Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 4 June 2025
Brazil: Religious Freedom 2025 Exhibition: Islamic history and culture receives 600 visitors (Portuguese)
(Prefeitura de Guaruja)
Monday, 2 June 2025
Qatar: Authorities’ religious discrimination against Baha’is
(Human Rights Watch)
The uphill battle to safeguard rights
(Yana Gorokhovskaia and Cathryn Grothe, Freedom House)
Covenantal pluralism in Zambia: Problems and prospects
(Jeffrey Haynes, Institute for Global Engagement)
Women in G20 interfaith initiatives: Challenges for Africa
(Francisca Ngozi Uti and Katherine Marshall, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Saudi Arabia stops 269,678 Muslims without Hajj permits from entering Mecca
(Baraa Anwer, Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 1 June 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Indian court upholds Christian army officer's termination over prayers
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Canada: Muslim groups calls for 'action' after London woman spit on in alleged hate crime
(Kendra Seguin, CBC News)
Prayer, outreach, free expression – the Cuban government won’t tolerate the truth
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Partnerships strengthen Zimbabwe health facilities
(Eveline Chikwanah, United Methodist News)
Friday, 30 May 2025
Tens of thousands demonstrate in Nepal seeking restoration of ousted monarchy
(Binaj Gurubacharya, Associated Press)
Monks behaving badly: Explaining Buddhist violence in Asia
(Nilay Saiya & Stuti Manchanda, The MIT Press)
Pakistan must be made to end its decades-long tolerance and encouragement of the violent persecution of the Ahmadiyya community
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Pakistan Council of Islamic Ideology declares bill to criminalize child marriages ‘un-Islamic’
(Arab News)
Kenya: Religious leaders root for rule of law and transparency
(Rayvon Kipng’eno, Mulki Ali and Akida Kassim, Standard Media)
Islamic State group claims first attack on Syrian government forces since Assad’s fall
(Bassem Mroue, Associated Press)
Kyrgyzstan: Court bans True and Free Adventist Church as "extremist"
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
Iran: Religious persecution and issues – Monthly Digest May 2025
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Canada: ‘Trusted bridges’: Canadian church leaders urge government to partner with faith communities on immigrant integration
(Chris Eyte, Christian Daily)
New report finds no respite from government crackdown
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Threat “looming” for NSW religious freedoms
(Catholic Weekly)
WCC interreligious dialogue journal focusses on reconfiguring interfaith work
(World Council of Churches)
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
KAICIID showcases leadership in tackling religiously motivated hatred at conference marking International Day to Combat Islamophobia
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
In the pursuit of freedom: The history of the ICLRS and its commitment to help nations find solutions aligned with each country's values
(Gene Cymmer Ramirez, Ke Alaka'I)
Japan: Unification Church’s President Tanaka speaks. 1. The dissolution verdict
(Fumihiro Kato, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)
India’s religious politics cloud its diplomatic future
(John Singarayar, Eurasia Review)
USCIRF condemns rising attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan
(European Federation for Freedom of Belief)
Vietnam: Faith-based grassroots model fosters harmony, religious freedom, and public security in Gia Lai
(Voice of Vietnam)
Christians in Vietnam lose homes but cling to Jesus
(Open Doors)
Ghana bishops raise the alarm over illegal mining
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Catholics, Buddhists gather in Cambodia for interreligious meeting focused on peace
(Kristina Millare, Catholic News Agency)
Monday, 26 May 2025
Message from the National Security Council to Israelis in Canada, urging them to exercise increased precaution
(National Security Council)
Olinga Foundation fosters literacy with moral purpose
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Islamabad lays foundations for minority rights commission (French)
(religactu)
Pope prays for Chinese Catholics to be in communion with Rome in first comments on thorny issues
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 26 May 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Dozens of British mosques urge Starmer to recognise Palestine
(Middle East Eye)
Cambodia: Department of Cults and Religion tells ‘guru’ to stop posting content that affects social security on social media
(Khmer Times)
People of Bangladesh enjoying full religious freedom: Mahfuj
(BSS News)
Nigeria: Two years after Muslim-Muslim ticket, has governance trumped religion?
(Muzha Kucha, Radio Nigeria)
Ghana: Interior Minister urges Christian clerics to partner with government for national peace, security
(Judith Twumwaa, Modern Ghana)
Rights group urges Qatar government to end discriminatory policies against Baha’i minority
(Divyabharthi Baradhan, Jurist)
Legal Journal Number 7 (20): May (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
Friday, 23 May 2025
Pope Leo XIV’s Peace Initiative Relative to the Russia-Ukraine War
(Pavlo Smytsnyuk, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Iraq’s legal crisis through the lens of its personal status law
(Anne Harper, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Does Southeast Asia lead the world in human flourishing?
(Paul Marshall, The Diplomat)
Hindu refugees from Bhutan are being deported to a country they cannot live in
(Richa Karmarkar, Religion News Service)
Kyrgyzstan: Up to 7 years' imprisonment for True and Free Adventist Pastor?
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
Vietnam: Before Macron’s visit to Hanoi, NGOs urge him to press for the release of over 68 religious prisoners
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
India: Marginalizing Sikh rights and religious freedoms
(Muhammad Wasama Khalid, Eurasia Review)
Iran’s takeover of Iraq threatens mass Christian exodus
(William Roberts, Providence)
Sri Lankan court rules arrest of preachers ‘unconstitutional’
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Egypt: Hidden epidemic of violence against Coptic girls and women
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Cuba: Arrests and warnings: Ladies in White face repression (Spanish)
(Ivette Pacheco, Marti)
Vatican honours Rabbi Fishel Szlajen with diploma of honour and silver medal (Spanish)
(Infobae)
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Jewish law is clear: We must put religious and moral values ahead of military and tactical objectives
(Adam Zagoria-Moffet, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
In the Middle East, Kurdistan offers a hopeful model of religious freedom
(Samuel Brownback and Manus Churchill, The Hill)
In Syria, a Shiite shrine and community navigate a changed landscape
(Mariam Fam, Associated Press)
Comparative answers to contemporary challenge of legal authoritarianism: The cause of Kuwait
(Courtney Freer, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Discriminatory state practices involving national identity documents with impacts on religious freedom
(Brandon Reece Taylorian, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Chinese religious leaders vow to promote sinicization policy
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
India-led interfaith initiative addresses ecological challenges through "nexus approach" webinars
(World Council of Churches)
Indian court asserts secularism to hold up anti-conversion law
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Russia: Religious issues and persecution: Bimonthly Digest May 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Ukraine: An exceptional report about Russia’s destruction of churches
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Assisted dying to begin in ACT, but regional government plan to include patients without capacity sparks concern
(Chris Eyte, Christian Daily)
Evangelicals raise concerns over religious freedom after Duterte Bloc surges in Philippine midterms
(International Christian Concern)
South Korean Christian Zionists open country’s first Holocaust museum
(Zev Stub, Times of Israel)
Liberia: Senators reignite religious holiday debate
(David A. Yates, Daily Observer)
Mozambique’s Catholic Bishops call for national commitment to healing ahead of Golden Independence Jubilee
(João Vissesse, ACI Africa)
Welcoming the African Union as a G20 member: Opening plenary of the 2025 G20 Interfaith Forum Africa Conference
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Monday, 19 May 2025
Pakistan enacts law to ensure religious minorities’ rights
(Anee Muskan, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Study finds Pakistani textbooks promote religious bias through excessive Islamic content, marginalize minorities
(A. S. John, Christian Daily)
Israeli government gives $563K matching grant to a ‘not kumbaya’ Orthodox interfaith group
(Judith Sudilovsky, eJewishPhilanthropy)
UKZN’s compulsory gender module undermines academic and religious freedom (video)
(YouTube Video, Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA))
Africa’s faith communities: A driving force for sustainable development
(Religions for Peace)
Religion Watch, ‘Volume 40 No. 6’
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Global Interfaith Monitor No. 35
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Vol. 18 No. 1 (2025): Christian mission and FoRB
(International Journal for Religious Freedom)
Articles of interest - 19 May 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Catholic bishops call for mutual respect, environmental justice in Africa-EU relations
(Fredrick Nzwili, Religion News Service)
At Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass and beyond, Jewish leaders show hope in Jewish-Catholic relations
(Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press)
First official visit of the Vatican to Argentina during the Pontificate of Leo XIV (Spanish)
(Infobae)
Canada: Religious neutrality of the State (French)
(Jean-Christophe Jasmin and Andreae Sennyah, Cardus)
Friday, 16 May 2025
Conversion for convenience: manipulating personal law status in religious legal systems
(Akif Tahiiev, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Pope Leo XIV’s Pontificate: More continuity than change. Interview with Thomas Massaro
(Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Pope vows every effort to work for peace in regions where Christians persecuted, forced to flee
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
Will Pope Leo XIV change the Vatican's diplomacy on Ukraine and Russia?
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)
Egypt’s new Fatwa Law: Bold step towards religious clarity, social stability
(Ibrahim Negm, Egyptian Gazette)
Bolivian bishops make unprecedented critical tone against the government before elections
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Understanding an important religious group in Syria
(Jane Arraf and Greg Dixon, NPR)
Australia: Faith leaders concede need for bipartisan deal for bill passing
(Rhiannon Down, The Australian)
Sufis vs. Jihadists in Mogadishu
(Armin Rosen, The Wall Street Journal)
Kazakhstan: released prisoner banned from attending mosque
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Peru: "No matarás": the country's bishops condemn the murder of a group of workers at the hands of criminal gangs
(Agenzia Fides)
India: Fact-finding teams expose violence against Christians in Indian state of Odisha
(Vishal Arora, Religion Unplugged)
Email Subscription
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies maintains a Law and Religion Headlines service covering news about freedom of religion or belief internationally. All interested may subscribe to this service, free of charge, using the link below.
Subscribe