Abstract
Understanding the restrictions placed on religious institutions and associations, or the freedoms that they are denied, is essential for understanding the limits placed on individual religious freedoms and human rights more generally. This study uses the Religion and State round 3 (RAS3) dataset to track restrictions faced by religious organizations and individuals between 1990 and 2014 and explores how reduced institutional freedoms results in fewer individual freedoms. We find that restrictions on both institutional and individual religious freedoms are common and rising. Restrictions on institutional religious freedom are harsher against religious minorities than restrictions on individual freedoms. However, against the majority religion, restrictions on individual religious freedoms are harsher.
Highlights
We argue that understanding the restrictions these associations face, or the freedoms that they are denied, is essential for understanding human rights more generally
Before we explore the data, we review the distinctive relationships religious institutions hold with the state and larger culture, we explain how this contributes to increased restrictions, and we explore how reduced institutional freedoms result in fewer individual freedoms
The motives for restricting institutional religious freedoms (IRF) are varied, many of the motives arise from the distinctive relationships religion holds with the state and larger culture
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Human rights documents and activities acknowledge the importance of freedom of assembly and association for the individual, they give little attention to the freedoms of the associations where the individuals are assembling. Human rights documents and activities acknowledge the importance of freedom of assembly and association for the individual, they give little attention to the freedoms of the associations where the individuals are assembling3 Despite this extensive focus on individual rights, securing and protecting the rights of individuals relies on institutions and organizations receiving freedoms of their own. UN Universal Declaration of Human RIghts Available online: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights/ (accessed on 12 April 2021) This is evident in the area of religion as well. Before we explore the data, we review the distinctive relationships religious institutions hold with the state and larger culture, we explain how this contributes to increased restrictions, and we explore how reduced institutional freedoms result in fewer individual freedoms
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