Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 19 November 2025
General briefings (Eritrea, Nigeria, Vietnam, Sudan, Tanzania)
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
‘Dignitatis Humanae’ at 60: Vatican II’s Decisive Stand for Religious Freedom
(Father Joseph Thomas, EWTN Vatican)
How ‘campus climate’ affects students’ attitudes to people of different religions
(Kristine Aune, Mathew Guest, and Matthew J. Mayhew, The Conversation)
China underground church pastors arrested, face up to 3 years in jail, NGO head says
(Reuters)
Shenzhen’s anti-Xie Jiao week: VR headsets meet anti-religious propaganda
(Qi Junzao, Bitter Winter)
Tuesday, 18 November 2025
The real genocide the world keeps silent (Spanish)
(Fishel Szlajen)
Monday, 17 November 2025
Israeli FM condemns antisemitic slur targeting Mexican president
(Jewish News Syndicate)
‘Christ is King, not the oppressive state’: Mexico’s bishops recall Cristero legacy
(David Ramos, Catholic News Agency)
Myanmar military accused of destroying hundreds of religious sites
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest November 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Kenya: Catholic bishops warn against repressive laws enacted hastily, call for fair SHA payments and urge youth to register as voters
(Paschal Norbert, Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Kenya clergy oppose bill aimed at regulating churches
(Moses Wasamu, Christianity Today)
Why is the idea of a Hindu nation growing louder today?
(Shruti Nimbargi, London School of Economics International Development)
Considerations for Bill C-218 on permanently pausing the expansion of MAiD for mental disorders
(Cardus)
Center for Women, Faith & Leadership hosts transformative workshop in Rwanda on peacebuilding and reconciliation
(Institute for Global Engagement)
African highest human rights body finds Eritrea violated rights of Jehovah’s Witnesses
(Jehovah's Witnesses)
Pope returns 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada as part of reckoning with colonial past
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
Iran's streets 'transformed' as more women shun the mandatory hijab
(Fereshteh Ghazi and Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe)
TD Bank settles human rights complaint by B.C. Muslim-Indigenous man
(Brieanna Charlebois, St. Albert Gazette)
Morocco’s model of tolerance takes Toronto’s Moroccan-Jewish week
(Morocco World News)
Articles of interest - 17 November 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Islamic soft power: Malaysia well-positioned to consolidate global leadership on halal branding and governance – Analysis
(Syaza Shukri, Eurasia Review)
Cash reward offered for reporting ‘conversions’ in India's Punjab
(Bijay Kumar Minj, Union of Catholic Asian News)
WCC sees fruits of HIV treatment work in Bolivia
(World Council of Churches)
Sudan: Briefing: Attacks on places of worship
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Friday, 14 November 2025
Red Week 2025: A global cry for religious freedom
(Aid to the Church in Need)
Fifth Ministerial to advance international religious freedom convenes in Prague
(Persecution.org)
Israeli settlers torch a mosque and scrawl hateful messages despite official condemnation
(Aref Tufaha and Julia Frankel, Associated Press)
In Tanzania, faith leaders who speak out against post-election violence are targeted
(Fredrick Nzwili, Religion News Service)
Pakistan: Why Hindus want a temple in Islamabad (video)
(Ali Kaifee, Deutsche Welle)
Kazakhstan: Prosecutors stall criminal investigation into police torture of Jehovah's Witness
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Archbishop raises concern over religious freedom in Bangladesh
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
In Bangladesh, intra-Muslim conflict results in death and destroyed shrines
(Ashad Rahamad, Religion Unplugged)
G20 Inequality Report: Our common ethics calls to confront inequality as an emergency
(Katherine Marshall, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
WCC meets with UN Refugee Agency to discuss work related to statelessness
(World Council of Churches)
Despite government promises, ‘Total Peace’ remains elusive in Colombia today
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Over 16K police to be deployed for anti-corruption protests on Nov 14
(The Manila Times)
Wednesday, 12 November 2025
Women riding the streets of Tehran on motorbikes is the latest sign of Iran’s societal change
(Mehdi Fattahi, Associated Press)
Indonesia, global model for cross-cultural religious literacy
(Dika Dean Ananda, RRI Voice of Indonesia)
As violence rages on, Nigeria’s Christians and Muslims find unity through soccer
(Nathaniel Bivan, Religion Unplugged)
5 facts about religion in Nigeria
(Conrad Hackett, Pew Research Center)
Mexico: MORENA party pushes for law to restrict freedom of expression of Catholic clergy
(Jorge Enrique Mújica, Zenit)
It is a mistake to bring Syria into the anti-Islamic State global coalition now
(Sirwan Kajjo, Middle East Forum)
Articles of interest - 10 November 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
'I was not the right kind of Jew,' says US Jewish teen deported from Israel
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
75 years of the European Convention on Human Rights: Keeping human rights alive through dialogue
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Catholic bishops slam bid to ‘convert India into a Hindu nation’
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Iraq: The Chaldean Patriarch warns against voting for the ‘Christian’ Babylon Movement
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Aged care, VAD, religious freedom and s 109
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)
Bangladesh’s interim government bows to Islamists’ pressure
(Saqlain Rizve, The Diplomat)
Monday, 10 November 2025
Egypt: Al-Azhar, ICRC reaffirm the importance of preserving human dignity in armed conflicts
(International Committee of the Red Cross)
Freedom of religion and belief of migrants, IDPs, refugees and asylum seekers must be upheld and protected: UN expert
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
COP30’s mutirão is an opportunity to bring faith and climate policy closer together
(Kristian Noll, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
How church leaders are contributing to the demise of democracy in Zimbabwe
(Andrew Mambondiyani, Center for Religion & Media, NYU)
China’s crackdown on Christians will backfire
(Bill Drexel & Grace Jin Drexel, Hudson Institute)
Grassroots efforts bring together diverse sects in Iraq
(Jayson Casper, Christianity Today)
IGE co-hosts conference on “The Role of Faith Communities in Strengthening National Resilience and Security” in Taiwan
(Institute for Global Engagement)
The new FoRB axis: Pluralist vs. anti-pluralist
(Robert J. Joustra, Institute for Global Engagement)
Taliban in Afghanistan: What happens when Islam controls society?
(Uzay Bulut, The European Conservative)
In Syria’s south, Bedouins uprooted by sectarian clashes see little hope of return
(Reuters)
Sunday, 9 November 2025
Legal Journal Number 12 (20): October (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
Friday, 7 November 2025
Nigeria rejects US religious freedom designation, says it is based on 'faulty data'
(Camillus Eboah and Elisha Bala-Gbogbo, Reuters)
Iran: Religious persecution and issues – Monthly Digest October 2025
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Chief Rabbi of Ukraine blesses Iranian opposition leader Beheshti for regime change in the country
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Opinion: Iran’s new security law expands the authorities' power to target Baha'is
(Kristina Arriaga, Religion News Service)
Kazakhstan set to join Abraham Accords as Trump seeks to reinvigorate initiative
(Asaf Elia-Shalev, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Ethiopia’s Catholic bishops condemn deadly attack on parish, call for government protection
(Jude Atemanke, Catholic News Agency)
In war-torn Syria, Muslim women unite to ease tensions
(Areej Ali, Religion Unplugged)
Balancing pluralism and constitutional rights: Religion and education in South Africa’s democratic framework
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Vatican-Sri Lanka commit to foster unity, peace and harmony
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Religious groups in S’pore saddened by recent anti-Semitic incidents, urge all to respect diversity
(Nadine Chua, Straits Times)
African Union Commission reaffirms commitment to Nigeria’s sovereignty, religious freedom, and rule of law
(African Union)
27-Year Legacy: Sikh Nation’s blood donation campaign draws strong community support
(Anna Burns, Surrey Now)
Wednesday, 5 November 2025
Religion and foreign policy webinar: Religious persecution in China
(Council on Foreign Relations)
Vatican acts as if China’s underground Church doesn't exist
(Benedict Rogers, Union of Catholic Asian News)
China’s Repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang
(Lindsay Maizland, Council on Foreign Relations)
Russia: Bans on Council of Churches Baptist congregations "only growing"
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
SC to hear challenges to Rajasthan conversion law
(Deccan Chronicle)
Australia: Victorian inquiry into cult recruitment methods set to impede on religious freedom
(Alex Woolnough, Catholic Weekly)
Is there a Christian genocide in Nigeria? Evidence shows all faiths are under attack by terrorists
(Olayinka Ajala, Conversation)
Nigeria rejects US religious freedom designation, says it is based on 'faulty data'
(Camillus Eboh and Elisha Bala-Gbogbo, Reuters)
Nigeria’s constitution does not tolerate religious persecution – FG
(AFP, The Guardian)
Japanese cardinal opposed U.S. plan to renew testing of nuclear weapons
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Indonesia and the war of ideas against radical Islamism
(John Lenczowski, Providence)
Pakistan welcomes Indian Sikh pilgrims in first crossing since May conflict
(Al Jazeera)
Al Qaeda affiliate JNIM seizes power in Mali — what does this mean for Africa?
(Andrew West, Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Professor Robert Thurman pays tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama at a special Ghoton event in the UK Parliament
(Central Tibetan Administration)
Monday, 3 November 2025
From dependence to dignity: How Islamic microfinance is revolutionising disaster preparedness in Bangladesh
(Islamic Relief Worldwide)
What to know as Nigeria rejects US military threat over alleged Christian killings
(Chinedu Asadu, Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 3 November 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
9 dead, dozens injured in crowd surge at Hindu temple in southern India
(Rajesh Roy, Associated Press)
Church keeps working for the end of conflicts in Colombia
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Bolivia: Catholic leaders hopeful of improved relations with country’s president-elect
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
At Cuba’s notorious garbage dump, locals find grace
(Jonathan Bühne, Religion Unplugged)
Challenges to religious freedom in South Africa: Three tests for a constitutional democracy
(Micheal Swain, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Hardline Sri Lankan monk seeks protection from extremist threat
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Religions join to tackle rising suicides among South Korea’s elderly
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Quebec tightens secularism laws; bans face coverings and religious symbols for all educational staff
(Joel Ceausu, Canadian Jewish News)
Turkey, Muslim allies demand Palestinian self-rule in Gaza following Istanbul summit
(Times of Israel)
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