Judge Charged With Improperly Introducing Religion Into Pending Case

The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission last Monday filed a Notice of Formal Charges against 5th Judicial Circuit Judge William Singbush.  As reported by the Ocala (FL) Star-Banner, in addition to tardiness and lengthy smoke breaks, Singbush is charged with improperly introducing religion and religious beliefs into his decision making in a case before him. In the case, the judge, on his own initiative, obtained a criminal background check on a key witnesses. When counsel for one of the parties moved for a mistrial, Singbush said:

I don’t know of anybody that’s made a mistake—and except for perhaps one, and for that we murdered him. You know, he was faultless and we murdered him for it. That’s not politically correct but I happen to believe in God.... Christ is the intercessor.

Demjanjuk Convicted In Germany; Sentenced To 5 Years; Released Pending Appeal

The Jerusalem Post reports that a court in Munich, Germany yesterday convicted 91-year old John Demjanjuk of assisting in the murder of 27,900 Jews in Poland as a guard at the Nazi Sobibor extermination camp. Demjanjuk was sentenced by the court to 5 years in prison, but was immediately released pending appeal. Legal proceedings have been in progress for decades in the United States, Israel and Germany against Demjanjuk, who lived for years as an auto worker near Cleveland, Ohio.

Local Indonesian Government Bans 4 NGOs, Alleging Proselytizing

The Jakarta Globe reported yesterday that  the Aceh Jaya regency in Indonesia has banned four NGOs-- that have been providing relief since the 2004 tsunami-- from continuing to operate. Residents had complained that the NGOs were attempting to convert Muslims, and the Aceh Jaya government says that an investigation by Ulema Consultative Assembly confirmed that "these foundations were attempting to put down and shove aside the essence of Islamic teachings in Aceh Jaya." The four NGOs involved are the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, the Tangan Peduli Foundation (an organization focused on irrigation projects and furnishing farmers seeds), the Fajar Harapan Foundation, and Cipta Fondasi Komunitas (connected with Baptist World Aid Australia). The organizations that could be reached by the media deny the charges.

Note to Readers: Technical Issues Hopefully Being Resolved

Regular readers may have noted that Thursday's postings have disappeared and there were no postings Friday morning. Google's Blogger-- the platform I use for publishing Religion Clause-- had a major crash yesterday. In an attempt to recover, Google reverted to a version that eliminated items that were posted after Wednesday afternoon. Also I have been unable to post new items until now.  Today's posts will be placed online this afternoon. Google promises to restore Thursday's posts. Let's hope they do. So far, Google has given little information as to why the technical problems occurred.

UPDATE: Here is Google's explanation. As of 3:30 EDT Friday, the missing posts were not yet restored by Blogger.

UPDATE2: The missing posts have now all been restored.

Gingrich Will Emphasize Religion In His Bid For Presidential Nomination

Newt Gingrich announced through Twitter yesterday that he is officially launching a run for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination.  The Seattle Times reports that his campaign is likely to focus on his new found interest in religion in laying out his fiscally and socially conservative agenda. It is expected that in his formal announcement speech at  the Georgia Republican Party convention on Friday, Gingrich will tie together the concepts of American exceptionalism and God-endowed rights. The article explains:

The strategy is aimed at shoring up Gingrich's standing with the party's social conservative wing, a constituency that regarded him with suspicion, in part because of his three marriages and admission of an extramarital affair.

But in recent years, the former speaker has made gains among evangelical leaders, the result of aggressively cultivating relationships with influential national figures and local pastors in key nominating states.

Gingrich, who was raised a Lutheran and became a Southern Baptist when he entered politics, converted two years ago to the Roman Catholic faith of his third wife, Callista, an experience he said shaped his new focus on faith. Since then, he created a nonprofit organization aimed at religious conservatives, Renewing American Leadership....

Some Jerusalem City Council Members Oppose Opera Festival That Will Be Held In Churches

In Israel, four Orthodox Jewish deputy mayors have introduced a resolution in Jerusalem's city council demanding an end to municipal sponsorship of events that could cause Jews to violate religious law.  Haaretz yesterday reported that the four want Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to withdraw municipal sponsorship from a June opera festival because some of the performances will be in held in churches.  Their resolution states: "Extra caution shall be exercised when holding events in churches and other locations that Jews are forbidden to enter, on pain of death, by virtue of the prohibition against idol worship." The mayor says he has no intention of changing the festival program, but might remove the city's logo from some of the publicity material. Others on city council strongly oppose the motion that has been presented. A letter from Meretz party representatives said: "It's time the Haredim realized that Jerusalem is not a city bound by religious law, but rather a free city that lives in compliance with the Declaration of Independence, and that they do not have a monopoly on the Jewish religion."

Tennessee School District Will Ban Gideon Bible Distribution In Classroooms

The Tennessean reported Tuesday that White County (TN) school officials have agreed to ban the Gideons from distributing Bibles in school classrooms.  The ACLU raised the issue after it received a complaint about Bibles being distributed at an elementary school in Doyle, TN, some 100 miles east of Nashville. A student says she did not want to take a Bible, but felt pressured into coming up and accepting it. [Thanks to Alliance Alert for the lead.]

House Chaplain Nomination Hits Snag, But Is Now A "Go"

Roll Call reported yesterday that House Speaker John Boehner's plans to appoint Jesuit priest Patrick J. Conroy as the next House Chaplain (see prior posting) hit a snag, but is now back on track. It turns out that Conroy is a member of the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus which is in bankruptcy and which last March settled sex abuse claims by 470 victims, most of whom were abused at Native American mission schools, for $166 million. (See prior posting.)  When this information became known, House minority leader Nancy Peolsi raised questions about the nomination. However after obtaining answers to additional questions, Peolsi is now satisfied with the nomination moving ahead. Apparently neither Boehner nor Pelosi knew of this history when the nomination was originally announced. Some other House members say they still want to make certain that Conroy's past is examined thoroughly. [Thanks to Pew Sitter for the lead.]

Navy Chief Chaplain Reverses Recent Policy On Same-Sex Marriages In Base Chapels

The Navy yesterday reversed its recently announced policy (see prior posting) that would have permitted Navy chaplains to perform same-sex marriages and civil unions in Navy chapels.  Navy Chief of Chaplains Rear Adm Mark Tidd said he was suspending the earlier guidance pending additional legal and policy review and closer coordination with the other branches of the military. The Los Angeles Times reports today that a letter from 63 House members to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus asked for reversal of the policy, saying that it violates federal law-- the Defense of Marriage Act. The Washington Post reported yesterday that members of the House Armed Services Committee are expected to introduce amendments to the defense authorization bill that would prohibit the use of Defense Department facilities for same-sex marriages, even if state law permits them.

Indiana Governor Signs New Voucher Law With Curricular Mandates Included

OneNewsNow reports that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels last week signed into law HB 1003, creating a "choice scholarship" program for students from families whose income does not exceed 150% of the amount to qualify for the federal free lunch program. It also provides tax deductions for parents who send their children to private schools or who home school them. It increases the tax credit for contributions to scholarship granting organizations, and bars such organizations from limiting scholarships to only one school.

The new law sets out a series of curricular requirements for schools that accept the new scholarships. It contains a lengthy list of historical documents that teachers must be allowed to read or post in classrooms or at school events. These include the Constitution, the national motto, all U.S. Supreme Court decisions and "Chief Seattle's letter to the United States government in 1852 in response to the United States government's inquiry regarding the purchase of tribal lands." The law bars such schools from "content based censorship of American history or heritage based on religious references" in these documents. Certain of the basic documents must be in the school's library. Students must be allowed to refer to these documents in any report or work product.

The new law contains another list of curricular requirements relating to government, citizenship and  personal values. Among the social science requirements are "a study of the Holocaust and the role religious extremism played in the events of September 11, 2001, in each high school United States history course."

Missourians Will Vote On Expanding Free Exercise Clause In State Constitution

In November 2012, Missouri voters will vote on a proposed state constitutional amendment (full text) that, if passed, will expand the language of the religious freedom protections in the current Art. I, Sec. 5 of the Missouri Constitution. HJR 2, approved by the House in March was approved by the state Senate yesterday. In addition to making the language of the free exercise provisions gender neutral, the new Art. I, Sec. 5 will add a laundry list of protections:

• neither state or local governments shall establish any official religion, nor shall a citizen's right to pray or express religious beliefs be infringed;
• the state shall not coerce anyone to participate in prayer or other religious activity, but shall ensure that any person shall have the right to pray individually or corporately in a private or public setting;
• citizens as well as state and local elected officials and employees shall have the right to pray on government premises and public property within the same parameters placed on other speech under similar circumstances;
• the General Assembly and the governing bodies of political subdivisions may extend to clergy and others the privilege to offer invocations or other prayers at their meetings or sessions;
• students may express their beliefs about religion in written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their work;
• no student shall be compelled to perform or participate in academic assignments or educational presentations that violate his or her religious beliefs;
• the state shall ensure public school students their right to free exercise of religious expression without interference, as long as their prayer or expression is private and voluntary, whether individually or corporately, and in a manner that is not disruptive and as long as such prayers or expressions abide by the same parameters placed upon other speech;
• all free public schools receiving state appropriations shall display, in a conspicuous and legible manner, the text of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States.

According to Political Fix, in past years, similar proposals have died in the state Senate. State senator Jolie Justus said:  "This was such a meaningless amendment, we just didn’t feel like we needed to put forth the effort to stop it this year."  Rep. Mike McGhee who sponsored the proposal in the House disagreed. He said: "If voters approve this it will send a message that the citizens of the state believe it’s OK to read a Bible to study hall. That it’s OK to pray briefly before a City Council meeting. That’s what we were trying to do by bringing this amendment forward." [Thanks to Alliance Alert for the lead.]

Navy Chaplains May Perform Same-Sex Marriages

Navy Times reported yesterday that Navy Chief of Chaplains Rear Adm. Mark Tidd has issued a memo allowing Navy chaplains to officiate at same-sex marriage and civil union ceremonies. The memo was issued as part of the updated training guidance to implement the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  The memo reads in part:

Consistent with the tenets of his or her religious organization, a chaplain may officiate a same-sex, civil marriage: if it is conducted in accordance with a state that permits same-sex marriage or union; and if that chaplain is, according to the applicable state and local laws, otherwise fully certified to officiate that state’s marriages.... [I]f the base is located in a state where same-sex marriage is legal, then base facilities may normally be used to celebrate the marriage. This is true for purely religious services (e.g., a chaplain blessing a union) or a traditional wedding (e.g., a chaplain both blessing and conducting the ceremony).

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Todd Aikin says that the memo violates the Defense of Marriage Act.

Malaysian Government Investigating Reports That Some Want Christianity To Be Another Official Religion

In Malaysia, Bernama reported yesterday that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has ordered an investigation of reports that a newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, carried a front page report last Saturday quoting two blogs that said a meeting had taken place between Christian leaders who want Christianity to be an additional official religion in Malaysia. According to Bernama, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein "said the report was very sensitive and all quarters should know that it was not wise to raise such mater for it could lead to chaos and anxieties among the people." Malaysia's constitution (Art. 3, Sec. 1) provides: "Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation."

The IANS report on the matter is more dramatic.  Carried by the Mangalorean, it says a blog claimed that the opposition Democratic Action Party wants to elect a Christian prime minister and turn the country into a Christian country. DAP says the report is a lie.

US-China Dialogue Is Occasion For Petition By China House Churches

Yesterday and today in Washington, the State Department and Treasury Department are hosting the third joint meeting of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom last month urged the State Department to raise religious freedom issues during the conference. Christian Post reported yesterday the house churches in China are using the occasion to, for the first time in 60 years, petition China's legislature to guarantee the religious freedom of the country's largest house church, the Shouwang Church. Last month, 36 people attempting to attend an outdoor Easter service at the church were arrested. (See prior posting.)

Hasidic Paper Creates Stir For Editing Hillary Clinton Out of Famous Photo

In a strict reading of Jewish laws on modesty, the Hasidic newspaper Der Tzitung, published in Brooklyn, has a policy that it will not publish photos of women.  The Washington Post reported yesterday on the controversy that this has stirred when the paper altered the now-famous photo of Hillary Clinton, the President and others in the White House situation room watching the progress of the mission that killed Osama bin Laden. The paper's version (shown by Failed Messiah blog) removed Hillary Clinton and the only other woman in the photo, Audrey Tomason. It turns out that this violates the White House terms distributed with the photo that: "The photograph may not be manipulated in any way...." Der Tszitung has issued a statement (full text from Washington Post) reading in part:

The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion.... In accord with our religious beliefs, we do not publish photos of women, which in no way relegates them to a lower status. Publishing a newspaper is a big responsibility, and our policies are guided by a Rabbinical Board. Because of laws of modesty, we are not allowed to publish pictures of women, and we regret if this gives an impression of disparaging to women, which is certainly never our intention. We apologize if this was seen as offensive.

India's Supreme Court Stays Division of Land At Disputed Holy Site

According to Bar and Bench, India's Supreme Court yesterday stayed an order issued last year by the Allahbad High Court that divided a sacred site claimed by both Hindus and Muslims among three separate groups, two Hindu and one Muslim. At issue is site in the town of Ayodhya that Hindus say the site was the birthplace of Lord Ram and was the location of an ancient temple. However the Babri Masjid mosque was constructed on the site sometime between the 16th and 18th century. In 1992, a Hindu mob partially destroyed the mosque, and widespread violence followed. The Supreme Court ordered that there should be no religious activity on 67 acres adjacent to the site acquired by the central government.  However the status quo is to be maintained as to the rest of the land, presumably while the Supreme Court considers the case.  The Supreme Court questioned the action of the Allahbad High Court in partitioning the land when none of the parties had asked for that type of order.

Judge Reverses Himself, Allows Kufi To Be Worn In Court

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported yesterday that a Georgia state judge has reversed his previous decision (see prior posting) that barred a Muslim man from entering his court room because the man wore a kufi.  Henry County Judge James Chafin wrote: "The Court finds through its own research that there is a basis in the Quran for both men and women to cover their heads as a religious observance." Previously the court had asked for proof that Muslim doctrine requires this. Defendant Troy "Tariq" Montgomery will now appear in court May 16 to defend a speeding ticket.

9th Circuit: Trial Court Must Reconsider Permissive Intervention By Pastor Into Tax Code Challenge

In Freedom from Religion Foundation v. Geithner, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a federal district court that Pastor Michael Rodgers, a Sacramento area clergyman, has not shown he is entitled to intervene as of right as a defendant in a challenge to the constitutionality of provisions in the federal and California tax codes that allow clergy to exclude from income the parsonage allowance furnished to them. Rodgers argues that the federal government inadequately represents his interest in assuring that the tax provision is upheld. However the appeals court remanded the case to the district court for consideration of whether it should grant permissive intervention, finding the district court had applied incorrect legal criteria in initially denying such intervention. Courthouse News Service reports on the decision.

Federal Lawsuit Over Zoning For Yehsiva In Airmont Is Settled

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced yesterday the settlement of a lawsuit it filed in 2005 under RLUIPA and the federal Fair Housing Act against the Village of Airmont in Rockland County, New York over its refusal to permit a Hasidic Jewish congregation to build a yeshiva with student housing. Airmont's zoning code prohibits residential student housing anywhere in the village while permitting a variety of other group residential uses. The lawsuit charged that this imposed a substantial burden on the free exercise of religion by Lavier Yakov congregation and amounted to the denial of housing based on religion. Under the consent decree entered in the case, Airmont has agreed to amend its zoning code by Oct. 15 to permit educational institutions with accessory housing and to permit construction of the yeshiva. The village will also pay a $10,000 civil penalty and has agreed to other steps to assure legal compliance in the future. The Lower Hudson Journal News reports that this is the second zoning-related civil rights lawsuit against the village since its founding in 1991. The earlier lawsuit charged that the village was incorporated to prevent Orthodox Jews from moving into the community through zoning laws that prohibited home synagogues. (See prior related posting.)

Article Analyzes Salifist-Coptic Clashes In Egypt

An article in today's Wall Street Journal gives context to the recent deadly clash (see prior posting) between Salafist Muslims and Coptic Christians. Here is an excerpt from the analysis:

The rise in sectarianism has appeared in parallel with an increasingly vocal Salafi movement—a fundamentalist Islamic ideology that tends to view non-Muslims as less deserving of full civil rights in an idealized Muslim society.

On some level, the violence is an effort to intimidate Christians whose protection by the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak was perceived by many as preferential treatment, said Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a human-rights group that has been monitoring sectarian violence in Egypt....

Despite sharing a few common political goals, such as the desire to see Sharia law incorporated into the Egyptian legal system, the Salafists' fundamentalist outlook is distinct from the Brotherhood's merely conservative ideology.

Strict Salafis consider more moderate Islamists, such as the Brotherhood, as "innovators" whose practice of the faith includes new or foreign concepts that were introduced into the religion long after the Prophet's death.