RELIGION HEADLINES WED 6-4-25

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( SRN NEWS )  A man who burned a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London has been convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offense and fined.  Free speech groups say the verdict amounts to a violation of freedom of expression and vow to appeal.  The judge found that the man’s conduct was provocative and likely to have caused harassment, alarm or distress, and that it was “motivated at least in part by a hatred of Muslims.”  Britain has no law as sweeping as the U.S. First Amendment and free speech is not as well protected in the U.K.

(  )  Authorities in Paris have launched an investigation after several Jewish sites across the capital were defaced.  The vandalism, discovered last weekend, targeted the Shoah Memorial, two synagogues and a Jewish restaurant in the city’s historic district, as well as a third synagogue.  An open can of paint was found nearby and there is surveillance footage showing an individual dressed in black spraying paint overnight.  The vandalism came ahead of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (shah-voo-OHT) which concluded on Tuesday.

(  )  World Boxing has announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes.  It’s all part of a new policy on sex, age and weight, which the governing body says “will ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women.”  The fighters’ national federations will be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing.  Three months ago World Athletics, which governs international track and field, became the first Olympic sport to reintroduce chromosome testing.

(  )  Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court has ruled that so-called “nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people” must be allowed to change their birth certificates.  The decision comes after a group of six nonbinary people filed a lawsuit against Puerto Rico’s governor, its health secretary and other officials.  The ruling means that individuals will now be able to select an X as their gender marker on birth certificates.  Governor Jennifer Gonzalez Colon says she is awaiting recommendations from Puerto Rico’s Justice Department regarding the ruling.