Law and Religion Headlines

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Tuesday, 17 March 2020

Interfaith clergy unite for mothers and housing activists who took over vacant LA house
(Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service)

Despite coronavirus, in Italy communion is stronger than quarantine
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)

Mubarak’s lasting legacy on Egypt’s Coptic Christians
(Raazan Kılınç, The Conversation)

People often turn to faith for comfort during a crisis. How can churches help from behind closed doors?
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News Faith)

Pope Francis gives his blessing to an eerily empty St. Peter's Square
(CNN)

Pandemic to upend Holy Week, Easter liturgies as Presiding Bishop urges halt to in-person worship
(David Paulsen, Episcopal News Service)

From Facebook Live to drive-through Eucharist, churches embrace new ways of staying connected
(Egan Millard and David Paulsen, Episcopal News Service)

China's abuses against Uighurs not going away: Here's how you can help
(Lela Gilbert, Religion Unplugged)

Public Mass ban in Italy leads to new focus on ‘spiritual Communion’
(Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service)

The quiet sufi behing Morocco's push for moderate Islam
(Priyadarshini Sen, Religion Unplugged)

Vishal Arora: The rise of Hindu nationalism
(Meagan Clark, Religion Unplugged Podcast)

Changes in Gambia threaten its traditions of pacifist Islam
(Paul Marshall, Religion Unplugged Opinion)

Iran’s supreme leader issues religious ruling prohibiting ‘unnecessary’ travel amid new coronavirus outbreak
(Associated Press)

Maine voters overwhelmingly support law barring religious exemption from student vaccination requirement
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)

ProPublica aside, Iraq's northern plains are a key – albeit underreported – religion story
(Julia Duin, GetReligion)

Coronavirus latest: Government asks religious groups to cease meeting
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

Streaming church services: an (updated) guide to copyright and religion
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

Bible in schools case progresses to interlocutory hearing
(Scoop)

How a 16,000-strong religious gathering led Malaysia to lockdown
(Yudith Ho and Faris Mokhtar, Bloomberg)

Church of England suspends all services over coronavirus
(Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian)

Iranians defy authorities in bid to access holy sites closed amid coronavirus
(Sune Engel Rasmussen and Aresu Eqbali, The Wall Street Journal)

Religious persecution, not religion, basis for India's CAA: Govt tells Supreme Court
(Indian Express, Yahoo News)

What coronavirus is changing for Muslims
(Marième Soumaré, Jules Crétois, The Africa Report)

USCIRF commends Sudan’s disbanding of former regime-appointed church councils
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Church of England: Coronavirus – cessation of church services
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

Archbishops call for Church of England to become radically different as public worship put on hold to help stem spread of coronavirus
(The Church of England)

Joint Letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
(The Church of England)

European governments speak up for Jehovah's Witnesses
(Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Iraq's latest prime minister-designate faces opposition from Iran-backed militias
(Ali Mamouri, Al-Monitor: Iraq Pulse)

Monday, 16 March 2020

Articles of interest - 16 March 2020
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Religious news from around the web March 16, 2020
(World Religion News)

Protecting Religious Freedom from Fear: Italian Lessons on Islam, the Public Sphere, and the Limits of Judicial Review
(Andrea Pin and Luca Pietro Vanoni, Talk About: Law and Religion (blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies))

Law and religion round-up – 15th March
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

New business initiative to address social, health and economic impact of Covid19 outbreak
(Global Economic Leaders Consortium Delivering Innovative Solutions for COVID19, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)

Standing Together in Spirit and with Actions: Religions for Peace Statement about the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
(Official Statement, Religions for Peace)

Six books to get you through a coronavirus shutdown
(Karen Swallow Prior, Religion News Service)

Preparing for COVID-19? Add caring for the vulnerable to your coronavirus checklist
(Craig Brown, Religion News Service)

Law in the time of Covid
(Thomas Hayes, UK Human Rights Blog)

Why has coronavirus largely spared Africa?
(Mathew Otieno, Mercator Net)

What Islamic hygienic practices can teach when coronavirus is spreading
(Rose S. Aslan, The Conversation)

Experts cite clear communication as ‘vital’ amid coronavirus outbreak, other crises
(Religion News Service Press Release, In Christ Communications)

USCIRF releases new factsheet on the impact of coronavirus on religious freedom
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Spirituality in a time of quarantine
(Thomas Reese SJ, Religion News Service)

Faith in quarantine: Why are some people praying at home while others flock to pews?
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)

The coronavirus and us: Exploring the "ultimate dimensions" of COVID-19 as Americans prepare themselves for a season of quarantine and isolation
(Richard Rosengarten, Sightings: The Martin Marty Center, University of Chicago Divinity School)

For millions of Americans, no church on Sunday is coronavirus’s cruelest closure so far
(Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post)

‘Prayer in the Time of Coronavirus’: LA parishioners worship in mostly empty pews
(Hayley Smith, Religion News Service)

Being old in a time of coronavirus
(Chiara Bertoglio, MercatorNet)

Israel turns to anti-terror technology to counter coronavirus
(Mazal Mualem, Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)

Coronavirus shutdowns disrupt America’s soul, closing houses of worship
(Alejandra Molina, Jack Jenkins, Claire Giangravé, Bob Smietnat, Religion News Service)

Thinking about faith during a plague: Input from Singapore on dealing with coronavirus crisis
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)

Campus chaplains, religious clubs advocate for students in a moment of anxiety
(Aysha Khan, Religion News Service)

In livestreamed National Cathedral Eucharist, Presiding Bishop preaches on the simple power of soap and love
(Egan Millard, Episcopal News Service)

A gift of photos from a papal coronation opens a path for Jewish-Catholic healing
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)

Ghanaian National Chief Imam calls on Muslims to adhere to government’s coronavirus protocols
(Ghana Web)

Muslim officials: Al-Aqsa mosque, third holiest site in Islam, closes over virus concerns, prayers to continue outside
(Associated Press)

At D.C. churches that remained open Sunday, a mixture of defiance, encouragement and faith
(Julie Zauzmer and Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post)

Remembering my friend, and why there is no right way to mourn the Christchurch attacks
(Shamim Homayun, The Conversation)

Far-right extremists still threaten New Zealand, a year on from the Christchurch attacks
(Paul Spoonley, The Conversation)

Abortion: no right to choose for nurses, no choice for mothers
(Ann Farmer, MercatorNet)

Malaysian Court of Appeal decision in Islamic Renaissance Front Case: A win for religious freedom
(Eugene Yapp, Religious Freedom Institute)

“Abuses, torture, and killing”: U.S. Human Rights Report denounces the CCP Regime
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

6th Circuit upholds company's religious accommodation for Jehovah's Witness
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Delhi High Court declines to hear plea challenging religious conversion
(India Legal)

Evangelical Christians persecuted in Chiapas, forced to become refugees
(Missions Box)

Players support AFL stance against religious freedom bill
(Anthony Colangelo, The Age)

Russia continues to conflate freedom of religion or belief and extremism
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

Regulating religion in China
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Controlling religions with Chinese characteristics (Responding to: Regulating religion in China)
(Patrick Poon, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Dismantling dehumanizing propaganda is vital to stopping religious persecution (Responding to: Regulating religion in China)
(Levi Browde, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Neo-xenophobia and religious persecution in China (Responding to: Regulating religion in China)
(Timothy A. Grose, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Pope Francis should speak out against Beijing’s abuses (Responding to: Regulating religion in China)
(Yaqiu Wang, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Religious groups in China need international support (Responding to: Regulating religion in China)
(Michael Ryan, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Religious regulation in China: Plus ça change… (Responding to: Regulating religion in China)
(David Ownby, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

The Middle Kingdom and its war against religion: A historical perspective (Responding to: Regulating religion in China)
(Mehmet Tohti, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

The two tracks of Xi Jinping’s religious policy (Responding to: Regulating religion in China)
(André Laliberté, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Azerbaijan’s model of multiculturalism discussed at U.S. Brigham Young University
(Azertac)

The Xi jJinping cohort and the Chinafication of religion (Responding to: Regulating religion in China)
(Max Oidtmann, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Worsening religious persecution in China requires stronger U.S. response (Responding to: Regulating religion in China)
(Sarah Cook, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

CDC director ‘not shy about his Catholic faith,’ says Baltimore pastor
(Tim Swift, Catholic News Service)

Confronting internalized Islamophobia
(Moustafa Bayoumi, Muslim Matters)

Can church members have contractual rights? Aga v Ethiopian Orthodox Church of Canada
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

India: Pastor hospitalized after Hindu extremists tie him to tree, brutally beat him for 3 hours
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)

Religious minorities in ‘Naya Pakistan’
(Jaffer A. Mirza, The Diplomat)

Nepal makes yoga mandatory for schoolchildren
(Rajneesh Bhandari and Kai Schultz, The New York Times)

Indonesia blocks building of Baptist church amid protests
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)

Tambuwal cautions against playing politics with Nigerian monarchy, religion, security
(Onuminya Innocent, This Day)

Scapegoating Mitt Romney: What Mitt Romney's disinvitation from CPAC 2020 tells us about the evolving role of religion in public life for the Christian Right
(John Fea, Sightings: The Martin Marty Center, University of Chicago Divinity School)

Hacking Humanitarians? IHL and the protection of humanitarian organizations against cyber operations
(Tilman Rodenhäuser, EJIL: Talk!)

Do we have Mass? Coronavirus closures and dispensations in US dioceses
(Catholic News Agency)

Chilean bishops concerned by political inaction amid anti-government protests
(Catholic News Agency)

How coronavirus is affecting pro-life Democrat's primary campaign
(Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency)

Do coronavirus closings violate religious liberty? A religious freedom expert weighs in
(Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency)

How should healthcare be distributed when hospitals are overwhelmed?
(Carl Bunderson, Catholic News Agency)

Pope Francis reforms Vatican City courts with new law
(Catholic News Agency)

US reporting mechanism for episcopal abuse cases launched
(Catholic News Agency)

Biden pledges support for abortion legislation and funding
(Catholic News Agency)

First batch of Coronavirus vaccines sent for human testing
(Mikaela Mathews, Christian Headlines)

Sunday, 15 March 2020

Police disperse Catholics at Sunday Mass in Italy
(Catholic News Agency)

Saturday, 14 March 2020

New website on Law, Religion and COVID-19
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

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