Via the very good Josh Blackman, I learn that Hobby Lobby, the corporation that successfully challenged the contraception mandate before the Tenth Circuit, is supporting the government’s petition for certiorari. As Professor Blackman says, “You don’t see this too often.” The formidable Paul Clement to argue for Hobby Lobby.
The Top Five New Law & Religion Papers on SSRN
From SSRN’s list of most frequently downloaded law and religion papers posted in the last 60 days, here are the current top five. Since last week, Zoe Robinson remains at #1; Ian C. Bartrum remains at #2; Caroline Mala Corbin remains at number #3; and Jeremy M. Christiansen moves up to #4, switching spots with Carl F. Minzner who dropped to #5.
1.What is a ‘Religious Institution’? by Zoe Robinson (Depaul University College of Law) [277 downloads]
2. Book Review: ‘The Tragedy of Religious Freedom’ by Ian C. Bartrum (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) [112 downloads]
3.Corporate Religious Liberty by Caroline Mala Corbin (University of Miami School of Law) [97 downloads]
4.‘The Word[ ] ‘Person’…Includes Corporations’: Why the Religious Freedom Restoration Act Protects Both For- and Nonprofit Corporations by Jeremy M. Christiansen (University of Utah- S.J. Quinney College of Law) [85 downloads]
5.Book Review of ‘A Confucian Constitutional Order: How China’s Ancient Past Can Shape its Political Future’ by Jiang Qing, edited by Daniel Bell and Ruiping Fan (Princeton University Press) by Carl F. Minzner (Fordham University- School of Law) [84 downloads]
Schneier & Ali, “Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation About the Issues That Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims”
In September, Random House published Sons of Abraham: A Candid 
Conversation About the Issues That Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims by Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali. The publisher’s description follows.
Rabbi Marc Schneier, the eighteenth generation of a distinguished rabbinical dynasty, grew up deeply suspicious of Muslims, believing them all to be anti-Semitic. Imam Shamsi Ali, who grew up in a small Indonesian village and studied in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, believed that all Jews wanted to destroy Muslims. Coming from positions of mutual mistrust, it seems unthinkable that these orthodox religious leaders would ever see eye to eye. Yet in the aftermath of 9/11, amid increasing acrimony between Jews and Muslims, the two men overcame their prejudices and bonded over a shared belief in the importance of opening up a dialogue and finding mutual respect. In doing so, they became not only friends but also defenders of each other’s religion, denouncing the twin threats of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and promoting interfaith cooperation.
In Sons of Abraham, Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali tell the story of how they became friends and offer a candid look at the contentious theological and political issues that frequently divide Jews and Muslims, clarifying erroneous ideas that extremists in each religion use to justify harmful behavior. Rabbi Schneier dispels misconceptions about chosenness in Judaism, while Imam Ali explains the truth behind concepts like jihad and Shari’a. And on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the two speak forthrightly on the importance of having a civil discussion and the urgency of reaching a peaceful solution.
As Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali show, by reaching a fuller understanding of one another’s faith traditions, Jews and Muslims can realize that they are actually more united than divided in their core beliefs. Both traditions promote kindness, service, and responsibility for the less fortunate—and both religions call on their members to extend compassion to those outside the faith. In this sorely needed book, Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali challenge Jews and Muslims to step out of their comfort zones, find common ground in their shared Abrahamic traditions, and stand together and fight for a better world for all.
Joskowicz, “The Modernity of Others: Jewish Anti-Catholicism in Germany and France”
Next month, Stanford University Press will publish The Modernity of Others:
Jewish Anti-Catholicism in Germany and France by Ari Joskowicz (Vanderbilt University). The publisher’s description follows.
The most prominent story of nineteenth-century German and French Jewry has focused on Jewish adoption of liberal middle-class values. The Modernity of Others points to an equally powerful but largely unexplored aspect of modern Jewish history: the extent to which German and French Jews sought to become modern by criticizing the anti-modern positions of the Catholic Church. Drawing attention to the pervasiveness of anti-Catholic anticlericalism among Jewish thinkers and activists from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century, the book turns the master narrative of Western and Central European Jewish history on its head. From the moment in which Jews began to enter the fray of modern European politics, they found that Catholicism served as a convenient foil that helped them define what it meant to be a good citizen, to practice a respectable religion, and to have a healthy family life. Throughout the long nineteenth century, myriad Jewish intellectuals, politicians, and activists employed anti-Catholic tropes wherever questions of political and national belonging were at stake: in theoretical treatises, parliamentary speeches, newspaper debates, the founding moments of the Reform movement, and campaigns against antisemitism.