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A recent study on Rising Restrictions on Religion by the Pew Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life has discovered that religious tolerance is in retreat in the world.


The study revealed that one-third of people face increasing harassment when seeking to practise their faith. 

The three-year research through to mid-2009 discovered that restrictions on religious beliefs and practices rose in 23 of the world's 198 countries and fell in 12. In the other countries, restrictions were essentially the same.

An increase in religious freedom as measured by declines in government restrictions or social hostilities that target particular religious groups existed for only one per cent of the world's population.

The report said that the countries registering high or rising government or social harassment of their populations on religious grounds included India, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.

This is the official website.

Of particular interest to us would be THIS REPORT on Government Restrictions on Religion by country.

Summary of results is available here.

Social hostilities index can be viewed here. 

Other links are available here.

Press release is available here. 

This link will lead you to the executive summary. If you scroll down, the table on Changes in Restrictions Among the 25 Most Populous Countries is fantastic because it provides a slider for you to see the changes for each year.

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