Law and Religion Headlines
Sunday, 16 February 2020
What is behind the acquittal of two former Vatican officials?
(Andrea Gagliarducci, Catholic News Agency)
Saturday, 15 February 2020
USCIRF releases new reports on religious freedom conditions in Bahrain and Iraq
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
The United Nations once again proves its anti-Semitism
(David Harsanyi, National Review)
A daughter’s duty: From Boston, a Uighur woman champions her father’s release in China
(Aysha Khan, Religion News Service)
Friday, 14 February 2020
A Report on Persecution of the Ahmadis in Pakistan - 2019
(Wakalat Tabshir, Ahmadiyya … Foreign Missions Office, Pakistan)
The 3 most polarizing words in India: “Jai Shri Ram” was meant to be a celebration of a Hindu deity. But the phrase is turning into hate speech—and a dog whistle for attacks on Muslims.
(Snigdha Poonam, Foreign Policy)
Pop and President of Hungary discuss upcoming Eucharistic Congress in Budapest
(Deborah Castellano Lubov, Zenit: The World Seen from Rome)
Sanya Chams Muslim minority in Hainan: Eradicating an identity
(Ling Tian, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
Science, sex, and suicide
(Randall Otto, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Locust plague in East Africa prompts plea for help
(Paul Wilkinson, Church Times)
Thursday, 13 February 2020
Chinese officials hunt for 'pirated' bibles
(Tang Zhe, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
Brazil prosecutors seek to remove ex-missionary from indigenous post
(Anthony Boadle, Reuters)
No same-sex marriage to be legitimized in Russia as long as I am president - Putin
(Interfax-Religion)
Russia: Politicians support putting God into the constitution
(Interfax-Religiia, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Ideas for amending Russian Constitution aired for Putin
(Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press)
Women protesters in Iraq defy radical cleric, take to street
(Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press)
Hong Kong Catholics suspend Masses over virus
(Associated Press)
Meeting between Francis and Lula causing controversy in Brazil
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
The religious freedom bill has nothing to do with religion – it excludes and it traumatises
(Van Badham, Guardian (Australia))
Faith-based groups reject latest religious discrimination bill (Australia)
(Stephanie Corsetti, SBS News)
MPs and churches reject Fierravanti-Wells' call to scrap 'flawed' religious discrimination bill
(Paul Karp, Guardian (Australia))
Why the Philippines is the only country where divorce is illegal
(The Economist)
Religious leaders can help build vaccine confidence
(Christine Ro, Forbes)
Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Articles of interest - 10 February 2020
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
More than two dozen countries launch new religious freedom alliance
(Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)
International Religious Freedom Alliance established
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
The world that Christianity made
(Graham McAleer, Law & Liberty)
India SC to define scope and ambit of right to religion
(Dhananjay Mahapatra, Times of India)
Indian protesters hold interfaith prayers at Shaheen Bagh
(The International News)
Politics over religion of tribals in census continues in Madhya Pradesh
(Sravani Sarkar, The Week (India))
Radicals attack small congregation in southern India before filing false criminal charges
(International Christian Concern)
Interfaith harmony must to build an inclusive society in Pakistan
(The International News)
Courageous response required of the church for Amazon region, pope says
(La Croix International staff (with Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service), La Croix International)
Conditional presidential amnesty for a Somalian professor jailed for blasphemy
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Claiming ‘private’ to evade democracy? The leviathan gas deal and the Jordanian constitutional court
(Shahd Hammouri, EJIL: Talk!)
Australia: The euthanasia slippery slope is real
(John Keown, MercatorNet)
Elder Soares meets with Guatemala’s President
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
New York’s Cardinal Dolan meets with Cuban President Diaz-Canel in Havana
(Rhina Guidos, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Pastor in northern India falsely accused of destroying Hindu idols by radicals
(International Christian Concern)
Poll shows support for pro-life candidate to lead Canada’s conservative party
(Anthony Murdoch, LifeSiteNews)
That question I keep hearing: Why isn't slaughter of Nigerian Christians a news story?
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
While the local church fights Ortega in Nicaragua, Pope Francis is silent
(Ryan C. Berg & Frances Tilney Burke, National Review)
Mediterranean summit to highlight threats to Christian survival in Middle East
(Elise Ann Allen, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Salvadoran cardinal calls for prudence, patience amid political turmoil
(David Agren, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Nigerian bishop urges nonviolence in response to terrorist killings
(Catholic News Service)
Folk singers charged for violating Bangladesh’s draconian Digital Security Act
(Wimal Perera, World Socialist Web Site)
Tuesday, 11 February 2020
The argument for abortion as a religious right
(Leila Ettachfini, VICE)
EVENT, 11 February 2020: Briefing on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Security: New Policy Guidance from the OSCE
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Religious liberty issue highlighted in international conflict
(Ruslan Krivobok, RIA Novosti, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Despite movement towards religious freedom, Sudanese Christians still face persecution
(Sarah Traill, Mission Network News)
Peruvian woman sues for right to euthanasia
(Catholic News Agency)
Iran's Baha'is lose 'other religion' ID card bracket: A global story ripe for local coverage
(Ira Rifkin, GetReligion)
Russia: Pentecostal churches facing possible closure, destruction
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
CPRF doesn't mind mentioning God in Russian constitution
(Interfax-Religion)
Religious community north of Montreal failed its children, lawyer for ex-Hasidic couple says
(Benjamin Shingler, CBC News)
EU should not ignore human rights of religious minorities in Vietnam trade deal
(ADF International, Scoop Media)
Lebanon, Nigeria show Catholic bishops saying the emperor has no clothes
(John Allen Jr., Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
PA-backed UN resolution condemning Trump peace plan withdrawn
(Aaron Bandler, Jewish Journal)
Monday, 10 February 2020
Abandoning human rights for identity politics in Sri Lanka
(CSWPress, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
The use of regional jurisprudence in UN draft general comment on the freedom of assembly
(Evelyn Aswad, Just Security)
Interfaith dialogue: For religious tolerance
(Narendra Pande, The Himalayan Times)
Insecurity has no religion, Catholic priest tells Nigerians
(Olamide Ogunjimi, Vanguard Nigeria)
Longing for the spring: The Uyghur poets who denounce the CCP
(Ruth Ingram, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
Xinjiang’s Hui Muslims were swept into camps alongside Uighurs
(Gene A. Bunin, Foreign Policy)
Pope, Ukrainian president talk about peace, freeing prisoners of war
(Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service)
Pope to Web companies: guard against human traffickers’ bait
(Associated Press)
Myanmar's internet shutdowns threaten its Muslim minority's human rights
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Religion Unplugged)
Criminal case opened in Transbaikal Territory after searches of residences of suspected Jehovah's Witnesses
(Interfax-Religion)
Donbas: Donetsk: Raid, fine for unregistered worship meetings
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Blurring the division between church and state in AMLO’s Mexico
(Madeleine Olson, The North American Congress on Latin America)
Local authorities in Laos ban minority religion’s shrines
(Radio Free Asia)
Saturday, 8 February 2020
Forum examines religious persecution 75 years after Auschwitz liberation
(Mark Pattison, Catholic News Service)
To promote STEM, Ghana’s Catholic schools host three-day Brain Battle
(Damian Avevor, Catholic News Service)
Pakistan: 200-year old temple returned to Hindus
(Aamir Latif, Anadolu Agency)
Malawi's Rastafarians win landmark dreadlock ruling
(AFP)
Religion Photos of the Week - February 7, 2020
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)
Friday, 7 February 2020
EVENT, 1st week of February 2020: World Interfaith Harmony Week
(PoWR and Others, The Parliament of the Worlds Religions)
U.S. launches the first-ever international religious alliance
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forrbes)
Trump puts global religious freedom in the political fray
(Elana Schor, Associated Press)
All across Nigeria Christians march to protest persecution
(Jayson Casper, Christianity Today)
Nigeria is a killing field of defenseless Christians
(Theophilus Abbah, Religion Unplugged)
Russian high court supports Mormons' right to religious use of building
(Religiia i Pravo, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Why it’s so difficult to end female genital mutilation
(Tamsin Bradley, The Conversation)
How to target resources in efforts to end female genital mutilation
(The Conversation)
Cardinal Bo calls for voting rights for religious ahead of Myanmar’s elections
(Vatican News)
Myanmar cardinal calls on government to lift ban on clergy voting
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Myanmar: Shutting down internet as a means of curbing human rights
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Gender identity laws and basic freedoms
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)
Russia blacklists over 200 Jehovah’s Witnesses
(Daria, Associated Press)
Poll pitch for India’s capital plays up growing divisions
(Sheikh Saaliq and Aijaz Hussain, Associated Press)
Russia blacklists over 200 Jehovah's Witnesses, imposing severe financial consequences
(Informatsionnoe Soprotivlenie,, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
New Christian-Muslim political alliances?
(Religious Freedom Institute)
RFI president appears on EWTN to discuss religious repression in China
(Religious Freedom Institute)
Prayer campaign begins worldwide to end 70-year Korean War
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Argentina’s bishops call for prayer for life as government seeks to legalize abortion
(Inés San Martín, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Cardinal Dolan to meet with Cuban president, church leaders during visit
(Rhina Guidos, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Thursday, 6 February 2020
Religion news from around the web, Feb 3rd 2020
(World Religion News)
Articles of interest - 3 February 2020
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
EVENT, 6 February 2020: Mapping Faith and Development in the Philippines
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Three Palestinians killed, 12 Israeli soldiers hurt in 24 hours of violence
(Oren Liebermann, Abeer Salman and Michael Schwartz, CNN, WENY News)
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