Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 13 March 2023
Chinese authorities must release “blank paper” protesters and allow free expression on COVID-19 pandemic
(Freedom House)
USCIRF welcomes additional humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya refugee crisis
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Around the web - 13 March 2023
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
BBC briefly suspends prominent sportscaster who likened British immigration policy to the Holocaust
(Jacob Gurvis, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Law and religion round-up – 12th March
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Chaplaincy, charades and bullying at HMP Wakefield: Burns
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Sorry, Suella, we do have blasphemy laws
(Jeremiah Igunnubole, The Critic)
Forced conversion, marriage of women/girls called out at UN event
(Aaron Blake, Real Clear Religion)
Song lyrics shouldn’t get you the death penalty: A Nigerian musician sentenced to death for musical ‘blasphemy’ is challenging his country’s law
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Bangladesh: Fatal attack against Ahmadiyya Muslim
(Forum for Religious Freedom-Europe)
Religion Watch, Volume 38 No. 4
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Human Rights Council hears that a new philosophy of services and support centred in social inclusion is needed for persons with disabilities, and that the abuse of religion or belief as a tool of discrimination, hostility and violence must cease
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Christians and Muslims: migration challenges everyone's conscience
(Vatican News)
Speaking for Evangelicals at the UN, Gaetan Roy seeks to serve
(Ken Chitwood, Christianity Today)
January/February 2023
(Liberty Magazine, North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church)
Vive la liberté? An uncertain future for religious liberty in France
(Alexis Artaud de La Ferrière, Liberty Magazine)
Weekend scholarship roundup - 24 February 2023
(Islamic Law Blog)
Trump vs. DeSantis: Florida pastors mull conservative issues
(Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press)
Rastafarian police officer's free exercise claim may move ahead
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Articles of interest - 13 March 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Latest attempt to prevent city from removing cross from public park fails on procedural grounds
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
S4, Ep. 15: Eric Adams, CPAC and Christian nationalism (podcast)
(Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
American Jews will protest Israel finance minister’s speech in DC
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
Nicaragua proposes suspending Vatican ties after comments
(Gabriela Selser and Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press)
Most wanted PKK member killed in anti-terror op
(Hurriyet Daily News)
Greece tramples on religious rights by keeping mosques closed
(Daily Sabah)
Jewish parents sue California over law barring religious schools from access to public disability funding
(Ari Blaff, National Review)
As a Muslim, I defend freedom of religion and of speech. So what happened at Hamline University?
(Abdulrahman Bindamnan, Heterodox: The Blog)
Do the Math: Reporters use labels all the time, but religious life is more complex than that
(Ryan Burge, GetReligion)
Two weeks in review, 27 February – 12 March
(Tal Gross, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Hong Kong’s Taoists cancel annual parade on police order
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
ISIL claims attack targeting journalists in Afghanistan
(Al Jazeera)
South Sudan Council of Churches releases statement on nonviolence
(World Council of Churches)
WCC supports Korean churches in the Korea Peace Appeal campaign
(World Council of Churches)
How Baptists have been committed to religious liberty and the common good
(Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission)
Myanmar army kill more than 28 in monastery attack - insurgent group
(Jonathan Head and Kelly Ng, BBC News)
New Zealand: Online hate towards Muslims 'increasing' since mosque attacks
(Laura Frykberg, 1News)
Rohingya camp fire was 'planned sabotage' - investigators
(Kelly Ng, BBC News)
Palestine, Vatican reiterate importance of free access, worship in Jerusalem
(Middle East Monitor)
Malaysia: Gov't announces RM2 Mln contribution to empower tahfiz institutions
(Bernama)
China weakens itself by suppressing civil society and independent voices
(Radio Free Asia)
Czech Republic does not recognise Cannabis Church as religion
(Christian Network Europe)
Legal Journal Number 5 (18): February/March (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
Friday, 10 March 2023
UN observes first International Day against Islamophobia
(United Nations)
Jehovah's Witness hall shooting in Hamburg — what we know
(Deutsche Welle)
HYBRID EVENT, 10 March 2023 (14:00PM): Safer and Stronger Communities project: A briefing and training on security awareness and crisis management (Madrid)
(Conference of European Churches)
The shooting in Hamburg
(Ned Price, U.S. Department of State)
Leeds preacher's sentence for trans woman's harassment quashed
(BBC News)
Additional humanitarian assistance for the Burma and Bangladesh regional crisis
(Antony J. Blinken, U.S. Department of State)
Indigenous voices of faith
(Andrew Bennett, Cardus)
An LGBTQ revolution in India sets the pace for global change
(Kai Schultz and Muneeza Naqvi, Bloomberg)
Razia Muradi: the Afghan woman who won university gold in India
(Cherylann Mollan, BBC News)
Abortion may be legal in Argentina but women still face major obstacles
(Agustina Latourrette, BBC News)
The Vatican is turning its back on Belarus’ Catholics
(Amanda Coakley, Coda Media)
U.S., global Muslim groups to unite and mark UN-recognized International Day to Combat Islamophobia on March 15
(Council on American-Islamic Relations)
Religious freedom meeting in Kuwait
(Twitter, U.S. Embassy Kuwait)
FoRB discussion in Brussels
(Twitter, Office of International Religious Freedom)
Freedom for a fool: An Egyptian anti-Christianity activist should not have been imprisoned
(The Critic)
AZ school district unlawfully drops student-teachers because they attend Christian university
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Championing faith-based education—forced closure of teachers college prompts the Bolivian Catholic Conference of Bishops to sue government
(ADF International)
Kenyan launches LGBTQ crackdown in schools
(BBC News)
National Archives apologizes for trying to restrict pro-life messages
(Dennis Hetzel, The Free Speech Center)
Recent cases of intolerance and discrimination
(Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe)
West Virginia GOP governor signs ‘religious freedom’ bill
(Leah Willingham, Associated Press)
Saudi Arabia rebrands as Ramadan approaches
(Jennifer Holleis, Deutsche Welle)
The Biden Administration’s latest assault on religious freedom cannot stand
(Lathan Watts, National Review)
Congress must act now to protect the Jewish community
(Mark Goldfeder, Jewish Journal)
No one should be forced to choose between his faith and his paycheck
(Rachel N. Morrison, The Federalist)
Introduction to 200 years of Johnson v. M’Intosh: Law, religion, and Native American lands
(Philip P. Arnold, Sandra Bigtree, and Adam DJ Brett, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Hong Kong bishop to visit China in bid to build bridges
(Elise Ann Allen, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Monks and militias in Myanmar
(Amara Thiha and Marte Nilsen, East Asia Forum)
New universal jurisdiction case filed in Germany for crimes committed in Myanmar before and after the coup: On complementarity, effectiveness, and new hopes for old crimes
(Andrea Maria Pelliconi, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Pope Francis: Jerusalem holds universal spiritual value
(Devin Watkins, Vatican News)
Report on sanctions impact launched at the UN Human Rights Council
(World Council of Churches)
Religious and ethnic leaders appeal to Iraq president for equal rights to all citizens
(World Council of Churches)
Cardinal Hollerich meets with Croatian Prime Minister Plenković
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
In the news: Breaking religious freedom stories across the country - 10 March 2023
(First Liberty)
Canada: The provinces could pass on expanding assisted death—regardless of the federal government’s wishes
(Brian Bird, The Hub)
Ukraine orders Russian-aligned Orthodox church to leave Kyiv monastery
(Reuters)
Federal judge pauses church’s fight over Santa Clara Covid rules
(Natalie Hanson, Courthouse News Service)
Paxton joins multistate amicus to protect the religious liberties of American workers
(Texas Attorney General)
Guatemala: Attorney General participated in the Latin American Symposium on Religious Freedom (Spanish)
(Ministerio Público)
Wednesday, 8 March 2023
WEBINAR, 8 March 2023 (10AM ET): USCIRF Conversation: Rising Authoritarianism in ASEAN Member States
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
VIRTUAL EVENT, 8 March 2023 (6PM in Montreal): Muriel V. Roscoe Lecture: Women, Religion and Peace-making - The Tipping Point
(McGill University)
WEBINAR, 8 March 2012 (12PM CT/6PM GMT): Dialogues on Journalism and Religion: Religious Extremism
(International Association of Religion Journalist)
VIRTUAL EVENT, 8 March 2023 (10AM ET): The Continued Fight for Religious Freedom in China
(Hudson Institute)
USCIRF observes International Women’s Day
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
USCIRF relieved by release of Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
In focus: International Women’s Day
(UN Women)
Women’s higher education in an ultra-conservative Islamic community
(Iman Dawood, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Reflection on International Women's Day
(Twitter, International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), Brigham Young University)
Global Council Chair reflection on Women's Day
(United Religions Initiative)
International Women’s Day: The exclusion of Afghanistan’s women
(Alia Chughtai and Marium Ali, Al Jazeera)
‘Woman, life, freedom’ – Iran faces a crisis with freedom of religion or belief and gender equality at its core
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Interview: taking walks without wearing a hijab in Iran
(Nahid Naghshbandi, Human Rights Watch)
International Women's Day: Inspiring female KAICIID fellows making a difference in interreligious dialogue
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Bangladesh criticized for failing to protect Ahmadiyya Muslims
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Jahid Hasan: An Ahmadi young man clobbered to death in Bangladesh: A three-night attack by Muslim fanatics happened in daylight and in front of the police.
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
Beyond Conservative and Reform: the rise of the unaffiliated synagogue
(Paula Jacobs, The Tablet)
Religious liberty behind bars
(Maggie Phillips, The Tablet)
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