Religious Law

Law Firm Adds Muslim Imam to Roster as Adviser on Shariah Law

In a move that is being billed as the first of its kind in Australia, a Melbourne law firm is putting a Muslim imam on its roster as a consultant on shariah law. This will allow Logie-Smith Lanyon to draft documents and resolve issues in matters ranging from commercial contracts…

May 10, 2010 4:47 PM CDT

Woman Told By Judge to Remove Islamic Head Covering Loses Court Case

A federal judge in Detroit has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a Muslim woman against a Michigan state-court judge who told her to remove her hijab during a name-change hearing, reports the Detroit News. Wayne Circuit Judge J. William Callahan referred to Raneen Albaghdady’s head covering as a hat, and…

Apr 30, 2010 11:00 PM CDT

Atheist Group in the News with Win in National Prayer Case

An atheist and agnostic group that litigates church-state issues is getting some press as a result of its recent victory in a challenge to the National Day of Prayer. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has already chalked up some wins, the New York Times reports. It successfully sued a Tennessee…

Apr 28, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Law Prof Is Member of Opus Dei, Says Whipping Only ‘Stings a Bit’

The Da Vinci Code was a public relations disaster for the Catholic organization Opus Dei, with its portrayal of a fictional, murdering monk. A lay member of the organization, Seton Hall law professor John Coverdale, told the Washington Post that a goal of Opus Dei is to offer Christians a…

Apr 12, 2010 1:04 PM CDT

Having Faith in Marketing

Houses of worship offer affordable and effective advertising possibilities

Mar 1, 2010 8:49 AM CST

Mom Makes Federal Case Out of Latest Student Hairstyle Rights Fight

Headlines about school district battles over student hairstyles are now focusing on Ohio, where a mother of an 11-year-old boy says he was publicly humiliated by a teacher and a classroom aide and has filed a federal lawsuit over their alleged “gender-based harassment” of the boy. When the unidentified boy…

Jan 28, 2010 8:20 PM CST

Over Body-Freezing Co.‘s Objection, Judge OKs Autopsy of Client’s Corpse

Concerning that a client’s corpse is “decomposing by the minute,” a cryogenics company today asked a Florida judge to stop a planned autopsy to determine why a 48-year-old Navy veteran died last week. But Hillsborough Circuit Judge Martha Cook denied the emergency petition by Alcor Life Extension Foundation, saying that…

Dec 10, 2009 9:29 PM CST

Probe Finds No Evidence of Threats Against High-Profile Teen Runaway

An Ohio teen caused a furor when she ran away to Florida, claiming that she was at risk of a so-called honor killing if she continued to live with her Muslim family after converting to Christianity. Her family said that wasn’t so, and now a Florida Department of Law Enforcement…

Sep 14, 2009 9:16 PM CDT

Judge Sued for Allegedly Requiring Muslim Woman to Remove Hijab

A Michigan woman and an Islamic civil rights group filed a federal lawsuit against a Detroit judge today, contending that he insisted she remove her hijab, a religious head covering, during a June 16 court hearing about her petition for a name change. The suit, which names both Judge William…

Aug 26, 2009 9:54 PM CDT

Runaway Christian Teen Who Says She Fears ‘Honor’ Killing Sparks Court Protest

Updated: Supporters of a 17-year-old runaway gathered in and around a central Florida courthouse today in anticipation of a hearing this afternoon at which an Orlando juvenile court judge is expected to decide whether to send Rifqa Bary back home to Ohio. Bary says she took a bus to Florida…

Aug 21, 2009 7:48 PM CDT

Dershowitz Challenges Scalia to Debate on Death Penalty & Catholic Doctrine

A famous civil rights lawyer and Harvard Law School professor is trying to hold Justice Antonin Scalia’s feet to the fire concerning a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday. Dissenting, Scalia and Justice Clarence Thomas say factual innocence isn’t necessarily a basis for a constitutional appeal to avoid execution in a…

Aug 19, 2009 7:56 PM CDT

Yale Eliminates Muhammad Images in Book to Avert Potential Violence

A decision by the Yale University Press to eliminate all images of the prophet Muhammad from an upcoming book, for fear of inciting violent protests by Muslims, is causing concern among academics. The book by Jytte Klausen, The Cartoons That Shook the World, discusses 12 Danish caricatures of the prophet…

Aug 13, 2009 8:47 PM CDT

Non-Muslims Turn to Shariah Courts in UK to Resolve Civil Disputes

Shariah courts in the United Kingdom aren’t just being used by Muslims. A small but growing number of non-Muslims also are turning to the religious tribunals to resolve commercial disputes and other civil matters. The tribunals, which apply Islamic law based on the Koran, can offer a swifter resolution than…

Jul 21, 2009 5:22 PM CDT

Courtroom Judge Has Power to Ban Muslim Veil, Top Michigan Court Decides

A divided Michigan Supreme Court has approved a much-awaited rule of evidence revision that delineates the power of a courtroom judge to determine witness attire. Rejecting an American Civil Liberties Union argument that the revised Michigan Rule of Evidence 611 should contain an exception for religious dress, the court voted…

Jun 17, 2009 7:04 PM CDT

Michigan Supreme Court Mulls Rule on Witness Attire

Michigan’s highest court is weighing whether to adopt a guideline that would give lower court judges wide discretion when it comes to controlling witness attire. But civil rights advocates are pressing the court to include an exception for religious dress. Consideration of the new court rule was prompted by a…

May 11, 2009 4:44 PM CDT