Law and Religion Headlines

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Friday, 3 November 2023

Does America still defy the classic 'secularization theory' favored by sociologists?
(Richard Ostling, GetReligion)

German vice-chancellor Habeck hits out against rising antisemitism
(Paul Kirby, BBC News)

Tunisia’s Islamist party leader is sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting terrorism
(Bouazza Ben Bouazza, Associated Press)

Myanmar seeking to repatriate Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh
(Al Jazeera)

USCIRF alarmed by attacks on religious sites during armed conflict
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

“Rainbow rags and crescents” will replace crosses in schools, warns Polish children’s right commissioner
(Notes from Poland)

In ‘Three Chaplains,’ Muslim military chaplains find resilience in faith
(Kathryn Post, Religion News Service)

Argentina's Jewish community rattled by rise in antisemitism (video)
(Deutsche Welle)

Religious liberty stops violence
(Jeremy Dys and Yaakov Menken, Newsweek)

Judge awards $150,000 to Christian student who balked at Chicago school’s meditation program
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)

When should ECtHR proceedings become ‘horizontal’? The issue of the ‘interested’ third party in A.S. and M.S. v. Italy
(Lorenzo Acconciamessa, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

Canada: Senate report on Islamophobia says urgent action needed to reverse rising tide of hate
(Peter Zimonjic, CBC News)

Colombia advisor to the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace shares insights on the importance of WCC’s accompaniment
(World Council of Churches)

Cuba: WCC voices support of UN resolution condemning ongoing blockade imposed on Cuba
(World Council of Churches)

Protecting equality or correcting thoughts?
(Richard W. Garnett, Law & Liberty)

Judicial stereotypes on female sexuality and reproduction: Nurcan Bayraktar v Türkiye
(Strasbourg Observers)

Fifteen years later—justice for a sacred site
(Carol Logan, Newsweek)

Are these the best and worst states for religious freedom?
(Jonah McKeown, Catholic News Agency)

Holy See on deportation: Human rights come before national interests
(Nina Benedikta Krapić, Vatican News)

China: Beijing bishop to make rare visit to Hong Kong amid broader tensions
(Greg Torode, Reuters)

Brazil bishops say land disputes, Indigenous frustrations continue under Lula
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Brazil: Understand how religions permeate war and the importance of reciprocal respect for different beliefs (Portuguese)
(Fernanda Bastos, G1)

Brazil: Collaborative secularism in practice (Portuguese video)
(Direito Religioso)

Guatemala: Authorities promote religious freedom (Spanish)
(Redacción DCA, Diario de Centro America)

King Charles III meets with religious leaders to promote peace on the final day of his Kenya visit
(Evelyne Musambi, Associated Press)

Humanists UK at UN calls on UAE to repeal blasphemy and apostasy laws
(Humanists UK)

Equality watchdog urges UK government to uphold its commitment to ban harmful conversion practices
(Equality and Human Rights Commission)

Swastikas sent to Belfast Jewish student, says peer
(BBC News)

Christ Church Review Group
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Religious sisters honored for fighting human-trafficking
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

Discrimination against “Voodoo” and Santeria
(Danielle Boaz, PRRI)

After Texas law forces closure of LGBTQ+ center, Houston campus ministries offer space for students
(David Paulsen, Episcopal News Service)

Wednesday, 1 November 2023

CALL FOR PAPERS, abstracts due 1 November 2023: Theology and Jurisprudence Symposium
(School of Law and Justice, University of Southern Queensland)

Turkey is celebrating 100 years as a republic. But today’s nation is a long way from 1923’s secular state
(Zara Khan, CNN)

Turkey: Experts and missionaries condemn the treatment of Christians
(Evangelical Times)

Advocacy letters to authorities in Cuba, Brazil, Malawi, and Ghana - October 2023
(International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB))

Cuba: Why are Cubas religious leaders going into exile?
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

Sri Lanka: USCIRF delegation travels to Sri Lanka to assess religious freedom conditions
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Vietnam: IRFBA Chair’s statement on Vietnamese religious prisoners of conscience: Lê Tùng Vân, Lê Thanh Trùng Dương, Lê Thanh Hoàn Nguyên, Lê Thanh Nhất Nguyên, Cao Thị Cúc, and Lê Thanh Nhị Nguyên
(U.S. Department of State)

Challenges facing FoRB and human rights: Strategies to strengthen the human rights architecture
(YouTube Video, European Union Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Nicaragua: Ortega and the Church: A cautionary tale
(Brandon Van Dyck, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)

The criminalisation of prayer with Isabel Vaughan-Spruce
(Catholic Herald)

Utah Gov. Cox warns America is heading in a dangerous direction
(Jacob Hess, Deseret News)

Campuses feel like political battlegrounds. Can a new initiative change that?
(Jacob Hess, Deseret News)

Perspective: Young people rally for freedom of religion all around the world
(Jacob Hess, Deseret News)

Justices skip religious Maine health workers' Covid vaccine suit
(Patrick Dorrian, Bloomberg Law)

Silently praying woman in Britain cited for ‘thoughtcrime’ for third time: Attorneys
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)

Catholic Church must elevate role of women, deal with issues of gender: synod report
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)

Curating Buddhism, Fostering Diplomacy: The “Secrets of the Fallen Pagoda” Exhibition in Singapore
(Jack Meng-Tat Chia and Darryl Kangfu Lim, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)

In Search of a Welcoming Environment for Religions in the “New Kazakhstan”
(Wade Kusack, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)

The Silence of the Roman Catholic Church on the Ukraine War
(Katharina McLarren, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)

A Bridge Over Troubled Water: How Worldview Helps Overcome the Religious-Secular Divide in Development Cooperation and Beyond
(Yannicke Goris and Simon Polinder, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)

Christian Nationalism's Threat to Global Democracy
(Nilay Saiya, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)

On a US tour, Ukrainian faith leaders plead for continued support against the Russian invasion
(Peter Smith, Associated Press)

‘Antisemitism has no place at Harvard’: College creates advisory board to tackle antisemitism in wake of anti-Israel letter
(Rick Sobey, Boston Herald)

Yes, anti-Zionism is antisemitism - editorial
(The Jerusalem Post)

Can we talk about anti-Semitism and Israel without "both-sidesism"?
(Josh Blackman, The Volokh Conspiracy)

Open hatred of Jews surges globally, inflamed by Gaza war
(Andrew Macaskill and Estelle Shirbon, Reuters)

Youngkin issues order aiming to combat antisemitism, other anti-religious hatred
(Associated Press)

Pennsylvania legislature repeals ban on public school teachers wearing religious garb or insignia
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

5 years after a Supreme Court win, Christian baker Jack Phillips’ fight is far from over
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)

India: The Hindu right and India's religious diplomacy
(Ian Hall, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Competing understandings of Islamic codes pertaining to women in the Arab world
(YouTube Video, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Rep. Mike Johnson says he's 'not trying to' make Christianity the national religion
(David Moye, The Huffington Post)

Mike Johnson symbolizes a new turn for the religious right
(Ronald Brownstein, CNN)

‘Only Catholics need apply’: Is religion a barrier to getting a job as a primary teacher?
(Peter McGuire, The Irish Times)

Ecclesiastical court judgments – October
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Leave your conscience at the Court: Religious tax protest before and after RFRA
(Samuel D. Brunson, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

Muslim women in the West in the crosshairs of Zionists, white ‘feminists’
(Sahar Aziz, Al Jazeera)

Poll: More religious Americans support the use of political violence
(Fiona André, Religion News Service)

Sweden’s soccer fans to be advised against wearing national team clothing on trips abroad
(Steve Douglas and Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press)

Holy See decries racism against migrants and religious discrimination
(Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News)

Ohio State research focuses on interactions among people of different faiths
(Chris Bournea, Ohio State News)

Japan: The proposed freezing of assets of religious corporations the government seeks to dissolve: a danger for all faiths in Japan
(Bitter Winter)

Australia: Voluntary assisted dying is finally being considered in the ACT. How would it differ from state laws?
(Ben White and Lindy Willmott, The Conversation)

10 things to know about China’s policies on religion
(Pew Research Center)

Tuesday, 31 October 2023

VIRTUAL EVENT, 31 October 2023 (9:30 ET): The International Religious Freedom Act at 25
(The United States Institute of Peace)

Monday, 30 October 2023

HYRBID EVENT, 30 October 2023 (5PM MT): Dialogue: What can we learn about bridging divides in America today? (Salt Lake City, UT, USA)
(BYU Law, The University of Utah, Equality Utah, 1st Amendment Partnership, Fairness For All Initiative, Braver Angels, Tolerance Means Dialogues)

Turkish police arrest 28 Daesh/ISIS terror suspects
(Zeynep Yesildal and Mustafa Gungor, Anadolu Agency)

U.S. bishops mark 25th anniversary of International Religious Freedom Act
(Diocese of Scranton)

As Turkey’s Christians celebrate a new church, religious minorities still call for respect
(David I. Klein, Religion News Service)

Statement from President Joe Biden on the 25th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act
(The White House)

International Religious Freedom Day – 25th anniversary of IRFA
(Antony J. Blinken, U.S. Department of State)

Canada: Western University fires Muslim chaplain over 'divisive' social media post
(CBC News)

Tynemouth Station: Palestine refugee mural removed after threat
(BBC News)

Law and religion round-up – 29th October
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

Hundreds attend vigil for Israel and Gaza
(BBC News)

Religions for Peace and the International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID announce the reaffirmation of their commitment to strengthening inter-institutional dialogue, cooperation and understanding
(Religions for Peace)

Around the web - 30 October 2023
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)

Recent cases of intolerance and desecation
(Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe)

Broad array of religious groups support medical nonprofit at 6th Circuit
(Alliance Defending Freedom)

Creating 21st century religious freedom advocacy
(Knox Thames, Real Clear Politics)

Theo-diplomacy: Peace and reconciliation in international and Islamic law
(Kaleem Hussain, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)

Can faith groups drive action on climate change?
(Hanane Benadi and James Walters, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)

States must address prejudice and discrimination based on religion or belief at all levels – UN expert
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)

3 mosques in Germany receive threat messages
(Anadolu Agency)

Religious actors are key to achieving a sustainable future in a multipolar world
(International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development)

New book: Secularism and Islam in Bangladesh: 50 Years After Independence
(Abdul Wohab, Routledge)

Centering the Black Muslimah: Interrogating Gendered, Anti-Black Islamophobia
(Rabiat Akande, SSRN)

Gender Equality and the Scope of Religious Freedom in S.A.S. v. France
(Ilias Trispiotis, SSRN)

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