The issue′s special report looks at religion and freedom of expression as well as religious offence. When is the right to religious freedom suppressed or censored? Where do we draw the line between offence and faith and how should society respond?

It looks at persecution of religions around the world, including the Bishop of Bradford Nicholas Baines′s account of Christians in Sudan, analysis of China’s Uighur Muslim minority community; Islamist challenges to free speech in Turkey; Felix Corley on Uzbekistan, where owning religious texts can get you into trouble; the new law on offence to religious feelings introduced in Russia in July 2013; and clashes between church and state in South Africa. The issue also looks at religious offence and art with Martin Rowson, Samira Ahmed and an interview with playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti to mark the10-year anniversary of the Behzti affair. The issue also publishes, for the first time in English, an extract from Lebanese playwright Lucien Borjely′s banned play.