Law and Religion Headlines
Thursday, 23 May 2019
China’s alarming AI surveillance of Muslims should wake us up
(Tim Weinhold, The Washington Post)
Wednesday, 22 May 2019
3rd Circuit hears arguments in contraceptive mandate case
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Actions against Jehovah's Witnesses in four Russian cities
(Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Russia Religion News)
Anti-Catholic ‘Blaine Amendments’ harm children now, in the 21st century
(George Will, National Review)
Brunei’s pernicious new penal code
(Human Rights Watch)
County courthouse crosses to stay in San Jacinto, Texas dispute
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
In central Africa, Islamist militias complicate church efforts to battle Ebola
(Fredrick Nzwili, Religion News Service)
Most American Jews are concerned about anti-Semitism and disapprove of Trump, survey finds
(Ron Kampeas, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Nuns push court for moral exclusion to birth-control mandate
(Emilee Larkin, Courthouse News Service)
Religion and politics should be separate says former Moroccan head of government
(Morocco World News)
Russia: Imprisonment completed, citizenship stripped, awaiting deportation
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
Russian city cancels cathedral construction after protests
(Associated Press)
States and cities sue administration over expanded health care conscience rules
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
The debate grows over what religious freedom means
(Tom Gjelten, National Public Radio)
Washington state legalizes human composting
(Deutsche Welle)
Week of protests against building church produces results
(Interfax-Religiia, Russia Religion News)
Israel, European Jewry watching carefully as EU votes for new parliament
(Herb Keinon, The Jerusalem Post)
Pope urges China’s Catholics to unify after bishop deal
(Associated Press)
China’s Orwellian war on religion
(Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times)
Tuesday, 21 May 2019
‘Chick-fil-A’ bill reignites LGBT opposition in Texas
(Paul J. Weber, Associated Press)
Burma’s identity crisis
(CSWPress, FoRB in Full (a blog by CSW))
Can the Brits define ‘Islamophobia’?
(Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review)
District Court rejects Free Exercise challenge to Colorado nondiscrimination law
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Gay conservative: Equality Act would crush religious freedom. Trump is right to oppose it.
(Brad Polumbo, USA Today)
Guest opinion: How lawyers are distorting religious freedom
(Asma Uddin, Deseret News)
House passes Equality Act to ban LGBTQ discrimination
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Infecting people isn’t a religious right
(The Editorial Board, The New York Times)
Kremlin takes action to resolve dispute over building a church
(Credo.Press, Russia Religion News)
LGBTQ Equality Act passes House, pushing back on Trump’s religious freedom policies
(Sandhya Raman, Roll Call)
New rules for federal workers' comp time to make up for religious observance
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
New Zealand mosque shooting: Gunshots shattered a day of prayer, but gave rise to interfaith resolve
(Tad Walch, Deseret News Faith)
On eve of divorce referendum, Irish Church urges more support for marriage
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Populist wave continues: Nationalism and Catholicism collide in run-up to European elections
(Clemente Lisi, Get Religion)
Provocative behavior of migrants causes nationalism, anti-Islamic terrorism - Bortnikov
(Interfax-Religion)
Religion can play a role in Myanmar's development
(John Zaw, La Croix)
Semi-Islamic sect activity punished in Russia
(Argumenty i fakty, Russia Religion News)
States sue over rule allowing clinicians to refuse abortions
(Larry Neumeister, Associated Press)
Uzbekistan: Torture, no pardon, for prisoner of conscience
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
With Ontario court's ruling on doctors, the revolution continues
(Barry W. Bussey, National Post)
Study: It’s easier to be a ‘none’ in Canada than in the US
(John Longhurst, Religion News Service)
New York in court to bar move of Sheen remains to Peoria
(Associated Press)
Monday, 20 May 2019
Bitter Winter’s Tiananmen movie premieres in Budapest
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter)
British divorce case poses catch-22 for Jewish husband
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Certiorari denied in California reparative therapy ban challenge
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Christian wedding services owner loses challenge to Colorado's public accommodation law
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Employment and religion: Don’t talk (too much) about religion at work
(The Economist [Erasmus: Religion and public policy])
Europe’s sanctuary movement: Why churches enter immigration debate
(Christian Science Monitor)
FLDS bishop cobvicted By Canadian court in marriage of his minor daughter
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Former B.C. polygamous leader guilty in taking child bride to United States
(Amy Smart, The Canadian Press)
Iraqi Christian asks SCOTUS to stop his deportation because he’ll be persecuted, court declines to get involved
(Elura Nanos, Law and Crime)
Italy’s Catholic establishment faults Salvini for rosary
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
James Madison understood religious freedom better than Jefferson did
(Steven Waldman, National Review)
Jehovah's Witnesses frustrated by arbitrariness in Finland
(Svetlana Niberliain, Idel.Realii)
Law and religion round-up – 19th May
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Nigerian bishop says sharia law has failed in the north of the country
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Pete Buttigieg shouldn’t lead the religious left. There shouldn’t even be a religious left.
(Justin DaMetz, The Washington Post)
President Nelson meets New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, says church will donate to mosques
(Tad Walch, Deseret News Faith)
Q&A: Why Latter-day Saints loom large in the history of religious freedom law
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News Faith)
Religious Freedom in Focus, volume 80 – May 2019
(Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice)
Review denied in deportation of Iraqi Christian
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Sikhs say Nordstrom apologized for turban, waiting for Gucci
(Anita Snow, Associated Press)
Trump is not a defender of religious liberty but a threat to it
(Ed Kilgore, New York Intelligencer)
Montreal archbishop, religious leaders oppose Quebec’s secularism bill
(Francois Gloutnay, Catholic News Service)
China considers three-child policy while India ponders two-child limit due to Muslim birth rates
(Julia Duin, Get Religion)
Saturday, 18 May 2019
Israel Folau's fight for religious freedom leaves behind ugly mess
(Bret Harris, The Guardian)
Bill accommodating students' religion signed into law
(Deborah Horne, KIRO 7)
Two powerhouse cardinals answer questions on Muslim migration, patriotism, contraception
(Dorothy Cummings McLean, Lifesite News)
Hope’s high stakes: ‘Rafiki’
(Commonweal)
Friday, 17 May 2019
6th Circuit orders new trial because of prosecutors' references to religion
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
A liberal law professor explains why the Equality Act would ‘crush’ religious dissenters
(John McCormack, National Review)
A prosecutor ridiculed a couple's patron saint. So a court reversed their drug convictions
(Andrew Wolfson, Louisville Courier Journal)
Actions against Jehovah's Witnesses in Volgograd region
(Interfax-Religion)
Adoption provider threatened by NY officials for its religious beliefs will likely appeal court ruling
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Alabama abortion law: Should Jewish and Muslim doctors and women get exemptions for religious freedom? | opinion
(Steven Waldman, Newsweek)
Alito weighs in late on Buddhist inmate's request for his spiritual adviser at his execution
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Battle for control over Christian broadcasting and relief organization
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Catholic bishop challenges Dallas police affidavit accuracy
(Associated Press)
Conscientious objection must be respectful, pope tells health care workers
(Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service)
Court rejects Christian adoption agency's challenge to anti-discrimination regulation
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Federal court ruling continues religious broadcaster’s family feud
(Dave Stafford, Indiana Lawyer)
Fire safety in church buildings
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Florida enacts new school voucher program despite previous state supreme court ruling
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Folau fired by Rugby Australia for contentious online posts
(John Pye, Associated Press)
Friday Five: Dallas clergy abuse, God and abortion, Colorado hero, 'Whiskeypalians,' Tenn. execution
(Bobby Ross Jr., GetReligion)
Gay couples plan mass weddings after Taiwan legalizes unions
(Ralph Jennings, Associated Press)
Group wants Tennessee DA to resign over anti-Islam post
(Associated Press)
House of Bishops meeting, 15-17 May 2019
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
How Samoa's prime minister is backing a Latter-day Saint effort to provide education in his nation
(Tad Walch, Deseret News Faith)
Kremlin evasive over public demonstrations against building church
(Interfax-Religion)
North Korea begins crackdown on Falun Gong
(Radio Free Asia)
NPR offers a short report on the eruv: Lots more can be said about making public space sacred
(Julia Duin, Get Religion)
Opinion: No religious exemptions from vaccines
(Jason L. Riley, The Wall Street Journal)
Seventh-day Adventist Church responds to Equality Act
(Seventh-day Adventist Church)
The New York Times thinks religious freedom has gone too far
(Nicole Russell, Washington Examiner)
Ukrainian tradition evoked in inauguration of new leader
(RISU, Russia Religion News)
VA orders Wiccan, Muslim texts removed from MIA/POW display that includes Bible
(Michael Cousineau, New Hampshire Union Leader)
VA will remove unauthorized religious additions to medical center display
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Thursday, 16 May 2019
American Muslims in public life say they face outsize scrutiny
(Leila Fadel, National Public Radio)
Burdensome water rates on churches challenged in lawsuit
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
California ‘confession bill’ viewed as violation of religious liberty
(Pablo Kay, Catholic News Service)
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