Law and Religion Headlines

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Monday, 1 February 2021

Florida humanist gives first secular invocation at Brevard County meeting after yearslong legal battle
(Michel Gryboski, Christian Post)

March For Life supporters appeal to Biden to take part in event
(Hamil R. Harris, Religion Unplugged)

Religion takes front seat in Africa's battle against second wave of COVID-19
(Tawanda Karombo, Religion Unplugged)

Religious differences: is the United States veering closer to civil war
(Terry Mattingly, Religion Unplugged Opinion)

I’m an Auschwitz survivor – what happened in the Holocaust must never be forgotten
(Freda Wineman, Independent)

The UK Genocide Amendment: suitability of the High Court
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Oxford Human Rights Hub)

Law and religion round-up – 31st January
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

Why the Mexico City Policy is so significant
(Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency)

‘A dark day for our nation’: 5 pro-life reactions to Biden's decision to rescind Mexico City Policy
(Michael Gryboski, The Christian Post)

The FAQs: What you should know about the Mexico City Policy
(Joe Carter, The Gospel Coalition)

Pakistan - Senate panel rejects Protection of the Rights of Religions MInories (PRRM) bill
(Business Recorder)

Pakistan: Muslims condemn attack on Christian nurse
(Kamran Chaudhry, Union of Catholic Asian News)

New Pakistani short film creates buzz about blasphemy law
(Anmol Irfan, Religion Unplugged)

CALL FOR PAPERS, due 1 February 2021: Freedom of Religion in Europe Today: Under Critical Investigation
(Institute for the Study of Freedom of Religion or Belief)

100,000 clerics mobilise for interfaith prayer, fasting
(Saxone Akhaine, The Guardian)

'Love jihad' law threatens women's freedoms in India
(Bangkok Post)

How long will India celebrate its secular constitution? – Oped
(Nirendra Dev, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Christians arrested on conversion charge denied bail in India
(Saji Thomas, Union of Catholic Asian News)

India: uphold the Constitution and its fundamental human rights
(Agenza Fides, Agenzia Fides)

Is this America? A distinction may bring some clarity to disagreements about the meaning of the Capitol riots
(Russell P. Johnson, Sightings: The Martin Marty Center, University of Chicago Divinity School)

Denmark: “Translation law” vs. religious liberty
(PierLuigi Zoccatelli, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

Saudi Arabia has been scrubbing its textbooks of anti-Semitic and misogynistic passages
(Sarah Dadouch, The Washington Post)

Millennial and Gen Z Buddhists created an online forum to explore their identity
(Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil, The Washington Post)

Moral relativism is the 'majority opinion' of Gen Z, new study reveals
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)

Myanmar: An urgent, fraternal appeal for peace and reconciliation
(Cardinal Charles Bo, Religions for Peace)

Human Rights in Criminal Proceedings - PDF Manual
(Collected Courses of the Academy of European Law)

71% of young adults in US support some form of limits on abortion: poll
(Ryan Foley, The Christian Post)

Nearly 3-in-10 Americans say COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened their faith: Pew
(Michael Gryboski, The Christian Post)

China: Special weekly FoRB newsletter (25-31.01.2021)
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Chinese Christian fined nearly $25K for holding Christmas celebration
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)

'Dangerous' and 'growing': Michael Brown warns about the rise of Christian anti-Semitism
(Michael Gryboski, The Christian Post)

Some pastors fear their churches won't survive the pandemic: report
(The Christian Post)

Persecuted evangelicals in Mexico help Traditionalist Catholics break free from pagan idolatry
(Jackson Elliott, The Christian Post)

Biblical 'royal' purple cloth scraps from era of Kings David, Solomon found in Israel
(Brandon Showalter, The Christian Post)

Majority of evangelicals sympathize with, back Christian nationalism: researcher
(Michael Gryboski, The Christian Post)

Betraying your church—and your party
(Emma Green, The Atlantic)

Imbolc’s celebration of hearth and home resonates with Pagans in a pandemic year
(Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service)

German bishops’ summit considers women and lay roles as answer to abuse crisis
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)

Some Southern Baptist pastors are calling Kamala Harris ‘Jezebel.’ What do they mean?
(Yonat Shimron and Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service)

Can free parking be a church ministry? Federal court in Florida says yes
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)

Florida church says offering free beach parking is a religious act. Judge agrees.
(Paul O'Donnell, Religion News Service)

Catholic World Report Twitter account locked over tweet about Biden nominee
(Catholic News Service)

Islamophobia: A fungible prop for Muslim religious soft power – Analysis
(James M. Dorsey, Eurasia Review Opinion)

Imprisoned for protesting: the missing students of Pakistan
(Kamran Chaudhry, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Pope asks world leaders to come together to tackle leprosy
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

Religious news from around the web - February 1, 2021
(World Religion News)

Christian student group may move ahead with damage claim for school's derecognition
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Another decision on California COVID limits on worship services
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Articles of interest - 1 February 2021
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

A mix of hope and dismay as religious leaders assess Biden
(David Crary and Elana Schor, Associated Press)

Lawmakers debate bill to rout out radical Islam in France
(Elaine Ganley, Associated Press)

Thousands join in Jerusalem funerals, flout pandemic rules
(Ilan Ben Zion, Associated Press)

City council meeting to start with age-old Hindu mantras
(Associated Press)

Church established by slave owners creates reparations fund
(Associated Press)

Outcry, arrests in Turkey over Mecca poster with LGBT flags
(Zeynep Bilginsoy, Associated Press)

Lots of politics, little legitimacy: The USCCB needs an ecclesial and theological vision.
(Massimo Faggioli, Commonweal)

Lat Am church weaves ‘seamless garment’ on COVID, abortion and migration
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Vatican’s chief diplomat visits capital of Cameroon’s troubled Anglophone region
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Church in Brazil wants to expand spaces for studies and debates in favor of religious freedom
(Seventh-day Adventist church)

Authorities add another region where Jehovah's Witnesses are persecuted
(OVD.Info, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Top two Orthodox bishops respond to demonstrations roiling country
(Credo.Press, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Appeals court rules against Jehovah's Witnesses
(Memorial Human Rights Center, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Putin meets with Patriarch Kirill
(Interfax-Religion)

Skeptical thinking (from left) about role of religion in President Joe Biden's big day
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)

Faith and US presidency: Nearly all were Christians, but Biden only second Catholic
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)

Wisdom Newsletter January 2021
(Elijah Interfaith Institute)

Foxhole relationships at work: How connection can arise out of conflict
(Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)

Taiwan: Education, conscience and tax justice: Reflecting on the Tai Ji Men case
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

The South Korean verdict on Chairman Lee: COVID-19 and religious liberty
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)

Coronavirus hotspots: anger in South Korea as fringe church schools drop masks, put faith in God
(Park Chan-kyong, South China Morning Post)

Russia to classify beneficiaries of religious organizations
(Religion Today, Religion Today)

Friday, 29 January 2021

Thinking the unthinkable: Is the United States of America veering closer to civil war?
(Terry Mattingly, OnReligion)

Our radicalized republic: Can President Biden, or anyone else, overcome years of rising partisan hatred?
(Maggie Koerth and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux, FiveThirtyEight)

Incitement to violence is rarely explicit – here are some techniques people use to breed hate
(H. Colleen Sinclair, The Conversation)

Majority of Americans blame Trump, white supremacy for Capitol riot: After January 6 riot, more Americans think violent language inspires violent action
(PRRI)

South Africa: Freedom of Religion group tries to overturn ban on religious gatherings in court
(Cebelihle Bhengu, Times Lives)

Indian farmers stormed the capital’s fort to fly a Sikh flag
(Zaffar Iqbal, Religion Unplugged)

UN experts urge renewed commitment to combat antisemitism, including Holocaust distortion and denial
(Ahmed Shaheed, Tendayi Achiume, Irene Khan, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, Fernand de Varennes, Karima Bennoune, Agnès Callamard, United Nations)

Pune: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind organizes interfaith dialogue
(Punkar News)

Policy draft of interfaith harmony presented (Pakistan)
(The News International)

Interfaith dialogue centerpiece of Iran, Syriac Orthodox Churches in Spain
(Islamic Republic News Agency)

The American politics of Coptic martyrdom: Coptic Christian immigrants embracing conservatism navigate the intersection between race and religion
(Candace Lukasik, Sightings: The Martin Marty Center, University of Chicago Divinity School)

Forced adoption case against Norway hits European Rights Court
(Molly Quell, Courthouse News Service)

America’s unique religious response to the COVID-19 pandemic
(Mya Jaradat, Deseret News | InDepth)

More Americans than people in other advanced economies say COVID-19 has strengthened religious faith
(Pew Research Center: Religion & Public Life)

Nearly a third of Americans say COVID-19 has strengthened their faith
(Mattie Townson, Religion Unplugged)

In win for Planned Parenthood, U.S. Supreme Court wipes case law supporting Texas pandemic abortion ban from the books
(Sami Sparber, Texas Tribune)

Measuring religion in Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel
(Pew Research Center: Religion & Public Life)

Together for Uyghurs – a Holocaust memorial event
(YouTube Video, René Cassin)

5 websites to help educate about the horrors of the Holocaust
(Jennifer Rich, The Conversation)

Think US evangelicals are dying out? Well, define evangelicalism …
(Ryan Burge, The Conversation)

Down a long and dimly-lit-path: Are we there yet with standards of review and religious freedom
(Janet Epp Buckingham, Journal of Commonwealth Law)

CDDH Report on ECHR in European and International Legal Order
(Antoine Buyse, ECHR Blog)

The place of the European Convention on Human Rights in the European and International Legal Order
(Council of Europe, Report of the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH))

France says it bombed an ‘armed terrorist group.’ Witnesses say it was a wedding.
(Danielle Paquette and Mamadou Tapily, The Washington Post)

For some Muslims, hope, uncertainty after travel ban lifted
(Mariam Fam and Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press)

American Muslims welcome the end of Trump’s travel ban
(Aysha Khan, The Washington Post)

Nigeria to be investigated by the international criminal court
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

Solving religious conflict: Beyond the moral case (Nigeria)
(Abare Kallah, Isa Buba, and Shanta Premawardhana, The Guardian)

Annual World Watch List highlights scale of global persecution of Christians
(Religious Freedom Institute, Religious Freedom Institute Blog)

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