Like every other area of human life, the coronavirus pandemic dominated religious liberty discussions this year. Here’s my list of the top 10 religious liberty developments this year, with the caveat that – being that this is 2020 – the year is not over yet.
Members of Congress are demanding an investigation into allegations that Muslim detainees at a U.S. ICE facility are being forced to choose between meals that are spoiled and meals that violate the tenets of their faith because they contain pork.
The NO BAN Act is a powerful and necessary repudiation of President Trump’s latest attempt to promote anti-Muslim discrimination.
In a letter to congressional leaders, 183 organizations – including BJC – urged that any future legislation providing resources to those impacted by COVID-19 should include explicit language barring discrimination, including religious discrimination.
Because of RFRA, a federal judge ruled that the criminal convictions of volunteers with the group No More Deaths must be overturned because they were acting in accordance with their sincere religious beliefs when they entered a wildlife refuge near the southern border in Arizona to leave water and food for those crossing into the United States.
The specifics of the travel ban have changed over the past three years, but this fact remains: this policy, no matter how much it undergoes chameleon-like aesthetic adjustments, is ultimately rooted in anti-Muslim bias.
Last week, House subcommittees held the first-ever oversight hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives on the Trump administration’s travel ban, which restricts travel to and from several majority-Muslim countries.
After the jury deadlocked, prosecutors must decide by July 2 whether to re-try Scott Warren, who is accused of helping undocumented immigrants with humanitarian aid, which he claims his religious beliefs require.
The headlines of 2018 signaled the precipice of a marked shift away from the careful balance of concerns at the heart of America’s religious liberty heritage.
RFRA remains an important protection for free exercise. But that doesn’t mean that those claiming their religion is burdened are automatically allowed an accommodation to circumvent the law.
Faith.
Freedom.
For All.
The targeting of religious minorities.
The rise of Christian nationalism.
The politicization of houses of worship.
BJC brings people together to tackle today’s serious threats to religious liberty.
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Faith.
Freedom.
For All.
The targeting of religious minorities.
The rise of Christian nationalism.
The politicization of houses of worship.
BJC brings people together to tackle today’s serious threats to religious liberty.