Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 13 November 2023
India: ‘Beacon of hope’: Amid Gaza war, Indian Muslims take care of synagogues
(Monideepa Banerjie, Al Jazeera)
India: An interview with Ian Hall on the Hindu Right and India’s religious diplomacy (video)
(Religion & Diplomacy: A Resource of the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion and Diplomacy)
India: The movement to expel Muslims and create a Hindu holy land
(Tusha Mittal and Alishan Jafri, Coda Media)
India: Appointment of Christian judge in India’s top court lauded
(Bijay Kumar Minj, Union of Catholic Asian News)
USCIRF releases report on threats to religious sites in Turkey
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
How the global anti-LGBTQ movement found a home in Turkey
(Frankie Vetch, Coda Media)
Germany's Scholz 'ashamed' at antisemitism wave as 'Kristallnacht' pogrom marked
(Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke, Reuters)
A pastor’s suicide brings grief, warnings of the dangers of outing amid erosion of LGBTQ+ rights
(Kim Chandler, Associated Press)
Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State take root on the coast of West Africa
(Sam Mednick, Associated Press)
Native Alaskan healer named North America’s first female saint in Orthodox Church
(Meagan Saliashvili, Religion News Service)
US Jews plan historic March for Israel at National Mall Tuesday
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
Hong Kong: The insidious undermining of religious freedom in Hong Kong
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
United Nations condemns Nicaragua’s anti-Catholic and anti-religious persecution
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Australia: Melbourne synagogue evacuated on Shabbat as tensions over Israel-Hamas war flare in Australia
(Philissa Cramer, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Australia: Labor to overhaul misinformation bill after objections over freedom of speech
(Josh Taylor, The Guardian)
Around the web - 13 November 2023
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Faith and climate change: Engaging religious communities in climate discourse
(Cameron Howes, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Sofia-Moscow tensions surge over St. Nicholas Church crisis
(Sofia News Agency)
Religion Watch, Volume 38 No. 12
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
The dignity of the human person from a Hindu perspective (video)
(Facebook, Elijah Interfaith Institute)
IGE and Vietnam Government sign new agreement to build religious freedom
(Institute for Global Engagement)
Criminalizing Indigenous Belief: The Constitutional Deficits of Uganda’s Witchcraft Act
(Busingye Kabumba, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
Divorcing abroad, sharīʿah style: Legal reforms and Moroccan women
(Federica Sona, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
Iran: More than 20 Baha’i homes invaded in violent raids and many arrested in Iran as crackdown intensifies
(Bahá’í International Community)
Global Interfaith Monitor No. 17
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
New UAE fertility law: Emirati doctor calls on scholars to legalise surrogacy in Islam
(Nasreen Abdulla, Khaleej Times)
Malaysia: Religious affairs minister: Members of special committee to draft Shariah laws will be appointed soon
(Malay Mail)
China: “Good person of Nanjing”: Catholic nun honored as a “moral role model” by the authorities
(Agenzia Fides)
China’s new law on religion: A great leap backward
(Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, The Japan Times)
China: Online antisemitism spikes amid Israel-Hamas war (video)
(Phoebe Kong, Deutsche Welle)
The grand bargain of religious freedom and religious responsibility: The Mennonite example
(Dennis R. Hoover, Institute for Global Engagement)
Guilty plea for making violent, antisemitic threats
(U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Michigan, U.S. Department of Justice)
Jewish students assaulted and Hillel targeted at Ohio State, prompting state to beef up police presence
(Andrew Lapin, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
More than 1,600 Jewish Harvard alumni threaten to withdraw donations over antisemitism concerns
(Nicole Goodkind, CNN)
Articles and books of interest - 13 November 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Kenya bishops says high taxes threaten the country, especially the poor
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
COMECE Assembly called on the EU to rebuild the global architecture of peace
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Ivory Coast: Small Jewish communities emerge in Ivory Coast
(Isabel Bonnet, Al Jazeera)
European Policy Dialogue Forum (EPDF) unites seven religions, young people and policymakers in Rotterdam to foster social inclusion
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
How a federal agency is attempting to undermine religious liberty in the workplace
(Allison Cantrell, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission)
Nigeria: WCC urges government of Nigeria to do more to address economic injustice
(World Council of Churches)
Spanish anti-Jehovah’s-Witnesses group loses court case—but claims it won
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Fired Christian physician assistant clears important hurdle in court case
(Kayla Toney, Religious Freedom Institute)
Higher Ground: Photographer notches religious freedom win
(Mark A. Kellner and Billy Hallowell, The Washington Times)
Ghana must have regulatory framework to protect religious rights of students – Speaker Bagbin
(Modern Ghana)
Parents in a Connecticut town worry as "After School Satan Club" plans meeting
(Sarah Al-Arshani USA TODA, USA Today)
WCC calls on COP28 to “rise above,” act collectively in addressing climate change
(World Council of Churches)
Global Faith Leaders Summit – Interfaith statement released in pre-COP28 event
(International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development)
Chile: Interreligious event in La Moneda in support of the delegation that will go to COP 28 (Spanish)
(Roberto Urbina Avendaño, Vida Nueva Digital)
Brazil: Misinformation fuels religious intolerance amid escalating violence (Portuguese)
(Carol Macário, Lupa)
Friday, 10 November 2023
Scottish archbishop protests push to end religious representatives on school council
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Afghanistan army veteran prepares to face court for praying silently in his head
(ADF UK)
Bill to separate Church from state to be introduced in parliament
(National Secular Society)
Denmark: Scrap law on ‘improper treatment’ of religious writings
(Article 19)
Russia: Inadequate response to antisemitism in North Caucasus
(Human Rights Watch)
Russia hands Jehovah's Witness follower 7-year jail term for 'extremism'
(The Moscow Times)
Syria: Daesh attacks in Syria kill 34 government loyalists: monitor
(Arab News)
Jewish leaders meet with FBI after suspicious mail was sent to 4 Seattle synagogues
(K5 NBC)
Nepal: ICC release report on religious freedom decline in Nepal
(International Christian Concern)
Nepalese Supreme Court sentences pastor to year in prison for sharing the gospel
(CBN)
USCIRF condemns rising antisemitism in Europe on 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Leaders of Berlin’s interfaith House of One manage Israeli-Palestinian tensions
(Tom Heneghan, Religion News Service)
German president meets Jewish and Muslim community leaders
(Hans Pfeifer, Deutsche Welle)
Germans commemorate ‘Night of Broken Glass’ terror as antisemitism is on the rise again
(Kirsten Grieshaber, Associated Press)
Emhoff visits New York’s Cornell University as he seeks to reassure Jewish community after threats
(Zeke Miller, Associated Press)
S5, Ep. 05: An alarming push to put chaplains in public schools (podcast)
(Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Pope Francis to join other clergy at first ‘Faith Pavilion’ at climate summit
(Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen raises a storm over her plan to march against antisemitism
(Elaine Ganley, Associated Press)
Fighting antisemitism and Islamophobia in France (video)
(Lisa Louis, Deutsche Welle)
Smith, Merkley to Biden: Press Xi on political prisoners, human rights
(Susan Crabtree, Real Clear Politics)
The Ukrainian Council of Churches delegation held meetings in the White House and USCIRF
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Armenia: Conscientious objector's two-year jail term
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Ethiopian troops force armed group out of Orthodox holy site of Lalibela
(Al Jazeera)
India: How India’s Hindu nationalist BJP seeks Muslim vote in 2024 election
(YP Rajesh, Reuters)
Indian Christians refute Hindu group's 'mass conversion' claim
(Bijay Kumar Minj, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Vatican’s Deepavali message: Interreligious collaboration essential for peacebuilding
(Joseph Tulloch, Vatican News)
WCC stands with “Confluence of Conscience: Uniting for Planetary Resurgence” interfaith statement
(World Council of Churches)
Oslo city councillor wants to mark Ramadan publicly
(Christian Network Europe)
WA homeless ministry asks 9th Circuit to protect freedom to hire likeminded people of faith
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
WEA submits recommendations to UN on hate speech and religion
(World Evangelical Alliance)
Sri Lanka: Unleashing the spirit of religious freedom
(The National Peace Council of Sri Lanka)
Congolese faith leaders step up efforts to promote dialogue among warring groups
(Tonny Onyulo, Religion News Service)
Native American and Indigenous Muslim stories: trends and treasures
(Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU))
When it comes to defusing Hindu-Muslim tensions, college kids may know best
(Richa Karmarkar, Religion News Service)
Brandeis University bans campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
Trans people can be baptized unless it causes scandal, says Vatican’s doctrine czar
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)
APEC: Press China’s Xi on human rights
(Human Rights Watch)
Canada: Rise in antisemitic, Islamophobic threats has Canadians 'scared in our own streets,' PM says
(Peter Zimonjic, CBC News)
Canada: Police say 2 Jewish schools in Montreal were hit by gunshots; no injuries reported
(Associated Press)
Pastor's breach of contract suit dismissed on ecclesiastical abstention grounds
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Exclusion of jurors who have conscientious objection to death penalty does not violate Free Exercise clause
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
China’s new ‘Patriotic Education Law’ places further limits on religious instruction
(Matthew Santucci, Catholic News Agency)
China denies accusations of forced assimilation and curbs on religious freedom in Tibet
(Associated Press)
China: Pro-Beijing bishop backs China’s ‘sinicization of religion’
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Justice Scalia predicted ‘anarchy,’ but three decades later, religious freedom law is thriving
(Lori Windham, The Hill)
Nigeria: Casualties of faith: Religious mob’s rule thrives as govt spares killers, forgets victims (2)
(Deji Lambo, Punch)
Kenya: Clergymen oppose Government attempts to regulate churches
(Loise Macharia, The Star)
Thursday, 9 November 2023
VIRTUAL EVENT, 9 November 2023 (9AM CST): RPLP Fellows Meeting: “Government Religious Preference and Intrastate Conflict”
(Religion and Public Life Program, Rice University)
EVENT, 9 November 2023 (6:30PM ET): Religious Freedom for All (Sanford, FL, USA)
(Seminole State College of Florida)
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