Law and Religion Headlines

Essay series: Holidays as times for peace
(Tobias Winright, William Schweiker, Najeeba Syeed, Leo Lefebure, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Philippines: Jews increasingly living in a time where antisemitism is accepted
(Baby Lyn Cacho Resulta, Religion Unplugged)

Faith-based leaders release statement to Global Refugee Forum: “seeking asylum is a basic human right”
(World Council of Churches)

Food, water, climate justice a moral imperative, shows COP28 side event
(World Council of Churches)

Brazil: MDHC establishes National Committee to Respect Religious Freedom (Portuguese)
(Ministério dos Direitos Humanos e da Cidadania)

Brazil: Judge guarantees right of Jehovah's Witness to deny blood transfusion (Portuguese)
(Conjur)

Brazil: Religious freedom and the STF [Supreme Court] at 35 years of the Constitution (Portuguese)
(Ingo Wolfgang Sarlet and Jayme Weingartner Neto, Conjur)

Puerto Rico: Religious freedom law proposed in schools (Spanish)
(Microjuris)

Japan enacts law to monitor Unification Church assets
(The Japan Times)

Christian mother on bail after 19 months in Nigerian prison for “blasphemy”
(ADF International)

China’s Christian population appears to have stopped growing after rising rapidly in the 1980s and ’90s
(Conrad Hackett, Pew Research Center)

Monday, 11 December 2023

Türk opens global human rights event with call for hope – and for action
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)

The conservative case for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(David M. Kirkham, Deseret News)

USCIRF marks 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Meaningful action needed to check human rights abuses
(Knox Thames, The United States Institute of Peace)

Tajikistan: USCIRF releases report on religious freedom in Tajikistan
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Hong Kong churches under threat: report
(Susan Korah, The Catholic Register)

What comes next for the international religious freedom movement?
(Knox Thames, The United States Institute of Peace)

The Genocide Convention and the failed promise of never again
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

Inaugural IPPFoRB Academy in Latin America hosts G20 Interfaith Forum session with parliamentarians in Rio
(International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB))

Articles of interest - 11 December 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Israel: As Druze fight alongside Jewish soldiers, Israel looks back on controversial Nation-State Law
(David I. Klein, Religion News Service)

Nigerian prelate says Christians not at risk under country’s new Muslim rulers
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Philippines Church says terrorism won’t stop religious dialogue
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Argentina: Javier Milei cites Hanukkah story, gives menorah to Zelensky during inauguration as Argentina’s president
(Juan Melamed, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

As war grinds on, British MPs visit Ukrainian Catholic cathedral to show support
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

Colombia: WCC delegation visits Colombia to strengthen accompaniment of peace process
(World Council of Churches)

Aleksey Gerasimov, one of Jehovah's Witnesses from Kazan, sentenced to six years in prison for talking about the Bible
(Jehovah's Witnesses - Russia)

The Revealer Podcast Episode 42: Religion’s role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
(The Revealer, Center for Religion and Media at NYU)

Pakistan: Celebrating in silence: The Christians in Pakistan under pressure this Christmas
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)

China: Early Rain Church members harassed and leaders detained on fifth anniversary of crackdown
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

Friday, 8 December 2023

A living force in world society: The legacy of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
(United Nations)

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 75: An unfinished revolution
(Stewart Patrick, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)

In the name of humanity: Recognizing 75 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(Canadian Geographic)

Rethinking Human Rights (symposium series)
(Jordan J. Ballor & Trey Dimsdale, Adam J. MacLeod, Daniel Philpott, Hans-Martien Ten Napel, Law & Liberty)

Confucianism and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(Paul Marshall, Religion Unplugged)

Brazil: Amazonia: Church demands action from the Brazilian government
(Eduardo Campos Lima, La Croix International)

Russia bans Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Catholic ministries
(Gina Christian, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Ecumenical Forum for Korea finds hope amidst challenges for peace
(World Council of Churches)

In Togo, church leaders are exploring approaches to peace and stability in West Africa
(World Council of Churches)

Vietnam actively contributes to ensuring right to freedom of religion
(Vietnam Plus)

An international mobilization is needed against China's crackdown on mosques
(Ma Yingjie, Bitter Winter: A magazine on religious liberty and human rights)

The landmark Genocide Convention has had mixed results since the UN approved it 75 years ago
(The Conversation)

Wednesday, 6 December 2023

Drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Underexplored figures and contexts
(Kristina Arriaga, Renae Barker, Paul Martens, Fearghas O’Beara, and Dmytro Vovk, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)

A new defense of the human right of religious freedom
(Daniel Philpott, Arc of the Universe)

December 2023 Newsletter
(The Association of Religion Data Archives)

South Africa: Up to 5 years in prison for peaceful expression: South African parliament passes “hate speech” bill
(ADF International)

Lebanon’s Christians feel the heat of climate change in its sacred forest and valley
(Kareem Chehayeb, Associated Press)

China: The state of religion in China
(Jordan J. Ballor, World)

Is Islam a violent religion?
(Law & Liberty)

Paraguay: Evangelicals praise Catholic role amid Paraguay’s deadly cycle of drought and floods
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Myanmar court rejects appeal by jailed Baptist pastor
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

Russia seeking UN statement in condemnation of Quran desecration
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))

Vietnam: Khmer Krom Buddhists say they face persecution at Vietnam pagoda
(Radio Free Asia)

Australia: Wieambilla shootings: US arrests man over Australian religious terror attack
(Hannah Ritchie, BBC News)

Haiti: Christmas in Haiti: bishops invite hope and fraternity (French)
(CathoBel)

Angola: Prayers and brotherhood attract Angolans to Islam even without official recognition (Portuguese)
(Agência Lusa, Observador)

Monday, 4 December 2023

Philippines: ISIL claims responsibility for bombing at Catholic mass in Philippines
(Al Jazeera)

Philippines identifies suspects after bombing at Sunday mass
(Voice of America)

Indonesia-Pakistan collaboration: Religious diversity, youth initiatives, and economic ties take center stage
(Associated Press of Pakistan)

India: NMC logo must be religion-neutral: doctors
(Bindu Shajan Perappadan, The Hindu)

Indian Medical Association objects to NMC logo depicting Hindu deity, demands religion-neutral emblem
(Deccan Herald)

India: Modi government attempting to thrust UCC that wipes out customers: DMK MP
(Shemin Joy, Deccan Herald)

Sikh festival of Bandi Chhor Divas celebrates religious freedom
(Church of Scientology)

Australia: Voluntary assisted dying laws partly invalid
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)

Churches and partners unite against modern slavery through new global Lent resource
(World Council of Churches)

Listening to Muslim Women’s Lived Expertise Concerning Surviving Family Violence and Seeking Islamic Community Divorce in the Australian Context
(Ghena Krayem and Leticia Funston, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)

Cambodia: Integrating 'human dignity' in human rights education
(The University of Sydney Law School)

Statement by Abid Raja, Chair of IPPFoRB, on the increasing hate speech, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia following the Israel-Hamas war
(International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB))

Nigeria: Amid killings of Christians, experts warn Nigeria may risk ‘religious war’
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Mozambique: Fostering peace through dialogue: KAICIID's initiative in Northern Mozambique
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)

Building cultures, fostering peace: KAICIID’s role in ASEAN’s interreligious dialogue initiative
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)

North Korea: Sisters separated for decades – the story of Kyu Li and Cheol-Ok
(Ellis Heasley, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)

Russia: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest Nov. 16-31
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest November 16-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Friday, 1 December 2023

Introducing the G20 Interfaith Podcast Series
(G20 Interfaith Forum)

Religious freedom and SOGI rights: Reflections on the UN Independent Expert Report
(Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)

A promise of human freedom: Synergies between the right to freedom of religion or belief and LGBTQI+ rights
(Marie Juul Petersen and Dmytro Vovk, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)

Freedom of religion or belief and the rights of LGBT+ persons in accordance with the gospel of the UN Independent Expert on SOGI rights
(Thiago Alves Pinto, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)

Freedom of religious expression, hate speech, and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
(Montserrat Gas-Aixendri, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)

Human rights for everyone, everywhere: The report of the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexuality and gender
(Christine M. Venter, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)

Legal Thought and Eastern Orthodox Christianity: The Addresses of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
(Edited By Norman Doe, Aetios Nikiforos, Routledge)

Search

Filter by Category

Events

International

Europe

United States

Filter by Topic

Filter by Country

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.