Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 24 August 2022
Brazilian authorities register three complaints for religious intolerance per day in 2022; total number is 545 in the entire country (Portuguese)
(Thaiza Pauluze, GloboNews)
Monday, 22 August 2022
International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief | 22 August
(António Guterres, United Nations)
Stand in ‘firm solidarity’ with victims of violence based on religion or belief, urges UN chief
(United Nations)
We must condemn abuse of religion or belief as tool of discrimination and violence
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Where do we go from here? (on persecution and violence)
(Knox Thames)
Vietnam’s religious communities commemorate victims of religious persecution
(Radio Free Asia)
Commemorating the victims of religious persecution
(United Nations)
On UN’s day for religious freedom, WEA highlights abuses in Afghanistan, Algeria, India, Sri Lanka
(World Evangelical Alliance)
Trinidad and Tobago: The right to freedom of religion
(Newsday)
Singapore's religious leaders outline positions on repeal of gay-sex law
(Tham Yuen-C, The Straits Times)
Gays hail Singapore sex-ban repeal, see long way to equality
(Tom Ee Ming and Eileen NG, Associated Press)
In Brazil's politics, populism and religion make natural bedfellows
(Mathew Guest, The Wire)
Brazil: how populist politicians use religion to help them win
(Mathew Guest, The Conversation)
Iran: UN experts alarmed by escalating religious persecution
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Iran: You were born a Muslim, Shiite blood runs in your veins
(Article 18)
Nury Turkel’s “No Escape”: Yes, there is a genocide of the Uyghurs
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
China arrests Cardinal Zen and religious freedom now faces a grim future in Hong Kong
(Frank Wolf, Fox News)
Photos of the week: Dormition of Mary; Hindus celebrate Krishna
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)
Joint statement on the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
(Kingdom of the Netherlands)
77% in West face discrimination over ethnicity, religion: Research
(Daily Sabah)
On Chile rivers, Native spirituality and development clash
(Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press)
Pope voices worry over bishop’s detention in Nicaragua
(Frances D'Emilio, Associated Press)
Iraq: Officials: Landslide at Shiite shrine in Iraq kills 8
(Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 22 August 2022
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Patriarch Kirill calls nationalism a cancerous tumor that can affect entire nation
(Interfax-Religion)
Freedom of religion is a human right: The Russian aggression has created infinite havoc at sites of religious worship
(Zbigniew Rau, Times of Malta)
400 Ukrainian Baptist churches lost
(Dominic Pino, National Review)
Q&A: Why Catholic groups are focusing on mental health in Ukraine
(Helen Lock, Devex)
Sex abuse in Africa: Church still being protected over victims
(Lucie Sarr, La Croix International)
How Guyanese Hindus are preserving their religion in South America
(Manmeet Sahni, Religion Unplugged)
South Africa’s faith groups counter rising xenophobic attacks on migrants
(Kim Lawton, Religion Unplugged)
Egypt’s Copts want changes to law after deadly church fire
(Jacky Habib, Al Jazeera)
Publication: Law and Religion in the Commonwealth: The Evolution of Case Law
(Renae Barker, Paul Babie, Neil Foster, Bloomsbury)
South Korea: Drop charges against first conscientious objector to refuse alternative service
(Amnesty International)
South Korea: Jehovah’s Witness member faces S. Korea trial over conscientious objection, military service refusal
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
Nigeria: Gunmen kidnap Catholic nuns in Nigeria's Imo state
(AFP, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Pakistan: 10 killed, over 100 injured as mosque roof collapses in Khairpur
(Waseem Ali Soomro, AAJ TV)
Four new books available on different facets of the WCC Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace
(World Council of Churches)
Aid to the Church in Need highlights plight of persecuted Christians
(Lydia O’Kane, Vatican News)
Japan government calls for officials to review ties with Unification Church
(Reuters)
Canada: More dialogue needed to address religion-based violence, say faith groups
(CBC News)
Australian Anglicans split over same-sex marriage
(Kathryn Post, Episcopal News Service)
#86: Mtro. Adalberto Méndez López - La Pederastia Clerical: Instituciones Religiosas y los Estados
(Edgardo Sobenes, Hablemos de Derecho Internacional)
Friday, 19 August 2022
Condemn abuse of religion or belief as tool of discrimination and violence: UN experts and the Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Guterres: World Humanitarian Day salutes ‘the best of humanity’
(United Nations)
Is religious freedom a marginalized human right? An interview with David Griffiths
(Religion & Diplomacy: A Resource of the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion and Diplomacy)
Video: A conversation with Robert Joustra on Christian realism
(Religion & Diplomacy: A Resource of the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion and Diplomacy)
Pakistan: High court warns police against harassing woman over ‘religious conversion’
(Dawn)
Pakistan: Punjab’s ruling party wants to ban Ahmadis from a whole district
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Pakistan: “Blasphemous” Pakistani couple tell of their extraordinary escape from death row
(a, ADF International)
Nicaraguan police detain bishop, other priests in raid
(Gabriela Selser and Christopher Sherman, Associated Press)
Nigeria's Osun River: Sacred, revered and increasingly toxic
(Chinedu Asadu, Associated Press)
Nigeria: Faiths united to save Nigeria
(Samson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle, Guardian.ng)
Afghanistan: Police: Death toll in Afghan capital mosque bombing now 21
(Rahim Faiez and Ebrahim Noroozi, Associated Press)
Climate protesters target the Vatican’s Laocoon statue
(Associated Press)
South Korea: Unification Church followers decry ‘biased’ Japanese media
(Kim Tong-Hyung, Associated Press)
Commission recommends changes in Australian state's anti-discrimination laws
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Australia: Law Reform Commission tramples on religious freedom
(Christian Schools Australia)
Peru’s bishops call for ‘urgent and creative solution’ to nation’s crisis
(Barbara Fraser, Catholic News Service)
Kenyan bishops urge calm as presidential election dispute emerges
(Fredrick Nzwili, Catholic News Service)
Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of Hasidic pilgrims, - ambassador Korniychuk
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Kazakhstan: "This is not a state campaign against the Church"?
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
India: Bilkis Bano condemns release of her convicted rapists in India
(Al Jazeera)
India: Religious liberty under threat as India celebrates 75th anniversary
(Raymond J. de Souza, National Post)
China: State-backed Chinese Catholic gathering begins
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Salman Rushdie and the transnational repression of religious freedom
(Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission)
WCC expresses dismay at attack on St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Ramallah
(World Council of Churches)
Liberia: President Weah leads nation in mourning Archbishop Zeigler
(Arnold Neliba, Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Iran’s brazen propaganda ploy to incriminate Baha’is through fake videos and hate speech
(Bahá’í International Community)
The compendium of world condemnations of antisemitic UN investigator Miloon Kothari
(UN Watch)
Is this Russian rabbi fair game for sanctions, or being held to a double standard?
(Louis Keene, Forward)
El putinismo parte a la Iglesia ortodoxa
(El Mundo)
Wednesday, 17 August 2022
Somalia: Catholic bishop hopes meeting with Somalia authorities will yield to religious freedom
(Agnes Aineah, ACI Africa)
Afghanistan: Bombing at Kabul mosque kills 10, including prominent cleric
(Rahim Faiez, Associated Press)
Afghanistan: Taliban add more compulsory religion classes to Afghan universities
(Agence France-Presse, Jordan News)
Afghanistan: We've abandoned Afghanistan's religious minorities
(Sean Nelson, Newsweek)
Iran’s long list of hated enemies—including Salman Rushdie and Christian believers
(Lela Gilbert, Hudson Institute)
Lebanon: Attack on Rushdie shows divisions among Lebanese Shiites
(Bassem Mroue, Associated Press)
Bangladesh PM tells UN that Myanmar must take Rohingya back
(Julhas Alam, Associated Press)
Iraqi PM calls meeting of senior politicians to end crisis
(Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press)
Nepal's holy Bagmati River choked with black sewage, trash
(Binaj Gurubacharya, Associated Press)
Thailand’s restive south hit by wave of arson and bombings
(Sumeth Panpetch, Associated Press)
Nigerian Court of Appeals upholds sharia law in high profile blasphemy case
(International Christian Concern)
Nigeria's sharia blasphemy law not unconstitutional, court rules
(Reuters)
Nigeria: New cardinal says he is worried about ‘survival of Christianity’ in Nigeria
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Why politics may not be the magic bullet in terms of refilling the pews
(John L. Allen Jr., Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Nicaragua: Bianca Jagger says Nicaraguan regime has ‘declared war’ on Catholic Church
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Turkey, Israel to restore full diplomatic relations
(Al Jazeera)
Salman Rushdie has been a seer, presaging our age of violent religious extremism
(Paul Elie, Vanity Fair)
South African Catholic bishops take a stand against inequality
(La Croix International)
Cairo blaze highlights problem of unsafe makeshift churches
(Bahira Amin, Al-Monitor)
Egypt’s deadly church fire sparks global outpouring of sorrow and sympathy
(Arab News)
WCC mourns loss of lives in Egypt church fire
(World Council of Churches)
Egypt: Ethiopian Catholic Church mourns with Coptic Orthodox after blaze kills 41 people including 15 children
(Paschal Norbert, Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Condolences offered after Coptic Church fire in Egypt
(Newsroom: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Statement of condolences following fire at Abu Sefein Church
(Twitter, Muslim World League)
Egypt: The suffering of the saints
(Samuel Tadros, Hudson Institute)
Egypt: A boom, a fire and a stampede: Dozens die at a Coptic Church in Egypt
(Nada Rashwan, Euan Ward, Liam Stack and Yonette Joseph, The New York Times)
Reclaiming a positive vision of liberty
(George McKenna, First Things)
Statement by the Big Four and their prayer: Zaporizhzhia
(Parliament of the World's Religions)
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