A finding that one-third of the world's inhabitants live in countries where restraints on religious practice are increasing is somewhat alarming but not surprising, and definitely won't deter people who feel called to serve in those areas, local observers say.

More than a dozen American states are considering outlawing aspects of Shariah law.

No matter how you slice it, religious freedom around the world is in trouble.

When criminal court judges are fearful of dishing out tough punishment or, worse, allow a certain empathy for the accused to colour their judgment, it is important to look higher up the chain for the underlying reason.

The next time you walk into church, or your synagogue or mosque, say a little thanks to God for our founding principles.

Close to one-third of the world’s citizens have faced increased restrictions on religious practice and expression imposed on them by their respective nations’ governments, according to a study issued Aug. 9 by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Public Life.

Looks like the screaming was wrong. On both sides.

Brian J. Grim, senior researcher and director of cross-national data at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, speaks to Fox News about findings from a new Pew Forum report.

And how come the UK is now rated as being as bad as Russia and China when it comes to the tolerance of religion? Brian Grim from the Pew Forum joins Edward from Washington DC to explain his findings.

A study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life finds that government restrictions and social hostility toward religions are rising in the world's most populous countries.

Turkey is one of the few countries where government-imposed religious restrictions and social hostilities involving religion have declined since mid-2008, while a striking 32 percent of the rest the world population faced an increase in both areas, according to the recently announced results of a three-year study, “Rising Restrictions on Religion,” conducted by the Washington-based Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life.

"Over the three-year period studied, incidents of either government or social harassment were reported against Christians in 130 countries (66 per cent) and against Muslims in 117 countries (59 per cent)," said the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life study.

Worshippers are under attack in more countries as governments crack down on religion, and social hostilities grow, according to a new report.

A report by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life indicates that religious harassment is on the rise across the world.

Religion is under attack in more countries as governments crack down on religion, and social hostilities grow, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center.

Nearly a third of the world's people live in nations where practicing religion freely is becoming increasingly difficult, according to a new study released Tuesday.

Religious-linked violence and abuse rose around the world between 2006 and 2009, with Christians and Muslims the most common targets, according to a private US study released Tuesday.

Nearly a third of the world's population lives in countries where it is becoming more difficult to freely practice religion, a private U.S. research group reported on Tuesday.

A third of the world -- about 2.2 billion people -- live in nations where restrictions on religion have substantially increased, according to a new report.

More than two-thirds of the world's population lives in countries where restrictions on religious beliefs and practices have increased, a U.S. report says.