Issue

Religion

Religious faith is central to the lives of billions, a driving force in everything from family structure to relationships within and among the world’s nation states. It is also the venue, and often the source, of conflict.

Religion presents Pulitzer Center reporting on these themes from throughout the world—from the explosive growth of megachurches in Africa and Latin America to intra-Islam schisms of the Middle East, to the self-immolation of Tibetan Buddhist monks and Buddhist soldiers running roughshod over the rights of Burmese Muslims, to the struggles of faith groups everywhere to come to terms with human sexuality.

In some parts of the world, notably China, governments that long suppressed religious expression are now invoking those traditions as part of the solution to environmental and other challenges. Elsewhere, from majority-Catholic Philippines to Muslim Indonesia, religious doctrine on issues like reproductive rights is in uneasy dialogue with the forces of modernization and globalization.

In Religion, we aim for reporting that tackles these tough, core issues—but without the easy stereotypes and caricature that too often make journalism a tool for demagogy. In the Pulitzer Center reporting presented here we seek instead to be a force for understanding.

The Pulitzer Center’s reporting on religion and public policy issues is made possible through the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, the Kendeda Fund, and other Pulitzer Center donors.

 

Religion

'Who Is This Stupid God?'

While President Rodrigo Duterte wages a relentless war on the Catholic Church of the Philippines, a strident bishop fights to restore his country's moral foundations.

Lost at Home: Pakistan's Ahmadi Muslims

Ahmadi Muslims are prohibited from "posing as Muslims" under Pakistan's constitution. Stranded in-between both societal and state-sanctioned persecution, Ahmadis are left without a home.

The Women Fleeing Saudi Arabia

Pulitzer Center grantee Sarah Aziza discusses what it’s like for women to escape Saudi Arabia when their every move is policed by men.

The Vatican and the Nuns

Cardinals in Rome ordered two investigations of American nuns. Is this a modern-day Inquisition? Jason Berry explores the forces behind this inner struggle of the church on both sides of the Atlantic.

Chaupadi: Nepali Women's Monthly Exile

In rural western Nepal, many women are sent to live in animal sheds while they are menstruating. This ingrained cultural practice, called chaupadi, can wreak unintended havoc on their health.

Europe's Siege on Democracy

Europe’s economic crisis has become intertwined with disturbing anti-democratic trends and the rise of extremist politics. Bill Wheeler looks at the fallout in Hungary and Greece.

Egypt: The Country Outside the Square

After decades of trampled hopes under President Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians are now working to figure out not only what they stand against, but what they stand for.

Burma in Transition

After decades of isolation, Burma is taking fresh steps toward democracy. The West has strengthened diplomatic ties and trade, but familiar fault lines still threaten prospects for lasting stability.

Statelessness: A Human Rights Crisis

From the slums of Nairobi to the sugar plantations of the Dominican Republic to the far reaches of Bangladesh, entire communities live without citizenship rights. They are “the stateless”.