9th Circuit Hears Arguments In Arizona Scholarship Tax Credit Challenge

Yesterday, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in Winn v. Garriott, an Establishment Clause challenge to Arizona's scholarship tax credit program. The district court upheld the program which funds parents sending their children to a variety of private schools, over 70% of which are religious. A report in yesterday's Arizona Republic describes the operation of the program: "A taxpayer sends up to $1,000 to one of Arizona's 56 'school-tuition organizations,' designating the money for a particular school or student but not a dependent. The school-tuition organization passes along the gift to an affiliated private or religious school to help fund the student and can keep 10 percent for administrative expenses. At tax time, the taxpayer files for a dollar-for-dollar credit off state income taxes." A posting on Espresso Straight set out the views of those favoring the scholarship arrangement. An audio recording of yesterday's oral arguments is available online from the 9th Circuit. (See prior related posting.)

Florida School Board Changes Policy To End Higher Fees For Religious Club

A press release issued yesterday by Liberty Counsel reports that the Orange County, Florida School Board has agreed to change its policy that charged facility usage fees to the Good New Clubs, but permitted groups such as the Boy Scouts to use school facilities without charge. The School Board has now refunded past fees paid by the Good News Clubs and has created a new policy that specifically treats Good News Clubs and Scouts alike.

Appeal Filed In Texas Moment of Silence Case

Today's Dallas Morning News reports that an appeal to the 5th Circuit has been filed in Croft v. Perry, the Texas "moment of silence" case. In the case, the lower court rejected an Establishment Clause challenge to Texas' mandate that public schools give students a moment of silence each day during which they may reflect, pray or meditate. (See prior posting.)

5th Circuit Reinstates Muslim Doctor's Retaliation Claim Against VA

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals this week reversed a Mississippi federal district court and held that a Muslim physician had raised genuine issues of fact in his retaliation claim against the Biloxi Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In Rikabi v. Nicholson, (5th Cir., Jan. 23, 2008), Dr. Khaled Rikabi alleged that the Center's chief of staff openly referred to Muslims as a threat to the United States after 9-11. The wife of the Center's Human Relations Manager said that she and her husband dislike Muslims and how Muslims live. Rikabi was dismissed from his position at the Center in March 2003, but he continued to provide infectious disease consultations at the Center. In June 2003, Rikabi made a verbal EEO complaint and three hourse later the Center's chief of staff instructed hospital staff to stop using Rikabi's services. Rikabi says this was retaliation. The chief of staff said the action was taken because of an onsite altercation between Rikabi and his wife three months earlier. Subsequently the chief of staff gave a different explanation for his actions. Today's Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger reports on the decision.

Right Wing Dutch Politician Plans Anti-Quran Film; Government Is Concerned

In the Netherlands, right-wing Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders has provoked controversy by announcing that he is producing a 10-minute film about the Quran that will portray the Muslim scriptures as a "fascist book" that incites violence and that promotes intolerance of women and homosexuals. Some reports say that Wilders rips or burns the Quran on camera in the film. The AP reported yesterday that Wilders has not yet found a broadcaster willing to air the still-unfinished film. He says he will post it on the Internet if he can find no other outlet for it. Wilder's party holds nine of the 150 seats in Netherlands' Parliament. The Independent today says that the Dutch government is preoccupied with concern about the fallout that might result from the film. Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, issued a statement saying in part: "The government is preparing for the possible repercussions that the broadcast of the film could have, internationally as well as domestically." Imams are being encouraged to preach calm at services today, while cities have been put on alert. An article in yesterday's American Muslim analyzed possible reactions to the film.

Religious Discrimination Claim Rejected In Firing of Community Services Director

In Evans v. State of Washington, (WA Ct. App., Jan 23, 2008), a Washington state Court of Appeals rejected employment discrimination and retaliation claims brought by a regional Community Services Division director who claimed her dismissal from her position by the state violated Washington's law prohibiting religious discrimination in employment. Plaintiff Linda Evans was a pastor who headed a church ministry that ran a housing program for low-income teen parents and their children. Evans was variously accused of using her management position to coerce employees into participating in her church, coercing subordinate personnel into giving preferential treatment to her church members, using state computers and telephones to promote her church, praying with employees and allowing employees to address her as "pastor" during working hours. She was dismissed on the grounds that new leadership was needed in her office. The court found that Evans failed to prove either disparate treatment or retaliation, nor did she show that the Department of Social and Health Services' asserted reasons for its actions were a pretext for discrimination.

9th Circuit Defines "Religious Exercise" In RLUIPA

On Tuesday, in Greene v. Solano County Jail, (9th Cir., Jan. 22, 2008), the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decided an important interpretive question under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. In the case, a former maximum security prisoner challenged a California jail's policy of prohibiting maximum security prisoners from participating in group religious worship. RLUIPA prohibits imposing a substantial burden on a prisoner's "religious exercise", absent a compelling interest and narrowly tailored means. The Court of Appeals held that "religious exercise" means a particular practice within a religion-- here attending group services-- and not merely the general practice of one's religion. So a substantial burden on that practice is enough to create a RLUIPA problem. The court remanded the case for the trial court to determine whether the total ban on group religious worship is the least restrictive means of maintaining jail security. Today's San Francisco Chronicle reports on the decision.

"Peer Reviewed" Creationism Journal Launched

Nature News yesterday reported that Answers in Genesis, the group that last year opened a Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, has now launched a new online scholarly journal, Answers Research Journal. The journal's website describes it as "a professional, peer-reviewed technical journal for the publication of interdisciplinary scientific and other relevant research from the perspective of the recent Creation and the global Flood within a biblical framework." The journal's editor-in-chief, Australian geologist Andrew Snelling, says that "papers ... will be reviewed ... through a large network of well-qualified creationist researchers, scientists, and theologians who are the best thinkers in their fields of creationist research." Volume 1, Issue 1, is already available.

Parents Say Vermont Teacher Pushes Christianity In Classroom

The ACLU of Vermont has complained to school officials about Irasburg (VT) seventh grade teacher Wally Rogers who they say has gone too far in promoting his personal religious beliefs in his public school class. A report today from the Vermont Press Bureau says that Rogers gave a student a flier titled titled "Why Jesus Is Better Than Santa Claus." In the fall the 10 commandments were posted in Rogers classroom. His accelerated reading program list contains a number of Christian-themed books and Christian books were on his classroom bookshelf. His web page on the school's website included links to Christian web pages. A letter from the ACLU led school officials to remove some of the books and web links, and the school superintendent has sent a memo to faculty and staff on separation of church and state. However several parents remain concerned.

Korean Buddhists Complain About Polling Places In Churches

In South Korea, Buddhists and other groups are complaining that a disproportionately large number of voting stations have been located in Protestant churches. Today's Korea Times says that in last December's presidential elections, 1160 of the 13,178 polling places were in religious institutions. 91% of the religious buildings used were Protestant churches. Only 0.3% were Buddhist. Election officials say the locations met the voting law requirements for transportation, safety and handicap accessibility.

Denver Archbishop Criticizes Bill That Would Limit Religious Hiring Preferences

Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput is criticizing a bill pending in the Colorado legislature that would prohibit religious organizations from using religious criteria in hiring of any person whose position is paid for by government grant funds. The Catholic News Agency reported yesterday that House Bill 1080 could prevent Catholic non-profit organizations from preferring Catholics for key leadership positions. The Archbishop has threatened to end Catholic Charities' involvement in government funded programs if the bill passes, saying that it would threaten the religious identity of the organization. The Colorado Catholic Conference says it understands that the Anti-Defamation League has been a leading advocate of the bill, and called on the ADL to distance itself from the proposal. The ADL's website contains a 2001 statement on President Bush's faith-based initiative, calling for safeguards including ensuring "that taxpayer money does not fund religious discrimination in the hiring and firing of people who will deliver the services."

UPDATE: At a news conference yesterday in the Vatican, Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes set out his support for Archbishop Chaput’s position on Colorado HB 1080. (CNA).

Afghan Student Sentenced To Death For Distributing Article On Quranic Verses

The Chronicle of Higher Education yesterday reported that a journalism student at Afghanistan’s Balkh University was sentenced to death on Tuesday for distributing material found by a religious court to be insulting to Islam. The student, Sayad Parwez Kambaksh, apparently distributed an article he found on the Internet that commented on verses in the Quran about women. Radio Free Afghanistan says that the case now moves on to the first of two appeals. Journalist organizations in Afghanistan have called on President Hamid Karzai to pardon Kambaksh. The Institute for War and Peace Reporting claims that Kambakhsh was prosecuted in order to punish his brother, a reporter who has written pieces critical of very powerful commanders in Balkh and other northern provinces.

UPDATE: On Feb. 6, The Independent quoted Afghan ministerial aide, Najib Manalai, who said of Kambaksh: "I am not worried for his life. I'm sure Afghanistan's justice system will find the best way to avoid this sentence."

Dutch Government Will Ban Burqa In Schools and Government Offices

Reuters and Jurist both reported yesterday that the Dutch government will shortly impose a ban on Muslim women wearing the burqa in schools and government offices. The Cabinet reportedly has rejected on freedom of religion grounds a broader proposal by right-wing politician Geert Wilders that would have totally banned burqas from being worn in public.

Israel's Knesset Approves Religious Affairs Ministry Proposal

Last week, according to YNet News (1/14) , Israel's Knesset voted 51-37 to approve the government's proposal to re-establish the Ministry of Religious Affairs (see prior posting) and to expand the powers given to Yitzhak Cohen, the Minister heading it. Cohen promised to equalize salaries between various religious councils and to assure that council employees are paid on time. Last month, Lod's Municipal Religious Council suspended burial services to protest wage delays. (YNet News (12/23). [Thanks to Religion and State In Israel for the lead.]

Citizens Protest School Board's Refusal To Permit Gideon Bible Distribution

Yesterday's Hope, Arkansas Star reports on the Hope Public Schools Board of Trustees meeting held last Monday at which 25 people appeared to protest the Board's decision that it would not permit the Gideons to continue their practice of handing out Bibles to fifth graders in the public schools. Shirley Cooper, spokesperson for the group, told the school board:

This has been done as long as we can remember. I remembered how I treasured my little red testament and I still have it and how many of you still have yours? It is heartbreaking to think we can go into other country and they are begging for God's word, but here in America and in our own home town, it is refused. We feel things like this are exactly what's wrong with our country and our town. What do we have to lose? We have never been sued over this before and if anything should come up we would have to pursue it further, but I know the Lord would fight this battle for us.

School Board President Joe Short said he would rather see school funds going toward education than toward defending a lawsuit. Implying that there were alternatives available, he said that students could do whatever they wanted to on their own during non-instructional hours. Earlier this month, a Missouri federal district court struck down a school policy permitting distribution of Gideon bibles during the school day.

Interview With Mikey Weinstein, Founder of Military Relgious Freedom Foundation

February's Philadelphia Jewish Voice has published an interview with Michael Weinstein Founder and President of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Weinstein has been fighting religious proselytizing in the military. He says, in part:

I tell people also this is not a Christian-Jewish issue, it is a fundamentalist Christian versus the Constitution issue. I am not at war with Christianity, I’m not at war with evangelical Christianity... but we are at war with a small subset of evangelical Christianity...the Premillenial, Dispensational, Reconstructionist Dominionist, Fundamentalist Evangelical Christians who believe they have an unlimited right to push their particular biblical worldview.... By last week, over 6,800 active duty members of the United States Marine Corp, Navy, Army and Air Force have come to our foundation pretty much as spiritual rape victims/tormentees and the shocking thing is 96% of them coming to us are Christians themselves.

Vietnam's Catholic Church Wants Property Returned

An AP report today says that the Catholic Church in Vietnam is pressuring the government to return to it the old Vatican embassy in Hanoi that was taken by the government in 1960. This is one of many church properties that were taken over by the government after 1954. Church leaders and their parishioners have been gathering in front of the former embassy, now used as a youth sports center, for prayer vigils to draw attention to their claim. Government officials say a priest voluntarily turned the embassy property over to the government in 1960. Observers say the Church's public challenge shows that relations between the government and the Church have improved dramatically. Five years ago such demonstrators would have been arrested.

Supreme Court Rejects Prisoner's Tort Claim For Lost Religious Items

Yesterday in a 5-4 decision in Ali v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, (US Sup. Ct., Jan. 22, 2008), the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a tort claim by a federal prisoner seeking to recover the value of property that was lost when his belongings were moved from one prison to another. The missing items, worth $177, included two copies of the Qur'an, a prayer rug and religious magazines. The court's majority opinion, written by Justice Thomas, relied on a provision in 28 USC Sec. 2680(c) that precludes Federal Tort Claims Act suits for detention of goods or property against "any officer of customs or excise or any other law enforcement officer." The majority concluded that the provision is not limited to officers enforcing customs or excise laws. AP covers the decision, reporting that plaintiff Abdus-Shahid M.S. Ali claimed that the missing religious items are part of a widespread pattern of harassment against Muslim inmates since 9-11. (See prior related posting.) [Thanks to Blog from the Capitol for the lead.]

Court Says Religious Conflict With Grand Jury Appearance Justifies Dismissal

In People v. Shemesh, (NY App. Div., Jan. 15, 2008), a New York appellate court in a 3-2 decision affirmed a lower court's dismissal of a grand jury indictment on free exercise grounds. Defendant asserted his right to appear before the grand jury that was considering handing down a perjury indictment against him. However he ultimately did not testify because the prosecutor refused to reschedule his appearance to prevent a conflict with defendant's observance of Passover. The majority held that "under these unique circumstances ... the People did not offer defendant a reasonable or meaningful opportunity to testify before the grand jury." The two dissenters argued that defendant's belated rejection of various other acceptable dates to testify raised a question of whether he was making a good faith effort to cooperate.

Malaysian Authorities Confiscate Christian Children's Books Over Illustrations

Australia's Christian Today reports that Malaysian authorities have recently confiscated Christian children's books claiming that graphic depictions in them of the Biblical figures Abraham and Moses violate Islamic law. General-secretary of the Malaysian Council of Churches, Reverend Hermen Shastri, called on the Interior Ministry to amend its regulations to prevent enforcement officials from acting on their personal whims.