Posts tagged ‘OIC’
Does international law adequately protect freedom of religion?
Freedom of religion is enshrined in a number of international instruments, most notably the 1976 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which defines it as the right to have or adopt a religion or belief of one’s choice and to manifest it in private or in public, free of coercion, through worship, observance, practice, and teaching.
The UN General Assembly has passed a number of non-binding declarations affirming freedom of religion as a universal right, notably the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief and the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.
Many countries guarantee religious freedoms through constitutional or legislative means. Canada in particular is known for its juridical emphasis, through liberal interpretation and strict enforcement, of the freedom of religion provided under s. 2(a) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
So it would seem that freedom of religion has come a long way in recent decades. However, despite broad acknowledgement that freedom of religion is a fundamental right, there are glaring discrepancies between the way in which international law protects the rights of religious groups and the way in which it protects those of women, children, ethnic groups, and others. As Chon and Arzt point out, no credible international mechanisms exist to address…
