Resources on religious freedom

Article 18 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Freedom of religion and belief, usually abbreviated as "Religious freedom", as set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is a fundamental human right. No country that seriously restricts religious freedom can call itself free, and I would never voluntarily live in such a country.

There are many excellent resources on freedom of religion. I have created this page to help readers find some of them. It will grow as I add more resources to it.

If you believe a particular resource should be added, please supply the link using the comments facility below.

Religious Freedom in the World - 2014

Aid to the Church in Need is a Pontifical Foundation of the Catholic Church. They are understandably concerned about the persecution of Christians which occurs in many countries, but their interest in religious freedom extends beyond Christians.

Freedom of Religion or Belief Toolkit

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the UK's equivalent of the US State Department.

As religious freedom is a sensitive issue in many countries, the FCO publishes guidance for its staff with background information, and links to many resources. In particular the FCO document "Freedom of Religion or Belief Toolkit How the FCO can help promote and protect this human right" downloadable from the linked page contains excellent background material and clickable links to many additional resources.

I read a hard copy recently, and recommend the document to everyone interested in religious freedom.

Freedom Declared - All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief

All Party Parliamentary Groups ("APPGs") are informal cross-party groups that have no official status within Parliament. They are run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords, though many choose to involve individuals and organisations from outside Parliament in their administration and activities.

Freedom Declared exists to raise awareness and profile of international freedom of religion or belief as a human right among Parliamentarians, media, government and the general public in the UK, and to increase the effectiveness of the UK’s contribution to international institutions charged with enforcing this human right.

Their website has a number of reports, and you can subscribe to their email information list.

My own pages on religious freedom