Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 10 January 2024
EU 'Migration Pact' alarms Church and human rights groups
(Alexander Faludy, La Croix International)
Uganda’s High Court deepens divisions among Muslims following property dispute
(John Semakula, Religion Unplugged)
Morocco to lead UN Human Rights Council despite South Africa’s disapproval
(Al Jazeera)
U.S. antisemitic incidents skyrocketed 360% in aftermath of attack in Israel, according to latest ADL data
(Anti-Defamation League)
Hong Kong approves first Catholic university
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Sri Lanka promises to check distortion of religious teachings
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Poland's bishops pledge dialogue with new government
(Jonathan Luxmoore, Union of Catholic Asian News)
CAIR announces settlement with Mesa Airlines over Texas Arab, Muslim passengers booted from flight
(Ismail Allison, Council on American-Islamic Relations)
Norway: A trial about the State’s intrusion into religious beliefs
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Iranian Christian refugees in Turkey no longer eligible for US resettlement scheme
(Article 18)
Glukhin v. Russia: facial recognition considered highly intrusive but not inconsistent with fundamental rights
(Cristina Cocito, Strasbourg Observers)
'Faith and State' Capitol event in Tennessee defends faith in politics
(Liam Adams, Tennessean)
Nigeria: Religious rumblings
(Ebenezer Obadare, Council on Foreign Relations)
Religious institutions update: January 2024
(Nathan Adams IV, Holland & Knight LLP, JD Supra)
Americans embrace religion, reject religious bigotry
(Susan Crabtree, Real Clear Politics)
Philippines: The cascading risks of a resurgent Islamic State in the Philippines
(Haroro J. Ingram, The United States Institute of Peace)
Monday, 8 January 2024
First look at the 2024 Brazil G20 Interfaith Forum
(G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Activists seeking refuge in Turkey face deportation, severe persecution in Iran
(Center for Human Rights in Iran)
Canada: Beyond “Happy Holidays!”: it’s time to support Canada’s increasing religious diversity
(Veronique Sioufi, Policy Note)
Canada: A map of the 96 churches that have been vandalized or burned since the residential schools announcement
(Cosmin Dzsurdzsa, True North)
Türkiye nabs 304 suspects linked to Daesh in nationwide ops
(Daily Sabah)
Mainline Protestant clergy’s support for LGBTQ+ rights has grown
(Suzanna Krivulskaya, PRRI)
Lafarge facing lawsuit for their dealings with terrorist organization
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Around the web - 8 January 2024
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Nicaraguan government expels arbitrarily detained priests
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Nigeria and India do not make it as Countries of Particular Concern
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders has withdrawn a 2018 proposal to ban mosques and the Quran
(Mike Corder, Associated Press)
Brazilian politician’s move to investigate a priest sparks outpouring of support for the clergyman
(Mauricio Savarese, Associated Press)
India court restores life prison sentences for 11 Hindu men who raped a Muslim woman in 2002 riots
(Associated Press)
Belarus’ authoritarian leader tightens control over the country’s religious groups
(Yuras Karmanau, Associated Press)
Court limits discussion of religion in trial for blocking abortion clinic entrance
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Articles and books of interest - 8 January 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Jews and other people of faith can neither hide nor despair
(Shmuley Boteach, Deseret News)
‘Soldiers of Christ’ killing unsettles Korean Americans in Georgia and stokes fear of cults
(Sudhin Thanawala, Religion News Service)
A small Spanish city’s bid to build Europe’s biggest Buddha
(Hanna Vioque, Religion News Service)
Christians Against Christian Nationalism translates TikTok activism to local politics
(Kathryn Post, Religion News Service)
Bishops urged to join campaign to redirect defense spending into social programs
(John Lavenburg, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Chilean mayor under fire for saying being Jewish is a ‘supremacist conception’
(Jackie Hajdenberg, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
How Trump captured Iowa’s religious right
(Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker)
Christian group launches first-ever religious violence database tracking global persecution
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)
Supreme Court to consider whether Oregon man can sue FBI over No Fly List
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)
Tracking religious liberty in the states over time
(Jordan J. Ballor, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Russian guard raids on Muslim facilities undermining patriotism of believers – OpEd
(Paul Goble, Eurasia Review)
Uganda/Tanzania: Grave error: Construction of oil pipeline threatens burial sites
(Deborah Laker, Religion Unplugged)
Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound amid tensions
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))
World Vision and sexual criteria in religious employment
(Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
San Diego's first affordable housing project on church land under construction
(Andrew Bowen, KPBS)
Australia bans Nazi salute and public display of terror group symbols
(Reuters)
Australia: Jewish leaders take on Sydney hate clerics amid government, law enforcement inaction
(The Australian)
Young pacifist Baptists in Russia seek alternatives to the war
(Evangelical Focus)
Public urged to report online extremist content following terrorism conviction
(Metropolitan Police)
Non-religious veterans are underserved and overlooked, Humanists UK tells Government
(Humanists UK)
Civil servant given warning after ‘inappropriately’ saying there are two sides to the trans debate
(Steven Edginton, The Telegraph)
The Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power: How States Use Religion in Foreign Policy
(Edited by Peter Mandaville, Oxford University Press)
China: Coming in February: Harsher religious regulations just for Xinjiang
(Ma Wenyan, Bitter Winter)
Biden condemns white supremacy in a campaign speech at a church where Black people were killed
(Colleen Long, Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville, Associated Press)
Azerbaijan’s response to U.S. State Department’s Religious Freedom Report
(Aze.media)
Algeria: Arab Parliament backs Algeria in religious freedom row
(Gobran Mohamed, Arab News)
Navajo Nation calls for delay of mission to send human remains to the moon, citing religious concerns
(Russell Payne, The New York Sun)
Brazil: Freedom of Worship Day January 7, 2024 (Portuguese)
(Radio Jota)
Friday, 5 January 2024
Afghanistan: Taliban arrest women for ‘bad hijab’ in the first dress code crackdown since their return to power
(Associated Press)
Iran: Farmers displaced and farmlands seized as Iran’s government intensifies Baha’i religious persecution
(Bahá’í International Community)
Iran: Islamic State takes responsibility for deadly bombings in Iran
(Vivian Yee, Hwaida Saad and Eric Schmitt, The New York Times)
Religious freedom designations
(Antony J. Blinken, U.S. Department of State)
USCIRF calls for Congressional hearing after State Department fails to designate Nigeria and India as Countries of Particular Concern
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Biden Administration turns blind eye to religious freedom violations in Nigeria
(ADF International)
New York: Federal judge dismisses legal challenge to Haverstraw residential synagogue, federal law
(Steve Lieberman, lohud)
Shriners Hopsital beats worker Covid vaccine religious bias case
(Jennifer Bennett, Bloomberg Law)
In the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, churches can celebrate on Russians' approval - National Resistance Center
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
In Russia, Jehovah’s Witnesses are the most persecuted religion, 127 prisoners as of 1 January 2024
(Willy Fautré, The European Times)
Dominican Republic: How Dominican women fight child marriage and teen pregnancy while facing total abortion bans
(María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press)
In a secular age, some young Americans still choose religious life
(Elizabeth E. Evans, Religion News Service)
Proposed Irish hate speech regulations could have a chilling effect on freedom
(Theo McDonald, The Hill)
Nicaragua: USCIRF condemns Nicaragua’s arbitrary detention of priests
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
City could not require pastor's certificate as condition of vaccine exemption
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
USCIRF troubled by new religion law in Belarus
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Belarus: Officials warn clergy not to violate strict state restrictions
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Unrest at Polish reforms prompts archbishop to appeal for peace
(Jonathan Luxmoore, Church Times)
U.S. puts Baku on Religious Freedom Watch List as Commission takes dim view of Belarus law
(Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty)
US puts Azerbaijan on religious freedom watchlist
(France 24)
Youcef Atal: Algerian soccer star given suspended sentence by French court, fined $49,000 for Israel-Gaza post
(Amy Woodyatt, Maya Szaniecki and Thomas Schlachter, CNN)
Walkout over weapons: British school students battle Gaza protest curbs
(Aina Khan, Al Jazeera)
The abolition of liberty? Religious freedom and education amid today’s intellectual confusion
(Todd Huizinga, The European Conservative)
China: Xinjiang issues revised regulations on religious affairs
(ECNS)
China bans new monks in Tibetan monastery
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
China's Patriotic Education Law further cracks down on religious freedom
(Lin Ganfeng, Voice of America)
China: Countering China’s techno-authoritarianism, transnational repression, and malign political influence
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Legal amendment allowing for stronger support for persecuted Christians
(Hungary Today)
Ministerial exception does not bar whistleblower suit by Liberty University dean
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Top religious liberty stories of 2023 and issues to watch in 2024
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Judge dismisses Muslim couple’s lawsuit against school where daughter converted to Christianity
(Bob Smietana, Religion News Service)
Fed Soc Panel on 303 Creative
(Mark Movsesian, Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Blessing same-sex couples: Vatican clarification
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
“Churches can, mosques can’t”: Race, immigration, and Islam in Belgium
(Hafsa Oubou, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
India: Modi critics raise alarms regarding India’s persecution of religious minorities
(Manmeet Sahni, Religion Unplugged)
Vietnam monk punished for exhibiting unverified Buddha hair
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says Muslim tech colleagues ‘feel uncomfortable’ speaking up over fear of retaliation
(Siladitya Ray, Forbes)
First Liberty’s D.C. Fellowship trains future leaders
(Jorge Gomez, First Liberty)
Celebration for gay community if Estonia brings same-sex marriage to Eastern Europe
(Christian Network Europe)
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