Everyone
has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion; this right includes freedom to change his
religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in
community with others and in public or private, to
manifest his religion or belief in teaching,
practice, worship and observance.
Article 18
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The tentacles of religious persecution in
today's world reach out from disputes of past eras and
present political agendas, prejudice and
misunderstanding, to strangle communities of faith. In
some countries, political leaders encourage religious
persecution through official policies or deliberately
provoke clashes between religious communities. In other
countries, authorities tacitly permit persecution by
failing to secure the equal rights of all believers. Get more background
information . . .
Act Now:
Request and Read
Take a
comprehensive look at religious freedom in today's world,
or relive a personal account of horrors and survival in
the Nazi concentration camp system.
Act Locally
Organize a
community project to strengthen religious tolerance in
your area, and ask your faith community to pledge to
fight religious intolerance in daily life.
Act Nationally or Internationally
Ask Russian
President Yeltsin to end the intolerance exemplified in a
1997 law that restricts certain religious groups and
tramples on the right to freedom of religion.
Grab a Partner
Consult churches,
synagogues, or other faith community centers for ideas,
projects and programs that advance religious pluralism
and promote peace.
Raise Your Voice
Press Chinese
authorities to release Gendun Choekyi Nyima, abducted at
age 6 after the Dalai Lama tapped
him as a leading
religious figure for Tibetan Buddhists.
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