Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Violence in Nigeria: discussion of the statistical evidence for the disproportionate targeting of Christians
(Dennis P. Petri and John Bainbridge, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Nigeria: Plateau, group join forces to boost religious tolerance, freedom
(Peoples Gazette)
Philippines: New anti-discrimination law challenges religious freedom
(International Christian Concern)
Japan: 1st halal food lunches served at elementary, junior high schools in 2 east Japan towns
(The Mainichi)
Malawi: Catholic church supports Malawi Law Society’s demonstration for judicial reforms
(Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Pakistan: Death penalty of Christian Ehsan Shan and EU Special Envoy on FORB
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
North Korea: New report finds situation of human rights has only deteriorated ten years since landmark inquiry
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Australia: Labor waters down promised ‘hate speech’ bill
(Cath News)
Monday, 9 September 2024
India: Protecting the hijab by law: Is it an essential religious practice?
(Divyansh Nautiyal, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
India: New Delhi to renew firecracker ban ahead of Diwali to combat pollution
(Reuters)
Without freedom there can be no progress
(Brian Grim, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)
Cuba: USCIRF releases new report on religious freedom conditions in Cuba
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
'Tsunami of anti-Semitism' stirs fears of dark days for Jews
(Nina Larson, AFP)
Ending persecution: Charting the path to global religious freedom (podcast on book release)
(Jeremy Barker and Knox Thames, Middle East File)
Global Religious Pluralities: How should we talk about religion today?
(James Walters, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Mexico: Catholic leaders raise concerns over judicial reform pushed by Mexico’s president
(María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 9 September 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
The EU Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief on mission in Pakistan
(Willy Fautré, The European Times)
China: Catholic priests from Fujian mobilized for “patriotic education” in Xinjiang
(Zeng Liqin, Bitter Winter)
Kenya: Govt directs prison administrators to allocate land to build churches, mosques
(Denzel Maina, Kenyans.co)
Sudanese archbishop pleads for peace, as humanitarian agencies warn of catastrophic hunger crisis
(World Council of Churches)
Ahmadis in Pakistan: Lawyer threatened with disbarment, four jailed with false blasphemy charges
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Nigerian officials warn people off church's 'miracle' water
(Makuochi Okafor, BBC)
UN: From international hope to global disappointment (Spanish)
(Fishel Szlajen, Infobae)
Friday, 6 September 2024
Pope and imam of Southeast Asia’s largest mosque make joint call to fight violence, protect planet
(Nicole Winfield and Edna Tarigan, Associated Press)
Evaluating Indonesian Muslims’ engagement with China – analysis
(Xue Song, Eurasia Review)
China’s World Buddhist Forum aimed at boosting soft power: experts
(Dickey Kundol and Tenzin Dickyi, Radio Free Asia)
China: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest August 16-31
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
How China’s boarding schools in Xinjiang (East Turkistan) are erasing a people’s identity: A Uyghur view
(Abdulhakim Idris, Bitter Winter)
WCC meets with Churches' Commission for Migrants to strengthen collaboration
(World Council of Churches)
Kenya: Religious leaders call for community inclusion in development
(Kenya News Agency)
Global institute convenes leaders in Kenya to reimagine a just economy
(World Council of Churches)
At Quaker World Plenary, Americans are seen as key to building peace
(Bridget Moix, Religion News Service)
Welcoming the Stranger: Abrahamic Hospitality and Its Contemporary Implications
(Edited by Ori Z Soltes and Rachel Stern, Fordham University Press)
Iraqi women fear rise in child marriages as lawmakers consider giving conservative clerics more say
(Stella Martany and Kareem Chehayeb, Associated Press)
Rwanda: Members of shuttered Rwandan churches gather in homes as leaders quietly protest
(Tonny Onyulo, Religion News Service)
Venezuela: Maduro declares Christmas in October amid Venezuela’s post-election strife
(Tom Phillips, The Guardian)
Balancing free speech and religious sensitivities: Sokolovskiy
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Kyrgyzstan: Public discussion of latest repressive draft religion law
(Felix Corley and Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
India: Right to food: is eating what the state says a religious freedom issue?
(AJ Philip, Religion Unplugged)
Indonesian Muslims differ over airing call-to-prayer during papal Mass
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Sri Lanka approves burial and cremation rights bill
(Devdiscourse)
Wednesday, 4 September 2024
Pope Francis visits Indonesia amid rising religious intolerance
(Andreas Harsono, Human Rights Watch)
Pope Francis to Indonesians: ‘Interreligious dialogue fosters mutual respect’
(Devon Watkins, Religion Unplugged)
Pope calls world’s largest Muslim nation to fight extremism, foster tolerance
(Elise Ann Allen, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Russia: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest August 16-31
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
“The Kremlin despises spiritual and human values and has no respect for any religion or faith,” - Volodymyr Zelensky
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Reflections and recommendations: Concluding the G20 Interfaith Forum 2024 in Brasilia
(Katherine Marshall, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Japan: Unification Church appeals against fine in Japan’s top court
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Pakistan: Political Injustice – the ongoing persecution of Ahmadi Muslims
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Eritrea: UN International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances: Honouring Eritrea’s missing voices
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Nicaragua: Religious groups affected by another mass cancellation of civil society organisations
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Australia: Faiths unite for fight over sex laws
(The Australian)
IDF briefly shuts Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs after West Bank car bombs
(Emanuel Fabian, The Times of Israel)
Thousands of illegal Israeli settlers take over Ibrahimi Mosque prayer room
(Middle East Monitor)
“There is no incompatibility between the exercise of faith and human rights,” says Silvio Almeida at G20 event (Portuguese)
(Ministério dos Direitos Humanos e da Cidadania)
Brazil: Constitution of health and life and Jehovah's Witnesses (Portuguese)
(Luigi Bonizzato, Jota)
Tuesday, 3 September 2024
Pope opens Asia odyssey with stop in Indonesia to rally Catholics, hail religious freedom tradition
(Nicole Winfield and Edna Tarigan, Associated Press)
Pope Francis arrives in Muslim-majority Indonesia for visit focusing on interreligious dialogue
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Dominican Republic: A top court in the Dominican Republic deliberates anti-sodomy laws targeting police and military
(Dánica Coto, Associated Press)
Praising the MWL's Islamic and humanitarian role across the globe: In countries of religious and ethnic diversity
(Muslim World League)
The different options for administering Israel’s holiest sites
(Nahshon Perez, Algemeiner)
Anti-Christian sentiment and persecution in the Holy Land
(Mario Alexis Portella, Crisis Magazine)
Afghanistan: New morality law affirms Taliban’s regressive agenda, experts call for concerted action
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Iran: UN experts alarmed by surge in executions, demand moratorium on death penalty
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
AFJN launches ‘Unity Through Diversity’ peace project in Eastern Congo (includes audio for new song “Tuishing Pamoja” (Let’s Live Together”)
(Africa Faith and Justice Network)
Parliament adopts law “On protection of constitutional order in the sphere of activity of religious organizations”
(Institute for Religious Freedom, Ukraine)
Yemen: Remaining prisoners released: The Yemeni Bahá’í community’s unyielding pursuit of peace
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Knowledge about religions is good—but cross-cultural religious literacy is better
(Institute for Global Engagement)
Articles of interest - 2 September 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Kyrgyzstan proposes amendment to laws regulating religious sphere
(The Times of Central Asia)
Bangladesh’s Hindu-Buddhist-Christian council pushes for secular state
(Rishabh Jain, Religion News Service)
The sacred and the profane: The ethics of Hajj fund management in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Maldives
(Edward Mariyani-Squire, Hafidz Lidinillah and Maria Bhatti, ABC News Australia)
Australia: The future of religious freedom in a secular world
(Anthony Fisher, Quadrant)
Mexico: These will be the penalties for having an abortion after 6 weeks in Aguascalientes (Spanish)
(Ale Huitron, Infobae)
Friday, 30 August 2024
Institutions as agents of persecution and inclusion of minority faiths
(Brett G. Scharffs, International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), Brigham Young University)
Many around the globe say it’s important their leader stands up for people’s religious beliefs
(Jonathan Evans, Maria Smerkovich, Manolo Corichi and William Miner, Pew Research Center)
Religion and foreign policy webinar: Statelessness of religious and ethnic minority groups
(Council on Foreign Relations)
The deadly message of the “death capsule”: Assisted suicide and the (God-given) limits of consent
(Adam M. Carrington, World)
Uzbekistan: Given punishment cell "so he will stay in prison longer"
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
Faith communities take a stand against lethal autonomous weapons
(World Council of Churches)
Nigeria: Bishops urge President Tinubu to reassess economic policies, consider return to regional system of government
(Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Mozambique: Archbishop Dalla Zuanna urges political leaders to focus on peace and policy ahead of October elections
(Catholic Information Service for Africa)
New book: The Paradox of Islamic Finance: How Shariah Scholars Reconcile Religion and Capitalism
(Ryan Calder, Princeton University Press)
Pacific island churches fight future without fossil fuels
(James Shri Bhagwan, Sojourners)
Afghanistan: Taliban reject UN concerns over laws banning women’s voices and bare faces in public
(Associated Press)
Burkina Faso: Up to 200 people killed in attack in central Burkina Faso
(Al Jazeera)
Israel: Have Israel’s far-right religious nationalists peaked?
(The Economist)
Israel says it killed Islamic Jihad commander in gunbattle at West Bank mosque
(Maytaal Angel and Ali Sawafta, Reuters)
Brasilia: Leave no one behind – The G20 Interfaith Forum’s journey
(Katherine Marshall, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Iran: Religious issues and persecution – Monthly digest August
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
‘More that unites us’: Bridging the border between Indians, Pakistanis, Hindus and Muslims
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Germany: Ex-head of banned Islamic center faces deportation
(Timothy Jones, Deutsche Welle)
Chile: Religious denominations oppose the recognition of a Satanist organization (Spanish)
(Agencia Informativa Católica Argentina)
Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Australian military to fly pope to remote PNG town
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Australian bishop urges new Northern Territory leaders to leave no one behind
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Australia: ‘Bizarre and disturbing act’ in front of Adelaide mosque leaves community shaken
(7news)
South Africa: Religious freedom and women's rights
(YouTube Video, Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA))
Pope Francis: Human dignity must be ‘common commitment’ of all Christian churches
(Kristina Millare, Catholic News Agency)
Pope will visit the Istiqlal mosque in Indonesia on the first stop of an interfaith Asian trip
(Edna Tarigan and Andi Jatmiko, Associated Press)
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