Law and Religion Headlines

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Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Group seeks crackdown against Pakistan temple opponents
(UCA News)

Why Buddhist monks collect alms and visit households even in times of social distancing
(Thomas Borchert, The Conversation)

Made in China vs. made in heaven: China can increase global trust and economic growth by embracing greater religious freedom
(Brian Grim, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)

Campaign brewing to get Hindu god Brahma off popular beer
(William J. Kole, Associated Press)

EU, Turkey clash over Hagia Sophia, Mediterranean drilling
(Raf Casert, Associated Press)

Turkey says it rejects EU condemnation over Hagia Sophia
(Associated Press)

UK Catholic leaders join interfaith appeal for debt cancellation for poorest nations
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Mahmoud Dicko – Mali’s controversial guardian of faith
(Philipp Sandner, Deutsche Welle)

Russian Foreign Ministry 'regrets' transformation of Hagia Sophia into mosque
(Interfax-Religion)

Erdogan assures Putin that the security of Christian relics will be ensured in Hagia Sophia
(Interfax-Religion)

Moscow satisfied with Turkey's pledge to keep Hagia Sophia open to visitors - Peskov
(Interfax-Religion)

Pope weaves ‘Tale of Two Cities’ on Hong Kong and Hagia Sophia
(John L. Allen Jr., Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Nepal’s government actively targets religious minorities
(Religion News Service)

Cairo Court applies Christian religious law in inheritance case
(Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt Indepedent)

US Bishops issue statement on Hagia Sophia
(Zenit: The World Seen from Rome)

Monday, 13 July 2020

Sanctions must be placed on Nigeria after horrific Christian persecution, lobby group says
(Shanker Singham, Daily Express)

Pope Francis expresses sadness after Hagia Sophia is declared a mosque
(Catholic News Agency)

Religious liberty in Tibet: From bad to worse
(Massimo Introvigne and Dominic Nardi, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

How will the court deal with the Christchurch mosque killer representing himself at sentencing?
(Kris Gledhill, The Conversation)

The relationship between blasphemy laws and religious extremism in the Middle East and North Africa
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)

China sanctions Cruz, Rubio, Smith, Brownback for criticism
(Associated Press)

5 dead in hostage situation at troubled South Africa church
(Cara Anna, Associated Press)

Christians in Hong Kong, under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party
(Alessandra Bocchi, National Review)

Robbers invade convent in Uganda, beat nuns while taking valuables, cash
(Godfrey Olukya, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Venezuela bishops denounce ‘general chaos’ under Maduro
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Jehovah's Witnesses report searches, detentions of their followers in Russia's Voronezh
(Interfax-Religion)

Russia: 15 months in deportation centre so far
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)

Turkish president's mosque decision on Hagia Sophia evokes 'grief and dismay' at World Council of Churches
(Anli Serfontein, Ecumenical News)

Lebanon: New coalition to defend free speech
(Human Rights Watch)

Sudan drops death penalty for apostasy, alcohol ban for Christians
(Jayson Casper, Christianity Today)

Modi’s slide toward autocracy: Using Hindutva ideology, India’s leader is restyling the country as one with only the trappings of democracy.
(Azeem Ibrahim, Foreign Policy)

Sudan's liberalization for the chosen few
(Cristina Krippahl, Deutsche Welle)

Freedom of Religion SA petitions for review of same-sex marriages bill
(IOL News)

J&K: Concerned over alleged excessive force used against minorities, say UN Special Rapporteurs
(Scroll.in India)

Once the seat of eastern Christianity, Hagia Sophia is set to be turned into a mosque
(Milton Quintanilla, Christian Headines)

‘White supremacy’ is the new ‘homophobia’
(Michael Brown, The Christian Post)

Gunmen kill at least 5 at South African megachurch, create ‘hostage situation’
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)

Bahrain upholds death sentences despite torture claims
(Al-Monitor: Gulf Pulse)

Iran offers unconditional support to Hamas, Islamic Jihad
(Rasha Abou Jalal, Al-Monitor: Iran Pulse)

Israeli protesters clash with police outside Netanyahu's residence
(Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)

US enthusiasm seems to be fading on Netanyahu’s annexation plan
(Rina Bassist, Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)

Israel creates plan to develop, protect Sea of Galilee
(Rina Bassist, Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)

Ultra-Orthodox threaten unity government over coronavirus measures
(Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)

US threatens sanctions in bid to restore oil sharing in Libya
(Al-Monitor: North Africa Pulse)

Dilemma in re-opening places of worship
(Saada Hassan, The Standard)

Saudi Arabia to fund Quran Complex
(The Express Tribune)

Sunday, 12 July 2020

400+ Protestant venues destroyed or closed in Shangrao City
(Tang Zhe, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

Millions of children forced into labor as COVID-19 creates global hunger crisis: World Vision
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)

Yemeni economy in free fall amid collapsing currency, COVID-19
(Mohammed Yahya Gahlan, Al-Monitor: Gulf Pulse)

Kenya is having another go at passing a reproductive rights bill. What’s at stake
(Anthony Idowu Ajayi and Meggie Mwoka, The Conversation)

Sudan allows alcohol for non-Muslims, decriminalizes apostasy
(Deutsche Welle)

Saturday, 11 July 2020

Could the International Criminal Court investigate atrocities against the Uighur Muslims in China?
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

British Foreign Secretary to sanction Russian and Saudi Human Rights abuses with new Magnitsky sanctions
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

The Murad Code of Conduct is to transform documenting conflict-related sexual violence
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

Could Facebook help to establish the Burmese government’s intent to commit genocide against the Rohingya Muslims?
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

Is The Cameroon ceasefire talk nearing amid Covid-19 pandemic?
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

Uyghur traditional houses destroyed by the CCP: Another tool of cultural genocide
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

Friday, 10 July 2020

Erdogan declares Hagia Sophia a mosque after Turkish court ruling
(Daren Butler, Ece Toksabay, Reuters)

Reaction to Turkish ruling and Erdogan statement on Hagia Sophia
(Compiled by Timothy Heritage and Gareth Jones; Editing by Janet Lawrence, Reuters)

USCIRF decries decision to change status of the Hagia Sophia
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Hagia Sophia will become a mosque again, it is both Turkey’s and an Islamic right
(Middle East Monitor)

Hagia Sophia in contest during COVID-19 emergency
(Coby Vail, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Russia: "Russia has deceived Interpol"
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)

Women filmmakers from Afghanistan and Iran take top honors in Religious Freedom & Business film competition
(Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)

Uighurs reflect on 2009 violence that set off Chinese crackdown
(Aysha Khan, The Washington Post)

Suicide of Egyptian activist Sarah Hegazi exposes the ‘freedom and violence’ of LGBTQ Muslims in exile
(Ahmad Qais Munhazim, The Conversation)

Thursday, 9 July 2020

Christianity and Criminal Law edited by Mark Hill QC, Norman Doe, R.H. Helmholz, and John Witte, Jr.
(An Introduction by Mark Hill QC, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

The Right of Self-Defense and the Organic Unity of Human Rights
(David Little, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

A Non-Theoretical Justification of Human Rights: A Response to David Little’s The Right of Self-Defense – Part II
(T. Jeremy Gunn, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

The Right to Self-Defense as the Grundnorm for Human Rights: A Response to David Little
(John Witte Jr., Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

The Moral Logic of Self-Defense and Identifying Rights of Urgent Moral Concern
(Christian Rice, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

Human Rights, Human Dignity and Personal Autonomy: A Reflection on David Little’s Theory of Self-Defense and Organic Unity
(Mark Hill QC, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

Response to David Little on Self-Defense
(David Yoon-Jung Kim, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

A Non-Theoretical Justification of Human Rights: A Response to David Little’s The Right of Self-Defense – Part I
(T. Jeremy Gunn, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

Thailand moves to legalise same-sex unions
(Patpicha Tanakasempipat, The Sydney Morning Herald)

USCIRF applauds global Magnitsky sanctions against senior Chinese officials
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Burial traditions clash with coronavirus safety in Indonesia
(Niniek Karmini and Victoria Milko, Associated Press)

Argentina’s president tells Christian business leaders to recover ‘best capitalism’
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Russia: Three prisoners of conscience stripped of citizenship
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)

Prosecutor asks for longest term yet for Jehovah's Witness
(Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Political opposition explains persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
(Mikhail Shubin, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Uzbekistan must stay on the path of religious freedom reform
(Nadine Maenza and Nury Turkel, The Diplomat)

Turkey’s president is playing religious politics
(The Economist)

What is a humanist wedding ceremony – and what are humanist beliefs?
(Anna Bailey, Woman & Home)

“No respect for human dignity”: Remembering China’s 709 Crackdown
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)

Sisi rallies tribes to support Egypt's intervention in Libya war
(Khalid Hassan, Al-Monitor: Egypt Pulse)

Wednesday, 8 July 2020

Supporting a more socially inclusive society in Bangladesh: Seeking lessons from different experiences
(Sarah Thompson, Aisha Binte Abdur Rob, Katherine Marshall, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

DAILY HIGHLIGHT #113: The Religious Responses to COVID-19 Project: Changing Pace
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)

United Nations Human Rights Mandate Holders and COVID-19
(Just Security)

A conversation with U.N. Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed: COVID-19 and freedom of belief
(Just Security)

A conversation with U.N. Special Rapporteur David Kaye: COVID-19 and Freedom of Expression
(Just Security)

A conversation with U.N. Special Rapporteur E. Tendayi Achiume: COVID-19, Racism, and Xenophobia
(Just Security)

USCIRF releases new report about human rights advocacy and the North Korea Nuclear impasse
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Pope Francis calls on Christians to recognize the face of Christ in migrants
(Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency)

UK urged to sanction Nigerian officials for failing to protect persecuted Christians
(Catholic News Agency)

Tuesday, 7 July 2020

Faith-Based Organizations Responding to COVID-19
(Brett Scharffs and Katherine Marshall, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)

DAILY HIGHLIGHT #111 COVID-19: Soul-searching, and Honest Conversations
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)

WEBINAR RECORDING: Young Women of Faith and Transformative Leadership in COVID-19 Response
(Katherine Marshall, Ruth Gopin. Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, et al., Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs)

Technosurveillance mission creep in Israel’s COVID-19 response
(Natan Sachs and Kevin Huggard, Brookings: TechStream)

Interfaith Forum calls for protection of human rights amid Covid-19
(Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ, Vatican News)

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