Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 9 August 2024
RFI calls on appeals court to let Michigan health professional’s conscience claims be heard in federal court
(Ismail Royer, Religious Freedom Institute)
India: Modi govt. moves to regulate wealth of India’s Muslim body
(Nirendra Dev, Union of Catholic Asian News)
9th Circuit restores funding to Oregon youth ministry as ADF case continues
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Austria: Government pledges to help persecuted Christians
(FSSPX News)
India: Wakf Amendment Bill an attack on right to freedom of religion: Owaisi
(Ajay Tomar, New Indian Express)
Malaysia: Unite under the M’sian sun
(Wani Muthiah and Martin Carvalho, The Star)
New book: The Nature of Law: Authority, Obligation, and the Common Good
(Daniel Mark, Notre Dame Press)
Neutral state and autonomous religions (Spanish)
(Fishel Szlajen, Infobae)
Wednesday, 7 August 2024
Boston city council can keep the devil at bay, First Circuit rules
(Thomas F. Harrison, Courthouse News Service)
Opinion: The Satanic Temple, Inc. v. City of Boston (re city council invocation)
(First Circuit Court of Appeals)
Senegal's church 'outraged' at PM remarks on headscarf
(AFP, Barron's)
A crucial international religious freedom conference in Tokyo: The first time in Japan
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter)
Sultan Nazrin's speech at the Regional Southeast Asia Human Dignity Conference 2024 [full text]
(News Straits Times)
Wisconsin: Teacher sues Argyle School District over religion liberty violation
(Adam Krebs, The Monroe Times)
Adventist denomination voices concerns over Project 2025
(AdventistToday.org)
India: In Parliament: Punjab MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney calls for stronger law to curb hate speech
(Anshita Mehra, Tribune)
India: Assam to make religious conversions punishable by life imprisonment, regulate land sale between Hindus and Muslims
(India Tomorrow)
China’s war on the Dalai Lama stokes tension with India and Russia
(Antonio Graceffo, Providence)
Yazidi genocide a decade on: Iraq camp closures loom, but survivors still live in fear of Islamic State
(Luke Moffett, The Conversation)
A new movement aims to remake evangelicals’ relationship to politics
(Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post)
August 2024 Newsletter
(The Association of Religion Data Archives)
Israel starts drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews: ‘The army of God’ vs. Army of the State
(Michael Brenner, Religion Unplugged)
Times letters: Faith leaders unite against hatred and violence
(Justin Welby, Anglican Ink)
UK PM Starmer: We have police in place to deal with anti-Muslim riots
(Kate Holton, Reuters)
Mosques to be offered new emergency security
(Home Office and The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, GOV.UK)
Churches together in England: “Racism has no place on our streets or in society”
(World Council of Churches)
What's behind the anti-immigrant violence that has exploded across Britain? Here's a look
(Danica Kirka, The Independent)
Iran: Ancient roots, modern struggles: the Mandaeans fight for survival in Iran
(Ashkan Khosropour, Iran Wire)
Somali police seize hundreds of veils amid security fears
(Wedaeli Chibelushi & Will Ross, BBC News)
Harvard University must face lawsuit over antisemitism on campus, judge rules
(Jonathan Stempel, Reuters)
NCAA Basketball star barred from Olympics because she wears a hijab
(Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)
Afghanistan country update
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
In Afghanistan and Pakistan, politicians, Islamic leaders, and jihadi groups condemn assassination of Ismail Haniyeh
(Middle East Media Research Institute)
Pathways to Peace: Respecting each other's rights
(YouTube Video, Conference of European Churches)
PETA protesters interrupt Pope Francis’ Vatican audience, call on him to denounce bullfighting
(Associated Press)
Connecticut Supreme Court: Constitutional (but not statutory) challenges to removal of school vaccination religious exemptions barred by sovereign immunity
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Why Christian adoption agencies should have the right to deny Jewish couples
(Avi Shafran, Religion News Service)
Voter protection training begins as clergy, secular groups look toward election
(Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)
Nicaragua: Thirteen priests and religious Catholics detained in Nicaragua
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
NYPD reports 30 antisemitic incidents in July, 3 times higher than last year
(Luke Tress, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Gordon College loses religious liberty case for loan forgiveness
(Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today)
Bangladesh: Students, other Muslims protect temples, churches amid Bangladesh unrest
(Al Jazeera)
Cross cultural religious literacy: Religion and law
(Katherine Marshall, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Lawsuit over alleged discriminatory refusal to allow church to lease school property on weekends can go forward
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
A battle over a farm, a mosque and the moral high ground
(The New York Times)
Estonia: State and Orthodox Church agreed on separation from Moscow Patriarchate
(Orthodox Times)
Nicaragua: Religious leaders targeted in new wave of detentions
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
North Jersey school survey should not have asked about religion or income, feds say
(Mary Ann Koruth, North Jersey)
How US public schools became a new religious battleground
(Liya Cui and Joseph Ax, Reuters)
Is the US on a comprehensive march towards theocratical politics?
(Kristian Noll, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Including church in Sadc Summit talks key to tackling social issues
(The Herald)
Monday, 5 August 2024
Archbishop of Canterbury on the ICJ and Palestinian occupied territories
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Define Islamophobia to drive ‘racism and vitriol’ off streets, says MP
(Will Durrant, PA Media)
Anti-Muslim riots in UK cause fear, security boosts
(Catherine Pepinster, Religion News Service)
Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief
(UK Parliament)
Law and religion roundup – 4th August
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Richard III: the prequel
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Marking the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide
(International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), Brigham Young University)
Making faith portable and gathering a faith community in the face, and aftermath, of religious persecution
(Sharon Eubank, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Human dignity and proactive approaches to the prevention of genocide
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Iraq: Echoes of genocide: The Yazidis’ struggle to rebuild
(Jamileh Naso, FoRB Women’s Alliance)
HYBRID EVENT, 5 August 2024: Freedom24 - National Conference 2024 (Sydney, NSW, Australia)
(Freedom for Faith)
Nigeria: A second coming? Support for former US President Donald Trump
(Ebenezer Obadare, Council on Foreign Relations)
Iran: Minorities in Iran have been disproportionally impacted in ongoing crackdown to repress the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, UN Fact-Finding Mission says
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Around the web - 5 August 2024
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
A short history of parental rights
(Joseph K. Griffith II, Christianity Today)
Religions for Peace hosts “Welcoming the Other Strengthening Advocacy and Action for Refugees and Other Forcibly Displaced Communities” in celebration of World Refugee Day
(Religions for Peace)
Somalia: Response to terrorist attacks in Mogadishu
(X, Muslim World League)
Antisemitic incidents in the Czech Republic rose sharply in 2023, says the Jewish community
(Associated Press)
Louisiana AG asks court to dismiss lawsuit against new Ten Commandments law
(Sara Cline, Associated Press)
Olympic and faith leaders seek reset after opening ceremony outcry, while chaplains welcome athletes
(Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 5 August 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Is it morally acceptable to kill terrorists?
(Jeffrey Salkin, RNS Column: Martini Judaism)
As Colombia cease-fire ends, church pushes for reset on peace talks
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Venezuela: Is the Church in Venezuela facing new risks of persecution?
(Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar)
Ukraine's first veterans' space for Muslims to be opened in Kyiv
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Occupied Ukraine: Orthodox priest's 14-year "espionage" jail term
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Equatorial Guinea’s decree forcing worship registration threatens religious freedom
(Calvin Manika, Religion Unplugged)
Zimbabwe: WCC urges release of detainees, respect for human dignity in Zimbabwe
(World Council of Churches)
Canada: Ontario Superior Court of Justice states Jehovah’s Witnesses have no “systemic” problem of child sexual abuse
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Ten Commandments displays should not be required in public school classrooms, ABA House says
(Danielle Braff, American Bar Association)
Two Borneo neighbours on diversity: comparing religious authority in Brunei and Sarawak
(Norshahril Saat, Fulcrum)
Australia: Why the Lord’s Prayer had to remain in Victorian Parliament
(Evan Mulholland, The Catholic Weekly)
Holy See reaffirms importance of fostering a culture of peace
(Thaddeus Jones, Vatican News)
Court dismisses Title VI suit claiming hostile environment affecting Jewish students At MIT
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Friday, 2 August 2024
Police in England urged to protect mosques as far right plans more rallies
(Josh Halliday and Neha Gohil, The Guardian)
Christian church leaders slam far-right protest plans
(Connla Young, Irish News)
Ecclesiastical court judgments – July (II)
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
British rabbi jailed in Ireland on charges of performing circumcision without a medical license
(Shira Li Bartov, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
China: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest (16-31.07.2024)
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China: Law and religion in the People’s Republic of China
(Carsten Vala, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Saudi Arabia country update
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
USCIRF solemnly commemorates the Tenth Anniversary of ISIS’s genocide against Iraqi and Syrian religious minorities
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
European Court: Russia to pay 160,000 EUR to 16 Jehovah’s Witnesses, but no chance they will ever see that money
(Willy Fautré, The European Times)
LAPD investigating hate crime after Hollywood synagogue vandalized for second time in recent weeks
(Lauren Pozen, CBS News)
After Olympics, Turkey’s Erdogan seeks unity with Pope Francis against acts that mock sacred values
(Associated Press)
Delaware Supreme Court dismisses suits challenging prior covid restrictions on houses of worship
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Requiring conditional use permit is not substantial burden under RLUIPA
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
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