Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 21 April 2023
Mayor declares ‘World Peace Week’ in honor of Bahá’í Chair anniversary
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Politics vs. religion?: The case of Nicaragua
(Teresa Flores, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Church in Haiti laments violence, insists on security for people
(La Croix International)
‘Progress’: How Eid is becoming a US school holiday
(Ali Harb, Al Jazeera)
Women of Excellence in Multi-Religious Action Award
(Religions for Peace)
Many people in U.S., other advanced economies say it’s not necessary to believe in God to be moral
(Janell Fetterolf and Sarah Austin, Pew Research Center)
As fossil fuel companies explore for new oil and gas, people of faith announce 31 divestment commitments, urge other faith groups to divest
(Laudato Si’ Movement)
‘Exposing our affairs meant death’: LGBTQ Saudis forced into exile
(Agence France-Presse)
Indian Christians, Muslims voice anger over boycott call
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
India: ‘I hope that my husband will let me go to church’: the tension between tradition and religious freedom for women in the Narikuravar community
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
India: 69 Hindus acquitted over deadly 2002 sectarian riots
(Al Jazeera)
Indian Christians get bail four months after sectarian flare-up
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
WCC webinar explores ways to eradicate HIV stigma and discrimination
(World Council of Churches)
Oklahoma school district ends unconstitutional religion lessons thanks to AHA lawsuit
(American Humanist Association)
Kenya: Bishops call for constitutional amendment to resolve supreme court ruling on LGBTQ+ association
(Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Kenya: Regional ecclesial bodies ramp-up calls for dialogue after failed 24-hour ceasefire in Sudan
(Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Catholic Relief Services condemns staff killings in Ethiopia
(Catholic Relief Services)
Why Maduro is courting evangelicals ahead of the 2024 election
(Tony Frangie-Mawad, Foreign Policy)
UN expert urges Tajikistan to leave past behind and uphold freedom of religion and belief
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
As court prepares to rule on sacred Apache site, religious freedom faces an American right prized above all others
(Dana Lloyd, Religion Dispatches)
European Parliament condemns Nigerian speech laws which put “blasphemous” Whatsapp musician on death row
(ADF International)
An inspector calls – for an exhumation
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Naroda Gam massacre: India court acquits all accused in 2002 Gujarat riots case
(BBC News)
Cardiff: Mum accused of killing toddler through fasting
(BBC News)
Coronation cross will include 'crucifixion relics'
(Sean Coughlan, BBC News)
India history debate after chapter on Mughals dropped
(Zoya Mateen, BBC News)
China: Dalai Lama furore reignites Tibet 'slave' controversy
(Tessa Wong, BBC News)
'Sweden’s new anti-terror bill won’t guarantee NATO bid'
(Dilara Aslan Özer, Daily Sabah)
Proposed legislation would blur line of separation of church and state in Texas schools
(Texas Freedom Network)
Luxembourg leader champions LGBTQ rights, chastises Hungary
(Raf Casert, Associated Press)
Thursday, 20 April 2023
VIRTUAL EVENT, 20 April 2023 (12PM ET): How to Confront Anti-Religious Bigotry
(John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue)
Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Religions’ roles in peacebuilding in the Gambia
(Muhammadou M.O. Kah, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Yemen: Release arbitrarily detained people
(Human Rights Watch)
Oral Argument - Audio: Groff v. DeJoy
(Supreme Court of the United States)
Justices look for common ground in postal worker’s religious liberty case
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)
US Supreme Court tackles religious bias claim against Postal Service
(Andrew Chung, Reuters)
Who bears the burden, and how much, when religious employees refuse Sabbath work?
(Nina Totenberg, NPR)
Man arrested on suspicion of funding terrorism
(Jess Warren, BBC News)
Conservative Christians aren’t the only ones asking for accommodation in mailman case
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
Sexual and gender based violence against religious freedom protesters in Iran
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Iran protests: LGBTQ community rises up
(Khosro Kalbasi Isfahani, BBC News)
USCIRF condemns funeral attack, rising violence in northcentral Nigeria
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
AR gov signs bill protecting religious freedom
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
ADF International urges Biden Administration to address religious persecution in Vietnam
(ADF International)
Auschwitz march held ahead of 80th Warsaw ghetto anniversary
(Vanessa Gera, Associated Press)
Judge: Mississippi must give religious exemption on vaccines
(Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press)
Murabitat: The Palestinian women defending Al-Aqsa
(Jaclynn Ashly, Al Jazeera)
For Palestinians, holiest Ramadan night starts at checkpoint
(Isabel Debre, Associated Press)
ADL and Tel Aviv University publish the Annual Report on Antisemitism Worldwide - 2022
(Anti-Defamation League)
Appeals court rules emotional harm to students and disruptions in learning are ‘undue hardships,’ justifying a refusal to accommodate a teacher’s religious beliefs
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
India in pictures: How Ayodhya city reflects India’s widening religious divide
(Al Jazeera)
1 city, 2 people — and India’s widening religious divide
(Sheikh Saaliq, Associated Press)
How school choice drives America’s people of faith apart
(Amy Laura Hall, Religion News Service)
Why the Biden administration should spare Tree of Life shooter Robert Bowers’ life
(David Saperstein, Religion News Service)
Welcoming refugees and migrants: U.S. Catholic issues
(David Hollenbach, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Dachau: 90 years on, the warning remains
(Christoph Strack, Deutsche Welle)
Money is not everything: the immunity of a minister and the deprivation of a specific remedy to protect the civil right to a good reputation in Bakoyanni v. Greece
(Andy Jousten, Strasbourg Observers)
FBI war on 'rad trad' Catholics: Where's the outrage (or even fairness) in press coverage?
(Clemente Lisi, GetReligion)
Somali women recall pain and punishment under Al-Shabaab
(Abjata Khalif, Religion Unplugged)
Jihadism re-emerges in Europe
(Itxu Díaz, First Things)
The objective friends of the Court – New insights into the role of third parties before the European Court of Human Rights
(Justine Batura, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Events shed light on finance reform, prioritising vulnerable communities
(World Council of Churches)
A Catholic contribution in view of the EU-CELAC Summit. Mgr Crociata: “a unique opportunity to promote a more fraternal world”
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
Court refuses to enforce United Arab Emirates child custody decree that disfavored Christian parent
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
MLK not CRT: A Christian Case for Reparations for Racism in the United States
(Daniel Philpott, Arc of the Universe)
France: protesters set on fire a historical convent—only three lines in the media
(Willy Fautré, Bitter Winter)
Russia: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest April 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
"Ukraine has the right to defend itself from Russian aggression in the spiritual domain just as it defends itself on the battlefield," - Metropolitan Epifaniy
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Russia attacks church in Ukraine on Easter Sunday, 2 casualties: report
(Andrew Stanton, Newsweek)
Angelic statue is not appropriate, says French court
(Christian Network Europe)
Norwegian authorities will recognise same-sex marriage in Methodist Church
(Christian Network Europe)
Swedish Christian Democrats propose measures to protect persecuted Christians
(Christian Network Europe)
Civil rights leaders reintroduce bill to strengthen protections, restore intent of federal religious freedom law
(Bobby Scott, Member of Congress)
Rescind religiously slanted noise ordinance, FFRF insists to Minneapolis
(Freedom From Religion Foundation)
Islam’s Paradox: An Interview with Rémi Brague
(The European Conservative)
New guide to religion in schools in response to tumbling parent religion figures
(Humanists UK, Politics)
Safeguarding: statement by the independent reviewer in the Smyth case
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Chief Rabbi: Celebrate the King’s coronation by volunteering
(Michelle Rosenberg, Jewish News)
Stephen Fry and Sandi Toksvig lead call for recognition of humanist marriages
(Robert Booth, The Guardian)
International Association recognizes Portugal as a country "respectful" of religious freedom (Portuguese)
(MadreMedia / Lusa, SAPO)
Google Brazil must permanently monitor YouTube channels accused of propagating religious intolerance (Portuguese)
(Jornal Local)
Monday, 17 April 2023
Commemorating the Days of Holocaust Remembrance
(Antony J. Blinken, U.S. Department of State)
Holocaust education: We must show people the evils of antisemitism - opinion
(Sara J. Bloomfield, The Jerusalem Post)
Statement from President Joe Biden on Orthodox Easter
(The White House)
Hong Kong bishop visits Beijing on historic trip
(Kanis Leung, Associated Press)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest April 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Chinese national arrested on blasphemy charges in Pakistan
(Riaz Khan, Associated Press)
Regional actors seek to douse flames fueled by Jerusalem tensions
(Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen and Hesham Youssef, The United States Institute of Peace)
Holy Fire celebrated by Christians in Jerusalem amid Israeli police restrictions
(BBC News)
Jerusalem Christians say attacks on the rise
(Yolande Knell, BBC News)
At Christianity’s holiest site, rival monks struggle to turn other cheek
(Hiba Yazbek, The New York Times)
Reverend Samson’s prison sentence
(Vedant Patel, U.S. Department of State)
Conflict dynamics between Bangladeshi host communities and Rohingya refugees
(Geoffrey Macdonald, Isabella Mekker, and Lauren Mooney, The United States Institute of Peace)
Discrimination against Muslims in France stems from colonialism, expert says
(Gulcin Kazan Doger, Anadolu Agency)
France’s Macron ignores violations during China visit
(Bénédicte Jeannerod, Human Rights Watch)
Iraq: Flawed implementation of Yazidi compensation law
(Human Rights Watch)
Would the Pope fall foul of Uganda’s pending anti-LGBTQ+ law?
(Graeme Reid, Human Rights Watch)
After a brutal attack on one of their own, a religious minority community in Mexico is waiting for justice and religious freedom
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Around the web - 17 April 2023
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
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