(SRN NEWS)- ( ) An Arkansas law requiring that the 10 Commandments be prominently displayed in public school classrooms has been struck down by a federal judge. Last year, seven Arkansas families of various religious and nonreligious backgrounds filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s new law, naming six school districts as defendants. While the judgment blocks the 10 […]
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RELIGION HEADLINES THR 3-19
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( ) An Arkansas law requiring that the 10 Commandments be prominently displayed in public school classrooms has been struck down by a federal judge. Last year, seven Arkansas families of various religious and nonreligious backgrounds filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s new law, naming six school districts as defendants. While the judgment blocks the 10 Commandments requirement, it’s unclear how broadly it can be applied — if it is limited to the specific school districts named in the lawsuit or if it covers the entire state. Texas and Louisiana also have statutes requiring the posting of the Commandments.
( ) A federal judge has ordered Texas to extend its private school voucher application deadline after the state blocked Islamic schools from the program. The judge has reset the deadline to March 31st. Four Muslim parents and three Islamic schools are suing state leaders, saying Texas discriminated against their religion. Comptroller Kelly Hancock says some of the schools are connected to terrorism through events linked to a Muslim civil rights group. Hancock reports that the schools are accredited by the company Cognia (cog-NEE-uh) and hosted events organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
( ) A Maryland man is going to jail for three years after being convicted of sending threatening letters to Jewish institutions. Then man pleaded guilty to 17 counts of mailing threatening communications and eight counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dillon says “For more than a year, the defendant terrorized Jewish communities across the country, robbing his victims of their peace and security. His sentence should be a warning to all that religious-based terror will not be tolerated in this country.” Anti-Semitism has been on the rise all around the globe in recent years.
( ) China is rolling out a new law designed to promote “ethnic unity”. Religious freedom advocates inside and outside the country warn that the measure will be used to increase the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities. According to International Christian Concern “The ethnic unity law consolidates an ideology that places loyalty to the Communist Party and to President Xi Jinping at the apex of national identity. This approach merges ideological conformity with political power, minimizing autonomy, and perceiving independent religious expression as inherently threatening.” China is ranked as one of the top persecutors of Christians.