IIRF Updates

International religious ethnography conference
The IIRF and OLIRE, along with the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, will co-host the third International Congress on Religious Ethnography.

Call for papers: IAMS 2026 in South Africa
The International Association for Mission Studies (IAMS) will have a study group on “Religious Freedom, Persecution and Mission” at its next General Assembly, on July

Shining a light on religious freedom: a new tool for global insight
One of the flagship initiatives of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF), the Violent Incidents Database (VID), represents a landmark contribution to the global

How Freedom of Religion or Belief Can Help Prevent the Misuse of Religion and Build Social Cohesion and Resilience
Thomas Paul Schirrmacher and Janet Epp-Buckingham represent the IIRF at the International Religious Freedom Roundtable in Berlin

Report seeks greater protection for Indigenous in Latin America
The IIRF has released a new report on threats to the religious freedom of Indigenous peoples in Latin America, coauthored by Dennis Petri and Jason

Interreligious Forum of the Americas
Deputy Director Kyle Wisdom represented IIRF at the FIDELA ministerial hosted by the U.S. Institute of Peace on behalf of the Observatory of Religious Freedom
Statements
Religious Freedom News

Call for papers to participate in ISFORB Conference 2024
IIRF extends the invitation to participate in the Fourth International Conference ISFORB, on the main topic “Propagation and (de)conversion: Conflict of individual and group rights?”

OAS commemorates the International Religious Freedom Day
The IIRF welcomes and congratulates the Organization of American States for including Religious Freedom as a topic of interest.

Free to burn sacred texts? A reflection on the Quran burning cases
Article written by Arie de Pater, IIRF European Representative. Recently, several Quran’s have been burnt or desecrated in Denmark and Sweden. Some claim that these

EU: The 10th Anniversary of the EU Guidelines on FoRB
Ten years ago, the European Council adopted Guidelines on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). These guidelines explain what FoRB

Has the African Union done enough to advance FoRB and curb religious persecution?
This 2021 factsheet published by the USCIRF documents instances of religious freedom violations, including of a violent nature, against Muslims in Africa.

Request for a thematic hearing before the IACHR about threats to Cuban religious leaders
IIRF and partner organizations request the IACHR to protect the fundamental rights of religious leaders who have been victims of government repression since the July 2021 social outbreak in Cuba.