Unhappy New Year for religious liberty

[struggle4progress]

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Unhappy New Year for religious liberty
Inside the First Amendment

By Charles C. Haynes
First Amendment Center senior scholar
01.03.10

Good riddance to the aughts, naughts or ohs. By whatever name, the first decade of the 21st century has been devastating for religious liberty in much of the world.

The statistics are numbing. According to a study released this month by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, nearly 70% of the world’s 6.8 billion people now live in countries with high restrictions on religious beliefs and practices.

The study measures limits on religious freedom caused by government policy, laws and actions as well as restrictions imposed by private individuals, organizations and social groups. Some countries, China and Vietnam for example, have high government restrictions but moderate or low hostile acts by private individuals and groups. Other countries, such as Nigeria, are high in social hostilities but moderate in government restrictions.

The worst offenders are countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, with high levels of both governmental and societal limits on religious liberty. (The full report is available at www.pewforum.org .)

[Jim__]

1. This is an extremely difficult thing to measure.

I don't think Pew did a particularly good job of it. Iran and Saudi Arabia are the worst offenders, yet the Palestinian territories are rated as "moderate" in the level of government interference in religion. Any system that comes up with those ratings is not credible.

[laconicsax]

2. Of the 'worst offenders,' how many are theocracies or have a state religion?

How many have a dominant religion that abides no competition?

[struggle4progress]

3. If you think there's something interesting to say there, why not say it, instead of coyly posing

rhetorical questions?

[laconicsax]

4. You often post about wanting to find out the whole story.

Yet here, you just post an excerpt without comment.

What do you think are the causes behind the lack of religious liberty in the countries where it's been identified as a problem? What role does religious adherence by the general populace or state mandate play in the absence of religious liberty?

These aren't rhetorical questions but a search for greater meaning than a simple list.