Reflections on Human Rights and Religion in Norway

Abstract

This paper deals with the relationship between religion and human rights in Norway. The basic socio-economic needs of the population are taken care of by the welfare state. There are however some problems regarding the way religious rights are taken care of. Due to globalization religion is becoming more visible in the public sphere. This might cause more conflict and controversy since the Norwegian population is quite secularized. In the so-called caricature-controversy Muslims were protesting the publication of drawings of the Prophet Mohammad in newspapers. The way religion is being taught in public schools is another rather controverse question. The leaders of the majority church have a high stance on human rights issues. In this paper I will look into views on human rights in different church groups. According to the ISSP 2008 survey core members of the church have a higher score on topics such as “respect for all religions” and the rights of “religious extremists” than passive ones. The views of church leaders seem to affect those who take part in church activities. Still, also passive members have a positive view on religious rights. This indicates that the Norwegian society is characterized by a general human rights culture.