Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 1 April 2024
Boom in Muslim conversions to Christianity in France: How is the Church responding?
(Solène Tadié, National Catholic Register)
Law and religion roundup – 31st March
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
2024 Dialogue 360 Programme
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Iran: Religious persecution and issues – Monthly Digest March
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Iran: “The boot on my neck”: Iranian authorities’ crime of persecution against Baha’is in Iran
(Human Rights Watch)
What is gender equality?
(G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Religious freedom, copyright royalties, and court review of agency determinations
(Thomas Berg, Mirror of Justice Blog)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest March 16-31
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
What role do Churches have in modern society?: 'there is a way out of the darkness'
(YouTube Video, GBNews)
Brazil: Congressman sues Public Ministry against MTST for religious intolerance (Portuguese)
(Ana Carolina Curvello, Gazeta do Povo)
The politics of religion as Trump sells Bibles and Biden is criticized over Easter eggs
(Zachary B. Wolf, CNN)
JK Rowling in ‘arrest me’ challenge over hate crime law
(James Cook and Paul Hastie, BBC News)
Sunday, 31 March 2024
CALLS FOR PAPERS, proposals due 31 March 2024: From Protection to Coercion: the Limits of Positive Obligations in Human Rights Law
(Faculty of Law, Lund University)
Navigating faith and duty during a wartime Easter
(Steve Moore, G20 Interfaith Forum)
Friday, 29 March 2024
Series: The Russian Orthodox Church beyond Russia: Global pretensions and security concerns
(Thomas Bremer, Pavlo Smytsnyuk, Regina Elsner, Kristina Stoeckl, Alar Kilp, Sebastian Rimestad, Robert C. Blitt, and Nadieszda Kizenko, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Russia imposes personal sanctions against bishops of the UGCC in Canada
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
ESSAY CONTEST (for high school juniors and seniors), deadline 29 March 2024: Witnesses to Freedom
(United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
Pakistan: Any ban on enrolling non-Muslim, Ahmadi lawyers is unconstitutional: Pakistan Bar Council
(The Friday Times)
Israeli court halts subsidies for ultra-Orthodox, deepening turmoil over mandatory military service
(Associated Press)
The Making of the Modern Muslim State: Islam and Governance in the Middle East and North Africa
(Malika Zeghal, Princeton University Press)
French soccer federation limits support for players’ Ramadan observance. Critics see discrimination
(Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press)
Oregon city can’t limit church’s homeless meal services, federal judge rules
(Associated Press)
The US can do more to protect religious freedom around the world
(Jeffrey Cimmino, Atlantic Council)
Rutgers joins growing list of schools under GOP House investigation for antisemitism
(Andrew Lapin, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
First Amendment precludes court from enforcing mahr in divorce action
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
West Virginia Governor vetoes vaccine mandate opt-out for parochial schools
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Tennessee passes law banning religious and ideological discrimination by banks and insurance companies
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
District Court enters final order in wedding website designer case
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Efforts being made to recognize Sikh Community in Europe
(The European Times)
Germany to include questions about Israel in citizenship test, says minister
(Le Monde with AFP)
Planned monument to Muslim British soldiers ignites wider political debate
(Joseph Hammond, Religion Unplugged)
Korea Easter prayer envisions “a daily life of peace”
(World Council of Churches)
Hong Kong security law endangers religious freedom
(Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Newsweek)
Indonesia: 5 facts about Muslims and Christians in Indonesia
(Pew Research Center)
Vietnam: Khmer-Krom Buddhist monk arrested, charged and removed from office in southern Vietnam
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Nigeria: Tinubu has called on religious leaders to refrain from denigrating the nation in their sermons
(Nigerian Television Authority)
Ecclesiastical court judgments – March
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Nicaragua: 11 Nicaraguan pastors and ministry leaders convicted in sham trial; ADF International takes case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
(ADF International)
Argentina: Pope sends message about violence in Rosario, Argentina
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Promoting peace and stability in the Americas through religious freedom
(Knox Thames, The United States Institute of Peace)
Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Justice Department seeks court order to stop California Department of Corrections from requiring correctional officers to violate religious beliefs
(U.S. Department of Justice)
Russia, Jehovah’s Witness Tatyana Piskareva, 67, sentenced to 2 years and 6 months of forced labor
(Willy Fautré, The European Times)
Russian forces close more Catholic churches in Ukraine
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Russia: Islamic State: From religiously motivated hatred of ‘infidels’ to terrorism
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Russian militants sealed UGCC churches in Donetsk
(Institute for Religious Freedom, Ukraine)
Sri Lanka beefs up security at churches ahead of Good Friday
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
As Easter approaches, Christian persecution is on the rise
(Anthony D. Andreassi, Newsweek)
EVENT, 27 March 2024 (6PM EDT): Tanenbaum Film Screening: Long Line of Ladies (New York, NY, USA)
(Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding)
VIRTUAL EVENT, 27 March 2024 (9:30AM ET): Harmony in Diversity | Episode 1 "Catholicism"
(Nicola Speranza, European Union and United Nations Offices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
The Language Games of Canon Law: Strategic Ambiguity Between Law and Religion
(Judith Hahn, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
The regional government of Catalonia imposes a heavy fine for criticism of Islam
(Counting Stars)
UN called to respond to sharia violence against women
(Raymond Ibrahim, Coptic Solidarity)
Iran: Christian convert baptised in Malaysia given prison sentence on return to Iran
(Article 18)
Quran-burning Iraqi man who faces an expulsion order from Sweden plans to seek asylum in Norway
(Associated Press)
Malaysian convenience store owners charged over ‘Allah’ socks that angered Muslims
(Associated Press)
Woman who set fire to Montgomery church gets 8 years in prison
(Associated Press)
Nebraska governor signs bill protecting religious freedom, donor privacy
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Idaho governor signs bill to protect faith-based adoption, foster care
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
California's removal of personal belief exemption from school immunization requirement is upheld
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Dispute over Satanic club in Tenn. school goes to court
(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)
Interference with contractual relationship created by Jewish marriage contract is not actionable
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Denial of religious exemption from vaccine mandate did not violate Title VII or Constitution
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Denial of church's property tax exemption did not violate RLUIPA
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Germany player Rüdiger takes legal steps after Ramadan greeting prompts accusation of terror support
(Associated Press)
Letter to Congress in support of resolution recognizing religious freedom as a fundamental human right, March 22, 2024
(United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
President held a joint iftar with representatives of the Muslim community of Ukraine and awarded Ukrainian Muslim warriors
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Kyrgyzstan: two Muslim men jailed for mosque closure protest
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
CEC contributes reflections on war in Ukraine
(Conference of European Churches)
Togo: Catholic bishops in Togo urge nation's president to postpone new Constitution
(Guy Aimé Eblotié, La Croix International)
U.S. funding bill mixed bag on pro-life, biblical gender, religious liberty
(Diana Chandler, Baptist Press)
Humanitarian needs and priorities: Debates and dilemmas
(Katherine Marshall, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Italian school closes to ‘celebrate’ Ramadan, while another prevents Easter blessing
(Catholic Herald)
When parties agree to religious arbitration, arbitrator's religious decision is enforceable
(Eugene Volokh, Reason)
Indonesia: Communion of Churches in Indonesia condemns torture of civilians in Papua
(World Council of Churches)
Wa Baile v Switzerland: An implicit acknowledgment of racial profiling as structural discrimination
(Nozizwe Dube, Strasbourg Observers)
Sudan: SAF-affiliated Islamist militia detonates explosives inside mosque
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Christians: Persecution (Volume 837: debated on Monday 25 March 2024)
(UK Parliament)
Catholic group calls on UK’s COVID-19 inquiry to look at impact on faith groups
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
A new hate-crime law in Scotland causes widespread concern
(The Economist)
Family Mediators and Family Mediation: When Norms Collide
(Samia Bano and Lisa Webley, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
Criminal damage and conscience: AG’s Reference No.1
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Australia: Faith groups warn Albanese a deal with Greens on religious discrimination would be a 'betrayal'
(Stephanie Borys, ABC News Australia)
Gambia: Religious intolerance: Recipe for instability
(D M. Badjie, The Point)
Religious freedom or animal welfare (Spanish)
(Peter Singer, Clarín)
Legal Journal Number 5 (19): January (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
Brazil: The impact of the PEC [Bill] of Churches will be “billions” of reais, says Crivella (Portuguese)
(Fabricio Julião, Poder 360)
Tuesday, 26 March 2024
EVENT, 26 March 2024 (1:30PM ET): Women in FoRB: Making a Difference
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
VIRTUAL EVENT, 26 March 2024 (3PM CET / 8AM MDT): Education, Health, and Human Flourishing: The Family's Crucial Role
(European Union & International Affairs Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
EVENT, 26 March 2024 (12:30PM ET): The Role of Religion in Resilient Societies: Lesson’s from Africa’s Development Journey (Cambridge, MA, USA)
(Harvard Law School)
Monday, 25 March 2024
Dominican Republic: Religious institutions call for end to harassment of Haitians in Dominican Republic
(Francine-Marie Cooper, Vatican News)
An Arizona church known for feeding migrants now says the city is blocking its work
(Juliana Kim, National Public Radio)
Around the web - 25 March 2024
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
4th International Conference on Religious Diplomacy
(U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Greece)
Championing religious freedom: Notre Dame Law School delegation explores Islamophobia and antisemitism in France
(Arienne Calingo, University of Notre Dame Law School)
Statement on UN's Ramadan ceasefire resolution
(X, Muslim World League)
China: Summer training on religion and rule of law recruiting students
(John Zhang, The China Christian Daily)
China: A Chinese pastor is released after 7 years in prison, only to find himself unable to get an ID
(Huizhong Wu, Associated Press)
India: USCIRF raises alarm over India’s exclusionary Citizenship Amendment Act during Congressional hearing
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Religious marriage without marriage license and later annulled by religious court is still recognized by New York
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
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