Law and Religion Headlines
LAW AND RELIGION HEADLINES WORKGROUP
Subscribe to the email service
Sunday, 30 August 2026
Tuesday, 16 June 2026
EVENT, 16 June 2026: Religious Freedom Annual Review: The USA at 250: Life, Religious Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Provo, Utah, USA)
(International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), Brigham Young University)
Monday, 15 June 2026
EVENT, 15 June 2026: RFAC Dinner (Provo, Utah, USA)(Religious Freedom Alliance Council)
Sunday, 14 June 2026
Friday, 5 June 2026
VIRTUAL EVENT, 5 June 2026: Faith in the Crossfire: The Religious Dimensions of Sudan's Civil War
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Articles of interest - 1 June 2026
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
The UN is investigating religious violence in Nigeria. Here’s what they should do.
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Religion Unplugged)
WCC, UN Refugee Agency sign historic memorandum of understanding that deepens collaboration
(World Council of Churches)
Spirit of the Law and Religion: Essays in Honor of W. Cole Durham, Jr.
(The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
Volume 41 No. 6
(Religion Watch, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Christian psychologists in Brazil fight to express their faith
(Erica Neves, Christianity Today)
The Muslim World League condemns the continued Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque
(Muslim World League)
Four brothers released in Russia
(Jehovah's Witnesses)
Multi-religious effort in Mexico confronts violence against women and forges safe spaces
(Religions for Peace)
Religions for Peace and UNICEF expand partnership for child health and protection
(Religions for Peace)
Peace and reconciliation facilitators build greater compassion and care in Japan
(Religions for Peace)
Peruvian shamans perform a blessing ritual ahead of a presidential runoff
(Mauricio Muñoz, Associated Press)
Prime Minister Carney highlights new measures to combat antisemitism and support Canada’s Jewish community
(Prime Minister of Canada)
Mamdani skipped NYC’s Israel Day Parade. Supporters say he missed the point.
(Michele Chabin, Religion News Service)
Samaritan's purse airlifts Ebola treatment center to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(Samaritan’s Purse)
Climate change exacerbates religious conflicts, study indicates
(Kerstin Schneider, phys.org)
A pastor in a Chinese prison, a daughter holding onto hope
(Grace Jin Drexel, Real Clear Politics)
Religious leaders of Ukraine call on the world to step up sanctions against Russia
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Pakistani Dutch Christian community protests in Groningen over forced conversion and child marriage in Pakistan
(Kashif Nawab, Eurasia Review)
Elderly Christian among 31 sentenced in China church crackdown
(Gao Zhensai, Religion Unplugged)
The 'Abraham Accords' project threatens the sovereignty of states
(Taghrib News Agency)
Australia’s banking system locks many Muslims out of first home buyer schemes. Here’s how to fix it
(Maria Bhatti, The Conversation)
Ecumenical organizations launch “Fasting and Prayer to Awaken Consciences” campaign across Argentina
(World Council of Churches)
Churches in Fiji express concern over increasing reports of missing children
(World Council of Churches)
COMECE contributes to OSCE event on anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
Slovakia: Application to state recognition of new religious communities made impossible
(Hans Noot, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Religious freedom concerns grow over imprisoned Adventist pastor in Kyrgyzstan
(Adventist Today)
Unholy violence: Weaponizing religion against gender rights defenders in Myanmar
(James Gomez, The Diplomat)
Senate committee derails religious speech defence in Bill C-9
(Quinton Amundson, The Catholic Register)
Representative Rigzin Genkhang joins Belgian Tibetan Buddhist Centre’s special prayer meet for world peace marking the Year of Compassion
(Central Tibetan Administration)
Palestine’s supreme judge: Israeli bill to restrict Muslim call to prayer an attack on freedom of worship
(Middle East Monitor)
Engaging with Parliament
(X, Zimbabwe Council of Churches)
Baylor joins multi-university consortium to launch first cross-faith AI benchmark
(Baylor University)
Americans judge the Good Book more positively, but still often by its cover
(Lifeway)
ACLJ’s CeCe Heil appointed as Commissioner for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
(American Center for Law and Justice)
Monday, 1 June 2026
In good faith? The federal government’s long road to rebuilding trust with faith-based partners
(Katie Thompson, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
New law would require priests to break seal of Confession
(Thomas Colsy, Catholic Herald)
Religion and the Russia-Ukraine War: A Primer
(Denys Brylov, Tetiana Kalenychenko, Peter Mandaville, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
The story of Pope Leo’s ‘landmark’ text on AI technology – by a member of its launch panel
(The Conversation)
Buddha's Birthday Celebration: A vivid testament to Vietnam's policy of religious freedom.
(Báo Quốc Tế)
A cathedral, Ho Chi Minh, and a Catholic backlash
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Christians arrested in Uttar Pradesh for holding prayer meeting
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
One arrested in Kathmandu for inciting religious hatred
(Nepal News)
Ultra-Orthodox protesters block roads and trains across Israel over military draft
(Melanie Lidman and Samy Magdy, Associated Press)
New patriarch assumes role in Iraq in one of Middle East’s most important Christian churches
(Associated Press)
2nd Circuit: USCIS rejection of Yemeni guardianships as equivalent to adoption did not violate RFRA
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
The destruction of churches and the battle over a nation’s future
(Mariya Manzhos, Deseret News)
Chicago mayor sees Pope Leo XIV as key ally on social justice, migration after Vatican meeting
(Andrea Rosa and Giada Zampano, Religion News Service)
Trump’s designation of Brazilian criminal groups as terrorists concerns clergy
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
How the Alevi community came to thrive in Germany
(Ceyda Nurtsch, Deutsche Welle)
The Pope addressed AI. Can employees reject it for religious reasons?
(Greta Cross, USA Today)
Kyrgyzstan: Secret police's latest target: Baptists
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Germany’s church tax faces rights scrutiny
(The European Times)
Nicaraguan advocate laments ‘silence’ about Catholic persecution
(Madalaine Elhabbal, EWTN News)
A faith-based movement is destroying guns — and making them garden tools
(Alma Beauvais, Religion Unplugged)
How Democrats turned on religious freedom
(Thomas F. Farr, First Things)
Muslim voices on AI, human dignity, and the G20 USA agenda
(G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Christians slam ‘conversion’ remark by Nepali parliamentarian
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
WCC co-organizes Vatican conference on building interreligious fraternity in Europe
(World Council of Churches)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest May 16-31
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Montagnard pastor and congregant arrested for 'undermining national unity'
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Protection on paper: The situation of freedom of religion or belief in Mexico
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Rep. Tom Suozzi: Faith should be freely embraced, not politically imposed
(America: The Jesuit Review)
Why there are (and should be) Constitutional constraints on government religious speech
(Alan Brownstein and Vikram Amar, Justia)
Carney says Jewish Canadians are being 'brutally targeted' and the country is failing them
(Christopher Nardi, National Post)
Presidential message on Global Coptic Day
(The White House)
Sikhs 'demonised' after murder, says community leader
(Ethan Gudge, BBC)
Friday, 29 May 2026
HYBRID EVENT, 29 May 2026: 12th Annual Law and Religious Freedom Conference (Kansas City, MO, USA)(Religious Freedom Alliance Council)
(University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law)
Religious persecution in Europe and the Americas has become a trend
(Filipe d’Avillez, Aid to the Church in Need)
Wartime Origins of China’s Protestant Policy
(Quan Li, Institute for Global Engagement, Routledge)
Religion and Addiction Recovery in Vietnam: An Exploratory Study of Two Faith-Based Institutions
(Ngan Nguyen Duy Ha & Giao Vu Cong, Institute for Global Engagement, Routledge)
State Governance of Religion in Vietnam: A Legal–Institutional Approach to Unrecognized Faith Groups
(Do Lan Hien & Pham Thanh Hang, Institute for Global Engagement, Routledge)
From Declaring to Doing? An Examination of Recent Muslim Declarations on Religious Pluralism and Freedom
(Mustafa Akyol, Institute for Global Engagement, Routledge)
After refugee aid cuts, faith groups help Afghan women connect through sewing
(Yonat Shimron, Associated Press)
Title VI does not bar religious discrimination
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Becket urges appeals court to protect St. Louis teachers punished for their faith
(Becket)
Man who admitted making series of antisemitic threats near a synagogue sentenced
(Crown Prosecution Service)
Israel orders expropriation of religious site near Jerusalem run by Muslim Waqf
(Nir Hasson, Haaretz)
Latin American and Caribbean ambassadors meet KAICIID in Lisbon to explore dialogue-based approaches to peace and social cohesion
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Hegseth praises U.S. military efforts to protect Nigerian Christians from ISIS
(U.S. Department of War)
Indiana lieutenant governor says he 'hates' Islam, deems it 'a demonic death cult'
(Peter Curi, Fox 32 News)
Indian religious leaders voice concerns over Assam UCC
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
‘ISIS bride’ charged with terror offences as AFP reveals eight investigations
(Michael Bachelard, Lachlan Abbott, Matthew Knott and Brittany Busch, Sydney Morning Herald)
Russia: EU sanctioned those who sent a pacifist Orthodox priest to prison
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Patriarch of Georgia received representatives of U.S. State Department
(Orthodox Times)
Rethinking the ‘absolute bar’ on scheduled caste status in India
(Shashank Shekhar and Divya Sridhar, The Diplomat)
EBCO new Annual Report on Conscientious Objection in Europe 2025
(European Bureau for Conscientious Objection)
Trump administration pledges $100M in aid for Cuba, but only if Catholic or other faith‑based groups distribute it
(Dulce Suarez, The Conversation)
Do the ABC and SBS understand antisemitism? It isn’t clear from their decision to reject the IHRA definition
(Ronald Sackville, Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Egypt’s religious freedom tradition an asset to America, the world
(Motaz Zahran, Washington Times)
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