Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 28 July 2025
Religious freedom is key to peace. Why shutter the institution that advances it?
(Knox Thames, Religion News Service)
Cardinal David blames corruption for widespread flooding in Philippines
(Joseph San Mateo, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
French plan to recognise Palestinian state draws fire from Israel, US
(Reuters)
Ancient temples have long been a flashpoint between Cambodia and Thailand
(Pranav Baskar, The New York Times)
Ukraine: Official claims "social outrage" prevents Romanian Orthodox registration
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Is religious freedom possible in state schools?
(Richard Garnett, SCOTUSblog)
The tea may have turned cold, but interfaith is far from over
(Laura Marks and CBE Zaza Johnson Elsheikh, Jewish News)
Commons committee urges Government to make Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme permanent
(The Church of England)
Re-instatement of bells in listed church
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
International Court of Justice delivers ruling on States’ obligations in relation to climate change
(World Council of Churches)
Liberia: Police accused of “ruthless” treatment of hijab-wearing woman Resisting arrest over power theft allegation—public divided as authorities flip-flop on response
(Selma Lomax, FrontPageAfrica)
RFI’s Nathan Berkeley discusses assisted suicide & religious freedom
(Religious Freedom Institute)
Preaching in public transport: Law, faith and freedom
(Arise Abeeku Ansah, Modern Ghana)
Rising antisemitism and the voices of Jewish Australians
(Micha Turtletaub, Times of Israel)
Friday, 25 July 2025
RFI hosts roundtable with young North Korean defectors
(Religious Freedom Institute)
Vatican-Korea officials recommit for peace in Korean Peninsula
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Sri Lankan Church dismisses allegations of meddling in police affairs
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Anglican-backed adult literacy mission is changing lives in Papua New Guinea
(Anglican Communion News Service)
Australia: Health, indigenous rights, freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression – Report to the UPR 51st Session
(World Evangelical Alliance)
Freedom of religion or belief: The cornerstone of the UN human rights covenants
(Rosita Šorytė, Bitter Winter)
Latter-day Saints honored with King Charles III Coronation medals for interfaith leadership in Canada
(Eastin Hartzell, Church Newsroom)
Syria: Abuses, humanitarian emergency amid Sweida clashes
(Human Rights Watch)
District judge rules to halt Washington State law that requires priests to break confession seal
(Mariya Manzhos, Deseret News)
Zurich councilor indicted for shooting at Madonna and child poster
(Associated Press)
Church leaders return with 'broken hearts' after rare visit to Gaza
(Yolande Knell, BBC News)
India: Hundreds of Muslims unlawfully expelled to Bangladesh
(Human Rights Watch)
Central African Republic: ICC convicts two Anti-Balaka leaders
(Human Rights Watch)
Controversial so-called street preachers charged with hate crimes in British Columbia
(Jason Proctor, CBC News)
We asked clergy if they use AI to help write sermons. Here's what they said
(Deena Prichep, NPR)
Man jailed for selling fake halal meat to restaurants
(Stephen Fairclough, BBC News)
USCIRF delegation traveled to Kazakhstan to assess religious freedom conditions
(United States Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Italy’s dilemma: Decriminalising death, defending life
(Hélène de Lauzun, The European Conservative)
With no access to education beyond the 6th grade, girls in Afghanistan turn to religious schools
(Elena Becatoros, Associated Press)
Russian Supreme Court bans Satanist organization
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
United Torah Judaism quits gov’t to protest new proposal on army enlistment exemptions
(Sam Sokol, Times of Israel)
Christian Natural Law and Religious Freedom
(Alex Deagon, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Economic and financial action: Faith perspectives on economic justice
(G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Archbishop Caccia delivers statement at the General Debate of the ECOSOC High-Level Political Forum
(H. E. Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations)
Türkiye, Bulgaria to collaborate on restoring 2 historic mosques
(Türkiye Today)
Egypt: Christian convert charged with terrorism after requesting new identification documents
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Religious freedom laws apply in drug injection site case, court says
(Diana Novak Jones, Reuters)
Religious challenges to abortion bans are winning in unlikely places
(Michal Raucher, Religion Dispatches)
Pepperdine University leads global conversation on religious liberty at historic International Religious Freedom Summit in Africa
(Jessica Curtis-Castillo, Pepperdine University)
Paraguay - The local Church's commitment to the dignity and rights of migrants
(Agenzia Fides)
Spanish airline denies reports that passengers were removed from a plane because they are Jewish
(Associated Press)
Angola's new religious freedom law: necessary and overdue (Portuguese)
(Roboredo Garcia, Angola 24 Horas)
As deportation fears keep immigrants from work, their churches feel financial strain
(Helen Teixeira and Aleja Hertzler-McCain, Religion News Service)
Thursday, 24 July 2025
WEBINAR, 24 July 2025: “Nurturing Seeds” Religious Literacy as a Skill for Peaceful Engagement #3
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
LA pastor on hunger strike to protest ICE’s detainment of Iranian Christians
(David I. Klein, Religion News Service)
Wednesday, 23 July 2025
How the Filipino faithful should conduct politics
(Ricardo Saludo, The Manila Times)
Exvangelicals: Who they are, why they left, and what they believe
(PRRI)
Religious NYC educators, denied exemption from vaccine mandate, appeal to Supreme Court
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
How the recent IRS filing challenges the boundaries between faith and politics
(Mariya Manzhos, Deseret News)
Sacred boundaries: Navigating faith and control in Kyrgyzstan
(Jonathan Bühne, Religion Unplugged)
What’s the difference between secularization and “laicity”?
(Éducaloi)
Florida AG Uthmeier leads 17-state coalition challenging precedent on pre-game prayer
(Erin Sherwood, Tampa Free Press)
Maharashtra State announces cancellation of Scheduled Caste certificates for converts to Christianity or Islam
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Call for recognition of tribal religion in India's upcoming census
(Bijay Kumar Minj, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Suspension of non-Hindu employees in TTD institutions is unlawful: CPM
(The New Indian Express)
Director General of Legal Affairs and Human Rights meets Chairperson of Arab Charter on Human Rights Committee
(Bahrain News Agency)
Chinese authorities raze hundreds of Buddhist stupas and Padmasambhava Statue in Karze, Tibet; enforce harsh restrictions on local Tibetans
(Central Tibetan Administration)
Understanding the violence against Alawites and Druze in Syria after Assad
(Güneş Murat Tezcür, The Conversation)
Syrian Christian leaders say Islamist government can’t protect them or Druze
(Dale Gavlak, OSV News)
Religious freedom advocates urge Armenia to end attacks on church
(Armenian Apostolic Holy Church Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin)
Bermuda shorts, beachwear and a local ban divide Algerian town
(Associated Press)
Trump's call to revive sports teams' Native mascots reverses progress on religious freedom
(Kaitlin Curtice, Religion News Service)
Canada’s antisemitism envoy resigns abruptly: ‘It was hard to get people to speak up’
(Grace Gilson, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Judiciary Committee: FBI spied on Catholic priest for not divulging info on parishioner
(Tyler Arnold, Catholic News Agency)
Cardinal Tomasi: Religious communities can play key roles in nuclear disarmament
(Gina Christian, National Catholic Reporter)
Austrian Muslim body criticizes interior minister's statement on headscarf as 'disturbing'
(Timo Kirez, Anadolu Ajansı)
The three real questions that come after overruling Employment Division v. Smith
(Josh Blackman, The Volokh Conspiracy)
Georgia: Freedom of religion or belief, equality and secularity – Monthly report June
(Tolerance and Diversity Institute)
Proponents hope to make Ten Commandments next Supreme Court test of religion in schools
(Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill)
Monday, 21 July 2025
Muslim Americans share political attitudes with both the Democratic and Republican parties
(Besheer Mohamed and Asta Kallo, Pew Research Center)
Catholic clergy are speaking out on immigration − more than any other political issue except abortion
(Evan Stewart and Diane Beckman, The Conversation)
After 11 years, Supreme Court of Sri Lanka issues favorable ruling in human rights case
(Jehovah's Witnesses)
Sri Lanka: Minister's secret visit to illegal Thaiyiddy temple sparks backlash from local council
(Tamil Guardian)
Muslim Brotherhood running a stealth strategy of Islamist politics and anti-Semitism in Europe?
(Religion Watch, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Religion Watch, ‘Volume 40 No. 8’
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)
Joint NGO letter ahead of EU-China Summit
(Human Rights Watch)
Global Interfaith Monitor No. 37
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Uzbekistan: Shifting consciousness of the role of faith in a secular state
(Bahá’í World News Service)
VIRTUAL EVENT, 23 July 2025: Colombia: Challenges for Peace and Human Rights
(Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, U.S. House of Representatives)
The Muslim World League condemns the plan to transfer the administration of the Ibrahimi Mosque to a settler council and the bombing of the Latin Church in Gaza
(Muslim World League)
Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue in Rome: "Strengthening trust and embracing hope for our common future"
(Katherine Marshall, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
USCIRF releases report on Bangladesh
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Bangladesh’s Islamist party projects force with a big rally in Dhaka
(Julhas Alam, Associated Press)
USCIRF releases report on religious freedom in Nigeria
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
The battle for parental rights in education (video)
(YouTube Video, Freedom of Religion South Africa)
A fight to save a Hindu temple for the ‘unheard and unseen’
(Richa Karmarkar, Associated Press)
UN concerned by Taliban’s arrest of Afghan women and girls for dress code violations
(Associated Press)
Articles and books of interest - 21 July 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
British Muslim Trust appointed as new partner to monitor and tackle anti-Muslim hatred
(Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Lord Khan of Burnley, GOV.UK)
Bishop McAleenan comments on Epping protests
(Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales)
British Parliamentarians call for action on atrocity crimes prevention
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Perspective: The temptation now facing America’s religious institutions
(Steven Collis, Deseret News)
Sociologists: The Moscow Patriarchate in Lithuania is altering its rhetoric while remaining loyal to the Kremlin
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Does religious peacekeeping still matter if it doesn’t produce peace?
(Peter Henne, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
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