Law and Religion Headlines

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Friday, 11 December 2020

Court refuses to decide whether LDS Church is Christian
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Court continues injunction allowing medical abortion drug to be dispensed in pharmacy or by mail
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Abortion medication restrictions remain blocked during pandemic, judge rules
(Ann E. Marimow, The Washington Post)

Michigan Court of Claims: state civil rights law bans gender identity, but not sexual orientation, discrimination
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Argentina’s lower house approves bill legalizing abortion
(Almudena Calatrava, Associated Press)

During pandemic, German expert urges ban on singing in church at Christmas
(Catholic News Service)

Congress could soon get serious about balancing religious freedom and LGBTQ rights
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)

Federal executions pit the Trump Administration against the Catholic Church
(Tom Gjelten, National Public Radio)

Religious freedom: Will U.S. emphasis continue under Biden?
(Susan Crabtree, Real Clear Politics)

Petitions of the week: Re-opening church doors and opening evidentiary doors
(Andrew Hamm, SCOTUSblog)

Putin instructs FM to initiate discussions on measures to prevent insult of religious feelings at int'l forums
(Interfax-Religion)

A fifth of hate crimes in Europe were against Jews last year, report finds
(Jewish News)

Anti-conversion laws in India: Future of religious freedom grows bleaker
(India Legal)

Saying “non” to potpourri pluralism
(Robert Joustra, Convivium)

COVID can’t kill Christmas, survey finds: Canadians retain sense of spiritual importance of Christmas amid pandemic’s soul-destroying effects
(Cardus Religious Freedom Institute)

Amid a crackdown on ‘separatism’, how do French Muslims feel?
(Peter Yeung, Al Jazeera)

“Topics that move Austria”: New video blog casts light on pressing issues
(Bahá’í World News Service)

Handing over the G20 Interfaith Forum to Italy in 2021
(Faisal bin Muaammar, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)

USCIRF releases factsheet on Brunei
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

A pastor fights to stop old men from marrying young girls in Nigeria
(Linus Unah, Religion Unplugged)

Statement from the Press Secretary (regarding the designation of Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern)
(The White House)

Federal jury convicts Illinois man for mombing the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center
(U.S. Department of Justice)

Jury convicts Illinois man in Minnesota mosque bombing
(Associated Press)

Sign ordinance invoked against abortion protesters is unconstiutional
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

9th Circuit hears oral arguments in church's challenge to Nevada COVID rules
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

As administration change nears, experts urge bipartisan approach to religious freedom
(John Lavenburg, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Thursday, 10 December 2020

CONFERENCE, 10-13 December 2020: The Person in a Post-Religious Society (Moscow, Russia)
(St. Andrew’s Biblical Theological Institute)

WEBINAR, 10 December 2020 (17:30 GMT): Rowan Williams on “Saving our Order: Thomas Becket, Henry II and the Law of Church and State”
(Ecclesiastical Law Society)

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, 16-19 May 2021: The 8th Conference on Law and Religion in Africa: Law, Religion and the Family
(Confirmation of Online Presentation DUE 10 December 2020, African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies)

WEBINAR, 10 December 2020 (1PM Brussels): Justice denied: The Case of Tai Ji Men in Taiwan
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

LIVE WEBINAR, 10 December 2020 (2:00 PM EST): First Five Now: The Role of Free Speech in Bridging the Blue and Red Divide
(Freedom Forum Institute)

WEBINAR, 10 December 2020 (12:00 PM EST): Islam and “Separatism” in Europe: Is France Going Too Far?
(Religious Freedom Institute)

Wednesday, 9 December 2020

U.S. House passes resolution calling for end to blasphemy and apostasy laws
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)

House resolution calls for international repeal of blasphemy, heresy and apostasy laws
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Human Rights Day 2020
(Achim Steiner, United Nations Development Programme)

On the occasion of UN Human Rights Day on 10 December, European Churches call for the implementation of the ‘UN Action Plan to Safeguard Religious Sites: In Unity and Solidarity for Safe and Peaceful Worship’ (PDF)
(Conference of European Churches)

ONLINE FORUM, 9-10 December 2020: 22nd EU NGO Human Rights Forum - The Impact of New Technologies on Human Rights
(EU NGO Forum)

ONLINE EVENT, 9 December 2020 (9AM MST): What Happened To The Promise? The Situations of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020
(The Coalition for Genocide Response)

Indonesian police kill 6 supporters of firebrand cleric
(Edna Tarigan, Associated Press)

Belgium seeks to ease virus rules on religious services
(Raf Casert, Associated Press)

VIRTUAL HEARING, 9 December 2020 (10:30AM ET): Blasphemy Laws and the Violation of International Religious Freedom
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

American House of Representatives condemns Russian rights violations
(Credo.Press, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Pakistan: Christian woman killed for refusing marriage proposal, conversion to Islam
(The Christian Post)

Nigerian Christians ‘left to their fate’ with no defense from Fulani attacks, victims' advocate says
(Jackson Elliott, The Christian Post)

Calif. officials demand changes to sanctuary city policy after repeat felon kills 2 people at church
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)

Massive fire destroys historic church that houses New York Liberty Bell
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)

The heavy price paid by Christians who stand up to Colombia's powerful drug cartels
(Christian Today)

When will Laotians celebrate Christmas with cheer?
(James Lovelock, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Turkey: Challenges facing Christians 2016-2020
(Middle East Concern)

Most religious freedom violations in North Korea are against Christians
(Evangelical Focus)

China: Special weekly FoRB newsletter (01-07.12.2020)
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

How Americans view religious freedom at the end of a trying 2020
(Virginia Allen, The Daily Signal)

The German "sect filters": A gross violation of religion liberty. In parts of Germany, to work for the government and for several private companies, you should declare you are not associated with a certain religion
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

VIRTUAL EVENT, 9 December 2020 (2:00 PM EST): Advancing Religious Freedom in U.S. Foreign Policy and Foreign Assistance: Policy and Practice
(Religious Freedom Institute)

Love and the law: Hindu-Muslim couple challenges India’s marriage rule
(Sarita Santoshini, The Christian Science Monitor)

Analysis: The illegality of Uttar Pradesh’s crackdown on interfaith marriages
(KTS Tulsi and Tanessa Puri, Hindustan Times)

Department of Labor broadly defines religious exemption from anti-discrimination rules for federal contractors
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Labor Department strengthens religious freedom rule
(Catholic News Agency)

Americans United denounces Trump Administration rule that allows federal contractors to use religion to discriminate against workers
(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)

Coronavirus and religiosity theme of 3rd Iran, Ethiopia interfaith dialogue
(International Quran News Agency)

Suit challenges Ohio County's COVID-19 school closure order
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Bavaria to leave medieval anti-Jewish sculptures on churches
(Associated Press)

Religious high schools sue to reopen for in-person classes
(David Eggert, Associated Press)

New York Jews were ready to unite against anti-Semitism after 2 deadly attacks. Then COVID happened.
(Ben Sales, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Dutch government criticizes country’s own Holocaust restitution policy that has blocked families from return of stolen art
(Cnaan Liphshiz, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Quebec court rejects ex-Hasidic couple’s suit over lack of secular education in yeshivas
(Jordan Kutzik, Forward)

Why universities — and the rest of us — need religion studies
(Simran Jeet Singh, RNS Column: Articles of Faith)

Support for Jehovah's Witnesses prisoners needed
(Kavkazskii Uzel, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians urges PM Pashinyan to resign
(Interfax-Religion)

Churches as vaccination centres
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

New COVID-19 legislation and guidance to 12 December
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Trump's new religious exemptions for employers an invitation to discriminate, critics say
(Dan Avery, NBC News)

Podcast Episode 3: Protecting freedom of religion or belief
(Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Contemporary homeschooling: Black children’s best interests, freedom from religion, and anti-racism
(Cheryl Fields-Smith and Andrea L. Dennis, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

Recalling the meaning of Advent, US Bishop Chairmen call for end to executions
(Zenit: The World Seen from Rome)

Tribals in India seek census recognition of faith after resolution passes in Jharkhand
(Shuriah Niazi, Religion Unplugged)

Outcry over Jesuit priest Stan Swamy’s arrest tests Indian authorities’ anti-terror sweep
(Priyadarshini Sen, Religion News Service)

Houston police rescue 30 illegal immigrants kidnapped by cartels
(Jackson Elliott, The Christian Post)

US Supreme Court urged to protect KY religious schools from shutdown
(Catholic News Agency)

Pope Francis proclaims Year of St. Joseph
(Catholic News Agency)

4th Circuit remands Muslim inmate's RLUIPA and Equal Protection claims
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Michigan Catholic schools sue over COVID order
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Michigan Catholic schools say forced closure is unconstitutional, file lawsuit
(Gus Burns, M Live)

Faith leaders counter rise of gender-based violence
(Religions for Peace)

Building interfaith peace virtually: A lesson from youth
(Merylene Chitharai, Religions for Peace)

5 interfaith leaders answer: Does faith conflict with science during COVID-19?
(Jillian Cheney, Religion Unplugged)

Legal reform in Uzbekistan: Prospects for freedom of religion or belief and covenantal pluralism
(Elizabeth A. Clark and Dmytro Vovk, The Review of Faith & International Affiars, Volume 18)

The Christchurch commission’s call to improve social cohesion is its hardest — and most important — recommendation
(Alexander Gillespie, The Conversation)

COVID-19: 14 NGOs urge China, Iran and Russia to release all religious prisoners
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Weekly Highlight #135: Fierce and Important Debates about Ethics of Vaccines; Working to Organize Religious Actors
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)

Anger after Jewish man torches historic Jerusalem church
(Jewish News)

USCIRF releases groundbreaking report on the enforcement of blasphemy laws globally
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Swiss bishops say ‘marriage equality’ proposal ignores rights of children
(Catholic News Service)

How Hanukkah came to be an annual White House celebration
(Jonathan D. Sarna, The Conversation)

Churches step in where politicians will not
(Elizabeth Bruenig, The New York Times Opinion)

Apparent fallout from Moscow case of Jehovah's Witnesses
(Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Anti-Semitism at its lowest point in history in Russia, FJCR president says
(Interfax-Religion)

Two Catholic priests to face trial in Vitebsk for administrative violation
(Interfax-Religion)

Same-sex blessings: Church in Wales
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel D. Brownback briefing on rollout of U.S. actions against religious freedom violators
(U.S. Embassy in Georgia)

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