Law and Religion Headlines

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Wednesday, 3 February 2021

In Israel, haredi Orthodox Jews wield enormous political power. Could that change because of Covid?
(Sam Sokol, Jewish News of Northern California)

Volume 8 (2020): Issue 2-3 (Dec 2020): Special Issue: Religion, State and COVID 19 edited by Itzhak Brand
(Journal of Law, Religion and State)

Weekly highlight #141: COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions - Faith communities worldwide balance concerns about rising cases with mixed hopes and fears about vaccine rollouts
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)

Equitable COVID Vaccine Distribution and Access: Enforcing International Legal Obligations under Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and the Right to Development
(Diane Desierto, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

Renewed hope of Uyghurs as Genocide Amendment passes in Lords again
(Jewish News)

Kazakhstan: 131 administrative prosecutions in 2020
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)

Conflict over Buddhist monastery in Russia resolved
(TASS, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Two protestants suffer misapplication of Russia's anti-evangelism law
(Tulskie Prianiki, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Russian customs confiscates Jehovah's Witnesses' books
(Interfax-Religiia, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Coronavirus: Sri Lanka's forced cremations spark anger among Muslims
(Akanksha Saxena, Deutsche Welle)

Exiled Uighurs in Turkey fear China’s long reach—‘We are all panicking now’
(Eva Xiao, The Wall Street Journal)

Turkey sees uptick in religious freedom violations
(Ahval)

Russia: Special bimonthly FORB (17-31.01.2021)
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Iran: Prison sentences against Christian converts upheld
(Middle East Concern)

Escalation of religious freedom violations in Turkey
(International Christian Concern)

Cardinal Ayuso: ‘We must work for a culture of peace and inclusion'
(Vatican News)

Holy See reiterates calls against all forms of anti-Semitism
(Vatican News)

Unbelief, no religious affiliation, secularization and fundamentalism (Spanish)
(Elio Masferrer Kan, El Universal)

The strategic alliance of Jesuits and Human Rights that challenges authoritarian governments (Spanish)
(Cristiano Morsolin, Religión digital)

Monday, 1 February 2021

South Africa's army allows hijab for Muslim women
(Aljazeera)

Religion takes front seat in Africa's battle against second wave of COVID-19
(Tawanda Karombo, Religion Unplugged)

I’m an Auschwitz survivor – what happened in the Holocaust must never be forgotten
(Freda Wineman, Independent)

The UK Genocide Amendment: suitability of the High Court
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Oxford Human Rights Hub)

Pakistan - Senate panel rejects Protection of the Rights of Religions MInories (PRRM) bill
(Business Recorder)

Pakistan: Muslims condemn attack on Christian nurse
(Kamran Chaudhry, Union of Catholic Asian News)

New Pakistani short film creates buzz about blasphemy law
(Anmol Irfan, Religion Unplugged)

100,000 clerics mobilise for interfaith prayer, fasting
(Saxone Akhaine, The Guardian)

'Love jihad' law threatens women's freedoms in India
(Bangkok Post)

How long will India celebrate its secular constitution? – Oped
(Nirendra Dev, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Christians arrested on conversion charge denied bail in India
(Saji Thomas, Union of Catholic Asian News)

India: uphold the Constitution and its fundamental human rights
(Agenza Fides, Agenzia Fides)

Saudi Arabia has been scrubbing its textbooks of anti-Semitic and misogynistic passages
(Sarah Dadouch, The Washington Post)

Myanmar: An urgent, fraternal appeal for peace and reconciliation
(Cardinal Charles Bo, Religions for Peace)

China: Special weekly FoRB newsletter (25-31.01.2021)
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Chinese Christian fined nearly $25K for holding Christmas celebration
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)

Some pastors fear their churches won't survive the pandemic: report
(The Christian Post)

Persecuted evangelicals in Mexico help Traditionalist Catholics break free from pagan idolatry
(Jackson Elliott, The Christian Post)

Biblical 'royal' purple cloth scraps from era of Kings David, Solomon found in Israel
(Brandon Showalter, The Christian Post)

Imbolc’s celebration of hearth and home resonates with Pagans in a pandemic year
(Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service)

Islamophobia: A fungible prop for Muslim religious soft power – Analysis
(James M. Dorsey, Eurasia Review Opinion)

Imprisoned for protesting: the missing students of Pakistan
(Kamran Chaudhry, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Pope asks world leaders to come together to tackle leprosy
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

Religious news from around the web - February 1, 2021
(World Religion News)

Articles of interest - 1 February 2021
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Thousands join in Jerusalem funerals, flout pandemic rules
(Ilan Ben Zion, Associated Press)

Outcry, arrests in Turkey over Mecca poster with LGBT flags
(Zeynep Bilginsoy, Associated Press)

Lat Am church weaves ‘seamless garment’ on COVID, abortion and migration
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Vatican’s chief diplomat visits capital of Cameroon’s troubled Anglophone region
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Church in Brazil wants to expand spaces for studies and debates in favor of religious freedom
(Seventh-day Adventist church)

Authorities add another region where Jehovah's Witnesses are persecuted
(OVD.Info, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Top two Orthodox bishops respond to demonstrations roiling country
(Credo.Press, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Appeals court rules against Jehovah's Witnesses
(Memorial Human Rights Center, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Putin meets with Patriarch Kirill
(Interfax-Religion)

Wisdom Newsletter January 2021
(Elijah Interfaith Institute)

Foxhole relationships at work: How connection can arise out of conflict
(Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)

Taiwan: Education, conscience and tax justice: Reflecting on the Tai Ji Men case
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

The South Korean verdict on Chairman Lee: COVID-19 and religious liberty
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)

Coronavirus hotspots: anger in South Korea as fringe church schools drop masks, put faith in God
(Park Chan-kyong, South China Morning Post)

Russia to classify beneficiaries of religious organizations
(Religion Today, Religion Today)

Friday, 29 January 2021

South Africa: Freedom of Religion group tries to overturn ban on religious gatherings in court
(Cebelihle Bhengu, Times Lives)

Indian farmers stormed the capital’s fort to fly a Sikh flag
(Zaffar Iqbal, Religion Unplugged)

UN experts urge renewed commitment to combat antisemitism, including Holocaust distortion and denial
(Ahmed Shaheed, Tendayi Achiume, Irene Khan, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, Fernand de Varennes, Karima Bennoune, Agnès Callamard, United Nations)

Pune: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind organizes interfaith dialogue
(Punkar News)

Policy draft of interfaith harmony presented (Pakistan)
(The News International)

Interfaith dialogue centerpiece of Iran, Syriac Orthodox Churches in Spain
(Islamic Republic News Agency)

Together for Uyghurs – a Holocaust memorial event
(YouTube Video, René Cassin)

5 websites to help educate about the horrors of the Holocaust
(Jennifer Rich, The Conversation)

Down a long and dimly-lit-path: Are we there yet with standards of review and religious freedom
(Janet Epp Buckingham, Journal of Commonwealth Law)

CDDH Report on ECHR in European and International Legal Order
(Antoine Buyse, ECHR Blog)

The place of the European Convention on Human Rights in the European and International Legal Order
(Council of Europe, Report of the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH))

France says it bombed an ‘armed terrorist group.’ Witnesses say it was a wedding.
(Danielle Paquette and Mamadou Tapily, The Washington Post)

Nigeria to be investigated by the international criminal court
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

Solving religious conflict: Beyond the moral case (Nigeria)
(Abare Kallah, Isa Buba, and Shanta Premawardhana, The Guardian)

Annual World Watch List highlights scale of global persecution of Christians
(Religious Freedom Institute, Religious Freedom Institute Blog)

The growing issue of anti-semitism in New Zealand
(Paul Hunt and Meng Foon, Stuff.co.nz)

Liberal government declares Jan. 29 national day of remembrance for victims of mosque shooting (Canada)
(Peter Zimonjic, David Cochrane, Sean Gordon, CBC News)

Revelations from a hidden life: The life of Franz Jägerstätter offers us an example of how to love our fellow citizens in a time of partisan antagonism and division.
(Elizabeth Regenerus, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)

Forced adoption case against Norway hits European Court of Human Rights
(Courthouse News, Hiiraan Online)

Vaccinations, outreach, and persecution: The latest on religion and COVID-19
(G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)

Photos of the Week: Voodoo fashion, Candlemas preparations
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)

Parliament endorses joint interfaith statement on the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
(Parliament of the World's Religions)

Biden to reverse anti-abortion rights policies in new executive actions
(Bo Erickson, CBS News)

Sweden/China: Call for signatures: Letter in support of a Chinese citizen facing deportation
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Will the EU-China investment agreement survive Parliament’s scrutiny?
(The Diplomat)

The disappearing mosques in Xinjiang, China
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

By Sea of Galilee, archaeologists find ruins of early mosque
(Ilan Ben Zion, Associated Press)

Patriarch: Pope to meet Iraqi Shiite leader Sistani in Iraq
(Nicole Winfield and Samya Kullab, Associated Press)

2 men caned 77 times for having sex in Indonesia’s Aceh
(Riska Munawarah, Associated Press)

Another criminal conviction of Jehovah's Witnesses woman
(Kavkazskii Uzel, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Armenian Church assisting with return of prisoners from Azerbaijan
(Interfax-Religion)

Russia: "The policy of expelling 'extremists and terrorists'"
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)

Eric Patterson on religious freedom and democracy a decade after the Arab Spring
(Religious Freedom Institute)

Plea in Supreme Court seeks religion, gender neutral adoption process
(Abraham Thomas, Hindustan Times)

As UN condemns forced cremations, Sri Lanka’s foreign secretary denies discrimination
(Tamil Guardian)

Kumbh Mela 2021: Centre issues guidelines, makes THIS mandatory for devotees
(DiReSoM: Diritto e Religione nelle Società Multiculturali/ Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies)

Consequential human rights diplomacy
(Knox Thames, Harvard Human Rights Journal)

How much longer will the Middle East celebrate Christmas?
(Knox Thames, Religion News Service)

Japan: Supreme Court to review case about donations to the Unification Church
(Willy Fautré, Bitter Winter)

In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, religious leaders hail nuclear ban treaty US shuns
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)

Biden moves to restore funding for family planning clinics; reverses Mexico City Policy
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

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