NJ Court Rejects Hindu Temple's Zoning Challenge

In Hindu Temple & Cultural Society v. Town of Bridgewater, (NJ Super., April 25, 2007), a New Jersey trial court upheld the Bridgewater Township Zoning Board of Adjustment's denial of certain requested zoning variances for a Hindu Temple that wanted to expand its cultural center and build an apartment-style building to house priests. The court decided that the Board's denial of the variances was not arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable and so did not violate New Jersey's Municipal Land Use Law. The court also rejected claims that bias against Hindus affected the Board’s decision. However claims under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act remain to be adjudicated in the case. Friday’s Bridgewater Courier News reported on the judge’s decision.

Turkish Army Threatens to Act To Protect Secularism

On Friday in Turkey, the ruling Justice and Development Party's candidate, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, failed to win a first-ballot victory in the Parliamentary balloting for president because of a boycott by opposition legislators. Gul's party has Islamist roots. Secularists, including the military, fear that Gul's election will undermine Turkey’s secular tradition. (Associated Press). In a statement issued Saturday, the Turkish Army threatened to act to defend the country's traditional separation of state and religion, decrying attempts to redefine the Turkey's fundamental values. BBC News carries a background piece on secularism in Turkey.

South Carolina Bill Would Suggest Acceptable Governmental Prayers

In the South Carolina legislature last Thursday, a subcommittee approved and referred to the full Senate Judiciary Committee S. 638, the South Carolina Public Prayer and Invocation Act. The State reports that the bill is intended to give guidance to state and local governmental bodies on constitutionally permissible ways to open their sessions with prayer. It provides for voluntary invocations (1) by members of a council or board on a regular and objective rotating basis; (2) by a chaplain elected by the board or commission; or (3) by individuals chosen on an objective and rotating basis from "a wide pool of the religious leaders serving established religious congregations in the local community". The bill sets out language that must be included in invitations to clergy where this option is chosen. Letters to them must say that while the individual can pray according to the dictates or his conscience, the prayer cannot proselytize, or advance or disparage any particular religion.

Title VII Accommodation May Respect Union Agreement

Earlier this week, Law.com carried an article discussing the interaction between collective bargaining agreements and an employer's obligation under Title VII of the 1964 Civil rights Act to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious practices. The article focuses on the decision last month in Stolley v. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., (5th Cir. Mar. 28, 2007). In it, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals held that an employer need not deviate from the terms of a collective bargaining agreement in order to accommodate an employee who refuses to work on his Sabbath. [Thanks to Steven H. Sholk for the lead.]

City's Honoring Dalai Lama Challenged On Church-State Grounds

In Madison, Wisconsin, the Freedom From Religion Foundation is objecting to a decision by a city-county committee to permit the Tibetan flag to fly over City Hall during the May 2-4 visit to the city of the Dalai Lama. Racine's Journal Times today quotes Dan Barker, co-president of the group, who said: "To use the seat of our municipal government to honor a religious leader we think crosses the line of state-church separation. If the pope comes to Madison, are we going to put up the flag of Vatican City?"

Does Canadian Zoning Decision Improperly Impose Definition of A Church?

A decision by Vancouver, British Columbia's Planning Department has raised an interesting church-state issue, according to Canadian Christianity yesterday. The city says that the Tenth Avenue Christian Missionary Alliance church needs a social services permit to operate a drop-in lunch program and two programs that allow homeless to sleep overnight in the church building. A conditional permit was granted in 2005. It requires the church to keep records, report and patrol the surrounding neighborhood. The church has been operating under that permit, but now an activist, Bill Chu, is raising questions about the need for the permit. He argues that the city has essentially defined a "church" by determining that the social service activities here go beyond the normally expected uses of a church. He says that this definition is inconsistent with the fundamental nature of Christianity. Chu has called together Christian, Jewish and Sikh religious leaders in Vancouver to urge them to join in protesting the city's ruling.

House Judiciary Committee Approves Hate Crimes Bill After Rejecting Proposed Amendments

The House Judiciary Committee met yesterday to mark up H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. A major purpose of the bill is to add to the definition of hate crimes those motivated by the victim's sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. (See prior postings 1, 2.) Numerous amendments suggested in committee were defeated. Among the amendments rejected was one proposed by Indiana Representative Mike Pence providing: "Nothing in this section limits the religious freedom of any person or group under the constitution." This amendment was aimed at the concern expressed by some conservative Christians-- and said by proponents to be unfounded-- that the bill could be used to chill religiously-based criticism of gays and lesbians. Proposals to add unborn and partially born babies as protected classes under the Act also were rejected. Details of the committee's lengthy session are reported in articles by Baptist Press, the Traditional Values Coalition and LifeSiteNews. A video of the mark-up session is available on the Judiciary Committee's website.

After the Judiciary Committee's 10-hour session, the bill passed the committee by a vote of 20-14. A statement by committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. pointed out that the bill is has 137 cosponsors and is supported by more than 230 civil rights, education, religious, and civic organizations. Other provisions in the bill provide assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting violent hate crimes.

NY County Enacts "Symbolic" Ban on Racial and Religious Epithets

By a vote of 15-2, on March 20 the Rockland County, New York legislature passed a Resolution declaring "a symbolic elimination of the use of the 'N' word and all derogatory words which may be offensive to any group in Rockland County". The introductory clauses in the resolution make it clear that it is also intended to extend to words that reference various religions in a derogatory manner. (Minutes of meeting.) The resolution has become law without the signature of County Executive Scott Vanderhoef, according to a report yesterday in Newsday. In a statement issued yesterday, Vanderhoef said that education rather than regulation of speech would be a better approach to eliminating offensive words. Similar resolutions have been approved by New York City, Westchester County and Nyack.

Pakistan Bans Satirical Play About the Burqa

Pakistan's Culture Minister, Ghazi Gulab Jamal, has banned the Ajoka Theater from performing the satirical play Burqa Vaganza in other cities now that its run in Lahore has ended. The Middle East Times yesterday reported that the action was taken after Islamist members of Parliament complained that the play ridicules the burqa, traditionally worn by Muslim women. The Culture Minister said that the play ridicules Pakistan's cultural values. India's Tribune News Service describes the play as "a spoof on the clerics who run their business by fuelling the politics of 'hijab'. "

Proposed Jackson-Vanik Repeal Splits Chabad Movement

In 1975, in an attempt to pressure the Soviet Union into allowing free emigration of Soviet Jews, the U.S. Congress passed the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. It denied most-favored nation trading status to nations with non-market economies that restricted free emigration. Russia's current government would like the U.S. to repeal the law, and the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Russia has begun a campaign to encourage repeal, according to today's Forward. Chabad is the largest Jewish organization in Russia, and it has close ties with the government. However when House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos announced his support for repeal, he was besieged by rabbis from the U.S. wing of the Chabad movement that opposes repeal until the Russian government returns a Chabad library that was seized by the Soviets after World War II. Rabbi Boruch Gorin, a spokesman for the Moscow-based Federation of Jewish Communities said that American Chabad would more likely be successful in obtaining return of the library by being conciliatory toward Moscow, instead of using tactics that are perceived as blackmail. (See prior related posting.)

CT Senate Passes Rape Victim Bill Over Objections Of Catholic Conference

Despite continued objections by the Catholic Church, the Connecticut Senate on Wednesday approved by a vote of 32-3 Senate Bill 1343, the Compassionate Care For Victims of Sexual Assault bill. It would require all Connecticut hospitals to provide the Plan B emergency contraceptive to rape victims. North-Central Connecticut's Journal Inquirer reports that provisions were added to the bill in an unsuccessful attempt to gain support of Catholic hospitals. Hospitals could hire an outside physician to administer Plan B. In a letter to legislative leaders, the Connecticut Catholic Conference said that hiring someone outside of regular staff would not eliminate Catholic moral concerns where Plan B would act as an abortifacient (impeding implantation of a fertilized ovum rather than just preventing ovulation). The bill now goes to Connecticut's House of Representatives where there appear to be enough votes to also pass it. (See prior related posting.)

UPDATE: On May 2, the House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 113-36, and, according to the Hartford Courant, it is expected that Governor M. Jodi Rell will sign it. House Speaker James Amann said he is still open to a future compromise with the Catholic Church, such as legislation that would permit the hospital to rent out space, at a nominal rental, to a private provider of services for sexual assault victims.

Egyptian Court Refuses To Issue New ID Cards To Reconverted Coptics

In Egypt, a Cairo court has refused to order the Ministry of Interior to issue new identity documents to ten Coptic Christians who converted to Islam and then decided to return to their original Coptic faith. They were reconverted in a public ceremony. AKI yesterday reported that the individuals will remain identified as Muslims on their identification cards. The Interior Ministry ruled that under Islamic law, it is impossible to renounce the Muslim faith. The court said it was unable to "to see into the depths of the heart" of the petitioners.

Jewish Caucus Formed In Germany's SDP-- A First Since Nazi Times

In Germany, a Jewish caucus has been set up within the country's Social Democratic Party. Haaretz today says that this is the first Jewish organization in a major German political party since the Nazi takeover of Germany in 1933. The Caucus of Jewish Social Democrats was founded by Peter Feldmann, a member of Frankfurt's city council and Sergey Lagodinsky, a Berlin law professor. The new group will be active on policies regarding Israel and the Middle East, and on questions of Jewish immigration into Germany.

Yeltsin's Funeral and Church-State Relations In Russia Today

In Russia yesterday, a traditional Orthodox Christian funeral service was held for the country's former president, Boris Yeltsin. The service, attended by dignitaries from around the world, was held in Christ the Savior Cathedral-- a church reconstructed with Yeltsin's approval while he was president. (New York Times). However, according to Interfax today, two Russian human rights groups and a Moscow group representing atheists protested the funeral as a violation of Russia's constitution. They said that Yeltsin should have been buried primarily with a civil ceremony, arguing that the exclusively Orthodox ecclesiastical ritual violated the rights of those holding other religious convictions. The press secretary for the Orthodox Moscow Patriarchate dismissed the complaint, saying: "When God wishes to punish somebody, He deprives them of their senses."

Meanwhile, Forum 18 today published a broad overview of the state of religious freedom in Russia. The detailed report is worth reading in full. Forum 18 summarizes its findings as follows:

Senior Russian state representatives ... continue to project an image of supporting "traditional religions" such as the Russian Orthodox Church.... But this does not translate into day-to-day decision making, as religious affairs are a low national priority. Decisions are normally made at a low level, so the religious freedom situation varies even between towns. One exception is support by senior state representatives for religious leaders who endorse them.... Legal discrimination is rare.... and where it exists does not completely halt religious activity. So-called "telephone law" and blocking some foreign religious workers have been the main sources of religious freedom violations. Acquiring or retaining worship buildings is a major problem.... Widening the legal definition of terrorism and extremism is a particularly concern for Muslims.

Anti-SLAPP Motion Not Available In Suit Challenging Free Exercise of Religion

California's anti-SLAPP statute (Code Civ. Proc., § 425.16) is designed to protect individuals who speak out on public issues from having their voices chilled through costly legal challenges. The law permits a special motion to strike a complaint in a frivolous suit arising from an act "in furtherance of the person's right of petition or free speech ... in connection with a public issue". In Castillo v. Pacheco, (CA Ct. App. 2d Dist, April 25, 2007), a California appellate court, in a case of first impression, held that the anti-SLAPP law does not apply to a suit arising from an act of a person in furtherance of the person's right of free exercise of religion.

In the case, plaintiffs, the Castillos, had sued their neighbors, the Pachecos, alleging they were committing a nuisance by lighting large ceremonial outdoor open fires in their backyard. The Pachecos said that the fire was the core element of a religious Native American sweat lodge ritual, and filed an anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss the nuisance suit. Dismissing the motion, the court rejected "the Pachecos' attempt attempt to conflate the right of free speech and the right of free exercise of religion for purposes of application of the anti-SLAPP statute."

Judge Sets Low Bond For Defendant Who Knows His Bible

Should a defendant's knowledge of religious texts be relevant to his treatment in the criminal justice system? Yesterday's Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer reported that in Hamilton County's Municipal Court, Judge John Burlew released on low bond a defendant accused of using a stolen credit card. Defendant Eric Hine's attorney argued that his client was a churchgoer who is employed full time. The judge, skeptical of the claim, asked Hine to recite the 23rd Psalm. After Hine got the first verse right, the judge told him that he would let him out of jail if he could recite the entire psalm. Hine did, and Judge Burlew kept his word, releasing Hine on a $10,000 unsecured appearance bond.

UPDATE: WCPO reports that Eric Hine was back in jail on Friday on different charges. Meanwhile Judge John Burlew defended his actions as merely testing whether Hine's attorney was being accurate when he told the judge that Hine was a Christian.

High Priestess' Grave Robbing Conviction Reversed On Evidentiary Grounds

In State of New Jersey v. Miraballes, (NJ App Div, April 25, 2007), a New Jersey appellate court ordered a new trial for Miriam Miraballes who had been sentenced to prison for recruiting others to steal human remains for her from several cemeteries in Newark. She planned to use the remains in rituals associated with the religion known as Palo Mayombe. Miraballes was alleged to be a "high priestess of the religion. The court found that a lengthy hypothetical question asked of an expert witness was improper. Secondly, it found improper a question that led the expert witness to opine that "a high ... priestess will not testify to the truth of their true involvement in the religion and what the religion really is." The court said that this "put defendant in a position where before she ever testified - which she did not - she was labeled as untruthful." Am New York yesterday reporting on the court's decision said that the prosecution will appeal to the state's supreme court.

Audio of Sekulow-Weinstein Debate At AF Academy Available

On Tuesday, the U.S. Air Force Academy hosted a debate between Mikey Weinstein, head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation who is leading the opposition to proselytizing in the military, and Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice who supports the right of military chaplains to pray in Jesus' name. The debate was described by the Colorado Springs Gazette as surprisingly cordial. KRCC Colorado Springs has posted an audio recording of the entire debate. [Thanks to Melissa Rogers for the lead.]

NC County Commission Adopts Group's Model Policy To Permit Opening Prayer

On Monday, the Transylvania County, North Carolina, Board of County Commissioners-- responding to a challenge by the ACLU-- unanimously agreed to continue to open board meetings with a prayer. It adopted a 5-page "model policy" drafted by the Alliance Defense Fund. (ADF Release). The Model Policy sets out the legal rationale for the resolution and then calls for an opening prayer (not listed as an agenda item for the meeting) to be offered voluntarily on a rotating basis by Board members. No guidelines on prayer content will be issued. Each Board member may pray according to the dictates of his or her own conscience. Presumably this permits prayers to contain sectarian references. However "the Board shall request by the language of this policy that no prayer should proselytize or advance any faith, or disparage the religious faith or non-religious views of others."

Finally, the resolution provides that it "shall not be ... construed ... to affiliate the Board with, nor express the Board’s preference for, any faith or religious denomination. Rather, this policy is intended to ... express the Board’s respect for the diversity of religious denominations and faiths represented and practiced among the citizens of the County..."

Via Rail Will Allow Sikhs To Carry Kirpans; Sikh Wins Suit Against Bally

VIA Rail, which operates Canada’s passenger rail service, has reached a settlement with a Sikh student who had been removed from a passenger train for wearing a kirpan (Sikh ceremonial dagger). CBC News reported yesterday that the settlement, obtained through the Canadian Human Rights Commission, includes a refund of the fare paid by the student. More broadly, it involves a change in VIA Rail policy-- already implemented in January-- that allows Sikhs to wear ceremonial daggers on board trains. Student Balpreet Singh said: "I'd have been happier if [Via Rail] had just spoken to me, tried to understand the situation and resolve it...."

Meanwhile, in Fresno, California, a consent decree approved last week orders Bally Total Fitness to pay "Devin" Singh Dhaliwal, a Sikh, $24,000 in damages. The health club must also provide its Fresno managers with training in equal opportunity hiring practices. According to the Associated Press, in a job interview Dhaliwal was asked where his parents were born, what his religion is, and whether he is a Muslim.