Religious persecution around the world

In 2019, religious minorities around the world faced violence because of their beliefs. Noting that attacks on places of wor... [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. 30 December 2019 [The Conversation]( [Kalpana Jain] A note from... Kalpana Jain Senior Religion + Ethics Editor Around the world, religious minorities are facing violence because of their beliefs. Noting that attacks on places of worship had increased, this year the United Nations declared Aug. 22 as an International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion and Belief. Speaking on Aug. 22, 2019, UN Secretary General António Guterres said, “Jews have been murdered in synagogues, their gravestones defaced with swastikas; Muslims gunned down in mosques, their religious sites vandalized; Christians killed at prayer, their churches torched.” The Conversation followed global events throughout 2019 to [put the spotlight on how religious minorities]( were being targeted or driven from their homelands. Top story Relatives light candles for victims who died during a bomb blast at St. Sebastian Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, on April 22, 2019. AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe [Religious minorities around the world face an uncertain future: 5 essential reads]( Kalpana Jain, The Conversation Violence against religious minorities around the world prompted the United Nations to mark a day for the victims in 2019. Here is a roundup of some key events around the world. Featured articles - [I researched Uighur society in China for 8 years and watched how technology opened new opportunities – then became a trap]( Darren Byler, University of Washington An anthropologist who interviewed Uighurs in China found different ways in which Chinese authorities used checkpoints, social media and smartphones to identify, categorize and control this group. - [Who are Sri Lanka’s Christians?]( Mathew Schmalz, College of the Holy Cross Suicide bombers struck Sri Lanka's churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, killing and injuring hundreds of people. Seven percent of Sri Lanka's population is Christian – most of them Roman Catholics. - [India’s plan to identify ‘illegal immigrants’ could get some Muslims declared ‘foreign’]( Haimanti Roy, University of Dayton Many women, Muslims and members of oppressed castes in India lack government-issued ID. Yet these documents may soon be required to prove their citizenship. - [Christians have lived in Turkey for two millennia – but their future is uncertain]( Ramazan Kılınç, University of Nebraska Omaha The percentage of Christians in Turkey declined from nearly 25% in 1914 to less than 0.5% today. Their future looks even more uncertain in today's political climate. - [Without school, a ‘lost generation’ of Rohingya refugee children face uncertain future]( Rubayat Jesmin, Binghamton University, State University of New York An estimated 500,000 Rohingya children, refugees from Myanmar, are growing up in Bangladesh in overcrowded camps with no access to formal education. [Do you think the public needs trustworthy information? Help us reach more people]( [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111