Religion Law Commons^™

Sacred Spheres: Religious Autonomy As An International Human Right, Diana V. Thomson, Kayla A. Toney

Catholic University Law Review

How should courts resolve thorny human rights disputes that arise within religious groups? According to an emerging international consensus, they shouldn’t. When a case involves sensitive internal decisions by a religious organization, such as choosing who is qualified to teach the faith, courts are increasingly taking a hands-off approach. This global consensus has formed across international treaties, tribunals, and domestic courts in European and American nations. Every major human rights instrument and many international and domestic courts recognize that religious freedom must extend to religious communities, especially houses of worship and schools where believers gather to practice their faith and …

Is The United Nations Endorsing Human Rights Violations?: An Analysis Of The United Nations' Combating Defamation Of Religions Resolutions And Pakistan's Blasphemy Laws, Rebecca J. Dobras

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Multiculturalism And The Struggle Of National Normative Challenges, Marc Alexander C. Gionet

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Globalization has not translated into a set of universal monolithic values. As populations relocate for various reasons, increasingly less effort is required not only to stay connected, but to remain within the home community via satellite television, radio, telecommunications, and locally concentrated diaspora. Henryk M. Broder has described such a phenomenon as the development of “ parallel societies, ” which result from immigrants’ failure or lack of interest in integrating into a host community. The question that many commentators have attempted to answer is: does the development of parallel societies, or even additional cultural diversity, represent a threat or a …

Minarets Vote Compromises Human Rights For Everyone, Anna Talbot

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Minarets, like church steeples, are a physical manifestation of religion. There is little doubt, then, that their recent banning in Switzerland following a referendum constitutes a breach of the right to freedom of religion, with respect to the right to manifest ones religion. This right is protected under a number of instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 18), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (Article 18), and the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 9). Under these instruments, the right to manifest ones religion can only be limited if such a limitation is necessary …

Persecution Of Coptic Christians In Modern Egypt, Alla Rubinstein

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The Christian community of Egypt dates back to the seventeenth century and comprises 12 per cent of the population today. As one of the oldest churches of the world, the Coptic Christian Church, first formed in Alexandria, has stood resilient and faithful to its traditions against intolerance, siege and persecutions. Having been present in most institutions of the state among the overwhelmingly Sunni-Muslim population, Copts are not new to the slow process of Islamization that Egypt has been undergoing for the last twenty years. What has been unique to the recent Coptic experience is the forced integration of Shari’a law …

Of Minarets, Headscarves, And Cartoons, Kurt Mills

Human Rights & Human Welfare

It is difficult not to agree with Tariq Ramadan. The fear of and discrimination against Muslims in Western societies since 9/11 is clear and worrying. The anti-Muslim populism he cites is real, although it may also be part of a broader anti-immigrant populism. The posters he describes are extremely disturbing, and reminiscent of World War II propaganda. They are an artifact of fear of the misunderstood “other.”

January Roundtable: Introduction

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“My compatriots' vote to ban minarets is fuelled by fear” by Tariq Ramadan. The Guardian. November 29, 2009.

Democracy And Flame-Fanning Populists: An Undesirable Yet Inevitable Combination, Richard Burchill

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Tariq Ramadan views the recent referendum in Switzerland inserting a ban against the building of minarets into the Swiss Constitution, as a vote against Muslims not only in Switzerland, but across Europe. Those of a more tolerant sensibility will of course agree with Ramadan on this issue and will easily criticize the Swiss for “getting it wrong” by voting in favor of this constitutional amendment. There is no question that a constitutional vote on what is essentially an issue of local planning permission is, as Ramadan describes it, a silly initiative. However, this is also the nature of democracy as …

On Visibly Dangerous Silliness, Anthony Chase

Human Rights & Human Welfare

“Silly” is what Ramadan calls the Swiss minaret referendum. He urges, in response to its passage, that Swiss Muslims be more rather than less visible. Each point is worth reflection. How and why does silliness transform itself into danger? And how and why is visibility the correct response to such danger—even if it leads in directions Ramadan may not suspect?

The Van Orden And Mccreary County Cases: Closing The Gaps Remaining Between The Established Lines Of Ten Commandments Jurisprudence, Matthew J. Morrison

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

(Not Yet) Taking Rights Seriously: The House Of Lords In Begum V. Headteacher And Governors Of Denbigh High School, Gareth Davies

Human Rights & Human Welfare

© Gareth Davies. All rights reserved.

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The Dark Ages Of Islam: Ijtihad, Apostasy, And Human Rights In Contemporary Islamic Jurisprudence, David A. Jordan

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Who Asked You?: The Appropriateness Of U.S. Leadership In Promoting Religious Freedom Worldwide, Nichol J. Starr

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Government endorsed and government imposed religious persecution is a growing phenomenon worldwide. From Central America to the Far East, people are arrested, tortured, and even killed for having and expressing their faith, despite the existence of universal covenants expressing acceptance of religious differences as among the most basic of human rights. Seeing the apparent futility of U.N. and other international efforts to curb such persecution, the U.S. Congress in 1998 passed the International Religious Freedom Act. Faith-based religious persecution--and the United States' role in combating it--first took center stage in American politics during the IRFA's passage, and most recently has …

Saving Grace Or Saving Face: The Roman Catholic Church And Human Rights, John A. Onorato

Penn State International Law Review

The first part of this Comment examines the structure and organization of the Roman Catholic Church, the means of papal diplomacy, and the Vatican's participation in international organizations. Special attention is focused on the Code of Canon Law, the Lateran Agreements, and other important documents. The second part of this Comment examines the role the Church plays as a protector of human rights. This focuses on the Church's actions and recent history in two nations, Chile and Poland, and examines the effects of papal visits to these countries and the publication of papal encyclicals dealing with human rights.

The Principle Of Religious Liberty And The Practice Of States: Seek And Ye Shall Find A Violation Of Human Rights Obligations, Scott A. Burr

Penn State International Law Review

Is religious freedom a fundamental human right? This comment examines the theological and legal basis for this theory, and through a study and comparison of the laws of four nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Republic of India, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, determines the current status of this right. The author submits proposals for bridging the gaps between states' lip service to international law and actual compliance.