In the most recent clash between the government and the Catholic Church in the Phili-ppines, authorities have banned hanging rosaries and religious icons in vehicles, citing safety concerns.

According to reports from the AFP, the ban is part of a new law that will take effect on May 25 aimed at eliminating distractions for drivers, including talking or texting on mobile phones, applying makeup, or eating or drinking.

The ban, announced, sparked outcry in the majority-Catholic country, where roughly 80% of the population identifies as Catholic.

“This is an overreaction, insensitive and lacks common sense,” Father Jerome Secillano, executive secretary for public affairs at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, told the AFP.

The Catholic Church has been one of the most outspoken opponents of President Rodrigo Duterte’s violent and unrelenting war on drugs, as well as his policies on the death penalty and reproductive health that go against the social teaching of the Catholic Church.

Gunmen claiming to have links with the Islamic State group threatened to kill hostages, including a Catholic priest, who were taken from the southern Philippine city of Marawi May 23. President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law across the entire Muslim-majority region of Mindanao late May 23, but ucanews.com reported that many, including church leaders, characterized the imposition of martial law as an overreaction.

Initial reports received by ucanews.com said Father Teresito Suganob, vicar general of the Prelature of Marawi, and several staff of St Mary’s Cathedral, which was set on fire, were taken hostage. The gunmen also forced their way into the residence of Bishop Edwin de la Pena of Marawi.

Duterte placed all of Mindanao’s 27 provinces and 33 cities, roughly a third of the country, under martial law for a period of 60 days. Mindanao is home to an estimated 20 million people. “I’ll be harsh,” said Duterte. “I have to do it to preserve the Republic of the Philippines,” he said, even as he assured Filipinos “not to be too scared.” Redemptorist Father Amado Picardal, who works with basic ecclesial communities and the bishops’ conference, said, declaring martial law across Mindanao while only Marawi was attacked “is either idiotic or an excuse to expand dictatorial control.”

A Catholic archbishop has given his blessing to President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in a region of the Philippines as long as human rights are protected.

Archbishop Martin Jumoad of Ozamiz said that the government needs to step up its efforts to restore peace and order to the besieged city of Marawi where Islamic State-linked militant groups have torched buildings, hoisted Islamic State flags, seized 14 Catholic hostages and beheaded a member of the police.

The archbishop warned Marawi’s residents to be careful and to “cooperate” with the military, the news service of the Philippine Catholic Bishops Conference (CBCP), reports.
Five soldiers, two policemen and 13 militants have died in the three days of fighting, according to authorities.

Abu Sayyaf and Maute have been blamed for bombings, attacks against government forces and kidnappings in the Philippines. They have also  beheaded hostages.
Photos posted on social media by Marawi residents showed armed men roaming the city with the black flags of ISIL.

An official from Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province has admitted that authorities have failed to protect religious minori-ties from hard-line Islamists.

“The intolerance, anger on religious matters and culture of lynching disturbs us,” said Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan chief spokesman of the Punjab government speaking at the May 12 event titled “Securing Punjab’s Diversity” in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province where majority of Christians in the country reside. Punjab also has 60 percent of the country’s population.

As an example, Khan said four people from the Ahmadiyya sect were killed by hardliners during April. “The religious cleansing must stop,” said Khan who is also special assistant to the Punjab chief minister.

Ahmadis, who believe Prophet Mohammed was not the last prophet, have suffered harsh persecution since they were declared non-Muslims by Pakistan in 1974. “We have failed in protecting minorities from forced conversion,” Khan said at the event attended by more than 30 activists, journalists and edu-cationists. “Everybody knows it, why should we hide it?” he asked.

Out of 1,000 Christian and Hindu women forcibly converted to Islam and forcibly married each year in Pakistan, 700 of them are Punjabi Christians, according to the National Commission of Justice and Peace and the Pakistan Hindu Council. Rights group say many of these are under the age of 18 and are married off to Muslims, or forced into bonded labour.

An inter-religious group in Korea has asked the new government to ensure the protection of migrants and ban racial discrimination.

Solidarity of Four Religions for the Human Rights of Migrants held a press conference on May 17 in front of Jogye-sa Buddhist temple in Seoul. Composed of Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants and Won Buddhists, they have been campaigning against racial discrimination.

“Even during the presidential election campaign, the candidates did give any attention to the two million migrants in Korea. Given that even the basic human rights of migrants are not guaranteed, we should take care of them by establishing concrete policies,” they said in a statement.

The group called on people to raise awareness of the problem, report cases of rights infringe-ment and to pray for an improve-ment in the situation. “Any action based on racial discrimination should be banned and punished,” they added.