Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 6 October 2023
Colombia: National Day of Religious Freedom and Worship (Spanish)
(Municipio de Dosquebradas)
Special program. Religious freedom. (Spanish)
(Cope)
Thursday, 5 October 2023
EVENT, 5 October 2023 (14:00): Addressing Anti-Religious Hate Crime in the OSCE Area (Warsaw, Poland)
(Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE))
Wednesday, 4 October 2023
VIRTUAL EVENT, 4 October 2023 (10 AM ET): The Faith Factor in Climate
(PRRI)
School board member told to stop citing Scripture at meetings: lawsuit
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)
In Hindu Heritage Month, Hindu Americans seek to educate the public — and themselves
(Richa Karmarkar, Religion News Service)
Daughter of 'jailed' Muslim Uighur scholar appeals for global support
(TRT World)
Pope suggests Catholic Church could bless same-sex couples
(Christy Cooney, BBC News)
Danish opposition parties ask MPs to ensure parliament attendance to reject bill banning Quran burning
(Ebad Ahmed, Anadolu Agency)
Convivial narratives as agency: Middle-class Muslims evading racialisation in Copenhagen
(Amani Hassani, Sage Journals)
The campaign against Baylor is an attack on religious freedom
(Richard W. Garnett & Nathan A. Berkeley, National Review)
Hurbain v Belgium: Navigating the intersection of privacy and press freedom in the digital age
(Harriet Ní Chinnéide, Strasbourg Observers)
European Buddhist Union calls on Chinese government to stop interfering in Tibetan Buddhist affairs
(Central Tibetan Administration)
Assembly calls for protection of Christians in the Holy Land
(Lutheran World Federation)
Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on fifth day of Sukkot
(Al Jazeera)
Israeli minister holds Sukkot prayer service in Saudi Arabia amid warming ties
(Ben Sales, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Israel: MK Tibi proposes bill to strengthen protection of religious symbols
(Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman, The Jerusalem Post)
Orthodox Jews filmed spitting at Christians in Jerusalem's Old City
(Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman, The Jerusalem Post)
Israeli police arrest suspects for spitting near Christian pilgrims and churches in Jerusalem
(Julia Frankel, Associated Press)
Pakistan must confront blasphemy-related vigilante violence
(Menaal Munshey, The New Humanitarian)
Pakistan, court summons Prime Minister to crack down on “inauthentic Qurans”
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Nicaragua's religious persecution requires international action | Opinion
(Kristina Hjelkrem, Newsweek)
Talks with authors: Agreeing to disagree: How the establishment clause protects religious diversity and freedom of conscience
(The Federalist Society)
‘Am I going to feel anything?’: Young Zoroastrians reconnect with their faith
(Tori Luecking, Religion News Service)
Birds, worms, rabbits: Francis of Assisi was said to have loved them all – but today’s pet blessings on his feast day might have seemed strange to the 13th century saint
(Mary Dzon, The Conversation)
The Myanmar junta should have no place at the ASEAN-EU Human Rights Dialogue
(Jonathan de Leyser, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Islamophobia in the West, Muslim world must be tackled, experts warn
(Mehmet Çelik, Daily Sabah)
Seychelles opposition leader Patrick Herminie charged with witchcraft
(Gloria Aradi, BBC News)
Niger attack: Jihadists kill dozen of soldiers in deadliest raid since coup
(Wycliffe Muia, BBC News)
Mexico church: Ten dead after Tamaulipas roof collapse
(Alex Binley and Vanessa Buschschlüter, BBC News)
Ukraine's Zaporozhye Jewish community celebrates Sukkot amidst war
(Zvika Klein, The Jerusalem Post)
US, asked about Sikh separatist groups, says it respects free speech
(Simon Lewis and Kanishka Singh, Reuters)
The persecution of Armenian Christians is not just a religious freedom issue
(Joel Veldkamp, First Things)
October 2023 Newsletter
(The Association of Religion Data Archives)
Belarus: After church bulldozed, New Life Church faces liquidation
(Olga Glace, Forum 18 News Service)
Romanian State: Religious denominations agree on setting up new national dialogue committee
(Orthodox Times)
Romania marks decision to teach Jewish history, Holocaust in schools
(Reuters)
A Nepal town imposes a lockdown and beefs up security to prevent clashes between Hindus and Muslims
(Associated Press)
11th Circuit: Buddhist organization prevails under Alabama state constitution in zoning fight
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
New South Asian Congressional caucus launched amid criticism from some civil rights groups
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Faith-based health organizations defend at-risk AIDS initiative from Republicans
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
Fate of historic Sofia church unclear as Bulgaria accuses abbot of spying for Russia
(David I. Klein, Religion News Service)
Islamophobia is not ‘freedom of speech’
(Shafiquil Muhshna, Al Jazeera)
India: Hindu extremists loot and burn down Muslim shops during religious holidays
(Middle East Monitor)
India: The BJP is ‘legitimising’ hate speech: Indian Muslim MP
(Hanan Zaffar, Al Jazeera)
India: USCIRF reiterates concerns on religious freedom in India, calls for release of religious prisoners of conscience
(United States Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Kyrgyzstan: USCIRF releases report on religious freedom in Kyrgyzstan
(United States Commission on International Religious Freedom)
CAIR-Chicago condemns student Quran burning in Naperville, exposes RSS Hindutva connection
(Council on American-Islamic Relations)
Spain: Muslim groups protest novelist’s views on Islam
(Thomas O'Reilly, The European Conservative)
OSCE Norway: Arbitrary de-registration of Jehovah’s Witnesses: a case of discrimination denounced at the OSCE
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Russia: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest Sept 16-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Ukrainian churches criticise proposal on legalising porn industry
(Christian Network Europe)
Inside the anti-LGBTQ effort to put Christianity back in schools
(Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton, NBC News)
EVENT, 13 October 2023 (4PM ET): Religious Liberty, Courage, and the Necessity of Leadership (Notre Dame, IN, USA)
(Michael Pompeo, University of Notre Dame)
Vietnam sentences Christian to 8 years for ‘undermining unity’
(Radio Free Asia)
Colonial reverberations in contemporary religious freedom promotion
(Jason Klocek, The Immanent Frame)
New book: Religious Freedom and Populism: The Appropriation of a Human Right and How to Counter It
(Edited by Bernd Hirschberger and Katja Voges, Columbia University Press)
Second Brazilian Symposium on Religious Freedom: Welcoming Remarks
(Gary Doxey, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Brazil: Images of historic saints are broken with a pickaxe in the interior of SP: 'religious intolerance', says priest (Portuguese)
(Brenda Bento, G1)
Chile: New Constitution and religious freedom: exceptional treatment and dispute over "conscience" (Spanish)
(Nicolás Panotto, Ciper Chile)
Tuesday, 3 October 2023
EVENT, 3 October 2023 (9AM to 4PM ET): Commemorating RFRA & IRFA: Why Religious Freedom Remains Vital to U.S. Law and Policy (Washington, DC, USA)
(Religious Freedom Institute)
EVENT, 3 October 2023: 6th Annual Summit for Religious Freedom (Dallas, Texas, USA)
(DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom)
EVENT, 1-3 October 2023: South Asia Regional Workshop on Freedom of Religion or Belief (Bangkok)
(International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB))
30th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, 1-3 October 2023: Protecting the Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion: 75 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Provo, Utah, USA)
(International Center for Law and Religion Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University)
How ‘nones’ − the religiously unaffiliated − are finding meaning, purpose and spirituality in psychedelic churches
(Morgan Shipley, The Conversation)
Monday, 2 October 2023
Report on policies, programs, and actions across the globe to combat antisemitism
(U.S. Department of State)
Condemning the life sentence of Professor Rahile Dawut
(Matthew Miller, U.S. Department of State)
Governor Henry McMaster scores major victories for religious liberty
(Governer South Carolina)
Major victories for faith-based foster care in South Carolina
(Ryan Colby, Becket Law)
Tehran condemns Sweden's silence to repeated Quran desecrations
(Tehran Times)
Qatar: Georgetown University wraps up conference on undoing Islamophobia
(Qatar News Agency)
Exploring collaborative efforts between faith and development
(International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development)
Iran: Religious persecutions and issues : Monthly digest September
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest September 16-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China is widening its crackdown on Tibetan culture
(Emily K. Scolaro, Religion Dispatches)
China’s persecution of Uyghurs extends to those it once favoured
(The Economist)
Niger attack: Soldiers killed by hundreds of jihadists in Kandadji
(Wycliffe Muia, BBC News)
Australia leaving women, children to be 'unlawfully detained' in Syria camp: rights group
(Middle East Monitor)
Lebanese military court sentences Daesh official to 160 years in prison
(Arab News Pakistan)
Testimony to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom
(Human Rights Watch)
Dozens dead after blast in southwestern Pakistan at a rally celebrating birthday of Islam’s prophet
(Abdul Sattar, Associated Press)
Inspired by llamas, the desert and Mother Earth, these craftswomen weave sacred textiles
(María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press)
AME Bishop Silvester Beaman named chair of White House council on African engagement
(Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)
US lawmaker launches caucus to protect interests of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains
(Hindustan Times)
US Central Command captures key Daesh official in Syria raid
(TRT World)
The future of homeland security: Addressing the rise of terrorism in Africa
(Donna Charles, The United States Institute of Peace)
Canada: Prioritise mental health, not MAiD, say Canadians
(Cardus)
Türkiye condemns terrorist attack against mosque in Pakistan
(Daily Sabah)
Qatar to host international conference to address Islamophobia
(Ahmed Asmar, Anadolu Agency)
Chipotle sued after manager allegedly rips off Muslim employee's hijab
(TRT World)
Disabled Muslim man beaten to death in India after eating at Hindu temple
(TRT World)
Canada's Sikhs are grateful - and afraid - after Trudeau's India allegations
(Steve Scherer, Reuters)
Sikh group protests outside Golden Temple over killing in Canada
(Manoj Kumar, Reuters)
How did a volunteer from a Nazi unit get invited to Parliament? Your questions, answered
(CBC News)
Anger grows over Ukraine's largest Orthodox church, still aligned with Moscow despite war
(Brian Mann, NPR)
In Yemen, 5 fighters from secessionist force killed in clashes with suspected al-Qaida militants
(Associated Press)
Blinken urges Indian cooperation in Canada's Sikh murder probe
(Humeyra Pamuk and David Brunnstrom, Reuters)
Articles of interest - 2 October 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Rice study: Peer religious discrimination harms mental health more than exclusionary organizational policies
(Amy McCaig, Religion and Public Life Program, Rice University)
In conversation: Podcast explores the preparation for social action program
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Email Subscription
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies maintains a Law and Religion Headlines service covering news about freedom of religion or belief internationally. All interested may subscribe to this service, free of charge, using the link below.
Subscribe