Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 23 December 2020
The Trump administration's final push to make it easier for religious employers to discriminate
(Lydia DePillis, ProPublica)
Laicite and the Indian way
(Sunil Sharan, The Statesman)
The Hindu nationalist myth of love jihad: A new law makes it harder for Indians to marry whom they choose
(Arundhati Katju, Foreign Affairs)
Interfaith Council bans vigils, long services as Christmas beckons
(Gloria Aradi, The Standard)
Fiona Bruce appointed new FoRB envoy
(Abigail Frymann Rouch, The Tablet UK)
Here we go again: Believers facing complicated #2020 choices during COVID-tide
(Terry Mattingly, OnReligion)
Praying apart isn’t the same as praying together. That’s why we sued D.C.
(Cardinal Wilton Gregory, The Washington Post)
Catholic Relief Services looks to expand its base
(Bob Smietana, The Washington Post)
Several Black pastors break with the Southern Baptist Convention over a statement on race
(Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post)
Museum of the Bible considers suing D.C. mayor over virus shutdown, citing religious freedom claims
(Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Peggy McGlone, The Washington Post)
How high school sports became the latest battleground over transgender rights
(Elizabeth A. Sharrow, The Conversation)
Massive tax and spending bill passed by Congress includes issues of interest on religion
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Catholic schools' suit against COVID closings is moot
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Lawsuit by private schools in Michigan dismissed as moot
(John Wisely, Detroit Free Press)
New Hampshire Supreme Court says state constitution requires strict scrutiny of Free Exercise infringements
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
NH Supreme Court rules in favor of religious freedom to use psychedelic mushrooms
(Mark Hayward, New Hampshire Union Leader)
On remand from SCOTUS, California COVID limits on worship services again upheld
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Judge denies LA County church’s request to can indoor worship ban
(Martin Macias Jr., Courthouse News Service)
USCIRF condemns harsh sentence for Christian bookseller Chen Yu
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
S. Korea: In a psychiatric hospital for her faith
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
South Korea bans balloons carrying leaflets to the North. Foreign policy problems will follow
(Robert R. King, Center for Strategic and International Studies)
Sydney Northern Beaches- churches closed Sunday 20 Dec
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)
Argentina: 1994 AMIA Jewish center bombing still shrouded in mystery
(Andreas Kobloch, Deutsche Welle)
Argentina heads for close Senate vote on expanding right to abortion
(Reuters)
Fiona Bruce appointed as UK's new Freedom of Religion or Belief Envoy
(Christian Today)
PM's new Special Envoy for Religious Freedom says she's ready to challenge governments who persecute Christians
(Will Maule, Premier Christian News)
Canadian bishops seek to stop expansion of legally assisted suicide
(Brian Dryden, Catholic News Service)
Mexico alleges Luz del Mundo, 4 other groups laundered money
(Maria Verza, Associated Press)
Louis Vuitton yoga mat made of leather draws Hindu complaint
(Associated Press)
Bosnian Serbs say icon given to Russian minister not stolen
(Associated Press)
Israeli High Court hears challenge to Jewish nation law
(Associated Press)
Top 10 religious liberty stories of 2020
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Exiled Belarus archbishop allowed to return for Christmas
(Elise Ann Allen, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Italian judge latest example of Church’s new test for ‘martyrdom’
(John L. Allen Jr., Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
New York issues citation to commemorate bicentennial of Joseph Smith’s First Vision
(Tad Walch, Deseret News)
The turn against religious liberty
(Adam J. White, Commentary Magazine)
5,000-page funding bill including covid relief also has section detailing reincarnation of Dalai Lama
(Jason Lemon, Newsweek)
On the Supreme Court’s shadow docket, the steady volume of pandemic cases continues
(Stephen Wermiel, SCOTUSblog)
Biden's idea of allowing gender transitioning from age 8 'unacceptable' - Russian Orthodox Church
(Interfax-Religion)
Uzbekistan: Extremism charges against Samarkand Shia Muslim?
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Tajikistan: Religious freedom survey, December 2020
(Felix Corley and John Kinahan, Forum 18 News Service)
Federal Appeals Court: Nevada’s Covid restrictions violate the First Amendment
(Ismail Royer, Religious Freedom Institute)
At Ministerial side event RFI focuses on “vulnerabilities in the blindspot”: religious freedom and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals
(Religious Freedom Institute)
Scotland: Christmas guidance on COVID-19 precautions
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Oxford University adopts international definition of antisemitism
(Tali Fraser, Jewish News)
The Black church is again at the center of American politics — and its leaders feel like a target
(Eugene Scott, The Washington Post)
When worship becomes entertainment is it really essential?
(Kenneth L. Woodward, Religion News Service)
Religious tests, religious freedom, and “animus” and “bigotry” at the Supreme Court
(Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Legal Journal Number 3 (16): December 2020 (Spanish)
(y, Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
The Brazilian Federal Supreme Court comes to the protection of indigenous people’s right to health in the face of Covid-19
(Sufyan Droubi, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
On being of like mind with a common purpose
(Barry W. Bussey, Canadian Centre for Christian Charities)
Belgium court limits public Masses at Christmas
(Devin Watkins, Herald Malaysia)
Generous Sikhs feed hundreds of starving truck drivers stuck at the French border
(Tod Perry, Upworthy)
Monday, 21 December 2020
Christians in Israel face bleak Christmas season due to COVID-19
(Michele Chabin, Religion News Service)
Jews, Muslims decry court decision backing Belgian ban on kosher, halal slaughter
(Catholic News Agency)
Secular ideals vs. religious freedom: non-medical child circumcision and ritual slaughter of animals
(Jonathan Fox, Religious Freedom Institute)
Religious slaughter, pre-stunning and the CJEU: Centraal Israëlitisch Consistorie van België
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Court dismisses legal challenge against Norway's removal of children from Christian parents Court dismisses legal challenge against Norway's removal of children from Christian parents
(The Christian Post)
Iran's Christians face renewed fears ahead of Christmas
(Joe Snell, Al-Monitor: Iran Pulse)
Nine in 10 Syrian refugee families in Lebanon in extreme poverty: UN
(Al-Monitor: Syria Pulse)
Vatican’s liturgy congregation stresses importance of Sunday of the Word of God
(Catholic News Agency)
Citing timing, SCOTUS declines to allow in-person learning to resume in Kentucky
(Catholic News Agency)
Spanish parliament advances legal euthanasia, despite Catholic opposition
(Catholic News Agency)
Ghana’s bishops appeal for peace after contentious election
(Catholic News Agency)
DC backs down over Mass limits after archdiocese sues
(Catholic News Agency)
Catholic archbishop: ‘The Church in France is jostled from many sides’
(Catholic News Agency)
Virus brings job drought to Holy Land
(Gerald Butt, Chruch Times)
Holy Communion by mail ‘not canonical’
(Hattie Williams, Church Times)
Church in Wales issues draft Bill on same-sex blessings
(Tim Wyatt, Church Times)
Iraq declares Christmas an official holiday
(John Burger, Aleteia)
Trump Administration issues rule protecting religious organizations
(John Burger, Aleteia)
The right to establish identity: donor offspring
(David Gollancz, UK Human Rights Blog)
The right to respect for identity: transgender parents
(David Gollancz, UK Human Rights Blog)
Argument: One year after mass protests, India's Muslims still live in fear
(Betwa Sharma, Foreign Policy)
India's Supreme Court to hear complaint over mandatory confession in Oriental Orthodoxy
(Catholic News Agency)
The increased silencing of free exercise of religion
(Keely Daniels, Religious Freedom Institute)
2,200 Nigerian Christians hacked to death in 2020; 34,400 since 2009: Intersociety report
(Jackson Elliott, The Christian Post)
The 40 weirdest (and best) charts we made in this long, strange year
(Ryan Best, Elena Mejia, Jasmine Mithani, Anna Wiederkehr, Julia Wolfe, and Yutong Yuan, FiveThirtyEight)
Supreme Court sides with churches challenging COVID-19 worship restrictions in Colorado, New Jersey
(Michael Gryboski, The Christian Post)
How religion and LGBTQ rights intersect in media coverage
(Rucha Modi, Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, Maggie Siddiqi, and Rasheed Malik, Center for American Progress)
Secular ‘values voters’ are becoming an electoral force in the US – just look closely at 2020’s results
(Phil Zuckerman, The Conversation)
Islamic militias are protecting churches in Indonesia
(Paul Marshall, Religion Unpugged)
What happened to the promise of never again?
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Abortion and infanticide: The ECLJ before the Inter-American Court
(Nicolas Bauer, European Centre for Law & Justice)
Addressing gender discrimination at work, still an important challenge for the ECtHR in Napotnik v. Romania
(Beril Önder, Strasbourg Observers)
Iraq, KRG, Turkey find common ground in response to PKK
(Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)
How realistic are Turkey’s ambitions over strategic corridor with Azerbaijan
(Fehim Tastekin, Al-Monitor: Turkey Pulse)
Child recruitment casts shadow over Syrian Kurds' push for global legitimacy
(Amberin Zaman, Dan Wilkofsky, Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)
NYT retracts main story in hit 'Caliphate' podcast, citing failures
(Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)
Germany and Finland repatriate children from Syria's al-Hol camp
(Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)
German extremist convicted of murder after synagogue attack
(Geir Moulson, Associated Press)
In Georgia, Warnock brings faith and activism to the arena
(Sudhin Thanawala, Associated Press)
President in the pews: DC churches offer Biden options
(Will Weissert and Elana Schor, Associated Press)
Federal Court refuses to enjoin state COVID enforcement proceedings against church
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Federal judge declines to overturn contempt of court charge for California church
(Matthew Renda, Courthouse News Service)
Articles and books of interest - 21 December 2020
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
International Criminal Court says it cannot investigate crimes against Uyghurs in China
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Religion Unplugged)
International Criminal Court will not take further the case of the Uyghurs
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
International court declines to investigate China for Uyghur persecution
(Catholic News Agency)
US Muslims press Organization of Islamic Cooperation on China
(Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)
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