August 8, 2014 - LAW AND RELIGION FORUM

Some law and religion stories from around the web this week:

President Obama has authorized limited air strikes on ISIS and American military aircraft dropped food and water to tens of thousands of Iraqis trapped on a mountain range.
ISIS stormed new towns in Northern Iraq and seized a strategic dam, routing the Kurdish military force.
Satanic Temple members petition the Supreme Court, arguing that under Hobby Lobby, they should be exempt from receiving anti-abortion materials from the state.
- For further commentary on the legal merits of the challenge, see this item.
Senior leaders in Iraq’s minority Yazidi community say their wives and daughters, forcibly held by Islamic militants, are being given a choice: Convert to Islam and marry jihadists — or else.
Some in Nigeria support banning the hijab in response to female suicide bombers who detonate explosives concealed by the religious veil.
The Treasurer of the Virginia Republican Party resigned after writing a controversial Facebook post questioning President Obama’s statements that Muslim Americans have participated in weaving “the very fabric of our nation.”
Stung by a string of terrorist attacks by Uighurs, members of a Muslim minority who live in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region, the Chinese Communist Party has stepped up an intrusive campaign against expressions of religious identity in the group.
A Hindu pilgrimage to a glacial lake in Muslim-majority Kashmir triggers concerns and protests. The Muslim majority denies that the lake is a Hindu holy site and cites hidden political motivations for the pilgrimage.
Despite ideological differences, Jewish groups praise Rabbi David Saperstein’s nomination as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
Indonesia Religious Affairs Ministry added the Baha’i faith to the list of officially recognized religions.
A new study finds that the least educated members of Generation X are those most likely to leave organized religion.
Kyrgyzstan hopes to combat the circulation of extremist ideas by adding religious studies to school and university curricula and using a new textbook (Religion in the History of World Culture) that aims to counter misinformation.
Islamic Republic of Iran continues to deny discrimination against Baha’is in Iran as punitive economic measures against the Baha’i community continue.
Both sides of Utah’s same-sex marriage debate want the Supreme Court to review the issue.

Religion & American Law Discussion Group, Call for Paper Proposals

The Religion & American Law Discussion Group, under the auspices of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at Virginia Wesley College, is soliciting paper proposals for its first meeting, which will be held concurrently with the American Academy of Religion annual meeting in San Diego, California (November 22-25, 2014).

Two 3-paper panels will be organized to run consecutively, 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 23 (Omni Hotel, Gaslamp Room #2). [See AAR/SBL program, M23-302.]

Guidelines for the requested proposals are as follows:

Proposals are requested on the following topics:

1) Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (2014);

2) Town of Greece, NY, v. Galloway (2014);

3) Other topics related to current issues at the intersection of religion and American law (federal, state, or municipal).

Proposals should be no more than 500 words, should suggest scholarly analysis rather than reportage, and must include the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and return email/postal address.

Proposals are welcome from all academic disciplines, as well as from practitioners who work in fields related to the intersection of religion and American law, including those affiliated with advocacy groups (religious or secular) and municipal, state, or federal government (executive/judicial/legislative branch).

Proposals should be sent electronically to Eric Michael Mazur (emazur@vwc.edu), and must be received by September 30, 2014.

Authors of proposals selected for presentation will be notified by October 15, 2014.