Law and Religion Headlines

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Wednesday, 9 December 2020

4th Circuit remands Muslim inmate's RLUIPA and Equal Protection claims
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Michigan Catholic schools sue over COVID order
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Michigan Catholic schools say forced closure is unconstitutional, file lawsuit
(Gus Burns, M Live)

Faith leaders counter rise of gender-based violence
(Religions for Peace)

Building interfaith peace virtually: A lesson from youth
(Merylene Chitharai, Religions for Peace)

5 interfaith leaders answer: Does faith conflict with science during COVID-19?
(Jillian Cheney, Religion Unplugged)

Legal reform in Uzbekistan: Prospects for freedom of religion or belief and covenantal pluralism
(Elizabeth A. Clark and Dmytro Vovk, The Review of Faith & International Affiars, Volume 18)

The Christchurch commission’s call to improve social cohesion is its hardest — and most important — recommendation
(Alexander Gillespie, The Conversation)

COVID-19: 14 NGOs urge China, Iran and Russia to release all religious prisoners
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Weekly Highlight #135: Fierce and Important Debates about Ethics of Vaccines; Working to Organize Religious Actors
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)

Anger after Jewish man torches historic Jerusalem church
(Jewish News)

USCIRF releases groundbreaking report on the enforcement of blasphemy laws globally
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Swiss bishops say ‘marriage equality’ proposal ignores rights of children
(Catholic News Service)

How Hanukkah came to be an annual White House celebration
(Jonathan D. Sarna, The Conversation)

Churches step in where politicians will not
(Elizabeth Bruenig, The New York Times Opinion)

Apparent fallout from Moscow case of Jehovah's Witnesses
(Russia Religion News (Stetson University))

Anti-Semitism at its lowest point in history in Russia, FJCR president says
(Interfax-Religion)

Two Catholic priests to face trial in Vitebsk for administrative violation
(Interfax-Religion)

Same-sex blessings: Church in Wales
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel D. Brownback briefing on rollout of U.S. actions against religious freedom violators
(U.S. Embassy in Georgia)

Tajikistan disagrees with its designation by U.S. for particular concern over religious freedom
(Interfax-Religion)

State Department adds Nigeria, 9 other countries to list of worst religious freedom violators
(Ryan Foley, The Christian Post)

French anti-extremism law: Government eliminates controversial provisions
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

French Muslims say 'radical Islamism' law is discriminatory
(Lisa Louis, Deutsche Welle)

French anti-extremism law: State Council shares scholars’ concern
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter)

France takes on Islamist extremism with new bill
(Roger Cohen, The New York Times)

US envoy voices concern over religious freedom in France
(Daily Sabah)

Tuesday, 8 December 2020

WEBINAR, 8 December 2020 (3:30PM GMT+1:00): Fortifying Families Webinar Series [Ep. 6]: Families and Freedom of Religion or Belief
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints European Office)

New Labor Department rule expands religious exemption for federal contractors
(Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)

Monday, 7 December 2020

Supreme Court hears arguments on suits over Nazi confiscation of Jewish-owned property
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

High court hears Nazi-era cases from Germany, Hungary
(Jessica Gresko, Associated Press)

Case preview: Justices to consider immunity for Germany in claims arising from Nazi-era art sale
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)

WEBINAR, 7 December 2020 (9AM MST, 17:00 Central European Time): God in Secular Constitutions
(The International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), Brigham Young University)

WEBINAR, 7 December 2020 (2PM EST): Rethinking Religion and U.S. Diplomacy: Refugee Resettlement Policies
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Pope Francis: Ask God for the gift of conversion in Advent
(Catholic News Agency)

Report: Vatican seeks 8-year jail sentence for ex-Vatican bank president
(Catholic News Agency)

Belgian Catholics organize legal challenge to public Mass ban
(Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency)

English bishops say AstraZeneca’s vaccine may be received without sin
(Catholic News Agency)

Swiss court suspends public worship ban in Geneva
(Catholic News Agency)

Gethsemane church targeted in arson attack
(Catholic News Agency)

Articles of interest - 7 December 2020
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

SCOTUS denies review in transgender bathroom case
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Vatican archbishop expresses ‘grave concern’ at rise in attacks on believers at prayer
(Catholic News Agency)

Case page: Federal Republic of Germany v. Philipp
(SCOTUSblog)

Notre-Dame choir to return to fire-damaged cathedral for Christmas concert
(Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency)

Australian Catholic bishops establish new agency to fight abuse
(Catholic News Agency)

Pakistan’s Christians to protest violations and violence
(Zenit: The World Seen from Rome)

Christian aid group applauds investigation into forced conversions, marriages in Pakistan
(Catholic News Agency)

Chinese court tells Dutch collector to return Buddha statue
(Associated Press)

Students with disabilities in faith-based schools
(Allan G. Osborne, Jr., Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)

Midnight Mass kerfuffle offers vintage ‘only in Italy’ moment
(John L. Allen Jr., Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Republicans defy Evers, put Christmas tree in closed Capitol
(Todd Richmond, Associated Press)

How religion is front and center in the heated Georgia Senate runoff races
(Mya Jaradat, Deseret News Faith)

US puts Nigeria on religious freedom blacklist with China, Saudi Arabia
(Deutsche Welle)

USCIRF welcomes the State Department’s designation of Nigeria among world’s worst violators of religious freedom
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Shiite factions close to Sistani move to separate from Iran-backed militias
(Mustafa Saadoun, Al-Monitor: Iran Pulse)

The decline of the Christian consensus
(Ross Douthat, National Review)

India's 'love jihad' interfaith marriage story may be political spin – but its effects are real
(Ira Rifkin, GetReligion)

How should Biden-era Americans understand 'religious freedom' and First Amendment?
(Richard Ostling, GetReligion)

Chaput says denying Biden Communion is ‘pastoral’ not ‘political’
(Catholic News Agency)

Pro-life leaders react to Biden's 'extreme' HHS pick
(Catholic News Agency)

Religious right eyes Biden warily after Trump’s good favor
(Elana Schor, Associated Press)

After years of waiting, Ethiopian Jews arrive to Israel
(Rina Bassist, Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)

Minsters and cathedrals
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Marriage (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 2020
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Law and religion round-up – 6th December
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Prince Charles leads Lord Sacks memorial: I’ll miss him more than words can say
(Sandy Rashty, Jewish News)

Slovenia designates Hezbollah as terrorist organization
(Al-Monitor: Lebanon Pulse)

Polygamy is rare around the world and mostly confined to a few regions
(Pew Research Center Fact Tank)

The weaponizing of personal religious views to deny equal protection to the LGBT community
(Thomas Prol, law.com)

Police in Uttar Pradesh arrest 10 men under new anti-conversion law
(Saurabh Sharma, Reuters)

Rethinking U.S. domestic religious freedom
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Inside Mar Saba Monastery in the West Bank
(Taghreed Ali, Al-Monitor: Palestine Pulse)

Looking ahead to the conscience of national interest (Responding to: Rethinking U.S. domestic religious freedom)
(Leslie C. Griffin, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Religious freedom after Trump (Responding to: Rethinking U.S. domestic religious freedom)
(Tisa Wenger, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Religious freedom, integrity, and Smith (Responding to: Rethinking U.S. domestic religious freedom)
(John Corvino, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Religious freedom’s racial reckoning (Responding to: Rethinking U.S. domestic religious freedom)
(Corey D. B. Walker, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

With pews emptied by COVID-19, a Catholic researcher asks, ‘What if they never come back?’
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)

Liberals tussle over Australia's gay conversion laws as religious leaders split
(Farrah Tomazin & Paul Sakkal, The Age)

Two weeks in review, 23 November – 6 December 2020
(Gail Lythgoe, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)

California Sikhs to hold caravan and rally in support of farmer protests in India
(Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service)

Macron rejects calls to get tough with Egypt’s el-Sisi on rights
(Al Jazeera)

Pope to make first-ever trip to Iraq in March: Vatican
(Al Jazeera)

Pope Francis will travel to Iraq in 2021
(Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency)

G20 Interfaith Forum: Handing over from Saudi Arabia to Italy as President of the 2021 G20
(Katherine Marshall, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)

House of Lords 07 12 20 - Trade Bill - Genocide Amendment
(Lord Alton, YouTube Video)

Religious, ethnic minorities grapple over California’s model ethnic studies curriculum
(Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service)

Report: Two-child limit on UK tax benefits pushes some women to abortion
(Catholic News Agency)

Sunday, 6 December 2020

NSW Covid-19 rules for churches from 7 Dec 2020
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)

Friday, 4 December 2020

Department of Justice announces lawsuit against Airmont, NY’s religious discrimination
(First Liberty)

Justice Department files lawsuit against village of Airmont, New York, for zoning restrictions that target the Orthodox Jewish community
(U.S. Department of Justice)

Kosovo ethnic divide eases as Muslim cares for elderly Serb
(Llazar Semini, Associated Press)

France probes 76 mosques suspected of ‘Islamist separatism’
(Noemie Bisserbe, The Wall Street Journal)

Can France resolve tensions with the Muslim community?
(Al Jazeera)

France Islam: Muslims under pressure to sign French values charter
(Lucy Williamson, BBC News)

Further information about Victorian “Conversion Practices” Bill
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)

Judge dismisses motion to ban the Rev. Greg Drumwright’s right to march
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)

Charged with 2 felonies for protesting, the Rev. Greg Drumwright is marching on
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)

COVID vaccines are moral to use, say ethicists, Catholic bishops
(Bob Smietana, Religion News Service)

Southern Baptist seminary presidents nix critical race theory
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)

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