![]() As for the Netherlands, the professor sees that things have changed in legislation. Whether there is a trend that conservative believers are no longer allowed to express themselves freely, Van Bijsterveld finds it hard to say. At the same time, the outcomes testify that religious freedom is legally upheld on that point. That it came to court cases indicates that the scope of freedom of religion and expression is being tested. All three were acquitted or not prosecuted for hate speech. Finnish politician Räsänen, Dutch pastor Kort and German pastor Latzel had to deal with the judiciary because of their critical voices on homosexuality. Misunderstanding of conservative views manifested itself in several court cases over the past year. "You did notice a tension there," he said. That led to heated debate." According to the Groningen scholar, it then turned out that the unique position of churches in the Netherlands was still recognised by the government, even though it went against broad public sentiment. "There was a kind of public wonderment about the so-called privileged status of churches. The corona measures also proved to be a test of religious freedom. Or with unanaesthetised ritual slaughter," says the professor of law and religion at the University of Groningen. You see it, for example, in issues surrounding the burka or headscarf. "Many religious expressions clash with majority beliefs. "Incredibly topical," Prof Paul van Sasse van IJsselt calls freedom of religion in a relatively secularised Western Europe. She is a professor of religion, law and society at Radboud University Nijmegen. "Previously, it was about the relationship between church and state in recent decades, particularly about what values apply in society," observes Prof Sophie van Bijsterveld. ![]() As a result, the nature of the discussion on this human right has shifted. That there is increasing friction between secular thinking and conservative believers' views does not escape religious freedom experts. The organisation documented 500 such incidents in Europe over the past year. This "growing secular intolerance" can even lead to hate crimes, such as attacks on churches or individuals, according to Oidac. ![]() "Religious freedom in Europe is seriously threatened, especially that of Christians."Īccording to the observatory, examples include intolerance due to Christian ethics -think abortion, euthanasia and gender relations- and the removal of Christian symbols from public places. In a report published last week, the organisation points to growing secular intolerance straining this human right. But nothing could be further from the truth, warns the Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (Oidac). With these, freedom of religion seems to stand firm. In addition, it is included as a human right in two influential documents to which almost all European countries are bound: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. As one of the classic fundamental rights, it is firmly anchored in the constitution of almost every European state. In the democratic West, religious freedom is part and parcel. ![]()
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