Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 17 April 2023
Hong Kong bishop visits Beijing on historic trip
(Kanis Leung, Associated Press)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest April 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Chinese national arrested on blasphemy charges in Pakistan
(Riaz Khan, Associated Press)
Regional actors seek to douse flames fueled by Jerusalem tensions
(Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen and Hesham Youssef, The United States Institute of Peace)
Holy Fire celebrated by Christians in Jerusalem amid Israeli police restrictions
(BBC News)
Jerusalem Christians say attacks on the rise
(Yolande Knell, BBC News)
At Christianity’s holiest site, rival monks struggle to turn other cheek
(Hiba Yazbek, The New York Times)
Reverend Samson’s prison sentence
(Vedant Patel, U.S. Department of State)
Conflict dynamics between Bangladeshi host communities and Rohingya refugees
(Geoffrey Macdonald, Isabella Mekker, and Lauren Mooney, The United States Institute of Peace)
Discrimination against Muslims in France stems from colonialism, expert says
(Gulcin Kazan Doger, Anadolu Agency)
France’s Macron ignores violations during China visit
(Bénédicte Jeannerod, Human Rights Watch)
Iraq: Flawed implementation of Yazidi compensation law
(Human Rights Watch)
Would the Pope fall foul of Uganda’s pending anti-LGBTQ+ law?
(Graeme Reid, Human Rights Watch)
After a brutal attack on one of their own, a religious minority community in Mexico is waiting for justice and religious freedom
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Around the web - 17 April 2023
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Defending the freedom to worship—Iranian Christian pastor released from prison
(ADF International)
Law and religion round-up – 16th April
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
“Excessive” bail conditions dropped for charity volunteer arrested for silent prayer
(ADF UK)
Minneapolis City Council OKs expansion of hours Muslim calls to prayer can be amplified
(CBS News)
Pascha in Ukraine, 2023: That's a subject journalists view through a totally Western lens
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
Dozens of POWs freed as Ukraine marks Orthodox Easter
(Hanna Arhirova, Associated Press)
Muslims around the world consider climate during Ramadan
(Edna Tarigan and Mariam Fam, Associated Press)
Washington family counselor challenges state’s ban on conversion therapy
(Kalvis Golde, SCOTUSblog)
Articles of interest - 17 April 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
A major military hospital’s conflict with Catholic priests, explained
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)
For embattled TN lawmakers, liberal faith movements were a training ground
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Taking a terrible toll: The Taliban’s education ban
(Belquis Ahmadi and Hodei Sultan, The United States Institute of Peace)
Building an architecture of peace: faith leaders fostering resilience and unity in Nigeria
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Over 50,000 Christians killed in Nigeria by Islamist extremists
(Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News)
Canada: Culture war against Saskatchewan religious schools must cease
(David Hunt, Saskatoon Star Phoenix)
Dutch prosecutors investigate activist who desecrated Quran
(Associated Press)
Supreme Court to hear arguments on workplace religious protections
(Michael Macagnone, Roll Call)
Supreme Court to deliver answer in religious mailman’s case
(Jessica Gresko, Associated Press)
Justices to hear evangelical Christian postal worker’s religious accommodation case
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)
Biden boils the religious-liberty frog
(Nicole Stelle Garnett and Meredith Holland Kessler, The Wall Street Journal)
How to teach young people about antisemitism
(Ruben Brosbe, U.S. News & World Report)
Plug-In: Losing their religion – shape of Latino Catholic population keeps changing in America
(Bobby Ross Jr., GetReligion)
CAIR-NJ welcomes NJ Dept. of Corrections’ policy allowing religious head coverings for publicly posted photographs
(Council on American-Islamic Relations)
44% say America would be ‘worse off’ without the Bible, but usage has fallen: Survey
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
WCC appeals for immediate ceasefire in Sudan
(World Council of Churches)
Plans for religious charter school, though rejected for now, are already pushing church-state debates into new territory
(Charles J. Russo, The Conversation)
Religion blocks freedom and democracy across the globe
(Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen)
Bitter Winter goes to Taiwan: witnessing for freedom of religion or belief
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
New USD theology professor navigates tension around religion and border justice
(University of San Diego)
India: A letter to Prime Minister Modi from senior advocate Dushyant Dave
(Dushyant Dave, The Hindu)
India: Religious leaders lay stress on oneness at C20 conference
(The Tribune)
Saturday, 15 April 2023
Iran vows crack down on people who promote removing the veil
(Reuters)
Friday, 14 April 2023
Israel: Christian faithful celebrate ‘Holy Fire’ under restrictions
(Isabel Debre, Associated Press)
Churches criticise Israeli curbs on Orthodox Easter event in Jerusalem
(Yolande Knell, BBC News)
UAE: detainees held beyond sentences
(Human Rights Watch)
Essay: Elder Hu Shigen’s release is welcome, but more importantly it reminds us that we must stand up to the CCP
(Ellis Heasley, Sight)
Myanmar: Reverend Dr Hkalam Samson sentenced to six years in prison
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
'It has become a cycle': Muslim Canadians more vigilant during Ramadan
(Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press)
15 detained in anti-radical terror op in Istanbul
(Hurriyet Daily News)
2 Muslim women report alleged hate crime involving gun threat in Canada's Ontario
(Firdevs Bulut Kartal, Anadolu Agency)
New book: Advanced Introduction to Law and Religion
(Frank S. Ravitch, Edward Elgar Publishing)
Kazkstan: Dozens convicted for posting religious messages online or offering literature
(Evangelical Focus)
RFI celebrates the freedom of 63 Chinese Christians
(Religious Freedom Institute)
Chart a better course? Guest post on an Australian Human Rights Charter- part 2
(Paul Taylor, Law and Religion Australia)
Two Justices say Iowa should adopt ministerial exception doctrine
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Supreme Court argument in faithful carrier case coming up on April 18
(First Liberty)
Against a broad reading of Title VII's religious accommodation provision
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
The Supreme Court, the Sabbath and a much-debated piece of civil rights law
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)
US Secretary of State should press Vietnam on rights during visit
(Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch)
Abortion pill rulings undermine religious freedom, interfaith leaders say
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
White House appoints new Muslim community liaison
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Among U.S. Latinos, Catholicism continues to decline but is still the largest faith
(Pew Research Center)
Iran cracks down on 'crime' of promoting hijab removal
(Deutsche Welle)
What a democracy can lose without Christianity
(Miles Smith IV, National Review)
"No Ukrainian politician to ever control the Orthodox Church of Ukraine," - Metropolitan Epifaniy
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Uzbekistan: 15-day jail for haram yoghurt videos
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
A tale of rival factions: St Mary of Debre Tsion revisited
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Antisemitism claims now account for nearly 48 per cent of cases considered by Labour NEC
(Lee Harpin, Jewish News)
Constituting Religion: Islam, Liberal Rights, and the Malaysian State
(Tamir Moustafa, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Holy See: Development policies must put the human person at the centre
(Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News)
Hong Kong Bishop heads to mainland China amid Vatican strains
(Lok-kei Sum, Al Jazeera)
A small dip in Islamophobia in the US give us hope
(Corey Saylor, Al Jazeera)
India: Quota withdrawal for Muslims: Karnataka BJP upbeat despite SC rap
(Siasat Daily)
Indian govt: Christians’ persecution claims false
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
African churches launch human rights award
(World Council of Churches)
WCC offers input to the UN New Agenda for Peace
(World Council of Churches)
In the news: breaking religious freedom stories across the country - 14 April 2023
(First Liberty)
Less than half of French believe in God, says survey (Paris has the most believers)
(Evangelical Focus)
French Evangelicals ask UN to help against secularist state
(Christian Network Europe)
Does public entities’ institutional autonomy ‘unlock’ an ECHR rights-holder status by default? National broadcasters’ locus standi in the Croatian Radio-Television v. Croatia case
(Veronica Botticelli, Strasbourg Observers)
US wants to help remove Vietnam from special watch list on religious freedom: Ambassador
(Vietnam Plus)
Indonesia: Celebrating interfaith tolerance in Papua
(Antara News)
Brazil's Lula should be clear-eyed about Beijing
(Maria Laura Canineu and Maya Wang, Human Rights Watch)
Brazil: Security system focuses on religious intolerance in operation to prevent attacks on São Luís schools (Portuguese)
(Daniel Matos, O Estado)
Colombia: Participate in the construction of the Public Policy of Religious Freedom and Cults (Colombia)
(Camila Camacho, Alcadía de Bacaramanga)
Nicaragua: Holy Week 2023: 20 kidnapped, besieged temples and imprisoned processions (Spanish)
(Confidential)
Nicaragua: Ortega dictatorship confiscates monastery of Trappist nuns (Spanish)
(Confidential)
Teacher in Sardinia suspended for 20 days for praying with her students
(Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe)
Italy: Bombing targets Jehovah’s Witnesses’ place of worship
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
How a target of religious bigotry and racism found a higher way
(Simran Jeet Singh, Deseret News)
Former VP Mike Pence on faith and politics
(YouTube Video, Michael Easley inContext)
Dismissal recommended in healthcare worker's claim for religious exemption from vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 12 April 2023
ONLINE COLLOQUIUM, 3 April to 12 April, 2023: Interreligious interactions in South Asia
(University of Cambridge)
Canada: Banning student-initiated prayer in school spaces is unconstitutional, and unjust
(Derek Ross, The Globe and Mail)
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