Christian, Muslim freedoms violated in world's hot spots, agency says

Published: 2005-07-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The arrest of Christians in North Korea, restrictions on the church in Belarus, the imposition of Islamic law on Christians in several countries and the prohibition on Muslim girls wearing scarves to school in France demonstrate how often religious freedom is violated around the globe, a Catholic aid agency said. Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic organization funding religious projects in 120 countries, released its annual report on religious freedom June 30 at the Italian Parliament. The report, while focusing on the persecution of Christians around the world, included concerns about the way Muslims are treated in France, the Netherlands and the United States. Full religious freedom is the right of an individual to practice openly his or her faith without suspicion or discrimination and the right of religious groups to conduct their own affairs and minister to their faithful, Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said at the presentation.

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