Law and Religion Headlines
Tuesday, 26 May 2020
RECORDED WEBINAR (5 May 2020): States' Positive Obligations under IHRL during the coronavirus outbreak
(Stuart Wallace, Conall Mallory, Aoife Nolan, Merris Amos, Amanda Cahill-Ripley, Laurens Lavrysen, Strasbourg Observers)
Book review: Religious liberty in a hostile age
(Mark David Hall, Law & Liberty)
Is the lockdown of churches an aggression towards freedom of religion or belief?
(Cătălin Raiu, Diresome)
RECORDED WEBINAR (21 April 2020): Council of Europe: The Conscience of Europe in a Time of Crisis
(Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou, Stuart Wallace, Veronica Bilkova, Philip Leach, Rob Linham, Jörg Polakiewicz, Inete Ziemele)
New book: The Cambridge Companion to the First Amendment and Religious Liberty
(Michael D. Breidenbach, Owen Anderson, Cambridge University Press)
RECORDED WEBINAR (from 7 April 2020): Human Rights in the Time of Coronavirus- Does England's Lockdown Violate Human Rights Law?
(Stuart Wallace, Ed Bates, Natasa Mavronicola, Başak Çalı, Alan Greene, Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou)
Why we don't see church as 'essential'
(Brett McCracken, The Gospel Coalition)
Catholics disallowed religious funerals
(Tang Zhe, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
House church venues closed, demolished in Jiangxi Province
(Tang Zhe, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
Contact-tracing apps face serious adoption obstacles
(Sarah Kreps, Baobao Zhang, and Nina McMurry, Brookings)
U.S. policing after wave one of COVID-19
(Vanda Felbab-Brown, Lawfare)
WEBINAR RECORDING: Lessons from COVID-19: Building A Stronger Global Health System
(Foreign Policy)
DAILY HIGHLIGHT #70: Reopening Debates: When Will Religious Doors Open and Who Decides?
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
The President cannot order the states to open houses of worship during covid-19
(Marci A. Hamilton, Verdict)
California lays out pandemic rules for church reopenings
(Stefanie Dazio and, Associated Press)
California church appeals to U.S. Supreme Court as governor announces new guidelines for opening houses of worship
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
New Jersey pastor that defied state order to reopen says 'church is essential,' people 'want to be with their pastors'
(Matthew Impelli, Newsweek)
DAILY HIGHLIGHT #69: Brazil’s Catholic Bishops Contest Government Policy on COVID-19
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Plug-In: Faith vs. COVID-19 – Restrictions prompt clashes over churches reopening
(Bobby Ross Jr., GetReligion)
DAILY HIGHLIGHT #68: COVID-19 Dampens Eid Celebrations Worldwide
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
The European Court, Domestic Oversight of COVID-19 Emergency Measures, and Procedural Rationality
(Guest Post by Vassilis P Tzevelekos, ECHR Blog)
In photos: Malaysianscelebrate Eid Al Fitr in lockdown
(Alexandra Radu, Religion Unplugged)
Kashmir gun battle leaves hundreds homeless during Eid and COVID-19 pandemic
(Masrat Zahra, Religion Unplugged)
Implications of COVID-19 on ethno-religious tensions in Sri Lanka
(Thamesha Tennakoon, Berkley Forum, Georgetown University)
New York Times asks what 'hardcore' New Yorkers miss during pandemic (hint: no steeples)
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
What we can learn from the Dutch on Memorial Day
(Richard Mouw, Religion News Service)
Liberty divided: Exploring the battle over one of the nation's founding ideals
(William Schweiker, Sightings: The Martin Marty Center, University of Chicago Divinity School)
EVENT RECORDING (from May 21): The COVID-19 Crisis: Faith Engagement Between Peace and Conflict in Asia
(Katherine Marshall - Religious Responses to COVID-19, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
How female power throughout history influenced the Papacy
(Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged)
Class of COVID-19: 3 commencement addresses that highlighted faith
(Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged)
Be fearlessly authentic: “Open and honest discussion of core beliefs helps maintain a flourishing culture.”
(Kent Johnson, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)
Blasphemy victim Asia Bibi's brother-in-law killed in Pakistan's Sheikhupur
(ANI)
Hong Kong: What is really happening
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
Confession has long been a great cinematic tool
(Terry Mattingly, Religion Unplugged)
Why these Christian missionaries donated to a mosque in Indonesia
(Paul Marshall, Religion Unplugged)
Church sues challenging Nevada's covid-19 limits on in-person services
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Nevada governor: People can gather in restaurants, stores, salons, but not in churches
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Nazi symbols on 75-year old POW gravestones in VA cemeteries raise protests
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Uighur activists celebrate religious freedom agency’s first Uighur commissioner
(Aysha Khan, Religion News Service)
USCIRF welcomes appointment of Nury Turkel to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
US warns Nevada governor about in-person worship limits
(Elana Schor, Associated Press)
Serbia criticizes Montenegro for keeping border ban on Serbs
(Predrag Milic, Associated Press)
WEBINAR, 26 May 2020 ( 2pm EDT): Democracy’s defenders — American diplomacy in the age of COVID-19
(Norman Eisen, Jeff Gedmin, Alina Polyakova, Brookings)
Search for Christian unity is making progress, pope says
(Cindy Wooden, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Anti-Semitism examined as a social virus in new PBS documentary
(Laura Paull, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Witnessing the growing rise of antisemitism in the US as a non Jew
(Lela Gilbert, The Jerusalem Post)
Fact and fiction about racism and the rise of the religious Right
(David French, The Dispatch)
Islam and the secular age: Q&A with Dr. Khalil Abdurrashid
(Traversing Tradition)
Grim anniversary in case of Danish Jehovah's Witness
(Amnest, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Defense team for Yakutia's shaman Gabyshev asks ECHR for urgent effort toward his release
(Interfax-Religion)
FX documentary on Norma McCorvey omits key Catholic sources who knew her best
(Julia Duin, GetReligion)
Justice Department raises concerns over Nevada restrictions on religious services
(Melissa Quinn, CBS News)
Why governments should not be deeming in-person worship essential
(Mark Silk, RNS Column: Spiritual Politics)
Do not play communal politics during lockdown: Congress MLA slams Karnataka govt for reopening only temples
(Nagarjun Dwarakanath, India Today)
KZN religious leaders call for relief aid or allowing churches to open
(Sakhiseni Nxumalo and Lyse Commins, IOL News)
South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa is leading the call for a National Day of Prayer, which will take place on Sunday.
(The Citizen)
Why, secular India is `of religious concern’ to USA
(Amjed Jaaved, Pakistan Today)
70 church buildings legalised, church and mosque demolished
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Iran: Baha'i citizen, Elaheh Samizadeh, sentenced to an extra year in prison
(HRANA: Human Rights Activist Network Association)
Ending abortion of Down-Syndrome children in the United Kingdom
(Alexandra DeSanctis, National Review)
Church Law Society Newsletter Prague – Brno – Olomouc – Stříbro, No. 5/2020
(Jiří Rajmund Tretera and Záboj Horák, eds., English Version)
Reflections on the current COVID-19 crisis from CEC Thematic Group on Education, Democracy and Diversity
(Council of Europe)
Egypt makes major archaeological discovery amid coronavirus crisis
(Rasha Mahmoud, Al-Monitor: Egypt Pulse)
Jordanian government employees return to work
(Al-Monitor: Jordan Pulse)
Bethlehem, Jerusalem churches reopen to limited number of worshipers
(Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)
Cardinal Cupich: How Vatican II can help us navigate the politics of a pandemic
(Blase J. Cupich, America Magazine)
Monday, 25 May 2020
Eid 2020 in pictures: Muslims worldwide mark end of Ramadan as Shawwal arrives
(Amalie Henden, The Express)
Presidential Message on Eid al-Fitr, 2020
(Presdent Donald J. Trump, The White House)
Articles of interest - 25 May 2020
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
5th Circuit enjoins enforcement of city's COVID-19 order against church pending appeal
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
9th Circuit: Church loses challenge to California COVID-19 order
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Federal court backs California Gov. Gavin Newsom's orders keeping churches closed
(Bill Hutchinson, ABC News)
8 Christians arrested in India while preparing relief packages for the poor
(Samuel Smith, The Christian Post)
Marie Cau: First transgender mayor elected in France
(BBC News)
Slowly, surely, US houses of worship emerge from lockdown
(Gary Fields and Sally Stap, Associated Press)
Ukrainian church tries to enlist president's support
(RISU, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Next big pandemic news story: Missionaries brace for coronavirus in the Third World
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
Book review: The Contest for the Muslim World
(Robert R. Reilly, Law & Liberty)
Churches prepare to reopen during pandemic, but more than 100 COVID-19 cases reported after German service
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Ukrainian police suspend senior officer who asked for a city’s list of Jews
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Islamic terrorists win a convert: An Italian hostage returns home from 18 months in captivity—and sparks a debate.
(Alessandra Bocchi, The Wall Street Journal - Opinion)
Belgium plans to end army protection for Antwerp synagogues
(Cnaan Liphshiz, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Australian golf course vandalized with swastikas
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Requiring face masks to fight COVID-19 while upholding niqab bans shows irony lost on leaders ǀ View
(Marco Perolini, Euronews)
ICJ calls for Myanmar to do more to protect Rohingya population
(BNI Multimedia Group)
Turkish gov’t portal allows citizens to change religion online
(Ahval)
Lebanon’s economic crisis is decimating its middle class
(Michal Kranz, Al-Monitor: Lebanon Pulse)
Sunday, 24 May 2020
Law and religion round-up – 24th May
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Saturday, 23 May 2020
A Memorial Day Message of Gratitude
(Graham B. Glover, Religious Freedom Institute)
Religion Photos of the Week - 22 May 2020
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)
Pandemic intrigue in Geneva: COVID-19 and the 73rd World Health Assembly
(Pedro A. Villarreal, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
COVID-19 response from WHO
(Seventy-third World Health Assembly, United Nations World Health Organization)
A world without human rights?
(Silvio Ferrari, Reset: Dialogues on Civilizations)
Faith, women, and human rights: A global dialogue on COVID-19
(Katherine Marshall, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Investigators build a case for IS crimes against Yazidis
(Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press)
DAILY HIGHLIGHT #67: Migrants and Refugees Face New Threats and Challenges During COVID-19 Emergency
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
DAILY HIGHLIGHT #66: Religious Art, Plagues, and COVID-19
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
DAILY HIGHLIGHT #65: Faith, Women, and Human Rights: A Global Dialogue
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Women’s rights in Islam: Fighting for equality before the law
(Dina Elbasnaly, Lewis Sanders IV, Deutsche Welle)
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