Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 20 April 2026
KZN government removes children from controversial religious sect in KwaMaphumulo
(Nkosikhona Cele, IOL)
Mexico: Evangelicals in Hidalgo take religious intolerance case to national human rights commission
(Ommar Ayala, Christian Daily)
New study: Most Canadian Sikhs face hate, however very few report it
(Aadya Arora, New Canadian Media)
Friday, 17 April 2026
Australian Journal of Law and Religion - Volume 7 (2026)
Egypt legalizes 191 additional churches in ongoing push for religious inclusivity
(Egypt Independent)
Leo XIV's journey to Africa (1): Algeria
(FSSPX news)
Mass killings, widows abandoned: Behind Nigeria's 'religious war'
(Jamal Osman, Channel 4 News)
Yemen’s female journalists face Islamic cleric-led harassment campaigns
(Ibrahim Abdullah, Religion Unplugged)
How Jewish heritage projects in Morocco are being used to push pro-Israel politics
(Middle East Eye)
Dozens detained during Easter gatherings in Turkmenistan
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
China’s definition of an ‘evil cult’ is expanding beyond religious groups
(Jianli Yang, The Diplomat)
Kazakhstan: Husband jailed in Xinjiang, wife to be jailed from 2027
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest April 01-16
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Churches to the rescue of Cuba's legions of poor
(France 24)
Why Korea’s new religion bill is rattling Protestant churches
(Korea Times)
Canada: Public funds don't make Catholic hospitals 'government actors', says lawyer in MAID case
(Darryl Greer, National Observer)
Costa Rica migrant agreement draws concern from Catholic Church immigration officials
(The Dialog)
Wednesday, 15 April 2026
China: Pressure on Catholics escalates
(Human Rights Watch)
Control and fear inside the clergy
(Bangkok Post)
Vientiane to Hold Grand Lao New Year Procession of Sacred Buddha Images
(Lao News Agency)
Thai religious leaders rally behind papal call for global prayer vigil for peace
(Chainarong Monthienvichienchai, Licas News)
Cambodia Celebrates International Buddhist Day with Royal Message
(Raymond Lam, Buddhist Door Global)
Hun Manet Rings in New Year with Pledge of Stability, Reform and National Unity
(Teng Yalirozy, Cambodianess)
WCC general secretary meets state minister from Tuvalu
(World Council of Churches)
Outrage as Thais announce public tours of occupied temples
(Raksmey Hong, The Phnom Penh Post)
To Lam invites Pope Leo XIV: plans for the visit to Vietnam are back on track
(Asia News)
How a deeply Buddhist Bhutan keeps religion and politics from mixing
(Sushmita Pathak, The World)
Company ordered to compensate worker barred from observing the sabbath for religious reasons (Portuguese)
(Redação, Migalhas)
Statement of inputs to Parliament
(X, Zimbabwe Council of Churches)
Pope Leo XIV should raise human rights issues during his visit to Algeria
(Human Rights Watch)
BIC explores justice as a shared capacity at UN Commission
(Bahá’í World News Service)
The transformative power of women of faith highlighted at CSW70
(Religions for Peace)
Egypt, Philippines boost interreligious ties with exchanges, trainings
(Nikko Balbedina, CBCP News)
Turkish identity, or Shiism? The choice that determines Azerbaijan's fate
(Elbeyi Hasanli, Media News Azerbaijan)
Israel demolishes UNESCO-protected shrine of Shamoun al-Safa in south Lebanon
(Fadia Jomaa, The New Arab)
Not forgotten: an interfaith call to kep Sudan in focus and demand peace
(Caritas International)
Nicaragua: A Holy Week with many restrictions, but more faith from local Catholics
(ZENIT)
The reality of biological sex in law- one step closer
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)
UNESCO-listed shrine destroyed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon
(Middle East Monitor)
Christians and Muslims can ‘live together in peace’ – Pope Leo says on plane leaving Algeria
(Elise Ann Allen, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
The global crisis of human trafficking and financial crime
(Marianna Richardson, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Hardest task is declaring belief of millions as wrong: Supreme Court in Sabarimala reference case
(Debayan Roy, Bar and Bench)
T&T: Muslim groups slam Govt terror listing as islamophobic
(Vivian Bowen and Michelle Loubon, Daily Express)
Monday, 13 April 2026
Lawmakers seek to perfect legal framework for online religious activities
(Vietnam Plus)
Central Tibetan Administration pays tribute to Tibetan monk Thupten Nyendak, recalls sacrifice for religious freedom
(ANI, Lokmat Times)
Chhattisgarh governor signs freedom of religion bill, introduces strict penalties for illegal conversions
(Akashvani)
Drawing a distinction between religion and law
(Hindustan Times)
Anti-conversion Regimes and the Unmaking of Secular India
(Ranjan Solomon, Clarion India)
A meeting of shared values between Vietnam and Bhutan
(Pham Thi Thanh Huyen, Vietnam Net Global)
From tolerance to hospitality: lessons in interfaith understanding from Oman
(Kate Eubanks, Boniak Institute)
Egypt refers Christian convert to terrorism court
(Coptic Solidarity)
Sisi congratulates Christians, says Egypt will remain a model of coexistence
(Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt Independent)
A brief history of Lebanon and how its religious dynamics changed
(First Post)
How do people cope during war?
(Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times)
Pope says he is 'closer than ever' to Lebanese people
(Le Monde)
U.S. imposes visa ban on Nigerians over religious freedom violations
(Mustapha Bature Sallama, Modern Ghana)
Kimbanguism: The church shaping faith and politics in DR Congo
(Africa News)
Preserving what makes us human in the age of AI
(Center for Humane Technology)
Antisemitic attacks in 2025 caused highest number of deaths in 30 years, study finds
(Melanie Lidman, Associated Press)
Pope says he will continue to speak out against war after Trump attack
(Joshua McElwee, Reuters)
Articles of interest - 13 April 2026
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Senegal: This Muslim nation is one of the most religiously inclusive in the world
(Tamba Jean-Matthew III, Religion Unplugged)
Israel is trying to change Jerusalem’s religious identity - opinion
(Xavier Abu Eid, Al Jazeera)
Faith, Africa, and the courage to change the narrative
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Sino-Vatican relations, the two-China question, and religious freedom: a geopolitics of religion analysis
(Giovanni Pirozzi, Istituto Analisi Relazioni Internazionali)
Korean Church Law Association urges withdrawal of "Bill to Prevent Church-State Collusion"
(Kim Heeyun, The Asia Business Daily)
Just war, holy war and the crisis of language: What is lost when we lose a moral framework for conflict? - opinion
(Darius von Güttner-Sporzyński, ABC News Australia)
Jehovah's Witnesses followers sue Japanese government
(Japan Times)
Uganda: Alupo reaffirms government commitment to faith-based partnerships in service delivery
(Muhamadi Matovu, Nile Post)
Friday, 10 April 2026
Every Friday in Bangladesh, a contradiction unfolds in plain sight
(Amit Khan, ABC Australia)
Morocco, Vatican mark 50 years of diplomatic relations built on interfaith dialogue
(Khadija Tachfine, Hespress)
Three years on, faith and partnership are sustaining families forced to flee Sudan
(UNHCR)
Logic may not be the right tool to examine faith and belief systems, says Supreme Court
(Krishnadas Rajagopal, The Hindu)
A Renewed Research Agenda to Address Global Religious Violence and Foster Religious Pluralism
(Elaine Howard Ecklund, Kerby Goff, and Aishwarya Lakshmi, MDPI)
Mafra Dialogues 2026: Faith, diplomacy and the case for multilateralism
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
A judicial suicide: The Tokyo decision against the Unification Church. 3. Subjective interpretation and “social norms.”
(Eitaro Ogawa, Bitter Winter)
Catholic bishops in Ghana call for coherent public discourse on family values
(Sabrine Amboka, ACI Africa)
Over 100,000 Muslim worshipers perform Friday prayers at Temple Mount
(AFP, Times of Israel)
Wednesday, 8 April 2026
Legal Journal Number 5 (21): February-March 2026 (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
EWTN News documentary highlights Lebanon’s Christian roots and enduring faith
(Georgena Habbaba, EWTN News)
Religious cults in SA: Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, Pontsho Pilane weigh in
(YouTube Video, SABC News)
State control over religion? The truth revealed.
(YouTube Video, Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA))
World Reflection Day: ADP honours Rwanda genocide victims, urge Nigerians to reject religious extremism
(Tom Okpe, Daily Times)
Morocco hosts landmark Holocaust education forum for Arab educators
(Annabel Sinclair, Jewish News)
Ugandan bill to establish Sharia courts sparks urgent religious freedom concerns
(ADF International)
April 16: Threats to Religious Freedom: Root Causes and Paths Forward
(HJ International Graduate School for Peace and Public Leadership)
Iran claims synagogue in Tehran was ‘completely destroyed’ by US-Israeli strike
(Grace Gilson, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Hostility towards religion is a strategic mistake in global diplomacy
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
International panel seeks sanctions against Muslim rights violators in two Indian states
(P. K. Balachandran, Eurasia Review)
Dozens killed in Nigeria as violence mars Easter celebrations
(Diana Chandler, Religion Unplugged)
Registering faith: Recognition, legal personality, and religious freedom in the Caribbean
(Brandon Reece Taylorian, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Iran: Religious persecution and issues – Monthly digest March 2026
(witho, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
STF [Supreme Court] to review in plenary session rule prohibiting the use of religion in psychology (Portuguese)
(Redação, Migalhas)
Việt Nam’s draft law tightens state control over cyber religious freedom
(Hoàng Nam, The Vietnamese)
Religious freedom cannot survive without democracy
(Freedom House)
King calls for unity and peace on Buddhist Day
(Torn Vibol, Khmer Times)
Monday, 6 April 2026
Palestinian religious leaders delegation discusses cooperation and protection of holy sites with Egyptian Minister Of Endowments
(Yaffa News Network)
Jordan condemns Ben-Gvir’s incursion Into Al-Aqsa, reaffirms exclusive Muslim right to the site
(Yaffa News Network)
No churches, no problem? How faith found a way this Easter amid UAE closures
(Catholic Connect)
Israeli PM, Netanyahu condemns ‘Christian persecution’ in Nigeria in Easter message
(Damilare Adeleye, The Nigerian Voice)
Email Subscription
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies maintains a Law and Religion Headlines service covering news about freedom of religion or belief internationally. All interested may subscribe to this service, free of charge, using the link below.
Subscribe