Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 17 December 2021
Kyrgyzstan: Literature ban rejected: "repression is postponed for now"
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
New podcast: Baptisms are in the headlines, at the moment, for better and for worse
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
About that RNS/AP series on women leaders: Aren't most religions 'male-led'?
(Julia Duin, GetReligion)
Call for urgent solution to alleviate kosher food shortages in Northern Ireland
(Jewish News)
Church in Wales – new Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Social media, anti-Zionism and unfair dismissal: Keable
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Electronic registration of births and deaths, England & Wales – II
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
UK: Gender-neutral passports: Campaigner Christie Elan-Cane loses Supreme Court case
(Joseph Lee, BBC News)
Legislation for Plan B – Four SIs approved
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
French Catholics attacked during Immaculate Conception procession
(Zelda Caldwell, Aleteia)
On New York vaccine mandate, Gorsuch’s religious liberty maximalism comes up short
(Mark Silk, RNS Column: Spiritual Politics)
A pro-democracy faith movement is forming. Will it be enough?
(Jacob Lupfer, Religion News Service)
COMECE welcomes the CAP reform and encourages the EU to make it part of a broader ecological transition
(The Catholic Church in the European Union)
America's indifference to the plight of Nigerian Christians: A conversation about U.S. policy
(YouTube Video, Religious Freedom Institute)
Plaintiffs from conservative religious groups have more right to proceed pseudonymously in sex assault lawsuits
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
Malaysia keeps minimum age for Muslim brides at 16
(Iskandar Zulkarnain and Nisha David, Benar News)
Jesus or George Floyd? Controversial icon stolen
(Josh Moody, Inside Higher Ed)
Bosnia: Declining hate crimes are deceptive in Bosnia
(Kimberly Winston, Religion Unplugged)
IGE Global Horizons: December 2021
(Institute for Global Engagement)
Photos of the week: Pope Francis turns 85; Hindu promenade in Varanasi
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)
Thursday, 16 December 2021
WEBINAR, 16-17 December 2021 (9AM CET): Mapping Religious Difference in Europe: The Atlas of Religious or Belief Minority Rights
(University of Trento)
WEBINAR, 16 December 2021 (12:30PM EST): Common Ground: Engaging Religious Dimensions in the Search for Peace
(A Conversation with Sharon Rosen, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Wednesday, 15 December 2021
Poll: America growing more secular by the year
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
About three-in-ten U.S. adults are now religiously unaffiliated
(Gregory A. Smith, Pew Research Center)
What’s your religion? In US, a common reply now is “None”
(Luis Andres Henao, Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu and David Crary, Associated Press)
President Oaks champions blessings of religious freedom in address to students in Rome
(Church News)
Associate Director Elizabeth Clark receives award from Republic of Uzbekistan for protecting human rights
(International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), Brigham Young University)
More Orthodox Jewish women are ordained; change is uneven
(Yonat Shimron and Ilan Ben, Associated Press)
Holy Land Christian leaders want guarantees on protection of people, sites
(Catholic News Service)
Israel: Ceding to the religious right, Israeli leaders reportedly table plan for egalitarian prayer space at Western Wall
(Shira Hanau, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
In Israel, calls grow to let religious Druze women drive
(Fadi Amun, Haaretz)
As Jews pray on Temple Mount, status quo in Jerusalem’s holiest site begins to shift
(Eetta Prince-Gibson, Religion News Service)
Christian officials accuse Israel of holiday discrimination
(Associated Press)
Kyrgyzstan: Violations of religious freedom of JWs condemned in Geneva
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
European Court/Norway: Controversy about the adoption of a Muslim child by a Christian family
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Russia: Freedom of religion or belief : Special bimonthly digest (01-15.12.2021)
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Why the Court is avoiding a ruling on religious exemptions in the vaccine context
(Mark Movsesian, The Volokh Conspiracy)
Most courts – including SCOTUS – leaving vaccine mandates in place against religious liberty challenges
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Court rejects religious challenge to New York’s vaccine mandate for health care workers
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)
Barrett and Kavanaugh supply another majority to deny religious-liberty exemption
(Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review)
Survey: Americans concerned too many are seeking religious exemptions to vaccines
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Why the Supreme Court hasn’t ruled (for now) on vaccine mandates
(Mark Movsesian, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Q&A with CEC general secretary Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen
(YouTube Video, Conference of European Churches)
European churches urge people to get vaccinated against COVID-19
(Conference of European Churches)
Senegalese lawmakers draft tougher laws against LGBT
(Reuters)
No merry Christmas for Christians in Myanmar
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Church leaders in India advised by police not to host Christmas services
(Kelly Valencia, Premier Christian News)
Key facts about the religiously and demographically diverse states of India
(Stephanie Kramer, Pew Research Center)
India: Don’t send notices to parents of couples under Special Marriage Act: Delhi government
(Sofi Ahsan, The Indian Express)
India: Caste, faith can’t be basis for determining a father’s duty, says Kerala HC
(The New Indian Express)
India: Mother Theresa charity probed over 'forceful conversions'
(Joe Wallen, The Telegraph)
Nigeria: Open letter to President Biden: Please don't ignore "rampant violence” in Nigeria
(ADF International)
As another pastor is slain, Christians urge US to reinstate Nigeria as 'country of particular concern'
(Christian Today)
Zainab Al-Suwaij full interview (on Iraq and human rights)
(YouTube Video, Tina Ramirez, Hardwired Global)
Paul Lambert discusses religious inclusion with U.S. Navy DEI team
(Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)
Refugees in Utah create self-sustaining goat farm to support refugee community
(Arianne Brown, KSL)
Weekly Highlight #186: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions: Religious leaders support vaccine acceptance, religious exemption requests rise
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Muslim org fires leader for working with anti-Muslim group
(Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press)
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s 2021 Christmas message: 'In the name of these refugees, let us help all refugees'
(Michael Curry, Episcopal News Service)
Lebanon to deport outlawed Bahrain opposition party members
(Associated Press)
Ex-boarding school for Native children owning up to its past
(Peter Smith, Associated Press)
House responds to GOP’s Boebert with Islamophobia bill
(Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press)
Blinken says US weighing new sanctions on Myanmar
(Matthew Lee, Associated Press)
Mormon women's influence expands despite priesthood ban
(Lindsay Whitehurst and, Associated Press)
European court urges Russia to tackle domestic violence
(Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press)
‘Strangers in their own land’: Iraqi Yazidis and their plight, 7 years on from genocide
(Houman Oliaei, The Conversation)
France targets mosque for closure after ‘unacceptable’ preaching
(The Local)
Quebec teacher removed from classroom for wearing hijab under law banning religious symbols
(Kimberley Molina, CBC News)
Canada bans LGBTQ ‘conversion therapy’ as France moves to criminalize it
(The Washington Post)
African immigrants in U.S. more religious than other Black Americans, and more likely to be Catholic
(Jeff Diamant, Pew Research Center)
How an independent tribunal came to rule that China is guilty of genocide against the Uyghurs
(David Tobin, The Conversation)
Two awarded top bravery honor in New Zealand mosque attack
(Nick Perry, Associated Press)
9th Circuit: Seminary is exempt from Title IX in applying its sexual standards
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Ninth Circuit clears expulsions for seminarians in same-sex marriages
(Nicholas Iovino, Courthouse News Service)
Antisemitism of sellers impacts court's decision on breach of contract
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Defendants get lit up by the Court on the fifth day of Hanukkah
(Farrell Fritz, JD Supra)
Christian wedding photographer loses suit against NY public accommodation law
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Court denies motion under RFRA and 1st Amendment to dismiss indictments
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Scientology at UN: “It is up to Faith leaders to influence and make of this one, a better world”
(The European Times)
Celebrating 70 years, Caritas Internationalis aims to tackle new challenges
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Podcast: What’s in a name? (federal trademark rejection)
(Soundcloud, Becket)
Nuns and Catholic hospitals ask court to stop harmful transgender mandate
(Becket)
Does President Joe Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ plan threaten home-based, faith-based child care?
(Dennis Romboy, Deseret News)
Britain facing Christmas shortages
(Birgit Maass, Deutsche Welle)
Eric Adams moved his inauguration to after Shabbat so Jewish supporters could attend
(Shira Hanau, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Our preschool welcomed Santa — and exiled my Jewish daughter
(Meg Keene, Forward Opinion)
The ‘Islamophobia’ canard returns
(Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review)
Is a new kind of religion forming on the internet?
(Rebecca Jennings, Vox)
Nuns against nuclear weapons – Plowshares protesters have fought for disarmament for over 40 years, going to prison for peace
(Carole Sargent, The Conversation)
Uzbekistan: More Muslims targeted for criticising regime hostility to Islam
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
Tops in religion for 2021: Gallup spotlights America's downward Church Lurch
(Richard Ostling, GetReligion)
Vicarious liability for sexual abuse again: Hugh Kennedy
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Churches in West Papua call for end to operations by Indonesian military
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Philippine anti-terrorism law 'threatens human rights'
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Supreme Court case threatens further destruction of church-state wall in education
(Peter Greene, Forbes)
In Hinduism, women create spaces for their own leadership
(Deepti Hajela, Religion News Service)
Australia: Attorney-General Michaelia Cash speaks up on the religious discrimination bills
(John Sandeman, Eternity News)
Canada: Anyone can criticize Quebec’s religious symbols law, but only Quebeckers can fix it
(The Globe and Mail)
Court won’t stop Texas abortion ban, but lets clinics sue
(Mark Sherman, Religion News Service)
PBS documentary broadcast part of Sikh awareness campaign
(Jospeh Hammond, Religion News Service)
Email Subscription
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies maintains a Law and Religion Headlines service covering news about freedom of religion or belief internationally. All interested may subscribe to this service, free of charge, using the link below.
Subscribe