Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 17 May 2024
Cuba: Afro-Cuban drums, Muslim prayers, Buddhist mantras: Religious diversity blooms in once-atheist Cuba
(Luis Andres Henao, Associated Press)
Advancing freedom of religion or belief through religiously inclusive education
(Knox Thames)
New book: Rethinking Law and Religion
(Russell Sandberg, Edward Elgar)
Russia: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest May 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Experts in The Hague discuss Russia's crimes against Ukraine's cultural heritage
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Faith and labor organizations forge new paths in just transitions
(World Council of Churches)
Azerbaijan: A beacon of religious tolerance
(S. Rob Sobhani, The Washington Times)
Madagascar’s Catholic bishops fault bill to castrate child rapists as “against human dignity”
(Jude Atemanke, ACI Africa)
Wednesday, 15 May 2024
China is reversing its crackdown on some religions, but not all
(Ian Johnson, Council on Foreign Relations)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest May 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
USCIRF highlights religious freedom violations in Eritrea amidst two decades of pastors' imprisonment
(United States Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Mexico: Win for church autonomy in Mexico: Court protects Catholic baptismal records from gender ideology
(ADF International)
Pakistani Hindu refugees find new hope in India’s Citizenship Amendment Act
(Amit Pandey, Religion Unplugged)
India’s parliament has fewer Muslims as strength of Modi’s party grows
(Sheikh Saaliq and Krutika Pathi, Associated Press)
Nigeria: Mosque attack in Nigeria’s north injures at least 24 people, including children
(Chinedu Asadu, Associated Press)
Japan: What place is there for religion in a democracy?
(The Japan News)
Ghana: Bawumia pledges to strengthen church-state partnership for national development
(3News)
Media: friends or foes of religious freedom—and the Tai Ji Men case
(Willy Fautré, Bitter Winter)
Vatican conference on ‘climate resilience’ is the latest in a long line of environment initiatives by Pope Francis and the Catholic Church – 5 essential reads
(Molly Jackson, The Conversation)
Protection of religious sites during armed conflict
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Monday, 13 May 2024
Lebanon religious authorities go after comedian over prayers sketch
(AFP, Barron's)
Freedom of the press as an element of freedom of belief
(Karolina Maria Kotkowska, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)
Podcast: Clamping down on religious freedom in Central Asia
(Bruce Pannier, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty)
The situation in Afghanistan under review by the United Nations
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Religion Unplugged)
Sacred values and traditional wisdom of the indigenous peoples
(JoAnne Wadsworth, Viewpoints, a blog of the G20 Interfaith Forum Association)
Eritrea: USCIRF highlights religious freedom violations in Eritrea amidst two decades of pastors’ imprisonment
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Global Interfaith Monitor No. 23
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Religion Watch, Volume 39 No. 6
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Articles of interest - 13 May 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Australian court lifts order blocking X on church stabbing video
(Reuters)
Australia: Former Australian Prime Minister talks of staying true to his faith as hostility to Christianity grows
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
India: Christian women in India lack inheritance rights. Could Hindu nationalists help?
(Surinder Kaur, Christianity Today)
The President of Ukraine thanked the hierarchs of the UGCC and the OCU for supporting Ukrainians on the frontline and the home front
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Pope: Holy See ready to facilitate exchange of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war
(Linda Bordoni, Vatican News)
The global hate-speech conundrum
(Kevin Cope, The Volokh Conspiracy)
WCC general secretary highlights ways to lasting peace through reconciliation
(World Council of Churches)
Three Jehovah's Witnesses from Izhevsk received three years in prison each for their faith
(Jehovah's Witnesses - Russia)
Russia: Over 1000 conscientious objectors carrying out a civil service
(OVD, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
India's election enters fourth phase as rhetoric over religion, inequality sharpens
(Rishika Sadam and Fayaz Bukhari, Reuters)
South Africa: Christianity is changing in South Africa as pentecostal and indigenous churches grow – what’s behind the trend
(Dion Forster, The Conversation)
China invokes religious persecution and oppression around the globe
(Sam Brownback, The Washington Times)
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas are bound to fail if parties ignore the religious dimensions of the conflict
(Qamar-ul Huda, ABC News Australia)
Colombia: The Ombudsman's Office continues to tour the country with Ombudsman Dialogues on Religious Freedom and Cults (Spanish)
(Defensoría del Pueblo)
Puerto Rico: Promoting the student religious freedom law project (Spanish)
(Pamela Hernández Cabiya, Noticel)
Legal Journal Number 7 (19): May (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
Brazil: 5th Virtual Journey of Studies In Law And Religion (Portuguese)
(IBDR)
Friday, 10 May 2024
Saudi Arabia announces stringent penalties for unauthorised Hajj pilgrims
(Gulf News)
Bangladesh: 63 individuals to attend Hajj at government expense
(RTV News)
New book: How Islam Rules in Iran: Theology and Theocracy in the Islamic Republic
(Mehran Kamrava, Cambridge University Press)
India says Canada yet to provide evidence of its involvement in the killing of a separatist leader
(Ashok Sharma, Associated Press)
India: Reflections on my beloved India in an election year
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Dominican Republic: Ahead of general elections, Church releases list of endorsed candidates in Dominican Republic
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
S Korean Church told to lead youth toward unification with North Korea
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Kenya: “We need to locate the chains of corruption in order to break them,” declare faith leaders and experts at LCMC Conference
(Wesley Omondi, Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Vietnam rejects unobjective judgements in US report on int’l religious freedom
(Vietnam Plus)
Russia accuses U.S. of meddling in India’s internal affairs, ‘complicating’ Lok Sabha elections
(The Hindu)
South Africa: Ramaphosa signs bill barring hate crimes, hate speech into law
(Sunday World)
Regime change and religious discrimination after the Arab uprisings (podcast)
(Jason Klocek, Religious Freedom Institute)
Haiti: Shunned for centuries, Vodou grows powerful as Haitians seek solace from unrelenting gang violence
(Dánica Coto, Associated Press)
Pope Francis condemns ‘act of blind hatred’ in Eastern Congo
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Mozambique's president says northern town under Islamist attack
(Reuters)
Ghana: My government will support churches – Bawumia assures Clergy
(Modern Ghana)
Occupied Ukraine: Protestant woman on trial for Melitopol prayer meeting?
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
SBU served notice of suspicion to the UOC clergyman advocating the annexation of Kherson
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Supreme Court determines when religious beliefs exclude liability for draft evasion
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Wednesday, 8 May 2024
WCC general secretary visits Christian Aid to discuss shared goals for peace and reconciliation
(World Council of Churches)
Welby to visit Zanzibar
(Anglican Ink)
Uzbekistan: Assessment of religious freedom in Uzbekistan: Progress and perspectives
(Love Your Neighbor Community)
India votes in third phase of national elections as Modi escalates his rhetoric against Muslims
(Krutika Pathi and Sheikh Saaliq, Associated Press)
82% of Ukrainians do not trust Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, 63% seek its ban
(Ukrainska Pravda)
Ukraine has a historical tradition of religious plurality and tolerance
(Regina Elsner, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies)
Australia: Tasmanian Catholics unite against changes to religious freedom laws
(CathNews)
Ghana: President promotes tolerance and peaceful coexistence among religions as election approaches
(Ghana News Agency)
Indonesia: Religious tolerance in Indonesia still worth questioning
(VOI)
Iran: All faiths promote peace, support oppressed people: Tehran conference
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))
Iranian police chief claims 'homeland and religion would vanish without hijab'
(Iran Wire)
Australia: Islamic College of Brisbane and Queensland churches together oppose Anti-Discrimination Bill 2024
(Kenji Sato and Steve Austin, ABC News Australia)
South Africa: Government department scorecard
(Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA))
Christians and Buddhists must walk together 'for the sake of peace'
(Linda Bordoni, Vatican News)
Ugandan faith leaders work to confront increase in gender-based violence
(Tonny Onyulo, Religion News Service)
The violent incidents database: A social innovation for religious freedom
(Dennis P. Petri and Kyle Wisdom, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Paris 2024: Despite wars, Vatican defends "Olympic truce" as step towards peace
(Loup Besmond de Senneville, La Croix International)
FoRB podcast: Business and religious rights
(Dmytro Vovk and Merilin Kiviorg, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Colombia: WCC executive committee will meet in Colombia to strengthen peacebuilding work
(World Council of Churches)
USCIRF: China’s religious liberty and “malignant influence” getting worse
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Kyrgyzstan: Religious authorities muzzle influencer who said pre-marital sex is not a sin
(Ayzirek Imanaliyeva, Eurasianet)
Taiwan, France, Japan: Roots and consequences of an anti-cult ideology
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Malaysia: Woman loses bid to be declared non-Muslim
(Free Malaysia Today)
Pakistan to continue facilitating Sikh community’s visits to their religious places: Masood Khan
(Pakistan Today)
Monday, 6 May 2024
Putin attends Easter service led by head of Russia's Orthodox Church
(Reuters)
Russian Orthodox Church is prepared to deploy over a thousand clergy to the war
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Russia allows hijabs for citizen application photos
(RT)
Cuba: Catholic Church in communist Cuba proposes an open dialogue with the government
(Orlando Matos and Carmen Sesin, NBC News)
Afghanistan: The situation in Afghanistan under review by the United Nations
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Vietnam: Building neighborly L.O.V.E. in Vietnam through cross-cultural religious literacy
(Hien Vu, Institute for Global Engagement)
Introduction: Interaction of Muslim and State Law—Muslim Women, Domestic Abuse, and Religious ADR
(Samia Bano and Naheed Ghauri, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
Understanding the impermissibility of domestic violence in Islamic law
(Hakim Mudasir Maqsood, Rising Kashmir)
NSDC Secretary met with representatives of the UCCRO
(Institute for Religious Freedom, Ukraine)
In Conversation: Podcast explores dynamic relationships between worship and service
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Cambodia: The WFB President meeting with the high-ranking officials in Cambodia
(The World Fellowship of Buddhists)
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