Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 14 June 2023
Legal Journal Number 8 (18): June (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
We must not let Nigeria slide any further into failed statehood
(Ellis Heasley, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Monday, 12 June 2023
Introducing IPPFoRB Steering Group new members: Paulina Nuñez Urrita and Sanela Skrijelj
(International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB))
Fostering dialogue and action: The first international parliamentarians conference on freedom of religion or belief in Africa
(International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB))
New book: Confucian Constitutionalism: Dignity, Rights, and Democracy
(Sungmoon Kim, Oxford University Press)
Restricting Diversity Episode 3: How blasphemy laws are used to suppress dissent in Myanmar and Indonesia (podcast)
(ADVOCATE by ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights)
Restricting Diversity Episode 2: The state of women's rights in Malaysia and the Philippines (podcast)
(ADVOCATE by ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights)
Restricting Diversity Episode 1: The state of religious minority rights in Myanmar and Vietnam (podcast)
(ADVOCATE by ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights)
A kind of spiritual evil (podcast episode on religion and politics)
(Spotify, The Deep Map)
Kenya: NCCK suggests enforcement of existing laws in memorandum to Senate ad hoc committee
(Arnold Neliba, Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Canadian Muslim charity wins 'milestone' settlement after being falsely accused of funding terrorism
(Shanifa Nasser, CBC News)
‘Rewards’ for Tibetans meeting China-backed Buddhist leader
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
China’s “query system for Islamic, catholic, and Christian clergy,” another tool for repression
(He Yuyan, Anglican Ink)
Behind a rare clash, a fight over faith in China
(Vivian Wang, The New York Times)
People in China are so worried about the economy they’re asking for divine intervention
(Laura He, CNN)
Chinese Christians jailed for printing religious materials
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Tajikistan: decree bans funerals for alleged "terrorists", denies relatives bodies
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
Christians in Pakistan are struggling to survive barbaric persecution
(David Curry, Religion News Service)
Pakistan: Govt. urged to improve compliance with Jillani Judgment to protect minorities’ rights
(The Nation)
Religion and politics in Malaysia: A new page turns as state elections loom?
(Derrick A Paulo and Zainudin Afandi, Channel News Asia)
Nicaragua: Regime forces some 77 religious leaders to leave Nicaragua between 2018 and 2023 (Spanish)
(Confidencial)
American churches launch initiative to end Israel’s apartheid
(Victoria Strang, Human Rights Watch)
Al Shabab storms beachside hotel in Somalia's Mogadishu
(TRT World)
Friday, 9 June 2023
Restoring justice in Ukraine: True peace means defeating Putin and healing the wounds of war
(Daniel Philpott, Arc of the Universe)
Jerusalem’s chief Sephardic rabbi condemns harassment of Christians
(Canaan Lidor, The Times of Israel)
Israel: MP proposes plan to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque
(Middle East Eye)
Flashpoint in Israel: Divide between religious and secular Jews heats up under Netanyahu’s rule
(Laurie Kellman, Associated Press)
15 killed, 50 injured in mosque blast in northern Afghanistan
(Islam Uddin, Anadolu Agency)
The growing threat of the Islamic State in Afghanistan and South Asia
(Abdul Sayed and Tore Refslund Hamming, The United States Institute of Peace)
Manipur Christian tribal leader issues plea to Sunak over 300 church burnings in India
(Premier Christian News)
Archbishop of Canterbury urges Anglican Church of Uganda to reject anti-homosexuality law
(Danica Kirka, Associated Press)
USCIRF releases new report on ethnonationalism and religious freedom in Nigeria
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Sixteen abducted Nigerian Baptists released
(Ken Camp, Baptist Standard)
'God is still alive': Nigerian Christians remain hopeful in face of religious persecution
(Talia Wise, Christian Broadcasting Network)
'A promise of human freedom': Synergies between the right to freedom of religion or belief and LGBTQI+ rights
(Marie Juul Petersen and Dmytro Vovk, Open Global Rights)
Doomed or sign of hope? Pope Francis’ mission for peace in Ukraine is underway
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)
The G20 Interfaith Forum journey
(Katherine Marshall, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Australia plans to ban swastikas and other Nazi symbols in legislation coming next week
(Rod McGuirk, Associated Press)
Muslim community rejoices as Wagga Wagga's first mosque gets council approval
(ABC News Australia)
Australia: Calvary case grim omen for religious health, education
(Greg Craven, The Australian)
Indonesia to relax building rules for worship places
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Detention of followers of the minority Baha’i faith
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Brazil: African cults are constant targets of attacks and religious intolerance (Portuguese)
(Angelo Peterson, Gazeta 24h)
Brazil: The church and the propagation of human rights (Portuguese)
(Gilberto Garcia, Migalhas)
Wednesday, 7 June 2023
See before-and-after photos of forced mosque alteration in China (video)
(CNN)
China's campaign to 'Sinicize' Islam curbs religious freedom
(William Yang, Deutsche Welle)
Nature religions are growing in Australia – though witchcraft was illegal in some territories just 10 years ago
(Brendan C. Walsh, The Conversation)
Iraq’s Christians fight to save threatened ancient language
(Al Jazeera)
Iraq: Six Yazidi women rescued from Islamic State captivity
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Religious tolerance in Suriname
(Twitter, U.S. Ambassador to Suriname)
USCIRF releases report on religious freedom violations against indigenous communities in Latin America
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Libya court sentences 23 to death for ISIL campaign
(Al Jazeera)
Head of Secretariat of World Religious Leaders embarks on diplomatic visit to Patriarchate of Jerusalem
(Orthodox Times)
Indian court rejects bishop’s plea on Mass change
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
India: Mob dressed as armed far right Sikh group attacks church
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
How India’s Modi has extended Hindu nationalist sway over the country’s media
(Kalpana Jain, Religion News Service)
Ukrainian military chaplains receive training from British Army
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
President of Ukraine met with Special Envoy of Pope Francis
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Turkey, Physical and sexual violence by police against 100+ Ahmadi asylum-seekers
(Willy Fautré, The European Times)
International Dialogue Centre’s Secretary General calls for continued commitment to universal peace through interreligious dialogue in audience with Pope Francis
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Israel is cementing apartheid by 'enshrine discrimination on the basis of religion, race and nationality', local media warns
(Middle East Monitor)
In Jerusalem’s contested Old City, shrinking Armenian community fears displacement after land deal
(Isabel Debre, Associated Press)
Vatican, Mongolia to strengthen ties for development
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Bahrain: Al Khalifa regime bans political sermons in mosques
(AhlulBayt News Agency)
Climates of anti-blackness: Religion, race and environmental politics in Bolivia
(Mareike Winchell, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Is a new Islamic conservatism on the horizon?
(James M. Dorsey, Fair Observer)
Monday, 5 June 2023
The impact of Israeli judicial reform on freedom of/from religion
(Moshe Jaffe, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
USCIRF calls for immediate release of Baha’is forcibly disappeared by the Houthis in Yemen
(United States Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Understanding India’s Manipur conflict and its geopolitical implications
(Binalakshmi Nepram and Brigitta W. Schuchert, The United States Institute of Peace)
UN slashes food rations for Rohingya in Bangladesh camps
(Bill Frelick, Human Rights Watch)
Saudi Arabia executes two Shi’a Bahrainis on terrorism charges
(Leila Saad, Human Rights Watch)
Religious leaders, once mostly spared Haiti’s violence, are now targets
(Widlore Mérancourt and Amanda Coletta, The Washington Post)
Rehman Chishti | An interview with David Trimble | IRF Summit RFI Profiles
(YouTube Video, Religious Freedom Institute)
IGE publishes new compendium of religious freedom scholarship in Vietnam
(Institute for Global Engagement)
Articles of interest - 5 June 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Cameroon: State and Church share the combat against hate speech
(Emmanuel Patrick Ayuni Tan, La Croix International)
Religions unite against violent extremism in Burkina Faso
(Kamboissoa Samboé, La Croix International)
Two weeks in review, 22 May – 4 June 2023
(Tal Gross, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
2,500 booked for Bangladesh clashes over 'blasphemy'
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
How Arab autocrats exported repression of Muslim activism to Europe
(Farid Hafez, Middle East Eye)
Religious persecution takes its toll on Catholic faith in Mexico
(Catholic News Agency)
Pope Francis sends Cardinal Zuppi to Ukraine to promote a ‘just peace’
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)
In Melitopol, Russians occupied a church to house military equipment
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Transfer of holy icon shows Russian Orthodoxy's new sway under Putin
(Reuters)
Four Crimean Tatars sentenced to long prison terms for ties to Islamic group banned in Russia
(Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty)
Russia: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest May 15-31
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Religious actors work together for peace in the DRC (video in French)
(The United States Institute of Peace)
Friday, 2 June 2023
Canadian city where Muslim family killed gets funds to fight hate
(Al Jazeera)
Canada: $500K earmarked for anti-hate initiatives in London ahead of truck attack anniversary
(CBC News)
Law and Religion: Essays on the Place of the Law in Israel and Early Christianity
(Barnabas Lindars (editor), James Clarke and Co)
Israel’s Netanyahu faces pushback over plan to subsidize ultra-Orthodox schools
(Dov Lieber, The Wall Street Journal)
Israeli protesters fear for the future of their country’s precarious LGBTQ rights revolution
(Orit Avishai, The Conversation)
Nicaragua arrests priest for treason, freezes Church accounts
(La Croix International)
From deadness to life: how today’s conservative Protestants recovered and adapted the Protestant ethic
(Andrew Lynn, OUPblog: Religion)
South Korea: Yoon meets with religious leaders, seeks advice on state affairs
(The Korea Times)
A pop-up restaurant in Kabul is run by women for women. The Taliban is watching
(Maija Liuhto, NPR)
Iran: Religious persecution and issues – Monthly digest May
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly digest May 15-31
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Pakistan: Forced marriages and forced conversions, and the European Union
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Nina Shea's 2023 Bradley Prizes acceptance speech
(YouTube Video, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation)
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