Law Commons^™

Mother Of All Rights: Making The World Safe For Religion, David F. Forte

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Freedom of religion is not just one right among many. It is, in the words of the Islamic scholar John Kelsay, "the mother of all rights." When a state recognizes religious liberty, it ipso facto allows people the right to worship an authority higher than the state. Congress should insist that before any reconstruction aid is approved for Afghanistan, the new government there should affirm legal protection for basic human rights, including most importantly, freedom of religion.