Thursday, 09 September 2010, 02:57 am PDT
Latest News
PUBLICATION SCHEDULE: LOOK FOR THE NEXT NEW POSTINGS ON RELIGION CLAUSE ON SUNDAY MORNING
Religion Clause
British Sikh Sues Polish Border Guards Over Airport Search
Polskie Radio today reports that a British Sikh has filed suit (apparently in Polish courts) against Polish border guards who required him to remove his turban during screening at the Interna... [read more]
Religion Clause
Algerian Police Charge Ten Men For Eating IN Restaurant In Daytime During Ramadan
According to yesterday's Jerusalem Post, Algerian authorities in the town of Akbou have arrested ten men on charges of mocking Ramadan. The men were picked up in a restaurant in the province of Be... [read more]
Religion Clause
President Obama Sends Rosh Hashanah Greetings
Yesterday the White House released a statement from President Obama sending new year's greetings to Jews in the U. S. and around the world who celebrate Rosh Hashanah beginning this evening. ... [read more]
Religion Clause
Court Dismisses Complaint Over Homeowners' Association Order To Remove Cross
In Weatherspoon v. Provincetowne Master Owners Association, 2010 U. S. Dist. LEXIS 92187 (D CO, Sept. 2, 2010), a Colorado federal district court dismissed on collateral estoppel grounds ... [read more]
Religion Clause
Court Refuses To Lift Preliminary Injunction Against Stem Cell Funding Guidelines
D. C. federal district judge Royce Lamberth yesterday issued an order in Sherley v. Sebelius (full text) refusing to lift, pending appeal, his preliminary injunction against applying the Depar... [read more]
Religion Clause
Suit Charges Dearborn High School Principal With Discrimination Against Non-Muslims
A discrimination lawsuit was filed late last month by two Christian high school teachers against Imad Fadlallah, the now-retired principal of Dearborn, Michigan's Fordson High School, and against ... [read more]
Religion Clause
Secretary of State Clinton Hosts State Department Iftar
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last night hosted the State Department's annual Iftar (Ramadan break fast). In her remarks (full text), she said in part:Ramadan teaches and reinforces va... [read more]
Religion Clause
Court Dismisses Christian Pastors' Challenge To Hate Crimes Law
In Glenn v. Holder, (ED MI, Sept. 7, 2010), a Michigan federal district court dismissed on standing and ripeness grounds a challenge to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prev... [read more]
Religion Clause
Religion Becoming An Issue In Hawaii's Democratic Gubernatorial Primary
Religion is beginning to play an important role in Hawaii's Sept. 18 gubernatorial primary election. KITV News yesterday reported on ads and flyers by a group calling itself Island Values. Support... [read more]
Religion Clause
Tajikistan Continues Restrictions on Religion While Tajik Muslims Prefer Religious Dispute Settlement
Forum 18 last week reported that the government of Tajikistan is imposing ever tighter controls on religious activity in the country whose majority religion is Islam. Invoking the ban on poli... [read more]
Religion Clause
Petraeus Says Florida Church's "Burn a Qur'an Day" Could Endanger U.S. Efforts In Afghanistan
According to a report by ABC News yesterday, the plans of a pastor in Florida to hold a "Burn a Qur'an Day" at his church on the anniversary of 9-11 is now seen as a danger to U. S. ... [read more]
Religion Clause
USPS Issues Postage Stamp Honoring Mother Teresa
On Sunday, the U. S. Postal Service issued a postage stamp honoring Mother Teresa. Announcing the stamp last week, USPS said:The U. S. Postal Service will pay tribute to Mother Teresa, who re... [read more]
Religion Clause
American Muslims Distressed Over Hostile Attitudes
Today's New York Times carries a front page article titled American Muslims Ask, Will We Even Belong? . It focuses on Muslim distress over the hostile reactions triggered by the proposed Mus... [read more]
Religion Clause
Israeli Politicians Debate Traditional Switch Off Daylight Savings Time For Yom Kippur
In Israel, members of the Knesset this week were engaged in debates over whether to continue the traditional practice in Israel of moving off daylight savings time beginning during the ten days bet... [read more]
Religion Clause
Department of Labor Blog Honors Ties Between Religion and Labor Movement
Today is Labor Day in the United States. On the official blog of the U. S. Department of Labor, Phil Tom, Director for DOL's Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships, recently p... [read more]
Religion Clause
Border Guard Survives Dismissal Motion In His Religious Discrimination Suit
In Israel v. Napolitano, (ND NY, Aug. 24, 2010), a New York federal district court refused to grant summary judgment to the Department of Homeland Security in a religious discrimination suit brough... [read more]
Religion Clause
Recent Articles of Interest
From SSRN:Patrick Parkinson, Kim Oates & Amanda Jayakody, Breaking the Long Silence: Reports of Child Sexual Abuse in the Anglican Church of Australia, (Ecclesiology, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 183-200... [read more]
Religion Clause
Recent Prisoner Free Exercise Cases
In Fairwell v. Cates, 2010 U. S. Dist. LEXIS 88856 (ED CA, Aug. 2, 2010), a California federal magistrate judge dismissed an inmate's free exercise and RLUIPA complaint with leave to ame... [read more]
Religion Clause
Maryland High Court Hears Arguments On Refusal To Reschedule Trial To Accommodate Religious Holiday
Last week, Maryland's Court of Appeals-- the state's highest court-- heard oral arguments in Neustadter v. Holy Cross Hospital of Silver Spring, Inc. , posing the question of whether the religiou... [read more]
Religion Clause
In Australia, Challenge Planned To School Chaplaincy Program
WA Today reports that in Australia, Queensland parent Ron Williams is planning to file suit to challenge the constitutionality of the country's school chaplaincy program. Politicians have pl... [read more]
Religion Clause
Israeli Labor Court Says Private Catholic School Can Ban Muslim Teacher From Wearing Hijab
In Israel, the Jerusalem District Labor Court upheld the dress code requirements of a private Catholic school that barred a Muslim teacher from wearing a hijab (headscarf). Today's Jerusalem... [read more]
Religion Clause
Suit Against Scientology Creates Conflict Between State and Federal Judges
Saturday's St. Petersburg (FL) Times reports on an unusual clash between a state and a federal court judge in a case involving the Church of Scientology. Six years ago, attorney and vocal critic o... [read more]
Religion Clause
Court OKs Menorah Display, But Not Use of City Personnel and Equipment To Light It
In Chabad of Mid-Hudson Valley v. City of Poughkeepsie, (NY App. Div. , Aug. 31, 2010), a New York state appellate court held that the display of an 18-foot high menorah on public property in downt... [read more]
Religion Clause
White House Press Secretary: President Is a Committed Mainstream Christian
The Christian Science Monitor reported last week that Fox News commentator Glenn Beck is accusing President Obama of not being a true Christian, but instead of believing in Marxist-based "Li... [read more]