Ovais Shaikh

Afghanistan: Taliban code distinguishes between free and enslaved people We are returning to news from January 2026 because its significance deserves renewed attention. The Taliban approved a criminal […]

Massacres, rape, and burned villages: Trump opens talks with Myanmar’s military rulers Mass killings, rape, torture, and villages burned to the ground marked Myanmar’s military campaign against the Rohingya in 2017. S […]

America’s livestreamed execution: Welcome to the Middle Ages The United States government plans to put a man before a firing squad and broadcast his death to the public. The Pentagon has confirmed […]

Rubio puts “America First” above global solidarity U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the idea of putting the global community ahead of national populations during an October […]

Iowa weakens LGBTQ+ foster-care protections in the name of religious freedom Iowa has removed a safeguard requiring foster parents to respect children’s sexual orientation and gender identity regardless of r […]

“Let ’em take out LA”: Trump’s war rhetoric hits home Donald Trump has drawn criticism after invoking the destruction of Los Angeles and San Diego during a speech defending his Iran war. […]

Supreme Court Justice Alito says same-sex marriage threatens religious freedom Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has renewed attention to his opposition to marriage equality through a newly published collection of […]

Yemen: Aid workers face death penalty under Houthi prosecutions At least eight Yemeni UN and civil society workers face prosecution on charges that could carry the death penalty. Amnesty […]

U.S. deports LGBTQ+ migrants to countries where they face persecution The United States has deported LGBTQ+ people to countries where their identities expose them to danger, despite earlier court […]

Waterboarding, beatings, mock executions: Afghanistan’s 25-year wait for justice Waterboarding, beatings, prolonged sleep deprivation, mock executions, rape, summary executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary […]

Jesus and Augustus: Very little evidence vs. overwhelming evidence Augustus left coins, inscriptions, monuments, and portraits made during his lifetime. His contemporaries discussed his actions and […]

Helping refugees? Up to 20 years in prison Two human rights defenders could face up to 20 years in prison in Greece. Their trial is scheduled to begin on October 6, 2026, on the […]

Children in Iraq face ISIS trials amid torture concerns At least 157 children are among thousands of detainees transferred from northeastern Syria to Iraq over alleged ISIS ties. As […]

New asylum toolkit aims to protect atheists and people who leave religion Leaving religion can put someone in danger. Yet seeking protection abroad can bring another challenge: convincing officials that their […]

God gets an office at the Pentagon Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a new Office of Religious Affairs at the Pentagon. The office will report directly to him, […]

Federal court clears path for first religious public charter school in the U.S. For more than two centuries, the United States has wrestled with where government ends and religion begins. Now an Oklahoma court case […]

China’s LGBTQ survey shows striking support — but it does not represent all of China A large survey of adults in mainland China has found surprisingly high levels of support for LGBTQ people and several LGBTQ rights. […]

The biology and environment behind religiosity Why do some people become deeply religious while others remain indifferent or reject religion altogether? The obvious answer is […]

From heaven to extinction: AI’s strangely religious future Artificial intelligence is supposed to represent the future. Yet some of the stories surrounding it sound remarkably […]

39% of Northern Ireland’s 16-year-olds now say they have no religion Northern Ireland has spent generations divided along religious lines. For a growing share of its youngest generation, however, the […]