Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Largest-ever Israeli interfaith delegation visits UAE
(Steve Linde, Columbus Jewish News)
Worldwide head of Ahmadiyya Muslim community calls for absolute justice for the sake of attaining global peace at 19th National Peace Symposium
(Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK)
Trump’s meeting with Orthodox Christian patriarch sows confusion
(David I. Klein, Religion News Service)
Jewish leaders throw support behind bipartisan House antisemitism bill
(Grace Gilson, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Spain reports 86% rise in antisemitic incidents, as interior minister takes aim at ‘xenophobia’
(Shira Li Bartov, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
A Catholic mayor commissioned statues of saints. Residents revolted.
(Jenna Russell, The New York Times)
CEC contributes to EU dialogue on ethical and social impact of artificial intelligence
(Conference of European Churches)
Faith leaders step into the vacuum as cities grapple with ‘teen takeovers’
(Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged)
How Christians and Muslims promote peace in this Nigerian refugee camp
(Ekpali Saint, Religion Unplugged)
India’s Bengal pushes out Muslim Bangladeshis, deepening religious tensions
(Gurvinder Singh, Al Jazeera)
Knesset advances Basic Law bill equating Torah study with IDF service, despite coalition revolt
(Ariela Karmel, Times of Israel)
Michalyn Steele on why the progeny of Bowen v. Roy changed her view of the original 1986 case
(Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Indonesian groups slam dispersal of Ahmadiyya youth camp
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
PHC upholds man's life sentence in Quran desecration case
(Pakistan Today)
UK: HRWF reporting from Crewe about a Muslim community besieged by extremists
(Hans Noot, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
College football coach asks court to flag Washington State for religious targeting
(Becket)
Religious liberty at 250: America’s most radical idea
(Bethany Mandel, Washington Examiner)
Florida Attorney General issues opinion supporting religious release time education under Florida law
(First Liberty)
Police drop plans to record anti-Islam ‘hostility’
(Nick Gutteridge, The Telegraph)
Critics say religious service protections could run afoul of right to free speech
(Howard Fischer, Arizona Capitol Times)
McCaul introduces amendment to support Tibetans' religious freedom, ability to select Dalai Lama successor
(Michael McCaul, U.S. House of Representatives)
Freedom of religion or belief in Sudan
(House of Commons Library)
Man charged in attempted arson of Montreal-area synagogue awaiting psychological evaluation
(CBC News)
Monday, 8 June 2026
Pope’s historic speech to Spain’s parliament demands respect for migrants and gets 7-minute ovation
(Suman Naishadham and Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 8 June 2026
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Pope Leo XIV draws 1.2 million to Mass and challenges Europe to acknowledge its Christian roots
(Suman Naishadham and Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
Defense Department rejiggers list of recognized religions after backlash, narrows it to 30
(Yonat Shimron and Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)
Qatar spent decades building its reputation. Deporting Bahá’ís threatens to undo it.
(Kristina Arriaga, Religion News Service)
Russia: January 2025 to April 2026 prosecutions for not showing official full name: list
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
Consultation on cohabitation rights: a welcome development
(Russell Sandberg, Law & Religion UK)
Clyburn, Van Hollen, Carson, DeLauro, Johnson, Khanna, Nadler lead 119 Democrats in condemning the anti-Muslim “Sharia-Free America Caucus” and harmful legislation
(Andre Carson, U.S. House of Representatives)
Faith and impact on the SDGs: Georgetown policy meetings, Day 2
(G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Phoenix's new law violates religious freedom, church group contends
(Arizona Central)
Sacred sites, silenced voices: Indigenous pluralism is under threat in Colombia’s Black Line
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Human rights for a free world (Spanish)
(Fishel Szlajen)
In 1649, religious liberty was new. A Maryland law helped embed it in America’s founding.
(Scott Baldauf, The Christian Science Monitor)
Christian women and girls face heightened risk of violence in Nigeria, UN experts warn
(ADF International)
Supreme Court rejects President's challenge to church law amendments
(Eesti Rahvusringhääling)
African bishops demand investigation, security boost after bishop’s killing
(Filipe d’Avillez, The Pillar)
Canada’s federal government is shelving online hate speech protections. Here’s why that’s a problem
(Jaigris Hodson, The Conversation)
Tanzania: A beacon of religious freedom, peaceful coexistence
(Esther Takwa, Daily News)
House overwhelmingly passes Smith bill to reauthorize and strengthen U.S. international religious freedom board
(U.S. House of Representatives)
Nigeria’s Islamist reckoning
(Council on Foreign Relations)
UN protests women’s arrests in Afghanistan for alleged clothing violations
(Elena Becatoros, Associated Press)
Sikh group calls for inquiry into Henry Nowak death
(Charlotte Coles and Allen Sinclair, BBC)
Seven more brothers imprisoned as conscientious objectors in Ukraine
(Jehovah's Witnesses)
‘Your Jewish community is scared’: At National Sheriffs’ Association forum, CAM calls for law enforcement collaboration in antisemitism fight
(Combat Antisemitism Movement)
Egyptian scholar stresses ‘religious duty’ of Muslims to support Iran amid US-Israeli attacks
(Taghrib News Agency)
Parliamentary group highlights plight of Christian YouTuber detained in Egypt
(Christian Today)
Lebanon's religious leaders call for national unity, back state efforts to secure cease-fire
(L'orient Today)
Nigeria’s Islamist reckoning
(Ebenezer Obadare, Council on Foreign Relations)
“Stop calling bandits Muslims”- Oyo Muslims react to rising kidnappings, send strong message to Nigerians
(GistLover)
US commits $3.5m to monitor Nigeria’s religious violence
(Blueprint Nigeria)
Saturday, 6 June 2026
Defense Department slashes its religious designations list from more than 200 choices to 31
(Tiffany Stanley, Associated Press)
Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen submits testimony before Canadian Senate Human Rights Committee on C-9 “Hate Speech” Bill
(ADF International)
A grave new threat to religious freedom in India
(Michael Nazir-Ali, Catholic Herald)
Catholics hope Pope Leo’s visit to Europe’s migration hot spots will ease political tensions
(Giovanna Dell'Orto and Renata Brito, Associated Press)
How Voodoo overcame suppression and became a democratic force in the West African nation of Benin
(Rodney Muhumuza, Associated Press)
Dutch court allows rapper Ye concerts in the Netherlands
(Molly Quell, Associated Press)
Nigerian court sentences 4 men to death for killing worshippers in 2022 Catholic church attack
(Dyepkazah Shibayan, Associated Press)
European Court says Serbia's ban on pro-Falun Gong demonstrations violated right to peaceably assemble
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Meet the pastors who support the ICE raids
(Bob Smietana, Religion News Service)
The status quo at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque is deteriorating
(Daoud Kuttab, Religion News Service)
As Europe’s populist right rises, so do clashes with Catholic bishops
(Fionn Shiner, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Lord Mann review of antisemitism and other forms of racism in the NHS and healthcare regulatory system
(Department of Health & Social Care, GOV.UK)
Canada’s new council to tackle antisemitism divides Jewish groups
(Shira Li Bartov, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
FBI fires several analysts tied to disputed ‘Catholic ideology’ memo
(Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press)
Russia: Literature confiscation, destruction, fines for lack of full official name
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
Law Commission final report on new funerary methods
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
State of religious freedom in Nicaragua: An analysis of the violent incidents database
(Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Global Human Rights: International Religious Freedom Policy
(Congressional Research Service)
Bangladesh church bombing: 25 years on, Catholic victims still await justice
(Stephan Uttom Rozario, EWTN News)
18 Beijing church leaders detained without trial in China
(Gao Zhensai, Religion Unplugged)
Youth climate plaintiffs challenge endangerment repeal on religious liberty grounds
(Jonathan H. Adler, The Volokh Conspiracy)
Faith-based groups submit OECD complaint concerning HSBC financing linked to Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia
(World Council of Churches)
WCC, Caritas, World Vision issue open letter against hunger
(World Council of Churches)
COMECE contributes to EU public consultation on the revision of the Audiovisual media services directive
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
Iran: Religious persecution and issues – Monthly Digest May 2026
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Austria: Hate speech, state bias, and the power of registration
(Peter Zoehrer, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Federal appeals court bars government overreach into Lutheran church
(Becket)
Selangor clarifies review of worship guidelines not meant to restrict religions
(New Straits Times)
Sikh MPs say Nowak murder was not about their religion
(Joshua Nevett, BBC)
Jewish veterans incorrectly buried under Latin crosses get new headstones
(Nick Mordowanec, military.com)
Friday, 5 June 2026
VIRTUAL EVENT, 5 June 2026: Faith in the Crossfire: The Religious Dimensions of Sudan's Civil War
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Articles of interest - 1 June 2026
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
The UN is investigating religious violence in Nigeria. Here’s what they should do.
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Religion Unplugged)
WCC, UN Refugee Agency sign historic memorandum of understanding that deepens collaboration
(World Council of Churches)
Spirit of the Law and Religion: Essays in Honor of W. Cole Durham, Jr.
(The Review of Faith & International Affairs)
Volume 41 No. 6
(Religion Watch, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Christian psychologists in Brazil fight to express their faith
(Erica Neves, Christianity Today)
The Muslim World League condemns the continued Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque
(Muslim World League)
Four brothers released in Russia
(Jehovah's Witnesses)
Multi-religious effort in Mexico confronts violence against women and forges safe spaces
(Religions for Peace)
Religions for Peace and UNICEF expand partnership for child health and protection
(Religions for Peace)
Peace and reconciliation facilitators build greater compassion and care in Japan
(Religions for Peace)
Peruvian shamans perform a blessing ritual ahead of a presidential runoff
(Mauricio Muñoz, Associated Press)
Prime Minister Carney highlights new measures to combat antisemitism and support Canada’s Jewish community
(Prime Minister of Canada)
Mamdani skipped NYC’s Israel Day Parade. Supporters say he missed the point.
(Michele Chabin, Religion News Service)
Samaritan's purse airlifts Ebola treatment center to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(Samaritan’s Purse)
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