Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 6 March 2026
Meeting at Grand Mosque in Sana'a affirms obligation to support muslims in Iran, Lebanon, & Palestine against enemies of nation
(Yemen News Agency)
Morocco's model of religious coexistence, interfaith dialogue highlighted in Geneva
(Hespress)
War in Iran: The double standards of Moroccan religious leaders
(Mohammed Jaabouk, Yabiladi)
Thousands attend Friday prayers across UAE despite security alerts
(Ali Al Shouk, The National)
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon hit during Israeli strikes, Beirut calls for intervention
(Türkiye Today)
Holy See: Christians are most persecuted religious community in world
(Isabella H. de Carvalho, Vatican News)
For US Muslims, immigration crackdown fears, new war worries and anti-Muslim rhetoric cloud Ramadan
(Luis Andres Henao and Mariam Fam, Associated Press)
Pakistani Shiites rally to denounce US-Israeli strikes on Iran as US Embassy issues a security alert
(Associated Press)
In Nigeria’s protracted violence, debate over whether religion is the cause, or the casualty
(Tonny Onyulo, Religion News Service)
Jewish groups ask Pentagon to stop Messianic chaplains from wearing Jewish insignia
(Asaf Elia-Shalev, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
In 25-country survey, Americans especially likely to view fellow citizens as morally bad
(Pew Research Center)
Israel closes Al Aqsa mosque at Ramadan, citing wartime safety concerns
(Isabel Kershner, The New York Times)
Belarus: Praying daily for "speedy and honest restoration" of Red Church
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Khartoum’s silent war: The reimposition of religious strictures on women amidst civil conflict
(Robert Johnson, The European Times)
Indian Catholics oppose ‘imposition’ of national song recitation
(Bijay Kumar Minj, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Russia: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly news digest February 16-28
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Becket to Fifth Circuit: anti-religious groups should not be treated as religious
(Becket)
Brownley and colleagues request investigation into alleged reports that military leaders claim war in Iran part of Biblical end-times prophecies
(Julia Brownley, U.S. House of Representatives)
Book launch: Burmese language edition of “Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law”
(International Committee of the Red Cross)
Child marriage comes with a price tag: $175 billion
(Mariel Padilla, 19th News)
Who is my neighbor? Religion and the metro surge
(Paul Pribbenow, Sightings: Martin Marty Center, The University of Chicago Divinity School)
The continued killing of Alawites and Druze highlights persistent obstacles to an inclusive Syria
(Ellis Heasley, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Thursday, 5 March 2026
EVENT, 5 March 2026 (1400 – 1500 CET): Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief (Geneva, Switzerland)
(Room III, The United Nations Office at Geneva)
Wednesday, 4 March 2026
EVENT, 4 March 2026: 2026 Annual Report Release (Washington, DC, USA)
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
EVENT, 4 March 2026 (1400 – 1500 CET): The right to honour the dead: Freedom of religion or belief in relation to death and mourning (Geneva, Switzerland)
(Room IX, The United Nations Office at Geneva)
Tennessee considers major shift on religious charter school rules
(Vivian Jones, The Tennessean)
Americans' religious engagement holds at lower levels
(Megan Brenan, Gallup)
Supreme Court says California can’t hide student transgender identities from parents
(EWTN News)
Are we witnessing the re-emergence of a Christian Left? As ICE raids hit Minneapolis, churches mobilize aid, signaling renewed public engagement and a possible reemergence of progressive Christianity.
(Richard Amesbury, Sightings: Martin Marty Center, The University of Chicago Divinity School)
Hezbollah vows to defend Iran following Khamenei’s death
(Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt Independent)
The Tragic cost of silence: mother and child found dead after years of battling Tariqat abuse in Turkey
(Atilla Yeşilada, P.A. Turkey)
Christians and Muslims join in Pakistan to pray for peace
(Kielce Gussie, Vatican News)
China's exportation of Sinicized Christianity and the United States Military Chaplain response
(Zachary Zumwalt, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Shame on the EU! 15th month without EU Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief is over
(Willy Fautré, The European Times)
The Sunni-Shi’a Muslim divide: Why it matters in the war against Iran
(Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged)
China’s silence deepens fears over disappeared Uyghur returnees a year on, warn UN experts
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
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)
Towards covenantal pluralism in Dutch citizenship education?
(Hans-Martien ten Napel, Institute for Global Engagement)
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)
Legal Spirits 075: A short take on the Louisiana 10 Commandments case
(Mark Movsesian, Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Indiana school district pays former music teacher $650,000 to settle religious discrimination case
(Alliance Defending 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)
Ministerial exception doctrine does not apply where no ecclesiastical questions are at issue
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Indiana governor signs law barring state religious discrimination in adoption or foster care
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
What comes next for Iranian religious minorities?
(Knox Thames, Religion News Service)
How Germany’s unusual approach to fighting antisemitism is ensnaring Jews who are critical of Israel
(Shira Li Bartov, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Why are the US and Israel framing the ongoing conflict as a religious war?
(Sarah Shamim, Al Jazeera)
Court sides with parents in dispute over California policies on transgender students
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)
Poland returns 91 Jewish objects to Greece, decades after they were stolen by the Nazis
(Shira Li Bartov, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
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)
Interesting dissent in American Indian religious case under Texas RFRA
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
Churches urged to reclaim moral leadership amid global geopolitical crisis
(World Council of Churches)
COMECE President Mgr Crociata expresses concern over Middle East escalation and calls on the EU to relaunch diplomacy
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
Southerners tend to be more religious than other U.S. adults – but less religious than they used to be
(Jeff Diamant, Pew Research Center)
The voice of one who welcomes Islamic refugees in Brazil
(Silas Anastacio, Times of Israel)
Monday, 2 March 2026
CALL FOR PROPOSALS, deadline 2 March 2026: Global Religious Futures
(Pew Research Center)
EVENT, 2 March 2026: Rights. Justice. Action. The Role of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Women's Daily Lives (Brussels, Belgium)
(European Union & International Affairs Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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)
Should religious liberty instruction be happening in Utah’s K-12 schools?
(Jason Swensen, Deseret News)
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)
Conservative religious views on sexuality and direct discrimination in employment: Ngole
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Law and religion roundup – 1st March
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Church leaders call for funding clarity after VAT refund scheme ends
(The Church of Scotland)
Christian leaders urge MSPs to vote against assisted dying Bill
(Guardian Series)
Conflicts on Campus: Universities as Sites of Interfaith Encounter
(Woolf Institute)
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)
School districts can set aside prayer time under a new Texas law. Few have done so.
(Jaden Edison, Associated Press)
How religion is playing in the Senate Democratic Primary in Texas
(Ruth Graham, The New York Times)
Texas sued for excluding Islamic schools from tuition voucher scheme
(Cameron Thompson, Courthouse News Service)
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)
Spain’s Parliament approves initiative to strengthen the defence of persecuted Christians
(Daniel Hofkamp, Evangelical Focus)
Church should take a ‘critical and prophetic stance’ towards polarizing rhetoric, says Spanish archbishop
(Fionn Shiner, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
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)
Irish Jews report 143 antisemitic incidents in 6 months through a new reporting system
(Shira Li Bartov, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
KAICIID hosts EU Diplomatic Corps in Lisbon for roundtable on dialogue, peace and social cohesion
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Mayor's right to dismiss volunteer board appointees for speech, including religiously motivated speech
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
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)
Supreme Court blocks California’s gender-transition secrecy in schools
(Becket)
Archbishop of West Indies backs reparations for slave trade
(Chris Eyte, Christian Daily)
Pope Leo XIV receives the President of the Republic of Malta
(Vatican News)
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)
Rex Healthcare to pay $150,000 in EEOC COVID-19 vaccine religious accommodation suit
(U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
U.S. Presidency of the G20–An Opportunity to Champion Human Rights
(Chris Smith, U.S. House of Representatives)
A Saudi woman’s freedom to believe
(Sahar Saeed, Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
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