Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 8 February 2021
Sri Lankan minorities march against oppression, injustice
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Pope prays for peace in Myanmar as anti-coup protests grow
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Resistance To Pope’s Pleas Growing In US – OpEd
(William Donohue, Eurasia Review Opinion)
Church known as a birthplace of LA’s Chicano civil rights movement earns national recognition
(Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service)
Some California churches hold indoor services after ruling
(Christopher Weber, Associated Press)
U.S. Supreme Court rules against Newsom on indoor church services in California COVID-19 case
(Dael Kasler, Sacramento Bee)
South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom (SCOTSblog coverage)
(SCOTUSblog)
South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Gavin Newsom, Governor of California
(Slip Opinion, Supreme Court of the United States)
San Francisco cathedral reopens for indoor services after California revises church guidelines
(Luz Pena, ABC7 News)
Supreme Court nixes California’s ban on indoor worship
(Becket: Press Release)
The Supreme Court’s new, deeply fractured decision on churches and the pandemic, explained
(Ian Millhiser, Vox)
Supreme Court enjoins, pending appeal, California's total ban on indoor worship services
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Islamist militants fuel Christian persecution in Kenya, faith leaders say
(Fredrick Nzwili, Religion News Service)
New Hampshire priest sues conservative Catholic website for defamation
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
The Supreme Court stands up again for worship during the pandemic
(The Editors, National Review)
This Supreme Court’s religious liberty approach would be silly, if the consequences were not so dire
(Tyler Broker, Above the Law)
Maine parents appeal school choice case to U.S. Supreme Court
(Institute for Justice)
Cert. petition filed in Maine's tuition reimbursement controversy
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Ministerial exception applies to Whistleblower Act claim
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Articles of interest - 8 February 2021
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Factional dispute in church dismissed
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Catholic schools in US hit by unprecedented enrollment drop
(David Crary, Associated Press)
Pope moves ahead with plans to meet Shiite leader in Iraq
(Nicole Winfield and Samya Kullab, Associated Press)
Sistine Chapel key-keeper opens up after lockdown
(Paolo Lucariello and Elisa Colella, Religion News Service)
Pope seeks ‘Copernican revolution’ for post-COVID economy
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
AP Photos: Afro-Brazilian religion ritual before Carnival
(Bruna Prado and Marcelo Silva De Sousa, Associated Press)
Three Saudi youths get prison sentence instead of death
(Isabel Debre, Associated Press)
Dioceses dispute conclusions, methods of AP report on pandemic funding
(Tom Tracy, Associated Press)
Markus Grübel speaks to EPRID on FoRB during the pandemic, the German presidency of the EU Council, and the new EU sanction regime
(European Platform against Religious Intolerance and Discrimination)
Make houses of worship the center of vaccine rollout
(Charles C. Camosy, RNS Column: Purple Catholicism)
Trial of Jehovah's Witness reveals covert collection of evidence
(Darya Kucherenko, Kommersant, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Pope Francis tells diplomats 'everybody is important' and 'we are all in the same boat'
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Killer robots condemned by religious groups that want them banned
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Religion Watch, Volume 36 No. 3
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
New issue of EJIL (Vol. 31 (2020) No. 3) now published
(Mary Guest, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK Newsletter - Issue 53
(Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK)
Do not link farmers' stir with any religion, Sukhbir urges PM
(Yahoo News India)
Universal Credit childcare payment system indirectly discriminates against women (UK)
(Michael Spencer, UK Human Rights Blog)
Law and religion round-up – 7th February
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Document on prevalence of forced Charedi marriages handed to UK government
(Ellie Jacobs, Jewish News)
Impeachment trial to pause for Shabbat after Trump’s lawyer requests accommodation
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Adapting Islam to local conditions best course for development in Chinese society: head of Islamic association
(Xie Wenting, Global Times)
Biden is right to go big: This could be the moment of social repair. (Democrats, God put you on this earth to spend government money on the disadvantaged.)
(David Brooks, The New York Times Opinion)
China: Special weekly newsletter on freedom of religion or belief
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Legal Spirits Episode 031: The Biden Inauguration, Civil Religion & the Religious Left
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Myanmar massacre victims called the 'final problem' — the US must take action
(Kelsey Zorzi, The Hill)
New book: Religious Offences in Common Law Asia
(Editors: Li-ann Thio, Jaclyn L Neo, Bloomsbury Publishing)
Laos presents commendation to IGE Program Officer for peacebuilding work
(Institute for Global Engagement)
Common grounds for religious & social harmony and its contemporary significance (Pakistan)
(Androulla Kaminara and Qibla Ayaz, The News International)
Prohibiting prayer in Australia
(Carl R. Trueman, First Things)
Christian leaders fear proposed Denmark sermon law to root out Islamic extremism will harm all faiths
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)
West Virginia city's evangelical Christians torn over religion's role in politics
(Associated Press, Fox News)
How Americans can address Christian nationalism in their congregations and communities
(Mya Jaradat, Deseret News)
Sunday, 7 February 2021
World Interfaith Harmony Week 1-7 February
(United Nations)
Annual UN Observance Week: Feb. 1-7
(The World Interfaith Harmony Week)
Saturday, 6 February 2021
Divided court allows indoor worship services to resume in California
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)
Tirupattur woman gets ‘No Caste, No Religion’ certificate: Advocate Sneha becomes first Indian to get this certificate
(Avani Raj, edtimes.in)
Friday, 5 February 2021
International Day of Human Fraternity 4 February
(United Nations)
Pope, Muslim leader celebrate fraternity anniversary
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
Secretary General of Religions for Peace: The Human Fraternity Document is a gift to the world
(Religions for Peace)
Bahrain to mark International Day of Human Fraternity today
(The Daily Tribune - News of Bahrain)
Social and religious dynamics of Muslims in Europe: 7 trends and 4 responses (II)
(Bert de Ruiter, Evangelical Focus Europe)
Massacres, starvation and wanton destruction: The international community must act swiftly to save Ethiopia’s Tigray region
(CSWPress, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
One year on, Muslim women reflect on wearing the niqab in a mask-wearing world
(Anna Piela, The Conversation)
The Church of Almighty God 2020 Persecution Report: A genocide by any other name
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)
NEW BOOK – Covid-19 and freedom of religion (in Spanish)
(Javier Martínez-Torrón and Belén Rodrigo Lara, DiReSoM: Diritto e Religione nelle Società Multiculturali/ Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies)
The pandemic in America through the eye of religion, with Rev. John L. McCullough
(Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky, New Geography)
Can an employee object to mandatory COVID-19 vaccines on religious grounds?
(Debbie Kaminer, Religion Unplugged)
Iran: News about Baha’is and Christians in Iran in January
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Iran: German FoRB Commissioner calls for an end to persecution of Baha’is
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
A case of conflict between religious freedom and the protection of public health
(Linda Fregoli, DiReSom)
2020 report on hate groups released
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Religious freedom alarms raised over proposed compulsory translation law for Danish churches
(Barnabas Fund)
European churches express concern over French draft law related to Islamic radicalism
(Conference of European Churches)
American Muslims: The Untouchables of American Constitutional Democracy?
(Sohail Wahedi, Idaho Law Review)
Photos of the Week: Kashmiri Muslims, death rites
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)
Doctor’s “Ask” (Canada and COVID)
(James Christie, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Imam sues Alabama over exclusion of clergy from execution chamber
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Imam sues Alabama for not letting him join Muslim inmates in execution room
(Daniel Conrad, Courthouse News Service)
Sitting on billions, Catholic dioceses amassed taxpayer aid
(Reese Dunklin and Michael Rezendes, Associated Press)
Biden, at prayer breakfast, calls out ‘political extremism’
(Elana Schor and Will Weissert, Associated Press)
How the National Prayer Breakfast became an opportunity for presidents and faith leaders alike to push their political agendas
(Deborah Whitehead, The Conversation)
USCIRF welcomes announcement that refugee ceiling will increase next fiscal year
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Pandemic demonstrates the value of Catholic education
(Colleen Hroncich, Real Clear Religion)
Over 30 governments use UN platform to speak out against religious persecution
(ADF International)
February 2021 Issue
(The Revealer: A Review of Religion & Media, The Center for Religion and Media at NYU)
Faith groups say refugee program will take time to rebuild
(Emily McFarlan Miller, Jack Jenkins, Associated Press)
Immigrants in sanctuary in churches hope Biden offers relief
(Philip Marcelo, Sophia Tareen and Jim Salter, Associated Press)
Federal appeals court upholds nativity scene, citing memorial cross ruling
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Italy’s ‘Super Mario,’ set to become PM, is a close friend of the Jesuits
(John L. Allen Jr., Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Can 'Super Mario' And Catholic social teaching rescue Italy's faltering economy?
(Clement Lisi, Religion Unplugged)
Activists press Biden to restore office on faith-based partnerships
(John Lavenburg, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Bishops in Republic of Congo worried presidential election won’t be fair
(Catholic News Service)
For these conservatives, winning religious freedom lawsuits isn’t enough
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)
Why the Bangladesh-India friendship is under pressure
(Ankita Mukhopadhyay, Deutsche Welle)
Oppression of minorities hinders harmony in Bangladesh
(Stephan Uttom, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Middle East: Are people losing their religion?
(Jennifer Holleis, Deutsche Welle)
The controversy over California’s ethnic studies curriculum, explained
(Ben Sales, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
French chief rabbi clashes with fellow communal leaders in debate over France’s Jewish future
(Cnaan Liphshiz, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Another conviction handed Jehovah's Witness in Jewish region
(Memorial Human Rights Center, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
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