Law and Religion Headlines

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Friday, 18 December 2020

US Bishop Chairmen commend Trump Administration for enforcing conscience laws on abortion
(Zenit: The World Seen from Rome)

Supporters of hardliner Rizieq Shihab clash with Indonesia police
(Al Jazeera)

Gender equality: Families as basis for change (New Delhi)
(Bahá’í World News Service)

European government ministers and parliamentarians condemn denial of higher education to Baha’is in Iran
(Bahá’í International Community)

International support for Iran’s Baha’is highlights growing rights violations
(Bahá’í International Community)

Reflections on the 2020 G20 Interfaith Forum in Saudi Arabia at the Time of Handover
(W. Cole Durham, Jr., G20 Interfaith Forum)

Elevating Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism to Ambassador-at-large demonstrates America’s commitment to fighting this enduring evil
(Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice)

Ontario abandons changes to the Marriage Act
(Deina Warren, Canadian Centre for Christian Charities)

'Love jihad': What a reported miscarriage says about India's anti-conversion law
(Geeta Pandey, BBC News)

Why India is evicting Muslims from forests in Kashmir and axing thousands of trees
(Zaffar Iqbal, Religion Unplugged)

India-Muslims marrying Hindu girls: Beaten by their own lawyers
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

India's minorities 'face increasing intolerance'
(Bijay Kumar Minj, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Would the Prophet Muhammad convert Hagia Sophia?
(The New York Times Opinion)

Boise State president pays pastor’s way to MWC title game, launches fund to support him
(Tad Walch, Deseret News)

Wednesday, 16 December 2020

WEBINAR, 16 December 2020 (10AM EST): Book Event: A World Free from Nuclear Weapons
(The Vatican Conference on Disarmament, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Jehovah's Witnesses: The world's most persecuted religion
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

France’s war on terror: Macron’s response has dangerous implications.
(Cole Stangler, Commonweal)

As protests roil France, Macron faces a wicked problem — and it could lead to his downfall
(Peter McPhee, The Conversation)

USCIRF: The global persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
(United States Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Boko Haram claims kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian students
(Al Jazeera)

Boko Haram claims responsibility for kidnapping hundreds of boys in Nigeria
(Jason Burke and Isaac Abrak, The Guardian)

Boko Haram claims kidnapping of over 300 boys in Nigeria, marking an alarming move west
(Danielle Paquette, The Washington Post)

Catholic Archdiocese of Washington seeks restraining order against D.C. so churches can prepare for Christmas
(Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post)

Catholic Church sues DC mayor over 'illegal' coronavirus restrictions as Christmas approaches
(Jerry Dunleavy, Washington Examiner)

Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh fear their medieval churches will be destroyed
(Christina Maranci, The Conversation)

Justices revive religious groups’ attempts to block COVID-related restrictions in Colorado, New Jersey
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)

Supreme Court rules in favor of Colorado church, bars state from restricting worship
(Mary Margaret Olohan, The Daily Signal)

Supreme Court rules against Colorado’s church gathering restrictions
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News Faith)

Statement from Assistant Attorney General Eric S. Dreiband on Supreme Court's order in favor of Colorado church that challenged COVID restrictions
(U.S. Department of Justice)

Minnesota town approves Asatru zoning request
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Supreme Court sends two cases on COVID limits back for reconsideration
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

The ICC concludes its preliminary examination in Crimea and Donbas: What’s next for the situation in Ukraine?
(Iryna Marchuk, Aloka Wanigasuriya, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

Groundhog Day for Episcopalians: Brutal report says pews may be empty by 2050
(Terry Mattingly, OnReligion)

Legal sex/gender recognition beyond the binary: Human Rights Centre submits Third Party Intervention
(Mattias Decoster, Sarah Schoentjes, Strasbourg Observers)

Interfaith declaration seeks forgiveness for harm caused to LGBT people
(Ed Thornton, Church Times)

Declaring the sanctity of life and the dignity of all: Join us in calling for an end to violence and criminalisation against LGBT+ people and for a global ban on conversion therapy.
(Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives)

Gujarat: MP wants law against interfaith marriages
(The Times of India)

Role of theology in the Global Development Agenda (SDGs) and human rights
(Rev. Dr. Lydia Mwaniki, Religions for Peace)

Prof. Azza Karam congratulates newly elected officials of the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone (IRCSL)
(Religions for Peace)

The growing divide within American evangelicalism
(Ryan Burge, Religion Unplugged)

Women in many countries face harassment for clothing deemed too religious – or too secular
(Virginia Villa, Pew Research Center Fact Tank)

Biotechnology research viewed with caution globally, but most support gene editing for babies to treat disease
(Cary Funk, Alec Tyson, Brian Kennedy, and Courtney Johnson, Pew Research Center)

Supreme Court continues to block state COVID-19 restrictions on religious gatherings
(Richard Wolf, USA Today)

Trump eases rules for religious social service providers
(Collin Binkley, Associated Press)

9th Circuit orders injunction against Nevada's COVID limits on churches
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Court rules in favor of Lyon County church, stops state from imposing further capacity limits on churches
(Savanna Strott, Nevada Independent)

Religious Freedom in the Anglosphere: The History of a Foundational Liberty in the UK, the US, and Canada
(Cardus & RFI)

Bullying in churches- legal implications
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)

USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore adopts Jimmy Lai through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Nigeria country update
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Weekly Highlight #136: Vaccination hopes and worries, marking Human Rights Day
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)

Uzbek authorities close 3 illegal Islamic schools in Tashkent
(Interfax-Religion)

Uzbekistan: Registration applications denied, officials refuse to explain why
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)

Russia: "A fresh bloody wound on his forehead"
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)

Teenagers win legal struggle to attend school in Vietnam
(ADF International)

Justice Department sues Vermont medical center over abortion
(Wilson Ring, Associated Press)

Rights groups condemn Hungarian ban on same-sex adoptions
(Associated Press)

IS widow convicted in Charlie Hebdo, kosher market attacks
(Lori Hinnant, Associated Press)

Church urges Scotland to not continue ‘home abortions’ after pandemic
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Christmas message from Cuba’s Bishops (‘Cubans want a better and more peaceful future’)
(Zenit: The World Seen from Rome)

Cuba’s bishops want ‘plurality and dialogue’ for Christmas
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Disputed Kandinsky won't be returned to Jewish heirs
(Sarah Hucal, Deutsche Welle)

As chief rabbi, I can no longer remain silent about the plight of the Uighurs
(Ephraim Mirvis, The Guardian)

Substantial prison term imposed on Jehovah's Witness
(Olga Tarabanova, Nash Dom Novosibirsk, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Two young women suspected of offending religious sentiments in Russia's Murmansk Region
(Interfax-Religion)

Thinking with Ryan Burge: Like it or not, 'evangelicals' are not fading away in American life
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)

Fights over First Amendment rights will likely top religion-beat agenda in 2021 and beyond
(Richard Ostling, GetReligion)

Vaccines and religion
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Independent oversight of safeguarding: Church of England
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Welsh Government Coronavirus Control Plan – and stop press on UK rules for Christmas
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

Biblical illiteracy is 'biggest problem' facing global evangelicalism
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)

Row erupts in Israel over missionaries allegedly using Jewish Agency facilities
(Jenni Frazer, Jewish News)

Israel’s perspective on Key legal and practical issues concerning the application of International Law to cyber operations
(Roy Schondorf, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

Tzipi Hotovely: ‘I’ll be an ambassador for all Jews’
(Justin Cohen, Jewish News)

Hundreds of religious leaders call for end to L.G.B.T.Q. conversion therapy
(Christina Morales, The New York Times)

Lessons from 2020: Republicans should build a multi-ethnic and religious party of the working class
(Charles C. Camosy, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)

Church of Almighty God refugees struggle for asylum status in democratic countries
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)

KAICIID launches COVID-19 guide at virtual event featuring interfaith and public health experts
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)

Tuesday, 15 December 2020

ONLINE EVENT, 15-17 December 2020: Ritual Reconstructed Revisited: continuity and signalling the future
(Bucks New University)

China: Special weekly FoRB newsletter (07-14.12.2020) from Bitter Winter
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Switzerland-China secret deal: Did it affect religion-based refugees?
(Rosita Šorytė, Bitter Winter)

Department of Justice announces joint final rule regarding equal treatment of faith-based organizations in Department-supported social service programs
(U.S. Department of Justice)

Ohio county's school closure order upheld
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Michigan Catholic school challenges COVID closure order
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Renowned epidemiologist aids St. Michael Academy’s challenge of Michigan’s lockdown as Thomas More Law Center files suit
(Thomas More Law Center)

Monday, 14 December 2020

Banning religious gatherings defies common sense, and perhaps the Constitution
(Brian Bird, Vancouver Sun)

Gunman shot by police at NYC cathedral Christmas concert
(Ted Shaffrey and Mary Esch, Associated Press)

CCCC attended Supreme Court of Canada hearing on the Aga Case
(Barry W. Bussey, Canadian Centre for Christian Charities)

The hidden economy: How faith helps fuel Canada’s GDP
(YouTube Video, Cardus Religious Freedom Institute)

The problem with France's recently announce anti-separatism bill
(Kareem P.A. McDonald, Religious Freedom Institute)

'Love jihad' and the 'social network' -- how interfaith couples are tracked
(Sandeep Rai and Anuja Jaiswal, The Times of India)

UN rights experts send 2nd letter to India voicing concern over persecution of Muslims
(UrduPoint)

Anti-Christian violence in India
(Chad M. Bauman, Cornell University Press)

Muslims targeted under Indian state's 'love jihad' law
(Hannah Ellis-Petersen, The Guardian)

Sri Lanka's anti-cattle slaughter law: Lessons from India
(CSWPress, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)

Sabuncu and Others v. Turkey: the final chapter of the Cumhuriyet Trial?
(Matteo Mastracci, Strasbourg Observers)

New law in India targets interfaith couples
(Shuriah Niazi, Anadolu Agency)

How religious freedom contributes to positive criminology and justice reform
(Byron R. Johnson, Religious Freedom Institute)

COVID-19 surge forces new suspensions of in-person worship as Episcopalians look to Christmas
(David Paulsen, Episcopal News Service)

On the first day of Christmas…teachers got a legal headache over blurring the line between church and state
(Charles J. Russo, The Conversation)

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