evangelical Protestant churches were only allowed to leave their gang to pursue their faith after receiving approval from their gang leaders. According to the state police, joining an evangelical-protestant group is a way out of gang membership, from which there is no other way out. Gangs monitored former members for years after they left the gang to make sure they attended church regularly and followed strict religious practices. If the gang discovered that the religious conversion was not authentic, the penalty for deception was death. In some gangs, even if a member was permitted to leave the gang for religious reasons, he could still be called to rejoin the gang if necessary. According to law enforcement officials, the gangs used death threats against these former gang members or their families to force their return to the gang.

According to the Pew Research Center's 12th Annual Study of Restrictions on Religion, released September but covering 2019, El Salvador saw a modest decline in its index of social hostilities compared to Pew's 11th Annual Report, released in 2018 and 2019 covered. The Social Hostility Index measured acts of hostility to religion by individuals and by community organizations or groups.

On September 14, embassy officials discussed with the PDDH the importance of government officials fulfilling their duties to protect the rights of all people, including freedom of religion, regardless of the official's personal religion or beliefs.

On May 6, an embassy official led by Imam Bukele attended an iftar at the Hispanic-American Islamic Mosque. The official and the Imam spoke about the challenges facing the Muslim community in a predominantly Christian country and the importance of respecting religious tolerance and diversity.

During the year, embassy officials met with religious leaders from the Evangelical Protestant, Anglican, Catholic and Baha'i faiths to discuss issues of religious freedom and the difficulties faced by religious groups in attempting to gang-control adherents areas to reach areas. Embassy officials stressed the importance of filing complaints with law enforcement and the PDDH.

On October 27, in support of International Religious Freedom Day, the Embassy tweeted, "Religious freedom is a human right," stressing the importance of supporting religious freedom in the country and around the world.

The US government estimates the total population at 6.1 million (mid-2021). The UN estimates the population at around 3.5 million. Reliable population data in the country is difficult to collect. There are no reliable figures on religious affiliation. The Pew Foundation estimated the population in 2016 at 63 percent Christian and 37 percent Muslim. Some state, religious and international sources estimate that the population is 49 percent Christian and 49 percent Sunni Muslim. The Christian population is predominantly Eritrean Orthodox. Catholics, Protestants, and other Christian denominations, including Jehovah's Witnesses and Pentecostals, make up less than 5 percent of the Christian population. Some estimates put 2 percent of the population traditionally animist. The Baha'i community has around 500 members, half of whom live in the capital, Asmara. Only one Jew is known to have remained in the country and lives only part of the time in Eritrea.

A majority of the population in the southern and central regions is Christian, while the northern areas are majority Muslim. A majority of the Tigrinya, the largest ethnic group, are Christian. Seven of the other eight main ethnic groups, the Tigre, Saho, Afar, Bilen, Hedareb, Nara and the Rashaida, are predominantly Muslim and live mainly in the northern regions of the country. The Kunama are diverse, with Christians, Muslims and animists.

Legal framework

The law and the unimplemented constitution prohibit religious discrimination and ensure freedom of thought, conscience and belief and the freedom to practice any religion.

Proclamation 73/1995, which serves as the guiding law on religious matters, calls for the separation of religion and state; outlines the parameters religious organizations must adhere to, including in relation to external relations and social activities; establishes an office for religious affairs; and requires religious groups to register with the government or cease their activities. Some members of religious groups who are unregistered or otherwise fail to comply with the law are reportedly still subject to the previous Provisional Penal Code, which provides penalties for non-registration and non-compliance. In 2015, a new penal code was enacted that does not directly provide penalties for religious groups that fail to register or otherwise comply with the law, but does include a penalty for "unlawful assembly" ranging from one to six months in prison and a fine from 5,001 to 20,000 nakfa ($330 to $1,300); However, the new code has not yet been implemented.

The Office of Religious Affairs has the power to regulate religious activities and institutions, including approving applications from religious groups seeking official registration. Each application must include a description of the group's history in the country; a statement of the uniqueness or advantage the group offers in comparison to other registered religious groups; Names and personal data of the group leaders; detailed information on assets; a description of the group's conformance with local culture; and a statement of any foreign funding sources.

The Office of Religious Affairs has registered four religious denominations: the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Sunni Islam, the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Eritrea (which is affiliated with the Lutheran World Federation). Although the Baha'i are not one of the four officially recognized religions, they have registered every year since 1959, the year the chapter was founded, and are "de facto" recognized by the government. A synagogue exists in Asmara, but there are not enough devotees for regular services. A 2002 ordinance requires all other religious groups to submit applications for registration and to cease religious activities and worship prior to approval.

Religious groups must obtain government approval to build facilities for worship.

While the law does not specifically address religious instruction in public schools, Proclamation 73/1995 establishes the parameters to which religious organizations must adhere, and instruction is not included as an authorized activity.

By law, all citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 must perform 18 months of national service, with limited exceptions including for health reasons such as physical disability or pregnancy. In times of need, military service can be extended indefinitely, since the beginning of the war with Ethiopia in 1998, the country has officially been in a state of emergency. There is also compulsory militia for all males not in the military, including many who have been demobilized from national service, have otherwise been exempted from military service in the past, or are elderly. Failure to participate in militia or national service may result in imprisonment. The militia's duties mainly include security-related activities such as airport or neighborhood patrols, as well as agricultural work. Militia training mainly involves occasional marches and listening to patriotic lectures. The law does not provide for religious conscientious objector status, nor are there alternative occupations for persons willing to perform national service but not willing to engage in military or militarily active activities.

The law prohibits any political involvement of religious groups.

The government requires all citizens to obtain an exit visa before leaving the country. The application requires the applicant's religious affiliation, but the law does not require this information.

The law restricts foreign funding for religious groups, including registered groups. The only contributions permitted by law are from local supporters, the government, or government-approved foreign sources.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

During the year the government arrested and released people imprisoned for their religion. According to the CSW, officials released 70 Christian prisoners in the first two months of the year, six on January 27 and 64 on February 1, the other of 12 people in Assab. On April 12, the BBC reported that 36 Christians had been released on bail, including 22 from the former group in Asmara reported by Release International and 14 who had been in prison in the Dahlak Islands for four years. AfterChristian todayIn the September report, authorities arrested 15 Christians, all previously imprisoned for their religion.

According to NGO estimates, the authorities continued to hold anywhere from 130 to over 1,000 people for their beliefs. A more accurate determination of the number of people detained for their religious beliefs was difficult due to the government's lack of transparency and reported intimidation of anyone who might provide such information.

Authorities reportedly continued to detain 24 Jehovah's Witnesses, more than half of whom had been in prison for more than 20 years for refusing to serve in the military or renouncing their faith. At least 20 Muslim protesters were reported to remain in detention following protests in Asmara in October 2017 and March 2018.

Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church Abune Antonios, who last appeared in public in July 2017, has been under house arrest since 2006 for protesting government interference in church affairs.

The government continued to treat Jehovah's Witnesses particularly harshly because they refused outright to vote in the country's independence referendum in 1993 and subsequently refused to participate in compulsory national service, for which the government stripped them of their citizenship in 1994. The government continued to hold Jehovah's Witnesses and other religious prisoners for disobeying the law or on national security grounds and continued to deny them citizenship. The treatment of religious prisoners by the authorities appeared to have been inconsistent. Religious prisoners were reportedly barred from receiving visitors in some prisons, while others allowed visitors. Some former prisoners detained for their religious beliefs continued to report harsh prison conditions, including solitary confinement, physical abuse and inadequate food, water and shelter. Other former religious prisoners reported acceptable conditions, adequate food and no physical abuse.

A government license remained required for any organization to print and distribute documents; for religious groups, this approval had to come from the Office of Religious Affairs, which continued to only approve applications from the four officially registered religious groups.

The government continued to impose restrictions on proselytizing, accepting external funding from international NGOs and international organizations and groups that chose their own religious leaders. Unregistered religious groups also faced restrictions on meeting for worship, building places of worship and teaching others their religious beliefs, although they reported that in many cases the government unofficially allowed them to pray in private homes, as long as it was done discreetly.

The government, which has not authorized registration of additional religious groups since 2002, again failed to authorize new religious groups during the year. Unrecognized religious groups feared that the application would expose them to further repression.

For the most part, Jehovah's Witnesses were unable to obtain official identification documents, preventing many of them from studying in government institutions and barring them from most forms of employment, government benefits, bank account access, and travel.

Arrests and releases often went unreported. Information from outside the capital was extremely limited. Independent observers said many people continued to be detained without charge.

According to members of religious minorities and international NGOs, the government continued to detain people associated with unregistered religious groups without due process, sometimes for long periods and sometimes on grounds of threats to national security. Their eventual release from detention was sometimes linked to a formal renunciation of their faith.

Religious observers also reported that the government had turned down many exit visa applications for people wishing to travel to international religious conferences. According to a 2019 report by the European Asylum Support Office, exit visa issuance was patchy and did not conform to a unified policy; Members of unrecognized religious communities could be denied exit visas solely on the basis of their religious affiliation.

The government continued to ban all other practices of Islam except Sunni Islam.

Official attitudes towards members of unregistered religious groups worshiping in houses or rented facilities varied. Some local authorities reportedly tolerated the presence and activities of unregistered groups, while others tried to prevent them from meeting. Local authorities sometimes refused government food stamps to Jehovah's Witnesses and Pentecostal members. Some religious prisoners reported that they were allowed to worship together in prison as long as they did so quietly.

Diaspora groups reported that the authorities directly or indirectly controlled virtually all activities of the four officially recognized groups. The leaders of the four groups also stated that their officially registered members would not be hindered in practicing their religion. Individuals also reported restrictions on clergy meeting with foreign diplomats.

The government announced plans to continue the confiscation and nationalization of Catholic schools that began in 2018. In June, she announced the planned closure of the remaining early childhood and middle primary schools, prompting the Collective of Catholic Bishops of Eritrea to issue a letter denouncing the action. as "...expressly prejudicial to the most elementary principles of justice...". At the end of the year, schools remained open, according to Catholic sources.

Most places of worship that do not belong to the four officially registered religious groups remained closed for worship, but many of these buildings remained physically intact and undamaged. Religious structures formerly used by the Jewish and Greek Orthodox communities in Asmara have been preserved. The government protected the historic synagogue maintained by the last known Jew in the country. The Greek Orthodox Church remained open as a cultural building, and since there is no longer a Greek Orthodox community; Members of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church sometimes held services at the site. Other structures owned by unregistered groups, such as the Church of Christ, remained closed. The government allowed the Baha'i Center in Asmara to remain open and members of the center had unrestricted access to the building. A Bahai temple outside of Asmara was allowed to operate. There was evidence that other unregistered groups, including Seventh-day Adventists and Faith Mission Church, were engaged in some activity. The Anglican Church building held services, but only under the auspices of the registered Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Some church leaders went on to say that the government's restriction on foreign funding reduced church income and religious participation by preventing churches from training clergy or building or maintaining institutions.

State control of all mass media, as well as fears of imprisonment or other government action, observers said continued to limit the ability of unregistered religious group members to publicize government action against them. The restrictions on public gathering and free speech severely limited the ability of unregistered religious groups to gather at a designated place of worship and hold services, according to group members.

Observers noted that the government exercised significant direct and indirect influence over the appointment of heads of recognized religious communities, including the Eritrean Orthodox Church and the Sunni Islamic community; Some international NGOs said the authorities directly controlled the appointments. The government denied this, saying these decisions were made solely by religious communities. The only political party, the Popular Front for Democracy and Justice, led by President Isaias Afwerki, de facto appointed both the head of the Sunni Islamic community and the head of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, as well as some subordinate officials for both communities. On May 12, the synod of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church elected the fifth patriarch, Abune Qerlos, six years after the death of the fourth patriarch, Abune Dioskoros, (and 15 years after the arrest of the third patriarch, Abune Antonios, who is still known as the rightful patriarch of many followers). On July 10, incumbent Mufti Sheikh Salim Ibrahim al-Muktar was elected Mufti of Eritrea, a position that has been vacant since 2017.

While the overwhelming majority of senior officials, both military and civilian, were Christians, four ministers in the 17-member cabinet, the mayor of Asmara and at least one senior military leader were Muslims.

The government said its official party doctrine promoted national citizenship over religious sectarianism and said it did not officially favor any religion. Programs in support of this doctrine included national service and compulsory attendance of all 12th graders at Warsay Yikealo Secondary School in Sawa (next to a defense training center), where students from across the country study and receive military training.

While state control of all media and public discourse limited the information available about societal policies that affect religious freedom, religious tolerance appeared to be widespread in society to international observers. Churches and mosques are close together, and most citizens congratulated members of other religious communities on religious holidays and other events. There were no reports of sectarian violence, and members of all major religious groups were represented in most cities and ethnic groups.

Some Christian leaders also reported that Muslim leaders and communities are willing to work together on community projects. Ecumenical and interfaith committees did not exist, although local leaders met informally. Some shrines were venerated by both Orthodox and Muslim believers. Some Muslims privately expressed their feelings of stress and testing in professional and educational contexts because of their religion.

Embassy officials met with government officials to raise concerns about religious freedom, including exploring ways to accommodate unregistered groups. They also campaigned for the release of Jehovah's Witnesses, including the remaining 24 who remain in prison, and for an alternative service option for draft evaders who refuse to bear arms for religious reasons, and expressed concern at the continued Imprisonment of Patriarch Abune Antonios. Officials in Washington shared similar concerns with Eritrean embassy officials. Embassy officials raised religious freedom issues with a variety of partners, including international delegations, Asmara-based and regional-based diplomats accredited to the government, UN officials and other representatives of international organizations. They used social media to emphasize the importance of religious tolerance and used public diplomacy programs to engage the public and highlight the United States' commitment to religious freedom and to refute government statements denying persecution, such as a Facebook Post the September 16 message highlighting the recent arrests of Christians, the government simultaneously claimed it supports a “culture of tolerance.”

Since 2004, Eritrea has been designated a CPC under Section 402(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act, 1998 for having participated in or tolerated particularly serious violations of religious freedom. On November 15, 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs redesignated Eritrea as a CPC and identified the following sanction accompanying the designation: the continued denial of licenses or other authorizations for the export or import of defense equipment and services, as set out in 22 CFR 126.1 (n ) pursuant to Section 402(c)(5) of the Act.

The US government estimates the total population at 110.9 million (mid-2021). According to 2016 US government estimates, 44 percent of the population belong to the EOTC, 31 percent are Sunni Muslims, and 23 percent belong to evangelical Christian and Pentecostal groups, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ethiopia's Kale Heywet Church and the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus. Most observers believe that evangelical Christians and Pentecostals have increased as a percentage of the population since the last national census in 2007. EOTC is predominant in the northern regions of Tigray and Amhara, while Islam is most prevalent in the regions of Afar, Oromia and Somalia. Established Protestant churches have most adherents in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's (SNNP) Region and the Gambella Region and parts of the Oromia Region.

Groups, which together make up less than 5 percent of the population, include Eastern Rite and Roman Catholics, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and practitioners of indigenous religions. The Rastafarian community numbers around 1,000 and its members live mainly in Addis Ababa and the city of Shashemene in the Oromia region.

Legal framework

The constitution requires the separation of state and religion, establishes freedom to choose and practice one's religion, prohibits religious discrimination, and stipulates that the government may not interfere in the practice of any religion, nor may religion interfere in state affairs. It allows statutory restrictions on religious freedom to protect public safety, education and morals, and to ensure government independence from religion. The law criminalizes religious slander and incitement of one religious group against another.

The law allows Sharia courts to hear civil status cases, provided both parties are Muslims and consent to the jurisdiction of the court.

The registration and licensing of religious groups falls under the mandate of the Department of Peace's Directorate of Faith and Religious Affairs, which requires unregistered religious groups to produce a charter of incorporation, the national identity cards of their founders, and the permanent residence of the religious institution and proposed regional offices. The registration process also requires a letter of application, board member information, meeting minutes, founder information, financial reports, offices, names and symbols. Applicants for religious groups must have at least 50 people for registration as a religious entity and 15 people for registration as a ministry or association; the rights and privileges are the same for each category. During the registration process, the government publishes the religious group's name and logo in a local newspaper. If there are no objections, the registration will be granted. In contrast to other religious communities, the EOTC is not registered by the Ministry of Peace, but receives registration through a still valid provision in the Civil Code of the Imperial Era. Registration with the ministry confers legal status on a religious group, giving the group the right to assemble and acquire land to build a place of worship and establish a cemetery. Unregistered groups do not receive these benefits. Religious groups must renew their registration at least every five years; Otherwise a fine may be imposed.

Registered religious organizations are required to submit annual activity and financial reports. Activity reports must describe missionary activities and list new members, newly ordained ministers, and new places of worship.

According to the constitution, the government owns all land; Religious groups must apply to both regional and local governments for allocation of land, including for building places of worship.

Government policy prohibits the holding of religious services in public places, in accordance with the constitutionally mandated separation of religion and state. The government requires public institutions to take a two-hour break from work on Fridays to allow Muslim workers to attend Islamic prayers. Private companies are not required to follow this policy.

The constitution prohibits religious instruction in public and private schools, although both public and private schools can organize clubs based on shared religious values. The law allows the establishment of a separate category of religious schools under the auspices of churches and mosques. The Charities and Societies Agency, a government agency accountable to the federal prosecutor, and the Department of Education regulate religious schools, which provide both secular and religious instruction. The Ministry of Education oversees the secular component of education provided by religious schools.

The law prohibits the formation of political parties based on religion.

The law allows all civil society organizations and religious groups to engage in advocacy and lobbying, and to raise and receive funds from any legal source.

Religious groups conducting development activities must register their development departments as charities with the Agency for Charities and Societies and follow the legal guidelines derived from the Charities and Societies Proclamation.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

The conflict that erupted in northern Ethiopia in November 2020 spread to other regions throughout the year, and religious figures were the victims of the violence. According to media reports, at least 78 priests were killed by soldiers of the national army and Eritrean troops in Tigray in the first five months of the year.The Telegraphreported the killings based on a church letter to the Synod of EOTC, which stated that "priests, deacons, choristers and monks" had been "massacred" over a period of five months.

According to media reports, in April co-patriarch Mathias, an ethnic Tigrayan, accused the government of genocide in Tigray. In a video taken on a cell phone and sent out of the country the previous month, the co-patriarch addressed the church's millions of followers and the international community and said his previous attempts to speak out had been blocked. "I don't see why they want to explain genocide to the people of Tigray," the co-patriarch said in Amharic. "They want to annihilate the people of Tigray," he added, listing alleged atrocities including massacres and forced starvation, as well as church destruction and looting.

On February 25, the Europe External Program with Africa reported that a monk was killed during the January bombing and looting of Debre Damo Monastery in Tigray. Eritrean troops, allied with the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, were reportedly responsible for the attack.The timesreported that other buildings had been completely destroyed, including the old dwellings of monks. Many reporters cited ethnic grievances as the basis of the attack and said there was no evidence the attack was religiously motivated.

On May 9th, after theAddis Standard, government security forces evicted thousands of Muslims from Meskel Square, where the Muslim community in Addis Ababa had organized a big iftar event during Ramadan. In response to videos and photos showing security forces firing tear gas at the crowd, Muslim activists and clerics took to social media to condemn the government's actions as religiously motivated. Some members of EOTC said Meskel Square was the traditional property of EOTC. However, city officials said the violent breakup was due to safety concerns stemming from the unexpectedly large number of participants and ongoing construction at Meskel Square. City officials then canceled the event and rescheduled it for May 11. According to the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), the postponed event was held peacefully. ENA also reported that the purpose of the event was to demonstrate that Ramadan is a time of compassion, sharing and mutual support in accordance with Islamic teachings and prayer for the country's unity. Despite the delay, the organizers thanked the city government for making the event possible. Addis Ababa Mayor Adanech Abiebie declared that the square belongs to all citizens - not just Christians - and urged Ethiopians to unite and celebrate religious differences.

In June, police accused a preacher from Mahibere Kidusan - an EOTC congregation - of supporting the TPLF, which parliament had described as a terrorist group. Police reportedly arrested Mahibere Kidusan members for taking photos of police officers during a demonstration outside the home of EOTC co-patriarch Mathias. Demonstrators marched to show solidarity with Mathias after he publicly condemned the ongoing war in Tigray and described the abuses against Tigrayers as genocide.

According to media reports, police raided a church in Addis Ababa in July, disrupting prayers and forcing a dozen Tigrayan priests and monks into a pickup truck; They were released a few weeks later.

In August, Health Minister Lia Tadesse thanked IRCE for hosting a high-level advocacy meeting to reduce stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. She tweeted, "Our Creator does not stigmatize or discriminate; let's not stigmatize and discriminate."

On January 5th, theBBCreported the government has agreed to repair the al-Nejashi Mosque, which was damaged during the conflict in Tigray in 2020. Local Muslims said the mosque is the oldest in Africa. The government said a nearby church is also being repaired.

During the year, the government funded religious schools, including 250 Catholic schools and 219 Islamic schools.

Human rights groups have said that societal violence is increasing, particularly related to the conflict in the north of the country. Because ethnicity and religion are often closely linked, and because crime, politics, access to resources, and historical grievances were also drivers of violence, it has been difficult to characterize many incidents as based solely on religious identity.

In October, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs of the Amhara Region said the TPLF had destroyed a historic mosque in the town of Zarema in North Gondar, in the Amhara Region. The council secretary-general said the attack demonstrated the TPLF's continued anti-religious stance. He said the TPLF had destroyed several other mosques and religious sites in the region and massacred religious students in madrasahs.

On March 5th, after theAddis Standard, members of OLA killed 29 people at Abo Church in Debos Kebele, Eastern Wollega, Oromia Region. Witnesses said the sacrifices marked the beginning of the EOTC's two-month Lent. According to reports, members of the OLA stormed into the church and immediately killed the church administrator. The OLA members took the rest of the victims to a nearby forest and killed them.

In May, EOTC said the government allowing Muslims to hold the Great Iftar Celebration in Meskel Square - which EOTC has traditionally claimed 'property' of - could jeopardize coexistence between the country's Christians and Muslims. EOTC advised Muslims to hold the event at their usual venue, Abebe Bikila Stadium. After the government disrupted the May 9th celebration and despite protests from the EOTC, the rescheduled May 11th celebration took place peacefully in Meskel Square.

The Ethiopian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (EIASC) expressed ongoing concern about the influence of foreign Salafist groups within the Muslim community. The EIASC accused foreign Salafist groups of forcibly taking control of local mosques. The EIASC said it continues to blame these foreign groups for fueling tensions between Christians and Muslims and within the Muslim community.

According to the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and the EIASC, the number of Islamic religious schools grew. Abdul Geni Kedir, a school principal, said the expansion of schools, which "contributed significantly to the spread of the faith," reflected the community's ever-growing influence on society. He said: “Islamic education has been boosted by the burgeoning Islamic media and related public activities. Now we have private newspapers, television stations, instructional videos, and the production of multilingual traditional and modern Islamic hymns is increasing.”

Observers described a small revival of the Waaqeffanna - an indigenous religion in Oromia - particularly on the university campus.

IRCE also included representatives from EOTC, EIASC, the Catholic Church and several evangelical Christian groups, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church and the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus.

In May and December, the Ambassador received EOTC co-atriarch Mathias to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Tigray and Mathias' public statement that genocide was taking place in Tigray. In a Facebook post after the May meeting, the embassy reported that the ambassador discussed the humanitarian situation in Tigray, as well as the co-patriarch's video message on the crisis, released a week earlier and widely reported in the local press. The ambassador invited the co-patriarch to attend future meetings of the interfaith community to "further explore and continue their conversations."

The US government made several grants to IRCE and other religious organizations to fund projects that promote religious tolerance. In September, the Embassy granted funds to the Ghion Peace, Reconciliation and Development Association for a program to promote religious tolerance. Under the program, 60 youth and faith-based organizations have been trained to conduct consultative peacebuilding and conflict reduction workshops in the Amhara and Qimant communities. The participants then held discussions with over 200 youth from the cities of Gondar and Chilga/Aykel on peace building and conflict resolution.

In October, the embassy provided funding to IRCE to design a two-day conflict prevention and mitigation program for religious leaders to be implemented in 2022. This program, which aims to promote peace-building and religious and ethnic tolerance, would bring IRCE members together across the country to address security issues, including the conflicts in Tigray, Amhara and Afar. The Embassy provided logistical and technical support to IRCE as it began organizing the meeting and identifying potential conflict reduction roles for regional and community-level religious leaders. The two-day program would provide a framework for a six-month engagement plan.

In August, the embassy provided funding to the Dire Dawa Interfaith Council to enable a program to promote interfaith peacebuilding and tolerance in Harar, Chiro and Dire Dawa by empowering leaders to work with youth and women in their constituencies to bring about the to promote interfaith peace.

The US government estimates the total population at 5.6 million (mid-2021). According to Finnish government statistics from December 2020, counting only registered members of registered congregations, 67.8 percent of the population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELC) and 1.1 percent to the Finnish Orthodox Church, while 0.3 percent (approx. 17,000) members have official membership in Islamic communities and 29.4 percent do not identify themselves as belonging to any religious community. The census brings together other minority religious communities, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jews, and members of the Free Church of Finland, which together make up 1.4 percent of the population.

Several sources indicate that the Muslim population has been growing rapidly in recent years due to a significant influx of immigrants. Muslim religious leaders estimate that the number of Muslims rose to 100,000 in 2018 (latest available data), of whom about 80 percent are Sunni and 20 percent Shia. In 2017, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the Pew Research Center estimated that 2.7 percent of the population, or about 150,000 individuals, were Muslim. According to a survey by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC), the Muslim population was around 65,000 in 2016. According to the Islamic Society of Finland, discrepancies may arise between these sources and between them and official government statistics, as only a minority of these Muslims register with registered Islamic societies. Except for Tatars who immigrated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and during the Soviet Union era, most Muslims are immigrants or descendants of immigrants who arrived in recent decades from Somalia, North Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and immigrated to Syria, Turkey and Iran. According to Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Finland leaders, there are 300 registered members of the Ahmadi community.

In a report released in 2020, the Institute of Jewish Policy Research estimated the Jewish population at 1,300. According to church officials, there are 18,000 members of Jehovah's Witnesses in the country. According to 2021 Catholic Diocese statistics, there are 15,902 registered Catholics in the country.

Legal framework

The constitution prohibits discrimination based on religion “without an acceptable reason”. It regulates freedom of religion and conscience, including the right to profess and practice a religion, to express one's beliefs and to belong to a religious community or to refuse membership. It states that no one is obliged to participate in the practice of any religion.

The law criminalizes blasphemy, or "violating the sanctity of religion," which includes "blaspheming against God," publicly slandering or profaning to violate something sacred to a religious community, and disrupting religious services or funeral ceremonies. Violators face fines or imprisonment of up to six months. The amount of a fine depends both on the seriousness of the offense and on the financial capacity of the convicted offender. Authorities have used the law on occasion, most recently in 2019.

The constitution cites the ELC, the only religious group it mentions, stating that "provisions for the organization and administration [of the ELC] are laid down in church law."

It is a crime of ethnic hate speech for any person to make publicly available or disseminate an expression of opinion or any other message that is specific to a particular group because of race, color, birth status, national or ethnic origin, religion, belief, sexual orientation, or disability. This includes the dissemination of hate material intended to incite discrimination in print or radio media, books or online newspapers and magazines. The penalty is a fine, depending on the seriousness of the defamation or insult, or imprisonment for up to two years. If the ethnic agitation involves inciting or inciting serious violence, a person can be charged with serious ethnic agitation and carries a prison sentence of between four months and four years. Hate speech is not a crime in its own right, but it can be grounds for increased punishment for other crimes. Basically, any act that is considered a crime in legislation can be a hate crime, depending on the underlying motive. The victim does not have to be part of a defined group for a crime to be considered a hate crime; it is sufficient that the perpetrator accepts the victim as a member of the group.

The law prohibits religious discrimination and establishes the position of a non-discrimination ombudsman, responsible for overseeing compliance with the law, investigating individual cases of discrimination and having the power to impose fines in non-criminal cases. Among other things, the Ombudsman advocates for victims, offers advice, promotes mediation and advocates legislation, among other duties and powers. The Ombudsman can also refer cases to the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal (NDET), which also enforces fines imposed by the Ombudsman and assists plaintiffs seeking compensation in court. Alternatively, persons who allege discrimination can take legal action with the NDET, which can issue binding decisions that can be appealed in court or through the county court system. The decisions of the NDET and the district courts can be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court by litigants. Neither the Ombudsman nor the NDET have the authority to investigate individual cases of religious discrimination related to employment. Such cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Individuals and groups can exist, associate and practice their religion without registering with the government. In order to be able to apply for state funds, however, religious communities must register as a religious community with the Patent and Register Office. In order to register as a religious group, a group must have at least 20 members, whose purpose is public worship, and have a set of rules governing their activities. A registered religious organization is a legal entity that can employ people, acquire property, and exercise legal rights. A religious community can also gain legal status by registering as an association with a charitable purpose that is not against the law or against good morals. Registered religious communities and non-profit associations are generally tax-exempt. According to the MEC, there were approximately 156 registered religious communities as of August, most of which had multiple congregations.

According to the MEC, several other religious communities are organized under the name Pentecostal Church of Finland, but have registered as associations rather than separate religious communities. Similarly, other organizations such as B. Revival congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, independent theological or functional operations, but have remained administratively under the Evangelical Lutheran Church and have not registered as independent religious communities. People can belong to more than one religious community.

In March, Parliament passed an amendment to the Church Act governing the practices of the ELC. The amended Church Law gives the ELC administration greater freedom to hold meetings in an online environment. It allows members attending meetings virtually to be considered present to achieve quorum.

All citizens belonging to either the ELK or the Finnish Orthodox Church pay a church tax, which is levied along with their income tax payments. The amount of the church tax is set collectively by the parishes and is currently 1 to 2 percent of a member's income. Those who do not want to pay the tax must cancel their membership in the ELC or Orthodox Church. Members can cancel their membership by contacting the official municipality or local registration office either electronically or in person. Local parishes have fiscal autonomy to decide how to use the funds they receive from taxes collected from their members.

Registered religious communities other than the ELC and the Finnish Orthodox Church can apply for government funding instead of church tax. In addition to the church tax, the ELC and the Finnish Orthodox Church can also apply for state funds. The law states that registered religious communities that meet the legal requirements, including ELC and Orthodox congregations, can apply for an annual subsidy from the state budget in proportion to the religious community's share of the population.

The law obliges the ELC to maintain public cemeteries with its general funds from state funds and church taxes and to give an account of the funds used for this purpose. Other religious communities and non-religious foundations can maintain their own cemeteries. All registered religious communities can own and manage property and hire staff, including the appointment of clergy. The law authorizes the ELC and the Finnish Orthodox Church to register births, marriages and deaths of their members in cooperation with the State Agency for Digital and Population Data Services. State registrars do this for other people.

Parents can determine their child's religious affiliation if the child is under the age of 12. The religious affiliation of children between the ages of 12 and 17 can only be changed by a joint decision of the child and their parent or legal guardian, and the family must initiate certain administrative procedures with their religious community and local registration offices in order to change or end the religious affiliation .

All public schools offer religious education in accordance with the students' religion. All students are required to take courses in either Religious Studies or Ethics, the choice being left to the student. Schools must provide religious instruction in religions other than the Lutheran confession if there are at least three students of this denomination in the municipality, the respective religious community is registered and the families of the students belong to the religious community. Municipalities can arrange for students from different schools to take a combined course to meet this requirement. Students who do not belong to any religious community or belong to a religious community for which there are no special classes can study ethics. Students over the age of 18 have the choice of taking either the religion courses corresponding to their religion or the ethics courses. If a student belongs to several religious communities, the parents decide which religious classes the student attends. National and local governments fund private schools, including religious schools. Despite the name, private schools are actually financially entirely dependent on government funds to ensure nationwide educational equity. With the exception of international and foreign language schools, private schools are not allowed by law to charge tuition fees. They do not practice selective admission based on students' religion.

Religious education focuses on getting to know one's own religion, other religions and general ethics education. Religious education teachers must have received state-required training in religious education. The state appoints them and they do not have to belong to any religious group. The National Board of Education provides a range of textbooks on Orthodox and Lutheran Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism and Islam, and a textbook on secular ethics.

Under the law, conscientious objectors, including those who object on religious grounds, may choose alternative community service instead of military service. Conscientious objectors who refuse to do both military and community service can be sentenced to prison terms of up to 173 days, half of the 347 days of community service. Regular military service lasts between 165 and 347 days.

The law requires animals to be stunned prior to slaughter or stunned and killed simultaneously when done in accordance with religious practice.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

YLE, the Finnish-English news site, conducted a poll showing that a majority of MPs did not want to change Finland's law on the sanctity of religion, which includes the possibility of a six-month prison sentence for blasphemy. However, the poll also showed that MEPs from the Greens, who are part of the governing coalition, and the opposition party Finns are united in favor of legislative changes, with their views based on the same issue: freedom of expression. The UN Human Rights Committee has called on Finland to amend the "vague and broad" penal provision on the sanctity of religion as it restricts freedom of expression.

Religious communities reported a consistently high level of autonomy in implementing COVID-19 protocols and said inspections by government officials were unobtrusive and generally helpful. According to the Ministry of Education and Culture, the restrictions on public events did not apply to the characteristic activities of religious communities organized in community buildings or similar facilities. According to legal analysts in an interview with the newspaperEvening News, the communicable diseases legislation, which is the legal basis for restricting public gatherings, does not apply to religious gatherings, as the latter are legally separate from public events as defined in the relevant legislation on public gatherings. Catholic Church officials said when more than 100 people may have been exposed to COVID-19 after attending a funeral service in Kouvola, prompting a public outcry, the church worked closely with government officials to develop improved internal protocols to continue Being able to offer regular church services is an additional public setback.

In August, the Helsinki District Court ruled that men who carried swastika flags at a 2018 Independence Day for Freedom rally were not guilty of ethnic hate speech. While the flags carried at the demonstration were associated with Nazi ideology of persecution of the Jews and genocide, carrying a swastika flag was not sufficient for a conviction for hate speech, the court said. The court found that the defendants had not been shown to have spread a message that threatened and insulted certain ethnic groups. Attorney General Raija Toiviainen said he intends to appeal the decision. Jewish community leaders spoke out against the verdict, saying that displaying a swastika flag constituted endorsing genocide. This is the result of a survey by the public broadcasterYle News, most political parties supported the criminalization of the public use of the swastika flag, either through legislative action or through a court of appeals decision. Of the major parties, only the Party of Finns, citing concerns about individual liberty, responded that swastika flags should not be banned.

On October 1st Director General of the Finnish National Gallery Kimmoexplained LevaThe COVID-19 pandemic continued to disrupt plans to prepare a formal state-of-the-art study on the provenance of Holocaust-era art in museum collections, as recommended by the MEC in June 2019. At the same time, the Finnish Heritage Agency organized a round table for Finnish museums on art provenance (the proof of ownership of a work of art) in relation to Nazi art and colonialism. Articles published in 2020 and 2021 toMuseoPro, a publication by the Finnish Museums Association, showed a growing consensus on the complications of art provenance.Leva suggested that the Finnish Museums Association conduct research along the lines of theFinnish National Gallery, which had published online a list of all its artworks without sufficient provenance from the period 1933-1945.

Ylenewsin May reported that the Home Office was continuing its previously postponed study into whether religious symbols, including headscarves, could be worn as part of police uniforms. The newspaper in JanuarySanomatzeitung Helsinkishared the story of Fardowsa Mohamud, a Muslim woman who retired from voluntary military service due to a similar hijab ban in the Defense Forces.

In November, the Department of Forestry and Agriculture solicited public comment on proposed changes to animal welfare laws. The proposals included a section on stunning animals before slaughter and specifically did not include religious exemptions for ritual slaughter. These legal changes, which would affect kosher and halal practices in the country, met with vocal opposition from Muslim and Jewish organizations. The Central Council of Jewish Communities in Finland said in a public statement that the law tramples on religious rights and contradicts rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights. Religious groups also stated that the proposal did not include measures to correct other problematic animal rights issues, including tightening animal stunning procedures, resulting in a culturally subjective law that restricted only the cultural traditions of religious minorities.

Department of Social Affairs and Health guidelines discouraged male circumcision and continued to withhold public health funds from such procedures. In its guidelines, which were recommendations rather than requirements per previous Supreme Court rulings, the ministry stated that only licensed physicians should perform non-medical circumcision on boys, a child's guardian should be informed of the risks and irreversibility of the procedure, and it should not be performed on boys old enough to understand the procedure without their consent. The ministry described non-medical male circumcision as a violation of children's physical integrity and self-determination. Members of the Muslim and Jewish community continued to voice their opposition to the guidelines, stating that whenever the issue arose for public debate, it was accompanied by anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim rhetoric in the press and beyond.

Parliament took no action on a proposal by 16 MPs in 2020 that "the government ... recognizes the need to regulate non-medical circumcision of boys and takes the necessary legislative action to clarify the legal position and the legal limits of non-circumcision." -to define medical circumcision." In the parliamentary legal committee's discussion of the October proposal, however, pro-ban MPs were able to get a mention in the committee report that the matter should be considered in the future.

According to Jehovah's Witnesses officials, the number of Russian-born Jehovah's Witnesses seeking asylum on alleged religious persecution continued to decrease for the second year in a row, partly due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions. The Finnish Immigration Service (FIS) rejected most applications from Jehovah's Witnesses members and went on to say that asylum judges did not consider church membership alone to be a sufficient basis for an asylum application. Information from representatives of Finnish Jehovah's Witnesses and FIS showed that 15 cases were pending before the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) in the first half of 2021. At least 47 people who received a negative decision from the SAC renewed their asylum applications with the FIS based on changing circumstances and were awaiting new decisions at the end of the year.

In its Concluding Observations on Finland's Seventh Regular Report, submitted in April, the United Nations Human Rights Committee expressed its concern that "the Law Repealing the Law on Exemption from Military Service for Jehovah's Witnesses in Certain Cases (330/2019) provides for exemption from military service - and community service accorded to Jehovah's Witnesses, contrary to the Committee's previous recommendations to extend such an exemption to other groups of conscientious objectors.” The Human Rights Committee and the Finnish branch of Amnesty International both noted that alternative non-military service was the longest length of military service and placed a burden on those who exercised their right to conscientious objection, including those who did so on religious grounds.

According to representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses, during the year two asylum-seeking families who identified themselves as members of Jehovah's Witnesses faced deportation to Russia because the families had exhausted all domestic legal remedies to seek asylum. The families applied to the United Nations Human Rights Committee for interim measures; both received positive interim orders halting their deportation. While their applications were pending under the domestic immigration system, legal employment was no longer possible. As a result, families became dependent on limited government benefits.

According to representatives of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Finland, the FIS continued to reject most asylum applications for Ahmadi Muslims from Pakistan. The officials said the FIS only considers "prominent individuals" in the Ahmadi community to be at risk, while other Ahmadis should be able to move to safer areas of Pakistan rather than seeking asylum. The officials said that when appealing deportation orders, the authorities wanted evidence that the people in question were at risk, rather than considering the systematic persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan. Ahmadi community leaders said they were never consulted on how to confirm or verify membership or persecution status when seeking asylum. They said asylum applications had declined in the last two years because persecuted people were unwilling to start the asylum process because they knew it would ultimately be unsuccessful. Representatives said the group has met with several government officials but has not yet been able to arrange a meeting with the Home Office to discuss the challenges facing the community. In the past, the Home Office had formally refused a meeting with the community and referred representatives to the Foreign Office.

According to a senior military officer, the military continued to have a zero-tolerance policy towards hate speech and hate crimes, including religiously motivated incidents. Unit commanders launched investigations into reported incidents. If a commander judged the violation to be minor, he or she imposed a formal reprimand or other punishment. For more serious offenses, the commander reported the investigation down the chain of command, and the military authorities could refer the case to civilian courts. The officer also explained that according to regulations, the military accommodated religious dietary needs and fasting requirements, and granted religious leave and prayer time to all employees. The official said those procedures were maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic and that recruits continued to have access to military chaplains while pandemic protocols were in place.

Yle Newsreported in July and September that the Helsinki Police Department fired two officers, including the chief of staff, for communicating with far-right hate groups that contained anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic messages. Text messages revealed discussions of an impending "civil war," with the language specifically targeting the country's Muslim, Somali and Roma populations. The report indicates that another five police officers and a security guard with links to far-right groups are under investigation.

Religious community leaders have repeatedly stated that hate crime statistics are likely to significantly undercount hate crimes. A member of the National Forum for Interreligious Cooperation (CORE Forum), an interfaith dialogue group, explained that many members of Muslim communities, particularly women wearing hijabs, have been subjected to verbal and physical harassment, which has not been reported because of previous reports was not received. A Muslim woman said she no longer used public transport and a Jewish woman said she was considering leaving the country due to mounting harassment, but neither had reported incidents to the police. In October, the hashtag #miksienluotapoliisiin (“Why I don't trust the police”), which was trending on Twitter, contained comments from citizens about religious harassment and neo-Nazi, racist and anti-Muslim rhetoric that they said were ignored by the police. Helsinki police officials responded that they were taking the discussion seriously.

On January 5thYle Newsreported that Jyrki Aland, leader of the Turku branch of the Finns Party, said he would like more deaths from COVID-19 in Varissuo district of Turku, given the area's ethnic composition. Sources quoted Aland as saying that reports of COVID-19 deaths in Sweden in 2020 would be good for Varissuo because "it's a neighborhood where migrants live and maybe a little bit of Corona cleaning work there would do a lot of good." . Aland later explained that the comments were made as a joke and apologized. AfterYle NewsOn January 11, the police investigated the statements. More than 48 percent of the population and more than 80 percent of school-age children in Varissuo report speaking neither Finnish nor Swedish as their first language, and the suburb is home to a significant Muslim and Catholic immigrant population. Aland resigned as local chapter chairman on 20 September.

Yle Newsalso reported in January that the Attorney General's Office announced it would not prosecute SDP MP Hussein al-Taee for Facebook posts from 2011-2012 before he was elected to parliament. At a press conference in September 2019, al-Taee apologized to Jewish and Sunni Muslim communities for the posts aimed at those communities and did not dispute police findings that his posts encouraged ethnic hate speech. The Attorney General's office stated in its decision that al-Taee actively and independently tried to apologize and minimize the harm caused by his past actions, without any interference from the authorities. On his website, al-Taee apologized to the Jewish, Egyptian and Sunni Muslim communities for the posts, stating that his previous writings were inconsistent with his current worldview.

On April 30th, theHelsinki Timesreported that Christian Democrat MP Paivi Rasanen, a former interior minister, had been charged with ethnic hate speech and incitement to hatred based on sex in connection with a pamphlet she published in 2004 and a 2019 tweet. According to the article, the prosecutor investigated statements in Rasanen's pamphlet titled "Male and female he created them - homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity" and a tweet responding to news that the ELC had partnered with Helsinki Pride Festival, which stated, "How can the doctrinal basis of the church, the Bible, be compatible with raising shame and sin as a theme of pride?" The prosecutor found that these statements denigrated gays and lesbians, violated their equality and foment intolerance and hatred. Incitement to hatred based on sexuality was banned in 1995. Rasanen defended her statements, stating that her religious beliefs reflect her freedom of expression and religion. dr Juhana Pohjola, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, faced a similar charge in connection with the distribution of the 2004 pamphlet.

Yle Newsreported in May that authorities had sentenced former leader of Finland's People First Party, Marco de Wit, to six months' probation on three counts of serious defamation and 13 counts of defamation, one of which concerned "violation of the religious peace". De Wit had published several articles on the Internet in which Muslims, Afghans, refugees and asylum seekers were threatened and insulted because of their religion, skin color and ethnic origin. More than 20 plaintiffs joined the defamation case against de Wit, who had posted social media articles linking Finnish Muslims and police officers to the sexual exploitation of children. In addition, the court ordered de Wit to delete his social media posts and pay more than 40,000 euros in compensation to the victims.

On October 7thSanomatzeitung Helsinkireported that the Oulu District Court had convicted former Oulu City Councilor Junes Lokka of ethnic hate speech and fined him 420 euros ($480) for 70 days. The severity of a fine is measured by the number of daily penalties, while the monetary value of the daily penalty is determined by the level of income. The court had previously convicted Lokka of two counts of ethnic hate speech in relation to videos Lokka posted online in 2016 depicting Muslim immigrants and other immigrants as inferior to other people. Prosecutors brought the new charges following comments Lokka made at an Oulu City Council meeting in February 2020, in which he threatened Muslim immigrants and refugees and encouraged the hiring of "death squads" to stop the migration of minorities from the Oulu municipality to promote .

In October, a court convicted Finns Party MP Sebastian Tynkkynen of ethnic hate speech in connection with 2017 Facebook posts that were part of a local election campaign. In the posts, Tynkkynen published several images and texts that referred to "the criminal behavior of Muslim asylum seekers and immigrants towards women and children." Tynkkynen denied all allegations, saying his posts were moderate and in line with freedom of expression. The court fined Tynkkynen a total of 4,410 euros ($5,000) for 70 days and ordered Tynkkynen to delete the posts from his Facebook account.

Statistics from the Home Office and the MEC show that the government has allocated €117 million (US$132.65 million) to the ELC, compared to €115.6 million (US$131.07 million) in 2020, and 2.6 million euros ($2.95 million) for the Finnish Orthodox Church, compared to 2.58 million euros ($2.93 million) in 2019. The MEC outranked all other registered religious organizations overall 824,000 euros ($934,000) allocated, equal to the amount allocated in 2020 for the number of registered members and 300,000 euros ($340,000) to the Helsinki Jewish Community to support its investments in the security of facilities and events following anti-Semitic incidents to continue. Religious leaders from minority religions have expressed concern about the allocation of funds. Several Muslim community leaders noted that a lack of cultural understanding related to individual registration affected Muslim community funding, while the Catholic Church championed the ability of its members to raise funds for the Church through their taxes as ELC and Finnish Orthodox to be determined church members can do that.

The MEC awarded 80,000 euros ($90,700) to promote interreligious dialogue in line with 2020 funding. Three organizations shared the funding: the CORE Forum, composed of representatives from the major religious denominations; Focus, an interfaith and intercultural organization; andAd Astra, an organization promoting dialogue, interfaith projects and inclusion for children in schools, preschools and daycares.

The country is a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

In 2020, the most recent period for which data was available, police reported 108 hate crimes against members of religious groups, including offenses related to assault, threats and harassment, discrimination and vandalism, compared to 133 such incidents in 2019. There were 39 incidents with Muslims, 28 with Christians including two with Jehovah's Witnesses, 18 with Jews and 21 with other or unknown religious groups. However, police did not provide details of the incidents or release information about how many were purely religious. Because religion and ethnicity are often closely linked, it has been difficult to categorize many incidents solely on the basis of religious identity.

Despite the ban of the self-proclaimed pan-Nordic neo-Nazi NRM in the country, the group continued to operate a website, make statements promoting discrimination or violence against Jews and Muslims, and take part in demonstrations. Authorities said Finnish members of the NRM began operations in 2020 as part of the Towards Freedom group, which the National Bureau of Investigation considers the NRM's successor. While the Towards Freedom website has remained active, it has not been updated since December 2020. Former NRM members continued their activities under new sites includingPartisan, a far-right news gathering website that promotes anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and Finn Aid (Suomalaisapu), an organization that bills itself as a charity but also uses anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric. These outlets often featured the traditional NRM logo containing neo-fascist imagery.

Finnish researchers studying online extremism indicated that neo-Nazi activity decreased significantly over the year after the NRM was banned.Sanomatzeitung Helsinkihowever, reported in March that the terrorist threat from far-right groups, particularly in response to the racist and anti-Muslim "replacement theory" (which claims that immigration and low birth rates among the native population are driving the replacement of native populations with foreigners of various races and religions), increased in the country, consistent with findings from a 2020 study by the National Bureau of Investigation.

In August, Terhi Kiemunki, a former Tampere City Council member and organizer of the far-right party, led a protest organized by the Alliance of Nationalists to commemorate the fourth anniversary of a terrorist attack by a self-proclaimed ISIS soldier in Turku, Finland. While the Alliance of Nationalists has stated that it takes no position on the activities or opinions of its members, or discriminates against other nationalities, religions and ethnicities, the Alliance regularly hosted "White Lives Matter" events and sponsored news articles detailing the "surrogate theory." was “Ideology” on its website. The leaders of the Nationalist Alliance include former NRM members. Police estimated attendance at the protest was more than 100, fewer than at the previous two memorial demonstrations. Police estimated participation in a simultaneous counter-demonstration by the anti-fascist group Turku without Nazis to be greater than the event sponsored by the Alliance of Nationalists. Police arrested one person for harassing behavior but did not say whether the detainee had taken part in the protest or counter-protest.

Stickers and posters with anti-Semitic images and messages were placed at the synagogue of Helsinki's Jewish community, in neighborhoods with significant Jewish populations, and on public property throughout the year. Sources stated that the vandalism was both accidental and targeted. Anti-Semitic graffiti and stickers featuring NRM iconography also appeared at LGBTQI+ Pride events. Representatives of the Jewish community reported that the police made no arrests despite available video and photo evidence of those responsible.

In September, anti-immigration activists organized a demonstration called Rise Finland (Nuose Suomi) in Helsinki's Parliament Park to protest the country's acceptance of Afghan refugees. Speakers included former members of NRM and organizers promoted the event on the Norwegian branch of the NRM website and beyondPartisan. Speeches, streamed live on YouTube, focused on what organizers called "the Islamization of Finland" and called on Finns to stand up for "being Finnish".

In a Swedish documentary series released in Finland in January, Linda Karlstrom, the coach at IK Kronan gymnastics club in Kronoby, made several remarks questioning the existence of the Holocaust. The Swedish-speaking sports federation raised Karlstrom's case, but the gymnastics federation's disciplinary committee is not punishing her on the grounds of freedom of expression. The Disciplinary Committee found that matters outside of sport are generally not within its remit. Karlstrom has not trained at IK Kronan since March.

Anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic organizations have been active on various social media platforms. “Replacement Theory” references spread to Facebook, Twitter, Russian social media network VK, and American social media network Gab. The European Jewish Congress and leaders of the Helsinki Jewish community reported anti-Semitic incidents on European social networks throughout the year, including posts in Finnish. Telegram, VK, Gab and Twitter spread Holocaust denial and conspiracy theories about Jewish “world domination”. AfterSanomatzeitung Helsinki, the Football Association of Finland announced in May that it would donate Nike sports hijabs to any football player who wanted one. The announcement was met with a backlash on Twitter, where a significant portion of the comments expressed opposition to the hijab.

NGOs working with migrants, including the Finnish Refugee Advice Center, continued to raise concerns about the ability of religious minorities hosted in migrant reception centers to worship without harassment from other migrants hosted in the same center. A representative for the center said converts to Christianity in migrant reception centers continue to face harassment, including social exclusion, threats and blackmail, but that there are limited security and social services to combat these problems.

Leaders of Muslim religious organizations have been divided over the need for additional places of worship to accommodate the growing and diverse Muslim community. A representative of the CORE forum said that Muslim groups continued to look for suitable places of worship, but that insufficient funds prevented them from buying property because most Muslims did not belong to government-registered communities and had not chosen to register to permit. Apart from a handful of purpose-built mosques, most mosques were located in converted commercial premises. Other members of the Muslim community noted that the spaces available were sufficient overall, however, individuals of religious or ethnic background may not feel comfortable using the spaces currently available. According to a community leader, while there were enough prayer rooms, there were not enough rooms for community services, especially for women and children, or prayer services in Finnish. Members of the LGBTQI+ Muslim community pointed out that there are no “safe places” for Muslims who identify as LGBTQI+, and LGBTQI+ Muslims in particular, in reception centers for asylum seekers. Attempts to build a large grand mosque in the south of the country stalled; Some Muslim community leaders identified the politicization of zoning laws, anti-Muslim and racist attitudes in some local communities, and deep divisions in the diverse Muslim community as contributing factors.

Representatives of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Finland explained that other Muslim groups continued to block the group's formal membership in interfaith organizations.Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Finland officials said the group is planning to build a mosque and cultural center in the future and that while the mosque will be built solely with funds from the Ahmadi community, it will be open to all religious and non-religious individuals.

The Office of the Ombudsman for Non-Discrimination said it received 34 complaints of religious discrimination in 2020 - 3 per cent of all discrimination complaints - compared to 37 complaints in 2019.

The websiteMagnetic Mediacontinued to post anti-Semitic content, publishing an article in January titled “Biden: Jews in leadership positions at the White House, CIA, NSA and Treasury Department” and in April an article titled “Jewish Mafia World Power Aspirations. The website also warned of an impending confrontation between the Christian, Islamic and Jewish worlds that could lead to the destruction of Christianity. Major corporations and consumer brands continued to boycott the former owner's department store chainMagnetic Media, Juha Karkkainen, for his anti-Semitic views.

In June, the Interior Ministry released a report by a working group dedicated to improving security at religious sites. The report found that while nearly all (93 percent) Christian respondents said they felt safe in or near their religious facilities, only 69 percent of Muslims and 33 percent of Jews said they felt near designated religious sites to feel safe. The report's recommendations included improving government support for the security of all religious communities. According to the leadership of the Central Council of Jewish Communities, the proposed budget cuts for the synagogue's security funding were a significant problem. Representatives of the Ahmadi Muslim community said they were not consulted in preparing the report and raised additional security concerns, particularly around what they described as extremist groups.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, representatives of religious groups attended virtual events hosted by other religious groups. Finn Church Aid (FCA), which is affiliated with the ELC, again hosted an interfaith iftar, practically bringing together representatives from the main religious groups, the State Department and local governments. The theme of the event was “Loving Thy Neighbor in the Time of a Pandemic: An Inclusive Approach” and discussed how interfaith dialogue and community organization can support religious freedom in difficult times and restrictions, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. could advance.

Throughout the year, embassy staff spoke with officials from the Justice, Home Affairs, and State Departments about religious intolerance, promoting interfaith dialogue, providing religious services to refugees and asylum seekers, and treating Jehovah's Witnesses in asylum judgments.

Embassy staff worked with Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy, lay activists from these communities, the Finnish Ecumenical Council, Jehovah's Witnesses and other minority religious groups to discuss the state of religious freedom in the country. Embassy staff and members of the Jewish and Muslim communities discussed the common concerns of these communities about the impact of government policies discouraging male circumcision, religiously motivated crimes, and problems in establishing or maintaining places of worship that meet the diverse needs of the diverse Muslim population. Embassy staff also discussed anti-Muslim discrimination with representatives of various Muslim communities and met regularly with NGOs such as the CORE Forum. Embassy officials continued to engage with representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses about the high rate of rejected applications from Jehovah's Witnesses from Russia seeking asylum because of religious persecution. Embassy staff corresponded with representatives of the Muslim Ahmadi community, who expressed concern about the high rate of refusals of asylum applications for Ahmadis from Pakistan and the security situation of the Ahmadi community in Finland. Embassy staff also worked with the predominantly Muslim Uyghur community.

The embassy coordinated anti-Semitism approaches with colleagues in British and Canadian diplomatic missions. Embassy officials used social media messaging to raise the voices of religious minorities and promote greater awareness of the Holocaust.

Embassy staff participated in events hosted by minority religious groups and the CORE Forum. Embassy staff attended an online seminar in September that promoted interfaith dialogue to combat persecution of religious minorities. In October, Embassy staff participated in celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the CORE Forum, which included a series of religious education seminars and direct engagement with government officials and heads of religious institutions on issues of religious expression, cooperation and freedom.

The US government estimates the total population at 68.1 million (mid-2021). According to a January 2020 report released by the government-appointed Observatory on Secularism, based on a poll conducted in partnership with polling firm Viavoice, about 47 percent of respondents identify as Catholic, 3 percent as Muslim, 3 percent as Protestant, 2 percent as Buddhist, 1 percent Jewish, 1 percent Christian Orthodox and 1 percent other religious groups; 34 percent said they were not affiliated with any religion and 8 percent chose not to answer. According to the 2019 Observatory report, there are 140,000-150,000 Jehovah's Witnesses and 150,000-300,000 Hindus. In a poll of secularism released in February and conducted with Viavoice, 35 percent of respondents say they are believers, 30 percent non-believers or atheists, 14 percent agnostic and 13 percent indifferent. Most observers, including the Observatory in its 2019 report, put the number of Muslims in the country at three to five million, or between four and seven percent of the population. According to Church of Scientology leaders, there are approximately 40,000 followers in the country.

A poll by France's Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) conducted August 24-25 found that 51 percent of respondents said they didn't believe in God, and 49 percent said they did. According to the IFOP survey, the highest proportion of believers (58 percent) was found among those over 65 and the lowest (45 percent) among those aged 35 to 49. Other age groups were almost evenly distributed, with a slight majority of infidels.

Legal framework

The constitution defines the country as a secular republic and states that it "shall ensure the equality before the law of all citizens," regardless of religion, and respect all beliefs. The law provides for the separation of religion and state and guarantees the free exercise of religion except to maintain public order.

The law, as well as international and European agreements to which the country subscribes, protect individuals' freedom to choose, change and practice their religion. Interference with religious freedom carries criminal penalties, including a 1,500 euro (US$1,700) fine and a month's imprisonment. Individuals who are accused in a trial can challenge the constitutionality of any law they say restricts their freedom of religion.

Laws increase the penalties for acts of violence or defamation when committed because the victim belongs or does not belong to a particular religious group, whether or not he believes so. Additional penalties for sectarian violence over and above the basic offense include three to five years in prison and fines ranging from 45,000 to 75,000 euros ($51,000 to $85,000), depending on the severity of the victims' injuries. For religiously motivated public defamation, defined as a statement of fact that damages the honor of a person or body, the penalties are one year in prison and/or a fine of 45,000 euros ($51,000). The government can expel non-citizens if they incite discrimination, hatred or violence against a specific person or group of people because of their religion.

The law criminalizes hate crimes and hate speech. Provisions in the Criminal Code cover hate crimes. They criminalize racist, anti-Semitic or xenophobic acts and regard them as aggravating circumstances when a crime is committed on the basis of a victim's actual or perceived belonging or non-belonging to a particular ethnic group, nation, race or religion. In public places, such as online, hate speech falls under a special press law that criminalizes the publication or dissemination of racist speech, including that directed against people because of their membership in religious groups. The law covers all means of public expression (speeches, exclamations, threats, writings, printed matter, drawings, engravings, paintings, symbols, images, etc.) and all media that allow wide dissemination to the public. Hate speech that is not made public falls under the criminal code and is punishable by a fine of 1,500 euros ($1,700).

There is no law at the national level outlawing blasphemy, but Alsace-Moselle still preserves part of an old German law, a holdover from the earlier German annexation of the area, which made “blasphemy” against Catholics a crime. However, a Justice Department decree states that the anti-blasphemy rule may not be used anywhere in the country.

Although not required by law, religious communities can apply for official recognition and tax exemption. Religious groups can register in two categories: worship communities, which are exempt from taxes; and cultural associations, which are not normally exempt. Associations in both categories are subject to tax supervision by the state. A worship association may only organize religious activities. Although not tax-exempt, a cultural association can engage in both for-profit and non-profit activities and receive government subsidies for its cultural and educational activities. Religious groups usually register under both categories. For example, Catholics engage in religious activities through their worship associations and run schools through their cultural associations.

Religious groups must apply to the local prefecture (the administrative body headed by a prefect and representing the central government in each department) for religious association recognition and tax-exempt status. To qualify as a worship community, the sole purpose of the group must be the practice of religion, which may include liturgical services and practices, religious education, and the construction of buildings for the religious group. The association must also participate in public religious services and respect public order. Activities that are purely cultural, social or humanitarian in nature are excluded. To apply for tax-exempt status, the association must submit to the prefecture its estimated budget for the year, annual financial statements for the past three years, or since the association's incorporation, whichever is shorter, a written justification of eligibility for status submit and the number of association members. In Paris, the association must have at least 25 members. Once granted, the association can use the tax exemption nationwide. The government does not tax religious organizations on donations they receive. However, if the prefecture determines that an association is inconsistent with its tax-exempt status, the government can change that status and require the association to pay taxes at a rate of 60 percent on past and future donations until they regain tax-exempt status. The Ministry of the Interior has not provided any up-to-date information on the number of clubs with tax-exempt status. According to ministry data more than a decade old, there are 109 Protestant, 100 Catholic, 50 Jehovah's Witnesses, 30 Muslim and 15 Jewish associations with tax-exempt status.

Cultural associations, many of which are not affiliated with religious groups, number in the thousands and change frequently. Cultural associations can be registered through an online form on the Government Public Administration website. Cultural associations, even if affiliated with religious groups, can operate without applying for government recognition, but if they obtain government recognition, they are exempt from taxes. The Church of Scientology has the status of a secular rather than a religious association.

The law states: “Inmates have the right to freedom of expression, conscience and religion. They may practice the religion of their choice... with no limits other than those imposed by the security needs and good order of the institution.”

Counter-terrorism legislation grants the prefects in each department the power to close a place of worship for a maximum of six months if they determine that comments, writings or activities in the place of worship “provoke violence, hatred or discrimination or the commission of acts of terrorism or praise it.” such acts of terrorism.” The management of the church has 48 hours to appeal the decision to close in an administrative court. A closed place of worship may remain closed beyond the maximum of six months if it does not replace its chaplain and/or leadership. Failure to comply with a closure decision carries a six-month prison sentence and a €7,500 ($8,500) fine. A Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence Services Act passed by Parliament on July 22 makes some provisions of a 2017 Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism Act, which was due to expire on July 31, permanent terrorism, and not just the places of worship themselves, as the case was.

The law prohibits covering the face, including for religious reasons, in public places, including public transportation, government buildings, and other public spaces such as restaurants and movie theaters. If police encounter a person in public places wearing a face covering such as a niqab or burqa, they are legally required to ask the person to remove it to verify the person's identity. By law, police officers are not allowed to remove it themselves. If a person refuses to remove the garment, police may take the person to the local police station to verify their identity. The police may not question or detain a person for more than four hours. Refusing a police order to remove a piece of clothing that covers your face carries a maximum fine of 150 euros ($170) or attending a citizenship course. Persons who force another person to cover their face because of their gender, through threat, violence, coercion, or abuse of power or authority, are fined up to 30,000 euros (US$34,000) and may be sentenced to up to be sentenced to one year in prison. The fine and penalty are doubled if the coerced person is a minor. The law exempts the use of government-mandated face coverings, such as B. Masks worn for COVID-19 prevention.

The law prohibits government officials, public services and companies or associations that provide public services from displaying their religion through visible signs of religious affiliation such as an Islamic headscarf, a Jewish yarmulke, a Sikh turban or a Christian cross. The prohibition also applies during working hours if the vicarious agents are not at their place of work and at any time at the place of work.

By law, the state may not directly fund religious groups for the construction of new places of worship, except as noted below in Alsace-Lorraine and overseas departments and territories. However, the government can provide loan guarantees to groups or lease properties on favorable terms. The law also exempts places of worship from property taxes. The state owns and is responsible for the maintenance of most pre-1905, mostly Catholic, places of worship. The government can fund religious-related cultural associations.

The Preservation of Republican Values ​​Act — passed by Parliament on July 23, declared constitutional by the Constitutional Court on August 13, and signed into law by President Macron on August 24 — includes measures that improve neutrality in expression and dress requirements for public servants and private public contractors are expanding services, methods to combat online hate speech, stricter restrictions on home schooling, increased control of public associations, transparency of religious associations, and increased measures against polygamy, forced marriages and "virginity certification". The law mandates audits of associations, including those of a religious nature, that receive foreign funds in excess of €153,000 ($173,500) a year. The law imposes additional reporting requirements on local religious organizations. It amends a religious police law so that incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence is punishable by up to five years in prison. The law also increases the penalty for holding political meetings in places of worship and prohibits organizing campaigning for political elections in places of worship. In addition, a judge can ban anyone convicted of provoking terrorism, discrimination, hatred or violence from entering a place of worship. The government can temporarily close places of worship if it finds activity that incites hatred or violence. The new law extended the requirements of neutrality, impartiality, and principles of secularism that previously applied only to government employees to private contractors for public services. The law also establishes a "secularism commemoration day" recognized annually on December 9th. In addition, it obliges municipalities and departments to notify local prefects three months before entering into a long-term lease or granting loans to places of worship.

The Upholding Republican Values ​​Act includes provisions to combat hate speech, including criminalizing the dissemination of personal information that could endanger the lives of others. Violators are punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($85,000) if the victim is a public official, a journalist or a minor. An expedited procedure allows the authorities to remove content on mirror sites.

The Law of Separation of Religion and State does not apply in three classes of territories. Since Alsace-Lorraine (which currently includes the departments of Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin and la Moselle and is known as Alsace-Moselle) was part of Germany when the law was enacted, Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists and Jews can vote there a part assign their income tax to their religious community. Pastors, priests and rabbis of these four recognized faiths in Alsace-Moselle receive a salary from the Interior Ministry, and the country's President, with the approval of the Holy See, appoints the Catholic Bishops of Metz and Strasbourg. The prime minister appoints the chief rabbi and the presidents of the Jewish and Protestant consistories (the administrative governing bodies of these groups) in Alsace-Moselle, and the interior minister appoints the clergy of three Christian churches (the Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed). Alsace and Lorraine) in the region. Local governments in the region can also provide financial support for the construction of religious buildings. The overseas department of French Guiana, governed by 19th-century colonial laws, can grant subsidies to the Catholic Church. Other overseas departments and overseas territories, which include island territories in the Caribbean and Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans and several sub-Antarctic islands, may also provide funding to religious groups. This provision also applies to that part of Antarctica that the government claims as an overseas territory.

Public schools are secular. The law bans public school employees from wearing visible signs of religious affiliation and students from wearing "conspicuous religious symbols" including the Islamic headscarf, Jewish kippah, Sikh turban and large Christian crosses. Except in Alsace-Moselle and the overseas departments and territories, public schools do not offer religious education. In Alsace-Moselle, religious education relating to one of the four recognized faiths (Catholicism, Lutheranism, the Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine, and Judaism) is compulsory in public primary and secondary schools, although students do so at the written request of their parents can , opt for a mundane equivalent. Religious instruction is given by lay people who are trained and nominated by the respective religious communities but are paid for by the state. In other parts of the country, public schools teach information about religious groups as part of the history curriculum. Parents who want their children to wear conspicuous religious symbols or receive religious instruction can homeschool their children or send them to a private school. Homeschooling and private schools must conform to educational standards set for public schools; However, private schools may permit the wearing of religious symbols on their premises. Under the Republican Values ​​Act, as of September 2022, homeschooling will be permitted only for well-defined reasons, including illness, disability, intense athletic or artistic training, temporary families, or those with geographic restrictions. Parents wishing to remove their children from school must obtain an annual permit from the local school board.

By law, the government subsidizes private schools, including those affiliated with religious organizations. In 98 percent of private schools, the state pays teachers' salaries by law, provided the school accepts all children regardless of their religious affiliation. The law does not regulate the issue of religious education in government-subsidized private schools. According to the Education Code, religious education is permitted in state-subsidized private schools, but it is optional. Students are not required to attend religious education classes and other activities are available for students who opt out.

Missionaries from non-visa waiver countries must apply for a three-month tourist visa before traveling to the country. All missionaries from non-exempt countries who plan to stay longer than 90 days must apply for long-stay visas before entering the country. Upon arrival, missionaries must present a letter from their sponsoring religious group to apply for a temporary residency card from the local prefecture.

The country adheres to the 2009 Terezín Non-binding Declaration – an agreement to remedy the economic injustice suffered by Jews and other victims of Nazi persecution – and its 2010 policies and best practices. The government has laws and mechanisms for restitution and reparation of property, including for all three types of real estate: private, communal and inheritable.

The Government Commission for Compensation for Victims of Expropriation (CIVS or the "Drai Commission") is a sovereign and independent administrative body reporting to the Prime Minister. CIVS recommends and reviews compensation for individual victims of the Holocaust, or their heirs, who have not previously been compensated for damages resulting from anti-Semitic laws enacted by either the Vichy government or the German occupation authorities. On June 17, the CIVS announced that Prime Minister Jean Castex had ordered the return of 12 works of art acquired by the French state in 1942 to the descendants of Jewish lawyer Armand Dorville, on the recommendation of a bill to effectively implement this decision.

The law criminalizes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, treating it as "a provocation to discrimination or hatred or violence against any person or group of people because of their origin or affiliation with any ethnic group, nation, a... race or a particular religion.”

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

On April 14, the Court of Cassation upheld the Paris Court of Appeal's decision that Kobili Traore, the killer of Sarah Halimi, a 65-year-old Jew, was unfit to stand trial because his cannabis use prior to the murder rendered him psychotic, despite the judges' view were that the attack had an anti-Semitic character. The decision of the Court of Cassation closed the case. According to media reports, Traore remained under psychiatric treatment, where he had been since the killing of Halimi in 2017, and would remain in hospital until psychiatrists concluded he no longer posed a danger to himself or others. Lawyers for Halimi's relatives announced that they would bring the case to the European Court of Human Rights. On April 21, lawyers for Halimi's sister announced that she intended to file criminal charges against Traore in Israel.

On April 25, media reported that more than 20,000 people demonstrated in Trocadero Square in Paris to "declare a determination to continue the fight for Sarah's memory." Similar protests took place in several other cities across the country. French political leaders, including President Macron, have criticized the court ruling and what he called loopholes exposed by the case. Macron also said that to the daily newspaperLe Figarothat "the decision to do narcotics and then go 'crazy' shouldn't, in my view, remove your criminal liability," and said he wanted Attorney General Eric Dupond-Moretti to introduce a change in the law "as soon as possible." On July 22, the National Assembly set up a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the affair, which continued its investigation at the end of the year.

On March 15, Home Secretary Gerald Darmanin called for the mosque to reopen after the resignation of M'hammed Henniche, the rector (manager) of a mosque in Pantin, a suburb of Paris, and the appointment of a new board of directors. Entered into force on April 9th. In October 2020, Darmanin ordered a six-month closure of the mosque after the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, who had been showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed to his class as part of a lesson on freedom of expression. The mosque's imam, Ibrahim Doucoure, had posted calls on social media to get revenge on Paty for showing the cartoons. The Montreuil Administrative Court upheld the government's decision to close the mosque.

On Oct. 26, Junior Citizenship Minister Marlene Schiappa reported that the Interior Ministry had conducted 23,996 assessments and closed 672 facilities of various types, including 22 mosques, since the end of 2019 as part of a nationwide program to combat "Islamism and Communitarianism." According to Schiappa, these facilities, unspecified by the government, were "meeting places for organizing Islamist separatism," which President Macron had previously described as a "methodical organization," to create a "counter-society" in which Islamists enforce their own rules and laws over isolated communities.

On October 13, Home Secretary Darmanin announced that he had ordered authorities to close a mosque in Allonnes, in the Loire region, after he said there was evidence the mosque was preaching radical Islamism. According to the local prefecture, some of its 300 members were linked to radical Islamist movements that "legitimized the use of armed jihad" and "hatred and discrimination." In early October, the authorities blocked the accounts of the two associations that run the mosque.

On October 26, Interior Minister Darmanin reported that after inspections of mosques conducted as of November 2020, the government had suspected 92 of the 2,500 mosques in the country of being radical and had closed 21 of them. On December 12, Darmanin said 36 mosques had been removed from the list of suspected Islamist separatists after they complied with government demands including firing "dangerous" imams and refusing foreign funding. Darmanin reiterated that the mosques suspected of practicing radical Islam represent a very small minority.

In a December 27 decree, Darmanin announced that the government had administratively closed the Beauvais Mosque, north of Paris, for six months over the anti-Republican sermons of one of its imams. Darmanin accused Imam Islem, born Eddy Lecocq, of dividing society by justifying jihad and using discriminatory language against LGBTQ+ people and women in his sermons. The mosque representative argued that Islem's comments were taken out of context, calling the closure "unjustified" and the allegations against the imam false. Some members of the Beauvais Muslim community have expressed their frustration to the press, saying that while the law should apply to this imam, it is unfair that "the whole community is being punished for his actions".

Unlike the previous year, Jehovah's Witnesses officials reported no instances of government interference in proselytizing during the year.

Following President Macron's announcement that starting in August a COVID-19 health pass would be required to enter public spaces, some protesters wore the yellow Star of David or held up signs equating the treatment of unvaccinated people with that of Jews during of the Holocaust; others protested with anti-Semitic signs.

With a stated intention to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the government continued to impose measures to limit the distance between worshipers during worship. Places of worship had to ensure that there were at least two vacant seats between people unless they belonged to the same household, and that only one of two rows of seats was occupied. Unlike other gatherings, the government did not require a COVID-19 health pass to attend religious ceremonies. This was announced by the Prime Minister's OfficeLe FigaroNewspaper of July 13 that places of worship enjoy constitutional protections that go beyond those of other groups because of the fundamental value of freedom of religion.

On August 24, President Macron signed the Republican Values ​​Protection Act, through which the government continues to shut down organizations accused of separatism, including some places of worship. On March 10, the leaders of the country's Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches issued a public statement expressing concern about the then draft law. The declaration was signed by Catholic Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, President of the French Bishops' Conference (CEB), Pastor Francois Clavairoly, President of the Protestant Federation of France, and Metropolitan Emmanuel Adamakis, Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox metropolis of France. The statement said that "by its internal logic ... this bill risks undermining fundamental freedoms such as freedom of religion, association, teaching and even expression." The three leaders added that "the state, by separation [of church and state], interferes with the qualifications of what is religious,” and that the law allows the state to restrict and control religious organizations more than the Christian churches believed that those needed to maintain public order required procedures already existed. Muslim leaders who also spoke about the law during the draft said that although it did not specifically mention the word Islam, many of its provisions clearly emphasized Islam and targeted and stigmatized Muslims. They also pointed out that President Macron originally proposed the law as a way to combat "Islamist separatism." NGOs have expressed concern about the increasing power of unelected prefects to shut down associations. Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM), said the draft then would tighten restrictions on French religious associations, "but in the end it will be beneficial and there will be less distrust of donations." France's Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia said the bill then "reminds us of the importance of carrying the values ​​of the Republic everywhere and in all spaces, including religious spaces" and gives "legal tools to do what we could not do before." “.

At a Jan. 18 meeting with representatives of the CFCM, which until December was the government's main dialogue partner among groups representing the Muslim community, President Macron hailed the CFCM's adoption of the "Charter of Principles for Islam of France," he said Elysée (Office of the Presidency) reported. "This is a clear, firm and precise commitment in favor of the Republic," said Macron, welcoming "a truly fundamental text for relations between the State and Islam in France". According to the CFCM, the agreement was reached during a meeting between the CFCM and Interior Minister Darmanin on January 16, after weeks of opposition from some CFCM members who protested a "restructuring" of Islam to make it compatible with French law and values. Signatories to the charter included the CFCM, the Union of Mosques of France, the Assembly of Muslims of France, the Grand Mosque of Paris (GMP) and the French Federation of Islamic Associations of Africa, Comoros and the West Indies. Signatories to the 10-article charter vowed to reject attempts to use Islam for political gain, not to spread messages of violence, hatred, terrorism or racism, and to educate youth against those who spread such messages; reiterated gender equality and the need to educate believers that certain cultural practices believed to be Muslim are not part of Islam; and agreed to combat "superstitions and archaic practices" that endanger the lives of victims, recognize that Muslims have the right to renounce Islam, and reject racism, anti-Semitism and misogynistic acts.

Online news siteMiddle East Eyepublished an opinion piece in February calling the charter "the worst violation of the separation of church and state in the history of the Fifth Republic" and declaring that it was written by the government, particularly President Macron and Interior Minister Darmanin, and not by her was drafted muslims. On January 17, Tareq Oubrou, the great imam of Bordeaux, said he regretted that the CFCM drafted the charter “under political pressure”.

On November 21, the GMP, together with three Muslim associations, announced that they had set up a National Council of Imams (CNI) to establish a new certification system for imams in France. The CFCM, which ordered President Macron in 2020 to set up a new imam certification system to ensure Muslim clergy adhere to French republican values, condemned the initiative. CFCM President Mohammed Moussaoui accused the GMP, the Assembly of Muslims of France; the French Federation of Islamic Associations of Africa, the Comoros and the West Indies; and the Muslims of France (former Union of Islamic Organizations in France) for "taking the organization of Muslim worship hostage."

On July 23, the Interior Ministry and the Loire Regional Prefecture officially suspended Mmadi Ahamada, the imam of the Attakwa Mosque in Saint-Chamond, for discrimination against women. In Eid al-Adha remarks, the imam said women should "stay home, don't show off... and don't be too smug in your language" and not give in to "corruption and vice." Home Secretary Darmanin tweeted that he would crack down on those who violate the Republic's values ​​and said the Imam of Saint-Chamond and another Imam were sacked on his orders for "unacceptable preaching". Darmanin also instructed the prefect of the Loire to consider extending his residence permit from the Imam of Saint-Chamond. According to media reports, the imam, a Comorian citizen, could be deported if the residence permit is not renewed.

On July 15, the government announced the creation of a new inter-ministerial committee on secularism to replace the Observatory on Secularism - an independent public watchdog set up in 2013 with members appointed by the government - which critics from the political right and Leftists denied taking tough enough action against radical Islam. According to Minister for Citizenship Schiappa, who announced the new committee, it would report to the Prime Minister's office and, like the Observatory before it, would be responsible for coordinating government efforts to protect state secularism, for example by ensuring that no public funding was given to non-secular programmes assigned. She said the committee will also take responsibility for training public servants on secularism, with the goal of offering such training to all five million workers by 2025, according to the Values ​​Act. The committee was also tasked with having a secularism specialist in every public administration by the end of the year to provide information and mediation on religious issues. It would oversee new powers given to prefects to take legal action against local governments when they implement policies that appear to run counter to secularism, such as allowing women-only sessions at public swimming pools. In her announcement, Minister Schiappa also said that the interior ministry would award a €50,000 ($56,700) "legality award" for promoting secularism during "Secularism Day" on December 9.

According to media reports, on October 12, at the request of President Macron, Interior Minister Darmanin summoned CEF President Archbishop de Moulins-Beaufort, after the archbishop publicly stated that the seal of confession is "above the laws of the republic," sparking outrage among groups of victims of sexual abuse by priests. De Moulins-Beaufort made the comment after an independent report commissioned by the church uncovered more than 200,000 cases of sexual abuse by priests over the past seven decades. After the meeting, Archbishop de Moulins-Beaufort cited "the determination of all bishops and all Catholics to make the protection of children an absolute priority, in close cooperation with the French authorities".

According to the Justice Department, in 2018 the correctional system employed 720 Catholic, 361 Protestant, 231 Muslim, 191 Jehovah's Witnesses, 74 Jewish, 54 Orthodox Christian, and 18 Buddhist chaplains. In the prisoner visiting areas, visitors could bring religious objects to a prisoner or discuss religious topics with the prisoner, but not pray. Prisoners could pray individually in their cells, with a chaplain in designated prayer rooms, or in some facilities in special apartments where they could receive family for up to 48 hours.

In September, 55 foreign imams and two murshidate (women Muslim religious leaders) began their year-long stint in mosques across the country. On September 14, Chemsedine Hafiz, rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, announced on social media that his mosque had held a welcoming seminar before sending the imams and murshidate to their respective places of assignment. Under a bilateral agreement with Algeria, the government held training sessions on secularism and French values ​​for these imams and murshidates.

On September 29, as part of the government's stated effort to counter radicalization, Interior Minister Darmanin tweeted the dismantling of the Nawa Center for Oriental Studies and Translation in the southwestern city of Pamiers for reportedly producing Islamist propaganda and legitimizing violence . In its decree, the government cited Nawa publications that called for the "annihilation of the Jews," legitimized violence against LGBTQ+ people, and called for the punishment of "adulterywives." In a Sept. 28 interview withLe Figaro, Darmanin said the government is in the process of closing six religious sites and banning another 10 local associations over links to radical Islam.

In a September 24 ruling, the Council of State, the country's highest court for questions of public administration, authorized the authorities to disband Collective Against Islamophobia in France, an NGO with the stated aim of combating discrimination against Muslims in the country in December 2020 legal counsel for victims of discrimination. The government tried to shut down the collective in late 2020 after an Islamist killed teacher Samuel Paty.

In a tweet published on Oct. 20, Interior Minister Darmanin announced that the Council of Ministers, at his request and on the instructions of President Macron, had dissolved the Coordination Against Racism and Islamophobia association, founded in 2008 and based near Lyon. On its website, the association presented itself as an "initiative to combat an ever-increasing scourge: Islamophobia". Darmanin said the association had incited "hatred, violence and discrimination" and government spokesman Gabriel Attal added he had also expressed anti-Semitism.

In May, President Macron ruled La Republique en Marche! The party (The Republic on the Move!) threatened to withdraw its support for a Muslim candidate running in June's local elections after a campaign flyer photographed her wearing a headscarf. Party leader Stanislas Guerini said wearing "flashy religious symbols" in photos appearing in campaign materials violated the party's values.

On November 2, the Council of Europe withdrew footage reading "Freedom is in [a] hijab" from a campaign to combat discrimination and anti-Muslim sentiment after the French government rejected the message. An advert published last week showed a split image of two women, one wearing a hijab and the other not, alongside the slogan: "Beauty is in diversity like freedom in hijab." The split image "got me deeply shocked,” Secretary of State for Youth Sarah El Hairy said in a TV interview on November 2. "It is the opposite of the values ​​that France stands for... which is why it was withdrawn today." The Council suspended the entire advertising campaign on November 3.

On December 21, the Paris Administrative Court upheld the 2020 ruling by the Montreuil Court that overturned a 2019 municipal decree that denied the Church of Scientology permission to renovate a building it was renovating in the Municipality of Saint-Denis had acquired for this purpose conversion into its headquarters and a training center. The court ruled that the refusal constituted an "abuse of power" and ordered the city of Saint-Denis to reconsider the permit application within three months.

According to statistics released by the Armed Forces Ministry in March, the government regularly deployed 3,000 military personnel - a number that could rise to 10,000 in times of high threat - across the country to patrol vulnerable locations, including Catholic, Jewish and Islamic ones sites and other places of worship. Some Jewish leaders urged the government to also station armed guards at Jewish places of worship; the government did not.

Interior Minister Darmanin called for increased security at places of worship ahead of major religious holidays, AFP reported March 17, due to the "persistent terrorist threat," AFP reported March 17. Darmanin also called for increased counter-terrorism patrols within the framework of the Ministry of Armed Forces Operation Sentinel near vulnerable and iconic religious sites.

In a September 1 memo to prefects during the Jewish month of Tishrei (September 7 to October 6), which includes Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and several other Jewish holidays, Interior Minister Darmanin urged them to ensure the security of Jewish places of worship strengthen and to ensure maximum police presence due to the "very high terrorist threat". According to the memo, anti-terror patrols as part of Operation Sentinel could also be deployed in particularly vulnerable locations. The Interior Ministry carried out similar countermeasures in all Christian churches across the country on August 15, the day of the Assumption.

On January 4, court sources found two of 14 indictees the Special Criminal Court found guilty in 2020 of assisting terrorists who attacked a satirical magazineCharlie Hebdoand a kosher supermarket appealed their sentences in 2015. The appeal was scheduled to be heard in September-October 2022.

On March 22, the city of Strasbourg approved €2.56 million ($2.90 million) in municipal funding for the construction of the Eyyup Sultan Mosque, sponsored by the Milli Gorus Islamic Confederation. In a March 23 Business FM television interview, Minister Darmanin said the city's decision supports foreign interference in the country. He criticized the Milli Gorus Islamic Confederation for its alleged affiliation with Turkey and for its involvement in political Islam and its refusal to sign the "Charter of Principles for Islam of France," part of the government's efforts to combat Islamist separatism. Darmanin asked the local prefect to challenge the city's decision before an administrative judge. Mayor Jeanne Barseghian wrote in a letter to President Macron that she had set a condition for the final approval of the funding that the mosque project managers ensure transparency in their funding and are committed to the values ​​of the republic. The prefect denied the conditions and announced on April 7 that he would appeal the city's decision to the administrative court. No further information on the status of the project was available at the end of the year.

On January 27, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled that 67-year-old Hassan Diab, the prime suspect in the deadly 1980 bombing of the Rue Copernic synagogue in Paris, must stand trial, and on May 19 the Court of Cassation upheld that decision . Diab, a Lebanese-Canadian national, is suspected of preparing and planting the bomb that killed three French people and an Israeli journalist and wounded 46 people. Diab returned to Canada in 2018 after three years in France when judges determined there was insufficient evidence to warrant a prosecution. On December 22ndLe Figaroreported that Diab's trial would open in Paris in April 2023, but by the end of the year, authorities had not issued an arrest warrant and Diab remained in Canada.

On April 14, the Paris Court of Appeal upheld the grounds of an investigation into a 1982 terrorist attack on an Israeli restaurant in Paris that killed six and wounded 22 others. The decision left open the possibility of a court hearing, court sources reported. The court dismissed two lawsuits related to a missing signature on a court detention document and an attempt to overturn a December 2020 decision to place the suspect under investigation. In December 2020, Norwegian authorities extradited a suspect in the case, naturalized Norwegian Walid Abdulrahman Abou Zayed, to France. On December 23, the judges decided to keep the suspect in custody.

On April 16, the Department of Education reported 547 violations of the secularism law in schools between December 2020 and March 2021. Middle schools accounted for 45 percent of the incidents, elementary schools 33 percent, and high schools 22 percent; Thirty-two percent of violations took the form of religiously motivated insults or other verbal aggression, while 10 percent involved proselytism. According to a report released by the ministry on Dec. 9, 614 violations of secularism in schools were reported between September and mid-November in the country's 60,000 schools, a 12 percent increase compared to December 2020 through March 2021. Reported incidents included insults or other verbal abuse of a religious nature, wearing religious symbols, and refusing to participate in school activities.

In February, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer commissioned former school inspector Jean-Pierre Obin to write a report on how teachers and school leaders could be better equipped to deal with the issue of secularism in schools. The report, released on June 14, described some confusion among students and teachers about the meaning of secularism, exacerbated by the case of teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded in 2020. The report also highlighted that the historical roots of the country's current laws were not always understood. According to Radio France International, after the report was published, Blanquer introduced training programs for teachers and school leaders on the place of religion in schools so that there would be a common understanding of what secularism entails and what is and is not permitted. On October 19, 1,000 teachers started the 120 to 150 hour training.

On October 15 and 16, schools commemorated the first anniversary of the assassination of Samuel Paty with a series of ceremonies and screenings of documentaries on free speech. On October 16, Prime Minister Castex unveiled a plaque honoring Paty at the entrance to the Ministry of Education. Macron also received Paty's family at the Elysee Palace.

On February 20, 800 scientists signed an open letterThe worldis calling for the resignation of Universities Minister Frederique Vidal for threatening "intellectual repression" by ordering a "scientific inquiry" into the "Islamic left" at universities earlier this month. In a February 21 reply, Vidal said the investigation would be conducted in a "scientific" and "rational" manner. Several officials within the Macron administration, including President Macron, have distanced themselves from Vidal's proposal and reiterated their commitment to academic independence. Academics said it was a failed attempt to distract from the more important issue of growing student discontent and poverty caused by COVID-19. Information on the status of the investigation was not available at the end of the year.

On April 14, the mayor of Albertville, Frederic Burnier-Framboret, announced that he would appeal against a decision of April 6 of the Administrative Court of Grenoble, which obliges him to grant a building permit for the Islamic school to be shared with Turkey associated Islamic confederation Milli Gorus is supported. According to media reports, Burnier-Framboret's appointment would be based on an amendment to the Republican Values ​​Act, which allows prefects to oppose the opening of non-contract schools supported by a foreign state "hostile" to the Republic. On December 16, the Lyon Court of Appeal upheld the mayor's decision not to grant planning permission for the Muslim school.

On October 5, the Senate passed a nonbinding draft resolution adopting the IHRA's nonbinding working definition of antisemitism. The motion, sponsored by the Senate majority party, the Republicans, with support from the government, was passed with a show of hands by all political groups except one, the Communists, Republicans, and Citizen and Ecologist Group. Noting that the National Assembly passed a similar resolution in 2019, Minister Schiappa said she was "happy that the Senate is taking the same approach". Although the resolution is not legally binding, it would allow for better identification and characterization of antisemitism, she added. In February, Paris City Council approved the IHRA working definition, while Strasbourg City Council rejected it in March. Pierre Jakubowicz, a council member who supported the IHRA working definition, said he was dismayed by the latter decision, adding that Strasbourg had been "plagued" by anti-Semitic riots throughout the year.

This was followed in March by a final 2020 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that the country had violated Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights when it convicted a group of 12 pro-Palestinian activists of inciting discrimination for distributing leaflets , which called for a boycott of Israeli goods, the government fined each activist 380 euros ($430) for material damage and 7,000 euros ($7,900) for non-pecuniary damage.

On May 19, Normandy prosecutors launched a formal investigation into what prosecutors say were racist and anti-Islamic social media posts by then-far-right National Rally candidate for regional council president Nicolas Bay. On May 5, Bay - a member of both the Normandy Regional Council and the European Union (EU) Parliament - released a video in which he called the Evreux Mosque a center of "crime and terrorism" and said it was with connected to the assassination of Samuel Paty. Evreux elected officials denounced the video as inciting violence against Muslims, and the Grand Mosque of Paris called for Bay to be charged with inciting "racial hatred". On Facebook, Bay replied that "identity politics and Islamism" were threats to the nation and that the Evreux minaret was not welcome in Normandy.

Various groups initiated several petitions to take action against the government for failing to uphold the rule of law when dealing with the country's Muslim population. For example, in January a coalition of 36 civil society and faith-based organizations from 13 countries, including the Strasbourg-based European Initiative for Social Cohesion, wrote to the United Nations Human Rights Committee to call for the opening of formal infringement proceedings against the government's "rooted Islamophobia and structural Discrimination against Muslims.” The 28-page document said the country's actions and policies regarding Muslim communities violate international and European law.

On March 8, 25 NGOs from 11 different countries signed a letter urging the EU to investigate the French government for "state-sponsored Islamophobia" and to impose what the letter described as a discriminatory charter of principles for Islam in France. According to the signers, the letter responded to government efforts to isolate Islamist extremists through the Upholding Republican Values ​​Act, then under consideration in the Senate. The letter to the European Commission stated that the legislation was inherently discriminatory and that the Charter censored freedom of expression in violation of European law.

On May 6, France's National Council of Evangelicals sent an official report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, criticizing the law upholding republican values ​​and saying it would restrict religious freedom.

In a statement on April 20, the General Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Combating Racism and Intolerance, Momodou Malcolm Jallow, expressed his deep concern that the Law Upholding Republican Values ​​stigmatized Muslims and “will serve to end the marginalization of Muslim women to further legitimize it and will help create a climate of hatred, intolerance and ultimately violence against Muslims.”

At a meeting with prefects on October 4, Interior Minister Darmanin said the country had deported 72 radicalized foreign Islamists since October 2020 and 636 since 2018. The 72 are part of a list of foreigners on the FSPRT (Terrorist Radicalization Prevention Report File) – a list of people suspected of radicalization – with a deportation order. On September 28, Interior Minister Darmanin said he had urged regional prefects to refuse any residence permits to imams sent by a foreign government. About 300 imams, or 70 percent of all imams in the country, were trained in foreign countries such as Turkey, Morocco and Algeria, according to the Interior Ministry. In 2020, President Macron announced that he would phase out the foreign imam program by 2024, creating instead a program for imams to be trained in France.

On January 27, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 76th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the Ministry of Education invited teachers to participate in special activities and reflect on the Holocaust with students.

On January 10, Interior Minister Darmanin, Justice Minister Dupond-Moretti, Education Minister Blanquer, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly, Government Spokesman Gabriel Attal and Junior Minister for Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Elisabeth Moreno attended a Council of Representatives of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) organized commemoration ceremony before a kosher Supermarket in Paris where six years earlier a gunman had killed four Jews and held 15 others hostage.

On July 16, Prime Minister Castex, Junior Minister for Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Moreno and Secretary of State for the Armed Forces Genevieve Darrieussecq attended a ceremony at the Izieu Memorial Museum, the place where 44 Jewish children and their six teachers were brought together deported to Nazi extermination camps and later murdered. Prime Minister Castex called for "fighting everywhere and always against the unfulfilled temptations of barbarism".

President Macron and government ministers continued to condemn anti-Semitism and expressed their support for Holocaust education on several occasions, including a visit to the Shoah Memorial on February 19; the March 19 commemoration of the ninth anniversary of the murder of three Jewish children and their teacher by Mohammed Merah in Toulouse; and the commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 30. On April 25, Secretary of State for the Armed Forces Darrieussecq laid a wreath at the Shoah Memorial and the Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation in central Paris.

On April 26, the country held private or virtual ceremonies (due to COVID-19 restrictions) to commemorate the thousands of people deported to Nazi death camps during World War II. On July 18, Secretary of State for the Armed Forces Darrieussecq held a ceremony in Paris to honor the victims of the 1942 Velodrome d'Hiver raid, during which 13,000 Jews, including 4,000 children, were deported to death camps. At the ceremony, 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Joseph Schwartz gave a speech expressing his anger at anti-COVID-19 vaccine activists comparing the government's COVID-19 health passport to the yellow Star of David worn by Jews during World War II had to .

On July 26, Interior Minister Darmanin attended a memorial service for Father Jacques Hamel, the Catholic priest who was killed in a 2016 attack on his church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray for which ISIS claimed responsibility. In his remarks, Darmanin said: "The government of the Republic commemorates its martyrs and there is no doubt that Jacques Hamel is one of them," adding that "Islamist barbarism has [touched] all the symbols that the West and Make up France.” President Macron and Prime Minister Castex paid tribute to Father Hamel on social media on the same day, the anniversary of his death.

On October 18, Prime Minister Castex met Pope Francis at the Vatican to celebrate the centenary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between France and the Holy See. At a press conference after the meeting, referring to a report of the sexual abuse of French children by Catholic clergy, Castex said the Church would "not revisit the dogma of the seal of the confessional" and stressed the need to find "ways and means to deal with it." with criminal law, with the rights of victims”, adding that “the separation of church and state is by no means the separation of church and law”.

On October 26, President Macron and Home Secretary Darmanin attended the first Economy and Protestantism Dinner organized by the Protestant Federation and the Charles Gide Circle, a Protestant association committed to "responsible economy". In his remarks, President Macron said the Law Upholding Republican Values ​​is important “because we cannot deny [that] … strategies have been set up in the name of religions that seek to divide the Republic.” Macron added that he does not mean that the republic and society must separate from religion, but that every person must be free to believe or not to believe. He said he doesn't accept speech that separates a person from those rules "on the basis of a religion, a philosophy, or anything else." That is the basis of this law.”

On October 26, President Macron, accompanied by Chief Rabbi of France Korsia, inaugurated in the village of Medan the first museum dedicated to the "Dreyfus Affair", commemorating the period from 1894 to 1906, when anti-Semitism unjustly condemned the Jewish army captain Alfred led Dreyfus.

On October 28, Interior Minister Darmanin attended a ceremony to restore the Sarre-Union Jewish cemetery, where vandals desecrated 269 graves in 2015. "There is no greater duty for the republic than to protect our Jewish compatriots who have suffered so much," Darmanin said.

In June, declared presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon of the France Unbowed Party said that the killing of Jewish schoolchildren and a rabbi by Mohammed Merah in Toulouse in 2012 was "planned in advance" to blame Muslims ahead of the elections. CRIF President Francis Kalifat condemned Melenchon's comments, tweeting that they were an obscene attack on the memory of the victims and that Melenchon supports left-wing Islamic voters and conspiracy theories.

On July 16, President Macron became the first President to visit the Shrine of Lourdes on the same day that according to believers, in 1858, the 18th and last apparition of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous, also known as Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, took place Location in the cave of Massabielle, a Catholic holy place.

The country is a member of the IHRA.

The Home Office reported the registration of 1,659 anti-religious acts during the year, compared to the same period in 2019 when 1,893 acts were reported. (According to the ministry, statistics from 2020, when it recorded 1,386 anti-religious acts, were not comparable because of the COVID-19 lockdown.) While the total number of reported acts fell from 2019, the number of anti-Muslim acts increased by 38 percent to 213, from 154 in 2019 (234 in 2020). Anti-Christian acts fell 19 percent to 857 from 1,052 in 2019 (813 in 2020), and anti-Semitic acts fell 14 percent to 589 from 687 in 2019 (339 in 2020).

On August 9, Emmanuel Abayisenga, a Rwandan asylum seeker, killed Father Olivier Maire, a Catholic priest in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre in the Loire region. Abayisenga has been under judicial supervision while awaiting trial for allegedly setting fire to Nantes Cathedral in 2020. Since his pre-trial detention ended, Abayisenga had stayed with the victim after it was determined that he was mentally unfit to remain in the justice system. In a news conference on August 9, the regional deputy prosecutor said there was no preliminary evidence of a terrorist motive. Media reported the killing sparked a strong public outcry; President Macron and Prime Minister Castex both tweeted their condolences, and Interior Minister Darmanin offered his support to the country's Catholics. At the end of the year he remained in a psychiatric hospital.

On May 29, a group of about 10 men taunted, whistled, and attacked Catholics attending a procession in Paris to commemorate those Catholics killed during the 1871 Commune. The perpetrators tore down flags and threw projectiles at the demonstrators, injuring two of them. Interior Minister Darmanin condemned the attack on social media. Authorities charged one suspect with "serious violence" and "violation of religious freedom." His trial was scheduled for 2022.

In September, the press reported that five men beat a Jewish man with a yarmulke on a street in Lyon after the man confronted them when the group called him "a dirty Jew". The man suffered minor injuries. The police arrested a suspect, a teenager. There was no further information about the case at the end of the year.

On March 29, a Pakistani national illegally in the country tried to attack with a knife three young Jewish men wearing yarmulkes as they were leaving a synagogue in Paris during Passover. According to press reports, authorities charged the man with "threatening to use a weapon" but not with an anti-Semitic hate crime, reportedly due to insufficient evidence, and then released him. The authorities then deported the man to Pakistan on April 16. The president of the local Jewish community expressed his relief at the man's deportation.

According to press reports, guards at a Jewish school in Marseille in March used a knife to overpower a man they suspected of trying to stab customers at a nearby kosher shop and bakery. The guards disarmed the man and the police took him into custody. There was no further information about the case at the end of the year.

According to media reports, in November police arrested a teenager for brandishing a machete, throwing marbles and shouting "dirty Jews" in front of a Jewish high school outside of Lyon. Police were investigating whether the teenager or his family had ties to terrorism.

On December 1, judicial authorities announced that the trial of a man named Aurelien C., whom security forces arrested in Limoges in 2020 on suspicion of planning an attack on the Jewish community, would begin in Paris in January 2022 . Aurelien C., a former member of both the military and the Yellow Vest protest movement, had posted white supremacist conspiracy theories and both anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic comments on social media while glorifying terrorists such as the Christchurch attackers in 2019 and Oslo in 2011. Investigators reportedly found incendiary tools at his home that could be used as a mortar, and found evidence he had researched when Jewish religious sites were reopened in his town. Aurelien C. was still in custody at the end of the year.

On May 26, a priest at Toulon Cathedral received a voicemail warning that someone was coming to “kill people in the church” and “make the building jump [i.e. H. to explode]". Police secured the cathedral and later that afternoon arrested a minor in Annecy for an alleged prank. The priest and police warned the public that such jokes were unacceptable, especially given the recent attacks on places of worship.

On April 17, authorities deported to Algeria an Algerian food delivery man whom the Strasbourg Criminal Court had convicted on January 14 of anti-Semitic discrimination for refusing to deliver kosher food orders to Jewish customers. Interior Minister Darmanin said the courier, who was illegally in the country, was deported after serving his four-month sentence.

Officials from Jehovah's Witnesses reported 14 incidents during the year. On December 31, a Jehovah's Witness was physically attacked in a parking lot in Pierrefitte-sur-Seine. The person filed a lawsuit.

According to figures released in October by the Israeli government's Aliyah and Integration Ministry, 2,819 French Jews immigrated to Israel in the first half of the year, compared to 2,227 for all of 2019. According to the same source, about 2,220 Jews left France for Israel during the year first 11 months of 2020.

To mark the 15th anniversary of the kidnapping, torture and murder of Ilan Halimi, a young Jewish man, the CRIF commissioned the research company Ipsos to conduct a survey on perceptions of antisemitism in France. The survey was conducted between February 5th and 8th with a sample of 1,000 people over the age of 18. The poll found that at least 74 percent of respondents believed anti-Semitism was a widespread phenomenon in the country. The poll also found that 56 percent believed antisemitism was more serious than it was ten years ago, and 88 percent believed fighting antisemitism should be a priority for public authorities. According to the poll, 69 percent of respondents were aware of the Ilan Halimi case; 53 percent believed antisemitism had the same roots as other forms of racial hatred, and 38 percent did not fully understand the meaning of "anti-Zionist" rhetoric.

The annual report of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, an advisory body to the Prime Minister, released on July 22, included the results of an Ipsos survey conducted in November 2020, which included face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of 1,323 residents over the age of 18. The results were similar to a survey Ipsos conducted a year earlier. According to the more recent poll, 47.6 percent (up from 34.2 percent in 2019) of respondents believed that Jews "have a special relationship with money," and 21.9 percent (18.6 percent in 2019) agreed that Jews had too much power in the country. The poll found that 46.1 percent (35.5 percent in 2019) of respondents had a negative image of Islam, and 58.9 percent (44.7 percent in 2019) saw it as a threat to national identity. The commission's report again cited ongoing societal rejection of Islamic religious practices, noting, for example, that 68.8 percent of respondents (45.5 percent in 2019) opposed women wearing a veil.

In September, the Brussels-based NGO Action and Protection League released the results of its European Antisemitism Survey based on data collected in France between February and June 2020. According to the survey, 7 percent of 1,000 respondents aged 18 to 75 in France said they had negative feelings towards Jews. Twelve percent said they would feel "completely uncomfortable" or "uncomfortable" if they had Jewish neighbors. The survey cited stereotypical statements about Jews and asked respondents to what extent they agreed or disagreed. The proportion who answered “totally agree” or “rather agree” to the following statements were: “The interests of the Jews in this country differ greatly from the interests of the rest of the population” (21 percent); "there is a secret Jewish network influencing political and economic affairs in the world" (28 percent); "Jews have too much influence in this country" (21 percent); “Jews will never be able to fully integrate into this society” (13 percent); "More than most, Jews tend to use shady practices to achieve their goals" (15 percent); "Many of the atrocities of the Holocaust were later often exaggerated by the Jews" (12 percent); "Jews are also to blame for the persecutions against them" (28 percent); “Jews are exploiting Holocaust victimhood for their own purposes” (24 percent).

In an interview with Weekly on July 25The Sunday Newspaper, CRIF President Kalifat condemned the anti-COVID-19 vaccine movement's use of references to Nazi persecution of Jews. Caliphate said he was angry with those who “compare the implementation of the COVID-19 health passport, a tool designed to save lives, to the yellow star, which itself was the symbol of discrimination and the deaths of six million Jews [who ] went up in smoke in Nazi crematoria.” Caliphate said the pandemic is a pretext for online conspiracy theories accusing Jews and Israel of introducing the virus to profit from the vaccine.

According to a study by the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, antisemitic content related to common antisemitic content in France on online media platforms Twitter, Facebook and Telegram increased sevenfold in the first two months of the year compared to the same period in 2020 with COVID-19, the study found that 55 percent of the content had to do with conspiracy theories about Jews controlling international, financial, political and media institutions.

During an official visit to a CEF meeting on February 1st by Chief Rabbi of France Korsia, CRIF President Caliphate and Joel Mergui, then President of the Israelite Central Consistory of France (the main Jewish administrative body), the CEF expressed strong opposition to antisemitism and concerns about the growing intolerance of Jews in the country. In a statement released on the occasion of the visit, the bishops said their warning of the dangers of rising anti-Semitism in the country was "all the more urgent" as hate speech, particularly on social media, "plays down the violence". The bishops also urged "not only Catholics but also all our fellow citizens to fight vigorously against all forms of political and religious anti-Semitism in and around them".

A report covering 2019-20 and released in December by the NGO The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe found that the country's society appeared increasingly divided between Christians, secularists and Muslims, and adding that the government's secularism has created severely divided pressures on Christians on moral issues, where Christians and secular society have different views, such as marriage, family, education, bioethics and identity politics. It also said the media had helped perpetuate certain stereotypes about Christianity, leading to further division. The NGO expressed concern about what it called a lack of respect for Christianity and a high rate of attacks on Christians, churches and Christian symbols, as well as reports from Christians who felt they were facing Islamic oppression. The report also said authorities noted "the high number of serious attacks on churches, Christian buildings and symbols, and on some citizens."

In a report released in March, the NGO European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ) found that the overwhelming majority of converts from Islam to Christianity in the country have experienced contempt and persecution from family and community, most commonly in the form of verbal abuse or physical aggression. Threats, harassment or rejection by members of the Muslim community. ECLJ added that persecution is greater for women and girls who convert from Islam, with a significant proportion of them threatened with forced marriage, sent to their parents' country of origin or confiscated if they do not convert to Islam. The report found that 300 people of Muslim origin were baptized in the Catholic Church each year and estimated that twice as many joined Protestant churches, leading to the conclusion that there were at least 4,000 converts from Islam to Christianity in the country.

In September, religious leaders and other commentators slammed 2022 presidential candidate Eric Zemmour's testimony that the Nazi-allied Vichy regime "protected French Jews" during World War II. In a television interview in October, Chief Rabbi Korsia Zemmour, who is of Jewish descent, called an anti-Semite for his comments questioning the innocence of Alfred Dreyfus, who was famously acquitted of charges of treason in 1906. Zemmour was convicted in 2018 of inciting religious hatred by making anti-Islamic remarks.

On August 27, a fire, believed to be arson, damaged a Protestant church in Behren-les-Forbach in the east of the country. On Twitter, Interior Minister Darmanin condemned the arson in the strongest possible terms and expressed his "support for France's Protestants". A gendarmerie investigation was underway at the end of the year.

On April 12, students found a crossed-out Star of David spray-painted with the inscriptions “Death to Israel” and “Kouffar” (“infidels” in Arabic and a pejorative term commonly used to describe Christians and Jews) on the facade of the institute for political science, a college, in Paris. The Union of Jewish Students of France called on the institute to take action "to combat the scourge of racist and anti-Semitic hatred within its walls." Higher education minister Vidal condemned the vandalism on social media "in the strongest terms". By the end of the year, authorities had not identified any suspects.

According to media reports, on August 28 neighbors discovered anti-Semitic slogans such as "Death to the Jews" painted on the wall of the cemetery and an adjacent barn in Rouffach in the Upper Rhine department. The president of the Grand East region, Jean Rottner, immediately condemned the incident on Twitter and called for an investigation.

On August 11, local media in Brittany reported that a monument to French Holocaust survivor and President of the European Parliament Simone Veil in Perros-Guirec had been defaced three times with excrement and swastikas. On August 24, following a joint investigation by gendarmes and the Central Office for Combating Crimes against Humanity, two men were arrested. Local prosecutors announced on August 26 that the men had been formally charged with aggravated humiliation, serious public insult and incitement to hatred and had been released on conditional bail. A trial was not scheduled until the end of the year.

On August 7, anti-police graffiti was discovered on the walls of the Nour El Mohamadi mosque in central Bordeaux, which was vandalized twice in 2020. A police investigation was still ongoing at the end of the year.

On April 11, unknown assailants defaced the Avicenne Muslim cultural center in Rennes with anti-Muslim graffiti, prompting a visit by Interior Minister Darmanin and CFCM President Moussaoui on the same day. The public prosecutor of Rennes launched an investigation into vandalism of a religious nature. On April 29, vandals again defaced Avicenne's Muslim cultural center and a nearby halal butcher shop with anti-Muslim graffiti, making reference to a recent Islamist terrorist attack in Rambouillet, presidential candidate Melenchon and the right-wing monarchist group Action Francaise. The Action Francaise denies responsibility for the vandalism. Elected officials and the regional prefect issued statements condemning the vandalism and reaffirming their support for the Muslim community. The CFCM also condemned the incident as a "new and cowardly" provocation.

On December 10, according to press reports, unknown persons destroyed dozens of graves in the Muslim cemetery in the city of Mulhouse and threw flowers and jewelry from the graves. The mayor of Mulhouse, Michele Lutz, condemned the vandalism.

On January 4, the press reported that local officials discovered swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti spray-painted on the walls of the churches in Echouboulains and Ecrennes, and on the town hall of Vaux-le-Penil. Vandals had painted nearly identical graffiti on graves in a local cemetery and on a nativity scene in the nearby towns of Fontainebleau and Melun a week earlier. The prefect of the department of Seine-et-Marne and the mayor of Echouboulains condemned the vandalism and the authorities of Seine-et-Marne opened an investigation.

On April 17, "The Return of Satan", "Traitor" and anti-Semitic graffiti were scrawled in red paint on the Saint-Sernin Basilica and surrounding areas in Toulouse. Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc condemned the vandalism. The local press said they believed far-right agitators could be behind the vandalism to create the impression of a Muslim attack on both Catholics and Jews.

The investigation into the 2020 killing of three Catholic worshipers at Notre Dame Basilica in the southern city of Nice continued at the end of the year. The suspect, identified as Brahim Aouissaoui, an asylum seeker from Tunisia who entered the country shortly before the attack, remained in prison. The national counter-terrorism attorney's office said it was treating the attack as a terrorist incident.

On November 9, a Paris prosecutor sought a 32-year prison sentence for Yacine Mihoub, who had been convicted of the 2018 murder of Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll and 18 years in prison for his accomplice Alex Carrimbacus. On November 10, the Paris Criminal Court sentenced Mihoub to life imprisonment, with no possibility of parole 22 years ago. Carrimbacus was acquitted of murder but found guilty of theft and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The court ruled that the murder was fueled by "a broader context of anti-Semitism" and "prejudice" about the supposed wealth of the Jewish people. The victim's family said the verdict was "fair". On November 15, Mihoub's attorney announced that his client had appealed the verdict, paving the way for a second trial.

On August 27, the Paris Criminal Court ruled it had no jurisdiction to hear a case involving two men who, in 2020, shouted anti-Semitic slurs and assaulted a Jewish man, stealing his watch and beating him unconscious. The criminal court referred the case to the Circuit Court - which has jurisdiction for the most serious criminal cases - because the two men could face more than 15 years in prison for religiously motivated violent theft. No trial was scheduled at the end of the year and the two men remained in detention.

On July 2, the Seine-Saint-Denis Criminal Court sentenced nine people to between four and 12 years in prison for the violent robbery of a Jewish family in September 2017 in Livry-Gargan, a northern Paris suburb. The individuals were convicted of breaking into the home of Roger Pinto, the president of Siona, a group representing Sephardic Jews, and beating Pinto's son and wife. The court confirmed the anti-Semitic character of the robbery. The Pinto family's attorney called the verdict "a victory for the law." The lawyer for the convicted persons announced that their clients would not appeal the verdict.

On July 8, the Colmar Court of Appeal declared a man charged with attempted murder after he drove his car into a mosque in Colmar in 2019 not responsible for his actions and ordered him to be taken to a psychiatric hospital instead .

On July 7, the Paris Criminal Court handed suspended sentences of between four and six months to 11 of 13 defendants after they were found guilty of molesting and threatening a 16-year-old student, Mila, online in Lyon in 2020. 13 defendants represented a variety of backgrounds and religions; one was dismissed on procedural grounds and another was acquitted. The court considered the case "genuine harassment." The student's lawyer told the court that Mila received approximately 100,000 threats, including death threats, rape threats, misogynist messages and hateful messages about her homosexuality, after she posted a vulgar anti-Islam video online. The student said she posted the video in response to a vulgar attack on her sexuality by a Muslim woman. Mila also had to change schools and lived under police protection until the end of the year. In July, the student met with Chemsedine Hafiz, Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris.

On September 22, four men and four women appeared before the Paris Criminal Court for posting anti-Semitic tweets against April Benayoum, runner-up in the Miss France 2021 pageant. The eight were tried for "public insults based on origin, ethnicity, race or religion". Benayoum received numerous anti-Semitic comments on social media after revealing that her father was Israeli during the televised competition in 2020. The public prosecutor's office requested suspended sentences of two months imprisonment. On November 3, a Paris court ordered seven of the eight defendants to pay fines ranging from 300 to 800 euros ($340 to $910). Each of the seven was also ordered to pay one euro ($1.13) in damages to the candidate and each of several associations involved in combating racism and anti-Semitism that had joined the plaintiff in the lawsuit. Four of the defendants were also ordered to attend a two-day civics course. The court acquitted the eighth suspect, noting that his tweet did not directly target Benayoum.

On July 2, a Paris court sentenced French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala to four months in prison for "public insults of an anti-Semitic nature" and "denying a crime against humanity" over two 2020 videos about the Holocaust. M'Bala appealed the decision.

On May 19, the Paris Court of Appeal sentenced writer Alain Soral, commonly described in the press as a far-right extremist, to four months in prison with time off work for inciting religious hatred for inciting the 2019 fire at Notre Dame Cathedral over Jews from Paris. In another case, on October 26, the Court of Cassation dismissed Soral's appeal against a 2020 ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal convicting him of contesting crimes against humanity over his remarks on the Holocaust, and ordered Soral to pay a fine of 5,000 euros (US$5,700) or face imprisonment.

On October 19, a Metz court sentenced teacher and former political candidate to the National Assembly, Cassandre Fristot, to six months' suspended imprisonment for "inciting racial hatred". Fristot held up a placard with anti-Semitic slogans at an anti-vaccine protest in August, sparking widespread condemnation and prompting Home Secretary Darmanin to ask the Moselle prefect to take legal action. The court also ordered Fristot to pay fines of between €1 and €300 ($1.13 to $340) to eight of 13 groups, including CRIF and various NGOs, which joined the case as plaintiffs. The education authorities also suspended Fristot from her teaching position on August 9 pending disciplinary proceedings.

On May 18, the Lyon Criminal Court dropped the charges against French-Palestinian activist Olivia Zemor for lack of evidence. An Israeli pharmaceutical company had sued Zemor for defamation and inciting economic discrimination after she published an article on Europalestine, a pro-Palestinian website, accusing the company of being involved in "apartheid and occupation".

According to media reports, a court in Val d'Oise, a region north of Paris, on October 26 handed an optician a suspended prison sentence of one year for molesting a Jewish family who returned from the synagogue on August 21. The woman repeatedly gave the Hitler salute, shouted "Heil Hitler" and told the family: "Dirty Jews, you are the disgrace of France."

On October 29, the Paris Criminal Court found Jean-Marie Le Pen, the 93-year-old founder of the National Front party, now known as the National Rally, not guilty of inciting racial hatred over remarks made against a Jewish pop singer. When asked about French singer and actor Patrick Bruel in June 2014, Le Pen referenced Bruel's Jewish origins with a pun reminiscent of the Holocaust, saying: "I'm not surprised. Look, next time we'll do a whole batch of ovens!" The court said Le Pen's comment was clearly aimed at Jews, but the statement did not constitute "incitement to discrimination and violence."

According to press reports, in September the Toulouse Correctional Court acquitted Mohamed Tatai, rector of Toulouse Grand Mosque, over a sermon he had preached in Arabic in 2017 which prosecutors said was anti-Semitic. In the sermon, published on a US website, Tatai said, "Prophet Muhammad has told us of the final and decisive battle: The last judgment will not come until Muslims fight Jews." The court ruled that Tatai , who said he had been mistranslated, had no desire to stir up hatred in his sermon. Jewish leaders criticized the verdict. Franck Teboul, the president of CRIF's Toulouse branch, compared the decision to the Court of Cassation's decision not to convict Sarah Halimi's killer, commenting: "... so you tell thousands in a mosque to kill Jews and get behind you hide centuries-old text.” Abdallah Zakri, president of the Observatory for the Fight against Islamophobia, called Tatai a moderate Muslim who had maintained good relations with Jews and Catholics and said his acquittal would undermine radical fundamentalists.

On Jan. 5, the Saint-Nazaire Correctional Court ordered a man to pay a 400 euro ($450) fine and complete a citizenship internship for posting on social media in 2020: “You want honor [Samuel Paty]? Burn down the mosque in [the southern city of] Beziers to send the message that we are fed up.”

On May 5, the Rhone Mosque Council issued a call urging women not to visit the mosques for the scheduled Eid al-Fitr prayer on May 13. Kamel Kabtane, the rector of the Lyon Grand Mosque, said the decision was due to the COVID-19 crisis, adding that the elderly and vulnerable were also advised to stay at home. He denied discrimination allegations posted on social media that individuals were trying to be malicious towards Muslims. Kabtane also said the mosques did not have sufficient capacity to accommodate all worshipers, citing a notice from the interior ministry that forbids prefects and mayors from renting them larger spaces.

On October 5, the Catholic Church's Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church released its report on child abuse by Catholic priests, concluding that priests had abused 216,000 minors in the country between 1950 and 2020, not counting victims who died lay members of the church, as well as teachers at Catholic schools, the report said the death toll could reach 330,000. Commission President Jean-Marc Sauve said the abuse was systemic and that the Church had "shown for years a deep, total and even cruel indifference". CEF President Archbishop de Moulins-Beaufort, who requested the report along with Sister Veronique Margron, President of the Conference of Monks and Nuns of France, expressed "shame and horror" at the results. The CEF said it will compensate victims financially by selling their own assets or borrowing where necessary, and that an independent national commission would be set up to assess claims. In a November 8 statement, CEF leaders officially recognized for the first time that the church bears "an institutional responsibility" for the abuse and prayed on their knees in the Lourdes Shrine in a gesture of penance.

The Chargé d'Affaires and other staff at the embassies, consulates-general and APPs tasked relevant government officials, including the Religious Affairs Offices of the Home and Foreign Ministries and DILCRAH, with how to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred and strengthen religious freedom. Topics discussed included religious tolerance, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim acts, the role of religious freedom in reducing violent extremism, the BDS movement, Holocaust-related reparations and bilateral cooperation on these issues. Embassy officials closely monitored official government positions on anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim and anti-Christian incidents.

Staff from embassies, consulates general and APPs met regularly in person and virtually with religious leaders, activists and individuals across the country to discuss issues of discrimination and advocate for diversity tolerance. Embassy officials discussed religious freedom, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim sentiments, and inter-religious dialogue and tolerance with senior Christian, Muslim and Jewish officials and NGOs such as Coexister, an organization promoting interfaith dialogue, and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Europe. They also held meetings with representatives from CRIF, the French Israelite Central Consistory, the CFCM, the Paris Grand Mosque, and Catholic and Protestant representatives working on interfaith dialogue.

For a second year, the Embassy supported the Kol Yoom interfaith program with local NGO Institut Hozes. The program ran interfaith "boot camps" that brought together Jewish and Muslim teenagers from different social backgrounds to create shared experiences to promote tolerance and mutual understanding. The groups participated in workshops and community service activities and acted as a force for positive change in their communities. The embassy facilitated Escape Zoom, a cooperative online game designed to foster relationships between Jewish and Muslim students aged 12-17. In April the documentary Interfaith Tour was released,olive time(The Olive Season) was screened online for the group, followed by a discussion on ways to build community cohesion and fight hate speech. The documentary portrayed four youth of different faiths from Coexister who embarked on an eight-month world tour in 18 countries, funded in part by the Embassy, ​​to interview activists, academics, politicians and interfaith leaders and explore projects to build diverse, inclusive, and sustainable societies.

On May 18, the charge d'affaires and the consul-general attended a conference in Marseille at the Camp des Milles Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center. They discussed with other participants ways to raise awareness of the Holocaust and increase social tolerance.

In September, embassy officials met with Chemsedine Hafiz, Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, to discuss religious freedom, anti-Muslim sentiment, societal tolerance and inter-religious dialogue.

In September, the Consul General in Strasbourg hosted an interreligious round table with the Council of Europe, the Ambassador of the Holy See to the Council and religious leaders from across the region, including Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, Jewish and Muslim representatives from Alsace. Participants discussed current challenges faced by social media platforms in relation to intolerance and radicalisation, as well as ideas on how to bring interfaith discussion into Strasbourg's international identity in partnership with the Council of Europe.

During the year, the Consul General in Marseille held a series of meetings with religious leaders to discuss religious freedom issues. The Consul General met with the Regional Council of the Muslim Faith (CRCM) in the Midi-Pyrénées region and the CRCM spokesman in Toulouse on February 18, where they discussed the prevention of violent extremism, the Republican Values ​​Act and tolerance and acceptance of Muslims discussed French and American society. On March 2, she met with the President of CRIF Marseille and spoke about tolerance and acceptance of Jews and Jewish and Muslim cooperation and understanding in the northern districts of Marseille. In April, she hosted a virtual iftar with the Muslim community of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, with participants from Marseille, Avignon, Nice and Carpentras, where they discussed the Ramadan traditions of the North African diaspora in southern France, countering violent Extremism in Prisons, the Republican Values ​​Act and the Importance of Interfaith Dialogue in Increasing Societal Tolerance. On May 25, she met with the Vaucluse Jewish community and the CRCM representative for Vaucluse and visited the Carpentras Synagogue and Carpentras Mosque. At the synagogue, she and representatives of the Jewish community discussed how parishioners work to preserve their Jewish traditions in their community. At the mosque, she and representatives of the Muslim community discussed how Muslim leaders are helping newcomers integrate into the country, particularly through material support for young families and literacy.

From October 2 to 4, an official from the Consulate General in Marseille and representatives from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum visited the Camp de Rivesaltes memorial in the Pyrénées Orientales region and met with memorial staff to explore opportunities for collaboration on Holocaust commemoration. The camp was a transit point for deportees who were later taken to Nazi death camps.

Representatives of APP Rennes met with Marc Brzustowski and Philippe Strol, Vice-President and President of the Rennes Synagogue on September 22 to discuss religious freedom, anti-Semitism and opportunities for inter-religious dialogue. In October, representatives of APP Rennes discussed opportunities for interfaith dialogue with local government officials.

Representatives from APP Lyon attended the inauguration of the new Chief Rabbi of Lyon and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Daniel Dahan, in October. The Consul spoke to the Chief Rabbi and other Jewish leaders about their concerns about the rise of anti-Semitism in the region.

On November 11, the Second Gentleman of the United States visited the Shoah Memorial in Paris to pay homage to the victims of the Holocaust while expressing Franco-American determination to combat contemporary anti-Semitism. He lit a memorial candle in honor of the 76,000 Jews deported from the country under Vichy rule on the Wall of Names listing the victims.

The embassy regularly reinforced messages from the Secretary of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on religious freedom on the embassy's social media platforms in French and English. For example, in May and July it published Ministerial Remarks on Freedom of Religion as a Human Right. The chargé d'affaires also posted religious holiday messages on its Twitter accounts to highlight religious diversity and high-level commitment to religious freedom issues. These included posts on Yom Kippur, Easter, Ramadan, Naw Ruz and Holi, among others.

The US government estimates the total population at 17.4 million (mid-2021). According to a 2016 survey by ProDatos, about 45 percent of the population is Catholic and 42 percent is Protestant. About 11 percent of the population do not profess any religion. Groups, which together make up about 2 percent of the population, include Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, followers of Mayan and Xinca spiritual practices, and followers of the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna cosmovision.

Non-Catholic Christian groups include Full Gospel Church, Assemblies of God, Central American Church, Prince of Peace Church, Independent Evangelical Protestant Groups, Baptists, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ), Episcopalians , Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Russian Orthodox and Seventh-day Adventists.

Catholics and Protestants have a presence across the country, with adherents across all major ethnic groups. According to leaders of Maya spiritual organizations and Catholic and Protestant clergy, many indigenous Catholics and some indigenous Protestants practice a form of syncretism with indigenous spiritual rituals, mainly in the eastern city of Livingston and in the southern region of the country. This syncretism is also widespread in the West Highlands, although there are Mayans whose belief systems are primarily based on Mayan spirituality.

According to Buddhist community officials, there are between 8,000 and 11,000 Buddhists, made up mostly of individuals from the Chinese immigrant community. Muslim leaders state that there are approximately 2,000 Muslims, mostly of Palestinian origin, residing mostly in Guatemala City. According to local Ahmadi Muslims, there is a small Ahmadiyya Muslim community of about 70 members. According to the Jewish community leadership, around 1,000 Jews live in the country.

Legal framework

The Constitution provides for freedom of expression and religion and states: “Every person has the right to practice his religion or belief publicly, within the limits of public order and with respect for the beliefs of other faiths.” The Constitution recognizes the separate legal personality of the Catholic Church by Concordat with the Holy See.

The Constitution does not require religious groups to register for the purpose of worship, but groups wishing to gain tax-exempt status or enter into treaties must register. The Catholic Church receives these benefits without the obligation to register. To register, a religious group must submit to the Ministry of the Interior a copy of its articles of incorporation, proof that it is a newly formed legal entity intending to pursue religious aims, and a list of its original membership of at least 25 members. The Department may reject an application for registration if it considers that the group does not appear to have a religious objective, appears to intend to engage in illegal activities, or engages in activities that may threaten public order. Most applications are approved after a lengthy process. All religious communities are required to obtain permission from their local government for the construction and repair of land and the holding of public events, which meets the requirements for non-religious endeavours.

The constitution protects the rights of indigenous groups to practice their traditions and forms of cultural expression, including spiritual practices. The law allows Maya spiritual groups to hold ceremonies at historic Maya sites on government property free of charge, with written permission from the Ministry of Culture.

The Criminal Code punishes, with imprisonment from one month to one year, for disrupting religious celebrations, “insulting” a religion that the law leaves vague, and desecrating burial sites or human remains; However, charges are rarely brought under these laws.

According to the Constitution, no member of the clergy of any religion may serve as president, vice-president, government minister, tax inspector or member of the tax board, judge or magistrate.

The law guarantees at least one "religious room, commensurate with [the prison's] capacity" in every prison. Chaplaincy services are limited to Catholic chaplains and non-denominational (mostly Evangelical) Protestant chaplains. Prisoners of minority religious groups are not guaranteed access to spiritual advisors of their faith.

The constitution permits, but does not mandate, religious instruction in public schools. There is no national framework for determining the nature or content of religious education. In general, public schools do not have a religious component in the curriculum. Private religious schools are permitted and can be found in all parts of the country. Religious education is permitted, but attending private religious schools is optional.

The government requires foreign missionaries to obtain tourist visas to enter the country. the visas are renewable every three months. After a one-time renewal of their tourist visa, foreign missionaries can apply for temporary residency for up to two years; the residence permit is renewable.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

On June 24, the San Benito, Peten Sentencing Court sentenced Domingo Choc's three attackers, Edin Arnoldo Pop Caal, Romelia Caal Chub and Candelaria Magaly Pop Caal, to 20 years in prison for killing Choc in 2020. His family was disappointed by the court's decision to recognize the murder as premeditated rather than motivated by spiritual hatred of the Mayans. Mayan spiritual leaders said they generally believed the murder was motivated by anti-Maya sentiment, but said the court's decision to try the case as manslaughter rather than murder challenged the view of some, including the Evangelical Alliance and the Catholic Church, reflect that the murder was the result of personal problems between families. According to a statement from the Catholic Church in Peten, released in 2020 shortly after the murder, church officials said, while expressing shock and horror at the killing of Domingo Choc, that the murder was the result of a disagreement between two families and not a rejection of the Maya is spiritual culture. Family members said they continued to fear for their safety and remained in exile in the nearby town of Poptun. Choc's family attorney Juan Castro said the case had both cultural and religious dimensions, but according to Castro, according to the law, the judge treated the case as simple murder (premeditated homicide with a maximum sentence of 20 years) and not as an assassination ( Willful murder of a target based on religion, ethnicity, race or political affiliation, with a maximum sentence of 50 years). Castro also said the judge did not consider it an aggravating factor that the murder was motivated by an allegation of witchcraft against Domingo, who was a Mayan scholar and researcher of ancient medicinal plants. In addition, the judge did not award economic compensation to Domingo's family, only a fine of 13,600 quetzals (US$1,800) for funeral expenses. In November, Castro appealed the verdict, and the court scheduled its appeal for February 2022.

During the year, the government imposed more restrictive measures on churches and temples than other public facilities, including restaurants and bars. Representatives of Protestant and Catholic groups said the government's COVID-19 pandemic restrictions restrict free worship, although that was not the government's intention. The government used a color-coded traffic light system based on the number of active COVID-19 cases to determine the severity of the restrictions. For example, under light restrictions (amber alert), church services have been capped at 30 minutes, with a mandatory one-hour break between services, and a minimum area of ​​27 square feet per person. Open-air restaurants, for example, were allowed to have at least 16 square meters per person and could be open throughout the curfew. As a result of the restrictions, many religious groups took to social media platforms to continue live worship services.

According to Evangelical Protestant groups, non-Catholic religious groups must go through a vaguely defined registration process involving multiple steps that can take up to two years and cost approximately 10,000 quetzals (US$1,300) to register with the Home Office in order to to contract or receive taxes -exempt status.

In May, three of the four Mayan spiritual groups associated with COLUSAG withdrew, leaving only one organization, the Ajq'ijab' Counselors and Organizations, in the umbrella organization. According to a former COLUSAG coordinator, the resignations of these groups continued the trend of decreasing importance for the committee. A law on sacred sites that COLUSAG submitted to Congress in 2009 had yet to be passed. According to a Mayan spiritual leader who helped draft the bill, the resulting law, if passed, would give Mayan spiritual sites a legally protected status, making it a crime to damage them or spiritual objects to remove from them. The law would also establish a national council with legal authority to designate sacred sites and recognized Mayan spiritual practitioners to grant them access to protected sites.

According to the Ombudsman, on November 24, the Congressional Human Rights Commission approved full annual funding of 120 million quetzals ($15.58 million) for the PDH. throughout the country. According to the Ombudsman, the PDH's late funding hampered its operations due to mounting debt and a lack of funds to buy fuel and consumables for its work across the country.

Some Maya leaders said the government continued to restrict their access to several religious sites on state property and required them to pay to access the sites, although the Ministry of Culture allowed free access to recognized Mayan spiritual practitioners. The same leaders said that these badges were not given in a timely manner to all practitioners who wanted access to the sites. The government continued to state that there were no restrictions on access; However, those seeking access to sites in national parks or other protected areas had to pay processing or entry fees. At Tikal, a complex of Mayan pyramids dating to AD 200 and one of the most sacred sites in Mayan spirituality, the entrance fee was about 20 to 30 quetzals ($3 to $4), which according to members of COLUSAG for many was unaffordable indigenous peoples.

The Mayan community of Chicoyoguito continued to demand access to their sacred sites and the return of land in Alta Verapaz, located in the north-central part of the country, including their sacred ceremonial center and a spiritual site on a former military base the government removed in 1978. On June 9, the National Civil Police arrested 21 members of the Chicoyoguito community who were peacefully protesting in the countryside. On June 18, the Coban First Court, Alta Verapaz, ordered prosecutors to investigate 18 protesters on charges of aggravated criminal trespassing because the protesters refused to leave after police told them to do so; The remaining three were investigated for attempted trespassing.

During the year, the La Ruta Initiative engaged approximately 12 spiritual leaders and offered them an opportunity to raise concerns with central government officials about future private sector investment in sacred sites in the western highlands. Spiritual leaders have expressed dissatisfaction with the continued lack of access to some Mayan spiritual sites, particularly those considered private property.

According to the Guatemalan Interfaith Dialogue, an interfaith group with representatives from the Catholic Church, Evangelical Protestant churches, the Church of Jesus Christ, Mayan spiritual groups, and Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish groups, some local authorities in rural areas continued to face discrimination against non-Catholic groups in the processing of building permits and in municipal tax collection.

Missionaries, including some members of the Church of Jesus Christ, continued to report that the complicated administrative procedures required to apply for temporary residency were made even more cumbersome by the social distancing measures related to COVID-19, particularly by personal requirements such as submitting photos and signing documents. According to Church of Jesus Christ officials, many foreign missionaries left the country voluntarily at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the continued spread of COVID-19, many missionaries did not return during the year.

On June 2, more than 83 members of Congress presented a bill entitled The Freedom of Religion and Conscience Act Initiative, co-sponsored in part by the Association of the Importance of Family and the Council of Catholic Bishops, among other religious groups, was designed and sponsored” to the Congressional Governance Commission. If passed, it would create a department at the Home Office to register new religious organizations, establish tax-exempt status for all religious organizations, and no longer require religious organizations to provide information about their finances, including an article allowing churches to do so would keep the sources of their donations secret. Although Catholic Church leaders, Evangelical Protestant groups and interfaith organizations helped draft the bill, some religious groups, including the Council of Catholic Bishops, objected to an article that allowed churches to potentially hide their sources of funding. This article was added after the first draft of the bill before it was submitted to the Congressional Committee. Anti-corruption groups also widely criticized the article as a method to enable and protect money laundering, according to civil society groups that helped draft the original bill. At the end of the year, the bill was still pending in committee.

According to NGO reports, unknown assailants brutally killed Mayan spiritual leader Jesus Choc Yat in Quiche, northwest of Guatemala City, on January 4 by tying him to a pickup truck for hours, dousing him with gasoline and setting him on fire. Choc Yat had arrived in Quiche to perform Mayan rituals in the community. Sources close to Mayan spiritual leaders reported that community leaders in Quiche and Choc Yat's family were afraid to denounce the murder and make it more public because of widespread sentiment against Mayan spiritual practice in the area. According to reports, some of the killers may have been linked to a local Evangelical Protestant group. The same sources stated that the killing and lack of arrests or prosecution showed that the 2020 case of Domingo Choc did not inspire more awareness, tolerance or protection for Mayan spiritual practitioners.

Maya spiritual leaders reported continued societal discrimination. Evangelical Protestant missionaries in Chichicastenango, northwest of Guatemala City, distributed leaflets asking for donations to build new churches to combat "satanic" practices, referring to Mayan spiritual practices, according to one anthropologist. A Catholic minister in Izabal reported that this type of practice was widespread; He mentioned similar efforts by small, unorganized evangelical Protestant churches, which denounced Maya spiritual practices in their local publications and online announcements.

Some Catholic clergy also reported receiving electronic threats and harassment for their association with environmental and human rights work. For example, the director of the Catholic Church's Human Rights Office reported that his office had received anonymous threats on social media throughout the year. Some Catholic clergy reported that they continue to receive anonymous threats, mainly on social media, because the church supports transitional justice cases stemming from military abuses by indigenous peoples during the civil war.

According to law enforcement officials working in the correctional system, gang members in prison often converted to Evangelical Protestant denominations as an alternative to gangs and as a way to exit gangs safely; If a gang leader did not convert before leaving a gang, the gang would likely kill him or her. Evangelical church leaders visiting prisons to provide aid, or imprisoned religious church leaders leading spiritual practices in prison, carried out the conversions.

According to Mayan spiritual groups, some landowners continued to deny them access to places on their private property that the Mayans considered sacred to them, including caves, lagoons, mountains, and forests. According to one Mayan source, there was no legal process through the government for the Mayans to gain access to these private lands.

According to Religions for Peace, whose members are representatives of the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Alliance, individual Evangelical Protestant churches, Muslim and Jewish faiths, and Mayan spirituality groups, it continued to seek to resolve misunderstandings between religious groups and promote a culture of respect. Some political organizations, including the Municipal Indigenous Council in Solola, switched leadership between Catholic and Protestant representatives. Guardians of the Dignity of the State, an interfaith group with members from Tibetan Buddhist, Protestant, and secular communities, continued to promote social activism and change, including working with Mayan spiritual leaders.

Evangelical Christianity was growing, according to representatives of the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ, and although there was no central leadership, the Evangelical Alliance comprised about 67 percent of the country's Evangelical-Protestant congregations. According to the coalition leadership, the coalition could not meet more than once or twice a year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The ambassador and other embassy officials continued to work regularly with the Human Rights Ombudsman, State Department officials and the Presidential Commission against Discrimination and Racism, and members of Congress to discuss religious freedom issues, including threats against Catholic clergy and access to Mayan religious freedom to their spiritual ones sites. The embassy continued to promote increased engagement between the government and indigenous communities, particularly through support for increased dialogue and government investment in indigenous communities.

Embassy officials continued to engage with government officials as well as representatives of the Catholic Church and other religious leaders on the need to address violence against practitioners of Mayan spirituality and members of all faiths.

The Ambassador and other Embassy officials met regularly with leaders of major religious groups and representatives of religious organizations to discuss the importance of tolerance and respect for religious minorities. During the year, the ambassador met with religious leaders, including Catholic Archbishop Gonzalo de Villa and Cardinal Alvaro Ramazzini, to reaffirm the US government's commitment to religious freedom and to discuss cooperation in support of broader human rights in the country. In September, embassy officials met with the President of the Evangelical Alliance to launch a civil society job creation initiative and with representatives of Catholic organizations. Embassy officials also worked with the Evangelical Alliance and the Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist communities to increase understanding of religious freedom issues and promote religious tolerance.

The US government estimates the total population at 11.2 million (mid-2021). According to the government2017 survey of mortality, morbidity and service use, the most recent study available, Christians who identify as either Protestant, Episcopalian, Methodist, Seventh-day Adventist, or Jehovah's Witnesses together make up 52 percent of the population, Catholics 35 percent, Vodouists 2 percent, and 11 percent don't give an answer religious preference. An estimated 60 percent of Protestants in the country belong to the Protestant League. These include Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, the Salvation Army, Seventh-day Adventists, and some Baptists. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to have 24,000 followers, mostly in Port-au-Prince. The President of the National Council for Haitian Muslims states that there are approximately 6,000 followers in three branches of Islam - Sunni, Shia and Ahmadiyya; The council includes only members of the Sunni and Shia communities. The Jewish community has about 20 people.

Legal framework

The constitution provides for the free practice of all religions. By law, the primary responsibility of the BOW is to register religious and missionary organizations and certify the credentials of ministers of all denominations to authorize these operations in the country. The law also mandates the BOW to promote tolerance and mediate conflicts within and between religious groups.

Registration of religious organizations and clergy provides certain benefits, but there are no penalties for non-compliance. Benefits for registered religious organizations may include tax-exempt status, exemption from import duties on church items, litigation standing, and eligibility to receive public land to build schools. To obtain this status, a religious group must submit information about the qualifications of its leaders, a membership directory, a list of the group's social projects and annual activity reports to the BOW. Completing the separate registration process for clergy also confers certain benefits, namely the legal authority to perform civil ceremonies such as marriages and baptisms following an oath-taking ceremony organized by the Department of Justice. In order to obtain registered minister status, the person sponsored by a registered religious entity must submit approximately 10 documents. The required documentation package includes proof of completion of religious studies at both the secondary school and university or seminary level, as well as a police clearance certificate confirming no criminal record and no outstanding arrest warrants.

A concordat signed in 1860 between the government and the Holy See formalizes the relationship between the state and the Catholic Church. The Concordat grants privileges to the Catholic Church, including state protection and monthly stipends for some priests. It also gives the president the power of approving the appointment of Catholic archbishops and bishops to their offices.

Foreign missionaries serving in the country are subject to the same legal and administrative requirements as their native counterparts.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

According to media reports, on April 15, police fired tear gas at dozens of people attending a nationwide event titled "Mass for the Freedom of Haiti." On that day, the Catholic Church held hundreds of masses simultaneously across the country to protest the deepening of the political crisis and increasing insecurity during the then-President Moise's government. At the time, the 400-strong Mawozo gang had held 10 Catholic clergymen for a period of four days. The centerpiece of the event, 11 Catholic bishops, led by Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Max Leroy Mesidor, held a Mass at St. Peter's Church in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Petion-Ville. Authorities said they used tear gas after the fair ended to prevent the violence from escalating because protesters nearby had started setting cars on fire. Subsequently, Father Loudeger Mazile, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Haiti, asked everyone to "keep calm so that we can return to the path of democracy and development".

Media also reported that on April 21, around 20 demonstrators demonstrated in front of the National Palace with a vodou ritual against the general insecurity of the Moise era and the kidnapping of Catholic clergy. While the protesters performed the ritual, the police used tear gas to disperse them.

Religious leaders publicly called for an end to the violence throughout the year. In March, the Haitian religious conference wrote an open letter calling on then-President Moise to resign, citing what it saw as rampant insecurity and injustice in the country, and saying his government represented a "descent into hell." The letter said of the Moise government at the time: “The country is dying, the people are yoked, insecurity is widespread, the poorest are unable to support themselves, the people are in confusion and on the brink of despair...[President Moise] has a duty to provide prompt and specific answers to people's requests, beginning with respect for the laws of the country.” Demands for government accountability widened throughout March major protests across the country. A wide-ranging coalition of Protestant churches has joined the growing protests after the Protestant Commission against the Dictatorship in Haiti and the Bishops' Conference of Haiti issued statements urging the populace to "protect the life, future and dignity of the Haitian people." defend". In April, Catholic leaders continued to issue statements and organize protests, but increasing focus was on the government's lack of response to kidnappings and gang violence.

The Concordat of 1860 was a major topic of discussion among religious leaders throughout the year. A Catholic leader said the church continues to abide by the Concordat because it is legally required to do so under the country's legal system. A Protestant leader said the Concordat is a treaty between two sovereign states that must be respected until reassessed. He added that his denomination values ​​its independence and has no interest in submitting its religious leadership decisions to the government for approval. Conversely, several other non-Catholic religious leaders expressed concern about the Concordat. A Protestant leader said the Concordat gave the Catholic Church powerful leverage in government. Vodou leaders cited it as an example of a "historically institutionalized disposition" against them.

Vodou leaders said that although the state of religious freedom made them optimistic about the future, prejudice against them still persists and vodouists are often afraid to practice openly. However, they did not accuse the government of directly discriminating against them. Vodou leaders said the government could do more to combat persistent societal discrimination by encouraging acceptance of vodouists. One leader said: "The government should support us financially as it does for the Protestants, Catholics and Episcopalians."

Some Protestant religious leaders advocated greater government regulation of religious groups. One leader said, "There may be too much religious freedom," and she said some religious leaders have long called for stricter government standards for clergy registration. She said her concern is that self-appointed pastors with little religious training or accountability may exploit naïve churchgoers. Another Protestant leader also commented on the need for strict standards for clergy, citing misinformation about COVID-19. He said: “Hidden behind religious freedom, questionable leaders have preached against the COVID-19 vaccine or even promoted unscientific cures. The government should do something.”

The BOW said it continues to work with less established religious groups to facilitate their registration, while defending the importance of a rigorous registration process. In May, BOW granted an operating license to the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, the smallest of the country's three Muslim communities and the first to receive official status. According to BOW, the Ahmadiyya community followed the same registration process that applied to all religious groups. The license allowed the MOE to register schools run by the Muslim Ahmadiyya community so that their students could sit national exams. BOW Director-General Souffrant said the Ahmadiyya leadership's transparency during the registration process helped the government in its decision to grant it a license. Sunni and Shia Muslim groups had not completed registration procedures and remained unregistered at the end of the year. Sunni and Shia leaders cited what they termed a "complex political environment" as a factor delaying their registration, with one leader stating: "The current de facto government is unlikely to take it upon itself to recognize any religion emerging in the country.” BOW Director General Souffrant contradicted this characterization, citing the successful example of the Ahmadiyya community. At the end of the year, representatives of the Sunni and Shia communities did not identify any specific procedural barriers that differentiated their experiences from those of other groups.

Despite the benefits of registration, many religious groups and leaders chose not to remain registered. According to BOW, many religious groups and leaders preferred to remain unregistered to avoid government oversight. Religious minorities stated that they generally disagreed with this assessment or that it was an oversimplification. According to a vodou leader, the decentralized vodou community did not easily fit the government's criteria for institutional registration, unlike their Catholic and Protestant counterparts. The vodou leader also said that vodou clerics face structural barriers to BOW registration as there is no degree-granting institution for vodouists and the creation of one would be contrary to their initiation rituals. Two vodouists had previously received state recognition, but these were the religion's highest officials, and they obtained the formal credentials needed for BOW registration through their appointment to senior positions within the National Confederation of Haitian Vodou.

According to BOW, at the end of the year there were 9,195 certified Protestant pastors, 704 certified Catholic priests and two certified Vodou ministers, which is no change from 2020. By the end of the year, the government had no Muslim cleric, including the newly registered, certified Ahmadiyya community.

According to one Catholic leader, whenever a Protestant or Vodouist led the MFA, of which the BOW is a part, the Catholic Church felt “punished”. He explained that whenever the Catholic Church criticized government actions, the State Department responded with long delays in certifying clergy and other routine requests. Episcopal Church officials said the registration process was "reasonable and fair."

According to the World Bank, private, mostly religious, schools accounted for about 75 percent of the country's total primary school enrollment and 82 percent of total secondary school enrollment. The Department of Education stated that Catholic schools made up 15 percent (16 percent of all enrollments) of all schools in the education system, and public schools made up 12 percent. The remaining 73 percent of the schools were private institutions run by either Protestant churches (a variety of denominations), secular for-profit, or secular not-for-profit organizations. According to BOW, although there were no official statistics, the majority of these were private Protestant institutions. The significant expansion of private Protestant institutions was initiated and facilitated in large part by the national education campaign of the Jean-Claude Duvalier government in the 1970s and 1980s, which required missionaries to build an attached school with the building of a church.

During the 2020-2021 school year, MOE distributed a total of 100 million gourdes ($1 million) to religious schools through the National Education Fund: 50 million ($501,000) to Catholic schools; 40 million to Protestant schools ($401,000); and 10 million (US$100,000) to Episcopal schools, which the ministry counted separately from Protestant schools. The MOE distributed funds roughly in proportion to each religious group's percentage of the student population. The Director General of the National Education Fund Office said on November 22 that the same amounts would be paid for the 2021-2022 school year. In 2020, the government signed a three-year agreement with the Catholic Church calling for annual public financial support for Catholic schools, particularly those in vulnerable areas, determined jointly by political and civil society leaders. At the end of the year, there was no announcement regarding funding under this agreement.

The MOE continued to schedule national exams on weekdays rather than Saturdays, allowing for full participation by Seventh-day Adventist students.

In September, Prime Minister Ariel Henry sacked the incumbent members of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and sought to replace them with what he called a "more credible" body of representatives. After the dismissal of the incumbent members, he asked representatives of civil society to nominate new ones. Among the religious groups that received his application, the Catholic Church and the Protestant Union initially refused to participate in the process of joining the CEP because the representative institution had become too politicized. Government officials said they expect Catholic, Protestant and Vodou congregations to nominate members from their respective associations by the end of the year; However, at the end of the year none of these communities had nominated new members. Government officials involved in the process of establishing the CEP indicated that the process of nominating the Protestant representative in the CEP was particularly contentious because several Protestant coordinating bodies each saw themselves as legitimate representatives of the country's Protestants.

Religious leaders said increasing public insecurity was the issue with the greatest impact on religious freedom and that armed criminal gangs had consistently targeted religious leaders and community members throughout the year. Media reported that several religious leaders were attacked and killed by gangs during the year. Gang members killed Catholic priest Andre Sylvestre on September 8 after he completed a transaction at a bank in Cap Haitian. 400 members of the Mawozo gang killed prominent sculptors andHoungan(male vodou priest) Anderson Belony on October 12 during an attack on the artisan village of Noailles in Croix-des-Bouquets. The gang also ransacked artists' studios, as well as vodou shrines and sacred works. On September 26, unknown assailants killed Baptist deacon Sylner Lafaille as he entered his church in Morne A Tuff for Sunday morning services. They kidnapped his wife, Marie Marthe Laurent Lafaille, during the incident and subsequently released her on October 1 after receiving an undisclosed ransom. On November 11, in Croix-des-Bouquets, unknown bandits believed to be 400 members of the Mawozo gang attempted to kill Baptist pastor Stanis Stifinson in an attack that killed his young daughter. Pastor Stifinson and his young son escaped the attack and survived gunshot wounds.

Religious leaders indicated that increasing levels of violence against them and their communities is a new phenomenon, resulting in numerous casualties and significant challenges to the continuation of worship. Religious leaders said religious communities were not targeted because of their religion, but because gangs believed religious organizations had access to money. Although they said they lived in constant fear, religious leaders indicated that the cause was general insecurity rather than any particular animosity toward them as religious leaders. A Vodou leader stated that because of the perception that Vodouists were poor, Vodouists were less likely to be kidnapped, while many believed Protestant churches had wealthy foreign donors.

Abductions for ransom of scores of religious leaders and their parishioners were also reported by the media throughout the year. By the end of the year, police had not opened any cases or made arrests in any of the crimes. According to media reports, gangs demanded millions of dollars in ransoms every time and sometimes received payments of unknown amounts. On January 8, unidentified gunmen abducted Sister Dachoune Severe, a nun of the Catholic community of the Little Sisters of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, outside her convent in Carrefour and held her until January 10. According to media reports, there was no mention of whether a ransom was paid. On April 1, unidentified gang members kidnapped Seventh-day Adventist minister Audalus Estime and three parishioners while they were performing on a stage at Gilead Adventist Church in Diquini 63 music streamed live on Facebook, YouTube and local radio would. They were held until April 5, when unknown people paid a ransom of an undisclosed amount. On April 11, 400 members of the Mawozo gang kidnapped 10 Catholic clergymen, including a French priest and a nun, in Croix-des-Bouquets. Gang members released three of the hostages on April 23 and the others on April 30. According to media reports, it was not mentioned whether a ransom was paid. The Catholic Church postponed numerous services in the week after the kidnapping (April 11-20) and after 10 days of no progress on the release of the clergy, the church widened its protest to a three-day suspension of all activities of all institutional Catholics (April 21-20). April 23). The three-day suspension of activities included the complete closure of Catholic-owned churches, schools, universities, non-profit organizations and businesses; Essential workers in Catholic hospitals and clinics were exempt from the suspension. On October 3, 400 members of the Mawozo gang kidnapped a Haitian-American pastor and two parishioners of the Jesus Center Protestant Church in Delmas 29 and held them until October 26, when unknown persons paid an unconfirmed ransom. On October 9, unknown gang members kidnapped Pastor Eliodor Devariste of the Free Methodist Church of Parc Chretien in Delmas 28 and held him until October 11, when unknown men paid a ransom for him. The Protestant community led protests when five other people, some confirmed to be Protestant parishioners from local churches, were abducted from the same Delmas neighborhood that same week. It was unclear how long these individuals were held or if ransoms were paid for them.

On October 16, 400 members of the Mawozo gang abducted 16 US citizens and one Canadian (including five children) from the Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) Amish Mennonite missionary group in Croix-des-Bouquets. The gang released two missionaries on medical parole on November 21 and three more missionaries on December 5 after people unrelated to the CAM paid a ransom, according to the Haitian National Police. The remaining 12 missionaries fled on December 16; Conflicting reports later surfaced in the media as to whether individuals unrelated to the CAM had also paid ransom on behalf of those victims before fleeing.

Vodou leaders cited historical injustices and stated that their religion was still stigmatized. They said that some individuals in the Protestant community were of significant concern to them and may be threatening their religious freedom. A vodou leader said: “Some Protestant pastors preach that vodou is an evil superstition and they might ask their followers to attack us if we decide to organize marches. Our students who attend evangelical schools are forced to deny their identity.” Another Vodou leader said: “In the past the stigma came mainly from the Catholics who campaigned against us, but now it comes mainly from Protestant pastors ."

In October, Landy Mathurin, president of the National Council for Haitian Muslims, stated: "All Haitians are at risk of violence, not Muslims in particular." He went on to say that Muslims do not face stigma and are generally very respected in the country, with Muslim women feel comfortable wearing the hijab in public. He said that many young people tolerate and respect Islam because some famous Haitian singers and musicians have converted to the faith.

Religions for Peace (RFP), an interfaith organization whose coordinating committee included leaders from the Catholic, Evangelical-Protestant, Episcopal, and Vodouist communities, has undertaken many efforts toward joint religious advocacy. During the year, RFP published several open letters calling for peace, solidarity and respect for human dignity, particularly in response to increased violence and kidnappings, the July 7 assassination of President Moise and an August 14 earthquake. RFP also acted from September 2019 to April 2021 as the main facilitator of a peace dialogue aimed at brokering a solution to the political and uncertain crisis of the Moise era. RFP said in October that it was examining how a representative of the Muslim community could join the organization as a full council member. Although formal talks with the Muslim community had not started by the end of the year, Imam Abou Jahman of the Allahou Akbar Spiritual Center in Carrefour-Feuilles often signed the RFP's open letters. Pastor Jean Bilda, president of the Council of Evangelical Churches of Haiti, who is not affiliated with RFP, said his group enjoys and encourages "harmonious" collaboration with the government, leaders of other religions and other Protestants.

Embassy officials held regular meetings with government officials and religious leaders to discuss the status of religious freedom and the challenges facing religious groups. The engagement included targeted and interfaith group discussions to promote religious tolerance, combat stigma, and understand the rise in targeted attacks on religious leaders, communities, and missionaries. The Embassy engaged BOW Director-General Souffrant on religious freedom issues, including respect for religious diversity and the different experiences of different faith communities with the BOW and clergy registration processes.

Senior US government officials visited Port-au-Prince in August, September and October and met with leaders from a variety of religious communities to hear their perspectives on the impact of the political and security crisis on religious freedom in the country. The Deputy Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs visited the country on September 30 and participated in an embassy-hosted roundtable with seven leaders from the Catholic, Episcopalian, Protestant, Evangelical and Vodou communities to discuss the policy's far-reaching implications and security crises in the country. The Assistant Secretary stressed the importance of religious freedom in the context of discussions of widespread gang violence and kidnapping. During this and other high-level visits, religious leaders from all communities discussed how gangs were interfering with their ability to freely assemble and practice their religion, but made it clear that gangs would not target any particular religious group.

The embassy discussed with religious leaders the challenges of operating in a COVID-19 environment and their views on how best to serve their community members. The embassy held a May 7 round table with Islamic leaders to discuss their experiences as a relatively new religious minority in the country. In October, embassy officials met with leaders of the vodou community to discuss their status in society and incidents of stigma.

The Hong Kong SAR (SAR) Basic Law and other laws and regulations state that residents have freedom of conscience, freedom of belief and freedom to preach, perform and engage in religious activities in public. The Bill of Rights Ordinance contains the protections of religious freedom of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). In 2020, the People's Republic of China (PRC) enacted a comprehensive National Security Law (NSL) for the SAR with the stated aim of combating secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers. The Falun Dafa Association and some churches active in the pro-democracy movement said the government has become less tolerant since the NSL was passed. Other religious leaders and advocates stated that the NSL did not interfere with their ability to conduct or participate in religious services in accordance with their religious norms; However, they continued to express their concerns about the PRC's self-censorship and possible attacks on civil society organizations belonging to religious groups active in the 2019 democracy movement. An unknown assailant physically attacked the Hong Kong Falun Dafa Association chairman, and unknown assailants vandalized and destroyed printing presses at the contract printing facility of the Falun Gong-affiliated publicationepoch times. On April 2 and 3, masked individuals used knives and spray paint to destroy eight public information displays about Falun Gong in multiple locations in what appeared to be coordinated attacks, the group said. In April, Lo Hing-choi, president of the Baptist Convention and critic of the NSL, resigned and moved abroad. He fears government retaliation if he stays in Hong Kong. In May, the Good Neighborhood North district church, which had supported the democracy movement, ceased operations. There were reports of other religious leaders emigrating. Media reported that on October 31, bishops and religious leaders from mainland China briefed Catholic clergy in Hong Kong on the PRC central government's policy of "sinicizing" Christianity. Authorities restricted the activities of Falun Gong practitioners throughout the year and banned their street kiosks under the practitioners' pretext of violating COVID-19 protocols. In July, several members of the SAR Legislative Council called on the SAR government to ban the Falun Dafa Association under the NSL. In September, an editorial by the PRC-owned media company Wen Wei Po called on the SAR authorities to ban "cult organizations," a term the PRC government has used in the past to refer to Falun Gong, among others. In April, Wen Wei Po reported that the National Security Police had blocked access to the Taiwan Presbyterian Church's website to internet users in Hong Kong due to "national security concerns."

In June, an unknown group hung banners slandering Cardinal Joseph Zen, an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Catholic Church's policy towards China, around each of the seven Catholic churches hosting a memorial mass for the victims of China wanted to hold off the 1989 massacre on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. On May 17, Pope Francis appointed Rev. Stephen Chow Sau-Yan as Bishop of Hong Kong. The outlet associated with the VaticanAsiaNewsstated Chow was a "balanced" choice between pro-democracy and pro-Beijing camps. Observers reported that Christian churches in Hong Kong continued to provide spiritual and financial support to underground churches in mainland China.

The US Consul General and staff have repeatedly raised concerns about the shrinking space for civil society, including religious groups, in meetings with a number of official counterparts, where they also reiterated the US government's support for protecting freedom of religion or belief. US officials delivered similar messages to religious leaders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community leaders, and in public messages.

The US government estimates the total population at 7.3 million (mid-2021). According to SAR government statistics, there are more than a million followers of Taoism and about a million followers of Buddhism; 800,000 Protestants; 404,000 Catholics; 300,000 Muslims; 100,000 Hindus; and 12,000 Sikhs. The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, which recognizes the pope and has ties to the Vatican, reported about 621,000 followers (404,000 local and 217,000 non-residents). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to have around 25,100 members. According to the World Jewish Congress, there are approximately 2,500 Jews, mostly expatriates. Small communities of Bahai and Zoroastrians also live in the SAR. Confucianism is widespread and in some cases elements of Confucianism are practiced in conjunction with other belief systems. The Falun Dafa Association estimates that there are about 500 Falun Gong practitioners.

There are numerous Protestant denominations, including Baptists, Christian and Missionary Covenants, Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans, the Church of Christ in China, Seventh-day Adventists, and Pentecostals.

Legal framework

The Basic Law states that residents have freedom of conscience, freedom of belief, and freedom to preach, perform, and engage in religious activities in public. The Basic Law also states that the state must not interfere in the internal affairs of religious organizations or restrict religious activities that do not violate other laws. The Basic Law calls for ties between the region's religious groups and their counterparts in mainland China on the basis of "non-subordination, non-interference and mutual respect". The Basic Law states that religious organizations "may maintain and develop their relationships with religious organizations and believers elsewhere".

The Bill of Rights Ordinance contains the ICCPR's religious liberty protections, which include the right, individually or in community with others, to manifest one's religious beliefs in public or private and through worship, observance, practice and teaching. The Bill of Rights Ordinance states that persons belonging to an ethnic, religious or linguistic minority have the right to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion and to use their own language. The regulation also protects the right of parents or legal guardians "to provide for the religious and moral education of their children according to their own convictions". These rights may be restricted when a state of emergency is declared, and the "manifestation" of religious beliefs may be restricted by law when necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals or the rights of others. If a state of emergency is declared, rights must not be restricted solely on the basis of religion.

In 2020, the PRC's National People's Congress (NPC) imposed the NSL for Hong Kong. The law prohibits secession, subversion, terrorism, and "collusion with a foreign country or with outside elements to endanger national security." The law states that local laws are overridden if there is a disagreement. The NSL's authority to interpret the law rests with the NPC Standing Committee, not the local courts.

Regulations by the PRC State Administration for Religious Affairs entitled "Administrative Measures for Religious Clergymen," which came into force in mainland China on May 1, requiring clergymen to swear allegiance to the CCP and promote the "Sinicization of religion," do not apply to Hong Kong.

Religious groups are not required by law to register with the government. However, you must register to receive government benefits such as tax exemptions, rent subsidies, government or other professional development opportunities, use of government facilities, or a grant to provide community services. To qualify for such benefits, a group must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the government, that it is formed solely for religious, charitable, social, or recreational purposes. Registrants must provide the organization's name and purpose, identify its office holders, and confirm the address of the principal place of business and any other premises owned or used by the organization. When a religious group registers with the government, it is included in the register of all NGOs, but the government does not decide on the validity of registered groups. Religious groups can register as a corporation, tax-exempt organization, or both, provided they have at least three members who hold valid SAR identification documents; The registration process usually takes about 12 working days. The Falun Dafa Association is registered as a corporation rather than a religious group; As a corporation, it can set up offices, collect dues from members and have legal status.

The Basic Law allows private schools to teach religious education. The government offers subsidies for schools built and run by religious groups. Government-subsidized schools must adhere to government curriculum standards and may not exclude students because of their religion, but they cannot offer compulsory religious education as part of their curriculum. Teachers must not discriminate against students because of their religious beliefs. The government curriculum prescribes courses in ethics and religious studies, with an emphasis on religious tolerance; it also contains elective modules on various world religions.

The NSL provides that the SAR "take such steps as are necessary to strengthen public communications, guidance, monitoring, and regulation on matters of national security, including those relating to schools, universities, social organizations, the media, and the Internet." . According to the NSL, on February 4, the Board of Education issued new guidelines to include national security classes in the state curriculum, beginning at the kindergarten level. All schools that follow the Bureau of Education curriculum, including those run by religious groups, must incorporate this material. Private and international schools that do not receive funding from SAR agencies, including those run by religious groups, are not required to follow the new guidelines, but the guidelines state that these schools have a "responsibility to protect their students help … a correct and objective understanding and understanding of the concept of national security and the National Security Law.”

Religious groups can apply to the government to lease land on preferential terms through sponsorship of the Home Affairs Bureau. Religious groups may apply to develop or use facilities in accordance with local legislation.

The Chinese Temples Committee, headed by the Minister of the Interior, plays a direct role in managing the affairs of some temples. The SAR Managing Director appoints its members. The committee oversees the administration and logistics of 24 of the region's 600 temples and makes grants to other charities. The committee provides grants to the Bureau of Internal Affairs for disbursement in the form of financial assistance to ethnic Chinese citizens in need. Colonial-era law does not require new temples to register in order to be eligible for temple committee assistance.

In March, the PRC NPC Standing Committee imposed new measures to change the electoral system in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's pro-Beijing legislature passed legislation in May that incorporated these measures into local legislation. The new electoral system creates a nomination and review system for all candidates for political office, which authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have described as ensuring that only "patriots" rule Hong Kong. Hong Kong voters directly choose 20 of the newly expanded 90 seats on the Legislative Council. 40 of the seats are directly elected by the Chief Executive Election Committee (CEEC), while 30 are chosen to represent “functional constituencies” from various economic and social sectors. The CEEC comprises 1,500 members from five sectors. The religious sub-sector in the third sector (“grassroots, labor, religion and others”) consists of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, the Chinese Muslim Culture and Brethren Association, the Hong Kong Christian Council, the Hong Kong Taoist Association, the Confucian Academy, and the Hong Kong Buddhist Association . These six bodies are each entitled to 10 of the 60 seats for the religious sub-sector in the CEEC. The religious sub-sector is not required to hold elections under the Chief Executive Election Ordinance. Instead, each religious organization chooses its constituents in its own way. Each of the six named religious groups is also a member of the Hong Kong Colloquium of Religious Leaders.

government practices

The Falun Dafa Association and some churches active in the pro-democracy movement said the government has become less tolerant since the NSL was passed. For example, Falun Gong practitioners reported that the SAR authorities closed their public information kiosks on May 27 and 28 under the pretense of violating COVID-19 prevention rules under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Regulations. Other religious leaders and advocates said the NSL had not interfered with freedom to hold or attend religious services, although they continued to raise concerns about self-censorship and a possible PRC attack on civil society organizations affiliated with religious groups that do not were active in the democracy movement in 2019. Archbishop Andrew Chan, the head of the Anglican Church of Hong Kong, said all religious activities would continue to be organized and conducted "as usual" but said preachers were "very careful about using sensitive terminology in their sermons".

Some religious leaders and activists said they were concerned that the SAR and PRC authorities could target sectarian groups using tactics they have repeatedly used against associations or groups affiliated with the pro-democracy movement. The SAR authorities launched investigations into civil society groups and severed government ties with them, putting pressure on these groups to disband. Even after threatened groups disbanded, the SAR authorities publicly stated that individuals linked to these groups could face further investigation or arrest. Observers said the government's actions had set numerous precedents undermining fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion, guaranteed by the German constitution.

During the year, Falun Gong practitioners reported that unknown persons monitored Sarah Liang, head of the Hong Kong Falun Dafa Association and a journalist at the Falun Gong-related publication, for monthsepoch times. On May 11, an unidentified man hit Liang more than 10 times with a baseball bat, injuring her legs. June Guo, Director of Hong Kong Editionepoch times, said the CCP was behind the attack on Liang.

Dieepoch timesreported that unknown attackers vandalized and vandalized printing presses at its contract printing facility on April 12, forcing the facility to halt operations for several days. Guo said the safety of staff at the branch's printing shop is an ongoing concern. Falun Gong practitioners reported that no one had been prosecuted for the attacks by the end of the year.

The Falun Dafa Information Center reported that on April 2 and 3, masked people used knives and spray paint to destroy eight public information displays about Falun Gong in what the group said were apparently coordinated attacks in multiple locations. At one location, an attacker pushed a volunteer to the ground. Practitioners said they believe the attacks were instigated by pro-CCP groups. The spokesman for the Falun Dafa Information Center said, "These acts of violence against a religious minority, which took place on Hong Kong's streets in broad daylight, are a clear indication that fundamental freedoms and even the rule of law are actually under threat in Hong Kong."

In August, an unknown group falsely claiming to represent the Falun Dafa Association posted on social media that the group was leaving Hong Kong. The Falun Dafa Association said it had no plans to leave the city.

Media reported that Baptist pastor Lo Hing-choi, President of the Baptist Convention since May 2018, resigned in April and moved abroad. According to media reports, Lo chaired the Baptist Convention to publicly campaign against the Hong Kong government's extradition bill, and Lo also personally criticized the NSL Old Testament in June 2020. In July and September 2020, pro-Beijing newspapers will likeTa Kung Paopublicly criticized Lo, which reportedly led him to fear repercussions under the NSL if he stayed in Hong Kong.

In May, the Good Neighborhood North district church ceased operations. Hong Kong police launched an investigation into alleged money laundering and fraud against the church in December 2020, arrested two people linked to the church and ordered the church's bank accounts to be frozen. Former church pastor Roy Chan, who moved to the UK in 2020, went on to say the probe was an act of political retaliation because some church members formed a group called "Safeguard Our Generation" in 2019 to de-escalate violent clashes between police and police pro-democracy protesters. In October, the former pastor said allegations of "inciting subversion" against religious leaders had led to self-censorship within local churches and prompted some religious leaders to emigrate.

Reuters reported that on October 31, bishops and religious leaders from mainland China briefed Catholic clergy in Hong Kong on the government's policy of "sinicizing" Christianity in order to bring religious teaching and practice in line with CCP doctrine. Clergymen who attended or were aware of the meeting said that while there have been isolated meetings with counterparts in mainland China in the past, this is the first formal meeting and officials from the PRC central government are arranging and overseeing it had.

In June, SAR authorities refused to permit gatherings to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, including the annual vigil in Hong Kong's Victoria Park, but they did not interfere with memorial services held in seven Catholic Churches across the city were held in honor of the victims of the massacre. A spokesman for the Catholic Diocese's Justice and Peace Commission, which organized the masses, said police were questioning the commission for the first time about the arrangements for the masses and the number of participants, citing COVID-19 concerns.

Falun Gong practitioners said they still operated openly and engaged in behaviors that remained illegal in mainland China, including distributing literature, sharing information about the group on social media, and accessing and downloading of online materials. No Falun Gong rallies were allowed during the year due to COVID-19 health restrictions, but practitioners continued to gather publicly in small groups and abided by COVID-19 restrictions. Falun Gong practitioners reported that the group gathered in front of the Central People's Government Liaison Office on July 20 to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the mass arrest of practitioners in mainland China. Practitioners said Hong Kong police ordered them to remove three of their four banners during the event.

The Methodist-run Wa Ying College reported difficulties in obtaining SAR approval or funding for school building renovations. theSouth China tomorrow postreported in May that these difficulties may stem from concerns that several lawmakers had about the positions allegedly taken by many Methodists and the school during the pro-democracy protest movement.

In July, several members of the SAR Legislative Council - including Elizabeth Quat, Wong Kwok-kin and Holden Chow Ho-ding - called on the SAR government to ban the Falun Dafa Association under the NSL. Quat said the group "aims to undermine state power and should be banned immediately," while Wong called on SAR authorities to freeze the group's assets. The SAR security secretary promised to investigate the group.

On Oct. 7, pro-PRC Hong Kong media HK01 reported that according to a poll conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Exchange Association between Sept. 1 and Oct. 5 among 8,855 respondents, 72 percent believed Falun Gong was a "Anti-China and Hong Kong" organization that violates the NSL and should be banned. At a press conference announcing the results of the poll, Legislative Council member Eunice Yung stated that Falun Gong should be banned in Hong Kong "as soon as possible." Yung said Falun Gong has set up an "anti-CCP platform" in Hong Kong and urged the authorities to investigate the group's sources of funding.

On September 14, an editorial in the PRC-owned media outlet Wen Wei Po labeled the Buddhist movement called the True Buddha School a "cult" and a national security threat. The editorial called on the SAR authorities to pass legislation banning "cult organizations," a term the PRC government has used in the past to refer to Falun Gong and the True Buddha School, among others, " to prevent Hong Kong from becoming a haven for filth".

In April, Wen Wei Po reported that the National Security Police had blocked access to the Taiwan Presbyterian Church's website to internet users in Hong Kong due to "national security concerns." A church pastor told Radio Free Asia the interference was in retaliation for the church's support for Hong Kong's 2019 pro-democracy movement, saying: "Blocking the site in this way is a red flag that Beijing is about to introduce more restrictions-like restrictions." Mainland China expands to Hong Kong.”

In December's Legislative Council elections, Peter Koon, then Secretary-General of Hong Kong Province Sheng Kung Hui (of the Anglican Church in Hong Kong), won one of the 40 seats on the CEEC-elected Legislative Council.

In June, an unknown group hung banners around each of seven Catholic churches planning to hold a memorial mass for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing. The banners contained photos of Cardinal Joseph Zen, an outspoken critic of the CCP, using the word "devil" and slogans including "A cult has invaded the faith" and "Incitement in the name of worship."

Media reported that on May 17, Pope Francis appointed Rev. Stephen Chow Sau-Yan as the new Bishop of Hong Kong. Chow, head of the Jesuit order in Hong Kong, replaced Cardinal John Tong, who had been interim bishop since 2019. According to a senior cleric, "the security law has made the job much more difficult and the pressure is enormous." The Holy See and the PRC have no formal diplomatic ties, but the 2018 Sino-Vatican agreement reportedly gives both the Chinese authorities and the Holy See has a role in the process of appointing bishops in mainland China. According to Reuters, Vatican officials said the deal does not apply to Hong Kong; However, some senior clerics said the PRC was trying to expand its control over the Hong Kong Diocese. The outlet associated with the VaticanAsiaNewsstated Chow was a "balanced" choice between pro-democracy and pro-Beijing camps. On May 18, Chow told the media, “Freedom of religion is our fundamental right. We really want to talk to the government so we don't forget that. It is important to allow freedom of religion, matters of faith – not just Catholic – but every religion should be free.”

Observers reported that Christian churches in Hong Kong continued to provide underground churches in mainland China with spiritual and financial support, including Bibles and Christian literature and visits from church members. Some churches in Hong Kong reported being able to conduct cross-border online worship services, while others, including the Catholic Church, reported that the PRC authorities had banned people in mainland China from attending their online worship services.

The consul-general and staff have repeatedly raised concerns about the shrinking space for civil society, including religious groups, in meetings with a number of official counterparts, despite the fact that there is no dedicated government office in Hong Kong to regulate religious conduct. Hong Kong Consulate General officials, including the Consul General, stressed the importance of religious freedom and interfaith dialogue during these meetings with officials.

Consulate General officials, including the Consul General, continued to meet with a wide range of religious organizations, including Buddhist, Catholic, Taoist, Jewish, Muslim, Falun Dafa, Sikh, and Protestant religious leaders and followers, to emphasize the importance of religion Freedom and Tolerance and to receive reports on the status of religious freedom in both Hong Kong and mainland China. They also met with NGOs and community representatives on the same issues.

Throughout the year, Consulate General officials promoted respect for religious traditions by observing traditional religious holidays and visiting local Taoist, Confucian and Buddhist temples and other religious sites. At all of these events, Consulate General officials, in public and private remarks, emphasized the importance of religious freedom, tolerance and diversity. The consulate's social media posts celebrating International Religious Freedom Day on October 27 and highlighting the consul general's visits to religiously-related civil society organizations also reflected the US government's support for the value held by religious freedom in Hong Kong is attributed.

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CHINA|Tibet|Xinjiang|Macau

The US government estimates the total population at 9.7 million (mid-2021). According to the 2011 census (the 2021 census was postponed due to COVID-19), which included an optional question on religious affiliation, of the 73 percent of the responding population, 51 percent identified as Roman Catholic, 16 percent as Hungarian Reformed Church (Calvinists ), 3 percent as Lutheran, 2 percent as Greek Catholic, and less than 1 percent as Jewish; 23 percent stated no religious affiliation; and 2 percent said they were atheists. Other religious groups that together make up less than 5 percent of the population are Greek Orthodox, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (a Pentecostal group), the COS, Russian and other Orthodox Christian groups, other Christian denominations, Buddhists, Muslims, and the Hungarian Society for Krishna- Consciousness . The Hungarian Evangelical Community (MET or the Hungarian Evangelical Brotherhood) has approximately 8,500 members according to a 2013 news report and the Hungarian Pentecostal Church has approximately 9,300 members according to the 2011 census. Local Jewish organizations estimate that around 100,000 citizens of Jewish heritage live in the country, mostly in Budapest. Other religious groups are spread across the country.

Legal framework

The Basic Law, the country's constitution, provides for freedom of conscience and religion, including freedom to choose or change a religion or belief, and freedom — alone or in community with others and in public or private — to express religion or belief through religious acts to manifest or ceremonies or otherwise in worship, practice and observance. It prohibits religious discrimination and statements "aimed at violating the dignity" of a religious community.

The preamble to the constitution states: "We recognize the role of Christianity" in the preservation of the nation and "cherish the diverse religious traditions" in the country. The constitution prescribes the separation of religious communities and the state as well as the autonomy of religious communities. According to the constitution, the state can work together with religious communities on common goals at the request of religious communities. A 2020 constitutional amendment states that children must be guaranteed an "upbringing based on values ​​that flow from our country's constitutional identity and Christian culture."

According to a 2019 amendment to the Religion Act 2011, the Act establishes a four-tier system of “established (or incorporated) churches”, “incorporated churches” (also called “registered II”) and “listed churches” in descending order” ( also called “registered I”) and “religious associations”. The term "church" in the law refers to any religious group, not just Christian, and religious groups of all categories can use "church" in their official names. All previously incorporated religious groups retained their status in the first tier of the system as established churches. Parliament must approve the recognition of established churches. The Budapest-Capital District Court is competent to decide on registration applications in the other three categories. Religious groups at all four levels have legal personality, which gives them legal rights, such as the right to property.

Religious organizations that do not apply for legal status in any of the four tiers can continue to operate and worship, but are not eligible for government funding or income tax contributions from taxpayers. The legal constitutional protection of religious freedom also applies to unregistered groups.

In order to qualify for ecclesiastical status, a religious community must first have registered status and then enter into a comprehensive cooperation agreement with the state for the purpose of realizing the goals of the community. The government submits the comprehensive agreement to Parliament, which must approve it by a two-thirds majority. A registered church becomes an established church on the day Parliament approves the Comprehensive Agreement. Established churches are entitled to significant government subsidies for running public services.

The prerequisite for the status as a registered church is that a religious community has received tax benefits from an average of 4,000 people per year in the last five years before submitting the application. This status also requires that the group has either operated as a religious association for at least 20 years in the country or at least 100 years internationally, or has operated as a listed church in the country for at least 15 years or at least 100 years internationally.

To qualify for church status, a religious group must receive tax appropriations averaging 1,000 people per year in the three years prior to applying and have operated as a religious association in the country for at least five years or internationally for at least 100 years.

To qualify for religious association status, a religious group must have at least 10 members.

The law allows the government to negotiate individual cooperation agreements with all four religious groups for the delivery of public services and support for religious activities. The term of the agreements depends on the status of the religious community and ranges from a maximum of five years for religious communities over 10 or These agreements can be extended.

Religious groups that agree not to seek government (including income tax allocations) or EU funding for their religious activities may qualify as incorporated or listed churches without meeting the personal income tax allocation count requirement. The applicant religious community must be primarily engaged in religious activities and must not be a defendant or have been convicted of a crime of "repeated violation of accounting and administrative regulations" in the past five years or be considered a threat to national security. The court decides on the granting of incorporated or incorporated church status after examining the above criteria. In examining these requests, the court may consult canonical, ecclesiastical, or ecclesiastical or academic experts, and also seek the opinion of national security services.

Religious groups that agree not to apply for government or EU funding but accept financial assistance at a later date must report this to the court within 15 days of the aid being paid out. In order to avoid loss of status or downgrading to a lower association level, the religious community has eight days to declare to the court that it has repaid the funds, requested deletion of its religious registration status, or complied with the individual tax attribution obligation of a registered or listed organization . The religious community or the public prosecutor's office can appeal the court's decision on the status of the group to the Budapest-Capital Court of Appeal.

The law stipulates that the minister responsible for ecclesiastical affairs, based on the information received from the court, will maintain an electronic database of religious groups with legal status, which the public can access free of charge. The database is publicly available on the government's central website, kormany.hu.

The law allows taxpayers to allocate 1 percent of their income taxes to each religious denomination in one of four tiers beginning with the 2020 tax year. Religious groups are free to use these funds. Only established and incorporated churches (the top two tiers) are eligible for a government subsidy to supplement the 1 percent tax allocation.

According to the law, the Budapest-Capital District Court can dissolve a religious community with legal status - with the exception of established churches - if its activity violates the constitution or the law, or if the court decides that its registration should have been refused. Parliament can dissolve a registered church if the Constitutional Court finds it unconstitutional. If a religious community is dissolved without a legal successor, its assets become the property of the state after the creditors have been satisfied and are to be used for charitable purposes.

Thirty-two churches have established status (formerly known as "incorporated"). These include the Roman Catholic Church; a number of Protestant denominations; a number of Orthodox Christian groups; other Christian denominations such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventists, and The Salvation Army; three Jewish groups, the Union of Hungarian Jewish Communities, the Unified Hungarian Jewish Community (EMIH) and the Hungarian Autonomous Orthodox Jewish Community; two Muslim organizations; a Buddhist umbrella organization; and the Hungarian Society for Krishna Consciousness, the only Hindu group registered as a church.

By law, the state may not operate or set up any institution to control or monitor religious groups. Its doctrines, internal regulations and charters are not subject to government review, amendment or enforcement. Copyright protects their names, symbols and rites, criminal law protects buildings and cemeteries.

The constitution establishes a uniform system for the office of Ombudsperson. The Ombudsperson investigates cases related to violations of fundamental rights, including freedom of religion, and takes general or specific action to remedy them. These measures have no legal force.

Treaties with the Holy See regulate relations between the state and the Roman Catholic Church, including funding public services and religious activities and settling claims to property confiscated by the state during the communist era. These treaties serve as a model for governing the state's relations with other religious groups, although there are some differences in the rights and privileges that the state accords to each of the religious groups with which it has agreements. The state also has formal agreements with the Hungarian Reformed Church, the Hungarian Lutheran Church, the Union of Hungarian Jewish Communities (Mazsihisz) and four Orthodox churches.

Under the law, established, registered and listed churches are allowed to provide pastoral care in prisons and hospitals. Other laws indicate that religious organizations may also have the right to provide services in these establishments.

Members of the military and law enforcement agencies are free to practice their religion in private and at work, provided their practice does not violate their mandatory duties. The Roman Catholic, Reformed, Lutheran, and Jewish communities (commonly referred to by the government as "historic churches") can offer chaplaincy services to the military without obtaining a permit. Other religious communities must obtain permission to offer such services.

Correctional facilities generally allow inmates freedom of religion and provide them with special diets such as kosher, vegetarian, and pork-free meals. Historic churches may provide pastoral services in prisons without special permission, but other religious denominations may only do so during official visiting hours, which are set out in individual agreements and with the permission of the correctional facility. Similarly, historic churches are automatically given access to patients in hospitals to provide pastoral services, while other groups are only allowed to do so under certain conditions, e.g. B. Offer services only during visiting hours.

One lesson per week in Faith and Ethics, or general ethics, is compulsory in the first eight grades of public school. Parents and students choose between the faith and ethics classes offered by an established church of their choice, or a secular ethics class taught by public school teachers. Other religious communities are not permitted to offer religious education as part of the compulsory curriculum in public schools, but may offer extracurricular, optional religious education in public schools at the request of parents or students. Private schools are not required to offer faith and ethics classes or general ethics classes.

All religious groups registered in any of the four categories have the right to open their own schools. The state provides a subsidy based on the number of students enrolled for staff salaries at all of these schools. Only established churches automatically receive an additional grant towards the running costs of the schools. Other religious groups may apply for an additional operating grant and the Department of Human Resources (MHC) may contract with them individually to cover these costs.

The law also gives any legal religious entity the right to take over the running of public schools if more than 50 percent of the parents and adult students enrolled in the school sign a petition and the MHC agrees to the change. In these cases, the state can continue to fund the schools. Religious schools, whether newly established or converted from public status, are free to conduct their own religious education without government interference and to make faith education compulsory and not replace it with ethics education. The state reviews both religious and public schools every two years to ensure they meet legal standards.

The constitution prohibits statements that violate the dignity of a religious community. The law prohibits both incitement to violence and incitement to hatred against a religious community or its members, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison. The law provides for a maximum sentence of three years in prison for using violence or threats to prevent others from freely practicing their religion, or for abusing people because of their religious affiliation.

Bodily harm motivated by the victim's actual or presumed religious affiliation is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment for a period of one to five years. Violence against a member of the clergy is classified as violence against a "public servant" and is also punishable by imprisonment from one to five years. Anyone preparing to use violence against a member of a religious community is guilty of an administrative offense punishable by imprisonment for up to two years.

The law prohibits public denial, expression of doubt, or downplaying the Holocaust, genocide, and other crimes against humanity committed by Nazi or Communist regimes, and carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison. The Penal Code provides for wearing, displaying, or publicly promoting the swastika, the logo of the Nazi SS, or the symbol of the Arrow Cross - a fascist, anti-Semitic party allied with Nazi Germany - in a manner that violates human dignity or the commemoration of the Holocaust -Victim of an offense punishable by five to 90 days imprisonment.

The law provides for the lifting of the immunity from office of an MP who incites hatred against religious groups or publicly denies crimes committed by the communist or Nazi regime. No MP was the subject of such a procedure.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

During the year, the government provided 134 billion forints ($410.64 million) to established churches (compared to 216.4 billion forints - $663.15 million - in 2020), of which 91 percent - 122.3 billion forints ($374.79 million) – went to the four historic churches. The Roman Catholic Church received 80 billion forints ($245.16 million), the Reformed Church 34.1 billion forints ($104.50 million), the Evangelical Church 5.2 billion forints ($15.94 million US$), Mazsihisz 2.2 billion forints (US$6.74 million), EMIH 524 million forints (US$1.61). million) and the Jewish Orthodox community 260 million forints ($797,000). The religious groups, which received the bulk of government financial aid, used the funds for activities such as building maintenance; public educational and social services; religious education and cultural activities; community programs and investments; Worker wages and religious activities for expatriate citizens.

According to tax office statistics released Sept. 13, 136 churches and religious communities received grants of 1 percent income tax during the year. As in previous years, churches received the most donations: the Roman Catholic Church with 740,326 people donating 4.3 billion forints (US$13.18 million); Hungarian Reformed Church with 309,825 people contributing 1.8 billion forints (US$5.52 million); and the Lutheran Church with 82,701 people contributing 508 million forints (US$1.56 million). The Hungarian Society for Krishna Consciousness took fourth place with 73,890 people who contributed 472 million forints (US$1.45 million). MET, which took 1 percent personal income tax allocations for the first time since the religion law was changed in 2011, ranked fifth, with 39,815 people contributing 315 million forints ($965,000). Among the Jewish groups, Mazsihisz received the largest allocation.

According to the PMO, in the 2021-2022 school year, 19.6 percent of elementary and secondary schools (compared to 17.1 percent in 2019-20) operated churches or church-related colleges and 0.4 percent operated religious associations. Churches or church colleges operated 9.2 percent of the preschools (with students ages three to seven), compared with 10 percent church-run a year earlier, and religious associations operated 0.2 percent. 217,169 students - 52.6 percent of them in Catholic schools - attended kindergartens, primary and secondary schools of churches and religious communities compared to 222,944 in the previous year.

Independent media reported in August that the government allocated 10 billion forints ($30.64 million) to the Roman Catholic Church's pre-school development program during the year. The government also allocated an additional 3.5 billion forints ($10.73 million) for educational development projects of the Reformed Church and the Catholic Church.

For the school year beginning in September, the MHC withdrew supplementary funds from the MET's educational facilities, which are attended by approximately 2,200 mostly Roma children.

Works by writers generally regarded as anti-Semitic, including Arrow Cross member Jozsef Nyiro and convicted war criminal Albert Wass, remained required reading in elementary and secondary public schools.

In a program broadcast by public Kossuth Radio in March, a historian discussed theBlock numberAct of 1920 and states that the Act was not about depriving rights, only limiting rights. The law, enacted under Regent Miklos Horthy, limited the number of Jews who could attend universities and is considered by the Jewish community to be the first anti-Semitic law of the country's interwar period. (Horthy was the WWII-era leader of the Hungarian state. He allied the country with Nazi Germany and deported more than 400,000 Jews to Nazi death camps.)

In January, the Budapest-Capital Regional Court of First Instance dismissed a complaint by MP and deputy leader of the Christian Democratic People's Party Imre Vejkey against a cartoon by Gabor Papai published by the independent dailyNepsavain 2020. The cartoon showed the chief medical officer, who oversaw the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, looking at Jesus on the cross and saying, "His underlying diseases caused his death." According to media commentators, the cartoon satirized what critics saw as the chief medical officer's attempt to minimize the number of deaths in the country that could be attributed to COVID-19. The Court of Appeal found on June 3 that the cartoon violated the plaintiff's right to human dignity as a member of the Christian community. The ruling also ordered the newspaper to pay Vejkey 400,000 forints ($1,200) plus court costs and to publish a front-page apology. The newspaper published the apology on June 25, but announced on July 2 that it was asking the Supreme Court (Which) to review the lower court's decision. At the end of the year, there was no information as to whether the Supreme Court had agreed to review the case.

On February 5, the Constitutional Court ruled in a seven-year case involving the front page of an independent weekly newspaperHVG, titled "Nagy Haracsony" (a pun on the terms "Great Christmas" and "great grab-all"). The Constitutional Court ruled that the cover was protected by freedom of expression and was not intended to offend the Christian community.

In February, media reported that a local municipality in Budapest had not renewed a land use agreement with the city's only Jewish broadcaster.TV immediately(Weekly TV). The municipality announced that it intends to make the land available to bidders due to financial difficulties. Transmitter founder Peter Breuer criticized the move and the transmitter continued to operate at a new location.

In March, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen signed a cooperation agreement with the Hungarian Jewish Prayer Association (Zsima), a Jewish organization founded in October 2020. The deal called for state funding of 51 million forints ($156,000) annually through 2025.

The COS reported that on April 28, the DPA raided its mission's warehouse in Budapest and confiscated a third of its religious files on its members. The DPA seized the remaining folders on May 26. These raids were a follow-up to the DPA's 2017 investigation into alleged criminal misuse of personal data by the COS, in which the DPA confiscated COS documents at the group's offices in Budapest and Nyiregyhaza and fined the COS 40 million forints ($123,000). The Constitutional Court rejected the COS Nyiregyhaza Mission's appeal to the DPA in 2017, while a similar appeal from the Budapest COS Mission was pending at the end of the year.

On May 27, the NAV searched the homes of dozens of COS members in a criminal investigation into alleged tax fraud. The NAV took four people to their headquarters in handcuffs. The COS also reported that the NAV mortgaged the Central Church building. According to the COS, its appeals against government decisions to revoke the residence permits of a Russian-Ukrainian missionary couple in 2019 and expel a Kazakh missionary in 2020 were unsuccessful and the decisions became final.

The list of religious associations and listed churches was available on a dedicated PMO website. Court decisions on the registration procedure for registered churches, registered churches and religious communities were available on the courts' central website, birosag.hu.

The PMO reported that some religious groups are eligible for a simplified registration process. In the simplified procedure, religious communities did not have to determine the number of people who allocated them income tax allocations in previous years or allocations prior to 2012, the year in which the Religious Law came into force. A total of 15 groups applied again using the simplified procedure. At the end of the year, 234 groups were registered as religious associations and 12 were listed as churches, including 10 groups with pending applications before the 2019 amendment to the Religion Law came into effect. According to the PMO, the Budapest-Capital Regional Court rejected two applications, one remained pending. The two rejected religious communities were registered as religious communities. The number of established churches remained unchanged at 32.

The PMO also said no religious groups qualified for incorporated church status during the year because they could not meet the requirement to receive income tax allocations averaging at least 4,000 people per year in the previous five-year period , which could only start in 2019 or later. The number of registered churches therefore remained at zero. MET appealed against the Budapest-Capital District Court's decision to register it as a listed church and applied for classification as a registered church. The appeal process was still ongoing at the end of the year.

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) – or TASZ in Hungarian – an NGO that represented some religious groups that were de-registered after the passage of the 2011 Religion Law, which introduced a new re-registration process and a tiered system for churches, reported that it will not be pursued domestically or international legal challenges after the Constitutional Court in 2020 rejected its request that the amended religion law was discriminatory and failed to adequately address concerns related to its 2011 version.

The HCLU continued to monitor and advocate internationally to enforce the European Court of Human Rights' 2014 ruling that the Religion Act violated freedom of religion and caused financial damage to deregistered churches. The 2014 ruling called on the government to reach an agreement with the applicant churches to have their status restored and to receive fair compensation for any damage. The HCLU said it is also examining whether state funding for certain churches is leading to their over-representation in educational and social institutions, thereby jeopardizing the state's religious neutrality.

In February, NAV charged MET's bank account with alleged tax and social security arrears of about 250 million forints ($766,000). MET Chairman Pastor Gabor Ivanyi stated that MET would be able to pay its outstanding bills if the state compensated it for the damages it suffered in 2016-2019 due to the group's loss of church status has suffered. The pastor added that the loss of its established church status also disqualified the MET from receiving a state allowance equivalent to church members' 1 percent personal income tax allocations. Separately, in September 2020, MET struck an agreement with the state utility to defer payment of outstanding bills until April. The company had threatened to disconnect MET's facilities from the gas grid for non-payment in 2020. MET stated that its de-registration as a state-approved church in 2011 and government administrative actions against the church in 2020 and 2021 were in retaliation for MET leader and Pastor Ivanyi's public criticism and questioning of PM Orban's claims that he was after Christian principles govern.

The government completed a research project it had been conducting for several years on the value of Jewish heirloom and unclaimed property, but in January, in a letter addressed to WJRO, the government stated for the first time that its 2007 comparison to WJRO played a role "final satisfaction of claims for compensation" and that under the constitution adopted by the government in 2011 "it was no longer possible to make a refund for abandoned Jewish property, whether inside or outside Hungary". Disagreeing with the government's position, WJRO sought further negotiations. Talks between the government and WJRO on the issue of compensation resumed in October, but by the end of the year the government had not proposed a negotiation roadmap or target date.

In April, Mazsihisz announced that two Orthodox Jewish groups, EMIH and the Hungarian Orthodox Jewish Community, had sought to review the government's compensation rent for confiscated Jewish property, and sued Mazsihisz in the Jerusalem Supreme Rabbinical Court. In June, the court (which has no jurisdiction in Hungary) issued a non-binding order asking the government to freeze payments until new criteria for apportioning the annuity were established. At the end of the year, the government had not changed the distribution of the restitution pension.

According to the COS, the Csongrad County Government Office has again failed to respond to a request from the COS for an occupancy certificate for its Budapest headquarters. The application had been pending since 2017, although the Budapest Administrative and Labor Court ruled in 2017 that the District Office would process the COS' application until March 2018. The COS said it had received no explanation for the ongoing delay. A court order that is still in effect allowed the COS to continue using the building.

The Organization of Muslims in Hungary (OMH) reported that Budapest's municipal funeral home provided cemetery space for Muslims, but that Islamic burials required a permit from the Hungarian Islamic Community (HIC), the other Muslim organization for which the HIC was issued, and a fee of about 50,000 forints ($150). OMH members raised concerns about this practice. Unlike the capital, OMH reported that there is a limited amount of cemetery space in the city of Pecs. The restoration of the state-owned Yakovali Hasan Mosque in Pecs, which has been ongoing since 2019, has remained pending, preventing the local Muslim community from using the mosque as a place of worship.

On June 10, the renovated Rumbach Synagogue in Budapest, which served as a Jewish deportation point in 1941, reopened as a place of worship and culture for the first time since the 1950s. The government supported the renovation with 3.2 billion forints ($9.81 million). Senior officials from the World Jewish Congress attended the opening ceremony.

On August 29, a ceremony marked the completion of the renovation of a Jewish hospital in Budapest run by Mazsihisz. Human Resources Minister Miklos Kasler said at the opening ceremony that the government has allocated five billion forints ($15.32 million) to rebuild the hospital, as part of its efforts to ensure that hospitals run by religious groups are free , a significant role in the country played health care system. The facility was the country's only Jewish hospital and served both Jewish and non-Jewish patients, some of whom were Holocaust survivors.

According to OMH, Muslims serving prison sentences continued to be regularly fed meals containing pork or lard, despite complaints that it went against their religious dietary practices.

On May 1, Fidesz co-founder and media personality Zsolt Bayer wrote in the pro-government newspaperHungarian nationthat the US Secretary of State, who has Hungarian ancestry, was a "rootless Hungarian" and a "rootless American," which many interpreted as a classic anti-Semitic trope. Bayer has a long history of anti-Semitic writings and statements. He has high profile platforms in pro-government media and received a prestigious government award in 2016.

In June, Laszlo Toroczkai, leader of the Mi Hazank (Our Homeland) party, which is widely described as far-right and has seats in parliament and local municipalities, wrote that European nations should stand on their own two feet and “need neither Jews nor Palestinians.” .” In August he commemorated the members of the Ragged Guard, an interwar paramilitary force whose leader Ivan Hejjas was responsible for the murder and robbery of hundreds of Jews. In October, he said on his social media channel that certain influential businessmen and politicians with Jewish roots were using the COVID-19 pandemic to create a new world order. In February, Mi Hazank Party Deputy Leader Elod Novak addressed an event commemorating Regent Horthy.

In September, the Hungarian Baptist Church signed a cooperation agreement with the government to carry out religious, educational, social and cultural activities.

On September 12, Prime Minister Orban met Pope Francis, who was celebrating the closing Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress, a week-long gathering of the Roman Catholic Church in Budapest. After their meeting, Prime Minister Orban wrote on his Facebook page: "I asked Pope Francis not to let Christian Hungary perish."

At an international conference on anti-Semitism and Holocaust remembrance on October 13 in Sweden, Family Affairs Minister Katalin Novak said that commemorating [the Holocaust] is "extremely important" to the government. She called for a continuous fight against manifestations of anti-Semitism.

Government officials continued to make statements in defense of a "Christian Europe" and against Muslim immigration. On September 1, at the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia, Prime Minister Orban declared that today's migrants are "all Muslims" who have changed Europe's cultural identity. On September 9, at the opening of the academic year at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, a private educational institution, he said that during the "Muslim [immigrant] tide" the West was unable to face its own historic mission. On September 27, at a church dedication, Orban declared: "Hungarians can only survive as Christians, and each new church is a bastion in the nation's struggle for freedom and greatness." He added that since 2010 in the country and in the Carpathian Basin (former Hungarian areas currently inhabited by ethnic Hungarians) 150 new churches were built and more than 3,000 churches renovated.

On October 14, at a government-sponsored conference organized as part of the country's Council of Europe presidency, PMO leader Gergely Gulyas declared: “In Western Europe we can no longer speak of Christian democracy in the original and Central European sense. ”

In October, Peter Barnabas Farkas, Deputy Mayor of the City of Ozd and a member of the Jobbik Party, resigned after two 2018 photos of him giving the Nazi salute in front of the Holocaust Museum in Ozd emerged seemed Poland. Farkas later apologized and visited the Holocaust Memorial Center in Budapest.

On October 23, the anniversary of the 1956 revolution, Prime Minister Orban accused the opposition of competing to represent the interests of a certain Jewish-American financier and the EU aimed at "taking Hungary out of Mary's hands." and bring it to power feet of Brussels.”

In November, EMIH Chief Rabbi Slomo Koves told the press that the House of Destinies, a proposed new Holocaust museum and educational center in Budapest owned by EMIH, is expected to open by 2024. Leading Jewish groups and Holocaust researchers have criticized the museum concept as an attempt to disguise the role of the WWII-era Hungarian state and its leader Miklos Horthy in the Holocaust.

In a report published in February on the instrumentalization of anti-Semitism in European politics, the Anti-Defamation League, an international NGO, said the government had been using coded anti-Semitism in campaigns against EU migration policies since late 2015, affecting more than a million migrants from the Middle East East. The report cited what it described as the government's demonization of a prominent Jewish-American financier of Hungarian descent.

The country is a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

In January, the independent online news agency444.hureleased a documentary about the crimes committed by a group of Hungarian Arrow Crossers against Jewish residents of the twelfth district of Budapest during World War II and the controversial oneson the marketStatue erected in the district in 2005. While the statue officially commemorates the civilian victims of the Allied bombing and Soviet siege of Budapest in 1944-45, experts have explained that the Turul bird (a large, mythical bird of prey) was a well-known symbol of right-wing extremist groups in the interwar period and the statue continued to serve as a meeting place for such groups. Historians said in 2019 that the names engraved on the statue included at least 22 members of the Arrow Cross gang that massacred Jews in Budapest, including the grandfather of current Fidesz district mayor Zoltan Pokorni. In a Feb. 1 press conference, Pokorni, who ordered his grandfather's name removed from the statue in 2020, dismissed a suggestion by historians that the monument be turned into a memorial to fallen World War I soldiers. He suggested that the statue should be preserved, but that it should contain "a very detailed guide" to the Turul symbol.

In September, the Brussels-based NGO Action and Protection League released the results of its European anti-Semitism survey, based on data from December 2019 to January 2020. According to the survey, 25 percent of 1,000 respondents aged 18 to 25 in Hungary said they were to be negative feelings toward Jews. 36 percent said they would feel "completely uncomfortable" or "uncomfortable" if they had Jewish neighbors. The survey cited stereotypical statements about Jews and asked respondents to what extent they agreed or disagreed. The proportion who responded with "strongly agree" or "rather agree" were: "The interests of the Jews in this country differ greatly from the interests of the rest of the population" (34 percent); "there is a secret Jewish network influencing political and economic affairs in the world" (39 percent); "Jews have too much influence in this country" (28 percent); “Jews will never be able to fully integrate into this society” (30 percent); "More than most, Jews tend to use shady practices to achieve their goals" (27 percent); "Many of the atrocities of the Holocaust were later often exaggerated by the Jews" (16 percent); "Jews are also to blame for the persecutions against them" (31 percent); “Jews are exploiting Holocaust victimhood for their own purposes” (39 percent).

The foundation reported 30 anti-Semitic incidents in 2020, the latest available data, compared to 35 the year before. These were six cases of vandalism, one threat, one case of discrimination and 22 cases of hate speech.

In July, Mazsihisz President Andras Heisler presented the results of a 2019-2020 survey prepared by independent pollster Median and commissioned by Mazsihisz. Heisler explained that while the number of physical attacks and cases of vandalism was low compared to Western Europe, hate speech, conspiracy theories and anti-Semitism in public life increased between 2019 and 2020, and the widely labeled far-right party Mi Hazank was among the most common Perpetrators of anti-Semitic incidents and hate speech. According to the survey, there were 70 antisemitic incidents in 2020, up from 53 the year before. Citing data from 2019, Median's head of pollster Endre Hann said that 36 percent of Hungary's adult population could be characterized by some level of anti-Semitism, including anti-Semitic prejudices and attitudes towards Jews.

Muslim organizations said they did not collect statistical data because, according to one member, they lacked the capacity to do so. However, OMH reported that while physical assaults were rare, verbal abuse and hateful emails and phone calls were common, particularly against those who wore headscarves or were darker-skinned and spoke a foreign language. For example, according to OMH, individuals often referred to Muslims as "terrorists" and urged them to "get out of here."

OMH also reported a higher number of online insults on social media during the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. According to OMH, the majority of the population views Muslims with suspicion.

As in previous years, national and international far-right and neo-Nazi groups celebrated the anniversary of the breakout attempt by Hungarian and German troops on February 11, 1945 during the Soviet Red Army's siege of Budapest. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on public gatherings, approximately 100 people took part in an organized re-enactment walk along the Route of Attempted Siegebreakers in Budapest. The Hungarian section of the international neo-Nazi group Blood and Honor organized the event. Before the event, one of its organizers published an opinion piece in the pro-government media outletHungarian nationtitled "Honor the Heroes". In the article, the author compares Hungarian and German soldiers who tried to break out with the great heroes of Hungarian history.

In June, a football fan associated with Kispest, a Budapest-based Honved football club, posted a photo on social media with text ending with "Heil Hitler." In September, independent media reported that Kispest Youth, also known as Militant Jugend Kispest, painted swastikas and 88 (a common symbol for "Heil Hitler" since H is the eighth letter of the alphabet) on buildings in the Kispest district, and red white-black ones Shirts with swastikas in photos posted on social media.

In July, TEV reported that swastikas were painted on a company building in Szeged and on the sidewalk in Szolnok. Also in July, a picture of Hitler with the inscription “One people, one Reich, one leader” hung on private property in Leanyfalu. The police initiated investigations. In 2020, an SS flag was hung on the facade of the same house. The police initially dismissed this case, but prosecutors reopened it as it involved the public use of a totalitarian symbol. In June, a passer-by told two Jewish teenagers in Budapest to "go to Auschwitz," and in May, a guard at a Budapest drugstore was fired for calling a customer a "filthy Jew."

According to press reports, a team of international volunteers worked to restore the neglected Kozma Street Cemetery in Budapest, which is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in the world, covering 77 hectares and containing some 300,000 graves. By mid-year, volunteers had reportedly cleaned up 20 percent of the cemetery.

In October, the Christian-Jewish Council, an informal discussion platform between Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed and Baptist churches and Jewish groups, held a conference on the role of the family in religion, attended by members of Christian and Jewish groups.

During a visit to the country in September, Pope Francis met with representatives of Christian churches and Jewish communities and said anti-Semitism is a "fuse that must not be blown".

In meetings and discussions with the government, including representatives of the PMO responsible for church and Jewish affairs, the chargé d'affaires and embassy officials advocated the return of heirless Jewish property confiscated during the Holocaust and discussed provisions of the Religion Act, including registration Process for Religious Groups.

The chargé d'affaires and embassy officials also discussed the restitution of inherited property with the WJRO.

In June, the chargé d'affaires dedicated a room in the embassy building to the memory of Carl Lutz, who is credited with saving the lives of more than 62,000 Hungarian Jews. As Swiss Vice Consul, Lutz operated from the building, probably the room where the ceremony took place, while Switzerland looked after US property and interests between 1942 and 1945. Members of the Jewish community attended the event, which the message also highlighted on its social media accounts.

In August, the chargé d'affaires spoke at an event commemorating the birthday of Swedish diplomat and honorary citizen of the United States Raoul Wallenberg, who rescued thousands of Hungarian Jews in 1944-1945 while serving in Budapest. His speech emphasized the importance of Holocaust education and rejection of anti-Semitism, and the embassy highlighted this on its social media accounts. In November, the charge d'affaires joined the global initiative of the International March of the Living, an international educational program on Holocaust history, to raise awareness of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, the Nazi pogrom of 1938. Speaking at the Dohany Street Synagogue in Budapest, he highlighted the US commitment to commemorating the Holocaust and fighting anti-Semitism, racism and intolerance.

Embassy officials also facilitated cooperation between U.S. and Hungarian authorities regarding the proper handling of Jewish historical artifacts stolen from Jewish communities in the country during World War II, including Hungary, for auction in the United States.

The embassy has been in regular contact with leaders of various religious communities, including the four historical groups, as well as Muslims, the COS and religious groups that lost registered church status in 2011, such as MET, Bet Orim and Sim Shalom, to understand their concerns. During these discussions, embassy officials debated the implications of the Religion Law, anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim rhetoric.

The US government estimates the total population at 1.3 billion (mid-2021). According to the 2011 census, the latest year for which disaggregated figures are available, Hindus make up 79.8 percent of the population, Muslims 14.2 percent, Christians 2.3 percent and Sikhs 1.7 percent. Groups that together make up less than 2 percent of the population include Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians (Parsis), Jews and Bahai. In government statistics, the Department of Tribal Affairs officially identifies more than 104 million members of scheduled tribes as Hindus — indigenous groups historically outside the caste system and often practicing indigenous religious beliefs — although an estimated 10 million of those listed as scheduled tribe members are Christians, according to the census 2011

According to government estimates, there are large Muslim populations in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Jammu and Kashmir. In Lakshadweep and Jammu and Kashmir, Muslims make up 95 percent and 68.3 percent of the population, respectively. A little more than 85 percent of Muslims are Sunni, the rest mostly Shia. According to media reports, there are an estimated 150,000 Ahmadi Muslims in the country during the year. According to government estimates, Christian populations are spread across the country, but in larger concentrations in the Northeast and the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Goa. Three northeastern states have majority Christian populations: Nagaland (90 percent), Mizoram (87 percent), and Meghalaya (70 percent). Sikhs make up 54 percent of Punjab's population. The Dalai Lama's office states that there are significant resettled Tibetan Buddhist communities in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttarakhand and in Delhi. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and media reports, there are about 100,000 Tibetan Buddhists in the country. According to media reports, around 40,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees from Burma live in the country. UNHCR estimated that it has received 1,800 refugee registration applications since August 2021 and expects to receive 3,500 to 5,000 refugee registration applications by the end of 2022.

Legal framework

The constitution prescribes a secular state and provides for freedom of conscience and the right of all people to freely profess, practice and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality and health considerations. It prohibits state discrimination based on religion, including in the workplace, and restricts access to public or private institutions for religious reasons. The Constitution states that religious groups have the right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes, to govern their own affairs in religious matters, and to own, acquire, and manage property. It prohibits the use of public funds to support a religion. National and state laws make religious freedom "subject to public order, morality and health." The constitution stipulates that the state should endeavor to create a unified civil code that applies to members of all religions throughout the country.

Federal law empowers the government to ban religious organizations that provoke intercommunal tensions, engage in terrorism or sedition, or violate laws governing foreign contributions.

Ten of the 28 states have laws restricting religious conversions: Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh prohibit religious conversions by "force", "enticement" or "fraudulent means", including marriage "with the intention of conversion", and require district authorities to spend a month notifying intended conversions be informed in advance. The states of Himachal Pradesh and Odisha maintain similar prohibitions against conversion by "coercion", "incitement" or "fraud", which would include the provision of gifts, the promise of a better life, free education and other usual charitable activities and bar Prevent people from supporting such conversions. The state of Odisha requires people who wish to convert to another religion and clergymen who intend to attend a conversion ceremony to submit a formal notification to the government. The notification procedure stipulates that the police must determine whether there are any objections to the conversion. Anyone can object. Four state governments have enacted laws imposing penalties on “forced” religious conversions for the purpose of marriage (Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh), although some state supreme courts have dismissed cases charged under the law. By the end of the year, four other state governments announced plans to enact similar legislative measures: Haryana, Karnataka, Gujarat and Assam. Since March, Madhya Pradesh has required prior approval from a district officer to convert to a spouse's faith in the case of interfaith marriage, has allowed the annulment of a fraudulent marriage, and has set the penalties for violators at up to 10 years in prison with no bail and fines up to 100,000 rupees ($1,300).

Violators, including missionaries, are subject to fines and other penalties, such as imprisonment for up to three years in Chhattisgarh and up to four years in Madhya Pradesh if the converts are minors, women, or members of registered castes or registered tribes. on religious freedom in April, Gujarat is also handing out prison sentences of between three and 10 years and fines of up to 50,000 rupees (US$670) for violent or fraudulent religious conversions through marriage. In Himachal Pradesh, penalties include up to two years in prison, a fine of 25,000 rupees (US$340) or both.

The Federal Criminal Code criminalizes "promoting enmity between different groups because of religion" and "acts harmful to the maintenance of harmony", including acts that cause harm to religious groups and their members. The Penal Code also prohibits "deliberate and malicious acts aimed at outraging religious sentiments of any class by insulting their religion or religious belief." Violation of any of these provisions is punishable by imprisonment for up to three years, a fine or both. If the offense is committed in a place of worship, the prison sentence can be up to five years.

There are no registration requirements for religious groups unless they receive foreign funding, in which case they must register under the FCRA. Federal law requires NGOs, including religious organizations, registered under the FCRA to maintain audit reports of their accounts and a timeline of their activities and make them available to state government officials upon request.

Organizations that conduct “cultural, economic, educational, religious, or social programs” that receive foreign funding must obtain a license under the FCRA. The central government may also require licensed organizations to obtain prior approval before accepting or transferring foreign funds. The central government can reject an application for a license or an application for the transfer of funds if it considers that the recipient acts against "the harmony between religious, racial, social, linguistic, regional groups, castes or communities".

NGOs, including religious organizations, are allowed to use 20 percent of their funds for administrative purposes and are not allowed to transfer foreign funds to other organizations or individuals.

The Constitution states that any legal reference to Hindus is to be construed to include adherents of Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism, meaning they are subject to laws relating to Hindus, such as the Hindu Marriage Law. Subsequent legislation continues to use the word Hindu as a category encompassing Sikhs, Buddhists, Bahai and Jains, but identifies the groups as separate religions whose adherents fall under the legislation.

Federal law gives official minority status to six religious groups: Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, Jains and Buddhists. State governments can grant minority status to religious groups that are minorities in a particular region under state law. Members of recognized minority groups are eligible for government assistance programs. The constitution states that the government has a responsibility to protect religious minorities and enable them to uphold their culture and religious interests.

Civil status laws establish civil codes for members of certain religious communities in matters of marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance based on religion, belief and culture. Hindu, Christian, Parsi, Jewish and Islamic personal status laws are legally recognized and enforceable in court. Personal status issues not defined in a separate law for a community fall under Hindu personal status laws. However, these laws do not supersede national and state laws or constitutional provisions. The government grants autonomy to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and the Parsi community to define their usual practices. When bar associations or community leaders cannot resolve disputes, cases are referred to the civil courts.

Interfaith couples, and all couples marrying in a civil ceremony, are generally required to provide 30 days' public notice — including addresses, photographs, and religious affiliation — for public comment, although this requirement varies from state to state. Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs or Jains who marry outside their religion face the possibility of losing their property inheritance rights under the civil status laws of those communities.

The law recognizes the registration of Sikh marriages but does not contain provisions for divorce for Sikhs. Other Sikh personal status matters fall under Hindu codices. According to the law, any person, regardless of their religion, can apply for divorce in a civil court.

The constitution prohibits religious instruction in state schools; The law allows private religious schools. The law allows some Muslim, Christian, Sindhi (Hindu refugee), Parsi and Sikh educational institutions that receive government support to set quotas for students belonging to the religious minority in question. For example, Aligarh Muslim University must admit at least 50 percent Muslims. St. Stephen's College in Delhi and St. Xavier's in Mumbai must admit at least 50 percent Christians.

25 of the 28 states apply partial to full restrictions on cattle slaughter. Penalties vary between states and can vary depending on whether the animal is a cow, calf, bull, or steer. The ban primarily affects Muslims and members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, who traditionally consume beef. In most states that ban cattle slaughter, penalties include imprisonment for a period of six months to two years and a fine of 1,000 to 10,000 rupees (US$13 to 130). Since August, when the Assam state government enacted new legislation, penalties have included a minimum of three years in prison or a fine of between 300,000 and 500,000 rupees ($4,000-$6,700) or both, with no entitlement to pre-trial bail, for the Slaughter, consume, or transport livestock. Since February, the slaughter of all cattle, except buffalo, older than 13 years has been illegal in Karnataka, with violations carrying prison terms of between three and seven years and fines ranging from 500,000 to 1,000,000 rupees ($6,700 to $13,500). be occupied. Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir punish the slaughter of cows with prison terms ranging from two to ten years. Gujarat state law prescribes a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment for killing cows, selling beef and illegally transporting cows or beef.

One state, Madhya Pradesh, imposes fines of 25,000 to 50,000 rupees (US$340 to US$670) and prison terms of six months to three years for cow vigilantism, i.e. H. Use of force in the name of protecting cows. This is the only law of its kind in the country.

The National Commission on Minorities, made up of representatives from the six designated religious minorities and the National Human Rights Commission, investigates allegations of religious discrimination. The Ministry of Minority Affairs can also conduct investigations. These authorities have no enforcement powers, but conduct investigations based on written complaints about criminal or civil violations and transmit the results to law enforcement authorities. Eighteen of the country's 28 states and the National Capital Territory of Delhi have state minority commissions that also investigate allegations of religious discrimination.

The Constitution establishes the legal basis for preferential public charitable programs for registered caste or registered tribe communities and members of the "other backward classes," a category for groups considered socially and educationally disadvantaged. The constitution states that only Hindus, Sikhs or Buddhists are eligible to be considered members of a particular caste. Consequently, Christians and Muslims are entitled to benefits if they are considered to belong to “backward” classes because of their social and economic status.

The government requires foreign missionaries to obtain missionary visas.

The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

government practices

According to media reports, on September 26, a 14-year-old Christian boy in Bihar's Gaya district died in a hospital in Patna after perpetrators threw acid at him. Family members said the police did not press charges despite threats against the family from Hindu groups and locals. The boy's father, Vakil Ravidas, had converted his family to Christianity five years earlier and family members said they were threatened by members of the local community and warned not to attend church. Police told the media the boy died by self-immolation as a result of a family dispute, a claim the victim's family denied. Media reported that the family had signed a letter of consent stating that they did not want to pursue the matter with the police or in court.

According to media reports, during an interrogation on August 26, two Muslim men from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand said police used anti-Muslim slurs, forced them to strip naked at a city police station and pressured them to have sexual intercourse . When they refused, they said they were "beaten and threatened with deportation to Afghanistan." The police released her the same day. The men said they were called to the police station for questioning in connection with an alleged kidnapping case involving a Muslim man and a runaway Hindu woman. They said seven police officers, including the police officer in charge, sexually abused them. The officer in charge denied the allegation. On 27 August the two men - Mohammad Arzoo and Mohammad Aurangzeb - made a complaint to Jamshedpur Police that they had been tortured by seven police officers. According to a media report, no action was taken against the accused police officers by the end of the year.

The government did not release data on communal violence during the year. Government data from 2020 showed a sharp increase in community violence compared to 2019, largely due to the February 2020 violence and protests following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The CAA offers an expedited path to citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered the country on or before December 31, 2014. Similarly situated Muslims, Jews, members of other faiths and atheists from these three countries were not admitted. The government argued the law was necessary to provide protection to religious minorities from those countries.

The National Crimes Record Bureau reported 857 incidents of communal violence in 2020, compared to 438 in 2019. Both the media and theCrime in India for 2020According to a report released in September, police arrested 1,818 people over the course of the 2020 protests in north-east Delhi. According to the report, 53 people, including two security guards, were killed and 581 people, including 108 police officers, were injured during the protests. Of those killed, 35 were Muslims and 18 were Hindus. Of those arrested, 956 were Muslims and 868 were Hindus. By the end of the year, 1,204 people remained in prison, 544 people had been released on bail, various Delhi courts were processing 250 outstanding criminal complaints and the Delhi Police were investigating a further 350 criminal complaints related to the riots. These numbers have continued to fluctuate due to the ongoing hearings. The first conviction was a Hindu man in December for setting fire to the home of a Muslim resident as part of a mob.

DieCrime in India for 2020According to the report, the riots resulted from the "sense of discrimination" against the Muslim community by the NRC and the CAA, and certain groups with "self-serving interests capitalized on that feeling and further aroused this community's feelings against the central government". The Assam state government published its NRC in 2018 to define citizenship, and any Assamese not on the list would have to go before the Aliens Court, a quasi-judicial body that would declare them a foreigner or citizen. It is estimated that a third of Assam's 33 million inhabitants are Muslims. The Muslim community and media have expressed concern that the NRC, a proposed list of all citizens to be introduced only in the state of Assam, in conjunction with the national CAA, could result in Muslims being classified as "illegal immigrants" and detained or getting deported. None had been deported by the end of the year.

Opposition parties and members of civil society continued to criticize the investigation into the riots and accused the Delhi Police of targeting minorities, a charge which the Delhi Police and the National Ministry of Home Affairs (responsible for police oversight) have dismissed. In a September 13 press conference, several prominent members of civil society and activists said the Delhi police were responsible for "derailing" the investigation and called for the release of those arrested over the rioting or protests against the CAA. Various courts have also criticized the Delhi police for insufficient investigation into the riots, which Muslim academics, human rights activists, former police officers and journalists say reflected anti-Muslim police bias while investigating was diverted from those responsible. A Delhi lower court fined Delhi police 25,000 rupees ($340) for a "callous" investigation into the case of a man who said police shot him in the eye during the riots. The judge said the police had "miserably failed in their duty" in this case. The Delhi High Court stayed the fine but upheld the lower court judge's criticism of the investigation into the riots. Critical court decisions led the Delhi Police to set up a special investigation cell to monitor the progress of the investigation into the Delhi riots.

During the year, Delhi courts released some of those arrested during the 2020 unrest. In July, for example, a court dropped the charges against a Hindu held in custody for over a year after he was accused of joining a mob that burned down and looted a shop the mob thought belonged him, according to media reports.

The trial of Jawaharlal Nehru University activist and former student Umar Khalid, a Muslim who told a court in 2020 that he spent time in solitary confinement after his arrest during the unrest, was ongoing at the end of the year and remained in custody. Media reported that during a bail hearing, Khalid's lawyer argued that the officer who initially brought charges against his client was influenced by community tensions during the riots and that the charges were fabricated. In September, prominent civil society groups called for Khalid's release, labeling him a "human rights defender" and "peace activist".

By the end of the year, the government had not enacted any regulations implementing the CAA, and the Supreme Court had not heard any of the more than 100 legal challenges to the law.

Christians and Muslims faced criminal charges over the year under laws restricting conversions, and some state governments announced plans to strengthen existing laws or develop new laws.

According to media reports, between March and June, Madhya Pradesh police filed 21 cases against 47 people and arrested 15 Muslims and six Christians for violating the state law restricting conversions. Charges of rape and molestation were added in 15 of the 21 cases.

On March 8, a law came into force in Madhya Pradesh increasing penalties for forced religious conversion through marriage or other fraudulent means. The law requires prior notification of a county official, which any person can appeal to convert to the spouse's faith. The law also allows a fraudulent marriage to be annulled and increases the penalty for violators from a two-year sentence with possible bail to up to 10 years without bail and fines that can exceed 100,000 rupees (US$1,300). Legal expert Sanjay Hegde said the state's anti-conversion laws gave the mobs the final say. "If you're born into a religion, you can't change your religion without state approval," Hegde said. "These laws seek to control women rather than marriage and assume that women do not have agency of their own," Hegde added.

According to the Christian NGO International Christian Concern (ICC), Azad Prem Singh, a leader of the Hindu nationalist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad, sent on 11 tribal areas. Singh said Christians were fraudulently converting people to Christianity en masse. "For the past 70 years, Christian missionaries have converted gullible aborigines to Christianity and built churches specifically on protected tribal lands," Singh said. "Any illegally built churches should be closed immediately and action taken against all priests and pastors involved in the process." In the memorandum, Singh gave the local government 30 days to comply with his demands and threatened to use force if they were not met . The state government did not agree to Singh's call to ban all churches in tribal areas. According to members of the Christian community, police continued to arrest Christians for forced or facilitated conversion in the area. On December 25, police arrested three people, including a Catholic priest and a Protestant pastor, in Bicholi village, Jhabua district, for allegedly luring indigenous villagers to Christianity by offering free education and treatment at missionary-run schools and the hospital offered, media reported. In September, the Christian community in Jhabua wrote to the district authorities and President Ram Nath Kovind, complaining of attacks and false accusations from the various Hindu nationalist affiliates of the BJP and the Hindu nationalist organization RSS.

In Uttar Pradesh, between November 2020 and November 2021, police filed 148 cases against 359 people for violating laws restricting conversion. According to state police records, police have closed investigations in 113 cases and brought charges in 90 cases, but media reported that no case had been decided by the Uttar Pradesh courts by the end of the year. Media reported that 72 of the 359 were dropped for lack of evidence. According to a religious NGO, at least 71 Christian leaders were arrested in Uttar Pradesh between June and September after Hindu nationalists accused them of carrying out illegal proselytizing.

In June, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested Muslim cleric Mohammad Umar Gautam and Mufti Qazi Jahagir Alam Qasmi for illegal proselytizing. Police told the media the two had been running a "huge conversion racket." The ATS later arrested eight other people who police said were carrying out proselytizations at the Islamic Dawah Center by offering "education, marriage and jobs" to poor people. According to media reports, eight of those arrested, including the two clergymen, were charged in September with "illegal conversion" and "waging war against India".

On October 7, the Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested a Muslim man in connection with his activities as a member of a WhatsApp group encouraging individuals to convert to Islam. ATS told the media that the man has been involved in illegal conversion activities since 2016 and that he and others are "spreading religious hatred" by enticing people to convert to Islam.

On October 10, seven Protestant pastors in the Mau district of Uttar Pradesh were remanded in custody after being arrested for illegal religious conversions.

In March, Uttar Pradesh police arrested two nuns and two postulants from Syro Malabar Sacred Heart Monastery in Kerala after media reports reported that Hindu activists who were traveling with them on a passenger train said the nuns had the postulants forcibly converted to Christianity. According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) January-June report, police immediately arrested the four and took them to the local police station, followed by a group of 150 "religious radicals". The police released the four after five hours of questioning and did not press charges. In a statement, the church said the four continued their journey with police protection.

According to the EFI report, in January, police in Odisha's Malkangiri district arrested Raja Kartami for violating the state's conversion restriction laws after his Hindu in-laws filed a complaint alleging that he forced his wife to become a Christian. By the end of the year, Kartami was in prison awaiting trial.

In August, Haryana Prime Minister Manohar Khattar announced that the state would consider using "love jihad" (a derogatory term for Muslim men who wish to marry women of other faiths in order to convert them to Islam) in response to incidents , considering drafting laws to stop coercive religion ). Such legislation had not been introduced by the end of the year.

On September 21, Karnataka Interior Minister Araga Jnanendra announced that his government would propose legislation to prevent forced religious conversions in the state. Following the announcement, a delegation of Catholic bishops from Karnataka, led by Archbishop of Bengaluru Peter Machado, met with the state premier, Basavaraj Bommai, to discuss the proposed legislation. Should the legislation come into force, the delegation expressed concern about the possible misuse of the law to falsely accuse the Christian community of being involved in forced conversions. On December 23, the Karnataka state legislature passed the "Unlawful Conversions Act," which would outlaw forced religious conversions in the state. At the end of the year, the bill was pending approval by the state Legislative Council.

In October the Uttarakhand government said it intended to amend the law and authorize the police to register cases based on allegations of forced religious conversion. Applicable state law requires such allegations to be dealt with directly by the courts. Madan Kaushik, the president of the BJP in Uttarakhand, told the media in October: "Our party's line is clear that no proselytism will be tolerated." A civil rights attorney for the state expressed concern that such a change in the law could lead to abuses. She said: "A citizen is reasonably protected when the court hears the complaint and proceeds with the matter. But if the state police are given the power to register FIRs [in cases of forced conversion], there is no protection against abuse.”

In February, the Supreme Court refused to hear petitions from NGOs and activists challenging the constitutionality of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand's conversion-restricting laws, initially referring the challenges to the respective state supreme courts.

On June 21, Gujarat police arrested a Muslim man for forcibly marrying a Hindu woman. Police said the man violated the state's religious freedom law, which was amended in April to increase penalties for forced marriages. According to media reports, Gujarat Police opened an investigation after the victim's mother filed a missing persons report and found that the man, who was already married, had kidnapped the woman and forced her to marry him. Media also reported that the woman said the man raped her and threatened to harm her family if she didn't get married. The Muslim man was charged with kidnapping, rape and criminal intimidation. Investigations into the case continued at the end of the year.

On April 1, the Gujarat government amended the 2003 Religious Freedom Laws to specifically prohibit the use of fraudulent marriages to convert partners of different religions. The law's preamble said the amendment aims to stem the "emerging trend" of forced religious conversion of women. On August 19, the Gujarat Supreme Court suspended seven provisions of the state's amended Religious Freedom Act, which said interfaith marriage in itself cannot be treated as forced or "unlawful conversion by deception or enticement." On August 26, the state government requested that the suspension of these regulations be lifted; the High Court rejected the application. On December 14, the Gujarat government challenged the suspension in the Supreme Court; There was no verdict by the end of the year.

On October 13, the Gujarat High Court granted bail to all seven people arrested in the state's first case under the amended Religious Freedom Act. The case concerned a Hindu woman who pressed charges of forced conversion against her Muslim husband, five of his Muslim family members and the registrar at their wedding; all were arrested on June 18. On August 5, the woman filed a motion for the Gujarat High Court to withdraw her complaint, saying the police had "skewed" her complaint into a case of forced religious conversion, rape and other charges. . According to the police report, her Muslim husband had claimed to be Christian before their marriage and after they were married the family pressured the woman to convert to Islam. Police dropped the case after the woman withdrew her complaint.

In September, media reported that the MHA had suspended the FCRA licenses of six NGOs, including two Christian evangelical groups and an Islamic charity in Kerala, citing FCRA violations. In December, the MHA said that 5,789 NGOs had their FCRA licenses expired because they failed to apply for renewals in a timely manner. Media reported that hundreds of these NGOs are based on faith. The MHA also stated that during the year it had denied FCRA renewal to 179 NGOs, including Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. The MHA reversed the denial a few weeks later. The original MHA announcement of the action cited unnamed "prejudicial submissions" against the NGO. Some media reports noted that the government decision came days after police filed a complaint against the director of a children's home run by the Missionaries of Charity in Gujarat state for attempting to convert young girls to Christianity, although the Home Office did not allow any link between the two both events.

Non-governmental organizations, including religious organizations, continued to criticize the FCRA's requirements as restricting civil society and religious organizations. Opponents of the FCRA changes called the requirements onerous and a barrier to organizations continuing to operate in the country. The government also stated that the FCRA law strengthens oversight and accountability for foreign NGO funding in the country.

In a virtual meeting in July hosted by the US-based non-profit Indian American Muslim Council on Religious Freedom in India, Amnesty International USA said the organization was forced to halt all activities in the country in 2020 due to FCRA requirements. The Amnesty official said the FCRA requirements are an example of "the Indian government activating its entire governance framework" to stifle opportunities to uphold religious freedom.

In March, the MHA reported that 22,678 NGOs had been granted registration under the FCRA in the past five years. The government also reported that 2,742 NGOs had their registrations revoked from 2018 to 2020 for non-compliance, the latest data available.

In its annual report, international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the government had passed laws and policies that discriminated against religious minorities, particularly Muslims. HRW also said some BJP leaders slandered Muslims and police failed to crack down on some BJP supporters who had committed violence, a combination that encouraged some Hindu nationalist groups to target Muslims and government critics with impunity.

On January 4, police officers in Karnataka's Hassan district banned a Christian prayer service, according to media reports. A senior police official asked believers, including 50 people from 15 families, to prove they were Christians; He later accused them of converting to Christianity and misrepresenting their religion, claiming that they were Christians by birth. The police did not press charges against the families and warned believers not to hold prayer meetings without permission.

According to the ICC, police closed down a house church in Dharmapuri, Telangana, on February 28 after a complaint was lodged by a local Hindu group who had also disrupted the service there. The NGO said the police used a 2007 Andhra Pradesh state law, later passed by Telangana state, to shut down the church because Dharmapuri is designated by the law as a "temple city". The pastor told ICC he has been leading services at his home for the past five years with no problems. While the city with about 78,000 inhabitants is predominantly Hindu, more than 300 Christians and more than 2,000 Muslims live there.

On July 24, Tamil Nadu police arrested Father George Ponnaiah, a Catholic priest from Nagercoil in southern Tamil Nadu, for allegedly speaking hate speech against Hindu gods, the prime minister, the home minister and the state government in Tamil Nadu. Ponnaiah was detained for 16 days. At the end of the year, Ponnaiah was released on bail and is awaiting trial. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. Archbishop of Madurai Antony Pappusamy publicly criticized Ponnaiah for his comments.

On January 1, police in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, arrested stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqi and five accomplices after Eklavya Gaur, the son of state member Malini Gaur in the Legislative Assembly and leader of a local Hindu nationalist group, at the He heard the comedian and his staff use religiously offensive language during rehearsals. On February 6, Indore prison authorities released Faruqi after the Supreme Court granted him bail. The Madhya Pradesh High Court later granted bail to Faruqui's five associates.

On January 14, Andhra Pradesh police arrested non-denominational Christian pastor Praveen Chakravarthi for “disturbing communal harmony” after one of his 2013 videos circulated on social media. In the video, Chakravarthi spoke to the head of a US-based NGO about his evangelism in the country. After his arrest, Chakravarthi's bank accounts were frozen. He was later released on bail and no further action was reported by the end of the year.

On August 19, Hyderabad police arrested Pastor Honey Johnson from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on charges of making derogatory remarks against Hinduism and Hindu deities on his YouTube channel. Members of his church protested in Visakhapatnam demanding his release, after which he was released on bail.

On July 20, the Supreme Court expressed concern about the Kerala government's easing of COVID-19 restrictions during Eid al-Adha celebrations on July 18-20. In a ruling, the court said it could not retrospectively block the state government's action, but it said, "The Kerala government has failed to protect the fundamental rights to people's life and health." The court said it would take action against Kerala government will take action if the relaxed restrictions result in additional spread of COVID-19, but it has taken no further action on the matter by the end of the year. Earlier in July, the Supreme Court canceled the annual Hindu Kanwar Yatra festival in Uttar Pradesh over a surge in COVID-19 cases there. In April, activists asked the government to cancel the Hindu Kumbh Mela festival due to COVID-19 reasons, but the government refused. Also in April, the Supreme Court approved a request by Muslim leaders to open the Nizzamuddin Mosque in New Delhi for Ramadan services. Mosque supporters cited the permitted Kumbh Mela celebrations in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, as well as the Hindu temple dedicated to Hanuman in Karol Bagh, Delhi, which remained open despite COVID-19 restrictions, to support their request to reopen.

In June and July, residents of the predominantly Muslim Union Territory of Lakshadweep protested against reforms proposed by administrator Praful Khoda Patel in December 2020. The reforms included banning the slaughter of cows and the sale of beef on the islands and removing beef and meat (except fish and eggs) from meals in schools, the closure of state-run dairy farms, allowing liquor sales, the introduction of a law allowing preventive detention and the banning of residents with more than two children from voting in local elections. Media reported that local residents viewed the proposed reforms as anti-Muslim and mainly affected Muslim families. Protesters said Patel was trying to culturally and demographically transform the island. The Lakshadweep government said the reforms are necessary to develop Lakshadweep as a global tourist destination like the Maldives.

Non-governmental organizations, including religious organizations, continued to criticize the FCRA's requirements as restricting civil society and religious organizations. According to the Home Office, 5,789 NGOs lost their FCRA licenses because they did not apply for renewal. Some political opposition parties and religious non-governmental organizations described the regulations as "onerous" and difficult to comply with, making registration and renewal difficult. The government also stated that the FCRA law strengthens oversight and accountability for foreign NGO funding in the country.

In October, media reported that Hindu protesters in Haryana said Muslims had used public property to pray daily for four weeks without permission from local authorities. The Muslim believers, who numbered 200 according to the media, had been praying outside in an area that was not intended for prayer. The protesters said they would continue to "protest peacefully" until police took action. Haryana Chief Minister Khattar stated that prayer in public spaces was forbidden. Muslim groups representing the faithful said they pray at locations designated by government officials in Haryana. On December 16, former Muslim MP Mohammed Adeeb petitioned the Supreme Court to take action against Haryana government officials for failing to follow orders to allow Muslims to pray in certain public places. The Supreme Court had not yet ruled on the matter at the end of the year.

The government closed the 600-year-old Jamia Mosque, which serves the largest Muslim community in Jammu and Kashmir, on 45 of the 52 Fridays a year. According to media reports, the chief imam of the Jamia Mosque remained under house arrest during the mosque's closure. Some other mosques in the region, which were closed by the government in August 2019 when it lifted Article 370 (state status) in Jammu and Kashmir, were allowed to reopen later in the year. Since 2019, the government has continued to regularly close mosques in the area, sometimes for long periods.

In May, authorities in Uttar Pradesh demolished a 100-year-old mosque in Barabanki, claiming it was an illegal structure. The demolition followed a March 15 order from the state government to halt worship at the mosque so it could be demolished. The government also said it blocked traffic. Muslim leaders said the demolition violated a court order that suspended demolitions of all "illegal" buildings until the end of May and said they would take the case to the Supreme Court. The government then tried to block access to the mosque by building a wall, which media reports led to public protests in which activist Syed Farooq Ahmad said at least 30 people were arrested and others beaten. Two days after authorities demolished the mosque, the Sunni Waqf Executive of Uttar Pradesh filed a petition with the Allahabad High Court, calling on the government to rebuild the mosque. The court had not decided the matter at the end of the year.

On September 6, members of the BJP's opposition legislative assembly in Jharkhand protested against the state government's decision to offer Muslims a room to pray in the state assembly building. Media reported that BJP lawmakers loudly disrupted the assembly session that day with Hindu chants and instruments, and called for the decision on the prayer room to be overturned or a separate Hindu prayer room set up in the building as well. In a media interview, BJP national vice-president Raghubar Das said that the [Muslim] members of the Jharkhand government's state assembly "openly support the Taliban. A separateMy prayer hall[Muslim prayer room] in the Legislative Assembly of Jharkhand is a result of this ideology. Otherwise no one who believes in Indian democracy would do such a thing.”

In January, two residents of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, filed a petition with the Allahabad High Court challenging the September 2020 acquittal by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court of all 32 people, including BJP politicians accused of the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya in 1992.

In May, the Assam government implemented the Assam Repealing Bill of 2020, which repealed the Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialization) Act 1995 and the Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialization of Services of Employees and Reorganization of Madrassa Educational Institutions) Act 2018 . Implementation of the law resulted in theological content being removed from the curriculum of 700 state madrasahs and converted into regular public schools. Theological content was also removed from state Sanskrit schools, but analysts pointed out that madrasahs were affected in larger numbers. Privately run madrassas and Sanskrit schools were not affected by the state government's measure.

On October 19, 2020, the Allahabad Supreme Court in Uttar Pradesh ruled that the state law preventing cow slaughter was "abused against innocent persons" and granted release to a Muslim arrested under the law. Uttar Pradesh Police had charged 1,716 cases of cow slaughter and made more than 4,000 arrests by August. According to the Uttar Pradesh state government, reference was also made to the National Security Act (NSA) in some cow slaughter cases; Observers said this was intended to make the allegations harder. Individuals detained under the NSA could be held for up to 12 months without formal charges. A media investigation found that between January 2018 and December 2020, the Allahabad High Court had overturned arrest warrants and released those arrested under the NSA in 94 out of 120 cases it heard under the Uttar Pradesh Cow Slaughter Prevention Act.

Assam (in August) and Karnataka (in February) enacted laws imposing severe penalties for killing cattle, bringing the total number of states with similar restrictions to 25 (from 28). Opposition members of the Assam Legislative Assembly, including Muslim parties, protested the state's new legislation. Faith-based organizations said the law could negatively impact the state's large Christian and Indigenous population, which consumes beef. Assam Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the law would promote harmony between Hindus and Muslims in the state, while some members of the opposition party said it could fuel religious tensions, affect livelihoods and adversely affect trade and food habits in the country affect the region. Media reported that the new law in Karnataka would give state police the power to search and seize property only where there are suspicions of breaking the law.

In September, the Gau Sewa Commission, a Punjabi organization dedicated to the conservation and welfare of cows, petitioned the Punjab governor to introduce the death penalty for the slaughter of cows.

In October, the Madras High Court ruled that displaying a Christian cross and other religious symbols and practices could not be used as grounds for revoking Scheduled Caste (SC) community certificates issued by members of certain lower castes in the Hindu hierarchy are used to receive state benefits. The ruling came in response to the appeal of a Hindu doctor whose SC fellowship certificate was revoked in 2013 for marrying a Christian and the couple raising their children in the Christian faith. The court in October ordered the restoration of her SC community testimony.

In February, Pratap Simha, a BJP MP, called for people who converted to Christianity to be denied the benefits of government grant programs. The MP made the comments while attending a Feb. 24 meeting of the district development coordination and monitoring committee. The Bengaluru-based Forum of Christian Political Leaders protested the comments.

On April 6, Gujarat's High Court blocked the arrest of a Parsi man accused by a Hindu neighbor of selling land to a Muslim in 2020, in violation of the Gujarat Disturbed Areas Act, which requires buyers and sellers of different religions must obtain permits for property transactions in certain neighborhoods. The Hindu neighbor also said the buyer concealed his religion and forged documents to circumvent the provisions of the law. There was no update until the end of the year.

In September, the government of the Muslim-majority Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir launched a program to address grievances from migrants from the region, most of whom were Hindus. Under this program, migrants who were forcibly evicted from the Kashmir Valley in the 1990s were able to reclaim their properties in Kashmir. According to reports from civil society, members of the Hindu Pandit caste may have sold land under duress, and the central government's action was a means of addressing the evictions of the 1990s. In March, the national government informed Parliament that 44,167 Kashmiri migrant families, including 39,782 Hindu families, had registered with a government-appointed relief agency and that 3,800 Kashmiri migrants had returned to the Kashmir Valley to take government jobs in the past six years As part of a special program for infrastructure development and economic prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir announced by the Prime Minister in 2015. According to media reports, it was mainly Hindus who applied for these positions. Since Jammu and Kashmir's state status was lifted in August 2019, 520 migrants have returned and another 2,000 migrant candidates are expected to return later this year and in 2022, the government said.

On August 10, thousands of Dalit Christians and Muslims celebrated the 71st anniversary of a 1950 petition, still pending in the Supreme Court, to retain certain caste benefits such as government job quotas and education. The petition aims to reverse a government order that restricted such benefits to Hindu Dalits. A Christian Dalit lawyer, Franklin Caesar Thomas, who has been advocating the case in the Supreme Court for 16 years, told the media that Dalit Christians and Muslims continue to face caste discrimination based on their beliefs because they are not officially recognized as registered castes . According to the National Council of Churches in India, about 70 percent of Christians in India were of registered caste prior to conversion. A seven-member panel of Supreme Court justices formed in 2020 to hear the petition had yet to make a decision on the matter by the end of the year.

In April Mamata Banerjee (All India Trinamool Congress Party), Prime Minister of West Bengal, publicly appealed to Muslims to vote for their party in West Bengal elections. Such a direct appeal by a sitting government official to voters of a particular religious group is prohibited by the Constitution. The national electoral commission reprimanded them for violating the electoral code.

On December 24, Asaduddin Owaisi, an MP and president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), a predominantly Muslim political party, in a remark to parliament hinted that Hindus would face consequences if Prime Minister Modi and Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, both BJP, resigned from office. Police filed an FIR against Owaisi for communal hate speech. The leader later clarified that he was speaking in connection with previous "police atrocities against innocent Muslims" in Uttar Pradesh and was not making any threats.

In February, ahead of Assam's elections, state Health, Education and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (BJP) told the media that his party neither needs nor wants the votes of Muslims of Bengali origin because they "have the Assamese culture and language openly challenging and the composite Indian culture.”

In a speech to church members on September 9, Catholic Bishop Mar Joseph Kalarangatt of Kerala's Syro-Malabar Church said Muslims were using the practices of "love jihad and drug jihad" to "destroy" non-Muslims “. Kalarangatt said: “In a democratic country like ours, jihadists have realized that they cannot use weapons to destroy other communities. The jihadists use other weapons that cannot be easily identified by others. From the point of view of the jihadists, non-Muslims must be destroyed. If the agenda is the spread of religion and the eradication of non-Muslims, the ways to achieve that agenda manifest themselves in different ways. Love Jihad and Narcotic Jihad are two such ways.” According to media reports, Kerala's Prime Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his government would not take action against the bishop.

In February, the Maharashtra state government asked the Supreme Court to dismiss complaints seeking a national-level CBI investigation into the April 2020 killing of three Hindu monks by a crowd in Palghar. The state government said it has already disciplined 18 police officers for their failure to control the crowd at the incident. On January 16, a local court acquitted 89 of the 201 arrested in the case on bail. The Supreme Court asked the Maharashtra government to file a second indictment filed in the case by Maharashtra Police, but did not rule on the petition to conduct a CBI investigation before the end of the year. In the 2020 incident, a mob dragged the three monks out of a police vehicle and killed them on charges of kidnapping children.

Uttar Pradesh Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath publicly stated on September 12 that previous governments in Uttar Pradesh had favored Muslim voters when distributing social benefits.

In July, Mohan Bhagwat, head of the RSS, widely regarded as the ideological father of India's ruling BJP party, publicly stated that Hindus and Muslims in India have the same DNA and should not be differentiated by religion. “There can never be Hindu or Muslim dominance (in the country); there can only be Indian dominance,” Bhagwat said, adding that members of the Muslim community should not fear that Islam is under threat in India. He also said that killing non-Hindus to slaughter cows is an act against Hinduism.

On May 17, a Hindu group in the Mewat region of Haryana stopped the car in which Muslim Asif Khan was driving, verbally abused Khan and the other passengers, shouted "kill Muslims", forced Khan to chant Hindu prayers and killed him when he tried to escape according to media reports. Police launched an investigation but made no arrests by the end of the year.

On June 20, media reported that a Hindu mob had killed four Muslim men in Tripura's Khowai district on suspicion of being cattle rustlers. According to media reports, the men were killed when they were intercepted while transporting five cows in a truck in Maharanijur. Police arrested three people in connection with the murder and two others for spreading community hatred on social media. No further developments in this case were reported by the end of the year.

On June 21, Muslim Aijaz Dar was beaten to death in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. He was returning home after buying a buffalo when suspected cow vigilantes attacked him with stones and sticks, according to media reports. Police arrested five suspects, but no further developments were reported by the end of the year.

According to media reports, Muslim Arbaaz Aftab Mullah was beheaded on September 28 in Khanapur village in Belgavi district of Karnataka for his relationship with a Hindu woman. Police arrested 10 people including members of the Sri Rama Sene Hindu organization described as radical, the woman's parents and the man hired to kill mullah. There were no further developments until the end of the year.

On April 3, police in Mangaluru, Karnataka, arrested four Hindu activists and members of the Hindu nationalist group Bajrang Dal accused of stabbing to death a Muslim man who was traveling with a Hindu woman. The woman who filed the police complaint against the attackers said the victim had been her boyfriend for many years and was with her on a bus for a job in