Law and Religion Headlines

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Wednesday, 27 August 2025

Derrek and Others v. Russia: hesitancy on the path to a qualitative Article 3 threshold in LGBT-Phobia Cases?
(Sibel Yilmaz Coşkun, Strasbourg Observers)

Cakes back at the Court: Supreme Court to decide whether California can prosecute custom baker
(Becket)

Quebec committee recommends extending religious symbol ban to public daycares
(CBC News)

Bogotá advances in the protection of the right to believe (Spanish)
(Carlos Mario Ríos, Secretaria de Gobierno Bogota)

Monday, 25 August 2025

International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
(António Guterres, United Nations)

International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
(YouTube Video, International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), Brigham Young University)

Push to recruit Kurds and religious minorities to Syrian security forces brings hope and skepticism
(Omar Albam and Abby Sewell, Associated Press)

Austria’s recognition of Sharia law is a betrayal of the secular state
(Gary Cartwright, EU Today)

Justice and accountability still lacking eight years after the Rohingya genocide
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Syria: UN experts alarmed by attacks on Druze communities, including sexual violence against women and girls
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)

CrossReach opens new residential rehabilitation service in Inverness
(The Church of Scotland)

An urgent need: four essential features for interfaith leadership today
(Parliament of the World's Religions)

From division to dialogue: a call for peace in Thailand and Cambodia
(Religions for Peace)

Mobilizing children for ideological battles: A dangerous game in China’s anti–religious campaign
(Tan Liwei, Bitter Winter)

Articles and books of interest - 25 August 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Outside Newark's 1,100-bed detention center, a weekly prayer service for anxious families
(Fiona Murphy, Religion News Service)

Filipino Catholic group wears ‘sackcloth and ashes’ to seek Duterte impeachment
(Joseph San Mateo, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Pakistan: How online chats are leading to imprisonment for blasphemy
(Zia ur-Rehman, The New York Times)

Reform movement urges against death penalty for alleged Capital Jewish Museum shooter
(Grace Gilson, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Joint statement on anti-Muslim hate in Texas

Hate crime probe after meat and flag left at mosque
(BBC)

Person, religion, and the problem of legal essences
(Marc O. DeGirolami, SSRN)

UK: Religion: Beware of self-proclaimed influencers without any expertise
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Religion and spirituality among LGBT Americans
(Becka A. Alper and Asta Kallo, Pew Research Center)

Federal court protects schools’ freedom to offer faith-based education
(Becket)

Eritrea: global campaign calls for the release of seven church leaders
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)

Evangelical Alliance pleads for prayer as Serbia protests turn violent: 'Pray for the leaders to make wise decisions'
(Chris Eyte, Christian Daily)

France summons US ambassador over letter accusing government of not confronting antisemitism
(Mitchell McCluskey and Pierre Bairin, CNN)

Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton instructs Texas schools to dis­play the Ten Com­mand­ments in accor­dance with Texas law
(Texas Attorney General)

Viet Nam: UN experts alarmed by ongoing repression of Khmer Krom Indigenous Peoples and Theravada Buddhist monks
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)

STF confirms right to refuse blood transfusion based on religion (Portuguese)
(Felipe Pontes, Agencia Brasil)

Religious freedom in the workplace: Fundamental rights and business standards (Portuguese)
(Elisa Alonso, Consultor Juridico)

Pope Leo XIV expresses closeness with Ukraine on its Independence Day
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)

Roundtable focuses on urgent need for God’s peace
(World Council of Churches)

Church: "If religious freedom is denied to one group, sooner or later it will also be denied to others," warns Marta Petrosillo (Portuguese)
(Ecclesia)

Around the web - 25 August 2025
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)

Friday, 22 August 2025

NYC faith leaders look to coordinate as federal cuts strain pantries and soup kitchens
(Fiona Murphy, Religion News Service)

Understanding Anti-Christian Hate Crimes and Addressing the Security Needs of Christian Communities — A Practical Guide
(Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)

EVENT, 18-22 August 2025: BYU Education Week (Provo, Utah, USA)
(various ICLRS presenters, Brigham Young University)

Gospel in motion: How a medical ship is healing Tanzania’s Lake Victoria communities
(Joseph Maina, Religion Unplugged)

Why Egypt has rekindled its war on atheism
(Shimaa El-Yousef, Religion Unplugged)

Junta plans to demolish Myanmar cathedral, Buddhist monasteries
(Union of Catholic Asian News)

State media accuses Christians of espionage in ‘clear hate speech’
(Article 18)

Preserving religious freedom in South Korea
(Newt Gingrich, Washington Times)

Let’s foster unity, human dignity, faith practice “as pillars for national renewal”: Bissau-Guinean Catholic Bishop
(João Vissesse, ACI Africa)

Saudi Arabia undermines U.S. bilateral relationship with execution of Shi’a advocate
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

The secret of sacred spaces
(Knox Thames)

Religious persecution increases in war
(Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)

French leisure park manager detained over alleged religious discrimination against Israeli children
(Sylvie Corbet, Associated Press)

Grand ceremony and parade mark 60 years of Chinese Communist Party rule in Tibet
(Associated Press)

Pastor's suit for reinstatement dismissed under ecclesiastical abstention doctrine
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

At conference, pastors address racism in their churches as momentum fades
(Fiona André, Religion News Service)

Police raid ends Italy’s migrant parish; defiant priest vows he won’t surrender
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)

Samaritan's Purse joins Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's aid efforts in Gaza
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)

Antisemitic attacks rise sharply in Germany amid Gaza war
(Bernd Riegert, Deutsche Welle)

Azerbaijan: First jailing of conscientious objector for 3 years
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)

Metropolitan Onufriy awards Putin's ally in Moldova
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

European churches call for just peace in Ukraine amid high-level talks
(Conference of European Churches)

Nigeria, Iran, China top priority countries for new religious freedom commission chair
(Chris Casquejo, Catholic News Agency)

Judge strikes down Minnesota law banning religious tests for college credit program
(Steve Karnowski, Associated Press)

Congressman Chris Smith renews call for the release of Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong businessman, free speech champion, and democracy/religious freedom advocate
(U.S. House of Representatives)

Faith leaders call on Arkansas governor to reverse course on nitrogen executions
(Grant Lancaster, Texarkana Gazette)

Wednesday, 20 August 2025

DHS awards $110 million to help protect houses of worship and nonprofit organizations
(FEMA, U.S. Department of Homeland Security)

DHS is using the Bible to promote ICE, claiming ‘righteous’ fight against immigrants
(Fiona André, Religion News Service)

The three stages of religious decline around the world
(Jörg Stolz, Nan Dirk de Graaf, Conrad Hackett and Jean-Philippe Antonietti, Nature)

Qatar: five-year sentence for Baha'i dignitary on abusive charges
(Human Rights Watch)

Sentencing of Baha’i leader in Qatar – a systematic pattern
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

UK: The dos and don'ts of enforcing workplace dress codes
(Paul Kelly, People Management)

Royal Navy gets its first Hindu chaplain
(Naomi Canton, Times of India)

Belief in God doubles among young people
(Tim Sigsworth, The Telegraph)

Combating hate speech: The true beginning of peace and human dignity
(Jan Figel and Sheikh Al Mahfoudh bin Bayyah, Diplomat Magazine)

Religion Watch, ‘Volume 40 No. 9’
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)

Study reveals name-based bias against Turkish, Arabic job seekers in Germany
(Türkiye Today)

Church Reporter, Vol. 10, 22 July 2025
(Church Law Society Prague – Brno – Olomouc – Stříbro – České Budějovice – Mšeno)

Global Interfaith Monitor No. 38
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

Landor in Babylon — How a Rastafari’s case against prison injustice could be used to weaponize ‘religious liberty’
(Christian Pattavina, Religion Dispatches)

Azerbaijan unjustly imprisons 19-year-old Elgiz Ibrahimov for conscientious objection
(Jehovah's Witnesses)

Grateful for 25 years of alternative civilian service in Taiwan
(Jehovah's Witnesses)

Twelver Shiism – a branch of Islam that serves both as a spiritual and political force in Iran and beyond
(Massumeh H. Toosi, The Conversation)

Independent Review: California leads the nation in combating antisemitism through statewide initiatives
(Governor Gavin Newsom)

Malaysian state to jail Muslims missing Friday prayers, citizens say 'becoming Taliban soon'
(News 18)

Appeals court halts sale of Native American religious site defended by Catholic groups
(Daniel Payne, Catholic News Agency)

Religious leaders unite to champion peace, tolerance in Nigeria
(Voice of Nigeria)

The Ten Commandments and a “secular purpose”
(Richard Garnett, SCOTUSblog)

The new era of religious accommodations: Clarifying the standard for 'sincere religious beliefs' and evaluating undue hardship
(JDSupra)

West Virginia Board of Education appeals religious vaccine exemption case to state Supreme Court
(Steven Allen Adams, News and Sentinel)

Appeals court revives ex-jail official's religious bias suit
(Alexis Waiss, Bloomberg Law)

True religious freedom means protecting our faith leaders, not detaining them
(Valli Pendyala, Interfaith Alliance)

Catholic charity warns global rise in religious persecution threatens all faiths
(Vatican News)

‘Sitting on a volcano’: Two Indian temples clash as politics and faith mix
(Subhrajit Sen, Al Jazeera)

Texas can’t put the Ten Commandments in certain school districts’ classrooms, judge says
(Andrew DeMillo, Associated Press)

Macron denounces Netanyahu’s ‘abject’ remarks that he fueled antisemitism
(Sylvia Corbet, Associated Press)

Austrian court approves arbitration award rendered by panel applying Islamic law
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Court says California school district must allow Christian club access to facilities
(Daniel Payne, Catholic News Agency)

In Kenya’s capital, a new Rastafari temple shows the movement’s endurance
(Associated Press)

SCOTUS supported parents' rights in education. But religious free exercise needs limits.
(Mark Silk, Religion News Service)

Russia: Council of Churches Baptist communities banned
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)

Monday, 18 August 2025

Ohio man pleads guilty to antisemitic assault near OSU campus
(U.S. Department of Justice)

200 days of EEOC action to protect religious freedom at work
(U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)

The Church joins with other faiths to celebrate religious freedom in Colombia
(Church Newsroom)

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