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Date	Fairness.com Resource	Read it at:
Jun 28, 2010	Justices Rule Against Group That Excludes Gay Students QUOTE: A public law school did not violate the First Amendment by withdrawing recognition from a Christian student group that excluded gay students, the Supreme Court ruled...	New York Times
May 27, 2010	Pediatricians now reject all female genital cutting QUOTE: The American Academy of Pediatrics has rescinded a controversial policy statement raising the idea that doctors in some communities should be able to substitute demands for female genital cutting with a harmless clitoral "pricking" procedure.	CNN (Cable News Network)
May 26, 2010	Europe's burqa rage QUOTE: The vast majority of Muslim women do not wear complete covering because the Koran mandates only modesty, not sartorial imprisonment. But at issue in Europe is not social disapproval; it is criminalization.	Washington Post
May 25, 2010	Sacred and Secular Mix in Turkey’s Museums QUOTE: The museum is nothing less than an attempt to shape a modern mythology in which Turkish history becomes part of a single coherent tradition culminating in the modern secular state. This effort to shape a tradition accounting for the triumph of the Turk may also be the reason for the way the 1915 massacres of Armenians are treated here.	New York Times
May 21, 2010	Pakistan blocks YouTube a day after shutdown of Facebook over Muhammad issue QUOTE: A simmering clash between free speech and religious sensibilities in Pakistan burst from the streets onto the Internet on Thursday, as the government blocked the video-sharing site YouTube and other pages it deemed "sacrilegious" to the nation's Muslim majority.	Washington Post
May 21, 2010	Texas school board hears from critics of social studies changes QUOTE: ...McLeroy has argued that the revisions provide balance to a set of standards that did not initially paint America in a positive light. Both liberals and conservatives on the board have called the changes "political" -- but they have disagreed on whether that was a bad thing.	Washington Post
May 04, 2010	Tearing Away the Veil QUOTE: Through a legal ban, French parliamentarians want to uphold a principle that should apply to all: the visibility of the face in the public sphere, which is essential to our security and is a condition for living together. A few extremists are contesting this obvious fact by using our democratic liberties as an instrument against democracy. We have to tell them no.	New York Times
Apr 18, 2010	Supreme Court to consider case against California law school QUOTE: The college, which requires officially recognized student groups to admit any Hastings student who wants to join, may be well-meaning, says the student outpost of the Christian Legal Society. But the group contends that requiring it to allow gay students and nonbelievers into its leadership would be a renunciation of its core beliefs...	Washington Post
Oct 27, 2009	Extremism Spreads Across Indonesian Penal Code QUOTE: Most of Indonesia still lives up to its reputation for a moderate, easygoing brand of Islam... But how Aceh [an Indonesian province] went from basic Islamic law to endorsing stoning in a few short years shows how a small, radical minority has successfully pushed its agenda, locally and nationally...	New York Times
Sep 29, 2009	The Old Secular Cross?: High Court to Consider Church-State Implications of Mojave Cross QUOTE: If the court reaches the constitutional issues at hand, (of the Mojave Cross) all sides agree it could provide clarity to the court's blurry rules on church-and-state separations. It could also carry important implications for the fate of war memorials around the country that feature religious imagery	Washington Post
Sep 21, 2009	Bald eagle case raises issue of religious liberty: Charged with killing a bald eagle, a Native American faces a 'losing battle' against a law that he says limits practice of his religion. QUOTE: Once endangered, the bald eagle has rebounded in recent decades but remains under the protection of the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The law provides an exception for Native Americans who want eagles for ceremonies... But many tribes eschew both options, saying the former can take years and yield unsuitable specimens.	Los Angeles Times
Aug 09, 2009	In Israeli army, rabbis deepen religious tone. Is that kosher? QUOTE: Beyond charges of misconduct and war crimes, Israel's recent war in Gaza against Hamas fanned accusations that [chief rabbi Brig. Gen. Avichai Rontzki] Mr. Rontzki is trying to remake the soldiers in his own hard-line religious nationalist image. At stake, critics warn, is the possible politicization of a military built as a people's army above the political fray.	Christian Science Monitor
Jul 23, 2009	Programs' Religious Ties Raise Concerns QUOTE: The U.S. Agency for International Development funded programs that rebuilt Iraqi mosques and used biblical lessons to promote sexual abstinence in Africa, despite a prohibition on the use of taxpayer funds to support "inherently religious activities,"...	Washington Post
Jul 08, 2009	New UN report takes firm stand on women's rights in Afghanistan QUOTE: The 'Silence is Violence' report documents the failure of [Afghanistan] state institutions to protect women from increasing violence in public spaces.	Christian Science Monitor
Jun 19, 2009	Christian Soldiers: The growing controversy over military chaplains using the armed forces to spread the Word. QUOTE: Al-Jazeera broadcast clips filmed in 2008 showing stacks of Bibles translated into Pashto and Dari at the U.S. air base in Bagram and featuring the chief of U.S. military chaplains in Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Gary Hensley, telling soldiers to “hunt people for Jesus.” ...example of what critics call a growing culture of militarized Christianity in the armed forces.	Newsweek
Apr 20, 2009	Egyptians win the right to drop religion from ID cards QUOTE: Egyptian followers of the Bahai religion celebrated a long-awaited legal victory last week when the country's Interior Ministry allowed them to obtain national identity cards without falsely listing their faith as one of the only three recognized by the state.	Christian Science Monitor
Jan 21, 2009	Trials for Parents Who Chose Faith Over Medicine QUOTE: after Kara’s death last March, the Marathon County state attorney, Jill Falstad, brought charges of reckless endangerment against her parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann. Despite the Neumanns’ claim that the charges violated their constitutional right to religious freedom, Judge Vincent Howard of Marathon County Circuit Court ordered Ms. Neumann to stand trial...	New York Times
Jul 28, 2008	Internal Justice Dept. Report Cites Illegal Hiring Practices QUOTE: An extensive report by the department's Office of the Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility concluded yesterday that Goodling and others had broken civil service laws, run afoul of department policy and engaged in "misconduct," a finding that could expose them to further scrutiny and sanctions. The report depicted Goodling as a central figure in politicizing employment decisions at Justice during the Bush administration.	Washington Post
Jul 08, 2008	Atheist soldier sues Army for 'unconstitutional' discrimination QUOTE: In March, Hall filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, among others. In the suit, Hall claims his rights to religious freedom under the First Amendment were violated and suggests that the United States military has become a Christian organization.	CNN (Cable News Network)
Jun 24, 2008	Evangelist accuses Obama of 'distorting' Bible QUOTE: In comments aired on his radio show Tuesday, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson criticized the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee for comments he made in a June 2006 speech to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal. In the speech, Obama suggested that it would be impractical to govern based solely on the word of the Bible, noting that some passages suggest slavery is permissible and eating shellfish is disgraceful.	CNN (Cable News Network)
Jun 15, 2008	Summer Camps Revive India's Ancient Sanskrit: Effort Is Part of Bitter Debate Over the Role of Hindu Language in a Diverse Society QUOTE: Their endeavors are viewed with suspicion by many scholars here as part of an increasingly acrimonious debate over the role of Sanskrit in schools and society. The scholars warn against exploiting Indians' reverence for Sanskrit to promote the supremacy of Hindu thought in a country that, while predominantly Hindu, is also home to a large Muslim population and other religious minorities.	Washington Post
Jun 06, 2008	Turkey’s High Court Overturns Headscarf Rule QUOTE: Turkey’s highest court dealt a stinging slap to the governing party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, ruling that a legal change allowing women attending universities to wear head scarves was unconstitutional. The Constitutional Court said in a brief statement that the change, proposed by Mr. Erdogan’s party and passed by Parliament in February, violated principles of secularism set in Turkey’s Constitution.	New York Times
May 30, 2008	Texas Loses Court Ruling Over Taking of Children QUOTE: Bringing polygamist families closer to regaining custody of their children, a divided Supreme Court of Texas agreed Thursday that the state had illegally seized 468 girls and boys from a West Texas ranch last month on unproven grounds of physical and sexual abuse.	New York Times
May 20, 2008	Hybrid Embryo Research Endorsed QUOTE: Hundreds of British scientists and medical organizations support the process and say it is necessary because of a shortage of human eggs and embryos for research. Cardinal Keith O'Brien, a leading figure in the Catholic Church, had described the research as a "monstrous attack on human rights, human dignity and human life." He said the bill would allow experiments of "Frankenstein proportion."	Washington Post
May 05, 2008	Polygamy roll shows 21 wives for one member QUOTE: attorneys for the sect argued against a court review of the documents, claiming the documents should remain private under First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and association....The ages of the wives and their children are critical to investigators, who believe that underage girls were routinely married and forced to have sex with older men.	CNN (Cable News Network)
Apr 01, 2008	With the Commandments, Must City Make Room? QUOTE: The Supreme Court said yesterday that it will decide whether a city's decision to place a monument to the Ten Commandments in a public park means it also must make room for the display of other directives purportedly sent from above...Unlike the Supreme Court's most recent cases over government display of the Ten Commandments, the Utah case is a free-speech challenge that does not involve the Constitution's provision on establishment of religion.	Washington Post
Mar 08, 2008	Clashing Over Church Ritual and Flag Protocol at the Naval Academy Chapel QUOTE: Concern about the influence of conservative Christians in the military has grown since an investigation in 2005 by the Air Force found that Christian staff and faculty members at the Air Force Academy used their positions to evangelize cadets. Conservative Christian chaplains have battled the military to break with tradition and pray in Jesus’ name at military functions.	New York Times
Mar 06, 2008	District to Settle Bible Suit QUOTE: The federal suit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the People for the American Way Foundation...It argued that the course curriculum...promoted Protestant Christianity and a specific reading of the Bible as a literal historical document.	New York Times
Mar 01, 2008	A Town and a Baptist Pastor Vie Over ‘Eternity’ QUOTE: The battle between the city and the church appears to come down to two essential issues: is the message of eternity a commercial one, and is the roof sign a nuisance so grand that the government must intervene?	New York Times
Feb 28, 2008	School Board to Pay in Jesus Prayer Suit QUOTE: At [her daughter's] high school graduation in 2004, a minister’s prayer proclaiming Jesus as the only way to the truth nudged [a local woman] to ask the school board to consider more generic and less exclusionary prayers...As news of the request spread, many local Christians saw it as an effort to limit the free exercise of religion, residents said.	New York Times
Jan 25, 2008	Emergency birth control bill tabled: Lawmakers will wait for courts to decide pharmacists' case QUOTE: ...it would be unconstitutional to force pharmacists to fill "morning after" pill prescriptions if they have religious objections, [but] Advocates for [Senator Karen] Keiser's tabled bill say allowing pharmacists to choose which prescriptions they fill would allow too much discretion and may lead to AIDS patients being denied medication if druggists object to their lifestyle choices.	Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Jan 24, 2008	Most Reformists Appear Purged From Iran Ballot QUOTE: early indications are that the religiously conservative forces in control of every branch of government will try to block a comeback by the reformists close to Mohammad Khatami, the former president.	New York Times
Jan 16, 2008	Montgomery Defends Sex Education Plan in Court QUOTE: The plaintiffs, a coalition of groups that oppose homosexuality on religious grounds, [claim that the] lessons on sexual orientation violate state law...by stating that homosexuality is innate, a conclusion that has been rejected in the state courts. And a new video on the correct use of a condom, which includes allusions to oral and anal sex, violates a legal provision that bars schools from teaching "erotic technique."	Washington Post
Jan 16, 2008	U.S. religious freedom is being eroded, advocates say: Misconceptions and ignorance are weakening the Constitution's 'first freedom.' QUOTE: "A great many Americans don't define religious liberty as a universal right for everyone,"...a weakening in federal courts in recent years of the First Amendment provisions relating to religion, a development that could endanger the rights of minority faiths.	Christian Science Monitor
Jan 10, 2008	Critics of Saudi Academy Say Textbooks Promote Intolerance QUOTE: Some textbooks used by an Islamic school in Fairfax County contain language intolerant of Jews and other groups as well as passages that could be construed as advocating violence, according to two reviews of the materials.	Washington Post
Dec 28, 2007	Too much religion on campaign trail? Candor about faith marks this presidential election season. Critics say a line is being crossed. QUOTE: Presidential candidates of both parties have talked more openly about their religious beliefs this year than in elections past, lifting a window on some of the values that could shape their decisions in the Oval Office. But the political benefits of such candor are not always clear in a country where most Republicans and Democrats believe in separation of church and state.	Christian Science Monitor
Dec 06, 2007	Are big-spending clergy abusing U.S. tax code? Tax exemptions for wealthy media-based ministries lead a senator to ask hard questions. QUOTE: But church groups and other nonprofits worry that this probe could lead Congress to pass laws that slip into constitutionally protected territory – imposing excessive government oversight on a wide range of churches and other nonprofits.	Christian Science Monitor
Nov 20, 2007	Are Scientists Playing God? It Depends on Your Religion QUOTE: Asia offers researchers new labs, fewer restrictions and a different view of divinity and the afterlife. In South Korea, when Hwang Woo Suk reported creating human embryonic stem cells through cloning, he did not apologize for offending religious taboos. He justified cloning by citing his Buddhist belief in recycling life through reincarnation.	New York Times
Nov 07, 2007	Senator Questioning Ministries on Spending QUOTE: Senator Charles E. Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is investigating six prominent evangelistic ministries to determine whether they have illegally used donations to finance opulent lifestyles.	New York Times
Nov 04, 2007	A Battle Rages in London Over a Mega-Mosque Plan QUOTE: This summer on the Web site of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, more than 250,000 critics of the proposed mosque supported a petition initiated by a backer of the conservative British National Party. Some of them said a large mosque had no right to exist in such a prominent place in a Christian country.	New York Times
Oct 21, 2007	A Court Decision Elbows a Village in Favor of Religious Rights QUOTE: Peyote or no peyote, land-use planning and zoning board decisions aren’t made for thrilling public debate — unless it’s your backyard that’s involved. But the path from the North American Church to the Orthodox day school does have an Alice in Wonderland quality. It has brought the federal government someplace it has almost never been — the realm of local land use, planning and zoning decisions.	New York Times
Oct 02, 2007	Supreme Court Turns Down Cases on Religious Separation QUOTE: Among the hundreds of appeals the court turned down on Monday, in a list that printed out at 83 pages, were two cases on the relationship between church and state that might have brought even more visibility to the term.	New York Times
Sep 18, 2007	Plan for Sea Canal Puts Hindu Belief In Sharp Relief: Some Indians See Controversial Route As Threat to Divinely Created Shoals QUOTE: Opposition to huge industrial projects is common in India, but the controversy over Adam's Bridge, or Ram Sethu, marks one of the first times religion has become an obstacle to major development. Thousands of Hindu protesters have rallied in the streets..."	Washington Post
Sep 12, 2007	Polygamist's trial on rape charges set to start QUOTE: Walter Bugden, one of Jeffs' attorneys, says he views the case against Jeffs as religious persecution. The polygamous sect is not affiliated with the mainstream Mormon church, which outlawed polygamy in 1890.	USA TODAY
Sep 11, 2007	Jury Consulted the Bible, But Death Sentence Stands QUOTE: The federal appeals court in San Francisco yesterday upheld a death sentence from a jury that had consulted the Bible’s teachings on capital punishment. In a second decision on the role of religion in the criminal justice system, the same court ruled Friday that requiring a former prisoner on parole to attend meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous violated the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion.	New York Times
Sep 10, 2007	Prisons Purge Books on Faith From Libraries QUOTE: The chaplains were directed by the Bureau of Prisons to clear the shelves of any books, tapes, CDs and videos that are not on a list of approved resources. In some prisons, the chaplains have recently dismantled libraries that had thousands of texts collected over decades, bought by the prisons, or donated by churches and religious groups.	New York Times
Aug 07, 2007	Universities Install Footbaths to Benefit Muslims, and Not Everyone Is Pleased QUOTE: [university footbaths for Muslim students represents a] tricky legal questions about whether the plan is a legitimate accommodation of students’ right to practice their religion — or unconstitutional government support for that religion.	New York Times
Jul 25, 2007	Local Property Dispute Grows Into International Issue for Kazakhstan QUOTE: One of the fundamental principles of the [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]...is religious freedom. The standoff with the Hare Krishna movement threatens the image of a harmonious, multidenominational country...	Washington Post
Jul 15, 2007	Outsourcing Justice? That's Obscene. QUOTE: LAS VEGAS Privatization is all the rage these days. ... But it's hard to top this step by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales: His Justice Department has put a privatized eye on American morality.	Washington Post
Jul 12, 2007	Public schools grapple with Muslim prayer: A San Diego school adjusts its schedule to accommodate Muslim worship. QUOTE: Here, a controversy with constitutional overtones erupted: In accommodating Muslim students, is the school unfairly promoting religion?	Christian Science Monitor

144 Articles and Resources. Go to:  [Next 50]   [End]

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