A Filipina drag performer stirred controversy after a viral performance at a local bar where she dressed up as Jesus Christ and danced to a remixed version of a Filipino-language Catholic Mass worship song, sparking a heated debate on where to draw the line between “expression” and “mockery”, especially in a country like the Philippines, where around 79% of the population identify as Catholic.
In response to the most recent Quran-burning incident in Sweden, where an Iraqi immigrant burned the religious book in front of a mosque in Stockholm last June, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a resolution on July 12th on religious hatred, condemning the acts of burning the Islamic holy book in Sweden.
France's highest administrative court ruled on June 29th that the country’s soccer federation has the right to ban players from wearing headscarves during matches, even if the action means limiting their freedom of expression.
France’s highest administrative jurisdiction says the country's soccer federation is entitled to ban headscarves in matches. https://t.co/YwoqABk0DL
A young Christian man in Pakistan was fined and sentenced to death by a court on June 30th for allegedly committing blasphemy. This decision came after the Pakistani government agreed last month to try blasphemy suspects under the country’s anti-terrorism laws and existing anti-blasphemy laws.
Since the “love jihad” conspiracy theories started spreading in India due to the rise of right-wing Hindu nationalism, many Muslim men were targeted in the country for allegedly luring Hindu women into Islam via love and marriage. But in a bizarre plot twist, a Muslim woman was accused of love jihad after allegedly running off with another girl.
With artificial intelligence like Midjourney and ChatGPT improving and evolving each day despite many issues, many people see new developments that can make this new technology even more powerful.
Indians have also jumped on the AI trend and developed chatbots independently. But unlike ChatGPT, which can help you create a 500-word essay in just a few seconds, or Midjourney, which can help you create artwork with just a few prompts, these Indian chatbots take the form of the Hindu god Krishna, trying to provide spiritual guidance and answer questions related to religion.
Leaving one’s religion can be difficult and more challenging for some people than others. Such is the case of the Ex-Muslims of Kerala (EMU) members, an organization formed by former Muslims living in the southern state of Kerala in India.
The US Supreme Court ruled in a controversial and historic case on June 30th that a Christian web designer cannot be forced to make customized messages and websites that celebrate same-sex marriage under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Supreme Court rules for web designer who refused to work on same-sex weddings https://t.co/0rk7tZP3WX
Several human rights groups in Indonesia have called on the government to place a moratorium on blasphemy, urging them to amend the country’s laws on blasphemy and calling on the police to temporarily halt the enforcement of blasphemy-related articles to stop the abuse of religious minorities in the Muslim-majority country.
In response to an incident in Sweden where an Iraqi refugee desecrated the Quran, the Pakistani government declared July 7th as Yaum-i-Taqaddus-i-Quran, or the day for the protection of the Quran’s sanctity, to convey their outrage over the issue.
