Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 26 February 2024
Catholic immigrant shelter battles Texas AG, who wants to shut it down
(Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News)
IRFBA Chair’s statement on the somber anniversary of two years since the Russian aggression against Ukraine accompanied by severe violations and abuses, killing of priests and destruction of places of worship
(International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA), U.S. Department of State)
God, Religious Extremism and Violence
(Matthew Rowley, Cambridge University Press)
The Taliban want a piece of Pakistan
(Lynne O’Donnell, Foreign Policy)
Around the web - 26 February 2024
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Catholic bishops call for No vote in both March referendums
(Patsy McGarry, The Irish Times)
China: Pray.com addresses Apple App Store in China restricting access to content, impacting National Day of Prayer livestream
(PR Newswire)
Church Reporter, Vol. 9, 15 February 2024 - Newsletter for the English speaking members and friends of the Church Law Society (PDF)
(Church Law Society Prague – Brno – Olomouc – Stříbro – České Budějovice)
Algeria inaugurates Africa’s largest mosque after years of political delays and cost overruns
(Associated Press)
Mexican church officials have helped arrange a truce between 2 warring drug cartels
(Fabiola Sánchez, Associated Press)
Civil conspiracy claims against religious organization survive 1st Amendment defenses
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Articles of interest - 26 February 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Pakistan Supreme Court defends free exercise rights of Ahmadis; protests follow
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Anti-immigrant pastors may be drawing attention – but faith leaders, including some evangelicals, are central to the movement to protect migrant rights
(Brad Christerson, Alexia Salvatierra, and Robert Chao Romero, The Conversation)
Faith leaders renew push for ‘accurate’ Black history education in Florida
(Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)
Sisters at Work: A Special Global Cohort
(Luisa Banchoff and Katherine Marshall, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Mozambique bishop warns jihadist anti-Christian violence being ignored
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Israel court hears challenges to religious draft waiver amid Gaza war
(Reuters)
'An explosion is coming': Hamas warns against Ramadan restrictions on Temple Mount
(Sam Halpern, The Jerusalem Post)
South Africa: Why do some Jews feel forgotten?
(David Ehl and Katharina Peetz both in Johannesburg, Deutsche Welle)
Don't let hate win: Sadiq Khan and Susan Hall make unity plea amid Lee Anderson 'Islamophobia' storm
(Nicholas Cecil and Ross Lydall, The Standard)
Daesh bride loses appeal in UK court to restore her citizenship
(TRT World)
Lee Anderson: MP suspended from Tory party over 'Islamists' comments
(Thomas Mackintosh, BBC News)
Anti-Muslim cases surge in UK since Hamas attacks, charity finds
(Sara Monetta, BBC News)
Law and religion roundup – 25th February
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
What the 2024 US Presidential candidates say about faith
(Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged)
It is time to articulate a Muslim approach to justice and liberation
(Shaykh M A Kholwadia, Al Jazeera)
India: Hamas to halal: How anti-Muslim hate speech is spreading in India
(Yashraj Sharma, Al Jazeera)
India: West Bengal: Indian zoo asked to change lions’ 'blasphemous' names
(BBC News)
Law and religion: Legal victories and tools for IRF
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Two weeks in review, 12– 25 February 2024
(Tal Gross, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Berlin coalition to discuss constitutional protections against Islamophobia
(Exberliner)
War in Ukraine: Mgr. Crociata: “We must hope that the diplomatic initiative unfolds in all directions and with the full breadth it can muster”
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
A future for ecumenism?
(Riley B. Case, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
Iran: Majority of Iranians want secular government, leaked study shows
(The Jerusalem Post)
Christian broadcasters ask Supreme Court to hear their religious freedom case
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Burkina Faso: At least 15 Catholic worshippers were killed in an attack during a service in northern Burkina Faso
(Chinedu Asadu, Associated Press)
Brazil: Financing religious monuments does not harm the secularity of the State, decides Mendonça (Portuguese)
(Rafa Santos, Conjur)
Ex-Catholics in Rome reconnect with roots, spirituality in paganism
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)
Friday, 23 February 2024
Texas AG seeks to liquidate Catholic agency providing services to migrants
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
El Paso bishop defends migrant shelter under attack by Texas attorney general
(John Lavenburg, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Dressed to express: How dress codes discriminate against Texas students and must be changed
(ACLU Texas)
EVENT, 23 February 2024 (10:30 AM): Unity in Diversity: Daring to Overcome the Barriers that Divide (Bengaluru, India)
(Brian Grim, National Institute of Advanced Studies)
California bill would offer motorcyclists religious exemptions from wearing helmets
(Senator Brian Dahle)
Daesh member involved in Istanbul church attack left for Russia: Report
(Daily Sabah)
Al Mujadilah: A women-only mosque in Qatar inspires ‘sense of connection’
(Kubra Solmaz, TRT World)
Canadian, Ukrainian religious leaders call for justice, peace in Ukraine as war enters third year
(Gina Christian, OSV News)
Canada: Judge rules killer of London, Ont., Muslim family committed terrorism, calling it a 'textbook example'
(Kate Dubinski, CBC News)
Canada: Muslim groups say MPs won't be welcome in mosques until they call for Gaza ceasefire
(Yasmine Hassan and Raffy Boudjikanian, CBC News)
Killing of Muslim family in Canada terrorist act: Court
(Daily Sabah)
Mosque in Sweden's capital again targeted by Islamophobes with threatening graffiti
(Alexandra Enberg, Anadolu Agency)
Lebanon: Podcast Episode 026 | National report on freedom of religion or belief
(Fadi Hachem, Religious Freedom Institute)
Macron broods over assisted dying law at dinner with faith leaders
(Tom Heneghan, The Tablet)
Georgia bill aims to protect religious liberty. Opponents say it’s a license to discriminate
(Jeff Amy, Associated Press)
Denmark records highest number of antisemitic incidents since WWII, part of a grim European trend
(Jan M. Olsen, Associated Press)
European diplomats have condemned the closed-door trial of a Catholic activist in Belarus
(Yuras Karmanau, Associated Press)
Belarus cracks down on clergy who supported protests of its authoritarian leader
(Yuras Karmanau, Associated Press)
Gay rights advocates in Kentucky say expansion to religious freedom law would hurt LGBTQ+ safeguards
(Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press)
Trump promises a revival of Christian power in speech to National Religious Broadcasters
(Bob Smietana, Religion News Service)
A call for Christian leaders to denounce the Russian Orthodox Church
(Mark Silk, RNS Column: Spiritual Politics)
Germany's Catholic Church speaks out against far right
(Christoph Strack, Deutsche Welle)
Argentina’s Jewish umbrella group condemns Milei’s decision to shutter country’s anti-discrimination office
(Juan Melamed, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Tajikistan: Criminal cases against human rights defenders, relatives threatened
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
Bridging faiths: Uniting through dialogue in Porto – KAICIID’s Network for Dialogue supported initiative
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Empowering dialogue for peace: Insights from KAICIID's 2024 fellows programme in Costa Rica
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
China: Mosque in China remodeled with pagodas, communist slogans
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
China arrests at least 100 Tibetans over dam project protests
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
“Economy should serve humanity and promote the dignity of every person”, says COMECE at EP conference on Social Market Economy
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
Austrian Bishop Zsifkovics visits Brussels for a series of meetings with EU representatives
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
Religious persecution in Latin America today
(Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
Which states are advancing bills to help protect religious freedom?
(Jorge Gomez, First Liberty)
The construction of a right to birth registration in European human rights law: the case of G.T.B. v Spain
(Sarah Trotter, Strasbourg Observers)
Beyond Opuz v. Turkey: the CJEU’s judgment in WS and the refugee law consequences of the state’s failure to protect victims of domestic violence
(Türkan Ertuna Lagrand, Strasbourg Observers)
Race and LGBTQ issues in K-12 schools
(Luona Lin, Juliana Menasce Horowitz, Kiley Hurst and Dana Braga, Pew Research Center)
Al-Azhar University president urges interfaith dialogue to promote peace
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))
Nigeria: Subsidising religious pilgrimage, irresponsible
(Punch)
Malaysia’s court system struggles with the rise of state-level theocracy
(Aizat Shamsuddin, The Diplomat)
Pakistan: Ashrafi stresses religious diversity as key to Pakistan’s harmony
(Associated Press of Pakistan)
Interfaith charity to close after government funding pulled
(Aleem Maqbool, BBC News)
Government criticised for shutting down Inter Faith Network after nearly 40 years
(Lee Harpin, Jewish News)
Banning ‘conversion therapy’ is a threat to religious freedom
(Jacob Williams, Spiked)
Church of England mulls asylum seeker change amid conversion row
(Muvija M, Reuters)
Australia: Voluntary assisted dying is different to suicide. But federal laws conflate them and restrict access to telehealth
(Michaela Estell Okninski, Marc Trabsky, and Neera Bhatia, The Conversation)
New Zealand: Christchurch terrorist discussed attacks online a year before carrying them out, new research reveals
(Chris Wilson, Ethan Renner, Jack Smylie, and Michal Dziwulski, The Conversation)
Contractual Commitments and the Right to Change Religions
(Michael A. Helfand, SSRN)
Thursday, 22 February 2024
EVENT, 22 February 2024 (3PM MST): Religious Conflict in West Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia (Tempe, Arizona, USA)
(Anand Gopal, Margaret Hanson, Okechukwu Iheduru, Güneş Murat Tezcür, Arizona State University)
Wednesday, 21 February 2024
HYBRID EVENT, 21 February 2024 (7:30PM EST): Forum: With Malice Toward None, With Charity for All, National Cathedral (Washington, DC, USA)
(Wheatley Institute, Brigham Young University)
Iran: Annual report: Faceless Victims: Rights Violations Against Christians in Iran
(Article 18)
Mozambique: Resurgence of jihadist attacks force missionaries to flee
(Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News)
HYBRID EVENT, 19-21 February 2024: Beyond War and Toward Reconciliation: Convening the Second Multi-Religious Peace Roundtable (Tokyo, Japan)
(Religions for Peace and United Nations Alliance of Civilizations)
Interfaith leaders denounce anti-immigration rhetoric after neo-Nazi march in Nashville
(Melissa Brown, The Tennessean)
Muslim parents in Minneapolis-area school district can pull children from sexuality, gender classes
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
China: Uyghurs continue to oppose 'genocide tours' to Xinjiang
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)
China: Whatever happened to China’s 2024 Universal Periodic Review?
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter)
Large majorities of Americans say antisemitism is a serious problem
(Jason DeRose, NPR)
Virginia Department of Education sued over model transgender policies
(Brooke Migdon, The Hill)
Belarus: UN experts concerned about new law on freedom of conscience and religious organisations
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Citing religious, parental rights, Hoosier couple asks SCOTUS for relief after trans child was removed
(Alexa Shrake, The Indiana Lawyer)
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