The International Journal for Religious Freedom (IJRF)

This issue had its origin in a conference on freedom of religion held at the University of Johannesburg on 11–12 April 2024. The conference was organised by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Rhodes University (RU) and the University of the Free State (UFS). The relaunch of the IIRF in South Africa (which had been dormant for some time) also took place at this conference.

We are pleased to welcome two guest editors for this issue. Shaun de Frietas is a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS), South Africa, as well as the Academic Head of the Department of Public Law at the UFS. He is also an adjunct professor at the School of Law at the University of Notre Dame Australia (Sydney Campus). De Freitas teaches human rights theory and specializes in the right to freedom of religion as well as the relationship between the law, religion, and the governing authorities. De Freitas has authored a number of scholarly publications in various journals, including the Journal of Law and Religion, Journal of Church and State, Brigham Young University Law Review, International Journal of Religious Freedom (IJRF) and South African Journal on Human Rights. He is also an editorial board member for this journal.

Helena van Coller is a professor in the Faculty of Law at Rhodes University, South Africa. She is a member of ICLARS (The International Consortium for Law and Religious Studies), Member of the Board of Directors of ACLARS (The African Consortium for Law and Religious Studies), and the SA Council for the Protection and Promotion of Religious Rights and Freedoms (founding member). Her book on Regulating Religion: State Governance of Religious Institutions in South Africa was published by Routledge in 2020 as part of the ICLARS Series on Law and Religion.

In addition to the articles from the conference, we are pleased to reprint in the Documentation section an article by Dennis P. Petri, Kyle J. Wisdom and John T. Bainbridge, all of the IIRF, describing the Violent Incidents Database. We also have an excellent collection of book reviews and our usual Noteworthy section, highlighting recent reports on freedom of religion or belief.

Yours for religious freedom,
Prof Dr Janet Epp Buckingham
Executive editor