Tajikistan: Almost Two Thousand Mosques Closed in 2017

Tajikistan has claimed to have closed almost 2,000 mosques in 2017. Officials claimed they were closed at the request of local residents, but have not been able to explain why they only allow mosques with a capacity far below the possible numbers of worshippers

Azerbaijan - Sufis and Protestants Raided

In December 2017, Sufi Muslim Rashad Abidov, whose home in the northern town of Sheki was raided by police during a religious meeting, managed to overturn the large fine he was handed down for holding a meeting without state permission. Police had brought the case against him rather than the officials of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations

Uzbekistan: Religious Freedom Survey, 2017

Freedom of religion or belief, along with intrinsically linked freedoms such as those of expression, association, and assembly, is seriously restricted in Uzbekistan. Officials frequently violate freedom of thought, conscience and belief and other interlinked human rights, violating the government\u27s legally-binding international human rights commitments. These restrictions on human rights are part of the regime\u27s intentional systemic policy to control every aspect of society. This is why followers of all religions and beliefs—with no exceptions—face freedom of religion or belief violations

Not what, but who: Controlled choice in gifted education programs in the United States

Gifted education’s most pressing problem, according to its critics, is a lack of racial, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity. This lack of diversity can be attributed to the fractured nature of gifted education’s historical development, and the also fractured development of its very independent and numerous stakeholders. By the 20th century, these factors caused an overreaching regulatory structure to be practically infeasible. This policy proposal attempts to push back against historical precedent and begin a process of implementing overarching guidelines for gifted education programs in the United States based on a Controlled Choice model of admissions for gifted and talented pro-grams that receive federal funding. The new federal Special Task Force on Equity in Excellence will be tasked with enforcing and overseeing this policy change