Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 19 September 2025
Close call preserves ruling against government-sponsored religion
(Holly Hollman, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Fight over Quincy city building's religious statues goes to court
(John Moroney, NBC Boston)
Grassley, Lankford, colleagues move to safeguard students’ freedom of faith and association on college campuses
(Chuck Grassley, U.S. Senate)
Thursday, 18 September 2025
HYBRID EVENT, 18 September 2025: Dilemmas of National Security and Freedom of Religion in Wartime Ukraine
(Oxana Shevel, Harriman Institute at Columbia University)
EVENT, 18 September 2025: Building a Stronger Denver: Religious Freedom in Action (Denver, CO, USA)
(Religious Freedom Alliance Council)
Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Mosque arsonist pleads guilty in federal court
(U.S. Department of Justice)
Kazakhstan country update
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Is Islamic terrorism making a comeback in Bangladesh?
(Sonia Sarkar, Religion Unplugged)
Churches must resist polarization as a path to reducing violence
(Thomas Reese, RNS Column: Signs of the Times)
Report: 100 Churches attacked monthly by jihadists in Nigeria
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Kazakhstan voices opposition to Patriarch Kirill's visit
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Oklahoma’s ‘Judeo-Christian’ social studies standards blocked
(Naaz Modan, K–12 Dive)
Federal judge overturns part of Florida’s book ban law, drawing on nearly 100 years of precedent protecting First Amendment access to ideas
(James B. Blasingame, The Conversation)
How religious is your state? Comparing states on key measures of religiousness
(Chip Rotolo, Benjamin Wormalo, Bill Webster, and Justine Coleman, Pew Research Center)
UN experts warn China over interference in Dalai Lama succession, demand answers on missing Panchen Lama
(Central Tibetan Administration)
Beijing sets online rules for clergy: no sermons, no rituals, no educational activities
(Asia News)
CEC participates in ECIC 2025 on countering disinformation
(Conference of European Churches)
Nepalese Church backs interim govt, calls for peace, stability
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Man detained after pig’s head placed at mosque in Russia's Adygea
(International Quran News Agency (IQNA))
Russia: Religious issues and persecution: Bimonthly Digest September 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
UK: AI and freedom of religion or belief: Promise and peril (III)
(Hans Noot, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
The case for protecting the Apaches’ Oak Flat
(Becket)
Interfaith work called key to preserving religious liberty in public education
(Mark Wingfield, Baptist News)
Strong support of the US government to the Ecumenical Patriarchate
(Orthodox Times)
With childhood vaccination rates falling, debate on religious exemptions grows
(Mark Walsh, Education Week)
Religious freedom is critical to the American experiment
(Derek Brown, Deseret News)
Can legislation stop hatred?
(Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Government rejects bid for transparency on faith selection
(National Secular Society)
Ahead of High Holidays, Jewish groups urge Congress to act on security
(The Jewish Federations of North America)
Thai Buddhist leader advocates for peace and meditation at global interfaith summit
(The Nation)
Sikh leaders urge India to lift ban on pilgrims traveling to Pakistan shrine
(Munir Ahmed, Associated Press)
A Greek island has 1,000 private chapels. Families maintain them for faith and community
(Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press)
COMECE submits contribution to EU consultation on the MFF in the fields of Culture, Education and Youth
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
Tuesday, 16 September 2025
EVENT, 16 September 2025: Special Session on Safeguarding Religious Sites: Reflections and a Call for Action by the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and State Actors (Astana, Kazakhstan)
(United Nations Alliance of Civilizations)
Monday, 15 September 2025
Former US Attorney General William Barr challenges religious claims over Oak Flat Mine
(Levi Rickert, Native News Online)
What do the ‘nones’ actually believe? New report reveals spiritual diversity among religiously unaffiliated around the world
(Mariya Manzhos, Deseret News)
Josef Schuster: 'Jewish life is flourishing' in Germany (video)
(Bernd Riegert, Deutsche Welle)
Religious statue beheaded in German Cathedral
(Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe)
Christian in wheelchair killed while livestreaming his faith in France
(Solène Tadié, Catholic News Agency)
Massachusetts’ religious discrimination is leaving kids without a home
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
California lawmakers approve narrowed bill targeting antisemitism in schools
(Asaf Elia-Shalev, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The embrace of faith and reason: Can faith-based colleges heal what divides us?
(John Nunes, Deseret News)
Are Christians disappearing across the Middle East?
(Lela Gilbert, Religion Unplugged)
General Assembly endorses New York Declaration on two-State solution between Israel and Palestine
(United Nations)
Pope Leo says he cannot broker a peace deal for Ukraine
(Motoko Rich, The New York Times)
Law and religion roundup – 14th September
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
How religious freedom caselaw is shaping the legal landscape for ministries
(Kim Roberts, Religion Unplugged)
Youth address by the Junior Mayor of Cape Town | IF20 South Africa
(Michael-Daniel Bam, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
India's Goa state plans memorial for Portuguese destroyed temples
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Muslim bodies welcome SC stay on key provisions of Waqf law, expect 'complete justice' going ahead
(Devdiscourse)
India’s ‘freedom of religion’ laws have nothing to do with preventing forced conversions
(Ellis Heasley, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest September 01-15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Zion Church in Shuangliao City, Jilin, China is banned
(China Aid)
Praying Rooms established at Cambodia’s two international airports to serve Muslim tourists
(Khmer Times)
Scottish mosques tighten security after Islamophobic attacks
(Fiona Brown, The National Law Review)
Faith-based groups help on long road of earthquake recovery in Afghanistan
(World Council of Churches)
UK: The Faith and Media Summit, a unique initiative in its format organized in Oxford (I)
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Supreme Court 2025-2026: Religious liberty cases to watch
(Becket)
Federalism and American religion and morality
(Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
Dutch parliament votes to criminalize gay conversion therapy
(NL Times)
Federal Court protects church freedom over matters of internal religious governance and leadership
(First Liberty)
Niger State mandates sermon approval for religious preachers
(News Ghana)
Gerard V. Bradley and the American law of church and state
(Richard W Garnett, The American Journal of Jurisprudence)
Hong Kong lawmakers veto bill on same-sex partnerships
(Jessie Pang and Joyce Zhou, Reuters)
Articles of interest - 15 September 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Friday, 12 September 2025
Senator Budd leads colleagues condemning violence against Christians in Nigeria, calling for redesignation of CPC status
(Ted Budd, U.S. Senate)
Governor Abbott signs law banning Sharia compounds in Texas
(Governor of Texas)
Carney government introducing bill to protect people entering religious, cultural buildings
(Ashley Burke, CBC News)
EVENT, 11-12 September 2025: Religious Liberty Lecture and Conference (New South Wales, Australia)
(The University of Notre Dame Australia School of Law and Business)
HYBRID EVENT, 12 September 2025: Religious Freedom in America: Developments in Indiana and the Midwest (Indianapolis, IN, USA)(Religious Freedom Alliance Council)
(J. Reuben Clark Law Society)
EVENT, 12 September 2025: Religious Freedom: A 250-Year Perspective (Washington, DC, USA)
(Faith & Law)
Canada: 290+ lawyers and law students urge government to preserve the integrity of the charitable sector
(Christian Legal Fellowship)
Venice mayor condemns reported attack on American Orthodox Jewish couple
(Associated Press)
5th Circuit: Baptist mission board can claim church autonomy defense
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
9th Circuit upholds requirement to use only secular curricular materials in charter school home instruction programs
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Interfaith prayer for peace held simultaniously in Kyiv and Gniezno
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Kazakhstan: Kentau Police use torture, murder threats
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Police step up night patrols in Golders Green after spate of antisemitic attacks
(Annabel Sinclair, Jewish News)
Are Christians the most persecuted religious group worldwide?
(Miray Philips, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
South African ministries helping women leave prostitution behind
(Vicky Abraham, Religion Unplugged)
Islamophobic incidents in Australia ‘skyrocketed’ since Israel’s Gaza war
(Al Jazeera)
Christchurch's Muslim community has high rates of mental health conditions, study finds
(Tess Brunton, Radio New Zealand)
Churches express concern over escalating violence in Nepal
(World Council of Churches)
Assisted suicide law would make this a country that says ‘some lives are not worth living’ – Bishop of London
(The Church of England)
India hardliners give Nepal protests baseless religious twist
(France 24)
Social scientists have long found women tend to be more religious than men – but Gen Z may show a shift
(Ryan Burge, The Conversation)
Tensions with ultra-Orthodox are second most divisive conflict in Israeli society, poll finds
(The Jerusalem Post)
IAB member presents research at USP seminar on religious institutions and labor law (Portuguese)
(Instituto dos Advogados Brasileiros)
Pathways to Peace amplifies Christian voices against war
(Conference of European Churches)
US Catholic bishops decry Trump’s immigration raids upending church life
(Luis Andres Henao, Associated Press)
Wednesday, 10 September 2025
President Trump champions religious freedom, unveils America Prays
(The White House)
The hymns still rise in Rwanda, but they do so quietly now
(AJ Johnson, Christianity Today)
EVENT, 10 September 2025: 3rd Annual Interfaith Symposium: “Sacred Spaces for Challenging Times” (Chicago, IL, USA)(Religious Freedom Alliance Council)
(Interfaith Chicago)
Despite efforts to promote religious tolerance and reduce terrorism, Indonesia’s laws limit religious freedom
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba calls for ethical leadership and Ubuntu-driven action
(Marianna Richardson, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Nudity in devotion is not obscenity, Nepal Supreme Court rules
(Kathmandu Post)
Vatican official tells Bangladesh to uphold rule of law, equality
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
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