Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 3 January 2025
Japan: The global religious liberty community gathers to denounce religious liberty crisis in Japan
(Bitter Winter)
Made in Japan: No FoRB for the Family Federation. 4. Weaponizing Non-Existing Crimes
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)
The year ahead: 5 religion news trends to watch in 2025
(Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged)
Syria: Religion will be crucial as post-Assad Syria seeks restoration
(Richard Ostling, Religion Unplugged)
Syria: Changes to Syria’s school curriculum spark online outrage
(Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN)
Sudan: SAF airstrike on church in Khartoum North kills 11 including eight children
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Australia: The new Federal privacy tort and religious freedom
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)
Pakistan: Elders in Pakistan broker a peace deal between Sunni and Shiite tribes after deadly clashes
(Riaz Khan, Associated Press)
Russia: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest December 16-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Cuba's Santeria priests urge followers to hunker down amid crisis
(Marc Frank, Reuters)
Non-delegation theory as an ethical imperative for mastering AI
(Fishel Szlajen, Editora Fundação Fênix)
Monday, 30 December 2024
International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance declared undesirable in Russia
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Statistics about the harsh repression of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia in 2024
(Willy Fautré, The European Times)
Malaysia’s Mufti Bill sparks debate on religious plurality and accountability
(Mong Palatino, Global Voices)
Malaysian man publicly caned for Islamic crime of close proximity
(Reuters)
China: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest December 16-31
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Canada condemns China's steps against Canadian institutions over Uyghurs, Tibet
(Kanishka Singh, Reuters)
China increases military presence and tightens control at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy
(The Economic Times)
Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue is caught in a battle between church and state
(Julia Vargas Jones, CNN)
Afghanistan: Taliban’s pursuit of ‘Islamic vision’ eroding freedoms in Afghanistan: Security Council
(Vibhu Mishra, United Nations)
Syria’s dwindling Jewish community can visit one of the world’s oldest synagogues again
(Bassem Mroue, Associated Press)
Syria's Alawite community: Once feared, now living in fear?
(Cathrin Schaer, Deutsche Welle)
Social Cohesion: National gatherings explore paths toward societal harmony
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Fides study shows 13 missionaries killed in 2024
(Francesca Merlo, Vatican News)
Articles of interest - 30 December 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
The top 10 religion stories of 2024: What's old is news again
(Religion News Service)
India: Catholic bishops in India reject criticism of Modi’s Christmas visit to headquarters
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Using menorah from Argentina’s Milei, Volodymyr Zelensky lights Hanukkah candles with Ukrainian rabbis
(Philissa Cramer, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Jordan condemns incursions by Israeli settlers into Al Aqsa Mosque
(Jordan Times)
Summary of Week One at the Faith Pavilion at COP29
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Iran: Religious issues and persecution – Monthly Digest December
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Made in Japan: No FoRB for the Family Federation. 2. Revamping the Debunked Notion of “Cult”
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)
Made in Japan: No FoRB for the Family Federation. 3. Dissolving a Group Is Dissolving Freedom
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)
Pakistan President signs law to regulate religious schools
(Fidel Rahmati, Khaama)
Pakistan: Amendment ordinance issued shortly after act on Madrasa registration: The law prohibits madrassas from teaching or publishing material that promotes militancy, sectarianism, or hatred.
(The Express Tribune)
Tajikistan clamps down on fortune telling, faith healing amid difficult times
(Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty)
Nonnatus with a name: A step forward in dignity and religious freedom (Spanish)
(Fishel Szlajen, Infobae)
Religious leaders celebrated the recognition of unborn children in the civil registry of the city of Buenos Aires (Spanish)
(Fishel Szlajen, Infobae)
Monday, 23 December 2024
UK House of Lords raises concerns over systematic erasure of Tibet’s true historical status
(Central Tibetan Administration)
FoRB Podcast: Justice and accountability for the Yazidi genocide ten years on
(Merilin Kiviorg, Dmytro Vovk, and Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Quebec premier proposes public prayer ban, citing secularism concerns in Canada
(Merve Aydogan, Merve Aydogan)
Faith leaders in Peru unite to honor a decade of religious freedom and family advocacy
(Church Newsroom)
For feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, activist devotees adorn Mary with Palestinian symbols
(Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service)
CAIR expresses concern over proposed law restricting religious freedom in Kyrgyzstan
(Ismail Allison, Council on American-Islamic Relations)
Cannot deny slaughterhouse permit in Mandsaur by saying it is a religious city: Madhya Pradesh HC
(Ratna Singh, Bar and Bench)
President Ilham Aliyev: The Christian community holds a distinctive place in modern Azerbaijani society
(The Azerbaijan State News Agency)
Azerbaijan National Academy of Science: Religious legislation needs to be improved
(Azerbaycan24)
India: MP High Court: Denying slaughterhouse permit citing religious grounds is “wholly unacceptable”
(Atul Krishna, The New Indian)
India: The politics behind India's beef bans
(Shakeel Sobhan, Deutsche Welle)
India: Christian persecution on the rise in India: report
(Bijay Kumar Minj, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Historic mosque in India's Sambhal faces ownership dispute amid religious tensions
(Samaa)
Aleksandr Serebryakov convicted for second time and given five-year prison sentence
(Jehovah's Witnesses)
Vladimir Putin accuses ‘ethnic Jews’ of tearing apart the Russian Orthodox Church
(Ben Sales, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Special issue: Materiality of Interreligious Encounters
(Cambridge Interfaith Programme)
"They imprison less, but more severely." Repressions against Jehovah's Witnesses: 2024 Overview
(JW Russia)
Is genocide being performed against Ahmadis in Pakistan?
(Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)
At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars
(David M. Lantigua, The Conversation)
Religion Watch, ‘Volume 40 No. 1’
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
UN General Assembly to close impunity gap for crimes against humanity
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Uzbekistan: The contribution of the Bahá’ís to society (podcast)
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Iran: BIC New York: Rising support at UN General Assembly resolution criticizing Iran for persecution of Bahá’ís
(Bahá’í World News Service)
UN publishes new death toll for massacre of older people and Vodou religious leaders in Haiti
(Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 23 December 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Masked discrimination against Vodou and other African diaspora religions
(Danielle Boaz, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Philippines: Activists file second impeachment complaint against embattled Philippine Vice President Duterte
(Jim Gomez, Associated Press)
Egypt makes steps to improve relations with Jews and Christians
(Impact-se, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Syria: Will the West miss a secular Syria?
(Jonathan Tepperman, Foreign Policy)
Muslim World League chief meets Pope Francis in Vatican City
(Arab News)
Singapore: Six months’ jail for man who posted anti-Islam content online using another person’s identity
(Shaffiq Alkhatib, The Straits Times)
UN Security Council adopts resolution ensuring humanitarian aid amid Daesh/ISIS sanctions
(Merv Aydogan, Anadolu Agency)
Legal Journal Number 3 (20): December (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
Friday, 20 December 2024
The Normative Structure of Multicultural Secularism
(Simon Thompson and Tariq Modood, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
The Magico-Juridical Hypothesis
(Alexis Alvarez-Nakagawa, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
Global Interfaith Monitor No. 30
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Uganda: Museveni commends Catholic Church for mentoring youth
(Kenneth Kazibwe, Nile Post)
As wars rage around them, Armenian Christians in Jerusalem’s Old City feel the walls closing in
(Julia Frankel, Associated Press)
Brazil: Church fights against gambling
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Canada: The origins of antisemitism in Canada and why it has spiked
(Jerry Grafstein, Jewish News Syndicate)
Kyrgyzstan: Muslim's jail term increased, raids on Jehovah's Witness, Hare Krishna, Protestant events
(Felix Corley and Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
Colombia: Lessons learned from public policy in Colombia to identify violations of religious freedom
(John Fredy Osorio Cardona, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Mexico encourages citizens to drop off firearms at churches
(Agence France-Presse)
Syrian Shi'ites and other minorities flee to Lebanon, fearing Islamist rule
(Laila Bassam, John Davison, Maggie Michael and Tuvan Gumrukcu, Reuters)
WCC general secretary receives medal from Kazakhstan for interreligious dialogue
(World Council of Churches)
Russia: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly digest December 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
India: High Court judge criticised for controversial remarks towards Muslim community
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Malaysia issues religious decree against Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light
(EU Reporter)
Religion and foreign policy webinar: The Pope and international relations
(Council on Foreign Relations)
Pope Francis, in Corsica, warns against religion that stokes divisions
(Joshua McElwee, Reuters)
Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Government restrictions on religion stayed at peak levels globally in 2022
(Samirah Majumdar, Pew Research Center)
Nepal: The door is now open to churches in Nepal
(Surendra Bajracharya, Christianity Today)
Niger: Amid social challenges, youth advance culture of peace
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Senegal’s religious actors and family welfare: Looking back, looking ahead
(Katherine Marshall, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
KAICIID and ASEAN-IPR strengthen partnership with the signing of MoU on peacebuilding and dialogue
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Uzbekistan: Restoration and reinvention: Breathing new life into Uzbekistan’s Islamic spaces
(Joseph Hammond, Religion Unplugged)
China: New crackdown on Yiguandao in Guangdong
(Zhao Zhangyong, Bitter Winter)
China: The macro consequences as religious trends in China unfold
(John Allen Jr., Word on Fire)
China: Daoism under Sinicization. 2. Sinicization in practice
(Karine Martin, Bitter Winter)
China: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest December 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
We studied 20 places around the world and found the most common diseases linked with voluntary assisted dying
(Eliana Close and James Downer, The Conversation)
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