Freedom of Religion in Sudan
The multiplicity of ethnic and religious communities has created divisions in the social setting in Sudan. This chapter explores the topic of freedom of religion according to the UN conventions. The focus is directed at how various religious communities in Khartoum perceive and assess the way their freedom of religion is guaranteed in the State of Sudan. Since Sudan ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR (1966)) in 1986, the regime which came to power in 1989 was committed to grant citizens freedom of religion. The chapter discusses three issues linked to religious freedom for religious minorities in Sudan: restrictions on the building of churches, the prohibition of alcohol, and representation in the public sphere. It further discusses two restrictions on religious freedom regarding the Muslim majority: apostasy and compulsory female dress code. Keywords:alcohol; apostasy; Christian churches; female dress code; ICCPR; Muslim majority; religious freedom; religious minorities; Sudan
Freedom of Religion and Belief: A World Report
This report, the first of its kind yet to be published, provides a detailed and impartial account of how the individual's right to hold beliefs is understood, protected or denied throughout the world. Consisting of accessible, short edited entries based on drafts commissioned from experts living in the countries surveyed, it exposes persecution and discrimination in virtually all world regions. The book: * provides an analysis of United Nations standards of freedom of religion and belief * covers over fifty countries, divided into regions and introduced by a regional overview * covers themes including: the relationships between belief groups and the state; freedom to manifest belief in law and practice; religion and schools; religious minorities; new religious movements; the impact of beliefs on the status of women; and the extent to which conscientious objection to military service is recognised by governments * draws on examples of accommodation and co-operation between different religions and beliefs and identifies the main challenges to be overcome if the diversity of human conviction is to be established.
Analysis: The Agenda 2007 Proposals: Evolution or Revolution?
On 10 February 2004 the Commission published its proposal for the financial perspective 2007-2013. A week later it adopted the third report on economic and social cohesion. These two documents form the basis of the so-called ‘Agenda 2007 reforms’. They will be the greatest challenge for the enlarged EU after the intergovernmental conference, since they will determine the financial basis for EU policy-making until the middle of the next decade. The Agenda 2007 proposals certainly hint at courageous reforms, because they place a previously unheard-of emphasis on performance and quality. Under the proposals, structural operations should generate value for money, and the funds should focus on projects which generate added value at a European level. Overall the Commission’s proposals point in the right direction, because they balance, on the one hand, solidarity for the new Member States and weak regions in the old Member States with, on the other hand, investments in future tasks. Moreover, they constitute a paradigm shift. For the first time, the Common Agricultural Policy will not be the dominant expenditure category. Now it is up to the Member States to examine the proposals politically and find a compromise between sometimes very divergent interests. It is to be hoped that, during the debate over expenditure limits and division of funds, national interests do not outweigh European interests.