The International Journal for Religious Freedom (IJRF)

Same ingredients, another recipe?

Tatiana Kopaleishvili

This article articulates similarities and differences regarding policies on religion and religious minorities in contemporary Georgia and the country’s early Soviet era. A comparison between developments in legislation and state apparatus shortly after 1921 and 1991 uncovers the policies and mechanisms limiting religious minorities in Georgia today, including the setting up of a State Agency for Religious Issues in 2014, as echoes of a painful past. In contrast to the Soviet regime, however, the main carrier of the dominant ideology responsible for this situation today is not the state itself, but the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Tribute to John Warwick Montgomery (1931–2024)

Thomas Schirrmacher — 2024-11-22

The International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) pays tribute to Dr John Warwick Montgomery the founding Chair of its Academic Board and later life-long honorary Chair of the Academic Board, also serving on the Editorial Board of the International Journal for Religious Freedom. He passed away in Strasbourg, France, on 25 September 2024 at the age of 92.

Blocking the transmission of faith

Dennis Petri — 2024-11-22

Several years ago, I spent time in a boarding school established to serve children from contexts of religious persecution. The school’s mission was to provide a safe environment for children whose parents were involved in Christian ministry in crime-ridden areas. Sending their children to this boarding school allowed parents to continue their ministry without exposing their children to the same dangers, ensuring them a quality education. [...]

The role of the young women’s organization Nasyiatul Aisyiyah in Indonesia in interfaith collaborative action through environmental approaches

Uswatun Hasanah — 2024-11-22

Young women have a huge role in society. Nasyiatul Aisyiyah is a young women’s organization in Indonesia that has a major role in building community among diverse people. One of the ways used is to have environmental projects as this creates a safe meeting space to meet people from different religious backgrounds. The organization has undertaken activities such as opening a dialogue room, converting garbage into profitable products, conducting an anti-intolerance campaign in public spaces involving cross-religious figures. It’s important to strengthen this movement so that it can be strong in spreading the value of inter-religious collaboration and environmental sustainability.

Assisting underage victims of anti-Christian attitudes in Pakistan

Iwona Zamkowska — 2024-11-22

Pakistan has a long history of persecuting minority faith groups. It ranked seventh on the 2024 Open Doors World Watch List, and the 2024 Annual Report published by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended designating Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern due to its worsening religious freedom conditions for Christians and other religious minorities. The persecution affects all age groups. However, this paper focuses on Christian children, portraying the persecution of minors as a multi-dimensional phenomenon that affects their whole life, impeding their religious, educational, and professional development.

Conversion without consent

Jubilee Campaign — 2024-11-22

International human rights law guarantees individuals the right to freedom of religion or belief via “worship, observance, practice and teaching”. Freedom of religion permits peaceful evangelism; it does not, protect acts of coercive conversion through bribery, promises of social benefits, or exploitation of another’s “inexperience, trust, need, low intellect or naïvety”. In the predominantly Muslim population in Pakistan, conversion to Islam is encouraged, and the negligible implementation of legislation – albeit already deficient or discriminatory in essence – further emboldens Muslim men to kidnap girls from minority faith communities, whom they then subject to forced religious conversions and child marriages.

These kids are not alright

Janet Epp Buckingham — 2024-11-22

Schools should be places where all children are welcome to receive education. Yet sometimes they are a battleground for political conflicts amongst adults, as schools are often used to inculcate common values. It is therefore particularly demeaning for children to be excluded from schools. In Canada, children have been excluded from school on the basis of religious practices, thereby violating their religious freedom. Little legal scholarship exists on children’s rights to religious freedom. This article reviews international law regarding the religious freedom of children in relation to education and then examines three legal cases.

Religious conversion and cultural trauma

Mary Varughese — 2024-11-22

Using the lens of cultural trauma, this paper aims to understand the emotional impacts associated with opposition to religious conversion. Following a theoretical discussion of the concept of cultural trauma, the paper analyses comments from eight in-depth interviews of converts to Christianity who have been Christians for at least five years and reside in Bangalore, India, several of whom were minors at the time of conversion. The findings reveal that religious converts face distress and trauma within interpersonal relationships with parents, relatives, friends, and community, which are impacted by their decision to convert.

Youth and the nones

Marcela A. Bordón Lugo — 2024-11-22

This article explores the shifting landscape of religious freedom, focusing on the growing population of religiously unaffiliated individuals, or “nones.” It delves into the complexities of this diverse group, which extends beyond atheism to include a range of beliefs and practices. The article highlights the legal and social challenges nones face, particularly the lack of recognition and accommodation within existing religious freedom frameworks. It also examines how inadequate research methodologies contribute to the misrepresentation of nones in policy and public discourse. The article advocates for more inclusive policies and educational efforts to protect the religious autonomy of this group.

Citizenries enjoying freedom of religion failing to follow through towards moral and social freedom

Johannes van der Walt — 2024-11-22

Citizenries of some countries that already enjoy freedom of religion fail to use that freedom effectively to rid their societies of crime, violence and anomie. This paper examines Venezuela and South Africa as two case studies. Although both countries have experienced significant political unrest, given the similar values shared by the majority of their populations, their citizenries should have engaged in dialogue with their compatriots to establish common moral ground. Upcoming generations should be guided to use their freedom of religion to engage with compatriots of other religious persuasions, thereby contributing to greater religious tolerance, understanding and morally justifiable behaviour.

Gender identity and the protection of ontological difference through the autonomy of religious associations

Janko Vorster — 2024-11-22

This article critically examines the intersection of gender identity, religious associational autonomy, and the evolving legal landscape in liberal democracies. Focusing on the clash between transgender rights and the religious beliefs held by these associations, it navigates the deep-rooted beliefs and assumptions underlying the transgender phenomenon. The article advocates for the protection of the autonomy of religious groups by considering international law, the principle of subsidiarity, the limits of law, and the inherent values that permeate these groups. Emphasizing the communal nature of religious associations, a holistic and integrated perspective is argued for.

Same ingredients, another recipe?

Tatiana Kopaleishvili — 2024-11-25

Noteworthy

Janet Epp Buckingham — 2024-11-22

The noteworthy items 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

IJRF — 2024-11-22

Faithful Disobedience: Writings on Church and State from a Chinese House Church Movement (Wang Yi and others, edited by Hannah Nations and J. D. Tseng)
Religious Appeals in Power Politics (Peter S. Henne)
Freedom of Religion and Religious Pluralism (Md Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan and Carla M. Zoethout (eds.))
Law and religion in a secular age (Rafael Domingo)
Blood Entanglements: Evangelicals and Gangs in El Salvador (Stephen Offutt)
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Did the Islamic State commit genocide against Christians in Iraq? (Áquila Mazzinghy)