Participant Information Pack for Religious Freedom & State Recognition of Belief

This research presents the hypothesis that the systems established by some governments to recognise belief systems, as well as the absence of recognition systems at all, are abused as a means of controlling citizens’ identities and to maintain a hegemony on belief. Fundamentally, that it is recognition or lack thereof that stands as the central, persisting obstacle to the protection of freedom of religion or belief and that with a greater understanding of how recognition systems can be abused, experts active in the field at national and international levels will be more equipped to identify when recognition, non-recognition, or misrecognition are the cause of other issues impacting religious freedom conditions like terrorism, the disenfranchisement of minorities etc. By exploring the extent of the issue of recognition system abuse, this research hopes to enable advocates, commissioners, and scholars to understand the centrality of recognition to broader human rights concerns regarding religion and belief.