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] 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
• [New] Around the world, we see the risk of societies breaking down under the weight of racism, nationalist xenophobia, and religious bigotry. Secretary-General
• [New] 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
• [New] Christianity is expected to surpass 3 billion in number worldwide by 2050. Shartel Church
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• [New] 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
• Some of us guess that religion itself will get more involved in AI in 2026: either by issuing ecclesiastical guidance around AI interaction or morality; or sanctioning AI that empowers worshippers in some way. Euclid Insights
• Russia's planned false flag operation weaponizes Western drone debris and religious symbolism to manufacture civilian casualties that could derail US-mediated peace negotiations while justifying escalatory strikes on Ukrainian government targets. Drone Warfare
• The recent strikes by the US in the northwest section of Nigeria could further inflame religious tensions in a country long divided along identity lines and potentially aid in insurgent recruitment. PRS Group
• Al-Qaeda's Sahelian-affiliate Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, which has effectively conducted an insurgency while building shadow governance structures, will likely continue to expand with only minimal state resistance. The Soufan Center
• In parallel, non-state armed groups driven by religious, ethnic, and hard-line ideologies will threaten both governments and social harmony in various countries around the world. RSIS_NTU
• Online threats against data centers rooted in political, religious, environmental, and economic reasons have surged. The Soufan Center

Last updated: 26 January 2026