Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Quebec Commission Holding Hearings On Religious Accommodation
One witness on Monday was Claudette Carbonneau, president of the Confederation of National Trade Unions. According to Monday's National Post, she urged that the government of Quebec adopt a new "charter of secularism". Under it employers would not be required to accommodate requests by employees that they be segregated from members of the opposite sex. Students in public schools could not wear restrictive clothing that makes communication difficult. So burkas, niqabs and chadors could be banned in schools. Today's Montreal Gazette reports that leaders of other unions expressed similar views at the hearing. Lucie Grandmont, vice-president of Syndicat de la fonction publique du Québec, told the Commission that civil servants should not wear any religious symbols in order to preserve the secular character of the state.
White House Hosts Hanukkah Reception
UPDATE: Another photo shows First Lady Laura Bush with three rabbis during the koshering of the White House kitchen that took place before preparing food for the Hanukkah reception.
Under Maldives Proposed Constitution, Only Muslims Could Be Citizens
German Court Rejects Challenge To Ban on Civil Servants Wearing Religious Dress
Chile Fines Pharmacies For Refusing To Stock "Morning-After" Pill
Story Features Maryland City Councilman Who Is Pressing For Sectarian Prayer
A few months after Turner took office, the prayer rotation came to him for the first time.... He mentioned the looming war in Iraq and the "turbulent times," and asked for prayers for state, national and world leaders. "We realize that it is all in your care," Turner said before ending his prayer: "In Jesus's holy name. Amen."[Thanks to Blog from the Capital for the lead.]
Shortly after, a woman in Turner's district contacted him to say his explicit reference to Jesus Christ had offended her. He was shocked, having never been exposed to the viewpoint "that just mentioning the name of Jesus Christ would offend someone," he says, then stops and chuckles softly. "I'm just a country boy."
Monday, December 10, 2007
Suit Claims Housing Authority Responded Inadequately To Harassment of Muslim Family
Organization Pursuing "Mapping Shari'a" Project In U.S.
The Mapping Shari’a project ... is both a law enforcement tool and a policy initiative. The project’s objective is to identify all 2300 plus Islamic Centers in the U.S. and determine through first-hand field research which centers advocate strict adherence to Shari’a Law (laws based on the interpretations of Allah and no other) and which centers advocate violent Jihad and the destruction of the West. The data is then be analyzed and put into a matrix. The project is a rigorously objective empirical investigation to test the thesis: That the driving doctrinal force behind Jihad is Shari’a. Indeed, if the thesis is validated, we expect to see a rigid one-to-one correlation between Shari’a adherence and the promotion of Jihad.
... [W]e can report that after the first 100 mosques and day schools, the correlation between Shari’a adherence and the promotion of violence and Jihad against the West is exactly what one would expect.
Today Is Human Rights Day-- 59th Anniversary of UDHR [Corrected]
Ohio Governor Says Nativity Scenes At State Parks Will Stay
UPDATE: The AP reported on Dec. 14 that the Freedom from Religion Foundation has written Ohio's Inspector General protesting Gov. Strickland's action. The article also gives more background on the original decision to remove nativity scenes. Apparently a Shawnee State Lodge visitor requested that displays representing the Hindu and Zoroastrian religions also be put up. A Strickland spokesman said that the governor is limiting his order to items that are traditionally displayed for the December holidays, and that does not include Zoroastrian symbols.
New Scholarly Articles, Books and Movie
- Peter G. Danchin, Of Prophets and Proselytes: Freedom of Religion and the Conflict of Rights in International Law, (Harvard International Law Journal, Vol. 49, 2008).
- Peter G. Danchin, Suspect Symbols: Value Pluralism as a Theory of Religious Freedom in International Law, (Yale Journal of International Law, Vol. 33, 2008).
- Peter G. Danchin, The Emergence and Structure of Religious Freedom in International Law Reconsidered, (Journal of Law and Religion, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 101-180, 2007/2008).
- Michael J. Perry, Religion as a Basis of Lawmaking? Herein of the Nonestablishment of Religion, (Emory Public Law Research Paper No. 07-27, Dec. 4, 2007).
- Linda C. McClain, The Role of the Natural Family in Religious Opposition to Human Rights, (Boston Univ. School of Law Working Paper No. 07-31, 2007).
- Jonathan Zasloff, Left and Right in the Middle East: Notes on the Social Construction of Race, 47 Virginia Journal of International Law 201-258 (2006).
- Rabbi Yitzchok Alderstein, Lawyers, Faith, and Peacemaking: Jewish Perspectives on Peace, 7 Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal 177-187 (2007).
- Marci A. Hamilton, The Waterloo for the So-Called Church Autonomy Theory: Widespread Clergy Abuse and Institutional Cover-Up, 29 Cardozo Law Review 225-245 (2007).
- Heena Musabji & Christina Abraham, The Threat to Civil Liberties and Its Effect on Muslims in America, 1 DePaul Journal for Social Justice 83-112 (2007).
- Aalok Sikand, ADR Dharma: Seeking a Hindu Perspective on Dispute Resolution from the Holy Scriptures of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita, 7 Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal 323-372 (2007).
New Books:
- Sultan Ghalib al-Qu’aiti, The Holy Cities, The Pilgrimage and The World of Islam-- A History From the Earliest Traditions Till 1925 (1344H), (Fons Vitae, 2007), reviewed in The American Muslim.
- Robert F. Cochran, Jr. (ed.), Faith and Law: How Religious Traditions from Calvinism to Islam View American Law, (NYU Press, Dec. 1, 2007), noted at Mirror of Justice.
New Documentary Movie:
- Article VI-- Faith, Politics, America (Living Biography Media, Jan. 15, 2008), reviewed in Human Events.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Some Evangelical Christians Oppose Romney Over Religious Beliefs
If it were almost any other church, a missionary past would most likely be an asset for a presidential candidate.... But to many American Christians, those friendly Mormon missionaries embody exactly what they fear and resent about Mormonism....
"His candidacy alone has been a long infomercial for the Mormon cult," said Bill Keller, an evangelist in Florida who runs an Internet prayer network. "As president he’s going to carry the influence of that office, not just here but worldwide, and there’s no denying it’s going to lead people to check out that religion, which according to biblical Christianity, will lead them ultimately to hell."...
Many voters trying to choose between Mr. Romney and Mike Huckabee may not perceive the contest as governor versus governor. They will see it as grown-up Mormon missionary versus Southern Baptist preacher, and they will not vote for what scares them.
Congressional Human Rights Caucus Holds Hearings On Vietnam
San Joaquin Diocese Completes Formal Split From Episcopal Church
USCIRF Protests Malaysian Action Against Hinuds
Florida Becomes Latest Venue For Debate On Teaching Evolution
Indian Panel Complicates Award of Benefits To Dalit Converts
Mormon Student's Suit Against West Virginia Scholarship Board Settled
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Naturalization Oath Modified To Accommodaate Raelian
UPDATE: 8 CFR Sec. 337.1(b) specifically permits deletion of "so help me God" from the oath for reasons of conscience. [Thanks to posted Comment from Scott M.]
Two Reports On Faith-Based Activities Released
The second report was The State of the Law 2007: Legal Developments Affecting Government Partnerships with Faith-Based Organizations , written by law professors Ira Lupu and Robert Tuttle. The report covers areas such as standing, legislative earmarks, child custody, various kinds of government grants to faith-based groups, government chaplains, prison activities, and discretionary exclusion of faith-based groups from government programs. [Thanks to Melissa Rogers for the lead.]