Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 5 August 2020
Shifting the nuclear narrative (Responding to: Keeping faith in nuclear disarmament)
(Erin Connolly, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
The resilience of the survivors (Responding to: Keeping faith in nuclear disarmament)
(Alicia Sanders-Zakre, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Over 1,500 Brazilian priests support bishops’ attack on Bolsonaro
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Private Christian university in Canada says no sex outside heterosexual marriage. LGBTQ alumni say that discriminates
(Bobby Hristova, CBC News)
Poor and desperate, Pakistani Hindus accept Islam to get by
(Maria Abi-Habib and Zia ur-Rehman, The New York Times)
Weekly Highlight #117: COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities, World Faiths Development Dialogue)
Europe’s largest and most influential political network responds to inflammatory remarks by Turkish president
(Bayt ar-Rahmah)
Bayt ar-Rahma: Europe’s most influential political network responds to inflammatory remarks by Turkish president
(Religious Freedom Institute)
Ankara to host interfaith dialogue expo as Hagia Sophia controversy heats up
(Matt A. Hanson, Al-Monitor: Turkey Pulse)
Monday, 3 August 2020
English Catholic bishops: Church backs vaccination to protect the most vulnerable
(Catholic News Agency)
Articles of interest - 3 August 2020
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Religion Watch, Volume 34 No. 12
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Algeria's opportunity for freedom
(Claire Evans, Religious Freedom Institute)
Algeria's government must respect freedom of religion or belief
(Scott Weiner, Religious Freedom Institute)
Uzbekistan lifts 'ban' on minors attending prayers in mosques
(Al Jazeera)
Iran Health Ministry says COVID-19 deaths are higher than reported
(Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)
Egypt eyes coronavirus vaccine production
(Hagar Hosny, Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)
U.S. Ambassador for religious liberty warns Vatican: China is ‘at war with faith’
(Thomas D. Williams, Breitbart News)
The significance of the Char Dham board verdict (on state regulation of temples in India)
(Faizan Mustafa, The Hindu)
New York Times offers update on India's gay prince: Yes, there are big religion ghosts
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
Uyghurs, CCP fake news exposed by new UHRP report
(Ruth Ingram, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
On Yazidi genocide anniversary, failure to support survivors decried
(Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post)
Israel needs to prepare for the Biden era - opinion
(Ori Wertman, The Jerusalem Post - Opinion)
Vatican calls for arson investigation at Nicaragua cathedral
(Associated Press)
South Korea church leader arrested over coronavirus outbreak
(Deutsche Welle)
Jehovah's Witness granted reduced punishment
(Ivan Zhuravkov, 7x7 Kursk oblast, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Jehovah's Witnesses repeatedly tried for same offenses
(Za Prava Cheloveka, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
75 years after A-bombings in Japan, world worries about new arms race
(Hisashi Yukimoto and Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
The conversion of Hagia Sophia: Desire, spectacle, and a historical re-enactment (Responding to: Hagia Sophia: From museum to mosque)
(Ömür Harmanşah, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
A nation in fight with itself: The Hagia Sophia between ideas and elites (Responding to: Hagia Sophia: From museum to mosque)
(Sinem Adar, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Pilgrims wear masks, socially distance during Hajj
(Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)
AP photos: Muslims worldwide mark Eid festival amid pandemic
(Associated Press)
Ukrainian politician points to European political thrust (regarding religious holidays)
(RISU, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Ukrainian Bureau of Investigation avoids interference in church dispute
(RISU, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Friday, 31 July 2020
Killing of Tahir Naseem in Pakistan
(Press Statement, U.S. Department of State)
USCIRF expresses outrage at the killing of U.S. citizen over blasphemy charges in Pakistan
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Pakistan’s bloodthirsty blasphemy law needs to be repealed
(Kunwar Khuldune Shahid, The Diplomat)
Thousands rally in Pakistan in support of killer of American
(Kathy Gannon, Associated Press)
Lawyer: Yemeni rebels free 6 Baha’i prisoners held for years
(Ahmed Al-Haj, Associated Press)
USCIRF commends release of religious prisoner of conscience Hamid Bin Haydara and 5 other Baha’is in Yemen
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Six Baha’is imprisoned by the Houthis freed in Yemen
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Religion Photos of the Week - 31 July 2020
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)
World Day Against Human Trafficking: A fight that concerns all countries
(Larissa I. López, Zenit: The World Seen from Rome)
Podcast: Pasha 74: From girl to adult: the impact of early marriages in Ghana
(Ozayr Patel and Elizabeth Anokyewaa Sarfo Fordjour, The Conversation)
How the Hagia Sophia decision impacts Turkey, minorities and now, Syria
(Claire Sadar, Religion Unplugged)
Hagia Sophia’s status change threatens cultural rights (Responding to: Hagia Sophia: From museum to mosque)
(Heghnar Zeitlian Watenpaugh, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Hagia Sophia: turning this Turkish treasure into a mosque is at odds with its UNESCO status
(Senija Causevic, The Conversation)
Kashmir: new domicile rules spark fresh anger a year after India removed region’s special status
(Leoni Connah, The Conversation)
Why is Eid celebrated twice a year and how has coronavirus changed the festival?
(The Conversation)
Tahafuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam Bill against constitution: Nasir Abbas Jaffri
(Mansoor Ali, The Nation)
Livestock prices stress Muslims in Africa ahead of Eid
(Babacar Dione and Krista Larson, Associated Press)
Rights group urges Indonesia to end caning under Islamic law
(Edna Tarigan, Associated Press)
Pilgrims pray on peak day of hajj in shadow of coronavirus
(Aya Batrawy, Associated Press)
Canadian court says Catholic archdiocese is vicariously liable for sexual abuse at orphanage
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Appeal court holds Catholic church liable for abuse suffered at Mount Cashel
(CBC News)
Over 145 Brazilian bishops condemn Bolsonaro’s handling of pandemic
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
12 dead as Philippine troops battle militants in south
(Associated Press)
Reflection on race by Bishop João Noé Rodrigues of South Africa
(Paul Tatu, Zenit: The World Seen from Rome)
Why are peaceful human rights activists still behind bars in Vietnam?
(Kasit Piromya, The Diplomat)
Mexico Supreme Court rejects state's bid to decriminalise abortion
(BBC News)
Pastor in Nepal jailed for more than three months released on bail
(Morning Star News)
COVID-19: Scapegoating Shincheonji in South Korea. A Second White Paper
(Massimo Introvigne, Willy Fautré, Rosita Šorytė, Alessandro Amicarelli, Marco Respinti, CESNUR – Center for Studies on New Religions)
Russian Orthodox Symphonia in the Time of Coronavirus
(Mikhail Antonov, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Iran: Wave of support in the EU for persecuted Baha’is
(Bahá’í International Community, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
COVID-19: Interfaith group sensitises Bodija traders
(Saheed Salawu, Nigerian Tribune)
Nigeria cannot be defeated by evil forces, inter-faith clerics declare at ongoing prayers
(Vanguard Nigeria)
Annual Report 2019/2020: Eradication of modern slavery: Catholic action in Australia
(Australian Catholic Anti-Slavery Network)
CCP offers high monetary awards to those who report on banned religious groups
(Ye Jiajia, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
Does re-converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque violate secularism in Turkey? (Responding to: Hagia Sophia: From museum to mosque)
(Umut Azak, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Ukrainian president shows ecumenical spirit: New religious state holidays to appear in Ukraine
(Union of Orthodox Journalists, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Largest raid on Jehovah's Witnesses leads to police brutality
(Viktoria Ponomareva, The Insider, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Ukraine-Russia church conflict echoes Russia-Ukraine hybrid war
(RISU, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
IGE participates in 25th anniversary celebration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam
(Institute for Global Engagement)
Indonesia ranks among most religious countries in Pew study
(Made Anthony Iswara, The Jakarta Post)
‘I don’t care about Hitler’: Wiley and the rise of antisemitism
(The Conversation)
USAID helps promote religious freedom in the Middle East
(VOA)
COVID hajj restrictions leave streets of Mecca empty, pilgrimage businesses in trouble
(Rabiya Jaffery, Religion News Service)
USCIRF applauds Global Magnitsky sanctions against Xinjiang entity
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
U.S. Ambassador Brownback on China’s high-tech persecution of Uighurs
(Joe Carter, The Gospel Coalition)
Religious Freedom in China: The Case of Bishop James Su Zhimin
(Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, U.S. House of Representatives)
Religious Freedom in China: The Case of Bishop James Su Zhimin (video)
(Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, YouTube Video)
Wednesday, 29 July 2020
KAICIID: The Road to the G20 Interfaith Forum
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
G20 Interfaith Forum gathers Latin American religious leaders for consultation on COVID-19 and society inequalities exposed by the virus
(G20 Interfaith Forum, PR Newswire)
Russian Foreign Ministry sends notes of protest to Western states' embassies over LGBT flags hoisted on their buildings
(Interfax-Religion)
Jehovah's Witness in Russia convicted of extremism, concern over crackdown
(Brendan Cole, Newsweek)
Uighur Muslims are being killed, tortured and imprisoned. We cannot stay silent when the stakes are so high
(Yasmin Qureshi, Independent Opinion)
The Uighurs' suffering deserves targeted solutions, not anti-Chinese posturing
(James Millward, The Guardian)
USCIRF condemns execution of aid workers by ISWAP militants
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Queensland LNP MPs discouraged from meeting euthanasia campaigners ahead of conscience vote
(Ben Smee, Guardian (Australia))
Indonesian religious group cries foul over tomb closure
(Konradus Epa, UCA News)
In Japan, doctors’ arrests for assisted suicide of Yuri Hayashi spark calls for euthanasia debate
(South China Morning Post)
District 18 (video)
(Vimeo, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)
Technology infuses ancient hajj rites tailored for pandemic
(Aya Batrawy, Associated Press)
Thinking theologically with pandemics
(Uday Chandra, Al Jazeera)
Malaysia’s unwelcoming shore for refugees fleeing religious persecution
(Gayle Manchin and James W. Carr, The Diplomat)
The Vatican is said to be hacked from China before talks with Beijing
(David E. Sanger, Edward Wong and Jason Horowitz, The New York Times)
Do we need religion to be moral? The answer depends of where you live, a new report finds
(Yahoo News)
Turkey sends strong message through Trabzon Hagia Sophia
(International Christian Concern)
Weekly highlight #116: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities, World Faiths Development Dialogue)
Pakistan: Church resists censorship by internet police
(Eurasia Review)
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