Freedom Of Religion And Belief: A World Report

Freedom of Religion and Belief This study, the first of its kind, reports on freedom of religion and secular thought in over fifty countries throughout the world. The individual’s right to hold beliefs and to conduct themself according to such beliefs is a core human right. The World Report offers a detailed and impartial account of how this neglected freedom is understood, protected or denied in all regions of the world. The report consists of short edited entries based on drafts commissioned from experts, where possible living in the countries surveyed. The entries, divided by region and introduced by a regional overview, cover themes including: the relationships between belief groups and the state; freedom to manifest belief in law and practice; religion and schools; religious minorities, new religious movements; the impact of beliefs on the status of women; and the extent to which conscientious objection to military service is recognised by governments. The countries included in the report reflect in each region the diversity of religious traditions and their influence on the state and society. Beginning with an extensive introduction that analyses the United Nations standards on freedom of belief, the World Report sets out starkly the degree to which religious intolerance, conflict and discrimination are a continuing global reality. However, the report draws on examples of accommodation and co-operation between different religions and beliefs and identifies the main challenges to be overcome if the diversity of human conviction is to be established in an increasingly interdependent world. Kevin Boyle is a Professor of Law and the Director of the Human Rights Centre, University of Essex. He is a Barrister at Law in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and England with considerable experience of international human rights litigation under the European Convention of Human Rights. Juliet Sheen is a Fellow of the Human Rights Centre, University of Essex. In 1994 she established an independent consultancy in human rights, specialising in the area of freedom of religion and belief. Freedom of Religion and Belief A World Report Edited by Kevin Boyle and Juliet Sheen London and New York First published 1997 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 © 1997 Kevin Boyle and Juliet Sheen All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-41102-1 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-71926-3 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-415-15977-6 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-15978-4 (pbk) Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18) The World Report project was made possible by a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts of Philadelphia, USA Contents Editorial Preface United Nations Declaration International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights General Comment No. 22 [ICCPR Article 18] The Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance Acknowledgements Note from the edi