Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 4 March 2026
A call to our shared humanity: Reaffirming the global ethic in this moment of conflict
(Parliament of the World's Religions)
BIC explores new patterns of collaboration among social actors at UN Commission
(Bahá’í World News Service)
BIC statement calls for reconceptualizing justice
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Bill 94 and hijab ban
(X, National Council of Canadian Muslims)
The Muslim World League condemns the treacherous ongoing Iranian aggression against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the countries of the region
(Muslim World League)
USCIRF releases 2026 Annual Report: Exposes egregious religious freedom abuses from key nations
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Queensland government makes 11th-hour changes to hate speech laws after criticism
(Alex Brewster, ABC News Australia)
Secretary General’s statement on the conflict in the Middle East
(Religions for Peace)
Global developments in peacebuilding: February 2026
(Religions for Peace)
What comes next for Iranian religious minorities?
(Knox Thames, Religion News Service)
Why are the US and Israel framing the ongoing conflict as a religious war?
(Sarah Shamim, Al Jazeera)
What Maduro’s capture means for religious freedom in Venezuela
(Matthew Peterson, Religion Unplugged)
Japanese court upholds order to dissolve Unification Church
(Koh Ewe and Shaimaa Khalil, BBC)
Churches urged to reclaim moral leadership amid global geopolitical crisis
(World Council of Churches)
The voice of one who welcomes Islamic refugees in Brazil
(Silas Anastacio, Times of Israel)
Monday, 2 March 2026
Japan: The dissolution of the Unification Church and international law. Four UN Special Rapporteurs told Japan that dissolving the Family Federation would be against the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
(Patricia Duval, Bitter Winter)
What’s at stake in Nepal’s general election: An interview with a pastor and human rights defender
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Egypt’s blasphemy law back in focus after boycott call targets Christian-owned shops
(Souhail Lawand, EWTN News)
Rethinking strategic religious engagement
(Knox Thames, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Strategic religious engagement and the U.S. designation of Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern"
(Oge Onubogu, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
What to know about Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a powerful force within the country’s theocracy
(Jon Gambrell, Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 2 March 2026
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Bishops to launch initiatives against violence on Ecuador-Colombia border
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hard-line cleric who made Iran a regional power, is dead at 86
(Alan Cowell and Farnaz Fassihi, The New York Times)
Annual Report 2025 on Latin America
(Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest February 15-28
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
The challenge of protecting religious minorities in Syria
(Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
Archbishop of West Indies backs reparations for slave trade
(Chris Eyte, Christian Daily)
Quebecers banned over religious symbols hope court challenge changes secularism laws
(Steve Rukavina, CBC News)
Coalition opposes censure of Pauline Hanson over Muslim remarks
(Brittany Busch and Nick Newling, Sydney Morning Herald)
Pakistan: Sindh govt reaffirms commitment to religious freedom, minority rights
(International News)
A Saudi woman’s freedom to believe
(Sahar Saeed, Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
Practical Buddhist guidance for contemporary armed forces
(International Committee of the Red Cross)
Friday, 27 February 2026
Pakistan: A bill to protect religious minority property in Punjab
(Agenzia Fides)
Bill for protection of temples, churches and gurdwaras moves to PA secretariat
(Pakistan Today)
Al-Azhar condemns attack on Nablus Mosque in West Bank
(Egypt Today)
Jordan's Islamic Action Front told to drop 'religious reference' from party name
(Middle East Eye)
Islamist militant attacks on Niger, Benin and Nigeria border zone soaring, research shows
(Macdonald Dzirutwe and David Lewis, Reuters)
Do Muslims and Christians get along in Nigeria?
(Segun Dukeh, The Guardian)
Religion Watch Volume 41 No. 3
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Religious and civil leaders in Tigray renew the call for peace amid fears of escalation
(Vincent Matinde, Christian Daily)
UAE ambassador hosts Israeli government officials for Ramadan iftar at Emirati embassy
(The Jerusalem Post)
New edition of Cook Islands Māori Bible set for launch in Auckland
(Melina Etches, Radio New Zealand)
Religions for Peace Bangladesh hosts humanitarian outreach and interfaith dialogue for vulnerable populations
(Religions for Peace)
Egypt sentences Christian scholar to five years’ imprisonment with hard labor
(PJ Media)
Fleeing for faith: Protecting freedom of belief for people on the move
(YouTube Video, IRF Summit)
Vatican official tells UN so-called ‘new rights’ can attack religious freedom
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Holy See: Outer space and AI must not be weaponized
(Devin Watkins, Vatican News)
On Theocratic Criminal Law: The Rule of Religion and Punishment in Iran (March 2026)
(Harvard Law School)
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities
(United Nations)
Book review: In Defense of Human Dignity
(Ian Tuttle, Law & Liberty)
Faith, dignity and the urgency to act: Why religious leaders must join the global fight against child labour
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Suffering, Sanctions, and CPC’s: Day 1 of IRF Summit 2026 (Part 3)
(Marianna Richardson, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
When it comes to ending FGM, what’s the balance between law, religion, and culture?
(Mariama Jobarteh, London School of Economics and Political Science)
President Faye bolsters Senegal-Morocco religious ties
(APA News)
Violent extremism in the Sahel
(Council on Foreign Relations)
Chinese antisemitism 2021 - 2025
(Shalom Salomon Wald, Jewish People Policy Institute)
Violence in Mexico: the Church calls for prayers and unity
(Aleteia)
UN experts demand Egypt end decades of anti-Baha’i policies
(Al Manassa News)
Dry nights stay as court snubs bid to end Ramadan alcohol ban
(Mohamed Napolion, Al Manassa News)
Historic Greek Orthodox church in Adana reborn as public library draws over 65,000 visitors
(Arthur G., Greek City Times)
Human Rights Watch: Houthis intensify religious repression in Yemen
(Yemen Online)
How did the United States end up on the same side as the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen?
(Bridget Toomey, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies)
Nigeria’s 2025 conflict deaths surpass Middle East war zones
(Azeez Kareem, The Guardian)
Bangladesh, UAE for strengthening religious cooperation
(The Business Standard)
Senegalese supporters detained in Morocco: a public policy expert calls for interfaith diplomacy
(Seneweb)
Christian faces death threats in refugee camp in South Sudan
(Christian Daily)
US study recommends terrorist designation for Sudan’s Muslim Brotherhood
(The Arab Weekly)
Senegal PM proposes tougher anti-LGBT law, doubling prison terms
(Paul Njie, BBC)
Lazzarini on the Dismissal of Professors in Cases of Conflict with the University’s Religious Ethos
(Alessandra Lazzarini, Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Kudła on Religious Education in Public Schools
(Weronika Kudła, St. John's Law, ICLARS, and BYU Law)
Garnett on the Funding of Religious Schools, Cooperation with Religion, and the Principle of Equality
(Richard W. Garnett, Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Ferrante on Religious Freedom and Equality in Funding Religious Schools
(Mario Ferrante, Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Bacquet on Public Funding and the Autonomy of Faith Schools
(Sylvie Bacquet, Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Martínez-Torrón on Public and Private Education
(Javier Martínez Torrón, Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Liberman on Academic Freedom and the Problem of “Teaching to Hate” in Primary and Secondary Schools
(Ariel J. Liberman, Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Australia begins sweeping public inquiry probing antisemitism after Bondi Beach killings
(Rod McGuirk, Associated Press)
Monday, 23 February 2026
When faith moves in harmony with love for the nation
(Sỹ Hào, Vietnam Net Global)
New Perspectives on Human Dignity in Asia: Cross-Cultural Interpretations and Dialogue
(Edited By Brett G. Scharffs, Hannah Clayson Smith, Emily H. Butler, Routledge)
Card. Ambongo on historic AU partnership for ‘The Africa We Want’
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Venezuelan Church still struggles to unify its voice after US operation in Caracas
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Kazakhstan: Independent Orthodox priest's 10-day jailing, criminal case underway
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
China: The persecution of The Church of Almighty God from bad to worse
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Beyond Recognition: Integrating Religious Justice into Indonesia’s ADR Framework
(Jo Chitlik, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
The Catholic Church and care for migrants
(Antônio Lemos, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Freedom of / from religion? About a new law proposal in Israel
(Pablo Lerner, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Statement on the humanitarian impacts of the fuel blockade on Cuba
(World Council of Churches)
‘Scapegoating’ of Christians the focus of 2026 annual report
(Article 18)
Egypt steps up maintenance of Holy Family Trail to boost religious tourism
(Egypt Daily News)
Egypt: Freedom of belief: In word but not in deed
(Ishak Ibrahim, Manassa News)
South Korea: A law to dissolve churches at will
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Articles of interest - 23 February 2026
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
At Brazil's Carnival, the country's religions fight for respect on a global stage
(Helen Teixeira, Religion News Service)
7 years in prison for praying at the Western Wall? Netanyahu’s coalition is threatening a war on Jewish unity.
(Jacob Blumenthal and Rick Jacobs, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Church, civil society urge Indonesia to halt military operations in Papua
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
State Deputy from the Novo Party takes legal action against Peninha for hate speech against evangelicals (Portuguese)
(Pedro Pupulim, Veja Magazine)
Sectarianism and Nawaf Salam’s speech
(Hicham Bou Nassif, SyriacPress)
Faith, freedom, and fair play: South Africa's churches and Parliament have to get it right
(Bert Pretorius, IOL)
President Aoun hails beatification of Father Bechara Abou Mrad: A milestone in the history of the Eastern Church & Lebanon
(Lebanon National News Agency)
UP anti-conversion law doesn't prohibit interfaith marriage, live-in relationship: Allahabad HC
(Devdiscourse)
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