Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 10 April 2026
Every Friday in Bangladesh, a contradiction unfolds in plain sight
(Amit Khan, ABC Australia)
Albanian government approves 203 million lek support for religious communities
(RTSH Albania)
Morocco, Vatican mark 50 years of diplomatic relations built on interfaith dialogue
(Khadija Tachfine, Hespress)
Three years on, faith and partnership are sustaining families forced to flee Sudan
(UNHCR)
Logic may not be the right tool to examine faith and belief systems, says Supreme Court
(Krishnadas Rajagopal, The Hindu)
A Renewed Research Agenda to Address Global Religious Violence and Foster Religious Pluralism
(Elaine Howard Ecklund, Kerby Goff, and Aishwarya Lakshmi, MDPI)
Religious and civic leader gatherings: Houston, TX
(Boniuk Institute)
Agriculture secretary’s religious Easter message to all employees sparks internal backlash and a formal complaint
(René Marsh, CNN)
CALL FOR ARTICLES: Contribution of religion to human values
(Peres Academic Center)
Investigators believe antisemitism was motive in vandalism at Israeli restaurant in Munich
(Associated Press)
4th Circuit upholds West Virginia's compulsory vaccination law that excludes religious exemptions
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Catholic sisters sue for exemption to LGBTQ+ rights law in NY nursing homes
(Aleja Hertzler-McCain, Religion News Service)
Russia and Ukraine agree to Orthodox Easter truce
(Sarah Rainsford, BBC)
Belarus: Catholic priest arrested – by KGB?
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Will parental rights finally receive proper constitutional protection?
(Melissa Moschella, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Mafra Dialogues 2026: Faith, diplomacy and the case for multilateralism
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
France: When ‘anti-cult deviances’ clash with human rights
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
A judicial suicide: The Tokyo decision against the Unification Church. 3. Subjective interpretation and “social norms.”
(Eitaro Ogawa, Bitter Winter)
Catholic bishops in Ghana call for coherent public discourse on family values
(Sabrine Amboka, ACI Africa)
FIFA opens disciplinary case against Spanish federation over anti-Muslim chants
(Associated Press)
Over 100,000 Muslim worshipers perform Friday prayers at Temple Mount
(AFP, Times of Israel)
Wednesday, 8 April 2026
Legal Journal Number 5 (21): February-March 2026 (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
EWTN News documentary highlights Lebanon’s Christian roots and enduring faith
(Georgena Habbaba, EWTN News)
Religious cults in SA: Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, Pontsho Pilane weigh in
(YouTube Video, SABC News)
State control over religion? The truth revealed.
(YouTube Video, Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA))
Türkiye urges Greece to respect rights of elected Turkish minority religious leaders
(Merve Berker, Anadolu Ajansı)
World Reflection Day: ADP honours Rwanda genocide victims, urge Nigerians to reject religious extremism
(Tom Okpe, Daily Times)
Morocco hosts landmark Holocaust education forum for Arab educators
(Annabel Sinclair, Jewish News)
Ugandan bill to establish Sharia courts sparks urgent religious freedom concerns
(ADF International)
April 16: Threats to Religious Freedom: Root Causes and Paths Forward
(HJ International Graduate School for Peace and Public Leadership)
Bible stories would be part of a new Texas public schools reading list drawing attention
(Heather Hollingsworth, Associated Press)
Pakistani national pleads guilty to attempting to commit ISIS-inspired attack at Jewish center in New York
(U.S. Department of Justice)
Pastor charged over drowning of man at baptism ceremony in Birmingham
(Hannah Al-Othman, The Guardian)
Nevada Supreme Court interprets scope of ecclesiastical abstention doctrine
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Black church leaders revive civil rights playbook to mobilize voters for midterms
(Religion News Service)
Pentagon-Vatican meeting latest flash point in Trump's clash with religious leaders
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Iran claims synagogue in Tehran was ‘completely destroyed’ by US-Israeli strike
(Grace Gilson, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Why Catholic nuns are suing over transgender care and religious freedom
(BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today)
Conference participants in Washington call on international community to intervene against religious persecution in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
ECHR: Freedom of belief vs freedom of expression: Word of Life
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Hostility towards religion is a strategic mistake in global diplomacy
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
International panel seeks sanctions against Muslim rights violators in two Indian states
(P. K. Balachandran, Eurasia Review)
Dozens killed in Nigeria as violence mars Easter celebrations
(Diana Chandler, Religion Unplugged)
Registering faith: Recognition, legal personality, and religious freedom in the Caribbean
(Brandon Reece Taylorian, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Human dignity is non-negotiable: Reflections on rights, religion, and the future of AI in Europe
(G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Russian intelligence enters battle of Georgian Patriarchal throne
(Beka Chedia, Jamestown)
Iran: Religious persecution and issues – Monthly digest March 2026
(witho, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Disrespect for religious convictions prompts complaints in the healthcare sector (Portuguese)
(Rita Neves Costa, JN)
STF [Supreme Court] to review in plenary session rule prohibiting the use of religion in psychology (Portuguese)
(Redação, Migalhas)
‘Poles first turn to the Church for help’: Clergy prepares for potential war
(Franciszek Józef Beszłej, TVP World)
Việt Nam’s draft law tightens state control over cyber religious freedom
(Hoàng Nam, The Vietnamese)
Religious freedom cannot survive without democracy
(Freedom House)
Fourth Circuit sides with West Virginia in religious challenge to vaccine mandates
(Joe Dodson, Courthouse News Service)
Evangelicals amplify Trump's religious framing of Iran war
(Reuters)
Conference celebrates 80 years of religious liberty advocacy in Europe
(Adventist Review)
King calls for unity and peace on Buddhist Day
(Torn Vibol, Khmer Times)
Chikli urges Jewish students to leave Belgian universities over Albanese honorary degree
(The Jerusalem Post)
Monday, 6 April 2026
Christian therapists and LGBTQ people of faith respond to Supreme Court ruling
(Jason DeRose, NPR)
Palestinian religious leaders delegation discusses cooperation and protection of holy sites with Egyptian Minister Of Endowments
(Yaffa News Network)
Jordan condemns Ben-Gvir’s incursion Into Al-Aqsa, reaffirms exclusive Muslim right to the site
(Yaffa News Network)
No churches, no problem? How faith found a way this Easter amid UAE closures
(Catholic Connect)
Israeli PM, Netanyahu condemns ‘Christian persecution’ in Nigeria in Easter message
(Damilare Adeleye, The Nigerian Voice)
The geopolitics of religious soft power: How states use religion in foreign policy
(Vishal Singh Bhadauriya, Modern Diplomacy)
Islamist Turkey: a base for Muslim Brotherhood Jihadism
(Sinan Ciddi, William Doran, Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
Pakistan blocks Ahmadi Muslims from Eid prayers
(A. Sahara Alexander, Bitter Winter)
Peace symposium in Edinburgh draws over 200 attendees and promotes interfaith dialogue
(Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK)
Green plaque awarded to London’s first mosque
(Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK)
Germany's new religious diversity
(Christoph Strack, Deutsche Welle)
At Easter time, Iranian Christians pray for a new government and freedom of worship as war rages at home
(Angie Leventis Lourgos, Los Angeles Times)
Values in practice
(Fondazione Bruno Kessler)
Religion Watch Volume 41 No. 4
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
1A in Action: Joe Kennedy and fighting for religious freedom on the field
(Freedom Forum)
Managing Religion and Religious Changes in Iran: A Socio-Legal Analysis. Elements in New Religious Movements
(Sajjad Adeliyan Tous and James T. Richardson, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
The inaugural forum of the Ukrainian Christian Movement held in Kyiv
(Institute for Religious Freedom, Ukraine)
Q&A: Why Pakistan and Afghanistan are fighting and how Christians there survive
(with Knox Thames, Christianity Today)
Reflecting on 30 years of contributing to international discourse
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Religions for Peace announces recipients of the 2025 Women of Excellence in Multi-Religious Action Award
(Religions for Peace)
The impact of religion on the geopolitics of the U.S.-Armenia-Azerbaijan triangle
(James Chen, Institute for Global Engagement)
Broken open, not broken apart: A faith-based model of resilience for women leaders
(Margaret J. Weber, Institute for Global Engagement)
Navigating the new nuclear peril
(Religions for Peace)
Articles of interest - 6 April 2026
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Pakistan’s bishops decry court ruling in child marriage case
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Israeli, Serbian leaders denounce antisemitic statements at Belgrade protest
(Grace Gilson, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
2026 Hungary election spotlights Semjén’s religious nationalism project
(Charlie W. Grease, The European Times)
Indian court: No permit needed for home prayer meetings
(Michael Gonsalves, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Jewish families and a rabbi ask to join lawsuit to block Oklahoma Jewish charter school
(Asaf Elia-Shalev, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Governor Ron DeSantis signs legislation to combat terrorist groups and ban sharia law in Florida
(Executive Office of the Governor)
No sacrilege law without inputs from us, Sikh bodies tell govt
(Times of India)
Friday, 3 April 2026
Treasury and IRS to provide guidance to religious organizations
(U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Christians in India Stage March to Protest New Law
(Persecution.org)
US should practice what it preaches on Vietnam religious freedom
(Lam Duc Vu, Asia Times)
Crackdown on Religious Freedom in Vietnam
(Genocide Watch)
Nepal court acquits pastor of religious conversion charge
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Christian in Pakistan awaits verdict in high-profile blasphemy case
(Christianity Daily)
Human rights must not be misused
(Vietnam News)
Italy calls preventing cardinal from entering Jerusalem church 'offence’ to religious freedom
(TRT World)
Hindu Mob Attacks 3 Christians in Nepal
(Persecution.org)
Escalating Persecution of Montagnards in Vietnam
(Hdok Phic Hdok, Genocide Watch)
Religious freedom must not be separated from civic responsibility
(Vietnam Pictorial)
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