On February 11, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and communications minister Khumbudzo Nthsavheni signed a proclamation enacting the Internet Censorship Act of 2019. The law gives extensive censorship power to the Film and Publications Board (FPB).
On Sunday, February 20, an Egyptian lawmaker proposed a law that will ban "non-specialist" journalists from discussing religion. The proposal responds against Ibrahim Issa's statement on February 18, dismissing the Prophet Muhammad's ascension.
Tarek Radwan, head of the Human Rights Committee of the Egyptian Parliament, proposed the law draft. Ali Gomaa, of the parliament's Religious Affairs Committee, signaled his support for Radwan's proposal.
On January 19, a Tennessee couple sued the Department of Children's Services after an adoption agency refused to facilitate their adoption because they are Jewish. Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram said they were denied state-mandated training and certification because of their religion.
On Wednesday, February 23, a Shia Muslim was given the death penalty and a fine of almost $3000 (PKR 500,000) for blasphemy charges. Court officials stated that Wasim Abbas, a minority Shia Muslim in Pakistan, has allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammad.
On Wednesday, February 16, the constitutional court of Kuwait overturned Article 198 of the country's penal code. Introduced in December 2007, Article 198 of the Kuwaiti Penal Code criminalizes "imitating the appearance of a member of the opposite sex."
The law effectively criminalizes transgender, creating a hostile environment for transgender individuals in Kuwait.
A 17-year old Amritdhari Sikh girl was allegedly asked to take off her turban while attending class in Mount Carmel College in Palace Vasanth Nagar. The incident is part of the ongoing controversy involving students’ religious garments.
A Mexican Muslim woman who was employed to help organize the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was forced to leave the country after being sexually assaulted. Paola Schietekat worked in Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy when a colleague sexually assaulted her last June.
A Hindu teacher was sentenced for blasphemy on Tuesday, February 8. Nautan Lal, a college teacher in Sindh province, southern Pakistan, received a life sentence.
The order was passed by Judge Murtaza Solangi of the Sindh Province court. The order also included a fine of 50,000 rupees or close to $300.
On January 29, the Cairo Economic Court ruled that Marco Gerges, a Coptic Christian, is guilty of multiple charges, including "contempt for Islam,” resulting in a five-year prison sentence.
Rob Standridge, a Republican Senator from Oklahoma, has introduced a stupefyingly callous, religiously inspired bill to the Oklahoma senate. Known as the Students' Religious Belief Protection Act, the bill seeks to penalize educators who oppose students' "closely held religious beliefs."
