Religion and Law Consortium

"There will be no peace in our world without an understanding of the place of religion within it." — Tony Blair

Welcome to what we hope will become the premier Internet site for researchers seeking information about issues related to freedom of religion or belief. This new site replaces the original ReligLaw site that you might have seen before.  We are continually working to upgrade the site and its document submission and access processes. Please browse the site to discover its functions. You will find detailed instructions about submitting documents and court cases to the site by clicking the Online User Guide link in the lefthand navigation bar.  

This site is a work in continuous progress, and we welcome your input. Feel free to Give Feedback using the link on the top right of this page.  You will also notice a Suggest News Item button at the top right of the News page.  We welcome your news related to law and religion or belief issues worldwide.  

We look forward to hearing from you.

Readers are invited to consult the News section of this site to read of developments in matters concerning freedom of religion or belief worldwide. News specific to the United States may be found here, and news specific to Europe may be found on the news page of the website of the Strasbourg Consortium.  News of conferences, including reports about past conferences and information about upcoming conferences, is available here.

10 December 2011 - Washington, DC

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has published recommendations for international standards for religious freedom protections. The recommendations are available online in the 10 December 2011 issue of the Yale Journal of International Affairs and also at the USCIRF website. 

From the introduction to the recommendations:

Several countries in the world are or soon will be drafting new constitutions. It is vital that these constitutions protect universal human rights, including the... more

Oxford University Press has announced a new publication, The Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, with its first issue to appear in early 2012. Advance access to that issue is available here. Five internationally renowned scholars will serve as Editors-in-Chief: W. Cole Durham, Brigham Young University (USA); Malcolm Evans, University of Bristol (UK); Silvio Ferrari, Università degli Studi di Milano (Italy); Julian Rivers, University of Bristol (UK); and Gerhard Robbers, Universität Trier (Germany). Managing Editor is Peter Petkoff, of Brunel Law School, London, and Regent's Park College, University of Oxford (UK). Case Note Editors are Jessica Giles (Oxford), Cristiana Cianitto... more

Islam, Europe and Emerging Legal Issues
Edited by W. Cole Durham Jr., Rik Torfs, 
David M. Kirkham, and Christine Scott
Ashgate Publishers 2012

Islam, Europe and Emerging Legal Issues brings together vital analysis of the challenges that Europe poses for an expanding Islam and that Islam poses for Europe, within their ever-evolving religious, legal, and social environments. This book gathers some of the best thinking on Islam and the law affecting current and contested issues that can no longer be ignored, particularly as they have found their way before the European Court of Human Rights. Contributors include leading authorities who are working at the heart of this generation's law and religion questions in Europe and across the world. This book outlines implications for all those who look to Europe-from both within and without-for models of human rights implementation and multi-cultural accommodation.

Religion isn't dying, nor should it, said Tony Blair in a 2 January 2012 blogpost "Faith in a Globalized Age," published on New Europe Online. The former British Prime Minister note that "for years, it was assumed, certainly in the West, that, as society developed, religion would wither away.  But it hasn't, and, at the start of a new decade, it is time to take religion seriously." To that end Blair has created a Faith Foundation, "to create greater understanding between the faiths."

In a companion post, "Taking Faith Seriously," published the same day,... more

31 December 2011 - HRWF Brussels 

Human Rights Without Frontiers International (HRWF Int'l), an independent nongovernmental organization, has released a 62-page report that documents the abduction and confinement of Japanese citizens for the purpose of religious de-conversion, and the failure of Japanese police and judicial authorities to investigate and prosecute those responsible for such cases of domestic violence.... more

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has announced results of a demographic study of more than 200 countries, tracking the size and distiribution of the world's Christian population. According to the study, released on 21 December 2011, "there are 2.18 billion Christians of all ages around the world, representing nearly a third of the estimated 2010 global population of 6.9 billion. Christians are also geographically... more

The Pew Research Center has on 17 November 2011 released the results of a new survey study exploring how Americans differ from Europeans in their views on religion. The survey by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project compares American attitudes on religion with those of residents in Britain, Spain, France, and Germany. ... more

13 September 2011 - Washington, DC

The U.S. Department of State has released the International Religious Freedom Report for July-December 2010. Comments here are excerpted from the State Department website:

This International Religious Freedom Report documents major developments with respect to religious freedom in 198 countries and territories from July-December 2010. The report reflects a broad understanding of universal religious freedom, one that includes the rights to hold private beliefs, including agnosticism or atheism, as well as the right to communal religious expression and education.

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRF Act) defines five types of violations of... more

According to a comprehensive study released on 9 August 2011 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, one-third of the world's population experienced an increase in restrictions on religion during the period of the study. The study, Rising Restrictions on Religion, finds that restrictions on religious beliefs and practices rose between mid-2006 and mid-2009 in 23 of the world’s 198 countries (12%), decreased in 12 countries (6%) and remained essentially unchanged in 163 countries (82%).... more

On 28 June 2011, a coalition of the Vatican and major Protestant and Evangelical churches announced in Geneva new ethical standards for Christian missionary activities. Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct is the product of five years of consultations among the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the World Council of Churches, and the World Evangelical Association. "This document is the latest in a series of missionary 'codes of conduct' produced... more

June 2011 - Islamabad

As part of its Open Democracy Initiation, the Jinnah Institute has issued "A Question of Faith: A Report on the Status of Minorities in Pakistan." The case studies set out in the report were selected from 125 interviews with members of some of Pakistan's religious minority communities. As explained by the the Institute's president, Sherry Rehman, the report "documents the deterioration in the political, economic and social status of members of these communities in the context of the rising tide of vigilante violence and religious extremism in... more

Ongoing 2011 - Strasbourg

On 18 March 2011 the European Court of Human Rights announced a Grand Chamber Judgment, a ruling in favor of Italy, in the controversial Lautsi and Others v. Italy - a case predicted to become "a flash point in the religious history of Europe." The Court press release is available in English, French, Italian, and German. More information about the history of the case, including summaries of the arguments, documents of intervention, and selected scholarly commentary, can be found on this website and on the website of the European Centre for Law and Justice. For ongoing discussion since the release of the judgment, please see below:  ... more

9 March 2011 - Strasbourg

The European Court of Human Rights has announced that the Grand Chamber has reached its decision in the controversial "Italian Crucifix" case, Lautsi v. Italy (no. 30814/06). Parties to the case were informed on 9 March that the decision had been reached on 16 February and would be announced to the public at 3 p.m., local time, on 18 March 2011 in the Human Rights Building in Strasbourg. The original Court ruling in favor of the applicant, Soile Lautsi, taken by the Second Section on 9 November 2009, ignited international interest and an immediate appeal by Italy, which was accompanied  by an unprecedented number of third-party interventions. The case was heard by the Grand Chamber on 30 June 2010.  At issue is not only the right of those such... more

13 January 2011 - Richmond, Virginia

Each year, by Presidential Proclamation, the United States marks National Religious Freedom Day on January 16, the anniversary of the adoption in 1786 by the Virginia General Assembly of Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. This landmark document became the basis for the American notion of separation of church and state, and it led to freedom of religion for all Americans as protected in the religion clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The day is commemorated each year by the First Freedom Center in Richmond, Virginia, with a First Freedom Award banquet. At the 2011 banquet, held on January 13, three advocates of religious liberty... more

January 2011 – Vilnius

Effective 1 January 2011, Lithuania has assumed the Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, succeeding Kazakhstan, Chair for 2010. Audronius Ažubalis, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Lithuania and the new Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE indicates a focus on internal and external threats in the OSCE area, fostering democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably freedom of the media, promoting energy security in Europe, and building upon synergies between regional organizations. "We will work towards building a true security community, without dividing lines, where commitments are implemented, the use of force is... more

December 2010 - Lima

President Alan Garcia has ratified an historic law aimed at preventing religious discrimination in Peru. "This law confirms and states that we are a society of believers, a society that has immense faith," Garcia said, as reported 22 December 2010 in the Peruvian Times. "The Catholic church, for its history, has a lot of weight in the citizenry, but other religions and churches have space and have been increasing recruitment... more

December 2010 - Vienna

In commemoration of International Migrants Day on 18 December, representatives of churches from across Europe met for two days in Vienna to analyze contemporary achievements and challenges in the area of migrants' rights in Europe.  The 17-18 December conference also highlighted activities of European churches responding to migration. For more information, read the pre-conference Press Release: "The year of European Churches responding to migration 2010 has aimed... more

In a statement published 15 November 2010 in New Europe, Heiner Bielefeldt, United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, underscored the "broad scope of application" of freedom of religion or belief, a scope which should include groups and communities large and small, old and new, and which protects "theistic, non-theistic and atheistic beliefs, as well as the right not to profess any religion or belief." Many people worldwide are excluded from such protection, noted Mr. Bielefeldt, and live vulnerable to restrictions and discrimination impacting not only religious choices but also employment and family life, including marriage. Noting that Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stresses that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights," Bielefeldt reiterated the obligations of all States to combat all forms of discrimination... more

17 November 2010, Washington D.C.

The United States Department of State has issued its International Freedom Report for 2010, documenting the status of religious freedom during the period from July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010. "The Report's primary focus is on the actions of governments, both official actions that contribute to religious repression or tolerate violence against religious communities, and actions that protect and promote religious freedom. Each country report contains sections covering the country's religious demography; government respect for religious... more

October 2010 - Washington, D.C.

In a press release of 14 October 2010 the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has applauded the awarding of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, one of the writers and first signers of of Charter '08, a document that included a call to the Chinese government to "guarantee freedom of religion and freedom of belief, and implement separation of religion and state so that activities involving religion and faith are not subjected to government interference." As reported in the USCIRF press release, Liu Xiaobo, in a 2006 article "Changing the Regime to Change Society," had cited St. Thomas Aquinas'... more

October 2010 - Brussels

In a 5 October 2010 speech before the European Parliament in Brussels, Dr. Brian Grim, Senior Researcher, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, addressed the topic "Religious Persecution and Discrimination against Christians and Members of Other Religions." Reiterating Pew study findings that "nearly 70 percent of the world's 6.8 billion people live in countries with high restrictions on religion," Dr. Grim observed that new findings, to be released in an updated Global Restrictions on Religion report, show that "Christians faced governmental and societal harassment in a larger share of the world's countries than did other religious groups individually." In fact, "Christians faced some sort of harassment in two-thirds of all countries."

September 2010 - Washington, D.C.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has released the results of a survey of 3,412 people, conducted between May and June of 2010 and intended to test a broad range of religious knowledge, including understanding of the Bible, core teachings of different faiths, and major figures in religious history. On average, Americans correctly answered half of a set of 32 questions. Highest scores were from Atheists/Agnostics (average of 20.9 correct responses), Jews (average 20.5 correct), and Mormons (average 20.3... more