The International Journal for Religious Freedom (IJRF)

Accommodating religious minorities before the EU Court of Justice

2026-06-10T16:00:50+02:00

This article examines the case law of the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) on religious minorities to determine whether NGOs and legal entities contribute to the strengthening of minority rights under EU law. Through an analysis of the case law on the wearing of the Islamic headscarf, it criticizes the poor relevance of outside parties. It advocates for the revision of the Court of Justice’s practice to widen the chances for intermediate actors’ access to justice, and it calls for revision of the jurisprudence that includes and protects the principle of equality as diversity.

Faith actors, COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and religious exemption claims

2026-06-10T16:06:31+02:00

This study analyzes how US workplace COVID-19 vaccine mandates affected the governance of religious diversity, focusing on requests for religious exemptions by minority faith groups. It finds that vaccine mandates highlighted tensions between public-health goals and religious freedom, particularly for minority religions. The Supreme Court, in Groff v. Dejoy, strengthened accommodation standards by requiring employers to demonstrate a substantial burden before denying religious exemptions. Religious leaders and faith-based actors shaped legal reasoning and facilitated dialogue between employers and employees. Interactive workplace procedures, such as mediation by chaplains or faith actors, could provide fair and culturally sensitive approaches to religious accommodation.

Building religious freedom by engaging business and civil society institutions

2026-06-10T16:14:05+02:00

This article reframes efforts to secure freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) by arguing that while rights-based advocacy remains essential – particularly in contexts of religious persecution – it has limited capacity on its own to reverse the global expansion of religious restrictions. A complementary “builder’s approach” emphasizes the role of intermediate actors, such as businesses and civil society institutions, in cultivating FoRB through everyday institutional practices, especially within workplaces. The builder’s approach combines empirical measures of religious restriction with socio-economic incentives to explain how religious inclusion can be operationalized, diffused, and sustained for civic benefit.

Reasonable accommodation for religious minorities through trade unions and collective bargaining

2026-06-10T16:18:42+02:00

This article analyses the role of trade unions and collective bargaining in guaranteeing freedom of religion or belief in Italian workplaces. It examines how these actors provide reasonable accommodations for religious and belief minorities within a fragmented legal framework that lacks a general law on religious freedom. Focusing on the mediating function of trade unions, the article assesses existing collective agreements and their contribution to promoting equality and inclusion.

Mediating religious intolerance in corporate workplaces

2026-06-10T16:23:01+02:00

This article argues that faith-oriented Employee Resource Groups function as effective intermediate mechanisms for mediating religious intolerance in corporate workplaces. Drawing on United States and United Kingdom legal frameworks and corporate case studies, it finds that Employee Resource Groups enhance compliance with anti-discrimination laws, reduce workplace conflict, and promote religious literacy. The analysis shows that these groups translate formal legal duties into practical organizational strategies, contributing to inclusive corporate cultures. The article concludes that faith-oriented Employee Resource Groups play a critical role in operationalizing freedom of religion or belief beyond legal minimums.

Religious assertion from below

2026-06-10T16:30:28+02:00

This article examines how religious actors representing new religious minorities navigate workplace negotiations over reasonable accommodation. Drawing on literature on diversity governance, we investigate the behavior of religious actors by separating entry from participation and by tracing how epistemic authority conditions participation and influence across venues. The analysis shows how selective secularism structures these negotiations, placing higher translation burdens and evidentiary demands on migrantcoded minorities. Although religious actors may secure recognition, their authority remains vulnerable to public contestation and institutional veto points. The article concludes with recommendations to reduce gaps between law and practice and to improve equitable accommodation procedures.

Faith-based organizations as intermediate actors in mediating religious accommodations in postcolonial African contexts

2026-06-10T16:35:41+02:00

This paper explores the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya and the Christian Association of Nigeria as places where people from different faiths come together to encourage dialogue and cooperate in solving shared problems in postcolonial African settings. The two organizations have gradually developed into structured platforms for interfaith dialogue, peacebuilding, and policy engagement. Through their meetings, consultations, mediation, and advocacy, they have shaped national conversations on religious diversity and more inclusive governance. Internal disagreements, political pressure, and the marginalization of smaller faith communities limit their effectiveness. However, they function as important bridge-building institutions in complex and often divided political environments.

Identity choice, intercultural learning and inclusive citizenship

2026-06-10T16:43:01+02:00

Drawing on semi-structured interviews with leaders of civil society organisations that represent or advocate for ethno-religious minorities in Britain, this article reconstructs the justifications they put forward for religious freedom and accommodation in the workplace. Findings suggest that, in line with theories of multiculturalism, progressive and pro-diversity political actors view ethno-religious accommodation as a way of promoting individual choice of religious and national identities, intercultural dialogue and learning, and inclusive conceptions of citizenship. In this sense, they conceive demands for accommodation as part of a struggle for respect or recognition, and workplaces as a key site where this struggle unfolds.

Noteworthy

2026-06-10T16:49:04+02:00

The noteworthy items described here are structured in three groups: annual reports and global surveys, regional and country reports, and specific issues. Though we apply serious criteria in the selection of items noted, it is beyond our capacity to scrutinize the accuracy of every statement made. We therefore disclaim responsibility for the contents of the items noted. The compilation was produced by Janet Epp Buckingham.

Book Reviews

2026-06-10T16:53:21+02:00

Blood and Water: The Life and Martyrdom of Shahbaz Bhatti (Matt Youcum, illustrated by Jordon Holt)
Freedom of Religion or Belief in the European Convention on Human Rights: A Reappraisal (Caroline K. Roberts)
Religiously Exclusive, Socially Inclusive? A Religious Response (Bernhard Reitsma and Erika van Nes-Visscher (eds.))
Human Dignity, Religion and the Law: Pluralism and Reasonable Accommodation of Religious Practices (Mark Hill KC and María-José Valero-Estarellas (eds.))
The Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power: How States Use Religion in Foreign Policy (Peter Mandaville (ed.))