Source: World Watch Monitor, February 25, 2019
Tajik authorities implementing a new religion law are barring children from attending religious services and have burned thousands of calendars with Bible verses.
Amendments to Tajikistan’s Religion Law came into force in January last year, giving the state greater control over religious education and increasing the amount of information religious organizations must pass on to the state.
The State Committee for Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions, Ceremonies and Rituals (SCRA) now demands “all kinds of information on the number of members, finances and activities,” a member of a religious community told Oslo-based news agency Forum 18 anonymously, fearing reprisals (see Forum 18 article).
They also gather information about the number of children under the age of 10 attending religious meetings, using the Religion Law and the Parental Responsibility Law to put pressure on parents and religious communities.
» Read full story. It looks like Jehovah’s Witnesses are being targeted in particular, but other faith communities like the Baptists who imported the Christian calendars are suffering as well.
» Also read the article Five Reality Checks for Mission, a recent article which deftly summarizes today’s key challenges for Christian witness in Asia and globally (Church Mission Society).