Law and Religion Headlines

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Saturday, 18 January 2025

Brazil says Meta hate speech policy changes do not fit with local law
(Reuters)

Assessing religious freedom in Asia: Perspectives from China, India, and Myanmar
(Knox Thames)

Tanzania: Empowering communities: A 15-year journey of interfaith approach to development
(IPP Media)

Cuba: USCIRF welcomes release of wrongfully imprisoned religious leaders and adherents in Cuba
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Wednesday, 15 January 2025

Why Syria’s reconstruction may depend on the fate of its minorities
(Ramazan Kılınç, The Conversation)

Transformative change: A Bahá’í perspective on the IPBES Assessment
(Arthur Lyon Dahl, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)

Millions start bathing in holy rivers at India's biggest Hindu festival
(Geeta Pandey, BBC News)

What will it mean for Parliament to prorogue?
(Evangelical Fellowship of Canada)

Nearly half the globe has ‘elevated levels’ of antisemitic beliefs, ADL survey finds
(Asaf Elia-Shalev, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

OCU Primate tells Japanese Ambassador about Moscow manipulating religious issues
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

Syria and the future of global jihad
(Max Prowant, Law & Liberty)

Syrian gov't proposes 'Islamic path' changes to education system
(The Jerusalem Post)

Syria: Between religious diversity and national unity: The role of family law in Syria’s transitional justice journey
(Lena-Maria Möller, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)

Syria: Christians in Syria are worried but cautiously optimistic
(Open Doors)

Hamas lists 34 hostages it may free under ceasefire
(Naomi Scherbel-Ball and Rushdi Abualouf, BBC)

Hong Kong sees success in getting friendly for Muslim travellers
(Caroline Boey, TTG Asia)

China: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest January 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Colombia: Another Protestant church leader assassinated
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

Cuban government announces release of 553 prisoners through mediation of Pope Francis
(Walter Sánchez Silva, Catholic News Agency)

Nicaraguan dictatorship shuts down more organizations, including Dominican nuns
(Walter Sánchez Silva, Catholic News Agency)

Nigeria atheist defiant after leaving jail in high-profile blasphemy case
(Aminu Abubakar, Barron's)

Cameroon: The lawyer risking everything to defend LGBT rights
(Armand Mouko, BBC News)

Uganda: Land grabs spark razing of churches and mosques
(John Semakula, Religion Unplugged)

India: Baptist groups urge Indian officials to stop mob violence
(Baptist Press)

Report details bleak human rights situation in Ukraine nearly three years into Russian invasion
(UN News)

Monday, 13 January 2025

Bangladesh: Interim Bangladeshi government turns blind eye to religious persecution
(Uzay Bulut, The European Conservative)

Religion Watch, ‘Volume 40 No. 2’
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)

Mastering Mālikī Law: A Moroccan Case Study
(Asma Sayeed and Nour-Eddine Qaouar, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)

Global Interfaith Monitor No. 31
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

India's Maha Kumbh festival sees 15 million people take holy dip on first day
(Saurabh Sharma, Reuters)

Articles of interest - 13 January 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Australia: 2 synagogues in Sydney graffitied with swastikas
(Ben Sales, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Egypt’s Coptic Christians deserve our attention — and our help
(Grace Bydalek, National Review)

Attorney General: I want a world where you can love Israel and care for Palestinians
(Lee Harpin, Jewish News)

Filipino religious group gathers millions for ‘national rally for peace’
(Inday Espina-Varona and Ronald O. Reyes, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Malala Yousafzai asks Muslim leaders to reject Taliban’s treatment of Afghan women openly
(Ayaz Gul, Voice of America)

The GCR Red List [on persecution]
(Global Christian Relief)

Japan: Muslim cemetery in Miyagi Prefecture will proceed despite resistance
(Unseen Japan)

Nigeria: Kaigama calls for government-church partnership to tackle hunger
(Radio Nigeria)

Canada: How religion’s brand became unpopular
(Galen Watts, The Conversation)

Health costs: A bioethical religious challenge (Spanish)
(Fishel Szlajen, Infobae)

Friday, 10 January 2025

Ghana: We’ll protect muslim women’s right to wear hijab freely — Mahama assures
(Modern Ghana)

Zimbabwe: Crossover vigils boost religious tourism
(Veronica Gwaze, Sunday Mail)

Kenya High Court declares criminalization of attempted suicide unconstitutional
(Ishrat Chahal, Jurist News)

Benin holidays for Indigenous religions celebrate tradition, spark debate on faith
(Juste Hlannon, La Croix International)

Malawi: ‘I’ve seen women suffer’: Malawi’s religious leaders fight for legal abortions
(Sarah Johnson, The Guardian)

The future of faith-driven diplomacy: ICRD’s commitment to sustainable peace
(Martine Miller, International Center for Religion & Diplomacy)

Indonesian court’s ‘unfortunate’ ruling on citizens’ religion sparks discrimination fears
(Resty Woro Yuniar, South China Morning Post)

Syria: Stampede kills four people, injures 16 in Umayyad Mosque in Damascus
(Reuters)

Syrian intelligence says it thwarted ISIL attempt to blow up Shia shrine
(Al Jazeera)

WCC, with India Peace Centre, launches Interfaith Coalition on Land, Water, and Food
(World Council of Churches)

Jamaica: WCC visit to Jamaica will focus on empowering faith communities
(World Council of Churches)

Dalai Lama says no reason to be angry at China over Tibet quake
(Radio Free Asia)

China: Uyghur woman sentenced to 17 years for teaching Islam to her kids and a neighbor
(Shohret Hoshur, Radio Free Asia)

Sri Lanka: Controversial Buddhist monk jailed for insulting Islam
(Fan Wang, BBC)

Nicaragua's regime wages war on religious freedom
(Reason)

New publication: Autonomia Constitucional do Direito Religioso (Portuguese)
(Comissão de Direito e Liberdade Religiosa, Instituto dos Advogados Brasileiros)

Wednesday, 8 January 2025

Pakistan court rules Ahmadis cannot inherit property from their Muslim parents
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)

A decade after ‘Charlie Hebdo’ killings, we are still failing blasphemers
(Sarah McLaughlin, The Fire)

World religion - National/regional profiles
(The Association of Religion Data Archives)

Cameroon Bishops tell President Biya to not seek another term
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Afghanistan: Haqqani warns religious leaders against alienating people from Islam
(Siyar Sirat, Amu TV)

Turkmenistan: First conscientious objector punishment since 2021
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)

The mask askew: How the Turkish Protestant movement recognized and surmounted religious discrimination
(James Bultema, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

Libyan authorities confiscate over 1,000 Quran copies over irregular content
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))

Nicaragua: A 50-page report about the persecution of Christians
(A report by European Center for Law & Justice, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

China’s middle class searches for faith and meaning
(John Osburg, Asia Society)

General briefing: China
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

The global outrage machine skips the Uyghurs
(Michael Schuman, The Atlantic)

Iran’s judiciary boasts about Christmas leave for Christian prisoners, as arrests continue
(Article 18)

Mozambique: Church promotes peace amid political unrest
(João Filimone Sambo, UM News)

Monday, 6 January 2025

European ministers press new Syrian rulers for inclusion of minorities, women in process
(Arab Weekly)

Iraq: Armenian community in Zakho celebrates Christmas amid Kurdistan's religious harmony
(Kurdistan 24)

The government allowed the reservation of clergy considering the specific characteristics of religious organizations
(Institute for Religious Freedom, Ukraine)

Israel: First 50 ultra-Orthodox soldiers drafted to IDF’s new Haredi brigade
(Emanuel Fabian, Times of Israel)

Vatican decides not to put keffiyeh back in Nativity
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)

Religious freedom research: The impediment of two words
(James C. Wallace, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

Christians face continued persecution as Africa remains jihadi hotbed
(Diana Chandler, Religion Unplugged)

Salvadoran cardinal urges 'resistance' to metal mining as matter of life and death
(Rhina Guidos, National Catholic Reporter)

Indonesia: Government lowers hajj pilgrimage costs to Rp 89 million per person
(Yustinus Paat, Jakarta Globe)

Indonesian court upholds law stressing citizens' religion
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

Ethiopia: Tigray Muslims protest ban of hijab in schools
(Garowe Online)

Sudan: General Al-Burhan joins Catholic community in Sudan for Christmas celebration
(Catholic Information Service for Africa)

Malaysia: Unilaterally-converted Selangor woman fails final court bid to be declared not Muslim
(Malay Mail)

Canada Evangelicals concerned about tax status
(Decision Magazine)

China: Hubei, CCP salutes January 1 with a party denouncing “cults and illegal religion”
(Wu Guoxuan, Bitter Winter)

Egypt: Turning the page on intolerance: Egypt’s textbook reforms
(Mariam Wahba, Foundation for Defense of Democracies)

Politics and State: sacrificial communities (Spanish)
(Fishel Szlajen, Infobae)

Colombia: Evangelical Confederation of Colombia demands religious freedom from the government after the Aguachica massacre (Spanish)
(Francy Agudelo, Infobae)

Brazil: The modern inquisitor: The collectivists' new crusade against freedom of belief (Portuguese)
(Revista Oeste)

Brazil: The expansion of drug traffickers who see themselves as 'soldiers of Jesus' across Brazil (Portuguese)
(Lebo Diseko and Júlia Dias Carneiro, BBC News Brasil)

Friday, 3 January 2025

The abuse of extremism laws in Central Asia
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Why an International Day Against Judicial Persecution by State Power is needed
(Karolina Maria Kotkowska, Bitter Winter)

Iraq: Resurrection of al-Hadba: Mosul’s minaret rises again
(Ismael Adnan, TRT World)

India: SC to hear Owaisi’s plea seeking implementation of Places of Worship Act
(Clarion India)

Canada: Shopping on Sundays was illegal until this Calgary drug mart fought a $40 fine to the Supreme Court (40th Anniversary)
(Joel Dryden and Allison Dempster, CBC News)

Indian cardinal slams proposal to control religious places
(Michael Gonsalves, Union of Catholic Asian News)

India state official announces plans to revive dormant Freedom of Religion Act
(Arnav Laroia, Jurist News)

2024: The year of religious disputes and legal battles over sacred spaced in India
(TwoCircles.net)

When is criticism of Israel antisemitic? A scholar of modern Jewish history explains
(Joshua Shanes, The Conversation)

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