Let Them Buy (Gay) Cake: Anti-Discrimination in Northern Irish Courts
Over the weekend, the same-sex marriage referendum in Ireland dominated headlines around the world. The week before the referendum, the media’s attention was focused on Northern Ireland (‘NI’) and another...
Does Islamic Law Deny a Right to Vote?
On April 22nd, British born radical cleric, Anjem Choudary declared Muslim MPs and voters to be “apostates” since he believes voting to be a “sin” against Islam. Allah, Mr. Choudary...
Religion in the classroom: Loyola High School versus the Supreme Court of Canada
In Quebec the Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports mandated that all schools, including private schools, taught a program on “Ethics and Religious Culture” (ERC). The program had to teach...
Blasphemy Laws and Human Rights in Pakistan
Notorious blasphemy laws have a significant impact on minority communities in Pakistan. Particularly their right to life, freedom of speech and freedom of religion as enshrined in Pakistan’s constitution and...
S.A.S v France: Controlling Identities in European Liberal Democracies
As discussed in previous posts, the ECtHR decided in S.A.S v France that the French criminal law ban on face coverings in all public places does not violate European human...
Jamaican Marijuana Reform, Rastas and Rights
In 1997, Dr. Dennis Forsythe, described in Forsythe v Director of Public Prosecutions and Attorney General (1997 34 J.L.R. 512) as a sociologist, holist, author, Rastafarian and attorney-at-law, petitioned the...
A Veiled Attempt at Conformity? Recent Cases Test the Bounds of Canada’s Commitment to Multiculturalism
The boundaries of Canada’s multicultural society have been tested in two recent cases involving religious attire in public forums. In February 2015, a federal court judge struck down portions of...
UN Strategy to Combat Religious Intolerance, Discrimination and Violence: Is It Fit for Purpose?
According to a recent report by the Pew Research Center, violence and discrimination against religious groups by governments, as well as social hostilities by a variety of actors, have reached...
Law Society of Canadian Province Nova Scotia is Found to Have Overstepped its Mandate, Violating Religious Freedoms
The first of a series of decisions that will shape how the balance is to be struck between Canada’s constitutionally protected rights of equality and freedom of religion has held...
Translating Questions Of Religion Conversions to Issues of Human Rights: The Proposed Ban on Religious Conversions in a Secular Indian State
In recent months, the political focus in India has shifted towards the sensitive issue of “forced religious conversions”, known as, “Ghar Wapsi” (Homecoming Ceremony). The conversions of 200 Muslims in...
Clash of Rights at Centre of Canadian Law School Controversy
The debate over whether to recognise a proposed law school in Canada has pitted fundamental freedoms against one another. Trinity Western University (TWU) is a private, Christian university located in...
Meriam Ibrahim is Freed: Weaving together Law, Politics and Civil Society
This post is the second part of a two-part report by Professor Jon Yorke, following the litigation surrounding Meriam Ibrahim. The first part can be found here. On 22...
