Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 29 December 2023
Australia: Why has cricketer Khawaja been barred from showing solidarity with Gaza?
(Al Jazeera)
Nicaragua’s dictatorship versus its prisoner of conscience
(Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, The Hill)
Nicaragua arrests second bishop as crackdown on Catholic church intensifies
(Verónica Calderón and Kathleen Magramo, CNN)
A ‘tsunami’ of antisemitism is on the rise across Latin America, U.S. officials warn
(Michael Wilner, Miami Herald)
Cuba: OAA open letter to World Council of Churches
(Teo Babun, Outreach Aid to the Americas)
Russian Orthodox Church condemns abortion as murder, at odds with Putin
(Timothy H.J. Nerozzi, Fox News)
Crackdown on Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia continues with new jail sentences, raids
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
Brazil: Night of peace, night of love (Portuguese)
(Jean Marques Regina and Thiago Rafael Vieira, Gazeta do Povo)
Mexico ranks second in Latin America with the most attacks against religious leaders (Spanish)
(Pedro Domínguez Telediario, Telediario)
Pope, Zelenskyy speak as war grinds on and religious freedom concerns grow
(Elise Ann Allen, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Bishops can opt diocese out of same-sex 'blessings,' Vatican says
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
Tuesday, 26 December 2023
Introduction: Faith and the Founding Figures of Human Dignity
(Brett G. Scharffs, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
The Loveliness Men Hide: Eleanor Roosevelt on Human Dignity
(Brett G. Scharffs, Leah Blake, Kimberley Farnsworth, Holly Hinckley Lesan & Marianna Richardson, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
Drafting on the Basis of Dignity: John Peters Humphrey’s Contribution to the UDHR
(Paul Martens, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
P.C. Chang, Multicultural Confucian Philosopher and Human Rights Champion
(Hans Ingvar Roth, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
Being and Becoming: The Human Person and Human Dignity in Charles Malik’s Contribution to the UDHR
(Peter Petkoff, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
Lives on Hyphens: Contributions of Hernán Santa Cruz from Chile and Guy Pérez Cisneros from Cuba to the UDHR
(Kristina Arriaga, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
A Courageous Muslim Voice: How Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan Saved Article 18 of the UDHR
(Amjad Mahmood Khan, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
Charles Dukes, the Deist and Labor Unionist who Shaped the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(Fearghas O’Beara, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
Colonel William Roy Hodgson: A Soldier of Principle, Peace, and Pugnacity for Human Rights
(Renae Barker, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Soviet Political Religion, and Soviet Law
(Dmytro Vovk, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
UNESCO and the Drafting of the UDHR: Navigating Theories and Practices
(Phinith Chanthalangsy, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
Contending Discourses on Human Rights and Dignity in the Post-World War II Era
(Dicky Sofjan, The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
Volume 18 (2023): Issue 3 (Dec 2023): Special Issue: Freedom of Religion or Belief and Gender Equality in Turkey
(edited by Mine Yildirim & Zehra Yılmaz, Brill)
Ukraine celebrates Christmas on Dec. 25 for the first time, distancing itself from Russia
(Volodymyr Yurchuk, Associated Press)
Friday, 22 December 2023
Chile rejects proposed constitution establishing rights to personhood, religious freedom
(Ryan Foley, The Christian Post)
LatAm bishops link Amazon wildfires to deforestation, assaults on Indigenous
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
From Outcast to Arhat: A Discussion of Human Dignity in the Buddhist Jātaka
(Patricia Guernelli Palazzo Tsai, Journal of Interreligious Studies)
New book: Law Is a Moral Practice
(Scott Hershovitz, Harvard University Press)
European Parliament report urges end to China’s forced assimilation, religious repression policies in Tibet
(Tibetan Review)
New date, same traditions: Ukraine’s wartime Christmas celebrations
(Iryna Voloshyna, The Conversation)
New law for military personnel: representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate cannot be chaplains
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Religion and conflict country profiles
(The United States Institute of Peace)
As Russia ramps up ‘traditional values’ rhetoric − especially against LGBTQ+ groups − it’s won Putin far-right fans abroad
(Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, The Conversation)
Christians everywhere should protest persecution in Middle East, Asia, Africa - opinion
(Leo Dee, The Jerusalem Post)
China wields Mazu 'peace goddess' religion as weapon in Taiwan election
(James Pomfret and Yimou Lee, Reuters)
Chad: In Christmas message, Catholic Bishops in Chad call for walking “together in justice”
(Jude Atemanke, ACI Africa)
South African Catholic bishops educate voters to make better choices
(la cro, La Croix International)
Sowing seeds for a greener future: KAICIID's role at the African Union Interfaith Dialogue Forum
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Maldives President stresses importance of Quran in daily life and culture
(BNN)
Thailand: US religious freedom commission urges Thailand not to deport Hmong activist to Vietnam
(Radio Free Asia)
Brazil: STJ accepts request from association of atheists and agnostics and prohibits construction of the Museum of the Bible (Portuguese)
(Guilherme Grandi, Gazeta do Povo)
Ecuador: Religion in Ecuador: A cultural mosaic (Spanish)
(Manuel Alejandro De la Torre, ZBR)
Wednesday, 20 December 2023
India court to weigh future of mosque in Hindu holy city
(France 24)
India: In India’s holiest city, Hindus worship the nation of India
(Richa Karmarkar, Religion News Service)
Russia: "Faith forbids him to take up arms, kill, or take oaths"
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
Libya: Religious freedom conditions in Libya
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
China: Christian group and family raise outcry over detention of another ‘house church’ elder in China
(Huizhong Wu, Associated Press)
Germany protests to Iran after a court ruling implicates Tehran in a plot to attack a synagogue
(Associated Press)
Canada: Liberals don't want to regulate speech with online harms bill, justice minister says
(Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press)
Occupied Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia priests still "disappeared", 4 Churches banned
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
How anti-Zionism became anti-Judaism
(Mark Silk, RNS Column: Spiritual Politics)
Religious freedom and comparative law: The protection of rights and the exception of religious freedom
(Andrea Pin et al., Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Sri Lanka: Row over removal of security at Sri Lanka’s top Buddhist site
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Indonesia's official visits South Korea to discuss halal certification
(Antara News.)
Cuba: WCC general secretary at University of Havana: “Christians, cry out for peace!”
(World Council of Churches)
Sudan: Rapid Support Forces attack and occupy Coptic monastery in Wad Madani
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Egypt: Extremists attack church building site and Christian homes and properties
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Monday, 18 December 2023
Global Interfaith Monitor No. 18
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Articles of interest - 18 December 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Religion Watch, Volume 39 No. 1
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Two weeks in review, 4 – 16 December 2023
(Tal Gross, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Strong and deep nexus between human dignity and religious freedom
(Jan Figel, Janfigel.eu)
Pakistan: Assessing blasphemy in Pakistan
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Leaning into the hope of Advent when the world feels so dark
(Knox Thames, Religion News Service)
The Practice of Religious Politics in Plural Societies: A Perspective of Jürgen Habermas’s Theory of the Public Sphere on the Dynamics of Democracy in Salatiga City, Indonesia
(Robert Siagian and Yusak B. Setyawan, Journal of Interreligious Studies)
Statement on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights
(International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty)
Conscience and the continuum of constitutionalism: John Calvin on civil government
(Constance Lee, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
Middle East Christians dwindle as anti-Christian hate crimes rise globally, says report
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Religious leaders uniting on climate in solidarity with refugees, boost UN conference
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Vatican court sending cardinal to jail for financial crimes
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Christians in Turkey - A nun returns to her ancestral home (video)
(Deutsche Welle)
‘Anti-Zionism = Antisemitism’ isn’t just wrong, it’s the problem
(Shaul Magid, Religion Dispatches)
Mexico: Catholic activists in Mexico help women reconcile their faith with abortion rights
(María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press)
Two women killed in Israeli attack on Holy Family parish in Gaza
(Vatican News)
Tajikistan: Religious freedom survey, December 2023
(Mushfig Bayram and John Kinahan, Forum 18 News Service)
Vatican Declaration: Blessing same-sex couples
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Cuba: WCC general secretary will visit Cuba to voice support for churches, communities
(World Council of Churches)
Russia: Religious issues & persecution – Bimonthly Digest Dec. 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China: Religious issues & persecution – Bimonthly Digest Dec. 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Guangdong Overseas Friendship Association and Buddhist Association of Shenzhen visited the WFB headquarters
(The World Fellowship of Buddhists)
New approaches to protecting religious freedom: Cultural heritage protection as a framework for IRF advocacy
(Emily K. Scolaro, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Kazakhstan: Jehovah’s Witnesses and blood transfusion: HRWF enquires
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Iranian civil activists say forced hijab a tool for oppressing women
(Iran International)
Uganda: Religious leaders take stand against political party wrangles
(Monitor)
Legal Journal Number 3 (19): December (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
Friday, 15 December 2023
A perfect moment for the Organization of American States to lead
(Emily A. Cole, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
WCC, with civil society groups, reiterates shared commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(World Council of Churches)
Colombia: WCC general secretary speaks before Colombian senate
(World Council of Churches)
Canada: Vegan firefighter loses bid to protect ethical vegans from discrimination
(Claire Hamlett, Plant Based News)
Nigeria: Noise pollution: Lagos talks tough, places worship centres on close watch
(Olasunkanmi Akoni, Vanguard)
Nigeria: USCIRF alarmed by rising violence against religious groups in Nigeria
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Christians and U.S. Policy on Armenia: Historically and Today
(Mark Movsesian, SSRN)
Japan: Law to rescue Unification Church victims: Thoroughly monitor the religious group’s assets
(The Japan News)
Japan: Law enacted to monitor asset shielding by religious corporations
(Kyodo News)
India: When 'honor'-and bureaucracy-stand in the way of marriage
(Khushbu Sharma, Zocalo)
India: USCIRF deeply concerned by India’s transnational repression against religious minorities
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Crimea: Continuing Russian attempts to crush religious communities
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
UGCC activities banned in occupied Zaporizhzhia (document)
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Russia is trying to use national minorities against Ukraine's interests – Ismagilov
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
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