Law and Religion Headlines
LAW AND RELIGION HEADLINES WORKGROUP
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Sunday, 1 June 2025
CALL FOR ENTRIES, deadline 1 June 2025: Law and Religion Essay Competition (LLB or JD students in Australia)
(University of Southern Queensland)
Tuesday, 15 April 2025
CALL FOR PAPERS, abstracts due 15 April 2025: Third World Conference for Religious Dialogue and Cooperation (North Macedonia)
(Center for Intercultural Studies and Research, Faculty of Philosophy)
Friday, 11 April 2025
Spring 2025 Schedule: Free Exercise Speaker Series (New Haven, CT, USA)
(Marc DeGirolami, James Nelson, Gabrielle Girgis, Caroline Mala Corbin, Stefan McDaniel, Thomas Berg, Yale Law School)
Thursday, 10 April 2025
EVENT, 10 April 2025: 11th Annual Iowa Religious Freedom Day Celebration, "The Role of Religion in Peacemaking" (Des Moines, IA, USA)
(Iowareligiousfreedomday.org)
EVENT, 10 April 2025 (6PM ET): Justice For All: Faith Leaders and the Non-Violent Fight Against Poverty (Grand Rapids, MI, USA)
(Grand Valley State University)
Thursday, 20 March 2025
EVENT, 20 March 2025 (11AM ET): The 26th Annual Dialogues on Nonviolence, Religion, and Peace (Notre Dame, IN, USA)
(Emilce Cuda, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies)
Tuesday, 11 March 2025
VIRTUAL EVENT, 11 March 2025 (12:30PM ET): The Genealogy of the Death Penalty for Apostasy and Blasphemy in Islam
(Islamic Law Speaker Series, Program in Islamic Law, Harvard Law School)
Thursday, 6 February 2025
EVENT, 6 February 2025: Religious Freedom in America (Washington, DC, USA)
(National Council for Religious Freedom)
EVENT, 6 February 2025: National Prayer Breakfast (Washington, DC, USA)
EVENT, 6 February 2025 (1:30PM ET): Standing with the Silenced – Leveraging the Frank Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List (Washington, DC, USA)
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
EVENT, 6-9 February 2025: Faith and Freedom: Constitutional Law and Religious Liberty (Washington, DC, USA)
(Hudson Institute)
Wednesday, 5 February 2025
CALL FOR PROPOSALS, deadline 5 February 2025: Renewing the Conversation - A one-day colloquium on Africa, Article 18, Christianity and Human Rights
(University of Birmingham and Aid to the Church in Need (UK))
Tuesday, 4 February 2025
EVENT, 4-5 February 2025: IRF Summit 2025 (Washington, DC, USA)
Monday, 3 February 2025
EVENT, 3 February 2025: Global Faith Forum: Together for Peace in a Time of Outrage (Washington, DC, USA)
(Multi-Faith Neighbors Network)
EVENT, 3 February 2025: IRF Summit University Partnership Program 2025 (Washington, DC, USA)
(IRF Summit)
Friday, 31 January 2025
CALL FOR PAPERS, deadline 31 January 2025: Religious Freedom in Africa
(International Journal for Religious Freedom)
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS, deadline for submission 31 January 2025: Young Scholars Fellowship at Oxford
(International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), Brigham Young University)
CALL FOR PAPERS, abstracts due 31 January 2025: Islamic and Jewish Law in the Modern Economy
(University of Villanova School of Law)
Wednesday, 15 January 2025
EVENT, 15 January 2025 (9AM - 5PM EST): South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference (Columbia, SC, USA)
(South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference)
The lawyer risking everything to defend LGBT rights
(Armand Mouko, BBC News)
Millions start bathing in holy rivers at India's biggest Hindu festival
(Geeta Pandey, BBC News)
'A shining example': Religious leaders praise the late former President Jimmy Carter
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Why Syria’s reconstruction may depend on the fate of its minorities
(Ramazan Kılınç, The Conversation)
Report details bleak human rights situation in Ukraine nearly three years into Russian invasion
(UN News)
What will it mean for Parliament to prorogue?
(Evangelical Fellowship of Canada)
The forcible removal of religious headwear in Texas jails is invasive and unconstitutional
(Savannah Kumar, ACLU of Texas)
President Biden celebrates faith as he awards his first Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)
Why some doctors have started asking patients about their spiritual lives
(Ben Thorp, NPR)
Muslim convert planned mosque attack, trial hears
(BBC News)
Monday, 13 January 2025
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS, due 13 January 2025: Moratoriums on Islamic Criminal Punishments: Legal Debates and Current Practices
(Journal of Islamic Law)
Around the web - 13 January 2025
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Bangladesh: Interim Bangladeshi government turns blind eye to religious persecution
(Uzay Bulut, The European Conservative)
Religion Watch, ‘Volume 40 No. 2’
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Mastering Mālikī Law: A Moroccan Case Study
(Asma Sayeed and Nour-Eddine Qaouar, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
Is Czechia slowly dying because of declining faith and family?
(Anna Nilsson, Isabel Vasquez and Mariana Alvarez, Religion Unplugged)
Church Reporter, Vol. 9, 31 December 2025
(Church Law Society Prague – Brno – Olomouc – Stříbro – České Budějovice – Mšeno)
Comment of the MFA of Ukraine regarding the situation with religious freedom in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine
(Institute for Religious Freedom, Ukraine)
Global Interfaith Monitor No. 31
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Putin seeks Christmas blessing, and support of Moscow Patriarchate for his war in Ukraine, and gets it
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
India's Maha Kumbh festival sees 15 million people take holy dip on first day
(Saurabh Sharma, Reuters)
America’s changing pews: Who shows up at church on Sunday?
(Sophie Hills, Christian Science Monitor)
University's rescission of agreement with church did not violate equal protection or free exercise clauses
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Articles of interest - 13 January 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Symbolic boundaries within Jewish-Muslim encounters in Germany
(London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Bishop criticizes AfD mayor of Jüterbog (German)
(Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland)
South Carolina doctors challenge abortion ban on Free Exercise grounds
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
In San Antonio, a pioneer of modern faith-based community organizing has deep roots
(Aleja Hertzler-McCain, Religion News Service)
Australia: 2 synagogues in Sydney graffitied with swastikas
(Ben Sales, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
How religious schools became a billion-dollar drain on public education
(Alec MacGillis, New Yorker)
OCU Metropolitan: UN turns a blind eye to the crimes Moscow religious structure commits in Crimea
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
King Charles to attend Auschwitz commemoration
(Sean Coughlan, BBC)
Schools Bill isn’t about safeguarding, it attacks religious freedom and parental rights
(Asher Gratt, Jewish News)
The grooming gang debate: Navigating race, politics, and justice in the UK
(Tahir Abbas, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Religion and Marriage Law: The Need for Reform
(Russel Sandberg, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
British authorities chastise a Jewish charity for fundraising for an Israeli soldier
(Asaf Elia-Shalev, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Attorney General: I want a world where you can love Israel and care for Palestinians
(Lee Harpin, Jewish News)
Filipino religious group gathers millions for ‘national rally for peace’
(Inday Espina-Varona and Ronald O. Reyes, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Malala Yousafzai asks Muslim leaders to reject Taliban’s treatment of Afghan women openly
(Ayaz Gul, Voice of America)
The GCR Red List [on persecution]
(Global Christian Relief)
Japan: Muslim cemetery in Miyagi Prefecture will proceed despite resistance
(Unseen Japan)
Texas argues at state Supreme Court to revive attempt to shut down migrant aid nonprofit
(Courthouse News Service)
Nigeria: Kaigama calls for government-church partnership to tackle hunger
(Radio Nigeria)
Canada: How religion’s brand became unpopular
(Galen Watts, The Conversation)
Health costs: A bioethical religious challenge (Spanish)
(Fishel Szlajen, Infobae)
Friday, 10 January 2025
Ghana: We’ll protect muslim women’s right to wear hijab freely — Mahama assures
(Modern Ghana)
Zimbabwe: Crossover vigils boost religious tourism
(Veronica Gwaze, Sunday Mail)
Kenya High Court declares criminalization of attempted suicide unconstitutional
(Ishrat Chahal, Jurist News)
Benin holidays for Indigenous religions celebrate tradition, spark debate on faith
(Juste Hlannon, La Croix International)
Malawi: ‘I’ve seen women suffer’: Malawi’s religious leaders fight for legal abortions
(Sarah Johnson, The Guardian)
EVENT, 10 January 2025: Religion and Emergency Rules. First point of a research (Pisa, Italy)
(Diritto e Religione nelle Società Multiculturali)
Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassation: Patriarchate of Bulgaria has no monopoly on the use of “Orthodox Church”
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)
Experiments in virtue: Byron Johnson on religion in prisons
(Danielle Miller, The Standard)
The future of faith-driven diplomacy: ICRD’s commitment to sustainable peace
(Martine Miller, International Center for Religion & Diplomacy)
Indonesian court’s ‘unfortunate’ ruling on citizens’ religion sparks discrimination fears
(Resty Woro Yuniar, South China Morning Post)
LA wildfires destroy numerous houses of worship. Clergy and congregants vow to persevere
(Giovanna Dell’Orto, Luis Andres Henao and Peter Smith, Associated Press)
BJC urges federal appeals court to reject Louisiana law requiring public school classrooms to post the Ten Commandments
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
London Police ask upcoming pro-Palestinian rally to move away from synagogue
(Ben Sales, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Estonian Orthodox Church given two months to sever ties with the ROC
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Human trafficking under the spotlight
(The European Times)
Syria: Stampede kills four people, injures 16 in Umayyad Mosque in Damascus
(Reuters)
Syrian intelligence says it thwarted ISIL attempt to blow up Shia shrine
(Al Jazeera)
WCC, with India Peace Centre, launches Interfaith Coalition on Land, Water, and Food
(World Council of Churches)
Jamaica: WCC visit to Jamaica will focus on empowering faith communities
(World Council of Churches)
Some US lawmakers want more Christianity in the classroom. Trump could embolden their plans
(Moriah Balingit, Associated Press)
Spain eyes repeal of blasphemy law amid debate over free expression
(Reuters)
Biden gives Pope Francis highest civilian honor before leaving office
(Alex Gangitano, The Hill)
Dalai Lama says no reason to be angry at China over Tibet quake
(Radio Free Asia)
China: Uyghur woman sentenced to 17 years for teaching Islam to her kids and a neighbor
(Shohret Hoshur, Radio Free Asia)
Turkish court rules against restrictions on Greek Orthodox clerics serving on foundations
(Bill Kouras, Greek City Times)
Sri Lanka: Controversial Buddhist monk jailed for insulting Islam
(Fan Wang, BBC)
Nicaragua's regime wages war on religious freedom
(Reason)
Hungarian government helped building church near Amman, Jordan
(Daily News)
New publication: Autonomia Constitucional do Direito Religioso (Portuguese)
(Comissão de Direito e Liberdade Religiosa, Instituto dos Advogados Brasileiros)
President Biden awards Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction to His Holiness Pope Francis
(The White House)
Wednesday, 8 January 2025
VIRTUAL EVENT, 8 January 2025 (2PM ET): The Role of Religion and Spirituality in U.S. Security Assistance
(Center for Strategic & International Studies)
Pakistan court rules Ahmadis cannot inherit property from their Muslim parents
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)
Lawyers are watching these 3 Texas cases
(Adolfo Pesquera, Law.com)
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