Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 14 August 2023
India: Debate over separate Lingayat religion resurfaces in K'taka
(Lokmat Times)
EU image suffers in Malaysia, Indonesia over Quran burning
(David Hutt, Deutsche Welle)
Parliament of the World's Religions hopes to show people the good that faith can do
(Jason DeRose, NPR)
The state will never allow any of the Ukrainian religious communities to be used by the aggressor state, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Russian Orthodox priests face persecution from state and church for supporting peace in Ukraine
(Kostya Manenkov, Associated Press)
Religion Watch Volume 38 No. 9
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Ortega dictatorship in Nicaragua freezes bank accounts, assets of Jesuit university
(Diego Lopez Marina, Catholic News Agency)
Kenya’s oldest Anglican cathedral gets new provost, promises to speak truth to political power
(Tom Osanjo, Religion Unplugged)
Muslim charity honors Singaporean nun for interfaith work
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Thousands march for rights of religious minorities in Pakistan
(Aftab Alexander Mughal, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Pakistan: concerns about two Bills that increase blasphemy punishment and fail minorities
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Friday, 11 August 2023
2023 Oxford Conference: Foundations and Founding Figures of Human Dignity
(International Center for Law and Religion Studies, BYU Law)
Elder Soares praises religious freedom as foundation for peace at event in Brasília, Brazil
(Ryan Jensen, Church News)
Al-Issa to Asharq Al-Awsat: Backwards constitutions fuel hatred
(Asharq Al Awsat)
Press Release: War crimes by Myanmar military are more frequent and brazen – Myanmar Mechanism Annual Report
(United Nations)
Is Myanmar’s junta turning a corner?
(Priscilla A. Clapp and Ye Myo Hein, The United States Institute of Peace)
Report of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar
(United Nations)
Kyrgyzstan: 60 mosques, madrasas shuttered in Osh region
(Eurasianet)
Afghanistan: Repression worsens 2 Years into Taliban rule
(Human Rights Watch)
Pakistan: Senate passes bill to ramp up punishment for blasphemy to at least 10 years
(Nadir Guramani, Dawn)
Afghanistan: Taliban repression of women a crime against humanity, says Gordon Brown
(Andre Rhoden-Paul, BBC News)
Afghanistan: Amid Taliban repression, Afghan media are a beacon of hope
(Barry Salaam, The United States Institute of Peace)
The Latest: 3 things to know on Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh (Youtube video)
(Geoffrey Macdonald, The United States Institute of Peace)
At least 23 Syrian troops killed in suspected Daesh attack on bus
(Daily Sabah)
Parliament of the World's Religions seeks understanding and action
(Jason DeRose, NPR)
Rohingya: At least 23 dead, 30 missing after boat sinks
(Jonathan Head, BBC News)
Defending belief for all
(Knox Thames)
Mexican high court finds ex-congressman guilty of ‘gender-based political violence’ over tweet
(Daniel Payne, Catholic News Agency)
Hare Krishna in the Twenty-First Century
(Angela R. Burt, Cambridge University Press)
Advancing freedom of religion or belief: The impact of IPPFORB'S network in 2022
(International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB))
Justice after War: Jus Post Bellum in the 21st Century
(David Chiwon Kwon, Catholic University of America Press)
Iran: A year ago, an Iranian woman’s death sparked hijab protests. Now businesses are a new battleground
(Nasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell, Associated Press)
Canada: Suit by Christian ministry says Quebec wrongly cancelled its use of convention center
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Canada: Harvest Ministries suing Québec government for forcing event cancellation
(Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms)
Canada's top court refuses appeal from B.C. churches protesting COVID-19 restrictions
(CBC News)
Nation and religion in Judaism
(Artur Abramovych, The European Conservative)
Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with a representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
World Youth Day highlights: KAICIID engages with Pope Francis and leads grassroots activities
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Vietnam govt approves parish for ethnic Hmong Catholics
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
South Africa: WCC general secretary meets with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss local and global peace
(World Council of Churches)
Malaysia: No more riding on religious sentiment after Aug 12 said PM
(Radzi Razak, The Malaysian Reserve)
Indonesia: Arbiters of truth or blasphemy?
(The Jakarta Post)
India: MP makes 1st conviction under religious freedom law
(The Times of India)
Staged videos fuel religious hate and misogyny in India
(Akhil Ranjan, BBC News)
India's hardline Hindus oppose construction of church
(Bijay Kumar Minj, Union of Catholic Asian News)
India's religious violence: What's behind raging clashes?
(Murali Krishnan, Deutsche Welle)
India: Polygamy not fundamental to Islam; banning it will not violate religious freedom: Expert Panel
(Aasha Khosa, Awaz-The Voice)
Wednesday, 9 August 2023
Vietnam says there are no Montagnards in its Central Highlands
(Radio Free Asia)
Viet president meets bishops, strengthens ties
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Investigating the 'spiritual healers' sexually abusing women
(Hanan Razek, BBC News)
Pakistan: UN Security Council condemns Pakistan suicide attack; calls for strong action against terrorism regardless of motivation
(Arul Louis, South Asia Monitor)
Iran: USCIRF condemns recent arrests and jailing of Baha’is in Iran
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
August 2023 Newsletter
(The Association of Religion Data Archives)
Indian pastor attacked for alleged religious conversion
(Bijay Kumar Minj, Union of Catholic Asian News)
World Cup: Benzina's hijab a symbol for inclusivity
(Janek Speight, Deutsche Welle)
Israel: Herzog, police chief meet Christian leaders to condemn attacks on community
(Lazar Berman, The Times of Israel)
Australia will refer to West Bank as ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ in policy change
(Shira Li Bartov, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Niger: African bishops oppose military intervention to end coup in Niger
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Pope announces flurry of diplomatic activity in coming months
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Kyrgyzstan: Fear of state reprisals for registration applications grows
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
Russia, Cassation confirms a two years and six months sentence of a Jehovah’s Witness
(Willy Fautré, The European Times)
In Ukraine's east, a shrapnel-scarred monastery is caught up in war and religious rivalry
(Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty)
Metropolitan of the UOC MP sentenced to 5 years in prison for anti-state activities
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
The right to conscientious objection under martial law in Ukraine
(Illia Roskoshnyi, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Helping people displaced by climate change in international law
(Sherrie Steiner, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
China: Even Taoists are being “Sinicized”: shanghai hosted the “First Forum on Sinicization of Taoism”
(He Yuyan, Bitter Winter)
China: Cross demolition continues in Zhejiang Province
(ChinaAid)
Canada: Christian group sues Quebec government for blocking convention over abortion concerns
(Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press)
Canada: This booming GTA sports league for women comes with modesty rules and prayer breaks
(Noor Javed, Toronto Star)
Colombia: WCC keynote address: “Could Colombia’s peace process be an inspiration to the rest of the world?”
(World Council of Churches)
A threat to the Chaldean Patriarchate is a threat to all Christians in Iraq
(Scott Morgan, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
Quran burning: A prelude to Muslim Holocaust?
(Kubra Solmaz, TRT World)
Monday, 7 August 2023
Anti-Christian violence growing in Jerusalem
(Chris Tomlinson, The European Conservative)
India: ‘How will any Muslim feel safe?’ Spate of attacks increases tensions in India
(Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Aakash Hassan, The Guardian)
India: HC seeks Centre, Delhi govt's stand on PIL for removal of unauthorised religious structures
(Devdiscourse)
Religious pluralities, inclusive modernities, and sustainable development
(Katherine Marshall, Institute for Global Engagement)
Articles of interest - 7 August 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Elite press skips doctrine at World Youth Day in favor of (#surprise) scandal and politics
(Clemente Lisi, GetReligion)
Iran embassy slams Denmark's passive stance amidst Quran desecration furor
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))
Venezuela’s Maduro castigates silence of European leaders on Quran burning
(TASS)
The new Chinese measures for religious activity venues come into force on September 1: The full text
(Hu Zimo, Bitter Winter)
Malaysia: Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Dept to be intervener in constitutional challenge to state’s Shariah law
(Malay Mail)
Counterfeit forms of Russian Orthodoxy as a challenge to religious freedom
(Michael Cherenkov, Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Hard-hit Argentina workers ask saints, not politicians, for jobs
(Claudia Martini and Miguel Lo Bianco, Reuters)
Friday, 4 August 2023
Australia: Sikh Queenslanders allowed to carry ceremonial knives in schools after court ruling
(George Roberts, ABC News Australia)
Australia: Ban on religious knives in Queensland schools overturned (video)
(Sydney Morning Herald)
Australia: NSW Parliament approves law prohibiting religious vilification
(Mirage)
Australia will soon have its first Islamic bank. What does this mean, and what are the challenges?
(Md Safiullah (Safi) and Abul Shamsuddin, The Conversation)
The refugee crisis in the Americas
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Egypt: USCIRF releases new report on religious freedom conditions in Egypt
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Russian shelling hits a landmark church in the Ukrainian city of Kherson
(Hanna Arhirova, Associated Press)
Russian patriarch reminds Africans of advantages in following Kremlin’s lead
(Tom Heneghan, Religion News Service)
'Islamic State' group announces death of its leader
(Deutsche Welle)
ASEAN interreligious dialogue to focus on religious activism for peace
(The Jakarta Post)
Indonesia: Blasphemy cases are rising rapidly
(Samira Yusuf, The Islamic Information)
Calls for release of Indonesian cleric arrested for blasphemy
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Colombia: WCC underscores support for Colombia peace process
(World Council of Churches)
WCC Ecumenical Disabilities Advocates Network newsletter focuses on inclusive technology
(World Council of Churches)
Russia: FORB Bimonthly Digest: religious persecutions and issues (16-31 July)
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China steps up political control over religious venues, sermons and activities
(Gao Feng, Radio Free Asia)
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