Open AccessWhat is religious freedom and who has it?
Author(s) -
Jonathan Fox
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
social compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.56
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1461-7404
pISSN - 0037-7686
DOI - 10.1177/00377686211012368
Subject(s) - religious freedom , prosperity , liberal democracy , democracy , state (computer science) , freedom of religion , element (criminal law) , population , political science , law , political economy , sociology , economic freedom , human rights , politics , mathematics , demography , algorithm
Religious freedom (RF) is important because it is posited to be a central element of liberal democracy and as having multiple additional benefits including increased security and economic prosperity. Yet, it is also a disputed concept and many liberal democracies restrict the freedoms of religious minorities. This study uses the Religion and State (RAS) dataset to examine the extent of RF in 183 countries based on six definitions of RF. The author examines whether religious minorities are restricted in a manner that the majority is not, regulation of the majority religion, and imposition of precepts of the majority religion on a country’s population. He finds that very few countries, including liberal democracies, meet any standard for RF, even when one allows for ‘loose’ standards where some violations of RF are allowed.