Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 25 August 2023
In Pakistan, religious freedom is withering
(Knox Thames, The Hill)
Christian persecution on the rise in Asia, world
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Wednesday, 23 August 2023
More than 100 chaplains urge Texans not to hire school chaplains
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Resolve to expose violence based on religion or belief: UN experts
(United Nations)
International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religion or Belief (22 August 2023): Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU
(Council of the European Union)
Stopping violence based on religion must be a priority
(Janet Epp Buckingham, Evangelical Focus)
On the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, spotlight on violence in Pakistan
(ADF International)
How Pakistan's blasphemy laws stir vigilante violence
(Haroon Janjua, Deutsche Welle)
Pakistan hands out cash to Christians who lost homes in rioting over alleged desecration of Quran
(Asim Tanveer and Munir Ahmed, Associated Press)
Today, stand with victims of blasphemy laws
(Sean Nelson, Real Clear Religion)
Pakistan: 'The fear is not going away': Christians in Pakistan afraid to return home
(Charlotte Greenfield, Reuters)
Letter to Texas school boards re: Unconstitutional proposals to allow chaplains in public schools
(American Civil Liberties Union)
A new puritanism is turning Catholics into Salem’s witches
(Kathleen Parker, The Washington Post)
Costa Rican evangelicals reject UN request to decriminalise abortion in the country
(Evangelical Focus)
African faith leaders statement on how Africa can emerge from today's multiple crises
(Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network Africa (JENA))
IGE launches new Eastern Europe religious engagement initiative in Tbilisi, Georgia
(Institute for Global Engagement)
Nicaragua: Jesuit residence in Nicaragua seized by Ortega regime
(Kevin Clarke, America: The Jesuit Review)
Regional advisory group workshop on faith actors for child rights and well-being
(Asian Conference of Religions for Peace)
Enforcing agreement to cooperate with Jewish religious court does not violate Establishment Clause
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Israel: Ultra-Orthodox push for draft exemption law strains the coalition’s docile unanimity
(David Horovitz, The Times of Israel)
OIC affirms the rejection of any decision to change the geographical or demographic character of the City of Al-Quds
(Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)
WCC calls on Israeli government to allow access to holy site
(World Council of Churches)
Church leaders plead with Israeli government as anti-Christian incidents increase in Holy Land
(Michele Chabin, Religion News Service)
Lawmaker warns of Chinese communists changing the Bible
(Tyler Arnold, Catholic News Agency)
Courts weigh protections for LGBTQ+ workers fired by religious employers
(Leah Shepherd, Society for Human Resource Management)
India: Assam government has invited public comments on proposed law banning polygamy
(Bikash Singh, The Economic Times)
Excluding farmer's market vendor for refusing to host same-sex weddings on its land violates Free Exercise Clause
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
Catholic apple farmer unfairly barred from Michigan public market, judge rules
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
India: HC seeks Maha govt response on Swamy’s PIL against Pandharpur Temples Act
(Hindustan Times)
Pope Francis to European lawyers: Be at service of truth and justice
(Edoardo Giribaldi, Vatican News)
Massachusetts cities and towns have spent millions restoring historic religious sites. They don’t know if it was constitutional.
(Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Magazine)
Opinion: When it comes to drag queen storytime in schools, Ontario should look to its long history of compromise
(Jason Ellis, The Globe and Mail)
Kenya closes churches over ‘starvation massacre’ that has killed 427
(Fredrick Nzwili, Religion News Service)
San Diego Nazarene pastor fired for same-sex marriage stance
(Paul Sisson, The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Afghanistan: Policy options for preventing mass atrocities in Afghanistan (PDF)
(United States Holocaust Memorial Musuem)
Maryland man charged with ISIS-inspired plot pleads guilty to planning separate airport attack
(Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press)
Maryland man charged with Daesh-inspired plot pleads guilty to planning separate airport attack
(Arab News)
How Americans view Israel, Netanyahu and U.S.-Israel relations in 5 charts
(Shradha Dinesh and Laura Silver, Pew Research Center)
Two histories, one future: The legacy of Confederate memorials and the promise of public spaces
(PRRI)
Future bleak for Rohingya in Bangladesh, Myanmar
(Human Rights Watch)
Mozambique: Southern African leaders silent over abuses in Mozambique
(Zenaida Machado, Human Rights Watch)
Uzbekistan: Agenda for change on human rights
(Human Rights Watch)
Sweden ups terror alert after countless Quran desecrations
(Daily Sabah)
Put simply, the Bible is on trial (Finland)
(Chip Roy, Member of Congress)
From MLK to today, the March on Washington highlights the evolution of activism by Black churches
(David Crary, Associated Press)
Pope Francis calls for peaceful end to the Niger crisis
(Associated Press)
Ghana: Combatting accusations of witches in Ghana
(Katherine Marshall, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Ghana: Don’t compromise bill for LGBTQ+ investors, clerics tell Parliament
(Arnold Neliba, Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Religious-freedom conservatism
(Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Law & Liberty)
Should the Muslim call to prayer be broadcast in American cities?
(Cory Stockwell, First Things)
Imam Chaplain: There are no interreligious conflicts in the Ukrainian military
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Ukrainian Orthodox churches purge vestiges of Russian influence
(Meagan Saliashvili, Religion News Service)
Interfaith dialogue is vital for building inclusive and peaceful societies free from religious hatred, OSCE human rights head says
(Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE))
Fostering peace, OSCE human rights boss stresses interfaith dialogue’s vital role
(Juan Sanchez Gil, The European Times)
2 minutes for believers of all faiths in prison in Russia
(Willy Fautré, The European Times)
Türkiye summons Danish, Dutch envoys over continued Quran desecration
(TRT World)
Muslim girls forced to recite Hindu prayers in IIOJK school
(Kashmir Media Service)
Belgium: Media fabrication of religious hostility: the example of Jehovah’s Witnesses
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Taiwan: No anti-cult activity, no religious intolerance: the example of Taiwan
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
RFI president presents agenda for action against violent persecution at “9th World Congress”
(Religious Freedom Institute)
The UK and the European Convention on Human Rights (podcast)
(The Briefing Room, BBC)
Synagogue ‘appalled’ by cemetery vandalism
(Christian Fuller, BBC News)
High Court win for humanist leads to new Government guidance for local authorities
(Humanists UK)
Law and religion round-up – 20th August
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Tunisia: Will inheritance equality ever be up for debate in Tunisia?
(Al Jazeera)
Religion in the workplace: Understanding religious accommodations
(Freedom Forum)
Tuesday, 22 August 2023
VIRTUAL EVENT, 22 August 2023 (15:00 GMT): The International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief - Action for Lasting Change
(International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA))
Monday, 21 August 2023
Churches must lead development in Black communities — if they want it to get done
(Quintin E. Primo, Religion News Service)
Pope Francis’s humanitarian diplomacy for Ukraine: Between peacemaking and geopolitics
(Pavlo Smytsnyuk, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
UAE: Ministers and senior officials hail UAE’s humanitarian commitment
(Gulf News)
EVENT, 21-23 August 2023: 9th IRLA World Congress on Religious Freedom - 130 Years of Advocacy (Washington, DC)
(International Religious Liberty Association)
Is all fair in war? Innocent blood, armed conflict, and King David
(David J. Shepherd, OUPblog: Religion)
Church Reporter, Vol. 8/8, 15 August 2023 - Newsletter for the English speaking members and friends of the Church Law Society (PDF)
(Jiří Rajmund Tretera, Záboj Horák, et al., eds., Church Law Society Prague – Brno – Olomouc – Stříbro – České Budějovice)
Religious preschools fight to serve Colorado families
(Becket)
Appeals court cites lack of jurisdiction in ruling against parents in Maryland school board “gender identity” policy case
(Religious Freedom Institute)
Australia: Vilification claims based on critique of drag queens event dismissed
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)
Unapologetic Shiite cleric blasts corruption in Iraq and Lebanon, and attempts to silence him
(Bassem Mroue and Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press)
Swedish government considers allowing police to stop Koran burnings
(Reuters)
A woman interrupts a Quran-burning protest in Sweden by spraying activist with a fire extinguisher
(Associated Press)
Myanmar: Swiss national arrested in military-ruled Myanmar for allegedly insulting Buddhism in film
(Associated Press)
Challenge to Maine's elimination of religious exemption to school vaccination mandate may move ahead
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Perspective: When it comes to Jewish voters, social and cultural issues matter most
(Samuel J. Abrams, Deseret News)
Does Germany offer a model — or a warning — for how the US should fight antisemitism?
(Arno Rosenfeld, Forward)
Antisemitism and radical anti-Israel bias on the political left in Europe
(Anti-Defamation League)
Australia: Threats to religious freedom in Australia
(Michael F. Bird, Acton Institute)
Southwest religious training order halted as airline appeals
(Patrick Dorrian, Bloomberg Law)
Iran: Renewed crackdown on Christians in Iran underway
(Georgia Gilholy, Catholic Herald)
Imprisoned for 2018 social media post, Algerian Christian pastor released from prison
(ADF International)
Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria says no to military intervention in Niger
(Vatican News)
Zimbabweans debate manifesto promising to ‘restore’ Christian values
(Cyril Zenda, Religion Unplugged)
Riga’s Peitav-Shul bears witness to Latvia’s Jewish heritage
(Robert Carle, Religion Unplugged)
Hong Kong: Annual EU report illustrates further decline of fundamental freedoms
(European Commission)
Sri Lanka: Catholics slam Sri Lanka prez for political speech at shrine
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns Holy Quran copy burning in front of Libyan Embassy in Denmark
(The Libya Observer)
Article 18: an indivisible right divided
(José Luis Bazán, Aid to the Church in Need)
Argentina: Anti-cult repression in Argentina 2. Salum, PROTEX, and the Buenos Aires Yoga School
(Willy Fautré, Bitter Winter)
ISIS just got a new boss. Does anyone care anymore?
(Max J. Prowant, Newsweek)
Column from Italy: Authority doesn’t see Protestant house of worship as church
(Chiara Lamberti, Christian Network Europe)
Italy: Historic decline in religious practice
(FSSPX)
Philippines: Religious freedom bill sparks concern and support among religious groups
(Adventist News Network)
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