Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 16 April 2021
Got trouble? Have faith, say residents of America’s most religious state -- Alabama
(Nia Hightower, National Geographic)
Biden reverses course on refugee cap after faith groups express outrage
(Emily McFarlan Miller, Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Legal critiques of WWWR: A reply to Napel & Hill QC
(Nigel Biggar, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
America, Liberalism, and Catholicism
(Ryan T. Anderson, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Despite China's vast religious and political repression, 2022 Olympic boycott still unlikely
(Ira Rifkin, GetReligion)
Argument: Yes, the atrocities in Xinjiang constitute a genocide
(Peter Mattis, Foreign Policy)
Macron visits Notre Dame 2 years after devastating fire
(Thomas Adamson and Jeffrey Schaeffer, Associated Press)
Wednesday, 14 April 2021
Court orders residents of Sredneuralsky Convent to leave its premises
(Interfax-Religion)
Detention of Jehovah's Witnesses enters a new region
(Yaroslavl Moskovskii Komsomolets, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
WEBINAR, 14 April 2021 (10:30AM Eastern): USCIRF Conversation: New Report on Antisemitism in the OSCE Region and U.S. Policy Responses
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
WEBINAR, 14 Apri 2021 (5PM Eastern): Walter B. and Kay W. Shurden Lectures on Religious Liberty and Separation of Church and State
(Religious Liberty Has Been White Too Long: Voices of Black Scholars featuring Dr. Teresa Smallwood, Dr. Anthony Pinn, Dr. Nicole Turner and Dr. David Goatley., Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Statement from the President on the Beginning of Ramadan
(The White House)
For interfaith couples, Ramadan can deepen ties to faith and each other
(Silma Suba, Religion News Service)
Ramadan began Monday night; Minnesota gives religious exemption from curfew order
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Russian opposition leader Navalny sues prison officials to obtain a Quran
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Putin foe Navalny says he sues prison for withholding Quran
(Daria Litvinova, Associated Press)
Navalny sues Russian prison for withholding Quran
(Lexi Lonas, The Hill)
Official claims that Russian church agitates in Estonia for Kremlin goals
(Credo.Press, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Jehovah's Witnesses cell busted in Russia's Tula
(Interfax-Religion)
Russia: Flagship Protestant colleges stripped of right to offer higher education
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
Multi-faith group issues statement questioning religious exemptions from covid orders
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
'Sex over religion': Legal scholars discuss America's shifting religious freedom landscape
(Emily Wood, The Christian Post)
China's communist regime is detaining Christians in mobile brainwashing camps: report
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)
Faith organizations' statement regarding state legislation granting religious exemptions to emergency orders (PDF)
(Interfaith Alliance)
Hasidic, devout, and mad as hell about COVID-19: Op-Ed
(Emma Green, The Atlantic)
A small victory for Christians in communist Laos
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
6th Circuit en banc upholds Ohio's ban on doctors knowingly performing abortions because of Down syndrome
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Judges cite Holocaust, eugenics in divided ruling allowing Ohio to enforce Down Syndrome abortion ban
(Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer)
6th Circuit judges debate eugenics in yesterday's abortion decision
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
US Catholic educators seek ways to tackle racism in the Church
(Carol Zimmermann, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Christians decry Myanmar military's search of churches
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Civil rights group sues Facebook over anti-Muslim posts
(Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service)
Pope Francis and Mario Draghi could become a powerful duo in shaping Europe’s future
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)
New book explores how Desmond Tutu’s Christian mysticism helped unite a nation
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
As policies shift, Protestants and other faith groups join Catholics in helping immigrants at the border
(Jack Jenkins and Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service)
Muslims open Ramadan with social distanced prayers, vaccines
(Niniek Karmini, Religion News Service)
Haitian archbishop demands release of abducted Catholics
(Catholic News Agency)
Abducted priest freed in Nigeria
(International Christian Concern)
USCIRF alarmed by deteriorating religious freedom conditions & security in Nigeria
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Christian leaders in Nigeria allege Islamization attempt after recent judicial appointments
(Catholic News Agency)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: bishops warn of threat of Islamism
(Aid to the Church in Need)
Catholic bishops in DR Congo worried by killings, forced conversions in east
(Jude Atemanke, Catholic News Agency)
COMECE and CEC: “Churches have an important message and value to add to the Conference on the Future of Europe”
(Conference of European Churches)
Turkey tightens COVID-19 restrictions as Ramadan holy month begins
(Diego Cupolo, Al-Monitor: Turkey Pulse)
Israel is now situated in the new Middle East
(Emily Schrader, The Jerusalem Post)
New ultra-Orthodox residents make Israel's Dimona nervous
(Danny Zaken, Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)
Will waqf expansion strengthen Jordan’s control of Jerusalem holy sites?
(Daoud Kuttab, Al-Monitor: Jordan Pulse)
Dubai restaurants to stop screening dining areas during Ramadan fast
(Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)
New archaeological discovery in St. Hilarion Monastery
(Ahmad Abu Amer, Al-Monitor: Palestine Pulse)
Brian Grim named to CVS Health Faith-based and Business Leaders Advisory Council
(Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)
Northern Cyprus: Ryan Keating charged with illegally importing Christian material
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Belgium: The Ghent case against Jehovah’s Witnesses: A chronology
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Polish church welcomes police 'regret' for intrusion
(Jonathan Luxmoore, The Tablet UK)
How Joe Biden and Boris Johnson can protect freedom of religion
(Rehman Chishti and Knox Thames, The Times)
Church groups sue Scottish charity for discrimination over cancellations
(Marc Horne, The Times)
Turkey’s Christians face increasingly dangerous persecution – analyst
(Ahval)
Weekly highlight #151: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions: Religious engagement on covid-19 and global finance, celebration seasons
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
IMF/World Bank/G20 Spring meetings: Religious perspectives and voices
(Katherine Marshall, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Pakistan interior minister recommends ban on Islamist party
(Munir Ahmed and Babar Dogar, Associated Press)
Sikhs mark toned-down holiday amid continuing virus concerns
(Margaret Stafford and Gary Fields, Associated Press)
BJC, other faith organizations issue statement on state legislation exempting religious organizations from emergency orders
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Religious liberty and the presidential transition
(Holly Hollman, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Hans Küng and the global ethic (plus multiple responses)
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Top Vatican diplomat says decline of the West not irreversible
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Irish Christian leaders call on UK, Ireland to work together on root causes of N Ireland violence
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
German legislators consider ending state payments to churches
(Catholic News Service)
How the Supreme Court found its faith and put ‘religious liberty’ on a winning streak
(Steven K. Green, The Conversation)
These lawsuits reveal the left’s goal to banish religion altogether
(Yaakov Menken, The Federalist)
Supreme Court conservatives may reset balance between LGBTQ rights and religious liberty
(David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times)
A free exercise of religion Supreme Court
(The Wall Street Journal - Opinion)
Influx of migrants contributing to emergence of hotbeds of interfaith tensions in Crimea - Patrushev
(Interfax-Religion)
Recent CDM Tribunal decisions (I)
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Only 6 percent of Americans have dominantly biblical worldview, study shows
(Ecumenical News)
Sadiq Khan: I turned to Israel for advice on persuading Londoners to get vaccine
(Lee Harpin, Jewish News)
Mosque row raises Church-State issues in France
(Tom Heneghan, The Tablet UK)
As French Senate tightens church controls, Christians protest without fear
(Kami Rice, Christianity Today)
French high court clears cardinal of abuse cover-up claims
(Nicolas Vaux-Montagny, Associated Press)
A legal winning streak for religion (podcast)
(The New York Times)
How an LGBTQ+ rights case could affect the response to covid-19
(Patrick Hornbeck, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Religiously based ethical arguments favoring estate taxes
(Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Book review: The Almighty and the dollar
(Samuel Gregg, Law & Liberty)
New book: Religion and the Rise of Capitalism
(Benjamin M. Friedman, Penguin Random House)
Antisemitism in Europe
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Tuesday, 13 April 2021
WEBINAR, 13 April 2021 (11AM EST): Keeping Faith with the Sahel--R3 and the Triple Nexus: Commitments to Integrating Peacebuilding
(Catholic Relief Services)
Monday, 12 April 2021
SCOTUS grants injunction in Tandon v. Newsom
(Josh Blackman, The Volokh Conspiracy)
How SCOTUS is selectively ‘restoring’ religious liberty
(Mark Silk, RNS Column: Spiritual Politics)
Divided court blocks California’s COVID-related restrictions on in-home religious gatherings
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)
Supreme Court enjoins, pending appeals, California limits on in-home worship services
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Supreme Court rules California must allow in-home religious gatherings
(Tommy Beer, Forbes)
High court halts Calif. virus rules limiting home worship
(Jessica Gresko, Associated Press)
Dubai parts with curtain covers for restaurants in Ramadan
(Associated Press)
Muslims navigate restrictions in the second pandemic Ramadan
(Mariam Fam, Kathy Gannon and Bassem Mroue, Associated Press)
Bulgarian Muslims hold circumcision festival despite virus
(Jordan Simeonov, Associated Press)
With the start of Ramadan, Portland Muslim community leaders call for unity against Islamophobia and all forms of hate
(Laural Porter, KGW8)
Nightly prayers at the mosque? Big iftars? Vaccines? Ramadan 2021 brings decisions for Muslims.
(Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post)
This land is sacred to the Apache, and they are fighting to save it: Native Americans want to protect Oak Flat, a sacred site 60 miles east of Phoenix, from a mining operation
(Dana Hedgpeth, The Washington Post)
Supreme Court punted on protections for religion in workplace. Justice Gorsuch wasn't having it.
(Sarah Parshall Perry, The Daily Signal)
Episcopal priest goes viral for wearing the same dress for 100 days as a fashion sustainability challenge
(Egan Millard, Episcopal News Service)
When clean energy is powered by dirty labor: Most solar panels come from China, and using them to fuel a clean energy transition risks reliance on Uyghur slave labor in Xinjiang.
(Elisabeth Braw, Foreign Policy)
CEC-CCEE issue joint statement on 20th Anniversary of Charta Oecumenica
(Conference of European Churches)
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