Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 21 November 2022
21 nations urge India to ensure religious freedom
(Anwar Iqbal, Dawn)
India: MP anti-conversion act: 'It's 'unconstitutional', says HC giving big relief for interfaith couples
(The Economic Times)
Israel: Lapid warns new government will form a ‘halachic state’
(Carrie Keller-Lynn, The Times of Israel)
Orthodox parties demand legalization of gender-segregated public events
(Judah Ari Gross, The Times of Israel)
Australia: The NT's anti-discrimination laws are being updated for the first time in 30 years. Here's what you need to know
(Benjamin Gubana and Alicia Perera, ABC News Australia)
Brazil: TV channel that sells programming to a church does not transfer public grants, says TRF-3 (Portuguese)
(Danilo Vital, Consultor Jurídico)
Brazil: Magistrate assesses that intolerance grows with the naked eye in the DF and in the country (Portuguese)
(Arthur de Souza, Correio Braziliense)
Friday, 18 November 2022
Iranians asking whether to abolish or continue headscarf requirement
(Middle East Monitor)
United Nations resolution calls on crisis-hit Iran to respect human rights for all
(Bahá’í International Community)
India: Serious concerns raised at UN rights review
(Human Rights Watch)
India: Supreme Court on forced religious conversion
(Prashant Prabhakar Deshpande, The Times of India)
Supreme Court to weigh free speech against anti-discrimination laws
(Kevin Goldberg, Freedom Forum)
USCIRF releases report on religious freedom implications of official and favored religions
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Poll: Religious Americans less worried about climate change
(Luis Andres Henao, Associated Press)
Feared ritual dancers in Zimbabwe try to revamp public image
(Farai Mutsaka, Associated Press)
10th Circuit denies en banc review in ministerial exception case
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Vatican denies legal claims of former Vatican auditors and investigates them instead
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)
303 Creative LLC vs. Elenis: the real blockbuster case for liberty of conscience
(Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
The rapid rise of Islam in the West: Will Islam become the leading world religion? – oped
(Matija Šerić, Eurasia Review)
Israel: Nachman Shai to new gov't: Don’t touch issues regarding religion and state
(Zvika Klein, The Jerusalem Post)
How religion intersects with Americans’ views on the environment
(Becka A. Alper, Pew Research Center)
Removing the tax exemption for religious congregations is the wrong move for our polarized nation
(Howard Husock, The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
82 Ukrainian academics ask France to stop supporting the anti-cult federation FECRIS
(Bitter Winter)
Fine imposed | Encouraged by others enduring persecution
(Jehovah’s Witnesses)
Russia: Religious persecution and issues/ Bimonthly Digest, Nov. 01–15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Putin’s folly: Identifying as a defender of religious freedom
(Lela Gilbert, Hudson Institute)
Canada: Lawyers called to serve truth amid ‘ruthless polarization’: archbishop
(The B.C. Catholic)
Red Wednesday: United with our persecuted brothers and sisters
(Archdiocese of Toronto)
Maryland AG asks court to approve release of report on clergy abuse
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Probe of Baltimore Archdiocese finds over 600 clergy sex abuse victims
(Michelle Boorstein and Erin Cox, The Washington Post)
Blasphemy laws: A global perspective
(Linda Burkle, International Christian Concern)
“We do not sleep with our eyes closed” – how long will the international community fail the people of southern Kaduna?
(Ellis Heasley, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Christian nationalism poses a threat to human rights in Ghana
(Jeffrey Haynes, All Africa)
The role of the church in politics, democracy and governance in Nigeria
(Infoguide Nigeria)
Nepal: Hindu nationalism an easy bait in Nepal general elections
(Sangam Prasain, EFE)
Before World Cup, church leaders highlight human rights concerns in Qatar
(Jonathan Luxmoore, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Cardinal asks bishops to challenge lawmakers who want to cut Ukraine aid
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Catholic bishops of the EU call on the world to stop "madness of war" while preserving the integrity of Ukraine
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
OIC General Secretariat dispatches a mission to observe the presidential elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan
(Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC))
Kazakhstan: "incomprehensible" bank account blocking
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Refusal to register church land: Arnavutkoy
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Identifying religious modes of discourse in healthcare policy debates
(Ira Bedzow, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Colorado’s anti-discrimination law: Justifying harms to religious minorities with ideological science
(Amy E. Hamilton, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Bishops side with Dominican Republic president on census issue
(La Croix International)
Five centuries after serving as Protestant Reformation hub, largest Swiss city is losing its faith
(Erik Tryggestad, Religion Unplugged)
CAIR calls on U.S. military to end ‘shameful’ solitary confinement for Muslim sergeant over refusal to shave religious beard
(Council on American-Islamic Relations)
The dereliction of Europe’s religious buildings
(Itxu Díaz, First Things)
Tajikistan should release ailing Jehovah’s Witness from prison, Rubio says
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
Yeshiva University v. YU Pride Alliance: Comment by Frederick Mark Gedicks
(Frederick Mark Gedicks, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
The debate on the debate on Xinjiang at the Human Rights Council: Three framings
(Aldo Zammit Borda, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
West must act to stop terrorism, Nigerian bishop says
(Simon Caldwell, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Sri Lankan president assures to help Church end disputes
(Rubatheesan Sandran, Union of Catholic Asian News)
OIC Secretary General receives the Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for the GCC
(Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC))
WCC joins faith leaders in urgent call for higher ambition at COP27
(World Council of Churches)
WCC, Christian Conference of Asia heads co-sign message on attacks in Myanmar, urge redoubling advocacy and engagement for justice
(World Council of Churches)
In the news: breaking religious freedom stories across the country
(First Liberty)
A very hard winter for many: bishops respond to Autumn statement
(The Church of England)
#RedWeek, the ACN initiative that remembers persecuted Christians (Portuguese)
(Vatican News)
Brazil: V Seminar on religious freedom of the OAB-PI (Portuguese)
(OAB-PI)
Brazil: Pará [State] had almost 700 attacks of religious intolerance recorded in 2022 (Portuguese)
(Jhonata Chaves, Bacana News)
Brazil: 'Exu' and 'Jesus': after controversy, Nike makes an agreement with the MPF and vetoes religious names on the [national soccer] team's shirt (Portuguese)
(Camilla Veras Mota, BBC News Brasil)
Brazil: IV ANAJI Symposium - The Right to Protection of Belief, Liturgies and Religious Spaces (Portuguese)
(National Association of Islamic Jurists)
Brazil: Rio de Janeiro city hall norm guarantees access to hospitals and prisons for religious, but there are exceptions (Portuguese)
(João Vitor Costa and Luiz Ernesto Magalhães, O Globo)
Time for an Islamophobia self-awareness month
(Jack Rivington, National Secular Society)
Texas megachurch White’s Chapel departs UMC to anchor new Methodist ‘college’
(BeLynn Hollers and Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service)
Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Speak of the Devil: The Kremlin’s futile attempts at consolidating a Ukrainian enemy image
(Elizaveta Gaufman, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Justices green-light Texas execution of man who raised religious-rights claim
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)
Intl. day for tolerance: How Islam accepts and respects diversity
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))
Personal representatives of OSCE Chairman-in-Office on tolerance and non-discrimination statement for International Day of Tolerance
(Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)
Georgia PM hails “continuous tradition of tolerance” in country on international date
(Agenda.ge)
International Day for Tolerance 2022
(India Today)
Engaging with religious inequality in humanitarian response: A case study from Iraq 2014–2019
(Jeremy Barker, Institute of Development Studies)
Christian persecution: Freedom of religion or belief
(House of Commons Library, UK Parliament)
In Japan, Unification Church scandal stains integrity of ruling party
(Takehiko Kambayashi, The Christian Science Monitor)
Scientology, secular courts, and disconnection/fair game policies. 5. Are Scientology policies “illegal”?
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Is trying to ban Halal slaughtering a concern for human rights?
(Alessandro Amicarelli, The European Times)
Texas execution will go ahead without adherence to prayer precedent
(Kelsey Reichmann, Courthouse News Service)
5th Circuit: District Court's order on religious rights in execution chamber was too broad
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Supreme Court poised to issue blockbuster decision on free speech
(Christopher Jackson, Reuters)
Native American children’s protection against adoption by non-Indian families is before the Supreme Court
(Kirsten Mafoy Carlson, The Conversation)
Notre Dame Religious Liberty Clinic defends Muslim man forced to pray next to jail cell toilet
(Anna Bradley, University of Notre Dame Law School)
Faith groups split over bill to protect same-sex marriage
(David Crary, Associated Press)
India: VHP seeks central law to stop illegal conversions
(Devdiscourse)
Alan Sears: Acceptance speech at RFI’s 2022 Defender of Religious Freedom Award ceremony
(Religious Freedom Institute)
U.S. Senate prepares to vote on disastrous “Respect for Marriage Act”
(Religious Freedom Institute)
RFRA, Sharia, and guns (oh my)
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
Aide: With few cuts, Pakistan lifts ban on Oscar-entry movie
(Associated Press)
Religion and Covid-19: Islamic scholars and Muslim humanitarian actors in Pakistan
(Kaja Borchgrevink, Abdul Rauf, and Ihsan Qadir, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO))
At recent R20 Summit Haji Syed Salman Chishty highlights importance of inter-religious dialogue
(The Print)
Antisemitism isn’t just ‘Jew-hatred’ – it’s anti-Jewish racism
(Dov Waxman, The Conversation)
In a stunning move, LDS Church comes out for bill that recognizes same-sex marriage
(Tamarra Kemsley and Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune)
What we learned about religious voters from the 2022 midterms: Here are key takeaways related to abortion, Islam, antisemitism and other issues
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)
International Conference urges support for religious freedom and human rights
(The Washington Times Foundation)
SASCE raises awareness about security among churches in the Netherlands
(Conference of European Churches)
Oklahoma: Oklahoma bishop signs letter opposing capital punishment as state resumes executions
(Egan Millard, Episcopal News Service)
Religion: The forgotten dimension of workplace diversity
(Ed Hasan, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)
Religious freedom election results, including a slim rejection of a religious freedom amendment in Arkansas
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Veterans, Muslim and Jewish groups file support for Sikh recruits suing Marine Corps
(Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service)
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