Law and Religion Headlines

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Friday, 14 May 2021

China detaining and sentencing Uyghur imams en masse, UHRP reveals
(Uyghur Human Rights Project)

U.S. calls Xinjiang an 'open-air prison,' decries religious persecution by China
(Reuters)

China’s Xinjiang province an ‘open-air prison’, US official says
(Aljazeera)

Since 2014 Beijing has imprisoned at least 630 imams in Xinjiang
(a, Asia News)

Court will not enjoin South Carolina "no aid" clause
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

N Ireland’s main unionist party picks traditionalist leader
(Jill Lawless, Associated Press)

10th Circuit hears oral arguments in ministerial exception case
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Now is the time to stand in solidarity against antisemitism
(Katrina Lantos Swett, Deseret News)

Feilazoo v. Malta: Immigration detention in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond and the right of individual petition
(Aristi Volou, Strasbourg Observers)

Christians beheaded in Indonesia terror attack
(The Christian Post)

Millions more Americans turned to Scripture during pandemic, study suggests
(Emily Wood, The Christian Post)

Vatican weighs in on US bishops’ debate over denying communion to pro-abortion politicians
(Michael Gryboski, The Christian Post)

White evangelicals hold highest disapproval of Biden among religious groups: Pew
(Michael Gryboski, The Christian Post)

Indiana court upholds religious freedom for Catholic schools
(Becket: Press Release)

International court urged to let churches, synagogues, and mosques choose religion teachers, not the state
(Becket: Press Release)

Court blocks 'blasphemous' Indian movie accused of defaming Catholics
(Saji Thomas, Union of Catholic Asian News)

When secularism in India is on a roller coaster
(Babu Joseph Karakombil, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Sri Lanka cancels major Buddhist, Muslim festivals
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

Separated by diaspora, modern-day healers divine the wisdom of their ancestors
(Isaiah Murtaugh, Religion News Service)

‘We cannot wait!’ pleads Catholic missionary in Myanmar
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)

Meet Kashmir’s ‘Midnight Drummers,’ keeping alive an age-old Ramadan tradition
(Majid Maqbool, Religion News Service)

Interview with the Somali-Norwegian model campaigning for Muslim women’s rights
(Peter Yeung, Aljazeera)

Spokeswoman: Vietnam always respects policy on freedom of religion and belief
(Nhan Dan)

USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel makes Fortune's list of World's 50 Greatest Leaders
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Hawaii mask mandate did not violate protester's Free Exercise rights
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

President Biden sends Eid al-Fitr greeting
(Facebook)

Texas passes heartbeat abortion law with broad civil enforcement provision
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Evangelical body 'dismayed' at charges which could see Finnish MP jailed for tweeting Bible verse on homosexuality
(Premier Christian News)

Hate speech laws and blasphemy laws: Parallels show problems with the U.N. strategy and plan of action on hate speech
(ADF International)

Government report signals hope for Middle Eastern Christians
(Steven Howard, Providence Mag)

Podcast Ep. 62 | What USCIRF’s 2021 Report Got Right and Wrong
(Steven Howard & Mark Melton, Providence Mag)

Religious leader engagement in Kosovo: Restored trust leads to renewed relations—Chaplain Michel de Peyret, French Army (Part 1)
(S.K. Moore, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)

Photos of the week: Holy fire; Orthodox Easter
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)

Ramadan drives donations, memberships to giving circles
(Haleluya Hadero, Associated Press)

Penpa Tsering elected president of Tibetan exile government
(Ashwini Bhatia, Associated Press)

Afghan police say Kabul mosque bombing kills 12 worshippers
(Tameem Akhgar, Associated Press)

Albanian tries to set himself on fire at Eid al-Fitr prayers
(Associated Press)

Jewish group condemns ‘pure antisemitism’ in German protests
(Kirsten Grieshaber, Associated Press)

U.S. State Department releases 2020 International Religious Freedom Report
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)

The unseen economic and social impacts of American faith
(Brian Grim, Deseret News Faith)

European Jews brace for antisemitic attacks spurred by Gaza conflagration
(Cnaan Liphshiz, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Atrocities still occurring in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, says priest
(Fredrick Nzwili, Catholic News Service)

U.S. climate envoy speaks at Vatican conference, will meet pope
(Cindy Wooden, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Jehovah's Witness woman's legal appeal proves costly
(Credo.Press, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Uzbekistan: Parents told not to teach Islam to their children
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)

New podcast: Yes, election of first trans/queer/gender fluid ELCA bishop was a big story
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)

Why has Gaza frequently become a battlefield between Hamas and Israel?
(Dov Waxman, OUPblog)

Israel says troops attack Gaza, as strikes continue
(Virginia Pietromarchi and Arwa Ibrahim, Aljazeera)

Pakistani Christians warned against supporting Israel
(Kamran Chaudhry, Union of Catholic Asian News)

Interfaith efforts strained by Israeli-Palestinian violence
(David Crary and Luis Andres Henao, Associated Press)

Thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims rally against Israel
(Julhas Alam, Associated Press)

Religious leaders respond to conflict between Israel and Palestine
(Aspen Pflughoeft, Deseret News Faith)

Dozens of US rabbinical students sign letter calling for American Jews to hold Israel accountable for its human rights abuses
(Philissa Cramer, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

‘Holy War’: A perspective of the Arab-Israeli conflict - opinion
(Moshe Dann, Jerusalem Post)

Press coverage of Mount Meron tragedy offers window into Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jews
(Ira Rifkin, GetReligion)

The Canadian Supreme Court's concerning subordination of religious freedom
(Religious Freedom Institute)

RFI research fellow makes case for medical conscientious objection
(Religious Freedom Institute)

The Clergy Discipline (Amendment) Rules 2021
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Russian Health Ministry notes substantial decline in abortions
(Interfax-Religion)

Putin notes Muslim organizations' active role in Russia's life
(Interfax-Religion)

Russian Orthodox Church pleas reduction of abortions to fight demographic crisis
(Sofia News Agency)

Christian nationalism and recent anti-trans state laws
(Daniel D. Miller, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

LGBT health bias protections set to clash with religion shield
(Lydia Wheeler, Bloomberg Law)

Native students finally win the right to wear tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies
(Shondiin Silversmith, Arizona Republic)

Islam, secularism, and the culture wars in France
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

What does Islamo-Gauchisme mean for the future of France and democracy? (Responding to: Islam, secularism, and the culture wars in France)
(Yasser Louati, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

From separation to anti-separatism: Divides and divisiveness of the french vivre ensemble (Responding to: Islam, secularism, and the culture wars in France)
(Myriam Hunter-Henin, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Islamophobic hegemony in France: Toward a point of no return? (Responding to: Islam, secularism, and the culture wars in France)
(Marwan Mohammed, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Publicly French, privately Muslim: The aim of modern laïcité (Responding to: Islam, secularism, and the culture wars in France)
(Rim-Sarah Alouane, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Reinforcing laïcité? Loi confortant le respect des principes de la République (Responding to: Islam, secularism, and the culture wars in France)
(Murat Akan, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Rinse and repeat: French secularism as political theater (Responding to: Islam, secularism, and the culture wars in France)
(Mayanthi Fernando, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Unveil them to save them: France and the ongoing colonization of Muslim women’s bodies (Responding to: Islam, secularism, and the culture wars in France)
(Jyhene Kebsi, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Two Questions on Coups and Representation before International Courts
(Marko Milanovic, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

Thursday, 13 May 2021

WEBINAR, 13 May 2021 (12:30PM EDT): Public Religions in the COVID-19 World: A Conversation with José Casanova
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Wednesday, 12 May 2021

2020 Report on International Religious Freedom
(U.S. Department of State)

State Department releases its 2020 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom
(Jeremy Barker, Religious Freedom Institute)

USCIRF welcomes the release of State Department’s 2020 International Religious Freedom Report
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Jewish Americans in 2020
(Pew Research Center: Religion & Public Life)

Five takeaways from Pew’s massive study of American Jews
(Brad Hirschfield, Religion News Service Opinion)

USCIRF welcomes amnesty of Jehovah’s Witness prisoners in Turkmenistan
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

The collision of religion and the Vietnamese State
(Aerolyne Reed, The Vietnamese)

New survey of US Jews reveals worries, strengths, divisions
(David Crary, Associated Press)

Study: Young Jews are moving to polar ends — secularism and Orthodoxy
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)

16 Jehovah’s Witnesses released from prison in Turkmenistan during Ramadan
(Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)

America's Jewish communities are under attack — Here are 3 things Congress can do
(Nathan J. Diament, The Hill - Opinion)

New film explores life of key figure in Catholic-Jewish relations
(John Lavenburg, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

The equality equation: The fight for religious freedom must include defending the rights of all people
(Jacqueline Cooke-Rivers, Deseret News Faith)

Faith-based prisons and their teachings about gender
(Brad Stoddard, The Revealer)

Church Reporter, Vol. 6, 10 May 2021 - Newsletter for the English speaking members and friends of the Church Law Society
(Jiří Rajmund Tretera and Záboj Horák, eds., Church Law Society Prague – Brno – Olomouc – Stříbro)

Church sues over Massachusetts COVID regulations
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Massachusetts church asks court to toss governor’s discriminatory restrictions on religious exercise
(First Liberty)

HHS says Affordable Care Act bars LGBTQ discrimination in health care
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

HHS announces prohibition on sex discrimination includes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity
(U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)

FoRB Romania welcomes the appointment of the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion of Belief
(Romania Journal)

Church autonomy and parental rights challenged at top human rights court of the Americas
(ADF International)

French minister: Muslims are the main victims of radical Islam
(Lila Schoepf, Arab News)

Macron’s party pulls support from woman in Muslim headscarf
(Associated Press)

A French inquisition: France’s crackdown on Muslim life in the name of public order
(Kirsten Wesselhoeft, The Revealer)

Biden’s National Day of Prayer achieved some unity
(Hamil R. Harris, Religion Unplugged)

Joe Biden leaves God out of the National Day of Prayer
(Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review)

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