Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Air Force Rejects Flyover Request For Rally Sponsored By Christian Group
Daily Kos yesterday, reporting on developments, quotes Military Religious Freedom Foundation president Mikey Weinstein's strong support of the Air Force's decision. Weinstein, in his typically blunt fashion, said: "To those in the fundamentalist Christian cabal who vigorously oppose this long sought, terrific decision by the U.S. Air Force, may I suggest that they consider holding their event next year in Kim Jung Il's North Korea or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as neither of those countries have a separation of Church and State as we do in beautiful America."
Israel's President Addresses Interfaith Conference In Kazakhstan
While the monotheistic and humanistic believers, Christians, Muslims and Jews, used to believe that there was just one God for all, compassionate, merciful and righteous, there are nowadays others, luckily a minority, that sanctify a different God, a God that permits massacres, forgives cruelty, and calls upon his believers to destroy, kill, lie and ruin. This distorted stream constitutes a defamation of the Lord. It is not a religion, it is a crime, a crime against God and man. We must separate religion from terror. This should be a common effort by all believers, regardless of faith, creed or gender....
Cultivating interfaith ties of understanding and friendship is vital, not only in interfaith relations, but in the religions' perception of God. The first question is always whether God created man in His image, or whether man is trying to create God in his compromised image. Whether we should adopt God's moral code, or whether we should refer our personal desires to God.... Only God who created man has the right to determine life.... God had no partners in the creation of the world, so there is nobody that can declare war against.
Group Sues To Get Kentucky "In God We Trust" License Plate
Upgrade of Russia-Vatican Relationships Is In the Works
Recent Articles and Forthcoming Books of Interest
- Suzie Chiodo, Big M, Little Freedom: Accommodating Religion in a Secular Society, (June 22, 2009).
- Sadiq Reza, Islam’s Fourth Amendment: Search and Seizure in Islamic Doctrine and Muslim Practice, (Georgetown Journal of International Law, Vol. 40, No. 3, 2009).
- Patrick McKinley Brennan, Self-Love and Forgiveness: A Holy Alliance?, (in Forgiveness, Darlene Weaver, ed., Forthcoming).
- Mano Singham, God vs. Darwin: The War between Evolution and Creationism in the Classroom, (Rowan & Littlefield, Oct. 2009).
- Sean Oliver-Dee, The Caliphate Question: The British Government and Pan-Islamic Governance, (Lexington Books, Aug. 2009).
- Frederick M. Shepherd, Christianity and Human Rights: Christians and the Struggle for Global Justice, (Lexington Books, July 2009).
Sunday, July 05, 2009
British Chief Rabbi Criticizes Court's Decision On Admission To Jewish Schools
[I]f Jewish schools are compelled by English law to impose a test of religious practice instead of the existing test of membership of the Jewish faith, they will no longer be able to teach the Jewish faith to those who have little or no experience of practising it.... The implications of this ruling are vast and affect us all. To be told now that Judaism is racist, when Jews have been in the forefront of the fight against racism in this country, is distressing. To confuse religion and race is a mistake.
Court Orders Sikh Temple Directors To Disclose Contact Information
Recent Prisoner Free Exercise and Establishment Clause Cases
In Strope v. McKune, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55179 (D KA, June 30, 2009), a Kansas federal district court rejected an inmate's complaint that claims the prison's kosher menu lacked variety, that he was given insufficient time to eat and that on two separate dates he was deprived of a kosher meal on two dates.
Jacobs v. Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Corrections, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55662 (SD OH, June 30, 2009), was a RICO lawsuit filed by a number of prisoners against various state officials. Among the claims was a contention by one of the plaintiffs that his religious materials, including his copy of the Qu'ran, were vandalized by the "Men in Black" during a "shakedown." An Ohio federal magistrate judge recommended that the claim be rejected because none of the named defendants were alleged to have been involved in the incident.
In Pittman v. Broadus, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55350 (SD MS, June 15, 2009), plaintiff alleged some 18 different violations of his civil rights by jail officials. One of the claims that a Mississippi federal magistrate judge permitted to move ahead was plaintiff's claim that his free exercise rights were violated by the jail's failure to provide Islamic religious services or alternatively allow inmate-led services. However the court rejected the claim insofar as it alleged that the failure to provide services prevented non-Muslim inmates an opportunity to learn about Islam.
In Bey v. Douglas County Correctional Facility, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55748 (D KA, Jan. 27, 2009), a Kansas federal district court held that a delay in responding to an inmate's request for a kosher diet did not violate his free exercise rights under the 1st Amendment or RLUIPA. The inmate was a member of the Moorish Scientific Temple of America. At least the initial part of the delay resulted from officials researching the legitimacy of plaintiff's request. Subsequently the parties disagreed for a period of time over whether the meals met the proper standards for kosher food.
In Castle v. Schriro, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55843 (D AZ, June 30, 2009), an Arizona federal district court accepted a federal magistrate's recommendations and rejected a habeas corpus petition by a prisoner who challenged his sentence on Establishment Clause grounds, among others. In considering the aggravating factors at the sentencing hearing, the state trial court had mentioned the fact that the defendant used his purported Christan beliefs to deceive victims in his real estate fraud.
10th Circuit Rejects Parents' Claim of Religious Bias In Child Neglect Proceeding
Court Rejects Street Preacher's Suit Against Police
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Newspaper Examines Workings Of British Sharia Courts
Sharia has been operating here, in parallel to the British legal system, since 1982. Work includes issuing fatwas - religious rulings on matters ranging from why Islam considers homosexuality a sin to why two women are equivalent to one male witness in an Islamic court. The Islamic Sharia Council also rules on individual cases, primarily in matters of Muslim personal or civil law: divorce, marriage, inheritance and settlement of dowry payments are the most common. However, in the course of my investigation, I discovered how sharia is being used informally within the Muslim community to tackle crime such as gang fights or stabbings, bypassing police and the British court system.
Court Dismisses Defamation Claims By Islamic Groups Against Internet Writer
First the court concluded that Front Page Magazine, the Internet site carrying the article, is part of the electronic media for purposes of a procedural rule in Texas that allows an interlocutory appeal when summary judgment is denied a media defendant asserting free speech or free press defenses. The court then concluded that the statements objected to were not ones that were directed towards the groups who were plaintiffs in the lawsuit, and thus they could not maintain the defamation action.
On July 1, plaintiffs filed a motion to seek en banc rehearing. The Thomas More Society, which represented defendant in the litigation, issued a release last Thursday describing the original lawsuit as frivolous and "an example of the legal jihad being waged by radical Islamic organizations throughout our nation... aimed at stifling the free speech rights of Americans who dare to expose their agenda."
Friday, July 03, 2009
7th Circuit Holds No Damage Claims Against States Under RLUIPA
Liberal Christian Groups Increase Activism on Public Issues
Religious Groups Kept Out of Challenge To Canadian Prostitution Laws
Obama Meets With Catholic Press Ahead of Vatican Visit
Final Rules for British Teachers Modified After Religious Objections To Diversity Standards
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Court In India Strikes Down Law Banning Consensual Adult Homsexual Relations
If there is one constitutional tenet that can be said to be underlying theme of the Indian Constitution, it is that of 'inclusiveness'. This Court believes that Indian Constitution reflects this value deeply ingrained in Indian society, nurtured over several generations. The inclusiveness that Indian society traditionally displayed, literally in every aspect of life, is manifest in recognising a role in society for everyone. Those perceived by the majority as “deviants' or 'different' are not on that score excluded or ostracised.The law at issue was enacted in the 19th century when India was a British colony. The challenge was brought by a group working on HIV/AIDS prevention. The court described petitioner's contentions, in part, as follows:
Where society can display inclusiveness and understanding, such persons can be assured of a life of dignity and nondiscrimination. ..... In our view, Indian Constitutional law does not permit the statutory criminal law to be held captive by the popular misconceptions of who the LGBTs are. It cannot be forgotten that discrimination is antithesis of equality and that it is the recognition of equality which will foster the dignity of every individual.
Section 377 IPC is based upon traditional Judeo-Christian moral and ethical standards, which conceive of sex in purely functional terms, i.e., for the purpose of procreation only. Any non-procreative sexual activity is thus viewed as being "against the order of nature”. The submission is that the legislation criminalising consensual oral and anal sex is outdated and has no place in modern society.... Section 377 IPC serves as the weapon for police abuse; detaining and questioning, extortion, harassment, forced sex, payment of hush money; and perpetuates negative and discriminatory beliefs towards same-sex relations and sexuality minorities; which consequently drive the activities of gay men and MSM, as well as sexuality minorities underground thereby crippling HIV/AIDS prevention efforts.Bloomberg today reports on the court's decision. Indian Express reports on the reactions of various religious leaders in India to the decision.
Fiduciary and Arizona AG Oppose Proposed UEP Trust Settlement
New York City Council Wants Muslim Holidays On School Calendar
Coleman's Defeat Means No Jewish Republicans In U.S. Senate
CAIR Will Distribute 100,000 Qurans To U.S. Leaders
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Connecticut AG Says Ethics Agency Should Drop Investigation of Diocese Lobbying
UPDATE: The Hartford Courant reports that on Wednesday afternoon, the Office of State Ethics dropped it investigation of the Bridgeport Catholic Diocese.
UPDATE 2: On Thursday afternoon, the Bridgeport Diocese announced it was dropping its federal lawsuit. (Connecticut Post.)
Azerbaijan Places New Limits On Choice of Muslim Religious Leaders
Pastor Will Lead Prayer In Pennsylvania Senate After Rejecting House's Rules
DC Court Agrees With Election Board: No Referendum On Gay Marriages
Leonard Leo Elected USCIRF Chairman
Activist Wants Illinois Governor To Veto Appropriations To Religious Institutions
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Court Refuses To Dismiss RLUIPA Challenge To "Shabbos House"
Appeal Filed With 5th Circuit In Elementary School Hair Style Limits
Paper Complains That Mandated Free Day At Holy Land Experience Too Narrowly Advertised
Israel's High Court Orders Kashrut Certificate For Bakery Owned By Messianic Jew
Cert. Denied In High School Bible Club, Missouri Funeral Picketing, Cases
Separately yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in Nixon v. Phelps-Roper, (Docket No. 08-1244) (Order List). In the case, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals had granted members of the Westboro Baptist Church a preliminary injunction against enforcement of Missouri's anti-funeral picketing law. (See prior posting.) Yesterday's Christian Science Monitor reported on the decision.
LAPD Appoints First Muslim Chaplain
Monday, June 29, 2009
Ave Maria Law School Claims Ministerial Exception
[UPDATED] Obama Picks Camp David Church As His Home Congregation; White House Denies Story
UPDATE: At Monday's press briefing (full text), White House press secretary Robert Gibbs denied most of the Time story, saying:
There have been no formal decisions about joining a church. I think I've mentioned in here in the past couple of weeks that when he goes to Camp David he has attended services at the chapel there, he enjoys the pastor there. They're not formally joining that church and there have been no formal decisions on joining a church in this area.[Thanks to commenter on this posting for the lead.]
I will say I think one aspect of the article that is true, as I mentioned here in that same discussion, was the concern that the President continues to have about the disruptive nature of his presence on any particular Sunday in some churches around the area. I think that was discussed in the article. And I know he is -- I think obviously he shares the strong belief that there's a very personal nature to one's spirituality. And for it to be -- for his presence to be disruptive, I think he believes that takes away from the experience that others might get and he certainly doesn't want to do that....
I think they will continue to look for a formal church home. I think when he's at Camp David, he'll continue to go to the chapel there. He has told us that he greatly enjoys that.
Report Says Many Muslim Marriages In Britain Are Unregistered
Relatives Challenge Will Leaving Woman's Assets to Catholic Order
Recent Articles of Interest
- Mohammad Fadel, Political Liberalism, Islamic Family Law and Family Law Pluralism: Lessons from New York on Family Law Arbitration, (in Marriage and Divorce in a Multicultural Context: Reconsidering the Boundaries of Civil Law and Religion, Joel A. Nichols, ed., Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming 2010).
- Marc R. Poirier, Name Calling: Identifying Stigma and the 'Civil Union'/'Marriage' Distinction,(Connecticut Law Review, Vol. 41, 2009).
From SmartCILP:
- Yehiel S. Kaplan, A Father's Consent to the Marriage of His Minor Daughter: Feminism and Multiculturalism in Jewish Law, 18 Southern California Review of Law & Social Justice 393-460 (2009).
- Liaquat Ali Khan, Jurodynamics of Islamic Law, 61 Rutgers Law Review 231-293 (2009).
- Mark Strasser, The Coercion Test: On Prayer, Offense, and Doctrinal Inculcation, 53 St. Louis University Law Journal 417-483 (2009).
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Indian Court Says Church May Not Be Required To Obtain Permit To Hold Worship Services
Recent Prisoner Free Exercise Cases
In Rowe v. Bell, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52516 (ND IN, June 19, 2009), an Indiana federal district court refused to dismiss an inmate’s claim that practices which prevent him from attending or from viewing (on television) religious services, from fellowship with other inmates, and from regularly reading religious books violate RLUIPA.
In Bonnell v. Burnett, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27586 (ED MI, March 31, 2009), a Michigan federal district court concluded that a triable question of fact existed as to whether an inmate's professed need for a kosher diet was based on a sincerely held religious belief.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Russia Tells Court It Lacks Jurisdiction Over Chabad's Claim Against It
Canadian Supreme Court Says Law Imposing Medical Treatment Over Minor's Objection Is Constitutional
A concurring opinion by Chief Justice McLachlin and Justice Rothstein concluded that while legislative authorization of treatment over a minor's sincere religious objections amounts to an infringement of religious freedom under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, it is a justifiable infringement. "[T]he objective of ensuring the health and safety and of preserving the lives of vulnerable young people children is pressing and substantial, and the means chosen — giving discretion to the court to order treatment after a consideration of all relevant circumstances — is a proportionate limit on the right."
A dissent by Justice Binnie argued that in the case of a mature minor under 16, as here, rights of autonomy and religious freedom are violated by an irrebuttable presumption that a person under 16 lacks the capacity to make treatment decisions. Reuters on Friday reported on the decision.
State Department Appoints Special Representative To Muslim Communities
Friday, June 26, 2009
Court Finds No Jurisidiction Over Defamation Claim By Priest
While it is possible that resolution of plaintiff’s claims would not require any interpretation of the Catholic Church’s doctrine, resolving this dispute would involve the secular court interfering with the Church’s internal disciplinary proceedings where plaintiff’s claims are based on the Does’ statements, which were provided solely within the Church’s proceedings.(See prior related posting.)
Court Says School Board Invocations Governed By "Legislative Prayer" Standards
In this opinion, the court held that plaintiffs, attendees at school board meetings, have standing to bring the lawsuit. Second it concluded that the question of the propriety of the School Board's invocation policy is governed by the legislative prayer principles of Marsh v. Chambers, rather than the school-classroom prayer restrictions imposed by Lemon v. Kurtzman (despite the fact that students occasionally attend Board meetings). This still left open, in the court's view, the question of whether the School Board's policy "exploits the prayer opportunity to proselytize or advance Christianity, or to disparage other faiths or beliefs" and "whether the School Board has violated its own speaker selection policy by reaching outside the Parish to Christian clergy but not other clergy of other faiths." AP yesterday reported on the decision.
Trial Court Abused Its Discretion In Scope of Relief In Church Dispute
most of the issues First Assembly raises do not implicate ecclesiastical matters and can be resolved by resort to neutral principles of law and the plain reading of First Assembly’s governing documents. We nonetheless conclude that the trial court abused its discretion in issuing the seven mandates First Assembly challenges, and vacate those portions of the court's order and remand this matter to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
British Appeals Court Says Jewish School's Admission Criteria Are Racial, Not Religious
E.R. (On the Application of E) v. The Governing Body of JFS, (Ct. App., June 25, 2009), involved a challenge by parents of a boy who was not admitted to the Jewish Free School because it refused to recognize the validity of his mother's conversion to Judaism conducted in a Progressive, rather than an Orthodox, synagogue. The court wrote:
The OCR considers that there are two essential ways in which a person may be or become a Jew. One is descent from parents whose own identity as Jews can be established or inferred. The other is by conversion in accordance with the tenets of Orthodox Judaism. ....Reporting on the decision, Politics.co says that the school will seek leave to appeal. British Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks criticized the ruling, saying that the school's criteria have "nothing to do with race and everything to do with religion."
One of the great evils against which the successive Race Relations Acts have been directed is the evil of anti-Semitism. None of the parties to these proceedings wants or can afford to put up a case which would result in discrimination against Jews not being discrimination on racial grounds....
M was refused admission to JFS because his mother, and therefore he, was not regarded as Jewish.... There are of course theological reasons why M is not regarded as Jewish, but they are not the ground of non-admission: they are the motive for adopting it.....
it appears to us clear (a) that Jews constitute a racial group defined principally by ethnic origin and additionally by conversion, and (b) that to discriminate against a person on the ground that he or someone else either is or is not Jewish is therefore to discriminate against him on racial grounds. The motive for the discrimination, whether benign or malign, theological or supremacist, makes it no less and no more unlawful. Nor does the factuality of the ground. If for theological reasons a fully subscribed Christian faith school refused to admit a child on the ground that, albeit practising Christians, the child's family were of Jewish origin, it is hard to see what answer there could be to a claim for race discrimination.
The refusal of JFS to admit M was accordingly, in our judgment, less favourable treatment of him on racial grounds. This does not mean ... that no Jewish faith school can ever give preference to Jewish children. It means that, as one would expect, eligibility must depend on faith, however defined, and not on ethnicity.
Senate Judiciary Committe Holds Hearing On Hate Crimes Bill
Now some have worried that in passing this legislation we would be declaring illegal the considered religious opinions of many Americans who believe that homosexual behavior is contrary to the will of God. I will say to you that my own Presbyterian Church is passionately committed to preserving the right of all people to believe and follow their religious convictions freely without the interference of the Federal Government. If I believed for one minute that the effect of this bill was to curtail legitimate religious expression or observance, I would not touch it with a ten-foot pole.
But that is not the effect of this bill! Section 10 contains explicit language stating that "nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit any constitutionally protected speech, expressive conduct or activities." Those constitutional protections are effective. We have had federal hate crime legislation on the books for forty years in this country.... But not once in all of these forty years... have I ever seen someone brought up on charges solely because of something they said.
The Matthew Shepard Act targets not speech or thought or religious expression, but violent crime. We are talking here about physical assault on the person of another solely because of who they are. Violent attacks on another person are not a legitimate expression of anyone's religious belief, Christian or otherwise. There is nothing in this legislation for law-abiding Christians to fear.
German Government Adopts Suggestions For Muslim Accommodation In Schools
In Dispute With Defecting Church, Assemblies of God Held To Be Hierarchical
Report Says FBI Will Use ISNA As Contact Point With US Muslim Community
Court Says Revenue Bonds For Religious College OK Under Establishment Clause
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Gov. Sanford's Press Conference and Wife's Response Contain Extensive Religious References
And from Mrs. Sanford:I am here because if you were to look at God's laws, there are in every instance designed to protect people from themselves. I think that that is the bottom line with God's law -- that it's not a moral, rigid list of dos and don'ts just for the heck of dos and don'ts. It is indeed to protect us from ourselves.... That sin is in fact grounded in this notion of what is it that I want, as opposed to somebody else.
And in this regard, let me throw one more apology out there, and that is to people of faith across South Carolina, or for that matter, across the nation, because I think that one of the big disappointments when, believe it or not, I've been a person of faith all my life, if somebody falls within the -- the fellowship of believers or the walk of faith, I think it makes it that much harder for believers to say, "Well, where was that person coming from?" Or folks that weren't believers to say, "Where, indeed, was that person coming from?" So one more apology in there.
But I -- I guess where I'm trying to go with this is that there are moral absolutes, and that God's law indeed is there to protect you from yourself. And there are consequences if you breach that. This press conference is a consequence.
Psalm 127 states that sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from Him. I will continue to pour my energy into raising our sons to be honorable young men. I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with a true spirit of humility and repentance.
This is a very painful time for us and I would humbly request now that members of the media respect the privacy of my boys and me as we struggle together to continue on with our lives and as I seek the wisdom of Solomon, the strength and patience of Job and the grace of God in helping to heal my family.
AU Wants Justice Department To Revoke or Modify Questionable Grants
Hindu Leader's Attempt To Modify Bail Conditions Rejected By Court
Saraswati is the leader of the JKP-Barsana Dham movement. Its North American headquarters is in Texas. Originally his bail was conditioned on his having no unsupervised contact with children under 17, surrendering his passport, and remaining at least 200 yards from Barsana Dham property. In May 2008, Saraswati and the prosecutor filed a stipulation modifying conditions of his bond. His passport was returned to him, but he agreed to continue to stay away from the Barsana Dham property in Hays County (TX). Subsequently he filed another motion, and then a habeas petition, seeking to amend conditions of his bond further so he could return to Barsana Dham to live, practice his religion, and associate with the adults living there. He claimed that the original conditions violated his 1st Amendment freedoms of religion and association. The court concluded, however, that Saraswati is estopped from complaining about conditions that he had negotiated and agreed to. The Austin American-Statesman yesterday reported on the decision.
In Kenya, Evangelicals Oppose Proposal For Separate Kadhi Court System
Orthodox Church Will Aid Russian Authorities In Pursuing Debtors
Rubashkin-- On Bail-- Can Leave Iowa For Trip To Mark Rebbe's Death
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
New Nixon Tapes Reveal Comments About Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism is stronger than we think. You know, it’s unfortunate. But this has happened to the Jews. It happened in Spain, it happened in Germany, it’s happening — and now it’s going to happen in America if these people don't start behaving. ... It may be they have a death wish. You know that’s been the problem with our Jewish friends for centuries.
ACLU Sues Federal Prison To Get More Group Prayer Times for Muslim Inmates
South Bend Bus System Bans Future Ads Promoting Churches
UPDATE: Thanks to Bob Ritter, here is the full text of Transpo's new advertising policy. The new policy bans 13 types of ads, including ads that contain "any reference to a religion, creed, denomination, tenet, deity, belief, cause or social issue." The Preamble to the policy sets out a long series of reasons for the exclusions, including Establishment Clause concerns and preventing drivers from being placed in the position of having to operate a bus carrying ads that violate their moral or religious beliefs.
Obama Urged To Raise Human Rights, Religious Freedom At Russian Summit
UPDATE: Human Rights First has made available online its 2008 Hate Crime Survey examining violent hate crime in OSCE countries.
Village and Church Settle Litigation Over Rental Fees For Municpal Building Room
En Banc Review Sought In 10 Commandments Case
New Indian Goverment Reportedly Will Move To Repeal Anti-Conversion Laws
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Germany's Interior Ministry Surveys Muslims
Group Complains About Use Policy of Navy Website
Ski Resort Settles Religious Discrimination Charges By EEOC
Library Room Use Policy Violates Establishment Clause
Monday, June 22, 2009
"Prayer Station" Inside City Hall Is Questioned
Australian Sikh Files Complaint Over Helmet Requirement To Take Motorcycle License Test
In Israel, Court Hears Suit By Messianic Congregation Against Beersheba's Chief Rabbi
Recent and Forthcoming University Press Books of Interest
U.S. Religious History and Politics:
- Winnifred F. Sullivan, Prison Religion: Faith-Based Reform and the Constitution , (Princeton Univ. Press, 2009).
- James M. O'Toole, The Faithful: A History of Catholics in America, (Belknap Press, Nov. 2009).
- Moshik Temkin, The Sacco-Vanzetti Affair: America on Trial, (Yale University Press, April 2009).
- Shayne Lee & Phillip Luke Sinitiere, Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace, (NYU Press, April 2009).
- Hasia R. Diner, We Remember with Reverence and Love: American Jews and the Myth of Silence after the Holocaust, 1945-1962, (NYU Press, April 2009).
Europe, Asia and the Middle East:
- Alan E. Steinweis, Kristallnacht 1938, (Belknap Press, Nov. 2009).
- Rebecca Nedostup, Superstitious Regimes: Religion and the Politics of Chinese Modernity, (Harvard East Asian Monographs, Nov. 2009).
- Benjamin J. Kaplan, Divided by Faith: Religious Conflict and the Practice of Toleration in Early Modern Europe, (Belknap Press, Oct. 2009).
- Robert Garland, Introducing New Gods: The Politics of Athenian Religion, (Cornell University Press, 2009).
- Ali A. Allawi, The Crisis of Islamic Civilization, (March 2009, Yale University Press).
- Thomas Brudholm & Thomas Cushman (eds.), The Religious in Responses to Mass Atrocity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, (Cambridge University Press, Feb. 2009).
Mousavi Letter Includes Analysis of Relation of Islam To Democracy
If the very large magnitude of the cheating and vote-rigging, which has fueled popular discontent, is cited as proof of the absence of cheating, then the Republic is headed for the slaughterhouse, and the allegation that Islam and republicanism are contradictory will have been proven.... Such a fate will gladden two groups.
One group, from the beginning of the Revolution, had fortified itself against the Leader [Ayatollah Khomeini]. It insisted that an Islamic government must be run like the dictatorship of the righteous. Adherents of this group, in their defunct thinking, surmised that they could drag people to paradise by force. The second group were those who, under the guise of defending the people’s rights, declared religion and Islam contradictory to a republican form of government.
The Leader [Khomeini] maneuvered astutely to neutralize the sorceries of these two groups. Relying on the path of the Leader [Khomeini], I came to neutralize the sorcerers who have resurfaced since then.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
School District Incurs High Legal Fees In Unsuccessful Defense of Prayer Lawsuit
Paper Publishes Long Expose On Tactics Used By Church of Scientology
The article claims that "physical violence permeated Scientology's international management team. Miscavige set the tone, routinely attacking his lieutenants."
One of the most interesting parts of today's long article is the account of Scientology's efforts-- ultimately successful in 1993-- to regain its tax exempt status from the IRS. The IRS had revoked the Church's 501(c)(3) exemption in the 1960's, arguing that it was a commercial enterprise. Hubbard unsuccessfully attempted to regain it through infiltrating the IRS, copying documents and withholding tax payments. (Background.) Miscavige used a new strategy, described at length by the Times:
Miscavige says that the defectors who provided information for the series are liars and are attempting to stage a coup to seize control of the Church. Additional installments in the newspaper's series will appear tomorrow and Tuesday. Those installments, along with additional material already available, will be linked here.Overwhelm the IRS. Force mistakes. The church filed about 200 lawsuits against the IRS, seeking documents to prove IRS harassment and challenging the agency's refusal to grant tax exemptions to church entities. Some 2,300 individual Scientologists also sued the agency, demanding tax deductions for their contributions....
The church ratcheted up the pressure with a relentless campaign against the IRS.
Armed with IRS records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, Scientology's magazine, Freedom, featured stories on alleged IRS abuses: lavish retreats on the taxpayers' dime; setting quotas on audits of individual Scientologists; targeting small businesses for audits while politically connected corporations were overlooked. Scientologists distributed the magazine on the front steps of the IRS building in Washington.
A group called the National Coalition of IRS Whistleblowers waged its own campaign. Unbeknownst to many, it was quietly created and financed by Scientology.... They also knew the other side was hurting. A memo obtained by the church said the Scientology lawsuits had tapped the IRS's litigation budget before the year was up....Another memo documented a conference of 20 IRS officials in the 1970s. They were trying to figure out how to respond to a judge's ruling that Scientology met the agency's definition of a religion. The IRS' solution? They talked about changing the definition. .... Rathbun says that contrary to rumor, no bribes were paid, no extortion used. It was round-the-clock preparation and persistence — plus thousands of lawsuits, hard-hitting magazine articles and full-page ads in USA Today criticizing the IRS. "That was enough," Rathbun said. "You didn't need blackmail."