Law and Religion Headlines

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Monday, 15 January 2024

Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez and 18 priests arrive in Rome from prison, guests of Vatican
(Associated Press)

Articles of interest - 15 January 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Court supervision of church election invalidated by Mississippi Supreme Court
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

China: Guidelines instruct religions how to implement the new Patriotic Education Law
(Hu Zimo, Anglican Ink)

Japan proposes guidelines that would artificially multiply the “victims” of “cults”
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)

Examination of Witnesses Rt Hon Baroness Hayman and Rt Hon Baroness D’Souza
(Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, House of Commons)

Protest in Georgian capital amid anger over 'desecration' of Stalin icon
(Felix Light, Reuters)

Prosecutor appeals Bible-tweet case to Finnish Supreme Court
(ADF International)

A.D. v Malta: The continuous application of a defective asylum system
(Felix Peerboom, Strasbourg Observers)

Friday, 12 January 2024

Canada: B.C. Jehovah's Witnesses lose court battle over disclosing records on 2 ex-members
(Bethany Lindsay, CBC News)

An overlooked and undercounted group of Arab American and Muslim voters may have outsized impact on 2024 presidential election
(Youssef Chouhoud, The Conversation)

Canada: Charges against Canadians who defended religious freedom stayed
(Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms)

Man stabs imam after shouting anti-Israel slogan at İstanbul mosque
(Turkish Minute)

HHS releases revised health-worker religious conscience rule
(Ian Lopez, Bloomberg Law)

A spiritual leader in Nepal known as ‘Buddha Boy’ arrested on charges of rape and kidnapping
(Binaj Gurubacharya, Associated Press)

Taiwan: Why temples are a top campaign stop in Taiwan’s election
(Jordyn Haime, Al Jazeera)

Afghanistan: Islamic State group claims responsibility for a minibus explosion in Afghan capital that killed 5
(Associated Press)

Afghanistan: UN concerned over Taliban arrests of Afghan women and girls for alleged Islamic headscarf violations
(Associated Press)

First meeting of After School Satan Club at Tennessee elementary school draws protesters
(Associated Press)

Florida welcomes students fleeing campus antisemitism, with little evidence that there’s demand
(Mike Schneider, Associated Press)

Church may move ahead with RFRA challenge to limits on its use of ayahuasca
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Iraq: Church destroyed by ISIS in Iraq completely restored 10 years later
(Diego Lopez Marina, Catholic News Agency)

FBI Salt Lake City releases PSAs in foreign languages to encourage hate crime reporting
(Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Belarus: Repressive new Religion Law imposes compulsory re-registration
(Felix Corley and Olga Glace, Forum 18 News Service)

Vietnam: US requested to remove Vietnam from Special Watch List on religious freedom
(Voice of Vietnam)

Việt Nam committed to guarantee human rights, religious freedom: Foreign ministry
(Việt Nam News)

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan again designated as religious freedom violators, granted waivers
(Catherine Putz, The Diplomat)

Harvard is sued by Jewish students over 'rampant' antisemitism on campus
(Jonathan Stempel, Reuters)

House of Lords Maiden Speech: Rt Rev. Bishop Philip Mounstephen (on FORB and persecution)
(YouTube Video, Worth Watching)

Lord Alton’s response to The Bishop of Winchester’s Maiden Speech – 11th January 2024.
(Lord David Alton)

Gender-critical social worker wins tribunal against Westminster council
(Victoria Cook, BBC News)

Pledge of Allegiance in schools: Do students have to stand?
(Freedom Forum)

India: Thousands of Indian teachers set to lose jobs as Muslim school funding ends
(Saurabh Sharma and Krishna N. Das, Reuters)

How to maneuver around acknowledging the right to access abortion: Some thoughts on the ECtHR’s judgment in M.L. v Poland
(Sissy Katsoni, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

China bars Tibetan kids from private classes, religious activities
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

Egypt’s Al Azhar supports South Africa’s legal case against Israel before ICJ
(Egypt State Information Service)

As International Court of Justice hearings commence, WCC calls on “all responsible members of the international community to respect and implement the ICJ rulings”
(World Council of Churches)

ECHR/Spain: Hearing on blood transfusion administered to a Jehovah’s Witness against her will
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Church without God: How secular congregations fill a need for some nonreligious Americans
(Jacqui Frost, The Conversation)

30 years of LGBTQ+ history in Russia: from decriminalisation in 1993 to ‘extremist’ status in 2023
(Sergey Katsuba, The Conversation)

Jewish students sue Harvard over 'rampant' anti-semitism
(Sam Cabral, BBC News)

Georgian Orthodox Church calls for Stalin religious icon to be changed
(Ido Vock, BBC News)

Bangalore: How polarisation is dividing India's Silicon Valley
(Soutik Biswas, BBC News)

World report 2024: Our annual review of human rights around the globe
(Human Rights Watch)

Africa’s Catholic hierarchy refuses same-sex blessings, says such unions are contrary to God’s will
(Nicole Winfield, BBC News)

New Jersey police seek killer of a Muslim leader outside Newark mosque
(Mike Catalini, Associated Press)

Looking for home around the world: The Uyghur diaspora and its needs
(Elise Anderson, Freedom House)

Anti-racists slam blackface use in Spain's Epiphany parades
(David Latona, Joan Faus and Eva Manez, Reuters)

Thursday, 11 January 2024

VIRTUAL EVENT, 11 January 2024 (11AM ET): Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index
(Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)

Wednesday, 10 January 2024

HHS adopts rules implementing conscience protections in federal law
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Religious freedom organization wants the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners to repeal a Christian Heritage proclamation
(John Hinton, Winston-Salem Journal)

Pope Francis prays for an end to religious persecution
(Joseph Tulloch, Vatican News)

Daesh/ISIS terror suspect wanted by Interpol arrested in Türkiye
(Muhammed Kisir, Anadolu Agency)

31 detained, 13 wanted in Turkish operations against Daesh
(Daily Sabah)

Türkiye blocks terror attacks on churches, synagogues in anti-Daesh op.
(Daily Sabah)

World Council of Churches slammed for Cuba trip, claiming gov’t respects religious freedom
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)

FFRF calls out Ala. state senator’s pro-indoctrination remarks
(Freedom From Religion Foundation)

Türkiye nabs 189 Daesh/ISIS suspects in 37 provinces
(Merve Berker, Anadolu Agency)

‘Turbulence’ hits India-US ties after Sikh separatist murder plot
(Sanjay Kapoor, Al Jazeera)

Brazil: ‘Outraged’: Brazilian Muslims face growing Islamophobia over Gaza war
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Al Jazeera)

Turkish intelligence agency nabs Daesh ringleader
(TRT World)

Nicaragua: new priests ordained as UN appeals for missing religious
(Vatican News)

Nicaragua: Bishop Rolando Álvarez unjustly detained for 500 days in Nicaragua
(Matthew Miller, U.S. Department of State)

Young people to make pilgrimage to Christ the King shrine for religious freedom in Mexico
(Diego López Colín, Catholic News Agency)

Woman becomes first non-resident to die through Vermont's assisted suicide law
(Samantha Kamman, The Christian Post)

Religious freedom panel seeks hearings as State Dept. omits India, Nigeria from watchlist
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)

Prominent Black church in New York sued for gender bias by woman who sought to be its senior pastor
(Darren Sands, Associated Press)

Saudi Arabia interested in Israel normalisation deal after war
(David Gritten, BBC News)

Rebutting allegations of genocide against Israel
(EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

Why the ICJ cannot order Israel to stop the war in Gaza as a provisional measure
(Jesse Lempel, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

Syria: 9 dead as Daesh/ISIS terror group attacks convoy of Syrian regime forces
(Esref Musa, Anadolu Agency)

Pakistan rejects US State Department inclusion in religious freedom concern list
(Shashank Pandey, Jurist)

How to deal with same-sex unions? It’s a question fracturing major Christian denominations
(David Crary, Associated Press)

Indonesia: Behind bars for ‘blasphemy’ in Indonesia
(Andreas Harsono, Human Rights Watch)

Pope Francis calls for a universal ban on surrogacy. He says it exploits mother and child
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)

Recent incidents of temple vandalism leave American Hindus worried about a larger trend
(Richa Karmarkar, Religion News Service)

Kenyan court: Charge doomsday cult leader within 2 weeks or we release him on our terms
(Ton Odula, Associated Press)

Canada: Pro-life Canadian health workers say they won’t be forced to participate in abortion, euthanasia
(Anthony Murdoch, Lifesite)

January 2024 Newsletter
(The Association of Religion Data Archives)

ADF to Biden admin: Protect Americans' conscience rights
(Alliance Defending Freedom)

Idaho's life-saving law to come before US Supreme Court
(Alliance Defending Freedom)

Conversion therapy ban: Church groups says it is 'ready to go to court' with the Scottish Government
(Rachel Amery, The Scotsman)

Gabriel Attal, France’s new prime minister, says his Jewish ancestry has shaped him
(Ron Kampeas, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Three sites of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra still barricaded by unknown individuals, - Ministry of Culture
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

The dilemmas of living in a post-religious world
(Shadi Hamid, The Washington Post)

Table Talks on Law and Religion
(John Witte, Jr., Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

EU 'Migration Pact' alarms Church and human rights groups
(Alexander Faludy, La Croix International)

Uganda’s High Court deepens divisions among Muslims following property dispute
(John Semakula, Religion Unplugged)

Morocco to lead UN Human Rights Council despite South Africa’s disapproval
(Al Jazeera)

U.S. antisemitic incidents skyrocketed 360% in aftermath of attack in Israel, according to latest ADL data
(Anti-Defamation League)

Hong Kong approves first Catholic university
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

Sri Lanka promises to check distortion of religious teachings
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

Poland's bishops pledge dialogue with new government
(Jonathan Luxmoore, Union of Catholic Asian News)

CAIR announces settlement with Mesa Airlines over Texas Arab, Muslim passengers booted from flight
(Ismail Allison, Council on American-Islamic Relations)

Norway: A trial about the State’s intrusion into religious beliefs
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Iranian Christian refugees in Turkey no longer eligible for US resettlement scheme
(Article 18)

Glukhin v. Russia: facial recognition considered highly intrusive but not inconsistent with fundamental rights
(Cristina Cocito, Strasbourg Observers)

'Faith and State' Capitol event in Tennessee defends faith in politics
(Liam Adams, Tennessean)

Nigeria: Religious rumblings
(Ebenezer Obadare, Council on Foreign Relations)

Religious institutions update: January 2024
(Nathan Adams IV, Holland & Knight LLP, JD Supra)

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