Law and Religion Headlines

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Wednesday, 18 February 2026

Seattle event permit requirements remain in place for Christian group's rally
(Carly Nairn, Courthouse News Service)

Colorado’s ‘first public Christian school’ sues state, alleging discrimination
(Eric Young, Denver Gazette)

'From the river to the sea' could be punishable under new French law, says MP Yadan - interview
(Mathilda Heller, The Jerusalem Post)

SB-1070 Crimes: disturbing religious worship.(2025-2026)
(California Legislative Information)

Taliban leader approves new law regulating religious preachers’ activities
(AtlasPress)

Religious and union groups raise concerns about push to ban certain phrases in Queensland
(Jack McKay, ABC News Australia)

PM Tarique Rahman vows to turn Bangladesh Into safe land for people of all faiths
(ETV Bharat)

2026 Religious Liberty Annual Report
(United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Memo to House Members: Protect Religious Worship
(Kerry Benninghoff, Pennsylvania House of Representatives)

Lent: Bishops rally Kenyans to defend human dignity and safeguard unity
(Rose Achiego Ande - Lodwar, Vatican News)

Mapping Christian Nationalism Across the 50 States: Insights from PRRI’s 2025 American Values Atlas
(PRRI)

Tuesday, 17 February 2026

WEBINAR, 17 February 2026 (2pm EST): Mapping Christian Nationalism Across All 50 States
(PRRI)

Monday, 16 February 2026

Congress should ban lobbying by CPC countries that violate FoRB
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

DoW Christian service draws dozens of complaints from members, contractors
(Nick Mordowanec, military.com)

Around the web - 16 February 2026
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)

South Africa: Faith communities speak with one voice: No mandate for state regulation of religion
(Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA))

Sport and religious freedom: A report on prayer rooms in the Olympic Villages Milano-Cortina 2026
(DiReSoM (Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies))

European Parliament “strongly condemns” Turkey’s targeted expulsions of foreign Christians
(Joel Forster, Evangelical Focus)

UK pastor locked up for preaching in the street speaks out
(Javier Villamor, The European Conservative)

Turkey opens three mosques in Gaza as Ankara expands religious influence
(Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post)

Australia: Strict liability for abuse committed by non-employees: the AA case
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)

Egypt’s Ministry of Interior announces exceptional inmate visits for Ramadan
(Egypt Today)

Free speech at stake in Quran-burning case, NSS warns
(National Secular Society)

Two children killed in drone strike on mosque in central Sudan: Doctors
(Al Jazeera)

Justice Department opens investigation into Lincoln Memorial University for discrimination against Jewish students
(U.S. Department of Justice)

Articles of interest - 16 February 2026
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

What is and isn’t new about US bishops’ criticism of Trump’s foreign policy
(Gerard F. Powers, Conversation)

UK's royal astronomers join hunt for Ramadan's crescent moon
(Catherine Pepinster, Religion News Service)

New GOP caucus signals resurgence of anti-Shariah movement
(Ulaa Kuziez and Bob Smietana, Religion News Service)

Judge bars most ICE raids at a group of churches that sued the Trump administration
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)

French, German, Jewish leaders call for resignation of UN’s Francesca Albanese over ‘common enemy’ comments
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference (on Christian heritage)
(U.S. Department of State)

In Munich, religious leaders and human rights activists discuss moral and religious dimensions of security
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

Uzbekistan: Political prisoner tortured for protest against ban on reading Koran
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)

Law and religion roundup – 15th February
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)

Freedom of Thought Report
(Humanists International)

Unity, peace and Europe at centre of CEC–Patriarch meeting
(Conference of European Churches)

Indonesia: Islam-state relations under Prabowo: More carrots and more sticks, but less progressive and less civil?
(Ary Hermawan, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)

15 years after Egypt’s uprising, how faith reshaped a generation
(Nareman Amin, Religion Unplugged)

Gavin Newsom demands ‘racist slob’ Randy Fine resign after demeaning comment about Muslims
(Khaleda Rahman, Newsweek)

Islamophobia on rise in Brazil
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))

Environmental destruction contributes to child labour, says interreligious roundtable
(World Council of Churches)

Intellectual prevention and sound awareness are the first line of defense against hate speech, racism, extremism, and terrorism
(Muslim Council of Elders)

“Christians for Europe”: four Bishops’ Conferences issue appeal for a renewed European vision
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))

China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest February 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

GOP states move to make church service disruptions a felony after Minnesota storming
(Breanne Deppisch, Fox News)

Britain edges toward Muslim blasphemy law through the courts
(Michael Curzon, The European Conservative)

US Ambassador urges Belgium to drop charges against mohels, warning case threatens religious freedom
(Ailin Vilches Arguello, Algemeiner)

Kurdistan PM receives UK Parliamentary Group on Freedom of Religion
(Kurdistan24)

Friday, 13 February 2026

Beyond tolerance: What Italy can share about covenantal pluralism
(Pasquale Annicchino, Institute for Global Engagement)

Belgium discusses the work of Orthodox prison chaplains
(The European Times)

Faith, policy, and the future: A cohesive vision for the G20 Interfaith Forum (Part 2)
(Marianna Richardson, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)

International Women’s Day webinar will focus on human rights
(World Council of Churches)

A police attack on a place of worship is a worrying sign of the erosion of civil and political rights in Kenya
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)

Follow the law on construction of houses of worship, avoid politicising religion, says King
(Malay Mail)

Moldovan PM says law must be upheld in dispute over occupied church
(Alexander Tanas, Reuters)

Syria’s new government returns property to Syrian Jews who left decades ago
(Jane Arraf and Christine Arrasmith, NPR)

Egypt tests Trump’s pledge to defend persecuted Christians
(Mariam Wahba, Foundation for Defense of Democracies)

European Parliament urges Turkey to end expulsions of foreign Christians and journalists
(Turkish Minute)

How urban planning is used to undermine Christian institutions in Turkey
(Bryan Lawrence Gonsalves, EWTN News)

UAE lobbied pro-Israel groups to level antisemitism charges against Saudi Arabia
(Sean Mathews, Middle East Eye)

UAE announces private sector working hours during Ramadan
(Balaram Menon, Gulf News)

Member of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission ousted in dispute over antisemitism
(Peter Smith, Associated Press)

How faith leaders can help prevent war with Iran
(Bridget Moix, Religion News Service)

Key elements for the Jewish community are missing from Quebec’s new Constitution law: CIJA
(Joel Ceausu, Canadian Jewish News)

Scotland: Government told religious rules a threat to children's rights
(James McEnaney, The Herald)

Judge rules ICE must let religious leaders into Illinois facility for Ash Wednesday
(Zach Schonfeld, Hill)

Religious diversity around the world
(Yunping Tong, Pew Research Center)

South Africa: Cogta Committee reaffirms constitutional protection of religious freedom amid concerns of overreach
(All Africa)

India: 'Contrary to religious freedom': Muslim Personal Law Board oppose govt order on Vande Mataram
(Amrita Madhukalya, Deccan Herald)

Underrecognized Hinduphobia: What we can learn from the Texas City Council Hindu-mocking episode
(Vamsee Juluri, American Kahani)

Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned for their faith—by location
(Jehovah's Witnesses)

City of Quincy, Massachusetts asks state’s high court to allow statues honoring firefighters and police
(Becket)

Millions face 'relentless struggle' to make ends meet, General Synod hears
(The Church of England)

Russia: Draft law aims to ban religious activities in private homes
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

EU: Launch of the Central Europe Forum for FORB in Washington DC (3)
(Willy Fautré and Hans Noot, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Sri Lanka drops LGBTQ tourism plan amid religious pressure
(Quintus Colombage, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Gardaí investigate arson attack at Islamic Cultural Centre in Limerick
(Raidió Teilifís Éireann)

Interreligious approaches for peaceful coexistence spotlighted at UN New York side event
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)

From Venezuela to Greenland, Catholic Bishops reassert ‘just war’ limits
(Gerald Powers, Religion Unplugged)

Saudi Arabia reshapes Vision 2030 around new priorities
(Jennifer Holleis, Deutsche Welle)

Neutrality is not amnesia: Religious symbols and the European Convention on Human Rights
(Adina Portaru, Oxford Human Rights Hub)

Wednesday, 11 February 2026

Catholic cross like no other is a beacon of unity in Olympic host city Milan
(María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press)

Court rejects free exercise defense raised by protesters charged with trespass
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Poll: US Jews see a rise in antisemitism, but few are personally targeted
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)

Pope Leo XIV warns Madrid’s priests that faith can be instrumentalized or relegated amid political uncertainty
(Fionn Shiner, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Buddhist monks’ 15-week walk for peace ends in Washington, DC
(Tiffany Stanley and Deepa Bharath, Associated Press)

Religion, ethnicity, and the jihadist search for a holy war in Nigeria
(James Barnett, Hudson Institute)

Institutions, communities, and individuals advancing the common good
(Bahá’í World News Service)

Quiet and often unseen, religious leaders promote peaceful and transparent elections – and ethical governance around the world
(Religions for Peace)

Without a border ‘invasion,’ Texas G.O.P. turns to an old enemy, Islam
(J. David Goodman, The New York Times)

Religious property rights in Texas. Can government limit what is built?
(inForney News)

“Freedom of Religion or Belief: The Hidden Right” video
(International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief)

Religion in Modern Education: Conflict, Economics, and Politics
(Editors: David Kim and Melissa Lovell, Brill)

Regional colloquium on interreligious dialogue opens in Guinea with calls for peace, stability and fraternity
(Joseph Pronechen, ACI Africa)

Fresh kidnapping of nine parishioners in Nigeria “deeply saddening, unfortunate”, Catholic bishop in appeal for prayers
(Nicholas Waigwa, ACI Africa)

Christians in Nigeria live in fear amid kidnappings, killings
(Christian Daily)

Inside the Nigeria religious freedom bill: Why U.S. lawmakers are targeting Nigeria and the bigger questions it raises
(James David-Kings, Arbiterz)

Top European court takes up cases of Christians banned from Türkiye
(ADF International)

Fifteen years after Egypt’s uprising, how faith and politics reshaped a generation
(Nareman Amin, The Conversation)

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