IRFN (Feb. 20-27): Turkey: Property to be Returned to Religious Foundations

Feb 26, 2008

International Religious Freedom Archive
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1. Turkey: Property to be Returned to Religious Foundations
2. Algeria: French Priest Sentenced for Praying with Migrants
3. Iran: Government Proposes Death for Apostates
4. Kazakhstan Religious Communities Under Increased Scrutiny
5. Saudi Arabia: 57 Arrested by Religious Police
6. Sri Lanka: Pastor Murdered in Rising Tensions

Feature: Mauritius debates the place of religious symbols in schools, from l'express.

Update: Belarusian editor Alexander Sdvizhkov, who was sentenced to three years in jail for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2006, has been released due to health problems. He was due to serve his time in a penal colony for "fanning religious hatred" Interfax reports.

1. Turkey: Property to be Returned to Religious Foundations
ANKARA - the Turkish Parliament approved a law that will return properties confiscated by the state in 1974 to the Jewish and Christian foundations which originally owned them, the Associated Press reported Feb. 20. The measure will restore religious buildings, schools and orphanages, though it does not make any provisions for property which has been sold to third parties since the original seizure.

2. Algeria: French Priest Sentenced for Praying with Migrants
ALGIERS - Father Pierre Wallez, a Catholic priest from France, was convicted of illegally "conducting religious activity" and sentenced last week in violation of a 2006 decree which regulates the religious activity of non-Muslim minorities in Algeria, AsiaNews reported Feb. 20. Father Wallez's conviction was based upon a December 2007 meeting in which he prayed with Cameroonian Christian migrants, though he did not celebrate mass for them.

3. Iran: Government Proposes Death for Apostates
TEHRAN - The Iranian Parliament is considering legislation that would mandate the death penalty for apostasy and allow the government to further interfere in Iranians' religious practices, the BBC reported Feb. 26. While apostasy is punishable by death according to Sharia law, it is the first time in Iranian history that it could become enshrined in the Iranian criminal code.

4. Kazakhstan: Religious Communities Under Increased Scrutiny
ALMATY - Jehovah's Witness and unregistered Baptist communities are the subjects of renewed government scrutiny, Forum 18 reported Feb. 22. Recently, government officials have begun to bar religious communities from their meeting places, and have singled out ethnic Kazakhs for their involvement with certain confessions. Authorities do not hesitate to use media to discredit certain religious groups, most recently smearing Baptists as "lawbreakers" in an article published by the state-run media. Also, Forum 18 reports that the Kazakh government has recently distributed questionnaires to certain non-Muslim religious communities, asking for details about the communities' members. Members of the communities that received questionnaires have reported that they suspect Kazakhstan's secret police, the KNB, is attempting to recruit spies from inside religious communities.

5. Saudi Arabia: Dozens Arrested by Religious Police
RIYADH – A large group of men “wearing improper clothing” was arrested for an alleged flirtation with women outside a shopping mall in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Associated Press reported Feb. 23. On Feb. 21, Saudi Arabia's religious police began to interrogate the men, stating that they had been listening to pop music and wearing improper clothing. At least 57 were arrested. The suspects must prove they were not flirting with women, or risk having to stand trial.

6. Sri Lanka: Pastor Murdered in Rising Tensions
COLOMBO – A Protestant pastor was murdered on February 17 by two men on a motorbike who shot Rev. Neil Samson in front of his wife and son,    AsiaNews reported Feb. 19. Mrs. Samson was also injured in the attack and their son is being treated for shock. Local media report that suspicion and persecution of Christians has increased in the past few weeks.