Religion & Law

Muslim Brotherhood rallies to Ground Zero mosque

Posted on September 21, 2010
J. Michael Waller writing at Big Peace: "After initially staying away from the controversy, the Muslim Brotherhood has embraced the cause of the Ground Zero mosque and some of its US-based front groups are now engaged . . . Support for the Ground Zero mosque is part of what the Muslim Brotherhood calls 'civilization jihad,' a 'pre-violent' form of warfare against civil society that operates generally within the law to infiltrate shariah attitudes and practices in Western democratic societies...

Goodwin Liu and Robert Chatigny: Obama?s worst judicial nominees yet?

Posted on September 21, 2010
Joel Mandelman writing at Pajamas Media: "The U.S. Senate will soon consider two of Barack Obama?s worst judicial nominations: Goodwin Liu for a seat on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Robert Chatigny to the 2nd Circuit. Both nominees have shown an arrogant contempt for the law, a total disregard for the limited role of the judiciary in a democracy, and a brutal inclination to abuse judicial power to impose their own peculiar left-wing ideologies on the American people...

Algerian Christians under trial for breaking Ramzan fast

Posted on September 21, 2010
Times of India: "Two Algerian Christians were tried on Tuesday for breaking Ramadan fasting rules, with hundreds of people protesting outside the courtroom against judicial authorities."

Justice Department issues report on 10th anniversary of RLUIPA

Posted on September 21, 2010
Department of Justice: "The Justice Department today issued a report marking the 10th anniversary of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), showing that the law has had a positive impact on protecting the religious freedom of a wide range of faith groups, and had a particularly significant impact protecting the religious freedom of minorities...

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The political risks of supporting ?gay rights?

Posted on September 21, 2010
Michael Klarman writing in the Los Angeles Times: Historically, American presidents have rarely gotten far ahead of public opinion on civil rights issues, and the few times they have, they've paid a substantial price for doing so . . . Having seen that gay marriage was politically toxic for Democrats, Obama ran for the presidency in 2008 on a platform of repealing 'don't ask, don't tell' and enacting federal employment and hate-crimes legislation to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination...

Lasting marriages combine commitment, passion: U. of Virginia Researchers

Posted on September 21, 2010
Canada.com: "Putting the 'hopeless' in hopeless romantics, a new study of more than 1,400 spouses concludes that one of the flimsiest foundations for a marriage is, incredibly, love . . . 'Marriage is about a long-term commitment, thick and thin, kids, money ? all that stuff,' says study co-author W...

Hillary to give UN $50 million from US taxpayers ? for cooking stoves

Posted on September 21, 2010
Reuters AlertNet: "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will announce on Tuesday a U.S. contribution of more than $50 million toward providing clean cooking stoves in developing countries to reduce deaths from smoke inhalation and fight climate change." | Secretary of State press release

?Gay activists detained at rally against Moscow mayor?

Posted on September 21, 2010
Reuters AlertNet: "Police broke up a small protest on Tuesday and detained at least eight gay rights activists calling for the resignation of Moscow's mayor, who is locked in a battle with the Kremlin over his job after 18 years in office."

43% say government programs increase poverty in America

Posted on September 21, 2010
Rasmussen: "A plurality of Americans (43%) believe that government programs increase poverty in America. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 22% of the nation?s adults believe that those programs decrease poverty. Twenty-three percent (23%) say they have no impact...

Afghan boys are prized, so girls live the part

Posted on September 21, 2010
New York Times: "There are no statistics about how many Afghan girls masquerade as boys. But when asked, Afghans of several generations can often tell a story of a female relative, friend, neighbor or co-worker who grew up disguised as a boy. To those who know, these children are often referred to as neither 'daughter' nor 'son' in conversation, but as 'bacha posh,' which literally means 'dressed up as a boy' in Dari...

Notre Dame protesters win right to individual jury trials

Posted on September 21, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "The 88 pro-lifers (known as the ND88) who were arrested on the campus of the University of Notre Dame last year during President Obama?s controversial visit have won the right to have their own individual jury trials, thanks to the efforts of the Thomas More Society...

Austin R. Nimocks: No middle ground in the battle for religious freedom v. normalization of homosexual conduct in the military

Posted on September 21, 2010
ADF Attorney Austin Nimocks spoke at a Family Research Council press conference on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

The abortion money starts coming in

Posted on September 21, 2010
Center for Responsive Politics: "The newly formed 'super PAC' of abortion rights advocacy group EMILY's List drew most of the $430,000 it raised in August from just five sources, a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance reports filed Thursday shows...

UK: Lib Dems back redefinition of marriage

Posted on September 21, 2010
Politics.uk: "The Liberal Democrats further cemented their distinct party political identity today with vote backing gay marriage. The motion, which passed, would allow straight couples to have civil ceremonies and gay couples to become married. It is sure to anger faith groups, coming just days after the Pope's visit to the UK, where he spoke out against the country's 'aggressive secularism'...

NM: ?More Mosques, Less Jobs? billboard causes controversy

Posted on September 21, 2010
Las Cruces News-Sun: "Reactions to two electronic billboard messages Perez has paid to have displayed have ranged from appalling to agreement, with many expressing surprise and shock. The message that has drawn reactions from many who have seen it: 'More Mosques, Less Jobs, Vote Democratic???'"

Indonesia: Meant to foster religious harmony, decree continues to cause divisions

Posted on September 21, 2010
The Jakarta Globe: "Lawmakers and the government failed to come to a consensus on Tuesday over what to do with a controversial decree that activists say fans the flames of religious conflict. The decree, issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs, obliges a congregation to obtain approval from at least 60 households in the immediate vicinity before building a house of worship...

India has moved on from its mosque controversy

Posted on September 21, 2010
Barun S. Mitra writing in The Wall Street Journal: "The mosque in question is in the small Indian town of Ayodhya, in northern Uttar Pradesh state. Six decades ago the mosque became the subject of a contentious lawsuit. The conflict sparked some of the most vicious riots in modern Indian history and the mosque was torn down...

Gov?t prevents Nepal?s deposed king from key religious function

Posted on September 21, 2010
IBN Live: "Nepal's deposed king Gyanendra was prevented from attending an ancient religious function to honour the 'Living Goddess' at his former palace today, amid speculation that he has stepped up his public appearances in face of the deepening constitutional crisis in the country...

ECFA policy position makes case for protecting faith-based hiring rights

Posted on September 21, 2010
ChristianNewsWire: "The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) has released a policy position that details the importance of preserving faith-based hiring rights for churches and other religious organizations at a time when Congress and the courts are questioning these rights...

Catholic Church backs Muslim struggle to build Milan?s first mosque

Posted on September 21, 2010
Christian Science Monitor: "'Milan civil institution must guarantee everyone religious freedom,' Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the church's highest authority in town, told La Repubblica daily newspaper on Sept. 4. 'Muslims have the right to practice their faith while respecting the law...

Kuwait strips Shiite of citizenship for sectarian remarks

Posted on September 21, 2010
Turkish Weekly: "Kuwait has stripped an exiled Shiite man of his citizenship, accusing him of provoking sectarian tensions and defaming Islam by insulting a wife of the Prophet Muhammad, reported Kuwaiti newspapers Tuesday."

Less families homeschooling primarily for religious reasons

Posted on September 21, 2010
CNN / Belief Blog: "Welcome to homeschooling 2010. It?s no longer a solitary exercise for many parents? it?s communal. Many families are now sharing ideas about teaching and taking turns as teachers. In effect, they?re creating their own 'shadow schools' ...

Texas textbook proposal raises anti-Islam concerns

Posted on September 21, 2010
EducationNews.org: "As a Muslim who grew up going to Texas public schools ? and sees challenges facing today's Muslim students ? Imam Islam Mossaad said he was taken aback by a resolution to be considered Friday by the State Board of Education asserting the need to fend off a pro-Islamic, anti-Christian bias in textbooks...

Ella Marketer: Drug doesn?t cause abortions; pro-lifers warn pharmacists

Posted on September 21, 2010
LifeNews: "As pro-life advocates launch a campaign to warn pharmacists about the newly-approved abortion drug ella, the marketer of the so-called 'emergency contraceptive' pill says it does not cause abortions. The new drug is billed as a more effective morning after pill but its chemical makeup is similar to the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug...

GA: Library bans teen for proselytizing

Posted on September 21, 2010
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "A 16-year-old who officials said continued to proselytize outside a library after officials warned him to stop has been banned from the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System for six months."

NC: Sikh man sues convenience stores over turban and beard

Posted on September 21, 2010
WRAL: "A member of the Sikh religious faith says a Durham-based chain of convenience stores crossed a line by telling him to get a shave and a haircut."

Pro-life model guidelines released: NOW intensifies call for Obama to live up to campaign promises

Posted on September 21, 2010
Common Dreams: "Late last night, the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Health and Human Services released pre-regulatory model guidelines for the implementation of the anti-abortion rights provisions tacked on to the Affordable Care Act in order to secure the votes of a handful of religious fundamentalists serving in Congress...

Kansas asks judge to toss judicial nomination suit

Posted on September 21, 2010
The Garden City Telegram (AP): "The state has asked a federal judge to toss a legal challenge to a constitutional amendment ratified by voters more than a half-century ago that addressed a controversy over how Supreme Court justices are nominated in Kansas...

Pew study: Religion plays key role in deciphering public opinion

Posted on September 21, 2010
Deseret News: "While a number of Americans cite religion as the most important influence on shaping their opinion on key social issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion and the death penalty, religious attitudes play a substantially lesser role when it comes to opinions on poverty, immigration and the environment ...

ADF prepared to defend students prevented from praying in ?See You at the Pole? event

Posted on September 21, 2010
Alliance Defense Fund attorneys are ready to defend, free of charge, students who are prevented by public school officials from participating in the 'See You at the Pole' event Wednesday."

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