<i>Religious Discrimination and Hatred Law</i> by Neil Addison

Abstract

The place of religion in society and modernity is among the most contentious political issues in the first decade of the 21st century. Faith has been remarkably resilient and resurgent in the face of the secularisation that has characterised Western liberal democracies since the Enlightenment. The mobilisation of Christianity, in particular, has been central to political contests in the United States in recent years. The rise of evangelicalism has been observed in Australia as an emerging political consideration. In the United Kingdom the resurgence of Christianity has been less marked – former Prime Minister Tony Blair waited until his departure from office to convert to Catholicism – but religion in Britain receives constant and often critical attention. This is, arguably, most apparent in discussions of the ways that Islam takes its place in a multi-faith body politic and human rights laws offer protection for both freedom of religion and protection against discrimination that may be a part of religious practice.1This heightened sensitivity to and significance of the relationships between religion and politics make Neil Addison’s attention to the way that law regulates religious discrimination and hatred a timely contribution.