Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 1 November 2024
How Moscow uses the Russian Orthodox Church as a tool to suppress religious freedom
(Elena Davlikanova and Dan White, Wilson Center)
Gender, Russian Orthodoxy, and the invention of “traditional” values
(Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Iran: Religious issues and persecution – Monthly Digest October
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
CALL FOR PAPERS, abstracts due 1 November 2024: 5th Annual Theology and Jurisprudence Symposium
(School of Law, Queensland University of Technology)
Liberty University sued by former IT staffer fired after disclosing she’s a transgender woman
(David Crary, Associated Press)
Crucial new court ruling for Christian schools seals a leader’s legacy
(Tad Walch, Deseret News)
Resistance to Christian Nationalism in all 50 states: a PRRI-Meanings of Democracy Lab Report
(PRRI)
Burma country update
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
"Why don’t they just come here legally?"
(Anna Lee Stangl, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Conference examines opportunities, tensions in debates on religion and human rights
(Aminah Koshul, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
India: Use of smoke-emitting firecrackers renews air pollution debate in India’s capital ahead of Diwali
(Verda Subzwari, Associated Press)
Washington man sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for trafficking eagles, hawks killed on the Flathead Indian Reservation and sold on black market
(U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana, U.S. Department of Justice)
2nd Circuit: FBI agents had qualified immunity from RFRA damages when Muslim plaintiffs' religious objections were undisclosed
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Remarks by President Biden at a reception in celebration of Diwali
(The White House)
India court calls for regulation of Christian properties to end legal squabbles
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
The Head of the UGCC: Militarization of religion undermines trust in Christianity
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Safe access zones and silent prayer at abortion clinics
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Syros court silences church bell, issues €200 fine per ring
(Anthee Carassava, iefimerida)
Politics of identity and exclusion: Italy’s Matteo Salvini and the rise of pan-European Christian nationalism
(Thomas Jared Farmer, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Sichuan province: Authorities confine young monks in ‘prison-like’ conditions in government-run schools
(Radio Free Asia)
Canada: Montreal City Hall removing welcome sign with hijab sends wrong message: Muslim group
(Sidhartha Banerjee, The Toronto Star)
Canada: Quebec municipality challenged for violating freedom of religion
(Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms)
Armenian churches urge the world to pray for hostages, and pursue truth and justice
(World Council of Churches)
EU Military Ordinariates gather at COMECE to discuss security challenges and promotion of peace
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
Two books opposed by religious parents removed from Montgomery County’s mandatory “inclusive” reading list for elementary schools
(s free, Religious Freedom Institute)
Third party intervention to the ECtHR in F.D. and I.M. and three others (les Hijabeuses) v. France
(Cathérine Van de Graaf, Eva Brems and Stéphanie Hennette-Vauchez, Strasbourg Observers)
Kentucky Attorney General stands up for church’s right to practice faith at Supreme Court
(Kentucky.gov)
California City won’t allow church to use purchased property for religious services
(Jorge Gomez, First Liberty)
Worthington City Schools is the latest central Ohio district looking at religious release policy
(Allie Vugrincic, WOSU Public Media)
Zimbabwe: Scripture Union ban in Zimbabwe’s schools: A conflict of faith and politics
(Calvin Manika, Religion Unplugged)
Zambia: Catholic Church in Lusaka protests “systemic state intimidation” against worship rights in Zambia
(Lusaka Times)
Mali: Jihadists demand crippling religious tax from Christians
(Aid to the Church in Need)
Argentina: The message from Garcia Cuerva in Lujan: An urgent call to build unity that involves everyone (Spanish)
(Mariano de Vedia, La Nacion)
French politicians propose law to make modern antisemitism punishable
(Mathilda Heller, The Jerusalem Post)
Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Understanding religious freedom: Why does it matter?
(Nicholas Aroney, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS, abstracts due 30 October 2024: Symposium on Enhancing Compliance with Human Rights from Below in Times of Crisis
(Hasselt University, Belgium)
Why Harris and the Democrats may not be able to count on Hindu Americans in November
(Richa Karmarkar, Religion News Service)
Religion in the workplace is tricky – but employers and employees both lose when it becomes a total taboo
(Christopher P. Scheitle, Denise Daniels, and Elaine Howard Ecklund, The Conversation)
Religious accommodations: Where do we stand?
(Christi R.B. Stover, HR Daily Advisor)
Church near Pennsylvania Capitol becomes peace hub hoping to protect democracy in divisive election
(Luis Andres Henao, Associated Press)
Mexico: CSW calls for protection for religious leaders
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Mexico: Catholic bishops call for authorities to step up against violence in southern Mexico
(Associated Press)
Volunteer prison minister's challenge to requirements for addressing LGBTQ inmates is rejected
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
9th Circuit: California IDEA rules violate free exercise clause
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Center One and Capital Management Services to pay $60,000 in EEOC religious accommodation suit
(U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
Recent religious-liberty victories at the Supreme Court are bearing fruit
(Natan Ehrenreich, National Review)
Ukraine: About 300 criminal cases against conscientious objectors, 89 cases in court
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)
Ukraine: New law raises religious freedom concerns
(Human Rights Watch)
Ukraine and Russia: The causes of the conflict, diplomacy, and possibilities for peace
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum)
Church in Ukraine has lost half of its parishes in areas occupied by Russia, bishop says
(Eduardo Berdejo, Catholic News Agency)
Indonesia's 'Beneficial Religion' fights extremism, radicals: official
(ANTARA)
Afghan women cannot pray loudly or recite in front of other women, says Taliban minister
(Associated Press)
India: The fragile fabric of secularism: India’s political shift and its consequences – OpEd
(Sehr Rushmeen, Eurasia Review)
Holy See: Agreement with China should promote rights
(Human Rights Watch)
Message for the feast of Deepavali 2024
(The Holy See)
Iraq: Christians and other minorities in the Kurdistan legislative elections
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Australia: Queensland bishops congratulate new government on election win
(Joe Higgins, The Catholic Leader)
Bishops in Lords urge government to act on religious freedom
(Ed Thornton, Church Times)
Law and religion roundup – 27th October
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
South Korea: Over one million Korean Christians gather to affirm family and pray for their nation
(Evangelical Focus)
Taiwan: Preserving religious freedom in Taiwan, the Holy See’s way
(Matthew Santucci, Acton Institute)
Chechnya’s mufti slams ban on hijabs in schools
(The Moscow Times)
Malaysia: Mufti bill infringes on freedoms protected by the constitution
(Free Malaysia Today)
Faith and Freedom Index 2024
(Napa Legal)
Egyptian government legalizes 293 churches, reinforcing religious inclusivity
(The Jerusalem Post)
South Africa: Minister of Home Affairs celebrates first formally-recognised Muslim marriages in South African history
(Minister of Home Affairs)
Kenya: Ruto vows to consider request to make Diwali a public holiday in Kenya
(Golden Moses, ODRi Media News)
CEC contributes to Rome conference on “just war” and European values
(Conference of European Churches)
Tuesday, 29 October 2024
WEBINAR, 29 October 2024 (11AM ET): Ukraine’s Law Banning Russian Orthodox Church and Affiliated Organizations: Legal and Juridical Aspects
(International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), Brigham Young University)
WEBINAR, 29 October 2024 (10AM ET): Education Programs That Build Social Cohesion and Religious Literacy
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Monday, 28 October 2024
International Religious Freedom Day
(Antony J. Blinken, U.S. Department of State)
Recommitting to international religious freedom
(Knox Thames, Deseret News)
USCIRF observes International Religious Freedom Day
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Citizenship and conflict: How the militaries of Israel and Myanmar are taking advantage of displaced persons
(Ellis Heasley, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Polish Catholic Church supports civil partnerships, but not equating them to marriage
(Polskie Radio)
Minority faith communities in South Asia: UK government’s role in safeguarding freedom of religion or belief
(House of Lords Library, UK Parliament)
Around the web - 28 October 2024
(Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Freedom of religion or belief is fundamental to achieving lasting and sustainable peace: UN expert
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
Blessed are the peacemakers: From Mennonite nonresistance, to nonviolence, to nonviolent resistance
(Dominic Nozzarella, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Building relationships and transforming attitudes: Reflecting on ten years of the LSE Faith Centre
(James Walters, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
Iran: Podcast explores the contribution of the Bahá’ís of Iran to society
(Bahá’í World News Service)
Beyond war and towards reconciliation: Multi-religious peace roundtables The Second Tokyo Peace Roundtable Statement
(Religions for Peace)
Evangelicals emerge as a potent lobby for US support of Ukraine
(Tiffany Stanley, Associated Press)
Dutch woman faces trial for involvement in crimes against Yazidis
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Religion Unplugged)
Articles of interest - 28 October 2024
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
President apologizes for Indian Boarding School policies; over half of schools had religious affiliations
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
In Crimea, a serious escalation in religious persecution can be seen over the past two months - National Resistance Center
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Uzbekistan: "We look for men in beards as we are searching for terrorists"
(Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service)
CPAC and NatCon: Uniting a transnational radical right
(Rita Abrahamsen and Michael C. Williams, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
KAICIID to lead high-profile side event at the International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security (ICWPS) in Manila: Empowering Women as Pillars of Global Peace through Interfaith Dialogue
(KAICIID Dialogue Centre)
Separation of church and state debate over schools heats up
(Diana Chandler, Religion Unplugged)
France: Hijab ban during sports, ‘discriminatory and must be reversed’ say experts
(UN News)
Food systems project coordinated by United Church of Canada, Zimbabwe Council of Churches, and Canadian Foodgrains Bank
(World Council of Churches)
Mauritius: Religious leaders emphasize peace and accountability ahead of elections
(Wesley Omondi, Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Georgia: The anti-EU role of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the parliamentary election
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Malaysia: A “heretic” sentenced to 6 months in prison and a fine
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
RFI joins two amicus briefs in key religious freedom cases
(Religious Freedom Institute)
Taiwan: The Tai Ji Men case in Taiwan. 2. Legal and economic analysis
(Liu Yin-Chun, Bitter Winter)
China: Guangdong’s harsh persecution of Church of Almighty God members
(Bitter Winter)
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