Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 16 May 2025
Decades after massacres, Zimbabwe’s churches confront their role in forgiveness and justice
(Calvin Manika, Religion Unplugged)
Malaysian court stops Muslim man’s return to Christian faith
(Joseph Masilamany, Union of Catholic Asian News)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest May 01 – 15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Russia: A Jehovah’s Witness was sentenced to five and a half years in prison
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
The international community must not allow the Nigerian government to fail Leah Sharibu any longer
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Brazil: Bembé do Mercado, the largest street candomblé in the world, celebrates respect for religious freedom (Portuguese)
(Agencia Gov)
Colombia: District invites journalists to join the Media Circle for Religious Freedom (Spanish)
(Secretaría Distrital de Gobierno de Bogotá)
Wednesday, 14 May 2025
In India, controversial law threatens Muslim property
(Tarushi Aswani, Foreign Policy)
India-Pakistan conflict risks deepening religious tensions
(Mahima Kapoor, Deutsche Welle)
Head of UGCC: We hope that developing dialogue with Pope Leo XIV will help deter Russian aggression
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Patriarch of Moscow issues a “friendly” address to the new Pope
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Bethel Church in Zhangjiajie: Pastor Zhao Huaiguo under continuous harassment
(Mo Yuan, Bitter Winter)
Kenya, international Catholic legislators deepen ties
(KBC Digital)
Exiled pastor refused entry to Cuba to be with cancer-stricken daughter
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Cuban Christians denounce the lack of legal status of over 80% of churches
(Evangelical Focus)
Are Thai Cambodian military tensions at the Ta Moan Thom Temple rocking ASEAN solidarity?
(Murray Hunter, Eurasia Review)
Church leaders slam violence, rigging in Philippine midterm polls
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Churches in Haiti “overwhelmed by the growing suffering of our people”
(World Council of Churches)
Malaysia: Gov't takes 'whole of government' approach to 3R issues - Aaron
(Bernama)
China–Holy See relations, UN Resolution 2758, and China’s role in Kashmir
(Miles Yu, Hudson Institute)
Nigeria: Northern CAN leaders meet security chiefs, raise alarm over security gaps, religious discrimination
(Amos Mathew, National Accord)
Monday, 12 May 2025
High Commissioner Türk: Faith-based organizations can rebuild trust and promote healing between communities
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Violations of religious freedom in Tibet
(European Parliament)
South Africa: Why the hate speech law could silence your faith
(YouTube Video, Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA))
Articles of interest - 12 May 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Iran congratulates Pope Leo XIV, hopes for promotion of peace, justice
(Press TV)
Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine and Gaza in symbolically rich blessing on Mother’s Day
(Nicole Winfield and Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press)
Holy See: Review Vatican-China agreement
(Human Rights Watch)
Ukraine: A second case of conscientious objection reaches the Constitutional Court
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Ukraine: Conscientious objection in war times : HRWF writes to the Constitutional Court
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Russia: Women sentenced for making gifts to the Ukrainian Church
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Media impact on FoRB and the Tai Ji Men case
(Peter Zoehrer, Bitter Winter)
Vote of faith: Politics and the rise of priest-politicians in Brazil
(Thien Bui, Religion Unplugged)
Brazil: Lawyer claims she was barred from entering a court in Belo Horizonte for wearing a turban (Portuguese)
(Vitor Fórneas, Bom Dia Advogado)
Brazil: Blood transfusion, religious freedom and the right to refuse treatment (Portuguese)
(Ana Paula Figueira, Conteudo Juridico)
Friday, 9 May 2025
Leo XIV is the new Pope
(Vatican News)
Thailand: An elaborate centuries-old royal ritual in Thailand’s capital predicts a good year for farmers
(Tian MacLeod Ji, Associated Press)
Inside Muridke: Did India hit a ‘terror base’ or a mosque?
(Abid Hussain, Al Jazeera)
Secretary-General appoints Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé of Spain United Nations Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia
(United Nations)
The fragile balance of press freedom and religious liberty: the harmful impact of stigmatizing language
(Peter Zoehrer, Forum for Religious Freedom Europe)
Australia: A new source of light for the ADF
(Australian Defence Force)
Guyana: Culture Minister says offensive song seen as an attack on nation’s values
(Charles Ramson Jr, News Room)
Brazil’s evangelical wave expands political clout and tests secular limits
(Marília Marasciulo, Courthouse News Service)
Wednesday, 7 May 2025
Southeast Asian faith leaders convene at BYU–Hawaii for conference on religious freedom and human dignity
(Church Newsroom)
Believing in spirits and life after death is common around the world
(Jonathan Evan, Kirsten Lesage, William Miner, Kelsey Jo Starr and Manolo Corichi, Pew Research Center)
Russia and Turkey are wielding religion as soft power – but one patriarch is standing in their way
(Katie Kelaidis, The Conversation)
Australia: Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups
(Parliament of Victoria)
Akali Dal condemns Pakistan's "attack" on Poonch Gurudwara, says three killed in incident
(The Economic Times)
Residents of Pakistani Kashmir say they fled into hills during Indian strikes
(Tariq Maqbool, Reuters)
Inter-religion hate speech in India: Regulation of publications in Indian law and the role of judiciary
(Anshika Jain, Legal Service India)
Sotheby’s postpones auction of jewels associated with Buddha after backlash from India’s government
(Kanis Leung, Associated Press)
Those devoted to bullfighting in Mexico feel recent bans harm a sacred tradition
(María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press)
Scam pastors in Nigeria (video)
(Cai Nebe and Sella Oneko, Deutsche Welle)
Cape Town mayor condemns bomb threat against district six mosque as investigation intensifies
(Wendy Dondolo, IOL)
Truth matters: How misinformation and sensationalism undermines support for victims of human rights violations
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Hui Christian pastor released from prison as others continue to face harassment
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Wang Huning on religion: Enforce “rule of law on religious work”
(Hu Zimo, Bitter Winter)
Christian Alliance denounces total crisis in Cuba and religious repression
(Ciber Cuba)
Việt Nam strengthen cooperation with Azerbaijan, affirms respect for religious freedom
Monday, 5 May 2025
India: Hindu body moves Supreme Court against Waqf Amendment Act; says law threatens existence of Muslims
(Sofi Ahsan, Bar and Bench)
India: All India Muslim Personal Law Board calls 'essential religious practice test obsolete', questions JPC legitimacy before Supreme Court
(Sukriti Mishra, Law Beat)
2025 human dignity & ASEAN conference inspires a new generation of peacemakers at BYU–Hawaii
(Juan Carlos De los Reyes, https://news.byuh.edu/academics/2025-human-dignity-asean-conference-inspires-a-new-generation-of-peacemakers-at-byu-hawaii)
In a Time of Crisis: Reflections on the Fortieth Anniversary of the Journal of Law and Religion
(Cambridge University Press)
Religious freedom in Malawi and prospects for covenantal pluralism
(Dorothy Tembo, Institute for Global Engagement)
Guatemala’s cardinal trusts migration will be a priority for next pope as he readies for conclave
(Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press)
Thousands of Islamists rally in Bangladesh against proposed changes to women’s rights
(Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 5 May 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church: Religious reasons underlie the war between Russia and Ukraine
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Violations of religious freedom and repressions against religious leaders in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
China bans missionary work without state approval in new restrictions
(Diana Chandler, Religion Unplugged)
The next Pope needs a better China policy
(Nina Shea, First Things)
Legal pluralism in Malaysia: Navigating the civil and shariah systems
(Shad Saleem Faruqi, Yusof Ishak Institute)
Beyond the Law: Living Blasphemy in Pakistan (Ethnography of Mundane Violence, Faith, and Lifeworlds)
(Muhammad Bilal, Springer Nature)
Legal Journal Number 6 (20): April (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
Nicaragua: Regime threatens evangelical churches: only those loyal to FIENIC have access to benefits (Spanish)
(100% Noticias)
Friday, 2 May 2025
Syrian Druze spiritual leader slams government over deadly sectarian clashes
(Ghaith Alsayed and Kareem Chehayeb, Associated Press)
Ukraine's Supreme Court rules religious belief does not exempt citizens from military service during wartime
(Anna Fratsyvir, Kyiv Independent)
India: Bulldozer justice: demolitions, disputes over Muslim religious sites on the rise
(Mohammad bin Ismail, Clarion India)
India’s Waqf Amendment Act: Who needs bulldozers when you have bureaucrats?
(Insiyah Vahanvaty, Al Jazeera)
Afghanistan: Taliban restrictions on women’s rights intensify
(UN News)
Largest longitudinal study of human flourishing ever shows religion’s importance
(Paul Marshall, Hudson Institute)
The fragile promise of pluralism, religious freedom in Southeast Asia
(Yuyun Wahyuningrum, The Jakarta Post)
Korean Church Media Association raises alarm over China’s new religious activity regulations
(Christian Daily)
Australia: Albanese rules out renewing religious discrimination law push without 'broad support'
(Naveen Razik, SBS News)
The fragile promise of pluralism, religious freedom in Southeast Asia
(Yuyun Wahyuningrum, The Jakarta Post)
Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Guns, gangs, and violence: The role of faith communities
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
The quiet pursuit of truth: Jan Figel’s mission for religious freedom
(The European Times)
“Pursuing Peace Together” - WCC publishes Annual Review 2024
(World Council of Churches)
Kenya: United for change: Youths of Utawala embrace ecumenical dialogue on governance and human trafficking
(Paschal Norbert, Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Russia: Religious issues and persecution: Bimonthly Digest April 15-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest April 16-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Iran: Religious persecution and issues – Monthly Digest April 2025
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Religious freedom featured at Kurdistan’s first National Prayer Breakfast
(Religious Freedom Institute)
Syria: At least 10 dead in Syria after sectarian clashes in Druze suburb of Damascus
(Omar Sanadiki, Associated Press)
South Africa: The CRL’s push to regulate religion in South Africa
(YouTube Video, Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA))
Monday, 28 April 2025
Pope Francis leaves a legacy of standing up for freedom of religion or belief. His successor must build on it.
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Canadian bishops urge Catholics to vote guided by conscience, hope, concern for life
(The B.C. Catholic)
A communist-Islamist axis puts India and America in its crosshairs
(Mike Watson, Hudson Institute)
Faith under siege: The struggle for Islam’s soul in the Jewish state
(Debashis Chakrabarti, Eurasia Review)
Nicaragua: Protestant and Roman Catholic churches targeted in Easter celebrations
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
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