Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 13 May 2022
Abortion: a Christian nationalist ‘smokescreen’?
(Collin Bastian, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
Why post-Roe abortion bans must exempt religious Jews
(Jay Michaelson, Religion News Service)
Hong Kong police bail Catholic cardinal arrested on national security charge
(James Pomfret and Jessie Pang, Reuters)
Hong Kong police release 90-year-old cardinal Joseph Zen on bail after arrest under China's security law
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
China cracks down on activism in Hong Kong's churches
(Theodora Yu, The Washington Post)
China: USCIRF calls for Panchen Lama’s release
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
China: No escape: The true story of China’s genocide of the Uyghurs
(YouTube Video, Hudson Institute)
Zen arrest suggests China just doesn’t get the Catholic Church
(John L. Allen Jr., Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
EVENT, 13 May 2022 (12PM ET): Putin vs. Zelensky: Religion, Holy War, and Just War in the Current Crisis
(Eric Patterson, Faith & Law)
For some people, religious leaders might be most effective at communicating the importance of COVID-19 vaccination
(Filip Viskupič and David Wiltse, The Conversation)
Why the world has a lot to learn about conservation – and trust – from Indigenous societies
(John Ziker, The Conversation)
Burma: USCIRF releases new report on Burma
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
USCIRF releases new report on refugees fleeing religious persecution
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Huy urges United Nations to protect U.S. Indigenous prisoner religious freedoms
(Indian Country Today)
New book: Jacob’s Younger Brother: Christian-Jewish Relations after Vatican II
(Karma Ben-Johanan, Harvard University Press)
Australia: Election 2022 seat explorer: how Australian electorates diverge on religion, country of birth and language
(Katharine Murphy, Josh Nicholas and Johanna Lewis, The Guardian)
Australia: ‘Sadness’ at Sydney diocese’s anti-same-sex marriage clause for schools
(Muriel Porter, Church Times)
Australia: Whatever the outcome in this election, the religious freedom issue is not going away
(Adam Wesselinoff -, Catholic Weekly)
UK: American judges have chosen life — so should Britain
(David Alton, The Critic)
Colombia: The rocky road to peace II: additional challenges at the Special Jurisdiction for Peace in Colombia
(Andrés Morales, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Colombian bishops lament court's approval of assisted suicide
(Eduardo Berdejo, Catholic News Agency)
Colombia legalizes assisted suicide in historic ruling
(Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports)
Bartholomew: It is the duty of the Orthodox Church to serve the cause of peace
(Orthodox Times)
Croatia’s chamber of medicine defends conscientious objectors in abortion case
(N1)
Mexico: Protestant Christian families forced to participate in religious majority festival for fourth consecutive year
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Mexico: Essay: Telling the untold stories of Indigenous religious minority women in Mexico
(Ellis Heasley, Sight)
Jail Birds - A history of incarcerated cardinals
(The Pillar)
Kashmiri Hindus protest killing of minority community member
(Aijaz Hussain, Associated Press)
India: Owaisi calls Karnataka's anti-conversion law 'draconian violation of freedom of religion'
(Ajay Sharma, Republic World)
India: Karnataka Cabinet decides to take ordinance route to clear Anti-conversion Bill
(The Hindu)
World faith leaders convene in Saudi Arabia for first time in ground-breaking conference to build bridges with Muslim leaders
(x, Religion News Service)
Should Raleigh schools close on Diwali? Hindu leader says it’s ‘not fair’ to be open.
(T. Keung Hui, The News & Observer)
Nigeria: Edo govt. condemns religious intolerance and killing of female student in Sokoto
(Eubaldus Enahoro, Nigerian Observer)
Nigeria: Student accused of blasphemy is burnt to death
(Chinedu Asadu, Associated Press)
‘Nigeria world’s scariest country to be a Christian’
(Emeka Okonkwo, CAJ News)
Nigeria: Mob kills student over ‘blasphemy’ in northern Nigerian college
(Al Jazeera)
Ethiopia: After days of unrest sparked by religious clashes, Ethiopians are beginning to get back to normal life
(Anthony Akaeze , Baptist News Global)
Ethiopia: Inter-religious clashes in Ethiopia
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Syria: USCIRF welcomes the U.S. Government’s issuance of a general license Including Northeast Syria
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Burma: Pursuing justice and accountability: Next steps for the Rohingya community of Burma
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Iran: USCIRF calls on Iran to remove restrictions on Golrokh Iraee following release from prison
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
South Africa: ACDP condemns 'evil and ungodly' draft guidelines on gender identity in Cape schools
(Independent Online)
Interfaith group asks Starbucks to drop vegan milk surcharge
(Associated Press)
Report: Austria sees record number of antisemitic incidents
(Associated Press)
Louisiana justices toss COVID-related charges against pastor
(Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press)
Photos of the week: Buddha’s birthday, Sri Lanka unrest
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)
Intervenors say USAF senior leaders told to deny all religious exemptions to vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Ballot initiatives in Tennessee and West Virginia place archaic laws restricting religion on the chopping block, Arkansans to vote on Religious Freedom Amendment
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
California Sikh man sues sheriff’s office for delaying investigation into racist threats
(Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service)
Portuguese bishops’ leader seeks forgiveness from abuse victims
(Catholic News Service)
2 men face hate crime charges for separately setting fire to a Latter-day Saint mission car, church
(Tad Walch, Deseret News)
“Injustice can never be a foundation for a secure peace” in Palestine and Israel, urges WCC
(World Council of Churches)
Israel cannot win public-opinion battle over journalist's death
(Ben Caspit, Al-Monitor)
Israeli police rush funeral-goers, nearly toppling the coffin of Al Jazeera journalist
(Ron Kampeas, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Is anti-Zionism anti-Semitism?
(Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker)
Justice is coming, slowly, in clergy sex abuse cases
(The Washington Post)
Public prayer doesn’t belong in public schools: True religious freedom requires vigilant separation of church and state.
(David Saperstein and Teresa Jefferson-Snorton, The Wall Street Journal)
Why is the church failing in the West?
(Thomas Reese, RNS Column: Signs of the Times)
Being a political journalist made me a better Christian
(Jon Ward, Christianity Today)
USCIRF welcomes reappointed and newly appointed commissioners, expresses gratitude to outgoing commissioners
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Uzbekistan: Muslim jailed for four extra years, Nursi reader arrested
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
Canadian government panel advocates religious test for military chaplains
(Paul Marshall, Providence Mag)
There’s no separation of church and state on the Supreme Court
(Eleanor Clift, Daily Beast)
Indonesia: Tackling the problem of identity violence against pluralists
(Syafiq Hasyim and Norshahril Saat, Fulcrum: Analysis on Southeast Asia)
French mayor reignites burkini row with pool rule proposal
(Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian)
EU’s amended Digital Services Act fails to better regulate ‘revenge porn’
(Jelena Prtorić, Open D)
Can the postmodern natural law remedy our failing humanism?
(Law & Liberty)
In Nepal, fellows form bonds and learn dialogue “on site”
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Malaysian media furor over allegations of halal abuse
(Murray Hunter, Asia Sentinel)
Germany: Lawyers plan suit against Lufthansa over Jewish passengers
(Associated Press)
Mission Berlin: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and its nearly 170 years in Germany’s capital city
(Ken Chitwood, Religion Unplugged)
Spain: At a Crossroads: An Intergenerational and Multireligious Response to the Social and Environmental Crisis!
(Religions for Peace)
Responding to hatred: CAIR-Ohio’s Amina Barhumi joins WOSU program to talk hate crimes, Islamophobia
(Council on American-Islamic Relations)
Colorado church: City’s RV ban is a violation of religious freedom
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
Southern Baptists say giving, baptisms up in 2021, but attendance, number of churches down
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
Timor-Leste adopts papal document on human fraternity
(Ryan Dagur, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Pakistani court convicts 22 over Hindu temple mob attack
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Sri Lankan religious leaders reject new PM's appointment
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Egypt: Endowments Ministry limits Friday sermon to 10 minutes
(Sarah El-Sheikh, Daily News Egypt)
Explainer: States propose bills related to parental rights, gender identity, and sexuality
(Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission)
Louisiana S. Ct. precludes prosecution of pastor for violation of early-pandemic gathering size limits
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
After girl, 3, dies in botched exorcism at Pentecostal church, ritual takes spotlight
(Leonardo Blair, The Christian Post)
Texas Supreme Court allows state to investigate sterilization of gender-confused kids as child abuse
(Michael Gryboski, The Christian Post)
Spate of churches, pro-life offices torched, vandalized nationwide since Supreme Court leak: list
(Ryan Foley, The Christian Post)
Turkey: Experts warn Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia at risk as ancient gate damaged
(Pinar Tremblay, Al-Monitor)
South Korea: Alternative civilian service violates international standards
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
BIC: Promoting principle of oneness in African-European partnership
(Bahá’í World News Service)
What's the ius in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization?
(Kevin C. Walsh, Mirror of Justice)
Why religion-based support is vital for Afghan refugees
(Andrés Martínez, Carolina Buendia Sarmiento, The United States Institute of Peace)
Afghanistan: How the Taliban’s hijab decree defies Islam
(Belquis Ahmadi and Mohammad Osman Tariq, The United States Institute of Peace)
IRF Ambassador on meeting with OIC Secretary General
(Rashad Hussain, Twitter)
UGCC bishops discuss issues of pastoral care of Ukrainian servicemen
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
The Synod of Ukrainian Orthodox Church asks Zelensky to put an end to her oppression
(Interfax-Religion)
Standing in solidarity: Notre Dame expands partnership with Ukrainian Catholic University
(Dennis Brown, University of Notre Dame)
Religion Watch, Volume 37 No. 6
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
How to pick a pathway to peace in Ukraine?
(Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor)
Russia: Opposition to war in Ukraine – official pressure and censorship
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
Russia: Five Jehovah's Witnesses lose appeal in Far East
(SOVA Center for News and Analysis, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Jehovah's Witnesses member in Nizhny Novgorod given 6-year suspended sentence
(Interfax-Religion)
Ukraine’s religious community perseveres through the horrors of war
(Nick Schifrin, Madeline Powell, Volodymyr Solohub, Shoshana Dubnow, PBS News Hour)
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