Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Brazil: It is necessary to combat the “abusive use” of religion in politics, says Barroso (Portuguese)
(Gabriel Bandeira, Poder 360)
Sadiq Khan hails Jewish attendance at Ramadan Lights switch-on as sign of ‘hope’
(Justin Cohen, Jewish News)
UK government pledges funds to protect Muslim communities
(Mehmet Solmaz, Anadolu Agency)
Hate Crime Act Scotland: Concerns raised as controversial new laws due to come into force
(Alistair Grant, The Scotsman)
British parliament questions ‘false baptism’ by asylum seekers
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Lords Spiritual: future composition
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Religious Freedom Commission says it always has new requests to analyze (Portuguese)
(RTP Noticias)
Number of Orthodox increases more than that of Muslims (Portuguese)
(Redação, JN)
Legal clarity on ayahuasca in Portugal (Spanish)
(International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service)
Constitutional Court of Spain protects rights of mother who opposed her minor daughter receiving a religious education, as was the father's wish (Spanish)
(Diario Constitucional)
Monday, 11 March 2024
Statement from President Joseph R. Biden on the occasion of Ramadan
(The White House)
With war in Gaza, American Muslims plan Ramadan of protest and activism
(Rhonda Roumani, Religion News Service)
Türk calls for measures to address religious hatred
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Christian petition accuses Texas republican of attack on religious freedom
(Nick Mordowanec, Newsweek)
Why people are reluctant to call themselves atheists
(Harmeet Kaur, CNN)
Anti-immigrant rhetoric sparks fears of more hate crimes against Latinos
(Russell Contreras, Axios)
Alabama has restored IVF access. But legal battles are likely just beginning.
(Shefali Luthra, The 19th)
USCIRF leaves Saudi Arabia after government official insisted chair to remove kippah
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Around the web - 11 March 2024
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Iraq hopes to lure Christian pilgrims with new church in ancient Ur
(Reuters)
Irish voters reject bid to rewrite constitution’s view of women and family
(Shawn Pogatchnik, Politico.eu)
Afghanistan: If you are a girl in Afghanistan, the Taliban has decided your future for you
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Preventing lawful and decent burial
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
UK pledges additional funds to protect Muslim communities
(Al Jazeera)
Israeli forces attack Muslim worshippers at al-Aqsa during first night of Ramadan
(Middle East Eye)
Israeli police block hundreds of Palestinians from al-Aqsa on Ramadan's first night, hit worshipers with batons
(Nir Hasson, Haaretz)
How Hamas is using Ramadan to prolong the war
(Mario Mancuso, Hudson Institute)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Religion, Peace and Conflict Country Profile
(The United States Institute of Peace)
Myanmar: Religion, Peace and Conflict Country Profile
(The United States Institute of Peace)
Philippines: Religion, Peace and Conflict Country Profile
(The United States Institute of Peace)
Ukraine: Religion, Peace and Conflict Country Profile
(The United States Institute of Peace)
Pakistani court sentences man to death and teenager to life in prison for insulting Islam’s prophet
(Asim Tanveer, Associated Press)
Ban on caste discrimination is constitutional
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Canada: Should people suffering from mental illness be eligible for medically assisted death? Canada plans to legalize that in 2027 – a philosopher explains the core questions
(Maria Kulp, The Conversation)
Recent articles of interest - 11 March 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Celebrating women at KAICIID: A commitment to empowerment and progress
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
India implements ‘anti-Muslim’ 2019 citizenship law weeks before election
(Al Jazeera)
France's Macron announces bill for assisted dying
(France 24)
Turquoise Freedom: FECRIS, atheism, and support for the Russian war against Ukraine
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Australia: Anti-discrimination laws would ‘stop religious schools sacking staff for adultery’
(Natasha Bita and Lydia Lynch, The Australian)
NY lawmakers want $90M in security funds to protect religious schools as hate crimes rise amid Gaza war
(Carl Campanile and Vaughn Golden, New York Post)
Brazil: Union against religious intolerance (Portuguese)
(Emerson Cunha and Camilla Barbosa, A União)
Warning about possible restrictions by the Government of Spain on religious freedom (Spanish)
(Nicolás de Cárdenas, ACI Prensa)
Peru: Bill advancing that seeks to protect freedom of conscience and religion in Peru (Spanish)
(Diego López Marina, ACI Prensa)
Mexico: Religion, politics and peacebuilding (Spanish)
(Felipe de J. Monroy, Agencia Quadratín)
Friday, 8 March 2024
Freedom of religion or belief and women’s rights
(U.S. Department of State)
Rubio to Biden: Protect U.S. Catholic churches
(Marco Rubio, U.S. Senate)
Importance of March 8, International Women's Day, for religious Muslim women
(Berrin Sönmez, Duvar English)
International Women’s Day: A plea to end conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence
(Anna Lee Stangle and Khataza Gondwe, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Serious action needed to tackle Islamophobia - G20 Interfaith Forum's president
(Humay Aghajanova, Trend News Agency)
Volume 22, Issue 1 (2024)
(various, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
Singapore: International outcry grows as Singapore's incarceration of conscientious objector unveils human rights breach
(Court Magazine)
Singapore: Rapper Subhas Nair jailed 6 weeks for promoting ill will among racial, religious groups
(Nisha Rahim, Yahoo News)
EVENT, 8 March 2024 (11AM GMT +1): Empowering Responses to Religious Hatred (Geneva, Switzerland)
(ADF International)
What is Christian nationalism? The complete guide
(Freedom Forum)
The Oxford Handbook of Religion in Modern Ireland
(Edited by Gladys Ganiel and Andrew R. Holmes, Oxford University Press)
Legal Spirits 057: Historian Richard Brookhiser on religious freedom in America
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
9 Jehovah’s Witnesses convicted of extremism for practicing faith in Russia
(Kathryn Post, Religion News Service)
Putin’s crackdown casts a wide net, ensnaring the LGBTQ+ community, lawyers and many others
(Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press)
Pepperdine University announces launch of Ken Starr Institute for Faith, Law, and Public Service at the Caruso School of Law
(Pepperdine University)
Religious freedom deserves a right of its own
(Daniel Philpott, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Jehovah’s Witnesses in Norway: Why the Oslo District Court decision is wrong
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Canada: Quebec judge won't exempt church-supported palliative care home from MAID law
(The Canadian Press)
On religion: Evangelicals and Catholics share concerns about the migrant crisis
(Terry Mattingly, Religion Unplugged)
Justice minister set to ban headscarf for council wardens by law
(Dutch News)
Uganda: Religious leaders to account for offertory under new policy
(Bill Oketch, Monitor)
India steps up ‘anti-Christian’ laws in some states to prevent ‘magic healings’ and evangelism
(Open Doors)
RLUIPA cases prove costly for governments, favorable to religious groups
(Steve Lieberman, LoHud)
Religious freedom of women key to global peace, President Johnson tells European Union Parliament
(Church Newsroom)
The tribulations of indigenous religious communities
(Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
Japan: Anti-Muslim sentiment in Japan on rise after Israel's attacks on Gaza
(Ömer Faruk Madanoğlu, Anadolu Agency)
Ghana's LGBT terror: 'We live in fear of snitches'
(Favour Nunoo and Thomas Naadi, BBC News)
Nigeria's Boko Haram crisis: Dozens of women feared abducted in Gamboru Ngala
(Mansur Abubakar, BBC News)
Why hospitals in many states with legal abortion may refuse to perform them
(Rachana Pradhan and McKenzie Beard, The Washington Post)
Florida public schools could make use of chaplains under bill going to DeSantis
(Brendan Farrington, Associated Press)
Baltimore to pay $275k in legal fees after trying to block far-right Catholic group’s 2021 rally
(Peter Smith, Associated Press)
Zelensky and Greek PM visited Odesa Cathedral hit by Russian missile
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Human rights claims and the Orthodox in America
(A. G. Roeber, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Use of cremation ashes for jewellery (again)
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
UN experts urge Britain to repatriate former ‘Daesh bride’ Shamima Begum
(Arab News)
English bishops support countering ‘devastating consequences’ of jailing child caregivers
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Charity law in England & Wales: updated guidance
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
“All the world’s a stage” – or perhaps not: Omooba
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
KAICIID hosts pivotal 2024 spring leadership meeting in Lisbon: Shaping the future of sustainable development through interreligious dialogue
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Census: Seattle the least-religious big city, Atlanta the most observant
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
Vietnam: Government declares two exiled human rights groups as terrorist organisations
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is at it again. On the non-ratification of the credentials of Azerbaijan’s parliamentary delegation
(Anca Ailincai, Strasbourg Observers)
Advancing religious literacy in governance: The religious freedom around the world subcommittee hearing
(Harvard Divinity School)
Church tax – should Swiss companies be forced to pay?
(Le News)
China: Xinjiang authorities are retroactively applying laws to prosecute religious leaders as criminals
(China File)
Iraq: Christians in Iraq still fear insecurity
(Jean Charles Putzolu and Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News)
Iran: Unprecedented and inhumane: More than 30 Baha’i new graves razed by Iranian authorities
(Bahá’í International Community)
Israel and Palestine are now in a religious war
(Caroline de Gruyter, Foreign Policy)
Jerusalem Palestinians prepare for Ramadan amid holy month’s uneasy politics
(Michele Chabin, Religion News Service)
Thursday, 7 March 2024
EVENT, 7 March 2024: Robert P. George Lecture: The Constitution and Civic Virtue (Provo, Utah, USA)
(Wheatley Institute, Brigham Young University)
Wednesday, 6 March 2024
Paris Olympics poster criticised for removing cross on site of Napoleon’s tomb
(Susie Coen, The Telegraph)
French police hunt an assailant who attacked a man leaving a Paris synagogue
(Associated Press)
Globally, government restrictions on religion reached peak levels in 2021, while social hostilities went down
(Samirah Majumdar and Sarah Crawford, Pew Research Center)
Indonesia officially adopts Indonesian term for ‘Jesus Christ’
(Andreas Harsono, Human Rights Watch)
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