Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 18 October 2023
A congressman’s ‘Dharma Caucus’ stirs suspicion for Hindu and Sikh organizations
(Richa Karmarkar, Religion News Service)
Russia halts circulation of new ruble note after complaints from priests
(AFP, The Guardian)
Russia: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest Oct 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Occupied Ukraine: Russian occupation forces continue to disappear religious leaders
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Mufti of Crimea: There are five Muslim chaplains in the ranks of the Armed Forces
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Belarus: Repressive draft Religion Law awaits second reading
(Olga Glace and Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Christians shouldn’t celebrate Elenis: A perspective from the Missio Dei
(David W. Opderbeck, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Sri Lanka: Church challenges Sri Lankan draft law to stifle social media
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Kenya: Shakahola must not drive State to undermine religious freedom
(Nyatundo George Oruongo, The Standard)
Belarusian judge confirms the liquidation of the New Life Church in Minsk
(Christian Network Europe)
Brazil: For the first time, Dial 100 agents receive training on religious diversity (Portuguese)
(Ministério dos Direitos Humanos e da Cidadania)
Brazil: Globo [TV] is reported to the MPF for religious intolerance in soap operas (Portuguese)
(Miguel Araújo, O Povo)
Religious liberty may bar defendant's forced medication, US court says
(Nate Raymond, Reuters)
USAID wants to partner with more faith groups
(Jeff Brumley, Baptist News Global)
Portugal moves to end Sephardic Jewish citizenship law
(Orge Castellano, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Religion is intimately linked to the center of a person’s identity (Portuguese)
(Inês Granja, 7 Margens)
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
EVENT, 17 October 2023 (6PM): Securing Religious Freedom: Why British Leadership on FoRB Should Be Written into Law (London, UK)
(Marc Sidwell, Malcolm Evans, Fabio Petito, Mervyn Thomas, and Fiona Bruce, The Henry Jackson Society)
Monday, 16 October 2023
Israel: White phosphorus used in Gaza, Lebanon
(Human Rights Watch)
Canada: Protesters urinated, defecated on church property, convoy trial hears
(David Fraser, CBC News)
France raises security level after school knife attack
(Laurence Peter, BBC News)
MWL statement on stabbing crime in France
(Twitter, Muslim World League)
Catholic patriarch of Jerusalem offers to be exchanged for hostages held by Hamas
(Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency)
Israel at war: Islamic world divided over Hamas massacres
(Gil Zohar, Religion Unplugged)
‘War knows no religion’: Gaza’s oldest church shelters Muslims, Christians
(Al Jazeera)
Far from Israel, Jews grieve and pray for peace in Shabbat services held as Israel-Hamas war rages
(Associated Press)
Australian parliament unites to condemn hate speech including antisemitism and Islamophobia
(Daniel Hurst, The Guardian)
Muslims gather at mosques for first Friday prayers since Israel-Hamas war started
(Associated Press)
Italian lawmakers debate long-delayed Holocaust Museum revived by far-right-led government
(Colleen Barry, Associated Press)
Inclusion of religious minorities and development of multicultural dialogue for the growth of democracy. The potentialities of the Italian model in the Mediterranean area
(Fondazione per le scienze religiose)
India: ICC releases report on concerning trends in India
(International Christian Concern)
Statement from President Joe Biden [on violent Islamophobic attack in Illinois]
(The White House)
Detroit religious leaders discuss threats against Muslims after man arrested (video)
(CBS News)
Around the web - 16 October 2023
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Nigeria: Religious activism for peace in Nigeria’s Northern Region
(Prince Charles Dickson and Sumayya Abubakar, Opinion Nigeria)
Ukrainian Muslims feeling destruction and rifts from the war
(Religion Watch, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Anti-war Russian clergy face punishment
(Maria Katamadze, Deutsche Welle)
Dealing with the Soviet past and democracy in the Russian Orthodox Church
(Religion Watch, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Global Interfaith Monitor No. 16
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Japan: The request for dissolution of the Unification Church in Japan: A tragic violation of freedom of religion or belief
(Bitter Winter)
Japan: Unification Church slams Japan’s dissolution request as a threat to religious freedom
(Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 16 October 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
State may regulate Health Care Sharing Ministries
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Punjab’s ‘Aeroplane’ temple: Where India-Canada tensions meet Sikh anxiety
(Yashraj Sharma, Religion News Service)
Hundreds of Germans form ‘human shield’ to protect synagogue as residents report antisemitic incidents
(Toby Axelrod, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
After their synagogue is vandalized, Porto Jews brace for antisemitism during Israel-Hamas war
(Shira Li Bartov, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The Bloom Review: Does government ‘do God?’ – The good, the bad and the ugly
(Martin Weightman, Law & Religion UK)
Report: Conflict resolution and interreligious encounter at the VHI
(University of Cambridge)
Why Family Law Treats Female Genital Mutilation and Circumcision Differently: An Explanation
(Nick Brown, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
Ewelina Ochab on the crime of genocide and her work in the Houses of Parliament
(YouTube Video, Brunel Law School)
Bangladesh: Tension rising in Bangladesh ahead of major Hindu festival
(Emran Hossain, Union of Catholic Asian News)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest October 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Norwegian Jehovah's Witnesses demand subsidy despite their loss of religious status
(Christian Network Europe)
New book: Towards Jihad? Muslims and Politics in Postcolonial Mozambique
(Eric Morier-Genoud, Hurst)
Deserted churches and fewer believers: Swiss abandon God
(Pauline Turuban, Swiss Info)
Exploring the diverse religious and political affiliations of Hispanic Americans
(Diana Orcés, PRRI)
Afghanistan: International Day of the Girl is a cruel irony for daughters in Afghanistan
(Belquis Ahmadi, The United States Institute of Peace)
Mexico: Segob and Prosecutor's Office accused of violating right to religious freedom in a CDMX church; corruption (Spanish)
(Carlos Ramírez, Reporte Indigo)
Brazil: Influencer who offended pastor in video on social network will pay R$12,000 for moral damages (Portuguese)
(Bom Dia Advogado)
Brazil: TRE-PI and OAB-PI promote debate on religious freedom (Portuguese)
(Tribunal Regional Eleitoral do Piauí)
Sunday, 15 October 2023
CALL FOR PAPERS, abstracts due 15 October 2023: Copyright in Islamic Law
(İstanbul Araştırma ve Eğitim Merkezi)
Friday, 13 October 2023
Jerusalem Heads of Churches urge addressing humanitarian crisis in Gaza
(World Council of Churches)
Statement by Lantos Foundation President on Hamas' brutal attack on Israel
(Katrina Lantos Swett, The Lantos Foundation)
Africa’s religious leaders take sides in ongoing Israel-Hamas war
(Tom Osanjo, Religion Unplugged)
Call for ‘Day of Jihad’ prompts greater vigilance by FBI, Jewish groups
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
Iran calls on Islamic, Arab countries to confront Israel over its war on Hamas
(The Times of Israel)
Most Jewish Americans have long-standing connections to Israel
(John Gramlich and Alan Cooperman, Pew Research Center)
Al-Azhar calls on Arabs and Muslims to take united stance against Israeli crimes
(Middle East Monitor)
Tens of thousands protest after Muslim prayers across Mideast over Israeli airstrikes on Gaza
(Isabel Debre and Jon Gambrell, Associated Press)
Obispos chilenos invitan a orar por la paz en el mundo
(Religión Digital)
US law enforcement on alert, thousands rally for Palestinian cause in New York City
(Joseph Ax and Julia Harte, Reuters)
Blinken invokes Jewish ancestry in address to grieving Israeli public
(John Hudson, The Washington Post)
VIRTUAL EVENT, 13 October 2023 (3:30PM GMT+2): Challenges Facing Freedom of Religion or Belief and Human Rights: Strategies to Strengthen the Human Rights Architecture
(with H.E. Ms. Ismat Jahan and Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, European Union & International Affairs Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Antisemitic incidents 'triple in UK' since Hamas attack
(Emily McGarvey, BBC News)
Sunak announces £3m extra to protect British Jewish community after Hamas attack
(The Independent)
Three Jewish schools in London to close over security fears
(Harry Farley, BBC News)
‘Retain and explain’ guidance – DCMS
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Church of England still has ‘considerable distance’ to cover on racial justice, Archbishop of York tells conference
(The Church of England)
Freedom House condemns heinous attack on Israel
(Michael J. Abramowitz, Freedom House)
Black churches play a key role in connecting communities to broadband internet
(Adelle M. Banks and Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
Un mensaje de ánimo al Presidente Sisi para ir más allá en la promoción de la libertad de religión o creencia en Egipto
(Mervyn Thomas, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Psychedelic ministry sells magic mushrooms from historic Detroit church
(Kathryn Post, Religion News Service)
Wracked by grief, US Jews gather to mourn, lament and raise money for Israel
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
Canada: Man sought for hate crimes after second Toronto mosque vandalized
(Toronto Sun)
Canada: Man wanted after hate symbols painted on east Toronto mosque, police say
(CBC News)
‘Burning of holy books, including the Quran, despicable act,’ says Swedish foreign minister
(Atilla Altuntas, Anadolu Agency)
The case of a Memphis man charged with trying to enter a Jewish school with a gun is moving forward
(Adrian Sainz, Associated Press)
Occupied Ukraine: Russian occupation forces close more churches, broadcast disinformation
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Nigeria: Death sentence and imprisonment under Nigerian blasphemy laws
(Georgia du Plessis, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Nigeria: "If he wins this case, every other blasphemy case would crumble!" - Yahaya Sharif-Aminu's death penalty blasphemy case highlighted at European Parliament
(ADF International)
Religious Liberty and the Constitution: Of Rules and Principles, Fixity and Change
(Mitchell N. Berman, SSRN)
Churches to EU: Armenian people need more resources
(Conference of European Churches)
Japan’s government asks a court to revoke the legal religious status of the Unification Church
(Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press)
New book: Religion, State, and Political Culture in Japan: Implications for the Post-Secular World
(Tokihisa Sumimoto, Rowman & Littlefield)
Nicaragua’s regime kidnaps 3 more priests
(Daniel Esparza, Aleteia)
Kyrgyz authorities shut down 32 mosques, 5 religious schools in southern Batken region
(Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty)
Afghanistan: Suicide bombing at Shiite mosque during Friday prayers kills 7 worshippers in Afghanistan’s north
(Associated Press)
Newsom signs laws to fast-track housing on churches’ lands, streamline housing permitting process
(Trân Nguyễn, Associated Press)
California won’t let these families choose a religious education
(First Liberty)
Podcast: Eastern Orthodox converts, Russian spies, the FBI and the Bible Belt (#horrors)
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
'Ethnic cleansing' of Armenian Christians: Time for the press to rethink persecution?
(Richard Ostling, GetReligion)
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