Law and Religion in the 21st Century: Relations between States and Religious Communities

This book brings together leading international scholars of law and religion to provide an overview of current issues in State-religion relations. The first part of the collection offers a picture of recent developments in key countries and regions. The second part is focused on Europe and, in particular, on the Nordic States and the post-communist countries where State-religion systems have undergone most profound change. The third and final part is devoted to four issues that are currently debated all over the world: the relations between freedom of expression and freedom of religion; proselytism and the right to change religion; the religious symbols; and the legal status of Islam in Europe and Canada. The work will be a valuable resource for academics, students and policy-makers with an interest in the interaction between law and religion.

Contents: Preface; A perspective from the sociology of religion, Grace Davie; Part I Patterns of Law and Religion: State and religion in South Africa: open issues and recent developments, Lourens M. du Plessis; States and religions in West Africa: problems and perspectives, Fatou KinA(c) Camara; Religious communities and the state in modern India, Tahir Mahmood; State and religion in Japan. Yasukuni Shrine as a case study, Hiroaki Kobayashi; Religion and the state in the United States at the turn of the 21st century, W. Cole Durham Jr and Robert T. Smith; Religions and law: current challenges in Latin America, Juan Navarro Floria. Part II Law and Religion in Europe, Introduction and Case Studies: State and religion in Europe, Giuseppe Casuscelli; Section I Central and Eastern Europe: States and religions in post-Communist Europe, Giovanni Barberini; The recent developments of church-state relations in Central Europe, BalA!zs Schanda; Church and state relations in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia, Antonello De Oto; Section II Northern Europe: States and churches in Northern Europe: achieving freedom and equality through establishment, Marco Ventura; Not even believing in belonging: states and churches in 5 North-European (post) Lutheran countries, Lisbet Christoffersen; Church and state in the United Kingdom: anachronism or microcosm, Mark Hill. Part III Current Debates: Section I Freedom of Expression/Freedom of Religion: Protection against religious hatred under the United Nations ICCPR and the European Convention system, Jeroen Temperman; Religious freedom and freedom of expression in France, Blandine ChA(c)lini-Pont; Section II Proselytism. Limits and Guarantees of a Debated Right: Proselytism and the right to change religion, Asher Moaz; Proselytism and the right to change religion in Islam, Roberta Aluffi Beck-Peccoz; Proselytism and the right to change religion in Israel, Aviad Hacohen; Proselytism and the right to change religion: the Romanian debate, Nicolae V. Dura; Section III Different Approaches to Religious Symbols in Public Spaces: Religious symbols: an introduction, Malcolm D. Evans; Religious symbols between forum internum and forum externum, Peter Petkoff; A brief introduction on the religious symbols debate in Italy and the United States, Adelaide Madera; The European Court of Human Rights on religious symbols in public institutions a " a comparative perspective: maximum protection of the freedom of religion through judicial minimalism?, Hans Martien Th.D. ten Napel and Florian H.K. Theissen; Civil religion and religious symbols in public institutions in Russia, Elena Miroshnikova; Section IV The Legal Status of Islam in Western States: The current debate on Islam, Mathias Rohe; Canadian Muslim women and resolution of family conflicts: an empirical qualitative study (2005a "2007), Anne Saris and Jean-Mathieu Potvin; The implementation of the 1992 agreement in Spain, Carmen GarcimartA-n; Islam at the threshold, Andrea Pin; Conclusion, Silvio Ferrari; Index.