Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 8 January 2024
India court restores life prison sentences for 11 Hindu men who raped a Muslim woman in 2002 riots
(Associated Press)
Articles and books of interest - 8 January 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Chilean mayor under fire for saying being Jewish is a ‘supremacist conception’
(Jackie Hajdenberg, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Christian group launches first-ever religious violence database tracking global persecution
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)
Uganda/Tanzania: Grave error: Construction of oil pipeline threatens burial sites
(Deborah Laker, Religion Unplugged)
Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound amid tensions
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))
Australia bans Nazi salute and public display of terror group symbols
(Reuters)
Australia: Jewish leaders take on Sydney hate clerics amid government, law enforcement inaction
(The Australian)
Young pacifist Baptists in Russia seek alternatives to the war
(Evangelical Focus)
The Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power: How States Use Religion in Foreign Policy
(Edited by Peter Mandaville, Oxford University Press)
China: Coming in February: Harsher religious regulations just for Xinjiang
(Ma Wenyan, Bitter Winter)
Algeria: Arab Parliament backs Algeria in religious freedom row
(Gobran Mohamed, Arab News)
Brazil: Freedom of Worship Day January 7, 2024 (Portuguese)
(Radio Jota)
Friday, 5 January 2024
Afghanistan: Taliban arrest women for ‘bad hijab’ in the first dress code crackdown since their return to power
(Associated Press)
Iran: Farmers displaced and farmlands seized as Iran’s government intensifies Baha’i religious persecution
(Bahá’í International Community)
Iran: Islamic State takes responsibility for deadly bombings in Iran
(Vivian Yee, Hwaida Saad and Eric Schmitt, The New York Times)
In the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, churches can celebrate on Russians' approval - National Resistance Center
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Dominican Republic: How Dominican women fight child marriage and teen pregnancy while facing total abortion bans
(María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press)
Nicaragua: USCIRF condemns Nicaragua’s arbitrary detention of priests
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
China: Xinjiang issues revised regulations on religious affairs
(ECNS)
China bans new monks in Tibetan monastery
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
China's Patriotic Education Law further cracks down on religious freedom
(Lin Ganfeng, Voice of America)
China: Countering China’s techno-authoritarianism, transnational repression, and malign political influence
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Blessing same-sex couples: Vatican clarification
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
India: Modi critics raise alarms regarding India’s persecution of religious minorities
(Manmeet Sahni, Religion Unplugged)
Vietnam monk punished for exhibiting unverified Buddha hair
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
North Korea: US designates NK for religious freedom violation for 22nd straight year
(Korea Times)
Mexico: Thousands of young people will march at the feet of Cristo Rey to demand religious freedom in Mexico
(Diego López Colín, ACI Prensa)
Cuba included in US religious freedom designations
(Caribbean News Global)
Cuba and Nicaragua still on religious freedom blacklist (Spanish)
(Deutsche Welle)
Argentine bishops end state funding, marking a historic departure
(María Alejandra Trujillo, BNN)
Argentina completes the separation of Church and State and stops paying the monthly allowance to bishops (Spanish)
(Constanza Lambertucci, El País)
Wednesday, 3 January 2024
India: Religion cannot be basis of citizenship: Cong MP Manish Tewari on ‘CAA rules before LS polls’
(The Indian Express)
Indian pol retracts snark, not substance, of jibe at bishops over coziness with Modi
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Vatican - Missionaries and pastoral care workers killed in 2023
(Agenzia Fides)
Australian law forbids prayers, revealing the religious freedom threat of bans on ‘conversion therapy’
(Tyler O'Neil, The Daily Signal)
Australia: Anti-Semitism ‘unchecked’ amid radical sermons
(Alexi Demetriadi, The Australian)
Paraguay/Bolivia: How Mennonites learned to thrive in Latin America
(Christianity Today)
South Africa: Despite gang killings of church members, South African pastors continue to preach
(Vicky Abraham, Religion Unplugged)
China: Imprisoned Chinese church leader refuses to confess to 'fraud' over tithing for release
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)
China targets friendly media, diplomats to ‘tell story of Xinjiang’
(Frederik Kelter, Al Jazeera)
Vietnam/Vatican: New year offers ‘comprehensive’ Vietnam-Vatican ties
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Canada: Muslim group calls on Ottawa to lift cap on program allowing Palestinians to flee to Canada
(Laura Osman, CBC News)
Nigeria: Recognise traditional worshippers, Adeleke tells FG
(Bola Bamigbola, Punch)
Cuba's Santeria priests foretell crime and disease in new year
(Reuters)
Nicaragua: Pope Francis asked for a prayer for religious detained in Nicaragua in his first Angelus of 2024 (Spanish)
(CNN Español)
Another dark Christmas in Ukraine
(Knox Thames, Religion News Service)
Tuesday, 2 January 2024
UN Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion decry rising antisemitism and Islamophobia around the world
(United Nations Alliance of Civilizations)
India: The role of “Sarna” in forest conservation and wildfire prevention: An indigenous tribal religion of India
(Mohd Amin Khan, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
India: UP Police brings down over 9,000 loudspeakers from religious places
(The Times of India)
Surging anti-Muslim sentiments, discrimination defined 2023
(Daily Sabah)
Malaysia: Action can be taken against Perak Muslim men who entice married women
(New Straits Times)
Malaysia: Convert gets leave to challenge shariah court’s refusal to hear appeal
(Free Malaysia Today)
Malaysia: PM Anwar supports Selangor Sultan's decree on Islamic affairs
(Malay Mail)
Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 75 and the need for accountability
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Iran shutters bookshop over hijab law violation: media
(AFP, Arab News)
COP28: Broader conception of human progress needed, says the BIC
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Articles of interest - 1 January 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
UN Commissioner Ombudsman: Ukraine doesn't deserve criticism for the bill banning Churches controlled by Russia
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Statement of the UCCRO on Russia's latest terrorist attack against Ukraine
(Institute for Religious Freedom, Ukraine)
Two weeks in review, 16 – 31 December 2023
(Tal Gross, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Chinese film accuses Italy-based magazine of promoting cult
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Violence against women denounced by Pope Francis in his New Year's Day homily
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Trinidad: Saving society from crime begins with strengthening the church and family says Trinidadian bishop
(George Conger, Anglican Ink)
Ghana: Prophecies of doom in Ghana: between religious freedom and social disorder
(Fatshimetrie)
Hamas or Abraham Accords: religion fueling conflict or connection?
(YouTube Video, The Jerusalem Center)
Australia: Unions warn on religious work bias
(Sarah Ison, The Australian)
Nigeria: US lawmaker pushes for Nigeria's inclusion on religious persecution list
(Adekunle Agbetiloye, Business Insider Africa)
Nigeria: In defense of religious freedom, human rights and peace in Nigeria (Portuguese)
(R7)
Brazil: Advancement of the religious bench generates debate about the influence of faith on bills (Portuguese)
(Política ao Minuto)
Brazil: The construction of peace and religious tolerance in the Constitution (Portuguese)
(Betina Treiger Gupenmacher and Heleno Taveira Torres, Poder 360)
Saturday, 30 December 2023
Piecing together different perspectives: IF20 in 2023
(Marianna Richardson, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Afghan Minister suggests separating religion from governance
(Saboor Bayat, BNN)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest Dec 16-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China’s Christian groups told to ensure ‘strict’ oversight of religion as Communist Party controls tighten
(Amber Wang, South China Morning Post)
Human Freedom Index 2023
(Ian Vásquez, Fred McMahon, Ryan Murphy, & Guillermina Sutter Schneider, Cato Institute and the Fraser Institute)
Việt Nam-Vatican relations at historic moment: Deputy Minister
(Viet Nam News)
Religious Peacebuilding Action Guides (now available in Arabic)
(The United States Institute of Peace)
Indonesian government adjusts name above all names
(Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today)
India's far-right cow vigilantes bolster clout before high-stake elections
(Rupam Jain, Reuters)
India: Decoding the competitive religious politics between BJD and BJP in Odisha – OpEd
(Bhabani Shankar Nayak, Eurasia Review)
Israel: High Court rules same-sex adoption must be allowed, in landmark decision
(Jeremy Sharon, The Times of Israel)
South Africa bishops push back against Chief Rabbi who slammed Pope over Hamas
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Israel's ambassador to Germany warns of soaring antisemitism
(Deutsche Welle)
Iran: Religious issues and persecution – Monthly Digest Dec. 01-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
EU/Russia: TV channel of the Russian Orthodox Church under EU sanctions
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Nigeria: Interim report on Christmas Eve militia attacks in Plateau State
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Nicaragua arrests 4 more priests, intensifies crackdown on Catholic Church
(Voice of America)
Congo cardinal blasts national elections as ‘gigantic, organized mess’
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Sudan: Religious freedom, along with everything else, is unraveling in Sudan
(Kelsey Zorzi, The Hill)
Argentine President Javier Milei speaks at Jewish sports tournament’s opening ceremony
(Juan Melamed, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Argentina: A yoga school falsely described as a “horror cult” is about to be absolved (Spain)
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Brazil: Pope Francis prays for religious freedom and peace for those devastated by war (Portuguese)
(Uol)
Friday, 29 December 2023
New book: Human Dignity, Judicial Reasoning, and the Law: Comparative Perspectives on a Key Constitutional Concept
(Edited By Brett G. Scharffs, Andrea Pin, Dmytro Vovk, Routledge)
New book: Security, Religion, and the Rule of Law: International Perspectives
(Edited By Tania Pagotto, Joshua M. Roose, G. P. Marcar, Routledge)
Articles of interest - 24 December 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Malaysia: Include non-Muslim experts on special shariah law panel, says MP
(Free Malaysia Today)
South Africa: Two years after Desmond Tutu, South Africa still searches for moral guides
(Joséphine Kloeckner, La Croix International)
Uzbekistan: Why Muslims in Uzbekistan follow Zoroastrian traditions
(Heerea Kaur Rikhraj, Religion Unplugged)
Reproductive violence in international criminal law and the ICC OTP’s revised policy on gender-based crimes: An emerging concept
(Aldo Zammit Borda, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
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