Europe
Religious Freedom Institute
Responding to the Crisis in Ukraine

The dramatic intensification of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that commenced February 24, 2022 (with origins that go back to 2014) constitutes a shameful and horrific injustice. In the context of this ongoing conflict, RFI seeks to increase understanding of the religious dynamics of the region — both the thriving landscape of religious pluralism in Ukraine and the many dimensions of religious freedom that have helped to secure and foster it. The resources below address these themes, and RFI will continue to add to them throughout the crisis.

Responding to the Crisis in Ukraine
Europe, FORIS Project
Religious Freedom Institute
Religious Aid Organizations Serve Ukrainians in ...

Numerous faith-based organizations, seeking to fulfill the mission they believe God has given them, are working to ease the suffering of Ukrainians whose lives have been ravaged by this war.

Islam Action Team, North America
Ismail Royer
RFI’s Islam Team Joins Supreme Court Brief ...

RFI’s Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team has joined several religious institutions in a friend of the court brief filed in the Supreme Court in support of the religious liberty of Quaker prisoners. The case is Green Haven Preparative Meeting v. New York State Department of Corrections, No. 21-1027.

RFI’s Islam Team Joins Supreme Court Brief Supporting Quaker Prisoners
Middle East, FORIS Project
Religious Freedom Institute
RFI's Middle East Director and Vice President ...

From February 12-19, RFI’s Vice President for Public Policy, David Trimble, joined Jeremy Barker, Director of RFI’s Middle East Action Team, to lead a series of religious freedom trainings and public events across Iraq.

RFI's Middle East Director and Vice President for Public Policy Lead Religious Freedom Trainings in Iraq
China, IRF Policy
Religious Freedom Institute
RFI's Eric Patterson: "Beijing’s Berlin Moment"

RFI Excecutive Vice President Eric Patterson recently authored an article published in WORLD titled, “Beijing’s Berlin moment.” In it he draws parallels between the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and asks what should have been done differently in the lead up to the current games, and what should be done now as they begin, to avoid letting “the Olympics overshadow China’s human rights abuses.”

RFI's Eric Patterson: "Beijing’s Berlin Moment"

FORIS Project

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Toward a Stable and Inclusive Iraq? Individual and Institutional Religious Freedom Can Help

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Toward a Stable and Inclusive Iraq? Individual and Institutional Religious Freedom Can Help

In the Spring 2022 edition of the Journal of Middle Eastern Politics & Policy beginning at page 17, Jeremy Barker, Director of RFI’s Middle East Action Team, authored an article titled, “Toward a Stable and Inclusive Iraq? Individual and Institutional Religious Freedom Can Help.” In it Barker “seeks to provide some context to Iraq’s political and social dynamics since 2003…” and to “consider how religious freedom, in both its individual and institutional dimensions, may have something to contribute toward supporting a more stable and inclusive Iraq.”

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RFI's Middle East Director and Vice President for Public Policy Lead Religious Freedom Trainings in Iraq

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RFI's Middle East Director and Vice President for Public Policy Lead Religious Freedom Trainings in Iraq

From February 12-19, RFI’s Vice President for Public Policy, David Trimble, joined Jeremy Barker, Director of RFI’s Middle East Action Team, to lead a series of religious freedom trainings and public events across Iraq.

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States Must Stop Discriminating Against Religious Schools

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States Must Stop Discriminating Against Religious Schools

In a recent article in Newsweek, Richard Garnett, Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame and RFI FORIS Scholar, and Olivia Rodgers, a second year law student at the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Initiative, write:

The last 18 months have reminded us that, when it comes to educating young people, one size most definitely does not fit all. Pluralism and diversity, not sameness or monopoly, make for a successful schooling enterprise. And, today as in the past, religious schools play a vital role in the project of preparing the citizens and leaders of tomorrow.

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A Church Without Walls, Behind Walls: How Evangelicals Are Transforming American Prisons

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A Church Without Walls, Behind Walls: How Evangelicals Are Transforming American Prisons

RFI co-founder and senior fellow, Byron Johnson, and Michael Hallett, professor of criminal justice at the University of North Florida, co-authored an article published recently in Public Discourse titled, “A Church Without Walls, Behind Walls: How Evangelicals Are Transforming American Prisons.”

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It's Time to Take an Objective Look at the Role of Evangelical Prison Ministries

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It's Time to Take an Objective Look at the Role of Evangelical Prison Ministries

RFI co-founder and senior fellow, Byron Johnson, and Michael Hallett, professor of criminal justice at the University of North Florida, co-authored an article published recently in Christianity Today titled, “The New Prison Ministry Lies in Bible Education.”

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Western Societies Need Proactive Policies to Protect Institutional Religious Freedom

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Co-authored by FORIS scholars Paul Marshall of Baylor University, Timothy Shah of the University of Dallas, Stanley Carlson-Thies of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, and Kathleen Brady of Emory University, it sets forth a framework for policymakers—primarily in the United States, Canada, and other Western countries—to protect institutional religious freedom. Mark Rienzi, also a FORIS scholar (and President of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty), contributed to the development of key themes and provided comments on the report.

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The Intersection of Blasphemy Laws & Institutional Religious Freedom: Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey

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The Intersection of Blasphemy Laws & Institutional Religious Freedom: Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey

Produced under RFI’s Freedom of Religious Institutions in Society Project (FORIS), an initiative funded by the John Templeton Foundation, this report is the second in a series of three FORIS policy reports published this year. During the International Religious Freedom Summit held in Washington, D.C. in July 2021, RFI hosted a side event that featured a panel discussion on the report and the principles and societies it addressed.

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America’s International Religious Freedom Policy Must Account for Competing Local Definitions of Religion and the Common Good

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America’s International Religious Freedom Policy Must Account for Competing Local Definitions of Religion and the Common Good

Produced under RFI’s Freedom of Religious Institutions in Society Project (FORIS), an initiative funded by the John Templeton Foundation, this report is the first in a series of three FORIS policy reports published this year. It argues that proponents of religious freedom who work in U.S. foreign affairs must carefully consider how conceptions of religion and the common good vary across countries.

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Supreme Court Misses Critical Opportunity to Offer Guidance in Clash of SOGI Laws and Religious Liberty

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Supreme Court Misses Critical Opportunity to Offer Guidance in Clash of SOGI Laws and Religious Liberty

On July 2, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to grant certiorari in the case of Arlene’s Flowers v. Washington. The Court’s failure to hear this case is deeply troubling. This is especially true in light of its narrow decisions in two recent cases—Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Division and Fulton v. City of Philadelphia—both involving allegations of religiously motivated discrimination on the basis of “sexual orientation and gender identity” (SOGI). In 2019, RFI’s Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team joined an amicus brief in Arlene’s Flowers in support of the appellant, Barronelle Stutzman.

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The Supreme Court Unanimously Protects Religious Foster Agencies

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The Supreme Court Unanimously Protects Religious Foster Agencies

In an article recently published in RealClearReligion titled “The Supreme Court Unanimously Protects Religious Foster Agencies,” the significance of the Supreme Court’s decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia is discussed by one of the foremost litigators and experts of religious freedom in the United States today, Mark Rienzi. Rienzi is an RFI FORIS scholar, professor of law at The Catholic University of America, and president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. In the Fulton case, Becket—a leading law firm that litigates religious liberty cases—successfully represented foster parents who partner with Catholic Social Services (CSS) of Philadelphia all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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After Fulton, Religious Foster Care Agencies Still Vulnerable

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After Fulton, Religious Foster Care Agencies Still Vulnerable

In an article published recently in First Things titled, “After Fulton, Religious Foster Care Agencies Still Vulnerable” University of Notre Dame law professor and RFI FORIS scholar Richard W. Garnett considers the decision the Supreme Court handed down last week in Fulton v. The City of Philadelphia.

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RFI Makes Key Contributions to Upcoming IRF Summit 2021

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RFI Makes Key Contributions to Upcoming IRF Summit 2021

The International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit, the premier annual religious freedom summit in the United States, will take place July 13-15 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. The Summit seeks to “create a coalition of organizations that operate together for the cause of religious freedom around the world” and “increase public awareness and political strength for the international religious freedom movement.” The Summit will feature panels with prominent speakers including RFI President Tom Farr, Executive Vice President Eric Patterson, and Senior Fellow Rehman Chishti. To register for the Summit, click here.

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High Court Favors Plaintiffs in Fulton … But Fails to Affirm Religious Freedom for All Americans

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High Court Favors Plaintiffs in Fulton … But Fails to Affirm Religious Freedom for All Americans

The Religious Freedom Institute applauds the 9-0 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. Thanks to the Court, Catholic Social Services (CSS) may now resume, at least for the time being, its vital work of placing foster children in loving homes.

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Religious foster care plays a vital role for our most vulnerable children

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Religious foster care plays a vital role for our most vulnerable children

In an article published today in Deseret News titled, “Religious foster care plays a vital role for our most vulnerable children” Tom Farr, President of the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI); Eric Patterson, Executive Vice President of RFI; and Byron Johnson, RFI Senior Fellow, were among a multi-faith group of ten authors to write an op-ed that refutes “Several prominent social science narratives [that] have sprung up around [Fulton v. City of Philadelphia],” decided yesterday by the U.S. Supreme Court].

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Religious Health Providers Deserve Legal Protection, Not False Charges of Discrimination

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Religious Health Providers Deserve Legal Protection, Not False Charges of Discrimination

In an article published recently in the National Catholic Register titled, “Religious Health Providers Deserve Legal Protection, Not False Charges of Discrimination” University of Notre Dame law professor and RFI FORIS scholar Richard W. Garnett argues that faith-based hospitals and clinics are increasingly at risk of being subject to onerous regulations that violate their religious freedom.

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Convenient COVID-19 Closures: The Contrivance of Scotland and Algeria to Close Churches

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Convenient COVID-19 Closures: The Contrivance of Scotland and Algeria to Close Churches

In an article published recently in Providence, Miles P. J. Windsor, Senior Manager for Strategy and Campaigns for RFI’s Middles East Action Team, sheds light on the severe religious freedom violations in Algeria that have emerged during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Cardinal Dolan Makes a Cogent Case Against the Equality Act

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Cardinal Dolan Makes a Cogent Case Against the Equality Act

In a recent article published in Public Discourse titled “Stand Against Unjust Discrimination: Oppose the Equality Act.” Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York articulates the Equality Act’s pernicious capacity to undermine the flourishing of religion, the family, pluralism, and education in the United States.

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RFI Board Member Testifies Before Senate Judiciary Committee on the Equality Act

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RFI Board Member Testifies Before Senate Judiciary Committee on the Equality Act

Mary Rice Hasson, member of RFI’s Board of Directors, testified today before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing entitled, “The Equality Act: LGBTQ Rights are Human Rights.”

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Grounds for the Equality Act Are Simply Not There

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Grounds for the Equality Act Are Simply Not There

The Equality Act (H.R. 5) would be devastating to all who cherish religious liberty and all who dissent from the latest cultural understandings on gender and human sexuality. The bill also represents a dramatic expansion of government power that cannot possibly be justified by the realities of contemporary American society.