[I]f the human rights issues are not addressed before the Olympic Games begin, we consider participation in them by athletes and by spectators and political leaders to be an indirect danger to world peace. With respect to other repression which the Government of the People’s Republic of China is alleged to be perpetrating or supporting, such as the Tibet Repression, the Darfur Massacres, the aid China is said to be giving to the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea – all these support the allegations of the Falun Gong practitioners regarding the attitude of the Government of the People’s Republic of China towards human life and the rights of
Nations.
Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Israeli Sanhedrin Condemns China's Repression of Falun Gong
Saturday, August 02, 2008
EEOC Complaint: Muslim Woman Not Hired Because of Headscarf
GBLT Anti-Discrimination Ordinance Challenged as Anti-Christian
Florida County Tells Police That Humane Animal Sacrifice Is Protected
Beijing's Jewish Community Works With China's Relgious Regulations
Friday, August 01, 2008
Was Israeli Law Broken When Obama's Note Was Taken From Western Wall?
Maariv could make the case that the note isn't part of the Western Wall itself, so the student who took it wasn't desecrating a holy place. The newspaper's lawyers might further argue that a public figure like Obama cannot have reasonably expected privacy at the wall, since he knew it was a public area, and that there was a chance his note would be read and disseminated. (A spokesman for Maariv says that the Obama campaign submitted the note to the newspaper, in which case the senator would indeed have forfeited all legal protection to privacy.)
Indian Police Arrest Kangaroo Court That Executed Husband In Mixed Marriage
Court Upholds School's Objections To Religious Remarks In Graduation Speech
the valedictorian speech at the school's graduation was not private speech in a limited public forum but rather school-sponsored speech.... Accordingly, school officials were entitled to regulate the content of the speeches in a reasonable manner.... The graduation ceremony clearly bears the imprimatur of the school, as it was sponsored, organized, and supervised by school officials.The court also held that a Colorado statute declaring that public school students have the right to freedom of speech was intended to apply only to student publications, and, in any event, would not preclude schools from regulating speech that could violate the Establishment Clause. Finally the court concluded that the principal was justified in requiring Corder to apologize, and that this did not amount to unconstitutional coercion of speech. (See prior related posting.)
Plaintiffs Win In Two Cases Charging Anti-Semitic Harassment In Employment
In another religious discrimination case this week, the New York Times reports that last Monday a federal court jury in New York awarded $735,000 in actual and punitive damages to a former employee of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority who claimed anti-Semitic harassment by his supervisor. Plaintiff Gregory Fishman alleged that he was denied time off for knee surgery, was passed over for promotion, because of his religion. He also claims he was demoted after filing a discrimination complaint. He finally left his job because of the harassment. [Thanks to Steve Sheinberg for the lead.]
11th Circuit Orders Recognition of Christian Fraternity By UF Pending Appeal
BYX filed an appeal with the 11th Circuit. On Wednesday, according to an AP report, the Court of Appeals granted an injunction (full text) ordering the University to grant recognition to the fraternity while its appeal is pending. A release by Alliance Defense Fund says the a motion for summary judgment is still pending in district court as well. (See prior related posting.) [Thanks to Blog from the Capital for the lead.]
Leader of Christian Group Demands Removal of Georgia Guidestones Monument
UPDATE: Comments posted below by Bill Poser support strongly the conclusion that the Guidestones Monument is in fact on private property, and that the press release indicating otherwise is in fact a release by The Resistance, not by the Elberton Chamber of Commerce.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
RICO Lawsuit Filed Against Church of Scientology
"Defamation of Religions" Campaign Discussed In Congress, By Magazine
The trend has rights advocates worried.... Defamation laws traditionally protect individual people from being materially harmed by the dissemination of falsehoods. But "defamation of religions" is not about protecting individual believers from damage to their reputations caused by false statements — but rather about protecting a religion, or some interpretation of it, or the feelings of the followers. While a traditional defence in a defamation lawsuit is that the accused was merely telling the truth, religions by definition present competing claims on the truth, and one person's religious truth is easily another's apostasy. "Truth" is no defence in such cases. The subjective perception of insult is what matters, and what puts the whole approach on a collision course with the human rights regime — especially in countries with an official state religion.The article builds on testimony offered at a July 11 off-the-record briefing presented by the Congressional Human Rights Caucus Task Force on International Religious Freedom titled "Taboos" on Freedom of Religion and Expression at the United Nations: How Religious Defamation Resolutions are Setting a Dangerous Precedent. (Announcement of briefing.) Among those those making presentations were Becket Fund's Angela Wu, whose Issue Brief on the topic is available online. Earlier this week, Becket Fund issued a press release on the Macleans article.
Democratic Convention Reaching Out To Faith Communities, With Some Objections
Bulgaria Targets Unregistred Religious Groups
US Agency Calls For President To Press China On Religious Freedom
Meanwhile, the International Campaign for Tibet published an English translation of an official government document that outlines new measures to be taken against Buddhist monasteries and monks in Tibet in the wake of protests against Chinese rule. The document, issued by the Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, calls for measures that are characterized by Tibetans as reminiscent of China's Cultural Revolution. (See prior related posting.)
New Lawsuit Challenges New York's Enforcement of Kosher Inspection Laws
Turkey's Ruling Party Avoids Dissolution For Anti-Secular Activities In Close Court Decision
Today's Zaman gives more detailed information on Wednesday's court decision, and a backgrounder on the closure of political parties in Turkey. At the center of the decision are provisions in Articles 68 and 69 of Turkey's Constitution:
In Wednesday's decision, 6 of the court's 11 judges voted to dissolve the party, one vote short of the 7 needed for dissolution. Four other judges voted to cut the AKP's state funding. Only Chief Justice Haşim Kılıç voted against imposing any sanctions. In announcing the Court's decision, the Chief Justice urged politicians to amend Turkish law to make it more difficult to bring cases seeking closure of political parties in order to avoid the kind of political crisis that this case has generated.68(4)... The ... activities of political parties shall not be in conflict with the independence of the state, its indivisible integrity..., human rights, the principles of equality and rule of law, sovereignty of the nation, the principles of the democratic and secular republic...
69(7) The decision to dissolve a political party permanently owing to activities violating the provisions of the fourth paragraph of Article 68 may be rendered only when the Constitutional Court determines that the party in question has become a centre for the execution of such activities....
(8) Instead of dissolving them permanently in accordance with the above-mentioned paragraphs, the Constitutional Court may rule the concerned party to be deprived of State aid wholly or in part with respect to intensity of the actions brought before the court.