Religious Freedom Archives

“Justifiable Limitations Upon Freedom of Religion and Belief in Australia’s Draft Human Rights Bill: Lessons from the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990” by P. T. Babie

Apr 15, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysApril 2025, Babie, Paul T., Constitutional Law, Oceania (Geography), Religious Freedom

Image of Dunedin, New Zealand by Arvid Olson from Pixabay While Section 116 of the Australian Constitution appears textually to provide broad protection for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), its interpretation by the High Court of Australia severely restricts its potential. The problem stems from the judicial conflation of two questions: whether FoRB has been violated and,…

“Constitutions Address Religious Freedom, but Not as Much as Desired” by Dennis Petri and Jonathan Fox

Mar 27, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysConstitutional Law, Fox, Jonathan, March 2025, Petri, Dennis P., Religious Freedom

The Village Lawyer by Pieter Brueghel (US-PD). The following essay is reprinted and adapted on Canopy Forum in collaboration with the journal Derecho en Sociedad, a biannual electronic publication that is free and open access. See other essays in this series here. Although constitutions are often overlooked in practice, making them unreliable indicators of actual religious freedom, the widespread…

“In and Out of Church” by Steven Tipton

Mar 19, 2025Canopy ForumLiterature HighlightsChristianity, History, March 2025, Religious Freedom, Tipton, Steven

In and Out of ChurchSteven Tipton The following is an adapted excerpt from Steven Tipton’s new book, “In and Out of Church: The Moral Arc of Spiritual Change in America.” With permission from Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2025. Freedom of conscience runs deep in the American grain of religious practice and belief all the way…

“The Wolf in Sheep’s Skin: Promises and Realities of Religious Freedom in China” by Grace Gaffet

Mar 14, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysAsia (Geography), Gaffet, Grace, March 2025, Religious Freedom, Secularism

Photo of Kaifeng North Mosque by Windmemories (CC BY-SA 4.0) The following essay is reprinted and adapted on Canopy Forum in collaboration with the journal Derecho en Sociedad, a biannual electronic publication that is free and open access. See other essays in this series here. Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Chinese Communist Party…

“Blueberries, Constitutional Values, and Educational Equality: Religious Activists on the Purpose of Public Education” by Karey Harwood

Mar 5, 2025Canopy ForumLiterature HighlightsEducation, Harwood, Karey, March 2025, North America (Geography), Religious Freedom

Wake: Why the Battle Over Diverse Public Schools Still Matters Karey Harwood This essay is an adapted excerpt from the third chapter of Karey Harwood’s recently published book, Wake: Why The Battle Over Diverse Public Schools Still Matters (Rutgers University Press, 2024). Reprinted here with permission from Rutgers University Press. When asked to talk about…

“Freedom of Conscience and Religion in the Americas: Following OAS General Assembly Resolutions to Promote Pluralism and Strengthen Communities” by Emily Cole

Feb 19, 2025Canopy ForumSeriesCole, Emily, Human Rights / Civil Rights, Indigenous Religious Traditions, Latin America (Geography), Religious Freedom

The “Temple of the Sun” of Ingapirca, Ecuador by Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 3.0) The following essay is reprinted and adapted on Canopy Forum in collaboration with the journal Derecho en Sociedad, a biannual electronic publication that is free and open access. See other essays in this series here. As Latin America and the Caribbean face increasing challenges related to…

“’No Idols In Our Town’: Competing for Religious Space in Kisumu, Kenya” by Esha Faki Mwinyihaji

Feb 14, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysAfrica (Geography), Constitutional Law, Mwinyihaji, Esha Faki, Religious Freedom, Sikhism

Photo of Kisumu Municipal Hall by (WT-fr) Omondi (CC BY-SA 3.0) Kisumu is a cosmopolitan city that lies on the shores of Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. The city is inhabited by the majority Luo ethnic group and other Kenyan ethnic groups as well as Arabs and Asians East Africa who work in the city…

A Brief Rejoinder to Movsesian on “The New Thoreaus” by Jeremy Patrick

Jan 28, 2025Canopy ForumSeriesJanuary 2025, Patrick, Jeremy, Politics, Religious Freedom

Saint Mary Magdalene Church of Albi, France by Krzysztof Golik (CC BY-SA 2.0). The following essays are reprinted and adapted on Canopy Forum in collaboration with the journal, Australian Journal of Law and Religion, a biannual electronic publication that is free and open access. Read more essays here. You can also read this essay and others in the…

“Interreligious Education within the Framework of Colombia’s Public Policy on Religious Freedom and Worship” by Camila A. Sánchez Sandoval

Jan 21, 2025Canopy ForumSeriesJanuary 2025, Latin America (Geography), Politics, Religious Freedom, Sánchez, Camila

Nevado del Ruiz from Manizales, Colombia by Sebastian Jiménez (CC BY-SA 2.0). This article is part of our virtual symposium and essay series, “Masking Religious Freedom Violations.” Read more here. This essay is part of the “Masking Religious Freedom Violations” symposium organized by Canopy Forum and the IIRF. The following sections present the proposed and…

“Discrimination After Death: The Afterlives of Muslims in Spain” by Paula M. Arana Barbier

Jan 14, 2025Canopy ForumSeriesArana Barbier, Paula M., Europe (Geography), Islam, January 2025, Religious Freedom

Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Spain. Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). This article is part of our virtual symposium and essay series, “Masking Religious Freedom Violations.” Read more here. Despite common assumptions, our social and political lives do not simply end once we die; the idea of an afterlife, although mainly theological, can also…