“Freedom of Communal Prayer in the Primary Sources of Islamic Law and Under the Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan” by  Lutforahman Saeed

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Blue Mosque, Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan by Françoise Foliot (CC BY-SA 4.0). The right of women to participate in communal prayers is explicitly affirmed and encouraged within Islamic sources, particularly the Prophetic traditions. Historically, women actively participated in congregational prayers alongside the Prophet and his Companions, praying collectively under the same roof. Across the Sunni legal schools,…

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“Locke: The Slave Trader and the British Slave Trade” by George Walters-Sleyon

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Locke: The Slave Trader and the British Slave TradeGeorge Walters-Sleyon This essay is an adapted excerpt from the fourth chapter of George Walters-Sleyon’s book, The Rush for Black Diamonds, Volume One: From John Locke to Thomas Jefferson—The Transatlantic Slave Trade to Chattel Slavery in the UK and the US (Cascade Books, 2024). Used by permission of Wipf…

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“An Empowering Civic Education through Law Learning” by Ariel Liberman

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An Empowering Civic Education through Law LearningAriel Liberman The following is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Ariel Liberman’s new book, Law as Civic Education: Reimagining a K-12 Curriculum for Democratic Citizenship and Individual Character (Copyright 2025 by Imprint). Reproduced by permission of Taylor and Francis Group. At first blush, the notion of teaching something…

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“Are Christians the Most Persecuted Religious Group Worldwide?” by Miray Philips

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Church of St. John at Kaneo, Ohrid by Kallerna (CC BY-SA 4.0). The perception that Christianity is under attack has long animated American political culture. Conservative American Christians even claim that Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide. Vice President J.D. Vance recently tweeted that, “All over the world, Christians are the most persecuted…

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“Jirgas: Rogue Agents of Conflict Resolution” by Jo Chitlik

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This image is an AI-generated depiction based on descriptions of similar events. The recent renewed public outrage over a video showing the brutal execution of Bano Bibi and her alleged partner, Ehsan Ullah, has once again brought the issue of honor killings to the forefront. These murders, which were ordered in May 2025 by a…

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“Democracy and Religions in Italy Beyond the Concordat and Agreements: Towards a Participatory Model” by Davide Dimodugno

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Italian Chamber of Deputies in Palazzo Montecitorio, Rome, Italy by Palazzo del Quirinale (PD-ItalyGov) Forty years after the Villa Madama Agreement, which redefined relations between the Italian Republic and the Catholic Church, and the first agreement with the Waldensian Table, it has become necessary to reconsider the instruments governing the dialogue between the State and…

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