Constitutional Provisions on National and Religious Identity
The Library of Congress
Most modern constitutions have provisions affirming the right to freedom of religion or belief. This right is recognized in the overwhelming majority of the world’s constitutions, including virtually every European constitution and the constitution of every independent country in the Western Hemisphere: ... more
Religion Provisions in World Constitutions is a spreadsheet created by Julie Slater (BYU Law 2012) and current through summer 2010, which tracks provisions in the constitutions of the world according to the following scheme:
Religion and Politics
- Religion and Politics/Government
- Religion and Education
- Religion
- European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
- 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief (1981 Declaration)
- Treaty of Lausanne, Articles 37-45
- OSCE Guidelines for Review of Legislation (pdf)
- UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB, Report on Recognition of Religious Organizations
- OSCE Guidelines on the Legal Personality of Religious or Belief Communities (pdf)
The website of the European Court of Human Rights provides numerous aids to researching Court opinions. Fundamental is the HUDOC search portal, the gateway to finding all documents available from the Court, including decisions and judgments from the case-law database, communicated cases, case-law information notes, and press releases.
Click here for quick access to valuable ECtHR research links.
Church Autonomy: A Comparative Survey
Gerhard Robbers, Editor (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2001)
All chapters of this useful resource are individually reproduced below, with the kind permission of the author and... more
Sources made available by Dennis S. Sears, Senior Law Librarian
Howard W. Hunter Law Library, J. Reuben Clark Law School
Foreign Legal Research (2016)
Introduction to the UN (2017)
UN Sources (2017)
The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) is a collection of surveys, polls, and other data submitted by the foremost religion scholars and research centers in the world. ARDA includes American and international collections, with features for educators, journalists, religious congregations, and researchers.
The Religion and Law Research Consortium gratefully acknowledges permission to make the contents of Religion and Human Rights: Basic Documents (Tad A. Stahnke and Martin, Center for the Study of Human Rights, Columbia University, 1998) available online (click) here. The book is an extremely useful compendium of major international documents dealing with freedom of religion or belief. A hard copy version can be obtained for $15 plus shipping, here.
Documents provided here are in English only.
I. Resolutions on "Combating Defamation of Religions"
Links to "works that are important to our work at THE INSTITUTE, provided for easy reference to our fellow fighters for religious liberty."
UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression
The United Nations Treaty Collection database provides information on the status of more than 500 multilateral instruments deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, with status information date and time stamped.
Chapter IV: Human Rights Treaties
Other United Nations research links include the following:
- United Nations Documents
- The United Nations Official Documents Search (ODS)
- United Nations Treaty Collection
- General Assembly Quicklinks
- Status of Treaty Ratification - Interactive Dashboard
- United Nations Treaty Collection Chapter IV: Human Rights
- UN Human Rights Council
- Office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
- Annual Reports of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
- Country Visits of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
- Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
- UN Treaty Guide (document)
- Defintion of key terms used in the UN Treaty Collection
- Universal Human Rights Index
[—> Download Spreadsheet Organized by Country]
The Annual Report to Congress on International Religious Freedom describes the status of religious freedom in each foreign country, government policies violating religious belief and practices of groups, religious denominations, and individuals, and U.S. policies to promote religious freedom around the world. It is submitted in compliance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
[—> Download Spreadsheet Organized by Country]
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are submitted annually by the U.S. Department of State to the U.S. Congress in compliance with sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended, and section 504 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. The law provides that the Secretary of State shall transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, "a full and complete report regarding the status of internationally recognized human rights, within the meaning of subsection (A) in countries that receive assistance under this part, and (B) in all other foreign countries which are members of the United Nations and which are not otherwise the subject of a human rights report under this Act." Reports on several countries are included that do not fall into the categories established by these statutes and that thus are not covered by the congressional requirement.
NOTE: As of 2012 (covering the year 2011), the Human Rights Reports no longer treat Religious Freedom issues.
The reports cover internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
