Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 16 June 2025
Academics debate in Leuven on how to protect the religious freedom of the most vulnerable
(Evangelical Focus)
White House Religious Liberty Commission meeting on faith and religious freedom, Part 1
(C-SPAN)
Attorney General Pam Bondi vows to preserve religious freedom against 'emerging threats'
(BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today)
The naming of religious groups: A human rights analysis
(Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Religious freedom will help an Africa becoming ‘increasingly fragmented’
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Africa Together: A Continental Call to Religious Freedom
(IRF Summit Africa)
Latest attack reportedly kills nearly 200 people in Nigeria
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Faith at the table: New publication charts path for food systems transformation in Africa
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Southern African church leaders unite in pilgrimage for justice
(World Council of Churches)
Cardinal Ambongo appeals to Trump: ‘Africa is important to the U.S.’
(Madalaine Elhabbal, Catholic News Agency)
EVENT, 26-27 June 2025: The “Christian Element” in Identitarian Public Law (Siena, Italy)
(Università degli Studi di Siena)
Court case over north hijab law suspended pending decision
(Tom Cleaver, Cyprus Mail)
New PRRI poll: Three-quarters of Americans oppose Trump’s military parade
(PRRI)
New PRRI poll: Six in ten Americans oppose exporting undocumented immigrants to foreign prisons without due process
(Diana Orcés, PRRI)
Southern Baptists seek overturning of same-sex marriage
(Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)
Occupied Ukraine: "Bishop says no" on Ukrainian Orthodox entities
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
The Kremlin exports “Orthodox Christianity” to Africa as part of its hybrid influence strategy, - Main Intelligence Directorate
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Religious freedom, free speech advocates support Vermont couples barred from fostering
(Amira Abuzeid, Catholic News Agency)
The Vietnamese govt and Church properties: An unending story
(Alex Hoang, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Vietnam’s secularity and social nature of religion: Dignitaries from Vietnam and co-authors share the country’s journey toward a favorable religious-secular relationship
(Samantha Faith Satorre, Ke Alaka'I)
Supreme Court agrees to hear appeal from New Jersey faith-based pregnancy center
(Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press)
Supreme Court rules in favor of nuns fighting New York abortion mandate
(Becket)
Supreme Court GVR's battle over health insurance abortion coverage
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Supreme Court urged to protect compassionate counseling for transgender kids
(Becket)
Does Colorado’s ‘conversion therapy’ law unconstitutionally favor progressive theology? Yes, and RFI’s Supreme Court brief explains why
(Ismail Royer, Religious Freedom Institute)
Texas Supreme Court interprets religious services clause of state constitution
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Families file suit challenging Arkansas law that requires Ten Commandments be posted in classrooms
(Andrew DeMillo, Associated Press)
The Vatican’s duty to Armenian Christians
(Mark Movsesian, First Things)
Russia: Prosecutions for unlawful "missionary activity" – 2024 to 2025
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
Turkish authority granted power to censor Quran translations
(Elmas Topcu, Deutsche Welle)
Private schools lose High Court challenge over VAT changes
(Vanessa Clarke, BBC)
Church’s former Director of Faith and Public Life recognised in King’s Birthday Honours
(The Church of England)
Law and religion roundup – 15th June
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
CEC General Secretary highlights peace and justice at Helsinki anniversary
(Conference of European Churches)
Sri Lanka: Joint Letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
(Human Rights Watch)
Sri Lanka’s minorities struggle for voice In Sinhala-Buddhist dominated politics – analysis
(P. K. Balachandran, Eurasia Review)
Sri Lanka’s new mass grave reveals failure of ‘peace’ through violence
(Surabhi Singh, Religion Unplugged)
Israel closes Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers until further notice
(Lubna Masarwa and Areeb Ullah, Middle East Eye)
France: Freedom of religion or belief, intolerance and tax-payers’ money
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
After the attacks on mosques and synagogues, interfaith solidarity is organized (French)
(Marguerite de Lasa and Emma Théobald, La Croix International)
Washington State’s attack on the confessional is a threat to all of us
(Mark Rienzi and Hiram Sasser, National Review)
Religious practice in prison
(Courthouse News Service)
Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS small group
(U.S. Department of State)
Sunday, 15 June 2025
VIRTUAL EVENT, 18 June 2025: Confronting Hate: Strategies and Mechanisms for Resilient Societies, Insights from Dialogue360
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Friday, 13 June 2025
Arkansas parents file lawsuit over state law requiring Ten Commandments in schools
(Antoinette Grajeda, Arkansas Advocate)
Thursday, 12 June 2025
Pope Leo XIV names first Chinese bishop, signalling he is continuing Vatican’s controversial accord
(Associated Press)
Papal diplomats must always defend poor, religious freedom, Pope says
(Carol Glatz, OSV News)
EVENT, 12 June 2025: Simposio Internacional de Libertad Religiosa (San José, Costa Rica)
(FIDELA, Universidad Católica de Costa Rica, ICLRS, Asamblea Legislativa, Participación Ciudadana)
DOJ sues California coffee house for discriminating against Jewish customers
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Occupied Ukraine: Raids, registration pressure, places of worship deemed "ownerless"
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Jewish and Muslim representatives join forces to defend circumcision
(Michelle Rosenberg, Jewish News)
Portugal: Islamic community warns of ‘unfounded accusations’ against Muslims
(Plataforma Media)
Iran executes nine people arrested over planned Islamic State attack
(Reuters)
Iran says US travel ban shows 'deep hostility' for Iranians, Muslims
(Reuters)
Majority of Kazakhstanis are religious, but discrimination persists, studies suggest
(The Times of Central Asia)
UN and US officials warn of rising antisemitism in Chile, urge government to act
(The Media Line)
‘Christian nationalism corrupts the gospel’: Jeff Fountain tells Swiss evangelicals
(Chris Eyte, Christian Daily)
Syria orders women to cover up on beaches with conservative new dress code
(Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN)
Adventist leaders affirm religious freedom in meetings with Argentine officials
(Adventist News Network)
Catholic group demands U. Nebraska ‘held accountable’ for drag show mocking mass
(Gabrielle Temaat, The College Fix)
Bishop scolds NY State Lawmakers over suicide bill
(Jim Turpin, WETM News)
EU's security fears over Russian church have no easy answer
(Eloise Hardy, The Parliament Magazine)
HRC59: Written submission on the impact of FoRB violations on the right to education
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Iraq’s Jewish community saves a long-forgotten shrine
(Al Jazeera)
General Briefing: Algeria
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
General briefing: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
General briefing: Sri Lanka
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
General briefing: Colombia
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
General briefing: Sudan
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Prestigious international award for DiReSoM member Prof. Daniela Tarantino
(DiReSoM (Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies))
Vertical polarization: The collapse of the multilayered constitutional framework in Europe
(Andrea Pin and Dmytro Vovk, De Gruyter Brill)
Free speech, religious liberty, family advocates support VT families stripped of foster-care licenses
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
100 years ago, the Social Gospel movement pushed to improve workers’ lives – but also to promote its vision of Christian America
(Christina Littlefield, The Conversation)
OKC Thunder in a league of their own — When it comes to pregame prayer
(Bobby Ross Jr., Religion Unplugged)
A Sikh Captain America? Why religious diversity matters in the comics universe
(Deepa Bharath, Associated Press)
Wednesday, 11 June 2025
EVENT, 11 June 2025, (8:30AM GMT+2): Faith & AI: How AI Is Transforming Religious Engagement, Humanitarian Outreach, and FoRB Advocacy (Brussels, Belgium)
(European Union & International Affairs Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
WEBINAR, 11 June 2025: When less is more: Alternatives to legislation when combating hatred based on religion or belief
(Inter-Parliamentary Union, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, International Panel of Parliamentarians on Freedom of Religion or Belief)
Americans are divided over religious freedom. The Supreme Court? Not as much
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)
Pew Research: Religious composition by country, 2010-2020
(Pew Research Center)
Islam was the world’s fastest growing religion from 2010 to 2020
(Conrad Hackett, Pew Research Center)
Presidential message on Pentecost, 2025
(The White House)
During Pride Month, Norton introduces bill to protect LGBTQ+, reproductive rights in D.C.
(Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton)
Germany-Sri Lanka summit should address rights, accountability
(Philipp Frisch, Human Rights Watch)
‘Sorrow is a defeatist movement’: An interview with Sombath Somphone’s wife Ng Shui-Meng
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Tuesday, 10 June 2025
School cannot take sacked teacher to Supreme Court
(Clara Bullock, BBC News)
Analysis: UK’s growing rift with Israel risks further isolating British Jews
(Daniel Sugarman, Jewish News)
HYBRID EVENT, 10 June 2025: Human Rights In Turkey Today
(Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, House Committee on Foreign Affairs)
Satanic Temple accuses Iowa officials of religious discrimination
(Hannah Fingerhut, Associated Press)
Israel guilty of ‘extermination’ in attacks on schools, mosques: UN
(Al Jazeera)
Israel: Netanyahu’s government could collapse over Israel’s ultra-Orthodox military draft law
(Melanie Lidman, Associated Press)
Defining antisemitism
(City of New York)
Faith leaders, lawmakers argue GOP bill benefits the ultra-wealthy by hurting the poor
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
The antisemitic attacks are painful. The silence from our trusted partners is excruciating.
(Asher Knight, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Archbishop’s Statement on abortion amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill
(John Sherrington, Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales)
Salvadoran bishops criticize President Bukele’s policies
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Falconer tells MPs UK would consider sanctions against antisemitic Palestinian ministers
(Lee Harpin, Jewish News)
Handful of US lawmakers demand Trump ban the Muslim Brotherhood
(Syma Mohammed, Middle East Eye)
Muslim Brotherhood movement poses 'threat to national cohesion', French govt report says
(France 24)
Blades over the burial mound: The fight to save a sacred Northern Ireland site
(Christiana Alexakis, Religion Unplugged)
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