Law and Religion Headlines

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LAW AND RELIGION HEADLINES WORKGROUP

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Thursday, 3 September 2026

EVENT, 1-3 September 2026: 8th ICLARS Biennial Conference: State Neutrality and Cooperation with Religion: Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief without Discrimination (Palermo, Italy)
(International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies)

Sunday, 30 August 2026

EVENT, 30 August 2026: Festival of Faiths (Indianapolis, IN, USA)(Religious Freedom Alliance Council)

Friday, 26 June 2026

Nigerian authorities arrest controversial polygamous pastor
(K.C. Nwajei, Roy's Report)

Morocco’s Religious Model, Bulwark Against Extremism, IEGA Report
(The North Africa Post)

Gaddafi-Built mosque sparks controversy under Nyerere’s leadership
(Tanzania Insight)

Abubaker Ahmed Mohamed and 28 Others v. Ethiopia: State repression of Muslim identity, political justice, and landmark ACHPR decision
(Addis Standard)

Murder of priest ‘symbolises the moral failure’ in Sudan
(CathNews)

How digital platforms fuel ethno-religious hate speech in Nigeria
(Fact Check Hub)

Wednesday, 24 June 2026

CEC welcomes Ukrainian church leaders, reaffirms solidarity amid ongoing war
(Conference of European Churches)

Is MLB's Pride controversy a First Amendment issue? What to know
(BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today)

Nigeria: Urgent call for effective protection and inclusion to secure freedom of religion or belief, says UN expert
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)

What Christians should know about the Supreme Court’s ‘Landor’ ruling
(Daniel Bennett, Christianity Today)

Court rules former Louisiana inmate cannot sue prison officials in religious dispute over long hair
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)

Syria: Mob violence against groups linked to Assad era
(Human Rights Watch)

Student symposium: Religious freedom?
(University of Cambridge)

France, towards a new concordat? Miviludes signs an agreement with the UBF (French)
(religactu)

Opinion: Landor v. Louisiana Dept of Corrections and Public Safety
(Supreme Court of the United States)

7th Circuit upholds alcohol ban as condition of supervised release for Messianic Jew
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

As reports of anti-Christian incidents in Israel increase, advocates press police to act
(Michele Chabin, Religion News Service)

Growing ‘goon’ violence against churches in Kenya worries clergy
(Fredrick Nzwili, Religion News Service)

U.K. PM Starmer leaves behind mixed record on antisemitism
(Kelly Hartog, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

'Soaked into the wood': A visit to the birthplace of religious liberty
(Jason DeRose, NPR)

UCCRO delegation meets with experts and European religious leaders in Brussels
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

KAICIID marks Portugal’s National Day of Religious Freedom and Interreligious Dialogue
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)

Prayer never disappeared from public schools — but new laws could change its role
(Cassidy Grom, Religion Unplugged)

Pakistani court acquits blind Catholic man in blasphemy case
(Kamran Chaudhry, EWTN News)

Taliban morality police detain Afghan aid workers over beards
(AFP)

State regulation and religious freedom: Poland June 2026
(International Center for Law and Religion Studies)

Japan top court upholds order to dissolve Unification Church
(Japan Times)

Religious parents sue California school district for defying Supreme Court on parental rights
(Becket)

Kenya's Catholic Bishops urge respect for human life and national renewal
(Rose Achiego Ande, Vatican News)

At U.N. event, international coalition calls for global moratorium on surrogacy
(Bryan Lawrence Gonsalves, EWTN News)

Faith leaders stand together against hate and intolerance
(Trans-European Division of Seventh-day Adventists)

ACLU statement responding to the Supreme Court ruling in case on religious freedom for incarcerated people
(ACLU)

The US founders’ other revolutionary choice: Separating religion and government
(Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation)

Vietnam strengthens awareness of emerging belief and religious movements
(Vietnam Net Global)

Religion in China: Tibetan Buddhism continues to flourish in Xizang
(CGTN)

Fondation pour la Liberté de Religion et de Croyance supports Saint John Feast celebration at historic Italian abbey
(Fondation pour la Liberté de Religion et de Croyance)

Escalation of violations against Ashura manifestations in Bahrain: Continued restrictions on freedom of religion and belief
(Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain)

China pushes ahead with the Sinicization of Buddhism through its five-year plan
(Bitter Winter)

Cambodia’s Buddhist leaders honor Catholic bishop for decades of cooperation
(Mark Saludes, Catholic World Report)

California advances two bills recognizing Jewish ethnicity, protecting community
(The Jerusalem Post)

Counselling centres report surge in anti-Muslim hatred across Germany
(Deutsche Presse-Agentur)

Monday, 22 June 2026

KRG Minister showcases Kurdistan’s coexistence experience at international forum
(BAS News)

Nearly 123,000 sign petition urging FIFA to remove “LGBT Pride Match” designation from Egypt-Iran World Cup fixture
(ACI Africa)

Erdogan orders renewed talks on reopening historic Halki Seminary
(Greek City Times)

Greek court sentences four minority Turks for protesting state-appointed clerics
(TRT World)

Is this the end of political Islam?
(Ben Hubbard, New York Times)

A century of anti-Kurdish racism
(Jan Ilhan Kizilhan, Rudaw)

Central African religious leaders concerned about US deportees
(Tonny Onyulo, Christianity Today)

Christian ministries in India face threat of greater repression
(David K. Trimble, Real Clear Politics)

Cardinal Koovakad's Azerbaijan visit strengthens interreligious dialogue
(Edoardo Giribaldi, Vatican News)

Lebanon's Failure to Disassociate
(Nicolas Garon, Foreign Policy in Focus)

Lebanese Christians don't just want to survive; they want to “truly live”
(Katarzyna Szalajko, Omnes)

The hidden cost of war: Why conflict often makes religious freedom worse
(Brian J. Grim, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)

Joseph Sopholaos calls for Christian Liberation through federalism in new political manifesto
(Syriac Press)

Articles of Interest - 22 June 2026
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

9th Circuit grants en banc review in church autonomy case
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Police charge a third suspect in a Melbourne synagogue arson allegedly directed by Iran
(Rod McGuirk, Associated Press)

With Cuba in crisis, faith groups work to influence policy, deliver aid
(Aleja Hertzler-McCain, Religion News Service)

French parliament debates assisted suicide for the third time
(Fionn Shiner, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Jewish leaders express solidarity with Muslim community following Edinburgh attacks
(Jewish News)

Edinburgh attacks put anti-Muslim hate in focus
(Juan Sanchez Gil, The European Times)

9 church members released as China pursues new charges against leaders
(Gao Zhensai, Religion Unplugged)

Some Sunnis and Shiites show unity amid Iran war
(Religion Unplugged)

How Evangelicals helped shape indigenous reconciliation in Canada
(Paul Marshall, Religion Unplugged)

The G20 interfaith journey
(Katherine Marshall, G20 Interfaith Forum)

Nassau County (N.Y.) buffer zone outside houses of worship struck down
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)

Joint faith-based organization statement for World Refugee Day and 75th anniversary year of the Refugee Convention
(World Council of Churches)

WCC expresses deep concern over EU restrictions on protections for migrants and refugees
(World Council of Churches)

Many Americans favor prayer in public schools, but few think it should be mandatory
(Chip Rotolo, Pew Research Center)

International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict: Statement by the parents of Leah Sharibu
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)

Religious leaders report coercion and intimidation ahead of election
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

The law of armed conflict and the attack on Kyiv’s Monastery of the Caves and Dormition Cathedral
(Michael Schmitt, Just Security)

Justice department sues state of New York for requiring Catholic nursing facilities to house men with women
(U.S. Department of Justice)

ERC represents Guyana at FIDELA Ministerial Dialogue and Inter-Religious Forum
(Guyana Chronicle)

State Board of Education to vote on new curriculum emphasizing Texas, Christian themes
(Bill Zeeble, Houston Public Media)

Chicago faith, community leaders advocate for new city anti-violence office
(Paris Schutz, NBC)

Chief Rabbi discusses religious freedom in Ukraine with State Dept official
(Union of Orthodox Journalists)

How Canada’s Muslims face ‘perfect storm’ amid rising xenophobia
(Jillian Kestler-D'Amours, Al Jazeera)

Friday, 19 June 2026

Religious Freedom Index, American perspectives on the First Amendment, 2024
(The Association of Religion Data Archives)

International Day for Countering Hate Speech, 18 June
(United Nations)

Online course: Tackling hate speech
(FORB Learning Platform)

“Yes, I will veto”: Bulgaria’s PM stuns Brussels with threat to block Russia sanctions over Patriarch Kirill
(Sofia News Agency)

Kyrgyzstan: Five reform Adventists in 2-month pre-trial detention
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)

When religion becomes governance: The Kadyrov case
(Inal Sherip, Hudson Institute)

Representatives of Churches meet with speaker of Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk
(Institute for Religious Freedom, Ukraine)

Fehrs: Churches open their doors during heat waves (German)
(Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland)

Stockholm court ruling reinforces religious freedom for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sweden
(Jehovah's Witnesses)

WEA Secretary General had a face-to-face meeting in Singapore with Islamic NU Chair, Yahya Staquf
(World Evangelical Alliance)

Countering hate speech: A call for wisdom, courage, and balance
(World Evangelical Alliance)

Irish bishops oppose attempts to widen abortion laws
(Christian Today)

The war on drugs and violence against Catholic priests in Mexico
(Yves Bernardo Roger Solís Nicot, Debora Roberta Sánchez Guajardo & Maria Fernanda Alcala Durand, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

Sri Lankan Church slams political smear campaign against cardinal
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

WCC invites churches around the world to pray for Colombia
(World Council of Churches)

Louisiana cops threatened to arrest a man for handing out religious leaflets. They got qualified immunity.
(Jacob Sullum, Reason)

DOJ cracking down on MLB for potential religious discrimination after Pride Night caps controversy
(Jackson Thompson, Fox News)

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