Law and Religion Headlines

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Friday, 29 January 2021

Catholic bishops call on Biden to change reality at Mexican border
(John Lavenburg, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Menos mexicanos se declaran católicos y aumentan los “sin religión” en nuevo censo
(ACI Prensa)

London chaplain banned from prison work for revealing Islamic extremism
(Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination in Europe, Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination in Europe)

Wednesday, 27 January 2021

2021 Holocaust Remembrance
(Outreach Programme on the Holocaust, United Nations)

Don't repeat what Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates, world urged
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)

Pope marking Holocaust warns another genocide possible
(Associated Press)

Pope Francis forced to miss more events due to recurrent nerve pain
(Catholic News Agency)

Vatican gradually to defund some mission territories
(Andrea Gagliarducci, Catholic News Agency)

Egypt unveils restored Isis Temple 150 years after its discovery
(Rasha Mahmoud, Al-Monitor: Egypt Pulse)

Visitors can begin to follow Jesus along Egypt's Holy Family Trail
(Al-Monitor: Egypt Pulse)

Egypt announces first major archeological discovery of 2021
(Alaa Omran, Al-Monitor: Egypt Pulse)

Uproar after scholar bans excavation of Egyptian mummies
(Mohamed Sabry, Al-Monitor: Egypt Pulse)

Islamic State kills 1, wounds 3 in Sinai
(Al-Monitor: Egypt Pulse)

Religious news from around the web January 25, 2021
(World Religion News)

Myanmar's displaced Christians form village called 'Bethel' outside Yangon
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)

Christian leaders urge Biden to lift sanctions on Syria
(Jackson Elliott, The Christian Post)

UK free to make trade deals with genocidal regimes after Commons vote
(The Guardian, The Guardian)

Man files for removal of religious affiliations in Indian court
(TNN, The Times of India)

Cardinal: Danish bill requiring translation of homilies threatens religious freedom
(Catholic News Agency, Catholic News Agency)

Order of Australian member defends right to religious freedom of speech
(Keane Bourke and Herlyn Kaur, ABC News Australia)

Spotlight on international religious freedom
(Carol Castiel, VOA)

Will Indonesia’s new Religious Affairs minister protect religious minorities?
(East Asia Forum)

Who is behind recent attacks against Turkish presence in Idlib?
(Sultan al-Kanj, Al-Monitor: Syria Pulse)

Pakistan issues notices to Google, Wikipedia over ‘sacrilegious’ content
(Online News Editor, La Prensa Latina)

Shincheonji’s Chairman Lee not guilty of breaking virus law: The decision
(Bitter Winter)

Sri Lanka: ‘Forced’ cremation of COVID victims’ bodies must stop - UN rights experts
(UN News)

Dealing with the ‘curse’ of race and religion in politics
(Imran Ariff, Free Malaysia Today)

Pope Francis gives over $100K for earthquake relief in Croatia
(Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency)

Pope Francis: Witness to the truth by exposing ‘fake news’
(Catholic News Agency)

Canadian student journalist fired for Catholic views charges discrimination
(Catholic News Agency)

COVID in the Canadian courts
(Peter Stockland, Convivium)

USCIRF condemns mistreatment of religious prisoner of conscience Golrokh Iraee in Iran
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Experts demand suspension of EU-China investment deal
(Maik Baumgärtner and Ann-Katrin Müller, Spiefel International)

Weekly Highlight #140: COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions - Interfaith Calls for Unity amid Concerns about Vaccine Equity and Hesitancy
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)

Polls show surprising support for Jewish parties among Arab voters
(Afif Abu Much, Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)

China's Communist leaders fear Christian population may reach 300 million by 2030
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)

Religion and diplomacy: A conversation with Judd Birdsall
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Argentine official lashes out at clerics accusing him of human rights abuses
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Bishop concerned about withdrawal of peacekeepers from struggling Darfur
(Francis Njuguna, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Jehovah's Witness triumphs in high court over prosecution
(Kavkazskii Uzel, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Senators approve Family Code amendments declaring supremacy of Russian Constitution, moral principles over int'l law
(Interfax-Religion)

Recruiters of the "caliphate" detained in Kaluga Region
(Interfax-Religion)

Turkmenistan: Five conscientious objectors jailed in two days
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)

Iranians move into front line of the Middle East’s quest for religious change
(James M. Dorsey, Modern Diplomacy)

The problem with India’s ‘love jihad’ laws
(Sumit Ganguly, Religion News Service)

Bishops reiterate need for direct Israel-Palestine negotiations if there is to be peace
(Catholic News Agency)

Criminal violence is escalating among Arab communities in Israel
(Daoub Kuttab, Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)

Indian Jews bring traditional celebrations to Israel
(Rina Bassist, Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)

Tuesday, 26 January 2021

Ultra-Orthodox riot across Israel over lockdown
(Rina Bassist, Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)

Monday, 25 January 2021

Nigeria should leverage religion for national peace, group urges
(Best Naira News, Best Naira)

Twitter locks out Chinese Embassy in U.S. over post on Uighurs
(Bloomberg, The Japan Times)

Blasphemy laws and human rights: a match made in hell
(Marie Juul Petersen, OpenGlobalRights)

The Grand Egyptian Festival: religion, heritage and social cohesion
(Mariz Tadros, Institute of Development Studies)

Towards Enriching Understandings of Freedom of Religion or Belief: Politics, Debates, Methodologies, and Practices
(CREID Working Paper 6, Institute of Development Studies)

Freedom of religion or belief and religious inequalities: how is evidence collected?
(Mariz Tadros, Emilie Wilson, Kathryn Cheeseman, Institute of Development Studies)

“THOSE people are awful! But …”
(Kent Johnson,, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)

ECtHR Grand Chamber declares admissible the case of Ukraine v. Russia re Crimea
(Marco Milanovic, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

Complaints brought by Ukraine against Russia concerning a pattern of human rights violations in Crimea declared partly admissible
(Press Release by the Registrar of the Court, European Court of Human Rights)

Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea) - Grand Chamber Admissibility Decision
(European Court of Human Rights)

Turkey’s religious authority denounces ‘evil-eye’ charms
(Andrew Wilks, Aljazeera)

India: Haryana withdraws order firing man who made Facebook post against Sikh religion
(Express News Service, The Indian Press)

Usmanov v. Russia: a confusing turn in the right direction? (citizenship and counterterrorism)
(Louise Reyntjen, Strasbourg Observers)

SC turns down UP Govt's application to transfer pleas challenging 'Love Jihad' law to itself
(The Wire)

Articles of interest - 25 January 2021
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

USCIRF troubled by escalating persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Algeria
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

China: Special weekly FoRB newsletter (16-24.01.2021)
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Racism is a precursor to extremism (Malaysia)
(Ryan Chua, Malaysiakini)

Cuban pastor arrested and detained
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

Photos of the Week: Biden inauguration, Buddhist funeral in Nepal
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)

Israel targets flights, religious scofflaws, as virus rages
(Josef Federman, Associated Press)

Argentina’s abortion law enters force under watchful eyes
(Almudena Calatrava, Associated Press)

Authorities are dealing with both religious and political dissidents
(Credo.Press, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Court keeps case of "Moscow Five" Jehovah's Witnesses open
(Interfax-Religiia, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Nineteen Jehovah's Witnesses on trial in Birobidzhan region
(OVD.Info, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Prosecutor tries to overturn victory of Jehovah's Witness in south of Russia
(Kavkazskii Uzel, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Swiss Guards celebrate 515 years as guardians of Catholic pope
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)

‘Never again’ in Hebrew and Arabic as Gulf states mark Holocaust Memorial Day
(Stephen Oryszczuk, Jewish News)

South Africa: Islamic group in dispute over use use of land in Bo-Kaap community
(The Daily Maverick, The Daily Maverick)

Kenya: Atheists want churches, mosques shut down due to noise pollution
(Sylvania Ambani, All Africa)

Kenya listed among 50 countries where it's hardest being Christian
(Joseph Mboya, All Africa)

Friday, 22 January 2021

10 best practices for improving religious freedom in complicated countries
(Chris Seiple, Christianity Today)

Taiwan: International forum on the eve of Taiwan’s Judicial Day – HRWF director’s address
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Hong Kong Christians prepare for possible persecution from China
(George Thomas, CBN News)

Christians face a climate of fear in six Asian countries
(Ben Joseph, Union of Catholic Asian News)

The Journal of CESNUR - Volume 5, Issue 1 January—February 2021 (PDF)
(CESNUR – Center for Studies on New Religions)

Child safety and religious freedom- NSW
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)

UN approves global conference on protecting religious sites
(Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press)

Pakistan seeks to block US-based website of minority Ahmadis
(Kathy Gannon, Associated Press)

Persecution of The Church of Almighty God: From bad to worse. The British Conservative Party Human Rights Commission report called again the attention on a brutal campaign of repression, made worse by COVID-19.
(Rosita Soryte, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

Genocide in Xinjiang: The word is no longer taboo. The U.S. officially adopted the designation, and in the UK an amendment to prevent trade with genocidal states was narrowly defeated.
(Ruth Ingram, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

Wake-up call for religions: Choose life instead of destruction
(Edy Korthals Altes, Religions for Peace)

Turkmenistan: Another second-time jailing as a conscientious objector
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Word or deeds: Shiite firebrand pledges to restore Iraqi Christian property
(Jayson Casper, Christianity Today)

Pastor forced to leave home in Turkey for preaching
(Alliance Defending Freedom)

After outcry, Salvadoran archbishop will grant investigators access to archive
(Rhina Guidos, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Mideast church leaders, others urge Biden to lift Syrian sanctions
(Doreen Abi Raad, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Uzbekistan: Five years jail for defending Muslims' freedom of religion and belief
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)

Antisemitism is on the march from Kuwait to Tunisia
(Amjad Taha, The Times of Israel)

Jerusalem deputy Mayor Hagit Moshe to head religious Zionist party
(Gil Hoffman, The Jerusalem Post)

German teens go to Israel to atone for their families’ Holocaust history
(Michele Chabin, Religion News Service)

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