Religious discrimination in European and Western Christian-majority democracies

Abstract

This study examines the extent of religious discrimination by governments and societal actors against 159 religious minorities in 37 democratic countries, which are either or both members of the European Union or Western democracies between 1990 and 2014 using the Religion and State-Minorities Round 3 (RASM3) dataset. While religious freedom is a contested term, religious discrimination—which I define as restrictions placed on the religious practices and institutions of minority religions that are not placed on the majority religion—is a violation of all liberal conceptions of religious freedom. I find that both types of discrimination examined here are common and increasing.