Some law and religion stories from around the web this week:
- President Obama is set to appoint Rabbi David Saperstein to serve as the U.S. ambassador for religious freedom. Rabbi Saperstein will be the first non-Christian to hold the position.
- The Berkeley Center’s Thomas Farr hopes the Obama Administration will give Saperstein the tools to do the job.
- On Tuesday, the Second Circuit ruled that display of the “Cross at Ground Zero” in the National September 11 Museum does not violate the Establishment Clause.
- A bill introduced by Congresswomen Anna Eshoo, seeking to aid religious minorities in the Middle East, passed the House and Senate and awaits the President’s signature.
- Virginia Republican Rep. Frank Wolf called on President Obama to aid persecuted Christians in Iraq.
- Turkmenistan has joined the State Department’s list of worst religious freedom offenders.
- Residents of Mosul, Iraq gathered around the Crooked Minaret, an 840 year-old religious landmark, in order to save it from destruction by ISIS forces.
- Victoria, Australia has banned religious organizations from running prayer groups, handing out Bibles and delivering other unauthorized information sessions in state schools during school hours.
- Pope Francis asked forgiveness for the persecution of Italian Pentecostals. He urged Christians to celebrate their diversity and unity.
- Authorities in Zhejiang Province, China have removed the crosses from two more churches, in an effort to contain China’s fastest growing religion.
- Tens of thousands of Buddhists are expected to attend the cremation of the remains of the 14th Shamar Rinpoche, one of the highest leaders of Tibetan Buddhism, on July 31 near Kathmandu, Nepal.
- 32 nations have written to a U.N. General Assembly committee asking it to recognize Yom Kippur as a U.N. holiday.