RELATED PROGRAM
Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs has received a $2 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to support the interdisciplinary study of religious freedom. The Religious Freedom Project engages a team of leading international scholars led by the Center's Thomas Farr.
PROJECT SCHOLARS
José CasanovaJosé Casanova is one of the world's top scholars in the sociology of religion. He is a professor at the Department of Sociology at Georgetown...
Jean Bethke ElshtainJean Bethke Elshtain is the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics at the University of Chicago, where she also has...
William InbodenWilliam Inboden is Assistant Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Distinguished Scholar at the Strauss Center for International...
David NovakDavid Novak holds the J. Richard and Dorothy Shiff Chair of Jewish Studies as Professor of the Study of Religion and Professor of Philosophy at the...
Daniel PhilpottDaniel Philpott is exploring Catholic and Protestant contributions to democracy from the years 1800-2000 for the Christianity and Freedom Project....
Mona SiddiquiMona Siddiqui is OBE is Professor of Islamic and Inter-religious Studies and Assistant Principal for Religion and Society at the University of...
Monica Duffy ToftMonica Duffy Toft is Associate Professor of Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Director of the Initiative on Religion in...
Roger TriggRoger Trigg, of St Cross College, Oxford, is Senior Research Fellow in the Ian Ramsey Centre, University of Oxford, and a member of both the...
Kyle Vander MeulenKyle Vander Meulen joined the Berkley Center in January 2011. Before coming to the Center, he completed his master's studies in Divinity at the...
RELATED MEDIA
PROGRAM NEWS
June 13, 2013Implementing the International Religious Freedom Act
June 13, 2013
Implementing the International Religious Freedom Act
April 29, 2013
Timothy Shah Presents Paper on Religious Freedom, Democratization, and Economic Development
April 11, 2013
Pope Francis and Religious Freedom
April 8, 2013
Tom Farr in Spanish Translation of Voices: The Lay State and Religious Liberty
March 7, 2013
Interview with Allen Hertzke on the Future of Religious Freedom
March 4, 2013
Religious Persecution in the Middle East
February 12, 2013
Rick Warren on Religious Freedom
January 23, 2013
Daniel Philpott’s Just and Unjust Peace Wins Christianity Today Book Award
January 23, 2013
Roger Trigg Writes on Europe's Recent Religious Freedom Cases
January 17, 2013
Watch Video of Tom Farr's Common Sense Society Debate on Religious Freedom
January 17, 2013
Rick Warren on Religious Freedom
RELATED RESOURCES: GOVERNANCE
Religion, Politics, and Governance in India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Tanzania: An Overview
Publication
Publication
Religious Freedom and the Struggle against Extremism
Policy debates about how to combat religious extremism, terrorism, and violence have typically pitted supporters of military and police force against advocates of economic and social development. A vital policy tool -- the advancement of religious freedom -- has been neglected. This thematic area will explore the causal mechanisms linking religious freedom and violence. Is the suppression of religious freedom linked to religiously-motivated violence or terrorism? Do restrictions on religious liberty undermine moderates or reformers who might otherwise oppose extremism? Can the advancement of religious freedom catalyze the kinds of political theologies that support democratic governance and counter religious extremism and terrorism? The project will ask these and other questions of diverse societies around the world.
PUBLICATIONS
Religious Freedom and Violent Religious Extremism: A Sourcebook of Modern Cases and Analysis
December 5, 2012
Despite the avowed importance of religious freedom, significant debate arises over its desirability and priority in practice. One area where debate is especially fierce, and consequential for the world is violent religious extremism. The enormous political changes associated with the Arab Spring...
Report of the Georgetown Symposium on Religious Freedom and Religious Extremism: Lessons from the Arab Spring
September 1, 2012
On March 16, 2012, the Religious Freedom Project turned to the events of what has been labeled the "Arab Spring" and brought some of the nation’s premier scholars and policymakers to Georgetown in order to debate a critical question: What role, if any, ought religious freedom play in the struggle...
RELATED EVENTS
Policy Consultation on Religious Freedom, Violent Religious Extremism, and Constitutional Reform in Muslim-Majority Countries: Lessons for U.S. Policy Makers
December 7, 2012
Amid the dramatic upheavals caused by the “Arab Spring,” as well as rising levels of religious persecution worldwide and the continued salience of religion-related terrorism, critical policy issues have emerged concerning the relationships between religious freedom, violent religious extremism,...
Religious Freedom and Religious Extremism: Lessons from the Arab Spring
March 16, 2012
The success of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi parties in the recent Egyptian elections highlights the complex relationship between religious freedom, religious extremism, and democracy in the region. Democratization has meant freedom for Islamic groups to participate in the political life of...
Sourcebook Seminar on Religious Freedom and the Struggle against Extremism
September 23, 2011
On September 23, 2011 the Religious Freedom Project convened a meeting of experts to discuss a sourcebook on the potential relationship between religious freedom and extremism, terrorism, and violence. The sourcebook contains a series of annotated data sets comparing restrictions on religious...