Global Scans · Religion · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Huge growth is expected over the next several decades as the world's Muslim population grows faster than every other major religious demographic, and as urbanization and rising incomes in developing countries with large Muslim populations mean more will be buying, rather than producing their own food.

• [New] Catholics face death threats and severe persecution in Iran, Afghanistan, Nicaragua and elsewhere for crossing clearly delineated lines of acceptable religious activity. The Korea Times
• [New] There are some unusual dynamics that could make 2026 an especially difficult year to predict religious trends: the midterm elections, the tenuous ceasefire in Gaza, the inauguration of New York City's first Muslim mayor. RNS
• [New] The German government, a coalition of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU); its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU); and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), will have to deal with difficult domestic policy issues in 2026. Deutsche Welle
• [New] Australia has cancelled the visa of an Israeli social media influencer who has campaigned against Islam, saying it will not accept visitors to the country who come to spread hatred. Bridge Initiative
• [New] Opposition to stripping citizenship and deporting U.S. citizens deemed a threat is widespread, with notable exceptions among Republicans, white evangelical Protestants, and Christian nationalism Adherents and Sympathizers. PRRI
• [New] While several Bangladeshi voters might be more religious today than they previously were, they are politically pragmatic, despite personal piety, and tend to prefer politicians over clerics. Al Jazeera
• [New] AI could reshape law, religion, and language systems. MarketingProfs
• [New] Ongoing national debate - and upcoming court cases - about the extent of First Amendment protections for religious freedom is expected to remain prominent in 2026. Freedom Forum
• [New] Australia's peak Jewish body has rebuked the need for a carve-out to new hate speech laws for people quoting from religious texts as part of teaching or discussion, warning it provides a very wide loophole for preachers espousing antisemitism. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] By 2075, if current trends continue, the world will be 36% Christian and 33% Muslim, pointing to a future where Islam will eventually become the world's largest religion (see the Compact Atlas of Global Christianity for additional data for 2025 and 2075). The Occasional
• [New] In 2026, as travelers seek more meaningful and authentic experiences, the religious places in Nepal offer a unique opportunity to witness living history. Explore All About Nepal
• [New] Biblical and religious names will be trending in 2027. HuffPost UK
• [New] The potential attack could target a religious building or another site of high symbolic significance, either inside Russia or in illegally Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, enabling the Kremlin to frame escalation as defensive retaliation rather than premeditated violence. Unmasking Russia
• Around the world, we see the risk of societies breaking down under the weight of racism, nationalist xenophobia, and religious bigotry. Secretary-General
• If the British Unitarian movement can formulate out of its uncertainties a definition of itself that expresses a healthy relationship both with mainstream Christianity and with other world religions, then an uncertain future will be transformed into a confident one. Midland Unitarian Association
• Christianity is expected to surpass 3 billion in number worldwide by 2050. Shartel Church
• While the main site of the Christian-Catholic revival is Africa-sub-Saharan Africa will have four out of every 10 Christians in the world by 2050 - the pertinent question today is what a decidedly conservative Christian revival means for the Western liberal democratic polity. Open The Magazine
• An America that moves away from Christianity will be an America that ultimately moves away from tolerance, pluralism, and respect for individual conscience. Hudson Institute
• The coming year will be both fragile and crucial for Syria, with ongoing attacks against religious minorities and eruptions of violence threatening stability and successful transition and reconciliation, alongside the potential threat of what is left of the so-called Islamic State. The New Humanitarian
• The greatest threat facing the body of Christ in 2026 will not be Islam or secular culture. Mike Signorelli Ministries | V1 Church - Go from chaos
• The potential: MCO-010 could become the first gene-agnostic therapy to be FDA-approved for restoring vision in legally blind RP patients. Eyes On Eyecare

Last updated: 02 February 2026