Law and Religion Headlines

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Monday, 11 March 2024

Israeli forces attack Muslim worshippers at al-Aqsa during first night of Ramadan
(Middle East Eye)

Israeli police block hundreds of Palestinians from al-Aqsa on Ramadan's first night, hit worshipers with batons
(Nir Hasson, Haaretz)

How Hamas is using Ramadan to prolong the war
(Mario Mancuso, Hudson Institute)

Myanmar: Religion, Peace and Conflict Country Profile
(The United States Institute of Peace)

Philippines: Religion, Peace and Conflict Country Profile
(The United States Institute of Peace)

Ukraine: Religion, Peace and Conflict Country Profile
(The United States Institute of Peace)

Pakistani court sentences man to death and teenager to life in prison for insulting Islam’s prophet
(Asim Tanveer, Associated Press)

Canada: Should people suffering from mental illness be eligible for medically assisted death? Canada plans to legalize that in 2027 – a philosopher explains the core questions
(Maria Kulp, The Conversation)

Recent articles of interest - 11 March 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Celebrating women at KAICIID: A commitment to empowerment and progress
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)

India implements ‘anti-Muslim’ 2019 citizenship law weeks before election
(Al Jazeera)

Turquoise Freedom: FECRIS, atheism, and support for the Russian war against Ukraine
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)

Australia: Anti-discrimination laws would ‘stop religious schools sacking staff for adultery’
(Natasha Bita and Lydia Lynch, The Australian)

Brazil: Union against religious intolerance (Portuguese)
(Emerson Cunha and Camilla Barbosa, A União)

Peru: Bill advancing that seeks to protect freedom of conscience and religion in Peru (Spanish)
(Diego López Marina, ACI Prensa)

Mexico: Religion, politics and peacebuilding (Spanish)
(Felipe de J. Monroy, Agencia Quadratín)

Friday, 8 March 2024

International Women’s Day: A plea to end conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence
(Anna Lee Stangle and Khataza Gondwe, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)

Serious action needed to tackle Islamophobia - G20 Interfaith Forum's president
(Humay Aghajanova, Trend News Agency)

Volume 22, Issue 1 (2024)
(various, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)

Singapore: International outcry grows as Singapore's incarceration of conscientious objector unveils human rights breach
(Court Magazine)

Singapore: Rapper Subhas Nair jailed 6 weeks for promoting ill will among racial, religious groups
(Nisha Rahim, Yahoo News)

9 Jehovah’s Witnesses convicted of extremism for practicing faith in Russia
(Kathryn Post, Religion News Service)

Putin’s crackdown casts a wide net, ensnaring the LGBTQ+ community, lawyers and many others
(Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press)

Religious freedom deserves a right of its own
(Daniel Philpott, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)

Canada: Quebec judge won't exempt church-supported palliative care home from MAID law
(The Canadian Press)

Uganda: Religious leaders to account for offertory under new policy
(Bill Oketch, Monitor)

India steps up ‘anti-Christian’ laws in some states to prevent ‘magic healings’ and evangelism
(Open Doors)

The tribulations of indigenous religious communities
(Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)

Japan: Anti-Muslim sentiment in Japan on rise after Israel's attacks on Gaza
(Ömer Faruk Madanoğlu, Anadolu Agency)

Ghana's LGBT terror: 'We live in fear of snitches'
(Favour Nunoo and Thomas Naadi, BBC News)

Nigeria's Boko Haram crisis: Dozens of women feared abducted in Gamboru Ngala
(Mansur Abubakar, BBC News)

Zelensky and Greek PM visited Odesa Cathedral hit by Russian missile
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

Vietnam: Government declares two exiled human rights groups as terrorist organisations
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

China: Xinjiang authorities are retroactively applying laws to prosecute religious leaders as criminals
(China File)

Iraq: Christians in Iraq still fear insecurity
(Jean Charles Putzolu and Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News)

Iran: Unprecedented and inhumane: More than 30 Baha’i new graves razed by Iranian authorities
(Bahá’í International Community)

Israel and Palestine are now in a religious war
(Caroline de Gruyter, Foreign Policy)

Jerusalem Palestinians prepare for Ramadan amid holy month’s uneasy politics
(Michele Chabin, Religion News Service)

Wednesday, 6 March 2024

Globally, government restrictions on religion reached peak levels in 2021, while social hostilities went down
(Samirah Majumdar and Sarah Crawford, Pew Research Center)

Indonesia officially adopts Indonesian term for ‘Jesus Christ’
(Andreas Harsono, Human Rights Watch)

In Guatemala, public schools turn to Bible study to boost reading and resist gang culture
(Catherine Pepinster, Religion News Service)

Abdelsalam: Religions must work together for brighter future
(Vatican News)

Nine years after Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, Muslims launch a counterpart
(Fredrick Nzwili, Religion News Service)

Exclusive: Police interrogate and beat Tibetans arrested in dam protest
(Kalden Lodoe and Tenzin Pema, Radio Free Asia)

Mozambique jihadist attacks: Fears for 70 missing children
(Jose Tembe and Gloria Aradi, BBC News)

Costa Rica: Catholic activists denounce growing migrant crisis in Costa Rica
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Pakistan: Karachi's dwindling Goan Christian community
(Mohammad Salman, Deutsche Welle)

Ukraine: Latest draft Law targets Ukrainian Orthodox Church for Russian links
(Dmytro Vovk, Forum 18 News Service)

Philippine Church seeks justice, peace on massacre anniversary
(Ronald O. Reyes, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Israel to allow same numbers into Al-Aqsa during start of Ramadan as in previous years
(Reuters)

Churches' challenges in health and healing work highlighted by global panel
(World Council of Churches)

Nicaragua: Female prisoners punished for praying out loud
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

Brazil: Prison Pastoral highlights restrictions on religious assistance to prisoners (Portuguese)
(Evandro Éboli, Correio Braziliense)

Chile: Representatives of religious organizations and faith communities in chile call for participation in the 2024 census (Spanish)
(RadioPolar)

Monday, 4 March 2024

Ben-Gvir demands limit on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan
(Middle East Monitor)

WCC expresses solidarity as Heads of Churches in Jerusalem condemn “wanton attack against innocent civilians”
(World Council of Churches)

Member of Fiqh Councils in Europe and North America: The Islamic Nation must wage jihad to help the Palestinians; Sykes-Picot borders have no legal status in religious laws of jihad
(The Middle East Media Research Institute)

Iraq: Unregistered marriages harm women and children
(Human Rights Watch)

Canadian measure would remove free speech protection for quoting Bible, sacred texts
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)

Morocco: Family law in Morocco: A cultural battleground
(Hassan Al-Ashraf, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center)

Malaysia: Harmonising Sharia and Malaysia’s constitution by the end of the year
(Steve Suwannarat, AsiaNews)

Pakistan: Two Christian brothers freed of blasphemy charges by Pakistan court in landmark case
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)

Pakistan’s bumpy road to Islamic finance goals
(Kimberley Long, The Banker)

“Al-Mizan: A Covenant for the Earth” Unveils an Islamic Approach to Environmental Stewardship at the United Nations Environment Assembly
(Parliament of the World's Religions)

Zimbabwe and Liberia: “Forgiveness at the Roots of Faiths – How Understanding the Science of Forgiveness Can Better Heal and Restore Communities of Faith” training of the trainers
(Religions for Peace)

Articles of interest - 4 March 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

India: ‘Run or die’: Muslims left mourning as police raze another mosque in northern India
(Yashraj Sharma, Religion News Service)

Russia: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest Feb. 16-29
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Russian occupiers in Ukraine thanked several Belarusian monasteries for assistance
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

Nigeria: Uniting Voices for Democracy: The inaugural KAICIID supported RCDP meeting in Nigeria
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)

Brazil: Campo Grande City Hall establishes Religious Freedom Day (Portuguese)
(Anna Gomes, Uol)

Friday, 1 March 2024

Canada: Appeal Court upholds Quebec law that bars teachers, police from wearing religious symbols
(Verity Stevenson, CBC News)

Canada: How Canada’s flourishing far-right movement is fuelling violent Islamophobia
(Sarah Green, The Telegraph)

Ghana’s parliament passed an anti-LGBTQ+ bill that could imprison people for more than a decade
(Francis Kokutse, Associated Press)

China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest Feb. 16-29
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

China: Free detained Tibetan demonstrators
(Human Rights Watch)

Indonesia: End hijab-linked bullying in schools
(Human Rights Watch)

Iranian women 'ready to pay the price' for defying hijab rules
(Caroline Hawley, BBC News)

Holy See: Religious freedom is violated in one third of the world
(Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News)

Argentina: Milei ends Argentine government use of ‘inclusive language’ promoted by gender ideology advocates
(Julieta Villar, Catholic News Agency)

Austria’s top diplomat appeals for a pause in Mideast fighting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan
(Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Bassem Mroue, Associated Press)

Uzbekistan: Large fines for sharing beliefs with permission
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)

Church leaders accuse Nigerian military of being complicit in the murder of Christians
(Tom Osanjo, Religion Unplugged)

A discussion with Kevin Hyland on human trafficking
(G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)

Lao house church reopens after being attacked
(Radio Free Asia)

WCC and partners share insights on debt crisis, climate, land and food sovereignty at World Social Forum
(World Council of Churches)

From a funeral image, the textures of faith and state in Russia
(Valerie Hopkins and Oleg Matsnev, The New York Times)

Russia jails Jehovah's Witness for 8 years after 'mole' secretly films worship meeting
(Reuters)

My Malaysia ordeal shows how religion can fuse with populist nationalism to silence dissent
(Ahmet T. Kuru, The Conversation)

Brazil: President of the Academia Friburguense de Letras is indicted for religious intolerance against Jews (Portuguese)
(Agencia 3)

Brazil: Debaters defend choosing a day off according to the worker's religion (Portuguese)
(Agência Senado, Senado Federal)

Wednesday, 28 February 2024

Russian beaten by Chechen leader's son is jailed for Koran burning
(Reuters)

Hamas raises stakes in Gaza truce talks by calling for Ramadan march
(Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Jana Choukeir and Maayan Lubell, Reuters)

Palestine’s Vatican envoy urges Gaza ceasefire for Ramadan, Easter
(Elise Ann Allen, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Israeli officials to meet on a proposed pause in Gaza while the Cabinet is set to OK a Rafah plan
(Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Associated Press)

India’s Assam state repeals British-era Muslim marriage law
(Al Jazeera)

Algeria inaugurates world’s third-largest mosque ahead of Ramadan
(Al Jazeera)

India: Anti-Muslim hate speech soars in India, research group says
(Kanishka Singh, Reuters)

Burkina Faso mosque attack: Dozens killed during prayers
(Natasha Booty, BBC News)

Pakistan woman in Arabic script dress saved from mob claiming blasphemy
(Caroline Davies, BBC News)

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