Law and Religion Headlines
Monday, 3 February 2025
Law and religion roundup – 2nd February
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Charity Commission: letter to Church of England bishops on safeguarding
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Faith-based green initiatives: churches lead the way in environmental stewardship
(Isabella Meibauer, Religion Unplugged)
Man found guilty of hate crime over Sweden Koran burnings
(Reuters)
WCC receives Finnish ambassador Jan Wahlberg to discuss peace-building
(World Council of Churches)
Russia: Religious issues and persecution: Bimonthly Digest January 16-31
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest January 16-31
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
South Sudan: How faith leaders help shift mindsets towards equality
(Episcopal Relief & Development)
Religion, state law, and the common good
(Frank DeVito, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Bangladesh: Ali Riaz on recommendations of Bangladesh’s Constitutional Reform Commission
(Sudha Ramachandran, The Diplomat)
Indonesia: Government unveils ‘biggest’ Hindu temple in Southeast Asia
(The Jakarta Post)
Around the web - 3 February 2025
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
January/February 2025 issue
(Liberty Magazine)
All Vietnamese invitees barred from travelling to the US for religious freedom summit
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Sunday, 2 February 2025
Turkey says it will join with neighbors to fight the Islamic State group in Syria
(Andrew Wilks, Associated Press)
Saturday, 1 February 2025
Trump says U.S. carries out airstrikes on Islamic State in Somalia
(Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, and Jasper Ward, Reuters)
Friday, 31 January 2025
Justice Department resolves lawsuit against Pennsylvania township and sewage authority over Allegations They Substantially Burdened Amish residents’ religious exercise
(U.S. Department of Justice)
Executive Order: Additional measures to combat anti-Semitism
(The White House)
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS, deadline for submission 31 January 2025: Young Scholars Fellowship at Oxford
(International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), Brigham Young University)
CALL FOR PAPERS, deadline 31 January 2025: Religious Freedom in Africa
(International Journal for Religious Freedom)
CALL FOR PAPERS, abstracts due 31 January 2025: Islamic and Jewish Law in the Modern Economy
(University of Villanova School of Law)
Faith, diplomacy and power: The spiritual undercurrents of Greek-Turkish relations
(Margarita Markoviti and Ahmet Erdi Öztürk, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Comparing levels of religious nationalism around the world
(Laura Silver, Jonathan Evans, Maria Smerkovich, Sneha Gubbala, Manolo Corichi and william Miner, Pew Research Center)
Religion and Law in China, Third Edition
(Zhao Jianmin, Wolters Kluwer)
Kyrgyzstan bans Islamic niqab as critics warn it could alienate some women
(Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty)
USCIRF alarmed by regressive amendments to Kyrgyz laws
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
USCIRF welcomes release of two religious prisoners of conscience imprisoned on blasphemy charges in Egypt
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Letter to the new U.S. administration
(Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)
Legal rights groups urge school leaders not to adopt Texas’ Bible-infused curriculum
(Jaden Edison, Associated Press)
Bangladesh minority rights group accuses interim government of failing to protect minorities
(Julhas Alam, Associated Press)
An Iraqi man who carried out Quran burnings in Sweden is killed in a shooting
(Associated Press)
A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Māori
(Charlotte Graham-McLay, Associated Press)
Court refuses to enjoin Colorado's reporting requirements for health care sharing ministries
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Ivory Coast bishops urge transparent election ahead of October 25 presidential poll
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Wisconsin Catholic Charities says dispute over religious exemption is ‘simple’
(John Lavenburg, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Take it from a German Jew: The AfD and its supporters aren’t making Jews safer
(Joshua Schultheis, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
When union activism clashes with workers’ religious beliefs
(Deborah Gastfreund Schuss, National Review)
A delegation of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations met with British MPs
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Street preaching: hate speech vs freedom of expression: Sleeper
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
The 2021 Australian “Mark ‘No Religion’” campaign
(Rhys Gower and Adam Possamai, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
In South Korea, churches divided by political crisis
(Célio Fioretti, La Croix International)
France’s Bayrou to split controversial euthanasia bill
(Thomas Mangin, Euractiv)
Japan: Growing Muslim population in need of burial plots
(Ko Obinata, Kyodo News)
Consultation focuses on understanding Christian Zionism and its effects
(World Council of Churches)
Religious issues and persecutions – Monthly Digest January
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Associated Newspapers Limited v. the United Kingdom: Can freedom of expression be compromised by excessive recoverable costs in defamation cases?
(Charlotte de Meeûs, Strasbourg Observers)
India: Christian couple sentenced to five years in prison for 'attempting to convert'
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
European Parliament: ‘Christians face persecution after conversion’ in Iran
(Article 18)
Pakistan: A home to interfaith harmony for different faiths
(Associated Press of Pakistan)
Jamaica: Government committed to upholding religious liberty, says Malahoo Forte
(Jamaica Observer)
Saudi Arabia’s cultural transformation sparks heated debate over its flag
(Fatma El-Zahraa Badawy, Religion Unplugged)
The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World
(Mustafa Akyol, Macmillan Publishers)
UN hears contrasting narratives of life for Christians in Iran
(Article 18)
Thursday, 30 January 2025
EVENT, 30 January 2025 (10AM ET): Bridging Divides: The Power of Religious Engagement in Global Diplomacy (Washington, DC, USA)
(The United States Institute of Peace)
EVENT, 30 January 2025 (5PM ET): Religion, the 2024 Presidential Election, and American Politics (Cambridge, MA, USA)
(Harvard College)
Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Muslim World League pledges to make ‘Islamabad Declaration’ constitutional document for girls’ education
(Saima Shabbir, Arab News)
Center for Women, Faith & Leadership welcomes new 2025 cohort to fellowship program
(Institute for Global Engagement)
Mali: Removal of subsidies to Catholic schools in Mali could harm inter-religious dialogue
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Apocalyptic Imagination and Civic Practices of Orthodox Fundamentalists in Contemporary Russia
(Anastasia Mitrofanova, Journal of Law and Religion)
CAR: International Education Day: Promoting interreligious dialogue for conflict management in the Central African Republic
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Cameroon: Government leader in Cameroon complains after bishop says ‘Devil’ would be better than current president
(Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Pope Francis taps travel agent Cardinal Koovakad to lead Interreligious Dialogue dicastery
(Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency)
Thailand: Islamic leaders call for unity against extremism at Bangkok conference
(Arab News)
Mayor of Delft faces criticism over secret investigation into Muslim community
(NL Times)
Denmark files 1st Koran desecration ban case
(AFP, Barron's)
Czechia: 14 scholars in religious studies from over 10 European countries say “Do not liquidate Jehovah’s Witnesses”
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Vietnam bars monk from attending US religious freedom conference
(Radio Free Asia)
Vietnam arrests Protestant pastor for ‘anti-state propaganda’
(Radio Free Asia)
PM Mitsotakis meets with Archbishop Ieronymos: Honouring Orthodoxy and strengthening church-state cooperation
(Kowalenko Charlie, Greek City Times)
Patriarch Bartholomew I: 'In our global community, common values transcend national, political, religious, racial or cultural boundaries'
(Council of Europe)
Analyzing the 2024 presidential vote: PRRI's post-election survey
(PRRI)
CEC expresses solidarity with Belarus as EU institutions condemn elections
(Conference of European Churches)
Recent cases
(Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe)
In Australia, Jew-hate is out of control
(Alex Ryvchin, The Free Press)
Australia: Latest issue of Australian Journal of Law and Religion; my “surrejoinder” on s 109
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)
Colombia: Faith comes under fire amid rising attacks on religious leaders
(World Religion News)
El Salvador: A little noticed major victory for life
(Daniel Philpott, Arc of the Universe Blog)
India: Police say at least 30 people have died in a stampede at the massive Maha Kumbh festival
(Rajesh Kumar Singh and Sheikh Saaliq, Associated Press)
Lifeguard who has religious objections to pride month has claim for undermining of his religious accommodation
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
DC Circuit revives contempt proceedings in RFRA suit against fire department
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Faith groups speak out as same-sex marriage ban advances in Idaho Legislature
(Tracy Simmons, Religion News Service)
ROC plans on a fivefold increase in the number of “combat priests” at the front
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Kyrgyzstan: Repressive new religion law in force from 1 February
(Felix Corley and Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
German churches warn conservatives against immigration crackdown
(Reuters)
Federal appeals court grants new hearing to Washington, DC first responders punished for religious beards
(First Liberty)
Turkmenistan convicts Brother Arslan Vepayev for conscientious objection
(Jehovah's Witnesses)
Iran arrests 13 Baha'is, accusing them of proselytising, Iranian media say
(Reuters)
Tuesday, 28 January 2025
EVENT, 28 January 2025 (8AM GMT+1): Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2025: The European Union and the Year Ahead (Brussels, Belgium)
(European Union & International Affairs Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Monday, 27 January 2025
Quaker groups file suit over the end of policy restricting ICE arrests in houses of worship
(Laura Strickler, NBC)
Syria: Religious minorities in post-Assad Syria
(Knox Thames and Andrea Pin, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Syria: Kurdish unity efforts gain momentum amid uncertain future
(Wladimir Van Wilgenburg, The Washington Institute)
Supreme Court of Canada to hear challenge to Quebec secularism law
(Harjaap Ahluwalia, Jurist News)
Supreme Court takes up case involving parental rights, religious freedom and LGBTQ issues
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)
Stewardship to God is a necessary component of religious freedom, Elder Gilbert says
(Ryan Jensen, Church Newsroom)
Debunking Elon Musk's claims of 'Muslim grooming gangs'
(Omar Suleiman, Religion News Service)
Becket releases its sixth edition of the Religious Freedom Index
(Becket Law)
Louisiana defends Ten Commandments in federal appeals court
(Becket Law)
Trump re-enacts policy banning aid to groups abroad that discuss or provide abortions
(Rachel Carlson and Fatma Tanis, NPR)
Episcopal bishops uphold sanctuary policies, oppose threat of immigration arrests in churches
(David Paulsen, Episcopal News Service)
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