Law and Religion Headlines

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Wednesday, 24 April 2024

Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion Bill backed by Foreign Secretary
(Heather Preston, Premier Christian News)

Mozambique: Islamic terrorists increasingly targeting Christians and churches In Mozambique
(Cyril Zenda, Religion Unplugged)

Colorado lawmakers pass bill allowing for regalia of cultural and religious significance at graduation
(Paolo Zialcita and Tom Hesse, Colorado Public Radio)

Dominica High Court overturns ban on same-sex relations
(Alys Davies, BBC)

Italy passes contested plan to 'support motherhood' in abortion clinics
(Reuters)

Mexico asks Church’s help to mediate diplomatic crisis with Ecuador
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
(Nick Perry and Karen Matthews, Associated Press)

We have come into His house: The Black church, Florida’s Stop W.O.K.E., and the fight to teach Black history (Part I)
(Timothy Welbeck, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

The Head of the UGCC: With a heavy heart, we acknowledge the degradation of ecclesiastical life in Russia
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

FBI’s probe of Catholics: Unfinished business – OpEd
(William Donohue, Eurasia Review)

West Bank tensions – Israeli forces kill Palestinian woman, hundreds storm Al-Aqsa
(Palestine Chronicle)

Georgian Muslim Relations and Others v. Georgia – A bleeding pig’s head and other expressions of religious hatred with no police intervention
(Cathérine Van de Graaf, Strasbourg Observers)

Egypt: Christians attacked following rumours of planned church construction
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

Religious freedom prevails after Christian orgs challenge Virginia 'Values' Act
(Alliance Defending Freedom)

Attorney argues religious freedom laws protect Tucson Raytheon protestors from prosecution
(Paul Ingram, Tucson Sentinel)

Uganda: Pastors, govt clash over proposed religious policy
(Mike Sebalu, Monitor)

Scott, Huffman, Raskin applaud Biden’s faith-based regulations and champion religious liberty
(Bobby Scott, U.S. House of Representatives)

Dialogue and religious freedom in Portugal (Portuguese)
(RTP)

Brazil's bishops alarmed over growing number of land disputes
(Eduardo Campos Lima, OSV News)

Brazil: Exhibition invites the public to reflect on intolerance and religious freedom (Portuguese)
(Folha Vitoria)

Brazil: Brazil regulates the slaughter and processing of animals for religious markets (Portuguese)
(Agência Brasil, Canal Rural)

Brazil: Religious freedom and everyday life (Portuguese)
(Felipe Lemos, Notícias Adventistas)

CEC strengthens ecumenical cooperation at COMECE Assembly
(Conference of European Churches)

Monday, 22 April 2024

Australian PM calls X's fight against removal of church stabbing posts 'extraordinary'
(Renju Jose, Reuters)

Australia: Tickle v Giggle: transgender woman sues female-only ‘online refuge’ for alleged discrimination in landmark case
(Daisy Dumas, The Guardian)

EVENT, 22 April 2024 (9:30AM ET): 2024 Symposium on Religious Speech in the Context of Anti-Blasphemy and Anti-Proselytism Laws (Notre Dame, IN USA)
(University of Notre Dame Law School)

Teenager is charged with terrorism offenses in stabbings of bishop and priest at Sydney church
(Mark Baker and Keiran Smith, Associated Press)

Australian judge bans X from sharing video of bishop being stabbed in Sydney church
(Rod McGuirk, Associated Press)

FBI investigating threats against ‘multiple faith communities’ in Pennsylvania
(Daniel Payne, Catholic News Agency)

Around the web - 22 April 2024
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)

Strengthening the church-state wall to protect democracy
(Brian Kaylor, Word & Way)

Bible-tweet case to be heard at Finnish Supreme Court
(ADF International)

Tunisian Jews scale back annual pilgrimage to ancient synagogue because of security concerns
(Massinissa Benlakehal, Associated Press)

Mexico’s likely next president would be its first leader with a Jewish background
(María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press)

Iowa lawmakers address immigration, religious freedom and taxes in 2024 session
(Hannah Fingerhut, Associated Press)

Iran: Democratic shārīe‘ā vs. corrupted shārīe‘ā: The morality police of Iran
(Mohamed Arafa, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)

Democratic shārīe‘ā vs. corrupted shārīe‘ā: Proposing an International Islamic Alliance
(Mohamed Arafa, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)

China: Religious worship is a human right, even in China. Bring David Lin home.
(The Washington Post)

LGBT+ people drawn to minority religions - census
(Tim Dodd, BBC)

London police to meet with Jewish leaders as protests spark concerns about the safety of Jews
(Danica Kirka, Associated Press)

Scottish Parliament to be presented with special Bible to mark 25th anniversary of devolution
(The Church of Scotland)

Columbia University faces full-blown crisis as rabbi calls for Jewish students to ‘return home’
(Celina Tebor, Zoe Sottile and Matt Egan, CNN)

India: ‘Infiltrators’: Modi accused of anti-Muslim hate speech amid India election
(Yashraj Sharma, Al Jazeera)

India: Modi’s Muslim remarks spark ‘hate speech’ accusations as India’s mammoth election deepens divides
(Rhea Mogul, CNN)

India: Hindus stage protest at Catholic school in India over clothes ruling
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

India: The largest religious celebration on earth: India's Kumbh Mela
(Christian Science Monitor)

Vol. 17 No. 1 (2024): Ideology, theology and practicality
(The International Journal for Religious Freedom (IJRF))

Canada: What is the 'halal mortgage' Canada wants to approve for Muslims?
(The New Arab)

War, hostages, antisemitism: A somber backdrop to this year’s Passover observances
(David Crary, Associated Press)

Israel: Towards an enhanced protection of Palestinian LGBTQ refugees in Israel?
(Tal Mimran, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

Holy days during unholy wars
(Christian Science Monitor)

Statement from President Joe Biden on Passover
(The White House)

Articles of interest - 22 April 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

DOE issues new rules under Title IX protecting against LGBTQ+ discrimination
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Can the Orthodox Church help with the exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia
(Charlie W. Grease, The European Times)

PACE recognized the ROC as an instrument of Kremlin propaganda
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

How religious freedom could help liberals win the abortion rights war
(Charles McCrary, The New Republic)

Biden condemns 'alarming surge of antisemitism' amid Columbia chaos
(Joey Garrison, USA Today)

Vatican belatedly weighs in on Italian abortion row
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

LatAm bishops voice alarm over polarization on Pope’s home continent
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

S Korea has more Catholic lawmakers than ever
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

“For Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity” - WCC publishes its Annual Review 2023
(World Council of Churches)

COMECE bishops in Łomża support EU future enlargements: “A strong message of hope for citizens seeking peace and justice”
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))

Religious homeless shelters take the stage at Supreme Court
(Becket)

Satanic Temple co-founder challenges Florida Gov DeSantis to debate on religious freedoms
(Greg Wehner, Fox News)

Uzbekistan: Secular Uzbekistan’s struggle with Islamic terrorism
(SpecialEurasia)

Protecting religious liberty in Minnesota
(Carla Nelson, Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus)

Countering religious discrimination
(Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate)

Nigeria: Experts preach religious harmony across Nigeria
(Rosita Ndukwe, Voice of Nigeria)

Estonian president: Religious freedom cannot justify war crimes
(Postimees)

Chile: Religion and social sciences, a necessary dialogue (Spanish)
(Alejandro Cerda Sanhueza, Universidad Católica del Norte)

Tajikistan: EU States, Türkiye should not return dissidents
(Human Rights Watch)

Germany: Scholz should stand firm on rights in China
(Human Rights Watch)

Friday, 19 April 2024

IRFBA statement on the non-religious
(International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA))

Ethiopia: Creating platform for religious leaders to share best practices, peacebuilding essential, says state Minister of Peace
(Ethiopian News Agency)

Religious Fathers have more serious calling to teach people to live together: Kenya Inter-Religious Council Head
(Ethiopian News Agency)

Campaign against “cults” launched in Lhasa—but what is a “cult” in Tibet?
(Lopsang Gurung, Bitter Winter)

Pakistan: The UN condemns Pakistan again for the abductions and forced conversion and marriages of Christian and Hindu girls
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)

Canada: French PM shows support for Quebec's controversial secularism law during Canada visit
(CBC News)

Sudan: USCIRF sounds alarm for attacks against religious communities in Sudan
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Response to Security Council resolution on UN membership for the State of Palestine
(X, Muslim World League)

New York adulterers could get tossed out of house but not thrown in jail under newly passed bill
(Maysoon Khan, Associated Press)

Spain and Italy clash over abortion laws
(Laura Gozzi, BBC News)

Russia is waging a war against religious freedom in Ukraine
(Knox Thames, The Hill)

Healing body and soul: Knights of Columbus help open hospital chapels in southern Ukraine
(Knights of Columbus)

New book: Habits of a Peacemaker: 10 Habits to Change Our Potentially Toxic Conversations Into Healthy Dialogues
(Steven T. Collis, Cokesbury)

EVENT, 25-27 June 2024: One Family under God: Empowering African Renaissance as a Global Catalyst for Freedom, Peace and Sustainable Development (Nairobi, Kenya)
(Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK))

Florida will open schools to volunteer chaplains
(Brendan Farrington, Associated Press)

Myanmar: Prominent Baptist pastor in military-ruled Myanmar detained again hours after release from prison
(Grant Peck, Associated Press)

Alabama Supreme Court: Ecclesiastical abstention doctrine does not apply to church property ownership dispute
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

5th Circuit remands Muslim inmate's RLUIPA and Establishment Clause claims
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Religious groups challenge New York court on abortion mandate
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

First religious charter school sparks legal, philosophical battles
(Matt Barnum, The Wall Street Journal)

Rubio-led measure would undo new Biden rule on faith-based charities
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)

Proposed State Department rules could limit work of Christian groups
(Kim Roberts, Religion Unplugged)

‘Every church counts’: New campaign aims to save Britain’s houses of worship
(Angela Youngman, Religion Unplugged)

Bid to overturn Scotland's controversial new hate crime laws fails
(Christian Today)

The push to decriminalise abortion in Britain heats up: But campaigners should be careful what they wish for
(The Economist)

Freedom of religion or belief in India (video)
(X, Church of England in Parliament)

Say a prayer for Article 9? R (on the Application of TTT) v Michaela School and the question of interference
(Russell Sandberg, Law & Religion UK)

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