While we’ve been watching the Euros, football in northern Kerala raises big questions around theology, modesty, and representation for its Muslim fans and players. In this article, Shahdab Perumal shares some of his fieldwork on the relationship between football and the concept of awrah (nakedness). The intense love for football in northern Kerala, India is ..read more

What will Keir Starmer do for religious freedom? Knox Thames shares his analysis of the UK’s record on freedom of religion or belief. The United Kingdom is a key player in promoting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) globally, both as an expression of British values and a reflection of British interests. Through the special ..read more

What might Max Weber say about the social media influencers of the Mormon Church? Erin Clark has some ideas. It is undoubtable that the internet as it currently exists digitally replicates several conventions of the so-called empirical ‘real world’, dictating that, as Cowan details, “there is very little in the real world that is not ..read more

Under President Daniel Ortega and his Vice President (and wife) Rosario Murillo, religious expression is met with harassment and surveillance by the government, Emily A. Cole argues. On May 1, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) 2024 Report once again recommended Nicaragua to the State Department’s “Country of Particular Concern” list, where it ..read more

The anti-conversion laws are sweeping Indian states despite their incompatibility with international human rights law. In this article, Acharaj Kaur Tuteja outlines this incompatibility, and how these laws impact interfaith marriages. In the past five decades, multiple states in India have introduced and enacted anti-conversion laws to target, and in some cases criminalise interfaith marriages. In ..read more

The use of ‘religiophobia’ and ‘Islamophobia’ have been at odds during recent United Nations assemblies. Muhammad Ahmad Khan and Shafaq Zernab provide an analysis of India’s contribution to the debate. This year, on the 15th March, the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Indian Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj abstained from voting on a draft United Nations resolution ..read more

With a date set for the UK’s next General Election, Paul Bickley asks whether the ‘religious vote’ matters. This is the fourth General Election in nine years, though at least this Parliament has nearly lasted its full duration (albeit with three Prime Ministers). Reminds me of good old Brenda from Bristol: “You’re joking. Not another ..read more

What do we know about the spiritual roots of the armed resistance against British colonialism? For the youth movements of Bengal, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh was a formative teacher behind their ideas of ‘spiritual violence’, ‘white demons’, and the mother land. In this blog, Sourajit Ghosh tells us more about these secret revolutionary societies. I begin ..read more

How should we hold appropriate discussions of ‘cults’ and minority religions? It’s a sensitive topic with varied implications for academic disciplines and supportive organisations. In this blog, Aled Thomas and Edward Graham-Hyde share some insights from their upcoming book, ‘Cult’ Rhetoric in the 21st Century: Deconstructing the Study of New Religious Movements. Why is the term ..read more

Two years ago the new Personal Status Law was codified, introducing default guidelines for marriage, divorce, and child custody in Saudi Arabia, and changing the relationship between law and Sharia councils. Beata Polok and Zubair Abbasi explain the implications of the law.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has embarked on a transformative journey. Through its ..read more