Most international reports show that discrimination based on religion or belief continues to this day across the world. Despite the presence of laws and legislation that recognize and protect this freedom, 67% of the global population (around 5.2 billion people) lives in countries witnessing many violations of religious practices. These violations include restrictions on religious freedom, by the state, society, or religious authorities. Violations are not limited to a particular religious group; in fact, according to Open Doors’ annual world watch list, the number of Christians facing persecution across the world in 2022 remains constant at 360 million, but this figure is the highest compared to numbers published during the past three decades, according to a 2023 report by the same organization 2 . In addition, the world is witnessing today an increase in “Islamophobia”, especially with the spread of populist narratives that exacerbate hate speech towards a specific group of people. Acts of violence and persecution against Muslims in Myanmar, for example, have persisted since 1970, and have significantly increased during the past decade . According to Human Rights Watch since the attack against this group began in 2017 and up till August 2022, more than 730 000 Rohingyas were displaced to camps in Bangladesh, while more than 600 000 remained under a regime that violates their rights.
In parallel Dr. Brian Grimm (founder and president of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation) considers that the extent of every person’s freedom can be measured by measuring restrictions imposed on religious practices 6 . In fact, since 2007, countries around the world have witnessed an increase in restrictions restrictions on religion and aggressions of religious nature. “FoRB has rightly been called “a gateway right to other freedoms. Including Freedom of Expression (FoE) and Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association. Indeed, there can be no free life for a religious community without respect for those other freedoms, which are closely linked to the right to FoRB itself” . Types of violations can be categorized as follows:
Many other religious groups around the world, particularly those considered a “minority”, suffer numerous violations, such as being subject to hate speech and acts of violence, displacement, denial of civil and political rights, or persecution at the community level, which might translate into lack of access to resources, education, jobs, medical care or decent living. According to Ahmad Shaheed (former UN special reporter on FoRB), “conflicts around the world (…) are increasingly endangering the rights of religious minorities, including the right to FoRB. These violations also affect religious minorities, at least partly, because of their religious identity ”, which is often different than that of the ruling majority.
As for violations perpetrated by society, they include:
52
52 governments around the world impose “high” or “very high” restrictions on FoRB .
40
%
40% of countries worldwide criminalize blasphemy, and 11% criminalize apostasy, putting non-believers at risk and violating FoRB. These laws are most widespread in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), where 18 out of 20 countries (90%) criminalize blasphemy, and 13 (65%) prohibit apostasy .
72
%
FoRB- based harassment of some unrecognized religious groups by authorities in the Middle East region, for example, has increased by 72% compared to 2007 .
55
%
Many constitutions have contradictions, which negatively affect FoRB. In fact, among the countries whose constitutions include provisions upholding religious freedoms (126 countries), 55% have adopted laws that contradict this right .
Some countries’ policies impose the hijab on women, or other dress codes (like in Iran and Chechnya) or prohibit them from wearing it, or from wearing the burka/niqab (like in France and China). Violating these rules is punishable by imprisonment or a fine, and this contradicts the right of the individual to choose and practice the religion or belief of his/her choice.
There are many laws and policies that discriminate against religious minorities. According to the report of the Special Rapporteur on FoRB for 2022, religious minorities; rights around the world are largely violated (even if only partially) because of their religious identity . These groups are also subject to acts of violence at the hands of state authorities, such as killings, physical assaults, acts of vandalism, and systematic displacement. Acts of violence against religious minorities or unrecognized religious groups have increased by 25% in the past fifteen years.
As for violations perpetrated by society, they include:
Social pressure and crackdown.
Persecution, discrimination, and harassment.
Extremist religious discourse, and hate speech.
Religious or sectarian violence, and armed aggressions.
Consequently, the following can be noted:
The number of countries with a track record of FoRB-based violence reached 58 in 2018.
The phenomenon of islamophobia/hatred towards Muslims and other populist narratives is increasing, which could lead to “perpetuating discrimination, hostility and violence towards Muslims” and to “some countries directly restricting their right to FoRB”. In addition, these narratives contribute to the limitation of their basic rights, the imposition of controls over them and their associations, and the impunity of those who commit offenses against them.
There are many instances of systematic societal restrictions against certain religious groups, such as discrimination at work, school, as well as governmental and non- governmental institutions.
Therefore, it should be noted that restrictions imposed by authorities and violations perpetrated by society are closely interlinked, as government favoritism of a religion over others, or the adoption of an official state religion, might significantly increase societal hostility.
Some groups perceive the presence of multiple religious identities in one country as a threat to their religious identity, and therefore seek to make one religion prevail, and eliminate others. This is associated with an increase in the level of violence in the country, as many religious groups, and religious minorities in particular, are subject, individually or collectively, to persecution, discrimination and harassment.
There is a close correlation between levels of violations of freedom of religion and belief and stability security, political and social stability.
There are many cases in which religious groups, especially minorities, are persecuted by armed groups, like the Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), al- Shabab in Somalia, and the Taliban in Afghanistan . The negative role of armed groups naturally worsens in situations of conflict and when official state institutions are weak. For example, according to the “Yezidi Rescue Office” of the Kurdistan region government, 2874 Yezidis went missing in 2020 after ISIS’ attack on the north of the country in 2014.
Social pressure continues against individuals who change their religion, while many of them avoid announcing this for fear of harassment or discrimination.
Violations by religious authorities are considered part of societal transgressions.
Therefore, it should be noted that:
Some religious leaders and/or institutions impose a specific religious interpretation, and refuse to accept other interpretations, even if they come from individuals or groups of the same religion, which might lead to acts of violence, or other types of FoRB violations . Some religious leaders and/or institutions negatively influence their communities’ decisions and/or their governments’ policies, thereby violating FoRB. For example: clerics in Lebanon refuse civil marriage, or the adoption of an optional civil personal status law, which represents a violation of the rights of areligious or atheist Lebanese citizens, or any citizen who adheres to an unrecognized religion or sect, knowing that civil marriage that takes place outside Lebanese territory is recognized in Lebanon. It is worth noting here that violations mostly affect marginalized groups, such as women, foreign workers, migrants, the LBTQI+ community, and other groups. Over the years, countries, institutions, and organizations have considered that everyone is subject to the same violations, relying on the experiences of men as a main reference. These findings highlight the gender, religious, and social gap in collecting information about FoRB violations and identifying appropriate ways to address them.
