When on 26 June 2012 a German court in Cologne declared male circumcision of children for religious purposes a criminal act, the Strasbourg Consortium immediately publicized news of the court’s ruling and tracked over the ensuing days the swift reaction that followed. For instance, the Consortium published the response of German Chancellor Merkel’s office ("For everyone in the government it is absolutely clear that we want to have Jewish and Muslim religious life in Germany. Circumcision carried out in a responsible manner must be possible in this country without punishment", said Merkel’s spokesman), and published comments by Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders who see the decision as at the heart of the most fundamental of rights (e.g., "The decision is contrary to the human rights charter of the European Union, to which the German legal system is committed, and undermines the basic right to worship in the German Constitution", Rabbi Aryeh Goldberg, Rabbinical Center of Europe).
In recent months the Strasbourg Consortium has assumed a responsibility to provide prompt news coverage of events in, around, or affecting Europe that regard the basic human need for freedom of conscience, religion and belief. Consequently, in conjunction with the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (see ICLRS.org), the Consortium now offers its readers a new headlines delivery service, free of charge, providing links to newsworthy developments in freedom of religion or belief in Europe and throughout the world. Much of this news has previously been available on the Strasbourg Consortium website, but now readers can sign up to receive a daily email with links to stories, as they develop, under three headings: International, European, or US news. As a subscriber to this newsletter, you will have received recently an invitation to subscribe to this service.
European headline links from recent SC/ICLRS emails include, for example, developments in the Scottish government's struggle over the religious freedom implications of same-sex marriage, the European Court’s rejection of an attempt by a Dutch political party to deny women party membership based on alleged biblical injunctions, The Court's judgment concerning religious registration in the Republic of Moldova, reports of recent governmental efforts to put an end to so-called "illegal" religious activities in Azerbaijan, of the visit of the Russian patriarch to Poland, of the application of Russia's "extremism" law, and of the human rights implications of the new Hungarian Church Law. And of course, ECtHR's decisions will be announced via this service as soon as they become available. Interested persons can sign up for the free delivery of these news links by going to the User Account link on the Strasbourg Consortium website. The Consortium is pleased to strengthen its ties with other organizations and individuals in providing this service. We welcome this further collaboration with our readers who share concerns and understanding with Consortium members.