Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 5 January 2024
Colorado put on trial for excluding Catholic preschools from universal preschool funding program
(Becket)
North Korea: US designates NK for religious freedom violation for 22nd straight year
(Korea Times)
Mexico: Thousands of young people will march at the feet of Cristo Rey to demand religious freedom in Mexico
(Diego López Colín, ACI Prensa)
Cuba included in US religious freedom designations
(Caribbean News Global)
Cuba and Nicaragua still on religious freedom blacklist (Spanish)
(Deutsche Welle)
Argentine bishops end state funding, marking a historic departure
(María Alejandra Trujillo, BNN)
Argentina completes the separation of Church and State and stops paying the monthly allowance to bishops (Spanish)
(Constanza Lambertucci, El País)
Seeing the human in every patient − from biblical texts to 21st century relational medicine
(Jonathan Weinkle, The Conversation)
Thursday, 4 January 2024
HYBRID EVENT, 4 January 2024 (10AM ET): Upholding the Dignity of the Human Person
(with Nechama Goldman Barash, Rita Kammermayer, and Jamil Jaber, Praying Together in Jerusalem)
Wednesday, 3 January 2024
New California legislation allows religious and educational institutions to bypass zoning rules
(Ted Chen, NBC Los Angeles)
A ruling against Masterpiece Cakeshop would threaten the rights of religious minorities
(Mosaic Magazine)
How religion and politics will mix in 2024 – three trends to track
(Tobin Miller Shearer, The Conversation)
How Indigenous spirituality should inform our view of culture, religion and the environment
(Hayley Sanchez, Colorado Public Radio)
New religion at work research shows discrimination is still commonplace
(Dentons, Lexology)
US religious liberty index ranks all states; data surprises
(JP Mauro, Aleteia)
2024 Presidential Election: Everything you need to know about the candidates
(Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged)
How Philadelphia’s faith communities held together as Oct. 7 attack tested ties
(Tori Luecking, Religion News Service)
India: Religion cannot be basis of citizenship: Cong MP Manish Tewari on ‘CAA rules before LS polls’
(The Indian Express)
Indian pol retracts snark, not substance, of jibe at bishops over coziness with Modi
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Vatican - Missionaries and pastoral care workers killed in 2023
(Agenzia Fides)
Australian law forbids prayers, revealing the religious freedom threat of bans on ‘conversion therapy’
(Tyler O'Neil, The Daily Signal)
Australia: Anti-Semitism ‘unchecked’ amid radical sermons
(Alexi Demetriadi, The Australian)
Paraguay/Bolivia: How Mennonites learned to thrive in Latin America
(Christianity Today)
Vicarious liability for sexual assault yet again: JXH
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
South Africa: Despite gang killings of church members, South African pastors continue to preach
(Vicky Abraham, Religion Unplugged)
China: Imprisoned Chinese church leader refuses to confess to 'fraud' over tithing for release
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)
China targets friendly media, diplomats to ‘tell story of Xinjiang’
(Frederik Kelter, Al Jazeera)
Vietnam/Vatican: New year offers ‘comprehensive’ Vietnam-Vatican ties
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Canada: Muslim group calls on Ottawa to lift cap on program allowing Palestinians to flee to Canada
(Laura Osman, CBC News)
Church of England welcomes Listed Places of Worship funding
(The Church of England)
Armenian Public TV snubs Church leader's New Year address amid political rift
(Lilit Shahverdyan, Eurasianet)
Nigeria: Recognise traditional worshippers, Adeleke tells FG
(Bola Bamigbola, Punch)
Former Kentucky clerk in gay marriage case must pay additional $260K
(Lauren Sforza, The Hill)
Cuba's Santeria priests foretell crime and disease in new year
(Reuters)
Nicaragua: Pope Francis asked for a prayer for religious detained in Nicaragua in his first Angelus of 2024 (Spanish)
(CNN Español)
Paris: Helping refugees resist becoming religiously radicalized
(Marguerite de Lasa, La Croix International)
Another dark Christmas in Ukraine
(Knox Thames, Religion News Service)
Ukraine blatantly violates the human rights of peace activists and conscientious objectors
(Pressenza/International Press Agency)
Tuesday, 2 January 2024
UN Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion decry rising antisemitism and Islamophobia around the world
(United Nations Alliance of Civilizations)
India: The role of “Sarna” in forest conservation and wildfire prevention: An indigenous tribal religion of India
(Mohd Amin Khan, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
India: UP Police brings down over 9,000 loudspeakers from religious places
(The Times of India)
Surging anti-Muslim sentiments, discrimination defined 2023
(Daily Sabah)
Turkish authorities hunt 49 suspects linked to FETÖ, Daesh
(Daily Sabah)
Malaysia: Action can be taken against Perak Muslim men who entice married women
(New Straits Times)
Malaysia: Convert gets leave to challenge shariah court’s refusal to hear appeal
(Free Malaysia Today)
Malaysia: PM Anwar supports Selangor Sultan's decree on Islamic affairs
(Malay Mail)
Türkiye arrests top Daesh/ISIS terrorist operating in Syria
(Muhammed Nuri Erdogan, Anadolu Agency)
Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 75 and the need for accountability
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
King Charles III’s Christmas message is a call to protect the planet
(Time)
Iran shutters bookshop over hijab law violation: media
(AFP, Arab News)
COP28: Broader conception of human progress needed, says the BIC
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Articles of interest - 1 January 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
School board not liable for teacher's proselytization of Muslim student
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
UN Commissioner Ombudsman: Ukraine doesn't deserve criticism for the bill banning Churches controlled by Russia
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Statement of the UCCRO on Russia's latest terrorist attack against Ukraine
(Institute for Religious Freedom, Ukraine)
Two weeks in review, 16 – 31 December 2023
(Tal Gross, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Chinese film accuses Italy-based magazine of promoting cult
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Violence against women denounced by Pope Francis in his New Year's Day homily
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Reaffirming the nature of medicine in a society that too often rejects it
(Andrew Kubick and David Trimble, Religious Freedom Institute)
Trinidad: Saving society from crime begins with strengthening the church and family says Trinidadian bishop
(George Conger, Anglican Ink)
The Netherlands also sees “no reason” to criminalize shunning
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Ghana: Prophecies of doom in Ghana: between religious freedom and social disorder
(Fatshimetrie)
Religious liberty in 2024: Healing our deep divides
(Steve West, World)
Hamas or Abraham Accords: religion fueling conflict or connection?
(YouTube Video, The Jerusalem Center)
Fights over antisemitism, Israel and religion coming to Georgia Capitol
(Mark Niesse, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Australia: Unions warn on religious work bias
(Sarah Ison, The Australian)
Nigeria: US lawmaker pushes for Nigeria's inclusion on religious persecution list
(Adekunle Agbetiloye, Business Insider Africa)
Nigeria: In defense of religious freedom, human rights and peace in Nigeria (Portuguese)
(R7)
Brazil: Advancement of the religious bench generates debate about the influence of faith on bills (Portuguese)
(Política ao Minuto)
Brazil: The construction of peace and religious tolerance in the Constitution (Portuguese)
(Betina Treiger Gupenmacher and Heleno Taveira Torres, Poder 360)
Saturday, 30 December 2023
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS, Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion
(American Academy of Religion)
Piecing together different perspectives: IF20 in 2023
(Marianna Richardson, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Afghan Minister suggests separating religion from governance
(Saboor Bayat, BNN)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest Dec 16-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China’s Christian groups told to ensure ‘strict’ oversight of religion as Communist Party controls tighten
(Amber Wang, South China Morning Post)
Human Freedom Index 2023
(Ian Vásquez, Fred McMahon, Ryan Murphy, & Guillermina Sutter Schneider, Cato Institute and the Fraser Institute)
Việt Nam-Vatican relations at historic moment: Deputy Minister
(Viet Nam News)
Religious Peacebuilding Action Guides (now available in Arabic)
(The United States Institute of Peace)
Indonesian government adjusts name above all names
(Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today)
India's far-right cow vigilantes bolster clout before high-stake elections
(Rupam Jain, Reuters)
India: Decoding the competitive religious politics between BJD and BJP in Odisha – OpEd
(Bhabani Shankar Nayak, Eurasia Review)
The rapper Ye, who has a long history of making antisemitic comments, issues an apology in Hebrew
(Maria Sherman, Associated Press)
Israel: High Court rules same-sex adoption must be allowed, in landmark decision
(Jeremy Sharon, The Times of Israel)
How a Sikh Marine made history with the help of a 30-year-old religious freedom law
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)
The top religion stories of 2023
(Paul O'Donnell, Religion News Service)
Don’t let the war tear apart the tapestry of faith that makes America strong
(Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, Religion News Service)
South Africa bishops push back against Chief Rabbi who slammed Pope over Hamas
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Israel's ambassador to Germany warns of soaring antisemitism
(Deutsche Welle)
Jewish groups object to GOP’s treatment of Muslim candidate for Court of Appeals seat
(Ron Kampeas, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
DeSantis, Trump court Iowa's evangelical voters, promising Christian-focused policy
(Oren Oppenheim, ABC News)
Ecclesiastical court judgments – December
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Sharp rise in religious hate crimes recorded by UK’s largest police forces
(Jewish News)
10th Edition of Religious Freedom Awards announces new book
(Juan Sanchez Gil, The European Times)
Vandalism of West Philly mosque is under police investigation; calls for hate crime probe arise
(Chris Compendio, Philly Voice)
Nebraska court upholds order that father not take son to sweat lodge
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
Iran: Religious issues and persecution – Monthly Digest Dec. 01-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
EU/Russia: TV channel of the Russian Orthodox Church under EU sanctions
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Belgium: The Court of Cassation upholds the right of Jehovah’s Witnesses to exclude members
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Sikh Coalition argues that FBI must be held accountable for unlawful actions
(Jorge Gomez, First Liberty)
Email Subscription
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies maintains a Law and Religion Headlines service covering news about freedom of religion or belief internationally. All interested may subscribe to this service, free of charge, using the link below.
Subscribe