Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 11 October 2023
Buildings of worship as cultural heritage in Italy – New scenarios for the management and reuse of Catholic churches between canon law and state law
(Davide Dimodugno, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Groundbreaking Gallup faith & wellness study
(Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)
In Singapore, religious diversity and tolerance go hand in hand
(William Miner, Pew Research Center)
New White House proposal to further alienate religious foster parents
(Naomi Schaefer Riley, New York Post)
In Poland, church and state draw nearer, and some Catholic faithful rebel
(Joanna Kozlowska and Michal Dyjuk, Associated Press)
Perspective: The Religious Freedom Restoration Act is 30 years old. What’s next?
(Matt Sandgren, Deseret News)
Religion among Asian Americans
(Besheer Mohamed and Michael Rotolo, Pew Research Center)
Religion vs. LGBTQ+ rights: Supreme Court weighs 'conversion therapy' bans for minors
(John Fritze, USA Today)
Reform of the law on cohabitation?
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Catholic teacher could be banned from profession for refusing to teach extreme gender ideology
(Simon Caldwell, Catholic Herald)
Mexico: Archdiocese of Mexico pleads with Catholics to help migrants
(La Croix International)
Christian leaders increase pressure on state lawmakers in anti-death penalty fight
(Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged)
The Gambia: FGM ban in the Gambia under threat as calls grow to repeal law
(Sarah Johnson, The Guardian)
The Gambia: Supreme Islamic Council condemns anti-FGM activists
(Ali Jaw, The Point)
Performing charity is a First Amendment right
(C.J. Ciaramella, Reason)
Colombia: Justapaz shares peace-building work in Colombia
(World Council of Churches)
OSCE: Side-event addressing anti-religious hate crimes in the OSCE area
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
The basis of religious liberty in reason: A lecture by Robert George
(Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
Five questions why Belarus tries to liquidate an Evangelical church
(Joe-Lize Kruijsse-Brugge, Christian Network Europe)
In the Strasbourg Club: The right to be forgotten v the right to remember. A conversation on Hurbain v Belgium
(Eva Brems, Strasbourg Observers)
Judge rules San Antonio must allow Native church access to sacred site
(Richard Arlin Walker, ICT News)
Germany, state-funded Lutheran church’s “sect filters” for school teachers
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)
Japan set to seek dissolution of Unification Church
(Kathleen Benoza, Japan Times)
Brazil: Election for Guardianship Councils exposes religious intolerance (Portuguese)
(Gazeta do Povo)
Russia is defeated in its bid to regain a seat on the UN’s top human rights body
(Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press)
Russia: Four now jailed for refusing to fight in Ukraine on religious grounds
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
Monday, 9 October 2023
Europe ramps up protection of Jewish sites
(Tamás Orbán, The European Conservative)
UN expert on freedom of religion or belief to visit Sweden
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Overcoming racism: Fostering social cohesion at the grassroots in Sweden
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Israel vows complete siege of Gaza as it strikes the Palestinian territory after incursion by Hamas
(Josef Federman and Issam Adwan, Associated Press)
Death toll climbs to 800, IDF regains control of border towns as Hamas attack enters day 3; ‘complete siege’ of Gaza planned
(Philissa Cramer, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Citing Al-Aqsa Mosque, Hamas launches broad attack as Israelis celebrate Simchat Torah
(Josef Federman and Issam Adwan, Religion News Service)
Jewish diaspora mourns attack on Israel, but carries on by celebrating holidays
(Bobby Caina Calvan and Amy Taxin, Associated Press)
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem unite in a call for peace and justice
(Anglican Communion News Service)
Church leaders in Holy Land call for de-escalation, respect for human rights
(World Council of Churches)
Pope prays for peace in Israel and Palestine: ‘Every war is a defeat!’
(Christopher Wells, Vatican News)
Statement from the Muslim World League
(Twitter, Muslim World League)
OIC comment on developments in conflict
(Twitter, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)
How we got to the ‘Al-Aqsa tsunami’
(Daoud Kuttab, Religion News Service)
Security Updates
(BYU Jerusalem Center)
Saudi Arabia: Historic Torah scroll on display at Riyadh International Book Fair
(Gil Zohar, Religion Unplugged)
The government just reached a landmark settlement in a religious freedom case
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)
Representatives from African nations and interfaith leaders attend landmark religious freedom event in the US
(Church News)
Churches confess and repent for sins against Native and Indigenous people
(Jason DeRose, NPR)
Hate crime, England and Wales, 2022 to 2023
(GOV.UK)
Bill to ban protests at Scottish abortion centres published
(BBC News)
Law and religion round-up – 8th October
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
HS2 and the Church of England
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Canadian repatriated from Syrian prison camp now faces terrorism charges
(CBC News)
China: A family shattered for 24 years – the story of Falun Gong activist Fang Bin
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Japan: Why the Unification Church should not be dissolved
(Tatsuki Nakayama, Bitter Winter)
Japan: Curious to know Islam, Japanese visit Türkiye-run Tokyo mosque
(Daily Sabah)
Islamic State's expanding footprints pose grave security threat to Pakistan and South Asia
(Aparna Rawal, South Asia Monitor)
Mali crisis: Life in Timbuktu and Gao under siege by Islamist fighters
(Mohamed Ibrahim, BBC News)
Muslims in Kenya protest at Supreme Court over its endorsement of LGBTQ right to associate
(Evelyne Musambi and Brian Inganga, Associated Press)
Around the web - 9 October 2023
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Australia: Two cases on sex and gender identity
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)
Pakistan: 'We don't exist': Pakistan's Ahmadi minority living in fear
(France 24)
Allied Against Hate: A Toolkit for Faith Communities
(The White House (via Religious Freedom & Business Foundation))
What is separation of church and state?
(David Callaway, Freedom Forum)
In the midst of atrocity crimes in Ukraine, will Russia be allowed to rejoin U.N. Human Rights Council?
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Religious hatred: Türk urges a renewed social contract based on trust and respect
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Church Reporter, Vol. 8/9, 26 September 2023 - Newsletter for the English speaking members and friends of the Church Law Society (PDF)
(Jiří Rajmund Tretera, Záboj Horák, et al., eds., Church Law Society Prague – Brno – Olomouc – Stříbro – České Budějovice)
Iran is doubling down on headscarves
(Sina Toossi, Foreign Policy)
Malaysia: Be fair to all, King urges shariah courts
(Bernama)
Statement on nuclear disarmament and advocacy for a path forward
(Parliament of the World's Religions)
California governor vetoes bill that would have banned caste discrimination
(Deepa Bharath, Associated Press)
Yeshiva University president headlines tri-faith sustainability event in UAE
(Israel Hayom)
1st Circuit remands covid vaccine religious exemption case
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Articles of interest - 9 October 2023
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
School district settles suit by Native Americans over cutting of students' hair
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Uzbekistan: new punishments "correspond to international standards"?
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
CEC publishes new book “Alternatives to Populism from a Human Rights Perspective”
(Conference of European Churches)
National ‘Faith & Blue Weekend’ seeks to build bridges between cops, congregations
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
Two weeks in review, 25 September – 8 October 2023
(Tal Gross, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Establishment as tradition
(Marc DeGirolami, Mirror of Justice Blog)
Legal Journal Number 11 (18): September (Spanish)
(Observatorio de Libertad Religiosa de América Latina y El Caribe)
Friday, 6 October 2023
Türkiye arrests 92 Daesh/ISIS terror suspects
(Anadolu Agency)
Iran: Terrorist network linked to Daesh arrested in Iran
(Tehran Times)
Experts condemn growing intolerance against Christians in Türkiye at largest human rights conference in Europe
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Colorado Supreme Court to hear case against Christian baker who refused again to make LGBTQ cake
(Brooke Migdon, The Hill)
Colorado Supreme Court to hear cake baker’s latest religious freedom case
(Catholic News Agency)
Pope takes on climate change deniers in ‘Laudate Deum,’ a new document on global warming
(Thomas Reese, Religion News Service)
An Arizona school board member was told to stop quoting the Bible. Now she’s suing.
(Kathryn Post, Religion News Service)
Michigan hockey defenseman, women's lacrosse player identified in alleged vandalism of Jewish Resource Center
(Austin Nivison and Isabel Gonzalez, CBS Sports)
Hate in the Prairie State: Extremism & antisemitism in Illinois
(Anti-Defamation League)
America’s nonreligious are a growing, diverse phenomenon. They really don’t like organized religion
(Peter Smith, Associated Press)
Supreme Court is increasingly putting Christians’ First Amendment rights ahead of others’ dignity and rights to equal protection
(Pauline Jones and Andrew Murphy, The Conversation)
11th Circuit protects religious minorities from government discrimination
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Nigeria: An atheist in northern Nigeria was arrested. Then the attacks against the others worsened
(Chinedu Asadu, Associated Press)
Environmental faith groups laud Pope Francis’ new climate exhortation
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Pope suggests blessings for same-sex unions possible in response to 5 conservative cardinals
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
Philippine drag artist arrested for ‘offending religion’
(Ryan Thoreson, Human Rights Watch)
Kenyan churches seek inclusion of Constitutional studies in school curricula
(Winfrey Owino, The Standard)
Laos: Local officials in Laos stop worship, expel Christians
(Evangelical Focus)
India: Nonreligious struggle to find their voice and place in Indian society and politics
(Deepa Bharath, Associated Press)
Israelis are more divided than ever on Judaism, religion and state - poll
(The Jerusalem Post)
Israel is perennially swept up in religious conflict. Yet many of its citizens are secular
(Ilan Ben Zion, Associated Press)
Fearing ostracism or worse, many nonbelievers hide their views in the Middle East and North Africa
(Mariam Fam, Associated Press)
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