Law and Religion Headlines

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Wednesday, 21 February 2024

US Supreme Court declines to decide legality of excluding jurors based on religion
(John Kruzel, Reuters)

The State of Antisemitism in America 2023
(American Jewish Committee)

9th Circuit: On supervised release, must have secular alternative to 12-step program requirement
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Title VII challenge to denial of vaccine exemption survives motion to dismiss
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Pakistan: Christian sentenced to life in prison under blasphemy law
(Morning Star News)

Religious diversity is exploding – here’s what a faith-positive Britain might actually look like
(Christopher Wadibia, The Conversation)

Jay Report on safeguarding in Church of England
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Association for Religious Freedom in Croatia celebrates 30th anniversary
(Josip Takač, Adventist News Network)

Indonesia: Why Aceh's cities rank low in tolerance
(Arti Ekawati, Deutsche Welle)

Israel bars Brazilian president after Lula compares Gaza war to the Holocaust
(Jacob Kessler, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Does the advent of the Tusk government foreshadow an erosion of Poland’s Christian culture?
(Solène Tadié, National Catholic Register)

Italy gives € 500,000 for the restoration of Odessa’s Orthodox Cathedral shelled by Russia
(Willy Fautré and Ievgeniia Gidulianova, Bitter Winter)

Occupied Ukraine: Priest killed within two days of Russian detention
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)

International religious experts condemn Russia's aggression towards Ukraine at Tokyo Conference
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

Russia’s Christian dissidents
(Jonathon Van Maren, The European Conservative)

Religious freedom and equality in the European Union: Unclear paths ahead
(Gaston de Persigny, The European Times)

Catholic partners and media learn about CEC
(Conference of European Churches)

For Iranian converts claiming religious persecution, European courts require proof of faith
(Hanna Vioque, Religion News Service)

Lent pro-life volunteers alarmed as Germany considers UK-style censorship zones to criminalise help and prayer near abortion organisations
(ADF International)

‘Jesus’ decal on German taxi nets driver $1,000 fine threat
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)

Hostility against churches is on the rise in the United States - analyzing incidents from 2018-2023
(Family Research Council)

Imam warns of rising hate after assault in Ireland
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))

WCC general secretary meets Israeli president, calls for ceasefire, freedom of religion and humanitarian care
(World Council of Churches)

Why School Choice Is Necessary for Religious Liberty and Freedom of Belief
(Richard F. Duncan, Case Western Reserve Law Review)

India: Christian family attacked in Chhattisgarh State
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

Alabama rules frozen embryos are children, raising questions about fertility care
(Roni Caryn Rabin and Azeen Ghorayshi, The New York Times)

NCJW calls Alabama Supreme Court’s IVF ruling an affront to religious freedom
(National Council of Jewish Women)

Iowa Senate passes 'religious freedom' bill that Democrats call 'blank check to discriminate'
(Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register)

Australia: Why the “equality” Bill is a threat to religious freedom
(Michael Stead, Sydney Anglicans)

Tuesday, 20 February 2024

EVENT, 20 February 2024 (6PM GMT): Revisiting the Islamic State, Governance and Power-Sharing Amid a Changing World Order (London, UK)
(Andrew March, Ahmed Gaaloul, Daud Abdullah, The Cordoba Foundation)

Monday, 19 February 2024

Official call for election of the president and certain board members of the African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies
(African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ACLARS))

2nd youth charged in connection with anti-Jewish terror plot
(CBC News)

The Islamic State group poses rising threat in Africa despite progress, UN experts say
(Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press)

Australia: Same-sex marriage, trans identity force religion bill that could backfire
(Angela Shanahan, The Australian)

Indonesia: Tolerance and respect: Educational paths in Indonesia
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)

Iran: Persecution against Christians in Iran continues to grow
(Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged)

Secular vs. religious violence: The epistemic violence of colonisation
(Syed Hammaad Mehraj, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)

The secularisation of Martin Luther King
(Jon Kuhrt, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)

Religion Watch, Volume 39 No. 3
(Religion Watch, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)

‘Ye Shall Do No Injustice in Judgment’—Are Religious Courts to Blame for the Agunah Problem?
(Lord Wolfson KC, William Gelley, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)

Global Interfaith Monitor No. 20
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Germany: Catholic churches are demolished or repurposed
(Christoph Strack, Deutsche Welle)

Many believe the founders wanted a Christian America. Some want the government to declare one now
(Peter Smith, Associated Press)

Articles of interest - 19 February 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Muslims calling for peace in Gaza have been answered with rampant Islamophobia
(Wa'el Alzayat, Religion News Service)

Documentary about the murders of 3 Muslims explores religious hatred
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)

India: State in India passes law against Christian ‘magical healing practices’
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Israel: PM’s office avers that freedom of religion will be respected during Ramadan
(The Times of Israel)

Law and religion roundup – 18th February
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill: consultation update
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

Should universities protect campus anti-Semites?
(Yoram Hazony, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)

Israel to restrict access to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan
(Al Jazeera)

Italian town in turmoil after far-right mayor bans Muslim prayers
(Angela Giuffrida, The Guardian)

Russia: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest Feb. 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest February 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Continuing threats to religious freedom in Western democracies
(Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)

RFI’s Nathan Berkeley on “Taking steps to protect religious institutions”
(Religious Freedom Institute)

Parents turn to Supreme Court for justice after child is removed by state
(Becket)

Why the new French law on “cults” is wrong
(Eileen Barker, Bitter Winter)

Malaysia: Of Nik Elin and religious bigotry
(Ahmad Farouk Musa, Free Malaysia Today)

UAE: Abu Dhabi heralds era of religious accommodation in Islamic West Asia
(P.K. Balachandran, Daily Mirror)

Botswana: Fifty years of religious freedom
(JW.org)

GNR soldier on hunger strike for nine days after being demoted after winning religious freedom case (Portuguese)
(CNN Portugal)

Around the web - 19 February 2024
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)

Friday, 16 February 2024

Greece becomes first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex civil marriage
(Nicholas Paphitis, Associated Press)

Greece just legalized same-sex marriage. Will other Orthodox countries join them any time soon?
(Peter Smith and Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press)

Canada: Extending the use of notwithstanding clause in Bill 21 is a grave injustice
(Canadian Civil Liberties Association)

Canada's Shin Mei: no tax exemption for Shinto place of worship
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)

Who are you? The art and science of measuring identity
(Scott Keeter, Anna Brown, and Dana Popky, Pew Research Center)

India: Hindu Mandir: India PM Modi inaugurates temple in Abu Dhabi
(BBC News)

For Black ‘nones’ who leave religion, what’s next?
(Kathryn Post, Religion News Service)

Almost half of U.S. Jews have altered their habits to avoid antisemitism, survey says
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)

India: Mehrauli: A mosque demolished, and orphans displaced in India
(Zoya Mateen, BBC News)

Utah’s version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act passes the Senate
(Hanna Seariac, Deseret News)

Somali families in St. Louis Park push to let children opt out of reading LGBTQ+ books
(Jason Rantala, CBS News)

Mexico: Catholic bishops in Mexico say they negotiated for possible peace accord with drug cartel leaders
(Fabiola Sánchez, Associated Press)

Nepal: ‘Our gods were locked in the basement.’ Now Nepal is pursuing sacred items once smuggled abroad
(Binaj Gurubacharya, Associated Press)

Israel complains after Vatican denounces ‘carnage’ and disproportionate response in Gaza
(Associated Press)

Here’s the latest on the investigation into the shooting at Joel Osteen’s megachurch
(Juan A. Lozano and Jim Vertuno, Associated Press)

Costa Rica, Supreme Court recognizes Hebrew Roots devotees’ right not to work on Saturday
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)

What it means for LGBTQ+ Americans to leave — or choose — Christianity
(Orion Rummler, The 19th)

Turkey will stop sending imams to German mosques - here’s why this matters
(Brian Van Wyck, The Conversation)

Germany plans to unveil censorship zones which violate freedom of speech and free assembly
(Paul Coleman, ADF International)

“The situation is no longer tolerable”: US Congress members continue to denounce Nigeria’s religious freedom violations at House hearing
(ADF International)

Indonesia: The world’s largest Muslim-majority country goes to the polls
(Paul Marshall, Providence)

Wisconsin legislature passes parental bill of rights; governor promises veto
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

House members protest invited guest chaplain
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Kenya: Church leaders in Kenya raise alarm about ongoing health crisis
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Congressional committee issues subpoenas to Harvard, stepping up investigation into campus antisemitism
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

In Melitopol, Russian occupiers cut down a cross for the tricolor at the Protestant church
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

Russia: 42 on wanted list for exercising freedom of religion or belief
(Felix Corley and Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)

BBC director general Tim Davie fires warning to all staff amid claims of anti-Semitism at corporation
(Paul Sims, The Sun)

The “devastating, outrageous” impending closure of the Inter Faith Network
(Ruth Peacock, Religion Media Centre)

Church in Wales: new guidance on waste law
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

An Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was registered in Lithuania
(The European Times)

Ukraine’s religious persecution
(Lawrence A. Uzzell, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

Christian values to influence European elections
(Conference of European Churches)

The impact of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment in the US (video)
(Al Jazeera)

Soldiers with religious dietary needs paying twice for meals at Fort Cavazos, group says
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)

Japan: The right to legal entity status: Religious freedom challenges in Japan
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)

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