This data is compiled by OSAC, *Proselytizing Abroad : where is it legal and illegal*
**The red color** indicates countries that prohibit any sort of proselytization that is not in line with the state’s principal religion or belief; for Myanmar and Cambodia, it is Buddhism; for North Korea, it is Atheism; for Greece and Armenia, it is their respective state church; and for everything else colored in red, it is Islam.
**The yellow color** indicates countries that limit and regulate proselytization of specific or any religion. Limitation varies from country to country in extent, circumstance, or stipulation imposed by the state.
e.g.
* In Russia, under the anti-terrorism law, proselytization is limited to churches and designated houses of worship. Proselytization in both public and private settings is prohibited without authorization.
* In Chad, the president of the High Council of Islamic Affairs has the authority to restrict muslim groups from proselytizing.
* In Colombia, the government will supervise any attempt to proselytize among the indigenious population, ensuring the proselytization does not induce members of the indigenious communities to adopt significant changes in lifestyle.
* In China, proselytizing is only permitted in private settings or within registered houses of worship. Proselytization in public, in unregistered churches or temples, or by foreigners is prohibited.
**The purple color** indicates that proselytization may be limited or prohibited in certain areas under local autonomy. In Nigeria, the northern islamic states prohibit any sort of proselytization to their muslim population. In India, some states such as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana prohibit proselytizing near any place of worship.
**The orange color** indicates specifically the prohibition of Ahmadiyya proselytization. In Pakistan, the government may allow Ahmadiyya to proselytize as long as there is no preaching against Islam and the missionaries acknowledge that they are not muslim. In Indonesia, Ahmadiyya proselytization is prohibited under any circumstance and falls into blasphemy law.
WizardSleeve65 on
I have no idea what proselizytzying means.
Johnian_99 on
The legend of the map itself should denote orange as “proselytization *by* Ahmadiyya”, which means the opposite of “proselytization of”.
For the legend of the red colour, it should be “proselytization *of*”. The verb and noun “proselytize/-ation” don’t collocate with the preposition “to”.
Typo in map title: “abroad”
ToothCute6156 on
with exception of china most are failed states.
Individual_Macaron69 on
actually enforced in greece? or is just at mt athos or something odd?
blueFromTennessee on
North korea being red is obvious either kim jong un or nun
arieljoc on
I have no respect for missionaries whatsoever. If you wanna do volunteer work, that’s awesome. But leveraging that to convert people is just gross
ButterscotchAny5432 on
Why is Islam so scared?
Jolly_War9665 on
This map shows radicalism
EventOk7702 on
I wish proselytizing was illegal in my country
Hotrocketry on
Ahmadiyya case in my country Indonesia is quite peculiar. It’s not officially discriminated against under our state constitution per se. It should have been allowed to proselytizing it freely like other religions. The problem is that the local muslims (guess) may report ahmadiyya activity in their vicinity as “public disturbance,” and these poor ahmadis may land into jail for that.
That’s what happens when your justice system is based on mob-rule.
DryUniversity5439 on
Tunisian w
-Dovahzul- on
Wtf Greece
Muted_Car728 on
The Islamic world and authoritarianism appear profoundly linked.
BuonTabib on
People who are against this never heard of the stuff Mormons do
Appropriate_Car_3711 on
“you can’t do it, but we can”
Trax-d on
Greeks and Armenians are against it, interesting.
Reasonable_Ninja5708 on
For people who may not know, Ahmadiyya is a “sect” of Islam that teaches that some random Indian guy named Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is a prophet. It was founded in the 1880s. From what I know, it’s considered heresy by mainstream Islam since Ahmadis don’t believe in the finality of Muhammad’s prophethood.
Worst-Panda on
*Abroad
Remarkable-Ad-4973 on
Surprised about Greece ~~and Thailand~~.
I’ve literally no knowledge of Cambodia. Are the Buddhist population particularly religious there?
intergalacticspy on
Malaysia should be purple. There is no law against proselytisation in the biggest state, Sarawak, and in the Federal Territories where the national capital is located.
the-fourth-planet on
I’ve seen some evangelican churches/cults in Thessaloniki, Greece and I wonder how they’re able to function.
caporaltito on
France should be on the list: proselytism is forbidden in schools and at the parliament. There was a lot of heated debate about hijabs at school because some consider it to be a sign of proselytism and some not.
israelilocal on
I am quite confident that it is also illegal in Israel
At least that is what is commonly believed here
Casimir_III on
I had a friend in high school who got arrested trying to spread Korean Protestantism in Egypt. Really smart guy from an academic standpoint but he had some strange ideological convictions.
Mechashevet on
In Israel it is a common misconception that proselytizing is illegal, in actuality it is only illegal to proselytize to children
us916us916 on
What about Israel!!!
Rose_Bride on
Mmm, kinda curious, here in mexico, we talk about proselytizing in the political sense, almost exclusively rather than the religious sense, it’s true that technically we don’t outlaw religious or political proselytism but we do limit it with other parts of the law:
Religious:
– We have constitutional laicism, meaning that religious figures are not allowed to mix their beliefs with anything related to politics, education or healthcare, some places have it less enforced than others (for example, private schools still have to abide by laicism, but I private hospitals don’t)
Politics:
– Similarly to religion, politicians aren’t allowed to campaign inside religious or school buildings, priests aren’t allowed to push political agendas in their speeches, nor are candidates allowed to use religion in their campaigns (including symbols) nor are they allowed to promote any candidates, unless it’s on their own free time and not in function of their religion, even goverment employees have to abide by it etc.
Belenos_Anextlomaros on
I don’t understand the legend “abroad” but abroad from where?
In France, proselytism “full stop” is limited. It is protected under the freedom of opinion, but discretion is encouraged to preserve public order and it is strictly prohibited in schools, university and anything related to the state. France should be yellow. And I believe it is regulated in similar fashion in other countries.
Acrobatic_Ad_2619 on
Honestly after looking up what the words means the Middle East I can FULLY understand along with North Korea and Venezuela given how authoritarian those countries are but I’m kinda surprised about Greece but then they have pretty much been under foreign thumbs since before the onset of the 20th century so I can understand how that would come about
DavidlikesPeace on
Correction. You can certainly proselytize for a certain faith in those areas.
I know it’s impolite to point this religious issue out, but thanks OP. The MENA region has major flaws that demand reform. Lack of freedom of conscious hamstrings their ability to ever truly democratize
AggravatingMoment115 on
No surprise for the red states.
schwulquarz on
Why is it yellow in Colombia? I get Jehova Witnesses in my door a few times a month
Franz2012 on
North Korea never surprises me
bookgirl1224 on
If you could add my front porch to that map, I would really appreciate it.
Dillenger69 on
Proselytution?
Kairos_J on
Russia for me has the best take on it, even if the practice must be different, i don’t know about the reality there about that.
It should be banned everywhere, except places of cult. Religion is a choice, it’s either you have the gift of Faith or not.
Simple.
Sound_Saracen on
Embarrassing for Muslim countries.
Kamen_rider_B on
What is proselytize
XhazakXhazak on
Israel’s proselytization law is too interesting to exclude: No proselytization to kids under 18 and no material benefits.
6-foot-under on
My guess is that in the Middle East/North Africa, this only means that it is illegal to coax someone away from Islam. They can still do it. Anyone who has been there for more than a day will tell you that they do do it, constantly. It’s creepy and annoying.
41 Comments
This data is compiled by OSAC, *Proselytizing Abroad : where is it legal and illegal*
**The red color** indicates countries that prohibit any sort of proselytization that is not in line with the state’s principal religion or belief; for Myanmar and Cambodia, it is Buddhism; for North Korea, it is Atheism; for Greece and Armenia, it is their respective state church; and for everything else colored in red, it is Islam.
**The yellow color** indicates countries that limit and regulate proselytization of specific or any religion. Limitation varies from country to country in extent, circumstance, or stipulation imposed by the state.
e.g.
* In Russia, under the anti-terrorism law, proselytization is limited to churches and designated houses of worship. Proselytization in both public and private settings is prohibited without authorization.
* In Chad, the president of the High Council of Islamic Affairs has the authority to restrict muslim groups from proselytizing.
* In Colombia, the government will supervise any attempt to proselytize among the indigenious population, ensuring the proselytization does not induce members of the indigenious communities to adopt significant changes in lifestyle.
* In China, proselytizing is only permitted in private settings or within registered houses of worship. Proselytization in public, in unregistered churches or temples, or by foreigners is prohibited.
**The purple color** indicates that proselytization may be limited or prohibited in certain areas under local autonomy. In Nigeria, the northern islamic states prohibit any sort of proselytization to their muslim population. In India, some states such as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana prohibit proselytizing near any place of worship.
**The orange color** indicates specifically the prohibition of Ahmadiyya proselytization. In Pakistan, the government may allow Ahmadiyya to proselytize as long as there is no preaching against Islam and the missionaries acknowledge that they are not muslim. In Indonesia, Ahmadiyya proselytization is prohibited under any circumstance and falls into blasphemy law.
I have no idea what proselizytzying means.
The legend of the map itself should denote orange as “proselytization *by* Ahmadiyya”, which means the opposite of “proselytization of”.
For the legend of the red colour, it should be “proselytization *of*”. The verb and noun “proselytize/-ation” don’t collocate with the preposition “to”.
Typo in map title: “abroad”
with exception of china most are failed states.
actually enforced in greece? or is just at mt athos or something odd?
North korea being red is obvious either kim jong un or nun
I have no respect for missionaries whatsoever. If you wanna do volunteer work, that’s awesome. But leveraging that to convert people is just gross
Why is Islam so scared?
This map shows radicalism
I wish proselytizing was illegal in my country
Ahmadiyya case in my country Indonesia is quite peculiar. It’s not officially discriminated against under our state constitution per se. It should have been allowed to proselytizing it freely like other religions. The problem is that the local muslims (guess) may report ahmadiyya activity in their vicinity as “public disturbance,” and these poor ahmadis may land into jail for that.
That’s what happens when your justice system is based on mob-rule.
Tunisian w
Wtf Greece
The Islamic world and authoritarianism appear profoundly linked.
People who are against this never heard of the stuff Mormons do
“you can’t do it, but we can”
Greeks and Armenians are against it, interesting.
For people who may not know, Ahmadiyya is a “sect” of Islam that teaches that some random Indian guy named Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is a prophet. It was founded in the 1880s. From what I know, it’s considered heresy by mainstream Islam since Ahmadis don’t believe in the finality of Muhammad’s prophethood.
*Abroad
Surprised about Greece ~~and Thailand~~.
I’ve literally no knowledge of Cambodia. Are the Buddhist population particularly religious there?
Malaysia should be purple. There is no law against proselytisation in the biggest state, Sarawak, and in the Federal Territories where the national capital is located.
I’ve seen some evangelican churches/cults in Thessaloniki, Greece and I wonder how they’re able to function.
France should be on the list: proselytism is forbidden in schools and at the parliament. There was a lot of heated debate about hijabs at school because some consider it to be a sign of proselytism and some not.
I am quite confident that it is also illegal in Israel
At least that is what is commonly believed here
I had a friend in high school who got arrested trying to spread Korean Protestantism in Egypt. Really smart guy from an academic standpoint but he had some strange ideological convictions.
In Israel it is a common misconception that proselytizing is illegal, in actuality it is only illegal to proselytize to children
What about Israel!!!
Mmm, kinda curious, here in mexico, we talk about proselytizing in the political sense, almost exclusively rather than the religious sense, it’s true that technically we don’t outlaw religious or political proselytism but we do limit it with other parts of the law:
Religious:
– We have constitutional laicism, meaning that religious figures are not allowed to mix their beliefs with anything related to politics, education or healthcare, some places have it less enforced than others (for example, private schools still have to abide by laicism, but I private hospitals don’t)
Politics:
– Similarly to religion, politicians aren’t allowed to campaign inside religious or school buildings, priests aren’t allowed to push political agendas in their speeches, nor are candidates allowed to use religion in their campaigns (including symbols) nor are they allowed to promote any candidates, unless it’s on their own free time and not in function of their religion, even goverment employees have to abide by it etc.
I don’t understand the legend “abroad” but abroad from where?
In France, proselytism “full stop” is limited. It is protected under the freedom of opinion, but discretion is encouraged to preserve public order and it is strictly prohibited in schools, university and anything related to the state. France should be yellow. And I believe it is regulated in similar fashion in other countries.
Honestly after looking up what the words means the Middle East I can FULLY understand along with North Korea and Venezuela given how authoritarian those countries are but I’m kinda surprised about Greece but then they have pretty much been under foreign thumbs since before the onset of the 20th century so I can understand how that would come about
Correction. You can certainly proselytize for a certain faith in those areas.
I know it’s impolite to point this religious issue out, but thanks OP. The MENA region has major flaws that demand reform. Lack of freedom of conscious hamstrings their ability to ever truly democratize
No surprise for the red states.
Why is it yellow in Colombia? I get Jehova Witnesses in my door a few times a month
North Korea never surprises me
If you could add my front porch to that map, I would really appreciate it.
Proselytution?
Russia for me has the best take on it, even if the practice must be different, i don’t know about the reality there about that.
It should be banned everywhere, except places of cult. Religion is a choice, it’s either you have the gift of Faith or not.
Simple.
Embarrassing for Muslim countries.
What is proselytize
Israel’s proselytization law is too interesting to exclude: No proselytization to kids under 18 and no material benefits.
My guess is that in the Middle East/North Africa, this only means that it is illegal to coax someone away from Islam. They can still do it. Anyone who has been there for more than a day will tell you that they do do it, constantly. It’s creepy and annoying.