Law and Religion Headlines
Thursday, 6 July 2017
Hobby Lobby returns 'priceless' artifacts smuggled from Iraq
(Kate Shellnutt, Christianity Today)
After DOJ sues, Hobby Lobby agrees to forfeit smuggled Iraqi artifacts
(Nathan Glover, World Religion News)
What the Catholic Church can learn from IBM
(Chris Lowney, Religion News Service)
Reformed churches endorse Catholic-Lutheran accord on key Reformation dispute
(Tom Heneghan, Religion News Service)
Mennonite Church to divest in protest of Israeli policies
(AP staff, Religion News Service)
Investigative Committee has not registered persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya yet – Moskalkova
(Interfax-Religion)
Four suspected religious extremists detained in Kyrgyzstan
(Interfax-Religion)
Turkey says it cancelled decision to seize Assyrian churches and monasteries
(Assyrian International News Agency)
Moskalkova asks Turkish ombudsman to help exempt baptized children who live in Turkey from Islam lessons
(Interfax-Religion)
Azerbaijan: fined for home religious meetings, picnic
(Forum 18 News Service)
Russia replies to ECHR regarding appeal of Russian Evangelical
(Natalia Demchenko, RBK)
India has a religion problem
(Jeff Cimmino, National Review)
Canadian bishops: Abortion should not be ‘core’ of foreign policy
(Deborah Gyapong, Catholic News Service)
Trial 'imminent' for Tajikistan pastor, on unspecified charges
(World Watch Monitor)
Fate of Quebec town's proposed Muslim cemetery rests in the hands of a few
(Ingrid Peritz, The Globe and Mail)
Vatican acknowledges past problems at 'pope's hospital'
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
Is Indonesia's 'pious democracy' safe from Islamic extremism?
(The Conversation)
Church denies ties to accused cult leader
(Bangkok Post)
Indian court rules sect can keep guru's body in freezer
(RTE)
Bishop of Marawi: "Let us pray and hope that the war ends soon"
(Agenzia Fides)
Crisis in Marawi: Christian and Muslim leaders in Mindanao in favor of negotiations
(Agenzia Fides)
Spot the religion ghosts: Who loves Charlie Gard the most, his parents or state officials?
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
Charles Gard and Others v. United Kingdom (ECtHR decision)
(First Section Decision, European Court of Human Rights)
Wednesday, 5 July 2017
British baby on life support draws in pope, Trump
(Danica Kirka and Nicole Winfield, Religion News Service)
Where Religious and Secular Meet — Seventh in a seven-part series on international religious freedom
(Mormon Newsroom)
Last days of the caliphate: Islamic State nears its end
(The Economist)
In Russia a group Bible study is the same as holding a political rally
(The Calvert Journal)
Botswana is not a Christian state Botswana is not a Christian state
(Owen Nsala, Mmegiblogs)
Al Azhar presents a bill against those who use religion to justify violence and hate campaigns
(Agenzia Fides)
Shaikh Mohammad issues new law on setting up civil organisations
(Gulf News: Government)
Chinese Autonomous Regions to strengthen oversight of religions affairs (Simplified Chinese)
(Sina News)
China detains 'more than 100' Uyghur Muslims returning from overseas pilgrimage
(Qiao Long, Radio Free Asia)
US Commission on International Religious Freedom 2017 report details a worsening situation for minorities worldwide
(USCIRF, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization)
UHRP calls on China to reveal the condition of Uyghurs disappeared after 2009 unrest in Xinjiang
(The Times of Central Asia)
Key US donor suspends activities over Western Wall, conversion spat
(Stuart Winer, The Times of Israel)
Vietnamese Catholic blogger sentenced to 10 years in prison
(Catholic News Service)
ABC's unholy row: church leaders' fury over religion cuts
(Greg Brown, The Australian)
China: USCIRF condemns Ramadan restrictions in Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region
(Press Release, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
WCC hails Wittenberg declaration aiming to overcome Reformation divisions
(Stephen Brown, World Council of Churches)
Hunger is not just a natural event, but the result of selfishness and wars, says Pope Francis
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
World Council of Churches pleads for halt to military escalation in Korea
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
IDF chief says religious commanders satisfied with mixed-gender protocol
(Jeremy Sharon, The Jerusalem Post)
Russia: Changing administrative punishments for public events
(Forum 18 News Service)
Lvov authorities demand to investigate an attack against synagogue as unidentified criminals threw 'Molotov cocktails' to it
(Interfax-Religion)
Years-long criminal case against Jehovah's Witnesses leaders ended with acquittal
(Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Russia Religion News)
Canadian baby given health card without sex designation
(Zamira Rahim, CNN)
Cardinal Tagle urges Muslim-Christian unity amid Marawi conflict
(Vatican Radio)
Monday, 3 July 2017
Australian-first laws to reverse onus of proof for institutions in child sex abuse cases
(Richard Willingham, ABC News (Australia))
The Russian Church protests against the Strasbourg decision to withdraw life support from the seriously ill British boy
(Interfax-Religion)
Financial boycotts won't solve religious crisis – but education will
(Yaakov Katz, Jerusalem Post)
Pope asks for parents' wishes to be respected in Charlie Gard case
(Elise Harris, Catholic News Agency)
Charlie Gard: Pope shows solidarity with parents of critically ill 10-month-old
(Patrick Greenfield, The Guardian)
European Court endorses decisions by the UK courts in Charlie Gard case
(Press Release, Office of the Registrar, European Court of Human Rights)
South African court bars schools from promoting any one religion
(Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Ed Osmond, Reuters)
Gay marriage around the world
(Pew Research Center Religion & Public Life)
New rules against animal cruelty raise the stake for India's beef wars
(Sandip Roy, NPR)
Cardinal to defend himself against sexual abuse charges in Australia
(Steve Inskeep, NPR)
Venezuela: protests increasing, food and medicine dwindling
(Lyndsey Koh, Mission Network News)
‘I was sold seven times': the Yazidi women welcomed back into the faith
(Emma Graham-Harrison, The Guardian)
Al-Jazeera, insurgent TV station that divides the Arab world, faces closure
(Hugh Miles, The Guardian)
ISIS under pressure in Iraqi and Syrian strongholds, launches counter-attack
(Reuters, Christian Today)
Pope Francis shakes up Vatican: replaces conservative doctrinal chief Cardinal Mueller
(Reuters, Christian Today)
Pope replaces top rival in latest move to make church more inclusive
(Reuters, The Guardian)
How did we ever make Holy Communion so complicated?
(David Baker, Christian Today)
Despite taboo, Hebrew classes open doors for young Egyptians
(Amira Sayed Ahmed, Al Monitor: Egypt Pulse)
Turkey’s main opposition changes focus from ‘secularism’ to ‘justice’
(Mustafa Akyol, Al Monitor: Turkey Pulse)
How Turkey fits into the Qatar puzzle
(Giorgio Cafiero, Al Monitor: Gulf Pulse)
New political alliance unites Iraqi religious and secular parties
(Hassan al-Shanoun, translated by Pascale Menassa, Al Monitor: Iraq Pulse)
Netanyahu must choose between ultra-Orthodox and US Jews
(Ben Caspit, translated by Danny Wool, Al Monitor: Israel Pulse)
Obama urges end to division in childhood home Indonesia
(Fransiska Nangoy, Religion News Service)
Want Jewish pluralism? Get political
(Jeffrey Salkin, RNS Column: Martini Judaism (for those who want to be shaken and stirred))
United Church of Christ resolution decries Israel’s treatment of underage prisoners
(Lauren Markoe, Religion News Service)
Elderly Jehovah's Witness convicted of illegal evangelism
(Jw-ru.blogspot.com, Russia Religion News)
Jehovah's Witnesses in Crimea continue to meet despite ban
(Krym.Realii, Russia Religion News)
Court bans a Jehovah's Witnesses work-around to access literature on Internet
(Website of Northwestern Transport Prosecutor's Office, Russia Religion News)
22-year-old Israeli convicted of arson at historic Galilee church
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Turkey's President seizes control of 50 more churches
(Veronica Neffinger, Christian Headlines)
German bishop condemns Turkey church confiscations
(Deutsche Welle)
How to stop the scales of justice being loaded against women and girls in Africa
(Teddy Atim, The Conversation)
The precarious vision of Peter Berger
(Martin E. Marty, University of Chicago Divinity School: Sightings)
ISIS close to defeat in Mosul; Female suicide bombers attack troops
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)
‘Pope’s hospital’ put children at risk as it chased profits
(Nicole Winfield and Maria Cheng, AP News)
Sunday, 2 July 2017
Netanyahu risks religious ire to take part in Shabbat memorial to German leader
(Times of Israel)
Saturday, 1 July 2017
Filipino Muslims are victims of ISIS: no war of religion
(Agenzia Fides)
In Russia, nostalgia for Soviet Union and positive feelings about Stalin
(David Masci, Pew Research Center Fact Tank)
Top Muslim scholars seek new law saying violence in God's name is 'incompatible with Islam'
(Ruth Gledhill, Christian Today)
Why Christian scholars loved Peter Berger
(D. Michael Lindsay, Christianity Today)
The essence of an accidental sociologist: An appreciation of Peter Berger
(David Martin, Springer Science+Business Media,)
A Conversation with Peter L. Berger "How my views have changed"
(Gregor Thuswaldner, The Crest: A review of literature, the arts, and public affairs)
Peter Berger, Sociology's defender of God (1929-2017)
(Mark Juergensmeyer, Religion Dispatches)
EVENT, 23 July - 3 August 2017, Elijah Interfaith School and Interreligious Leadership Seminar
(Jerusalem)
Canada celebrates 150 years, a separation from Christianity
(Julie Bourdon, Mission Network News)
Friday, 30 June 2017
Diplomacy and religious freedom: An American agency denounces the treatment of Muslims in China
(Erasmus, The Economist [Erasmus: Religion and public policy])
80% of Canadians would choose an atheist Prime Minister
(Derek Welch, World Religion News)
A battle over prayer in schools tests Canada's multiculturalism
(Dan Levin, The New York Times)
1,66 year old basilica of ancient Nicaea found underwater to become a museum
(Jeannie Law, The Christian Post)
Modi condemns rise in mob violence against beef-eaters in India
(The Guardian)
Destruction of Mosul's Great Mosque holds a heritage lesson for Australia
(Dale Stephens and Tara Gutman, The Guardian)
Regional developments accelerate Hamas-Hezbollah reconciliation
(Adnan Abu Amer, translated by Cynthia Milan, Al Monitor: Palestine Pulse)
As Mosul battle nears end, Iraqi Christians wary of return
(Wassim Bassem, trans. Sahar Ghoussoub, Al Monitor: Iraq Pulse)
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