Religious Freedom

The American Center for Law and Justice told The Christian Post that, according to their sources in Iran, Youcef Nadarkhani is indeed alive. The statement was emailed Wednesday amid reports that an execution order may have been issued for the evangelical Christian pastor.

"Our efforts to secure his release are intensifying - in Congress to seek support of the resolution and at the U.N. to bring this case to the attention of member nations," Gene Kapp, the ACLJ's media representative, told The Christian Post Wednesday morning.

Both the ACLJ and Present Truth Ministries (PTM), which has also been closely monitoring Nadarkhani's case, revealed this week that it was believed that the Iranian courts may have signed an execution order for Nadarkhani. However, PTM issued a press release Wednesday saying it had learned that an execution order had in fact been signed by the Iranian courts. more >>

President Obama is "particularly weak" on religious freedom issues, presidential candidate Rick Santorum said at a Monday campaign stop in Michigan. In particular, Santorum pointed to Obama's record protecting Christians from persecution around the globe and his use of the phrase "freedom of worship," rather than "freedom of religion."

"You can see why [the Obama administration doesn't] stand up for religious liberties. It's pretty obvious that they don't think religious liberties are particularly a high priority," Santorum said. "When you have the president of the United States referring to the freedom of religion and you have the secretary of state referring to the freedom of religion, not as the freedom of religion but the freedom of worship, you should get very nervous, very nervous."

Santorum said there are "a lot of tyrants around the world" who also use the phrase "freedom of worship," but avoid saying "freedom of religion." more >>

On a cold Tuesday morning, dozens of people demonstrated in front of the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Washington, D.C., to protest the Middle Eastern country's treatment of Ethiopian Christians.

Holding signs that read "Religious Freedom" and "King Abdullah: Free Illegally Detained Ethiopians," demonstrators shouted chants demanding that Christians in Saudi Arabia who had been imprisoned for their beliefs be released.

Dr. Kassa Ayalew, one of the organizers of the demonstration, told The Christian Post that the troubles Ethiopian Christians face in the Saudi Kingdom are not recent. more >>

Canada's Supreme Court has recently ruled that children in Quebec cannot opt out of a public school religion class, even if their parents take issue with the curriculum.

In a S.L. v. Commission scolaire des Chênes, which was decided on Friday, the highest court in the country refused to hear an appeal from two Catholic parents who took issue with their child being enrolled in the province's Ethics and Religious Culture program. The course teaches about the many religions in Canada and their contributions to the nation's culture.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, a national organization of evangelical Christians founded in 1964, was one of many organizations that intervened in the case on behalf of the parents. more >>

The American Center for Law and Justice has come to the defense of a Wisconsin mother, Melissa Wolf, whose child was told by his elementary school that he couldn't distribute Christian-themed messages to his classmates as a part of Valentine's Day.

"Essentially, a student has a right to free speech unless that speech is substantially disruptive to the school ... There's no way that distributing John 3:16 is disruptive to school operations in any way, shape or form," David French, the ACLJ attorney who is representing the boy's mother, told The Christian Post on Monday.

The ACLJ is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that focuses on defending "religious and constitutional freedoms," according to the group's website. more >>

A children's worker who was forced to resign because she refused to work on Sundays has appeared before an employment tribunal today.

Celestina Mba worked for more than three years at the Brightwell Children's Home in Morden, England.

Her request to have Sundays off because of her Christian faith was initially accommodated by her employer, the London Borough of Merton. more >>