Law and Religion Headlines
LAW AND RELIGION HEADLINES WORKGROUP
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Thursday, 22 October 2026
EVENT, 22 October 2026: 9th Annual Summit for Religious Freedom (Dallas, TX, USA)(Religious Freedom Alliance Council)
(DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom)
Thursday, 15 October 2026
EVENT, 15 October 2026: The US Constitution: Where Separation and Unity Meet (Ames, IA, USA)(Religious Freedom Alliance Council)
(Iowa Religious Freedom Day)
Wednesday, 14 October 2026
EVENT, 14 October 2026: Fourth Annual Interfaith Symposium: Faith, Doubt, and the Next Generation (Chicago, IL, USA)(Religious Freedom Alliance Council)
(Interfaith Chicago)
Friday, 18 September 2026
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
Friday, 17 July 2026
Why is it so hard for unis to agree on a definition of ‘antisemitism’?
(Mareike Riedel, The Conversation)
Egypt resumes scholarships for Ugandan students after years of suspension
(Muhamadi Matovu, Nile Post)
The establishment clause: everything to know
(Charles Haynes, Freedom Forum)
Egypt introduces new procedures governing Umrah trips
(Egypt Today)
The end of political Islam? Not quite
(Mohammed Ayoob, The Natural Interest)
Russian couple detained for reading bible in Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia
(Nigora Umarova, Kursiv)
Human rights violations against Protestants continue in Turkey
(Agos)
USCIRF policy recommendations for 2026
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
USCIRF welcomes appointments of commissioners
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
The nation and the veil: Quebec’s struggle with secularism and religious symbols
(Cardus)
Introduction to OJLR Special Issue: The New Catholic Integralism and Religious Anti-Liberalism
(Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
The Faith-Based Office at 25 years: Accomplishments, challenges and opportunities
(Faith & Law)
Global Interfaith Monitor No. 49
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Defenders of religious liberty join for the sixth annual Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit
(University of Notre Dame)
A wider vision of belonging in a shared Dutch society
(Bahá’í World News Service)
COMSTECH and the OIC launch a program to train healthcare staff in Benin to reduce maternal mortality
(Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)
On the sidelines of the Women Ministerial Conference in Islamabad: Amb Dr. Tareg Bakheet meets with the Turkish Minister of Family Affairs to discuss strengthening partnership and supporting women’s empowerment
(Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)
Proposed Muslim cemetery splits Southern California residents
(Madhiha Anis, Religion News Service)
Filipino bishops fight stigma of mental illness
(Paterno R. Esmaquel II, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Belarus: Polish priests "increasingly not allowed to continue their work"
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Positive obligation under the ECHR to investigate religiously-motivated violence: Barsuk and Gyl
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
The Free Exercise Clause and the Rights of Conscience
(Donald L. Drakeman, Harvard University Press)
Japan: After the Unification Church’s dissolution although no crime was committed
(Masumi Fukuda, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
How Americans are engaged with news, politics, religion and civic life
(Pew Research Center)
“Brainwashing” accusations and the persecution of The Church of Almighty God
(Mia Li, Bitter Winter)
Lawyers vow to fight on after Kenya court rejects Rastafarians' cannabis bid
(Alison Hird, RFI)
Religious motivation needs to stay in our terrorism laws
(Australian Strategic Policy Institute)
Open consultation: Tying the Knot: Reforming weddings law in England and Wales
(Ministry of Justice, GOV.UK)
Japan’s anti-Muslim sentiment turns its sights on mosques
(Shinji Kojima and Atsushi Yamagata, East Asia Forum)
Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Why the Muslim Brotherhood failed to gain influence in China
(Nadia Helmy, Modern Diplomacy)
Texas lawmaker moves to condemn Imam after he made comments celebrating Lindsey Graham’s death
(Grant Halk, Texas Scorecard)
Kenyan court dismisses Rastafarians' bid to legalise cannabis
(Wycliffe Muia and Akisa Wandera, BBC)
Cuba continues crackdown on religion five years after public protests, report says
(Diana Chandler, Baptist Press)
Israel’s parliament approves laws to enshrine exemption of ultra-Orthodox men from military service
(Melanie Lidman and Natalie Melzer, Associated Press)
11th Circuit rejects claim that covid requirements violated employees' religious beliefs; criticizes counsel's briefing
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
National Baptists launch social justice center near US Capitol
(Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)
Amnesty International UK regrets report calling British bishops’ conference “anti-rights” group
(Fionn Shiner, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
2026 State Rankings
(Religious Liberty in the States)
House committee advances bill requiring equal treatment for religious student groups
(Alena Dasha Peethala, The College Fix)
Bishops in Pakistan: Still no justice for young couple burned alive
(Aid to the Church in Need)
How India's houses of worship save lives amid heatwave
(Rishabh Jain, Religion Unplugged)
European evangelicals draw a clear distinction from their American counterparts
(Paul Marshall, Religion Unplugged)
Indonesia: Recognition for Indigenous peoples and their traditional beliefs
(Nukila Evanty, Independent Observer)
Young Europeans gather in Belgium for the third edition of the European Summer School
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
Foco FoRB: January-June 2026
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Why the West Papua rebels are targeting the Catholic Church
(Ahmad Syarif, Lowy Institute)
Christians in Iran continue to face arrest, detention and ill-treatment, UN experts warn
(Ephrem Kossaify, Arab News)
French Muslims question inclusion as debate over secularism and religious rights intensifies
(Shia Waves)
Participants at National Dialogue on Freedom of Religion call for stronger collaboration to advance peacebuilding
(Godwin Igber, Real Media Nigeria)
German public university creates Islamic theology faculty
(Christoph Strack, Deutsche Welle)
Iran: UN experts urge reversal of Tehran church compound seizure and return of its Christian residents
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Middle Eastern women honored for powerful films advancing religious freedom
(Religion News Service)
France’s National Assembly gives final approval to assisted-dying bill after years of debate
(Sylvie Corbet and Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press)
Orthodox Jewish groups oppose daylight saving bill, argue it would disrupt prayer
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
After mall stabbing, Utah faith leaders warn against anti-Muslim rhetoric
(Ulaa Kuziez, Religion News Service)
British Sikh groups claim sharp rise in anti-Sikh incidents
(Shyam Bhatia, Tribune India)
Monday, 13 July 2026
Egypt tables new St. Catherine’s deal that would cement state control
(Rana Mamdouh, Mada Masr)
Coptic Christians accuse Egypt of football apartheid
(Jules Gomes, Middle East Forum)
UK says an Iran-backed group was behind attacks on Jewish community and bans Revolutionary Guard
(Jill Lawless, Associated Press)
Macron warns of resurgent demons of antisemitism as France honors Alfred Dreyfus
(Masha MacPherson, Associated Press)
Iran persecutes its Baha’i minority fiercely in a year of protests and war, rights groups say
(Fatma Khaled, Associated Press)
Articles of Interest - 13 July 2026
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Muslim advocacy group fights for trust after Texas brands it a terrorist group
(Ulaa Kuziez, Religion News Service)
'It really did take me back to after 9/11': How Islamophobia roiled a Texas election
(Fiona André, Religion News Service)
Ukraine: Conscientious objectors convicted, jailed, held in military units: list
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Man jailed for 16 months after antisemitic attack
(BBC)
Rwanda travelogue: Rwandan values for post-genocide resilience
(M. Christian Green, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Irish EU presidency: European churches meet with Prime Minister Micheál Martin
(Conference of European Churches)
Mauritanian actors discuss migration, social cohesion and the role of dialogue
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
In Muslim-majority Pakistan, some schools now have a Hindu curriculum
(Jamaima Afridi, Religion Unplugged)
Religious schools that get public funds must follow anti-discrimination laws
(Sean Scott, Religion Unplugged)
Christians turn to tobacco farming despite religious objections
(Cyril Zenda, Religion Unplugged)
Statement by the NCCSL on prison reform following the Negombo Prison tragedy
(Facebook, National Christian Council of Sri Lanka)
Fears grow that entire Tehran church compound may be demolished
(Article 18)
Evangelical Alliance in the Netherlands calls for compassion and high-quality palliative care after child's life is terminated
(Chris Eyte, Christian Daily)
Adventist Church urges Federal Religious Liberty Commission to preserve church-state separation
(André M. Wang, North Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists)
Xi Jinping’s ‘forging’ of ‘ethnic unity and progress’
(Michael Clarke, The Diplomat)
The government’s proposed kashrut bill: What it would change and why it matters
(Ariel Finkelstein and Ayala Goldberg, Israel Democracy Institute)
Pope: respect for religious freedom is "fruitful" in Mongolia
(Asia News)
Beckwith wants to ban Muslim call to prayer, raising legal concerns
(Cate Charron, Indianapolis Star)
‘Deseret Voices’ Episode 40: Protecting the freedom to choose — or reject — faith
(Jane Clayson Johnson, Keira Farrimond, and Steven Watkins, Deseret News)
Religious persecution in Uzbekistan going from bad to worse
(Asia News)
White House Faith Office visit
(Instagram, BAPS Public Affairs)
Friday, 10 July 2026
New polls show plummeting support among faith groups for Israeli government, Netanyahu
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Estonia gives Orthodox church 6 months to choose between God and the Kremlin
(Johannes Voltri, Eesti Rahvusringhääling)
Defining the Boundaries of Church and State: Legal Establishment of Churches in Australia
(Benjamin B Saunders, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
New Cambridge white paper on religions and economic development
(Cambridge Interfaith Programme)
A country’s story, still being written
(Bahá’í World News Service)
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