Louisiana School Board Adopts New Prayer Policy for Meetings

Now that plaintiffs challenging the prayers that open school board meetings in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana have lost their case on standing grounds, the school board on Tuesday adopted a new policy, according to The Advocate. The Board will create a database of congregations with an established presence in the local community and will send out a letter once a year to them inviting their clergy to lead the prayers on a first-come, first-served basis. No individual may lead prayers more than three times each year, and the School Board will not review the prayers in advance. [Thanks to Melissa Rogers for the lead.]

Suit Claiming Dams Impede Tribal Religious Ceremonies Proceeds

A Northern District of California federal judge on Friday rejected a motion by PacifiCorp to dismiss the lawsuit filed against it by a number of plaintiffs including Yurok and Karuk Tribal members. The lawsuit seeks damages for toxic water conditions caused by PacifiCorp's dams on the Klamath River. The court also refused to delay the case while the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission completes long-running dam re-licensing proceedings. Plaintiffs allege, in part, that toxic blue-green algae thriving in reservoirs above the dams have seriously interfered with river-based tribal religious ceremonies. Yesterday's American Chronicle reports on the court's holding that the grant of a federal permit for the dams does not preclude the bringing of a nuisance claim against PacifiCorp.

Suit Challenging Removal of Prison Religious Books Refiled As Class Action

Two New York prisoners have refiled a lawsuit challenging the federal Bureau of Prisons policy that severely limits the number of books in prison chapel libraries, according to yesterday's International Herald Tribune. An earlier suit they filed was withdrawn after the court ruled that they had not exhausted internal prison channels to complain. The new suit seeks class action certification so that plaintiffs can sue on behalf of prisoners around the country. The Bureau of Prisons implemented the challenged policy after it concluded that prison chapel libraries were not being adequately supervised, fearing that radical religious books might fall into the hands of violent inmates. The rules now limit prison libraries to between 100 and 150 titles for each religion. Many books previously in the libraries were removed. The lawsuit claims that this had led to hundreds of religious books and media being removed from prisons since February, often without review to learn if they are objectionable. (See prior related postings, 1, 2 .)

Quebec Closes Down Mennonite School-- Families Move Away

In Canada, Quebec's Education Ministry is threatening to take the province's only Mennonite community to court if it does not close down its faith-based school. The school that enrolls eleven children is operating without a permit, employs uncertified teachers and does not follow required curriculum standards. In response, according to Today's Family News, several Mennonite families with young children are planning to move to another province. Roxton Falls Mayor Jean-Marie Laplante has asked the Education Minister to allow the Mennonite school to continue to operate.

Germans Concerned Over Proposed New Mosque In Cologne

In Cologne, Germany, unexpectedly strong opposition has arisen to plans for the building of a new $20 million mosque on the site of a current one that is housed in a refurbished factory. The design for the new mosque-- a combination of classical and modern architecture-- came from a design competition held by the Turkish-Islamic Union. Today's Detroit Free Press (reprinting an article from last week's Chicago Tribune) says that German politicians and religious leaders have both expressed concerns. Criticism spread after Ralph Giordano, a respected German-Jewish writer, said the mosque demonstrated the creeping Islamization of Europe. Joerg Uckermann, deputy mayor of the Ehrenfeld district, said: "The mosque is not a symbol of integration, it's a symbol of isolation, the symbol of an isolated enclave of Oriental culture." And Germany's Cardinal Joachim Meisner said that the plans for the mosque give him an "uneasy feeling." The comments reflect growing concern in Germany over its failure to fully integrate the country's 2.7 million Turkish immigrants, at the same time that Turkey is pressing for admission to the European Union.

9th Circuit Voids Settlement In Synagogue's RLUIPA Case

In League of Residential Neighborhood Advocates v. City of Los Angeles, (9th Cir., Aug. 21, 2007), the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's approval of a settlement agreement in a RLUIPA case that would have permitted a synagogue to operate in an area zoned for residential use. The appellate court agreed with neighbors of Congregation Etz Chaim that the settlement process cannot be used to evade state law requirements for notice and a hearing for the affected community before a conditional use permit is granted. Merely a potential violation of federal law is not reason enough. "Before approving any settlement agreement that authorizes a state or municipal entity to disregard its own statutes in the name of federal law, a district court must find that there has been or will be an actual violation of that federal law." Today's Los Angeles Times reports on the decision.

Florida Hebrew Language Charter School Has New Problems With Curriculum

A controversial Hebrew language Charter School in Hollywood, Florida has encountered new problems. (See prior posting.) Today's South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that yesterday thee Broward County School Board told the Ben Gamla school to stop teaching Hebrew until its curriculum was approved as being totally secular. After having two previous programs rejected for being based, in part, on traditional Jewish texts, the program presented to the Board yesterday contained only a "curriculum map" that outlined the skills that students would develop at each level. However the Board objected to the content of some of the websites the "map" listed as teacher resources. So now the Board has hired Nathan Katz, a professor in Florida International University's religious studies department, to review the curriculum. The Board will not meet again for three weeks.

UPDATE: An August 23 report by the New York Times reports that school founder Peter Deutsch wants to start similar charter schools in Los Angeles, Miami and New York and hopes to eventually open 100 Hebrew-English charter schools around the country. He is already seeking four more charters in Florida.

Michigan Church Sues Over Permission To Run Counseling Program

Tomorrow a Michigan federal district court will hear arguments in a dispute between a Lennox Township (MI) church and township officials over the church’s residential counseling program. According to today’s Macomb Daily, Grace Community Church (GCC) has taken over 54 acres of land containing a former Catholic church and monastery that housed 25 people. The Township forced GCC to stop operating its Discipleship Training Center in the former monastery building, claiming that GCC was offering substance abuse counseling in addition to the religious counseling that is allowed under its land use permit. GCC’s pastor, Bill Pacey, says that is not so, even though he is a licensed substance abuse counselor. GCC’s lawsuit claims that the Township is violating RLUIPA by preventing it from operating its program.

Australian Law Student Suspended For Religious Interruptions

A student at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra was forcibly removed from campus and suspended for 28 days after he continued to interrupt lectures by shouting his religious beliefs. AAP today reports that the incidents, which apparently involved a Muslim law student, took place last week.

Rhode Island Policy Banning Religious Group Use of State House May Be Changed

In Rhode Island, a recently appointed state official has discovered a long-ignored formal state polciy that prohibits religious functions or functions held by religious groups from taking place at the State House, even though other non-profit groups may use the State House for events and fundraisers. Today's Providence Journal reports that Department of Administration official Marco Schiappa has recommended that an application by Hispanic Protestant congregations to hold a day of prayer on the State House lawn be approved because the policy has been ignored for so long. Regularly, events like a Catholic group's recitation of the rosary to pray for an end to legalized abortion and a menorah lighting by a Jewish group have been permitted. Religious and civil liberties groups and state officials, including Governor Donald Carcieri, have all called for the policy to be changed. Rev. Eliseo Nogueras, resident of the Hispanic Ministerial Association of Rhode Island, pointed out that Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams who left Massachusetts because of religious persecution.

8th Circuit Upholds Injunction Against Bible Distributions In School

Yesterday, in Doe v. South Iron R-1 School District, (8th Cir., Aug. 21, 2007), the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's preliminary injunction prohibiting a Missouri school district from allowing the Gideons to hand out Bibles to elementary schoolers on school property during the school day. (See prior posting.) In the appeal, the school district argued that the injunction required it to impose a content-based restriction on speech. The court said that this argument was without merit, since Establishment Clause cases always make content-based distinctions when they prohibit government from endorsing religion. Yesterday's Kansas City Star reports on the case.

Suit Challenges Graduation Prayer Policy of Texas High Schools

On Monday, six parents and a former student sued the Round Rock (TX) Independent School District, alleging that its policy on prayer at high school graduation ceremonies is unconstitutional. The Texas school district allows a yearly vote by seniors on whether there should be prayer at their graduations. The suit, filed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, argues that the vote is an official school-sponsored event in which the district makes clear that they want students to vote in favor of prayer. In one case, the school district ordered a re-vote when students voted against prayer. The complaint in Does v. Round Rock Independent School District was filed in federal district court for the Western District of Texas. (Press release).

ADA Held Not Applicable To State Prisons- Free Exercise Issues Discussed

An interesting decision in Chase v. Baskerville, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 60640 (ED VA, Aug. 2, 2007) may have an impact on religious freedom issues in prisons. The case invovles a claim by a deaf inmate under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the federal Rehabilitation Act. He argued that a Virginia prison should have provided him with an interpreter to assist him in his school work. Much of the decision focused on whether the ADA could be applied constitutionally to state prisons. That in turn, under the U.S. Supreme Court's test developed in City of Boerne v. Flores, depends on whether applying the ADA in this context is an attempt to redefine the substantive meaning of the 14th Amendment, or is merely a congruent and proportional response to identified unconstitutional conduct.

The court ultimately concluded that Title II of the ADA is not tailored to remedy likely constitutional violations in state prisons. In the course of its opinion considering whether the ADA is an appropriate response to potential prison problems the court included this observation:

Admittedly, there is some congruency between an inmate's right to the free exercise of his religion and Title II's reasonable accommodation requirement and certain due process protections. For example, the lack of a handicap accessible chapel may substantially burden a disabled inmate in the free exercise of his religion. Thus, the imposition of an accessibility requirement is facially congruent and proportional in that context with the inmate's underlying free exercise rights. Nevertheless, the strict liability imposed by the ADA in this context is not entirely congruent with the jurisprudence that "negligent acts by officials causing unintended denials of religious rights do not violate the Free Exercise Clause."

Baptisms In Prisons Face Hurdles

A recent article in the Christian Chronicle discusses the problems encountered by Christian ministers in accommodating prison inmates who wish to be baptized. Staff prison chaplains often deny the request on security grounds. William Crossman, of the Church of Christ Prison Ministry in Leavenworth, Kan., says: "There are many, many chaplains that do not believe in baptism, and they're not going to go out of their way to see that it’s done." However, as the article chronicles, in a number of institutions, hundreds of inmates have been baptized, sometimes under the threat of litigation if prison officials do not permit it. Often portable baptisteries or inflatable kiddie pools are used for the ceremony.

Romania Considering Compulsory Religion Classes In Schools

Romania's Education Ministry is considering introducing compulsory religion classes in grades 1 through 10 in public schools. HotNews.ro reports today that the move is endorsed by all recognized religious groups in the country. Currently, non-compulsory religious education classes are offered in schools. Students have a choice of enrolling in them, or instead taking a course in the history of religions.

British Columbia Agency Mediates Settlement In Complaints By FLDS Women

In Canada on Monday, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal released an agreement that it had mediated in order to settle a complaint brought by several women charging that the government had discriminated against women members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the community of Bountiful by failing to enforce the province's law against polygamy. (See prior posting.) The complaint also claimed that the province had failed to provide girls and women in the community with equal access to government services.

Today's Vancouver Sun reports that the settlement gives a partial victory to the complainants. One part of it deals with government-funded schools operated by the FLDS under the Independent School Act. Government officials will be advised that the Act does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender, but it does prohibit the schools from teaching doctrines of racial or ethnic superiority or persecution, or religious intolerance. Also under the agreement, the government will provide funds for basic crisis intervention training and an information package on all available government services, including counselling and safe houses. Finally, the government will work to refine the way in which its current level of services are delivered to residents of the closed community.

Indiana Reps Want Churches To Pay For Basic Government Services

Sunday's Indianapolis (IN) Star features an article on the large amount of tax revenues being lost because of property tax exemptions for churches. It estimates that church properties in Marion County, Indiana are worth $1 billion. Two state representatives, Bill Crawford and Thomas E. Saunders, are suggesting that religious groups begin to pay some fees to cover basic services such as police and fire protection. [Thanks to Blog from the Capital for the lead.]

USCIRF Delegation Visiting Turkmenistan

A delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom yesterday began a 6-day visit to Turkmenistan where they will meet with government officials and be greeted by the country's president. Turkmenistan.ru reports that the group is headed by USCIRF Chairman Michael Kromartin. In May, USCIRF recommended that Turkmenistan be added to the U.S. list of "countries of particular concern", a compilation of nations with the most egregious records of trampling on religious rights. (See prior posting.) Last January, USCIRF issued a long release on conditions in Turkmenistan, emphasizing the possibility for human rights reform with the death of former president Saparmurat Niyazov.

Iraqi Christians In Mosul Face Difficulties

Yesterday's Boston Herald reports on the particularly difficult problems being faced by Christians in the Iraqi city of Mosul. Their churches have been bombed and clergy have been murdered. Many have fled to Kurdish controlled territory in the north, or to Syria. The city's 23 churches have stopped functioning publicly, and many Christian women have been forced by militants to wear Islamic dress.

Deportation of High-Profile Immigrant Focuses Attention On Sanctuary Movement

On Sunday night, federal officials arrested and deported high-profile immigration activist, Elvira Arellano, to Mexico. Part of the growing "sanctuary movement", Arellano had taken refuge in Chicago's Adalberto United Methodist Church for the last year, and had become a symbol for immigrant rights activists. Today's Los Angeles Times reports on the arrest and deportation, and the Chicago Tribune reports on Arellano's difficult decision on whether her 8-year old son (who is a U.S. citizen) will stay with her in Mexico or remain in the U.S. Interestingly, officials did not arrest Arellano until she left her sanctuary church in Chicago and went to Los Angeles to attend a rally.

This series of events poses the question of the extent to which government officials are de facto respecting churches as a place of sanctuary, even though it is fairly clear that they have no legal obligation to do so. Arellano said she left Chicago because she thought authorities were preparing to enter the church to arrest her. However, U.S. immigration enforcement officials said that it was her decision to leave the church that led to her arrest. They said it was safer to arrest her outside the church. Rev. Walter "Slim" Coleman, pastor of the Chicago church where Arellano had lived for the past year, said: "I think they obviously didn't want the embarrassment of breaking into a church and separating a mother from her son in front of the cross."

Today's Long Beach (CA) Press Telegram runs an article discussing the sanctuary movement more broadly, with a focus on Los Angeles County. It quotes Chicago's Rev. Coleman who says that the movement is "based on faith, not fear. It's not a place to hide, it's a place to bear witness that this country is destroying families."