Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Religion & Government

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    Lobbying for the Faithful

    A new report gives a brief history of organized religious advocacy in Washington, D.C., and examines the major characteristics of religion-related advocacy. A related online directory includes profiles of 216 groups currently or recently active in the nationโ€™s capital.

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    Rising Restrictions on Religion โ€“ One-third of the worldโ€™s population experiences an increase

    Restrictions on religious beliefs and practices rose in 23 of the worldโ€™s 198 countries (12%), decreased in 12 countries (6%) and remained essentially unchanged in 163 countries (82%) between mid-2006 and mid-2009, a new Pew Forum report shows. More than 2.2 billion people โ€“ nearly a third of the worldโ€™s population โ€“ live in the 23 countries with increasing government restrictions or social hostilities involving religion.

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    Arab Spring Fails to Improve U.S. Image

    Support for democracy is high throughout much of the Middle East, but the Arab Spring has not led to an improvement in Americaโ€™s image in the region. Instead, in key Arab nations and in other predominantly Muslim countries, views of the U.S. remain negative. On balance, extremist groups also viewed negatively, although they receive significant levels of support in some countries.

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    Churches in Court

    Whenever churches or religious organizations find themselves involved in civil litigation, courts first must determine whether the First Amendmentโ€™s religion clauses bestow a unique legal status on religious organizations that puts some of their decisions and actions beyond the reach of civil laws.

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    Egypt, Democracy and Islam

    Majorities of Egyptian Muslims believe that democracy is preferable to any other kind of government, and by wide margins, Muslims in Egypt say that Islam plays a positive role in their countryโ€™s politics.

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    Faith on the Hill โ€“ The Religious Composition of the 112th Congress

    The political overhaul of the U.S. Congress after the 2010 elections appears to have had little effect on the religious composition of the legislative body, which is similar to the religious makeup of the previous Congress and of the nation, according to an analysis by the Pew Forum.

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    Muslim Publics Divided on Hamas and Hezbollah

    Extremist groups Hamas and Hezbollah continue to receive mixed ratings from Muslim publics. However, opinions of al Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, are consistently negative; only in Nigeria do Muslims offer views that are, on balance, positive toward al Qaeda and bin Laden.

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