IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Dansk Interparlamentarisk Gruppes bestyrelse 2022-23 (2. samling)
IPU Alm.del Bilag 10
Offentligt

Parliamentary

report on

religion and belief

Working towards more

peaceful and inclusive societies

Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

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Please inform the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the usage of the publication content.

ISBN 978-92-9142-886-1

Cover picture: Religious leaders were invited to the New Zealand Parliament after

the Christchurch mosque attacks in 2019. The interfaith group includes representatives

of the Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Ratana, Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian

faiths and churches. © VNP/Daniela Maoate-Cox

Design and layout by

Philippe Boisson, Graphisme

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Contents

Foreword by the Secretary General

Introduction

Executive summary

1. Religion, belief and the legislative system

1.1. Religious influence and religious heritage

1.2. Legislation regulating religious practice

1.3. Different laws for different communities

2. Parliamentary committees

3. Representation: Reserved seats

4. Consultation

4.1. Committee meetings

4.2. Inviting religious groups to parliament

4.3. Public participation

5. Parliamentary activities

5.1.

5.2.

5.3.

5.4.

Non-partisan common interest groups

Annual debate on freedom of religion or belief

Religious celebrations

Ad hoc symbolic events

6. Parliamentary attitudes towards religion and belief

6.1.

6.2.

6.3.

6.4.

Prayers before parliamentary sittings

Dress codes

Commemoration of religious events and religious heritage by parliament

Oaths and affirmations of office

7. Regional and international parliamentary engagement

7.1. Inter-parliamentary dialogue and networking

7.2 Extra-parliamentary dialogue and networking

Outlook

References

Methodology and data sources

Acknowledgements

Participation in the data collection for this report

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Foreword by the

Secretary General

Religion and belief play a significant role in our States and societies. Over 100 States refer to

God in their constitutional or similar instruments, and religion and belief are often present in

different branches of government or are interwoven into a State’s self-understanding. The right

to freedom of religion or belief is enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Parliamentarians have an important role to play in meaningfully engaging with the values and

worldviews of their constituents, many of which are influenced by religion or belief. Parliaments

must ensure that human rights are upheld, without distinction of any kind. Many religions

or beliefs have positions on areas of parliamentary concern, such as marriage and divorce,

reproductive rights and freedom of expression, to name a few. In our increasingly globalized

world, societies are also becoming more diverse, which has an impact on social cohesion and

the values and needs of citizens.

The IPU is committed to working towards more peaceful and inclusive societies and to including

religion and belief in this conversation. At the 127th IPU Assembly in Quebec City in 2012,

parliaments addressed issues of citizenship, identity and linguistic and cultural diversity in a

globalized world. They recognized the importance of balancing respect for diversity with social

inclusiveness and cohesion as a means of building trust and as a precondition for progress

and prosperity. At the 137th IPU Assembly in St. Petersburg in 2017 IPU Member Parliaments

recognized that dialogue with faiths, cultures and ethnicities is essential to peace and cultural

pluralism. At the our recent 146th IPU Assembly in Manama, parliaments acknowledged

that people, on the basis of their religion or belief, can become targets of different types of

intolerance, while they can also be important agents in encouraging collaborative networks

promoting dialogue and joint projects in service to the community.

At the IPU, we believe in the central role of parliaments in guaranteeing the rule of law and

justice and also in contributing to more inclusive societies. Our strategy encourages parliaments

to view themselves as part of broader ecosystems with which they must engage for the

promotion of peace, democracy and sustainable development for all.

The present report explores the institutional engagement of parliaments with different aspects

of religion and belief. It reviews and assesses parliamentary mechanisms and activities and also

highlights how parliaments promote inclusion and engage with religion and belief in a way that

reflects different needs, values and parliamentary cultures.

It is a pleasure to introduce this unique report, which invites readers to a meaningful dialogue

about religion and belief in the work of national parliaments

Martin Chungong

Secretary General

Inter-Parliamentary Union

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Introduction

Symbols of Christianity,

Buddhism, Islam and

Judaism: Bible, crucifix,

Kippah, Allah monogram

and mala © Fred de Noyelle/

Godong/Leemage via AFP

Introduction

This

Parliamentary Report on Religion and Belief

is part of a broader engagement of the

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the world organization of national parliaments, to promote

inclusive and peaceful societies where the rights of all, regardless of religion or belief, are

guaranteed and protected.

Parliaments are the guardians of the rule of law, human rights and justice in societies, through

their key functions of law-making, oversight, budgeting and representation. Religion and belief

constitute an important dimension of the identity, values and decision-making processes of

individuals and communities.

An oft-cited study conducted by Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life in

2012 revealed that 84% of people worldwide are religiously affiliated and that this number is

increasing. In many societies, religion and belief are not merely matters for personal reflection

but are interwoven into the social fabric. Religious organizations have long been important

providers of social welfare, education, humanitarian assistance, social justice, and spiritual and

moral guidance. Some religions or beliefs also desire to shape their societies, as reflected in the

agendas of certain politicians, political parties and governance structures. Religious stakeholders

can wield an influence comparable to political actors.

The relevance of religion and belief for parliamentary work was recognized at the 137th IPU

Assembly in St. Petersburg in 2017 which valued the contribution of interfaith dialogue for

promoting cultural pluralism and recognized that, as representatives of the people, the world’s

parliaments were committed to strengthening normative processes and legal frameworks aimed

at enhancing intercultural and interfaith dialogue. At the 146th IPU Assembly in Manama in 2023,

parliaments acknowledged the importance of dialogue, education and awareness-raising as tools

for countering different forms of intolerance and fostering inclusion and peaceful coexistence.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

Objectives

The report follows a number of aims. It is intended firstly as

a tool to facilitate mutual learning. It provides insights into

how different parliaments protect and represent religions and

beliefs within society through legislation and activities. It also

outlines parliamentary engagement with religions and beliefs

to promote inclusion, peaceful coexistence and dialogue. The

report endeavours to highlight the breadth of parliamentary

cultures worldwide and to create awareness of the different

facets of religion and belief in many societies and parliaments.

The report is also an invitation to parliaments to scrutinize their

own legislation and to bring it in line with international human

rights frameworks, as well as to review their own practices

to ensure that they are informed by up-to-date demographic

data and fulfil their intended mandate. Being informed by

different practices of other parliaments could be a valuable

tool in this process.

Lastly, the report is an invitation to inter-parliamentary and

interfaith dialogue, particularly for promoting and protecting

the rule of law and peace and inclusion. Sharing different

practices and experiences to better guarantee human rights

and fundamental freedoms, or to promote peace, inclusion and

the rule of law, is a valuable area of focus for dialogue.

The two parts of the

Parliamentary

Report on Religion and Belief

The report is divided into two parts. Part 1 showcases

examples of ways that religion and belief are institutionally

present in the life and work of parliaments, such as through:

• Highlighting the relationship of religion or belief to the

identity of the State, as outlined in the constitution

or basic law, which can be reflected in areas such as

legislation, budgetary allocation, selection criteria for

certain offices or the allocation of reserved seats.

• Parliamentary committees which consider issues relating

to religion and belief, including draft legislation, budgetary

allocation and oversight of government.

• Consultation mechanisms to advise parliaments on the

conduct of their daily work.

• Parliamentary traditions reflecting the religious identity,

values or heritage of broader society, such as through

prayers, faith-based oaths of office and dress codes.

• Voluntary cross-party common interest groups which

allow parliamentarians to engage with political issues

that intersect with religious issues.

• Parliamentary participation in or acknowledgement of

faith-based events to promote diversity and inclusion,

such as religious celebrations, prayer breakfasts,

fellowship networks, days/weeks/months dedicated

to different languages, cultures and faiths, and

commemorations in relation to crimes targeting religious

or belief communities.

• Dialogue with representatives of religions or beliefs

around common issues or between parliamentary and

non-parliamentary actors around issues with a religious

or belief dimension.

Part 2 will consider the individual experiences of

parliamentarians engaging with religion and belief in their work

with constituents and within parliament.

Sources

The report draws on two key sources: firstly, a survey which

was shared with IPU Member Parliaments and Permanent

Observer organizations in March 2022 which elicited

responses from 53 parliaments and 1 permanent observer

organization.

Secondly, key informant interviews which were

conducted with 55 parliamentarians, parliamentary staff and

experts throughout 2022. This report is intended to be a living

document that will continue to grow as more parliaments

share experiences.

The report also draws on input from the General Debate of

the 137th IPU Assembly in St. Petersburg, the workshop on

Good parliamentary practices to promote interfaith dialogue

at the 143rd IPU Assembly in Madrid in 2021, the Global

Parliamentary Report 2022, and the IPU’s open-data platform

(Parline), as well as other open-access literature.

In order to remain consistent in its use of sources, the

report uses English language translations of national

constitutions and basic laws as found on the Constitute

website (constituteproject.org), a platform developed by the

Comparative Constitutions Project at the University of Texas in

Austin and the University of Chicago, which contains in-force

constitutions and basic laws from 193 States. The report uses

demographic data found in the annual International Religious

Freedom Reports of the US Department of State (US DoS).

This report makes use of the 2021 US DoS reports, which

were released in June 2022.

The US DoS reports draw on

national census data in their demographic estimates where

available and are a helpful alternative to solely relying on

national sources, which would reduce the reliability of the

information across the board.

A list of IPU Member Parliaments can be found at:

https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/members.

This report also uses the terms given by the US Department of State (US DoS) to describe religious traditions.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Introduction

Limitations of this report

Some areas fall outside the scope of the present report.

Firstly, the report acknowledges that the existence of

legislation or activities ostensibly protecting freedom of religion

or belief, guaranteeing minority rights and representation, and

promoting cultures of peace and inclusion, is not a statement

about whether these provisions are being implemented freely

or fully. Further, parliamentary practices, such as allocated

seats for minorities and quotas, are not always used to uphold

the rights of these groups, nor do they always reflect the

demographic reality of society.

Secondly, the report focuses mainly on the rights and visibility

of religious communities and their members and less on

those of people who have no religious affiliation. It is often

challenging to define and collect reliable data on those

professing no religious affiliation, whose rights are curtailed in

a number of societies. At the same time, non-affiliation is on

the rise in a number of States: census data from Australia and

the United Kingdom published in 2022 revealed for the first

time that the number of people professing a religious affiliation

dropped below 50% of the population, while the number of

those professing no religious affiliation continues to rise.

Thirdly, religion and belief is also an intersectional issue,

closely related to other issues such as gender, youth,

citizenship, human rights and minority rights. The IPU supports

an inclusive approach, encouraging parliaments to consider

issues of religion and belief within the broader context of

upholding the rights and freedoms of all groups.

Issues of religion and belief often include an associated value

system. At times, values of religion and belief can stand in

tension with other rights. Part 2 of this report will consider

some of these issues in more detail.

Despite these limitations, the report hopes to be a valuable

resource for the global parliamentary community and serve

as a stepping stone for dialogue and the exploration of

related issues.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

Executive summary

The

Parliamentary Report on Religion and Belief

examines how parliaments and parliamentarians

engage with issues of religion and belief in their work to build peaceful and inclusive societies.

It recognizes that religion and belief constitute an important dimension of the identity,

values and decision-making processes of individuals and communities. They can influence

how people participate in society, how they exercise their civic and political rights, and how

they view their allegiance to the State. Religion and belief are also reflected in political and

other governance structures.

Part 1 of the report focuses on different ways in which religion and belief are institutionally

integrated into parliamentary activities. Part 2 will engage with the experiences of parliamentarians

in approaching issues in which parliamentary work and religion and belief intersect.

The IPU promotes political dialogue for the promotion of peace and cooperation among peoples

and for the solid establishment of representative institutions. As the global organization

of national parliaments, its work is guided by the Charter of the United Nations and the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It seeks to better understand the broader systems

in which parliaments are embedded. The information and findings in this report therefore

aim to contribute to the broader learning of the parliamentary community about the diversity

of parliamentary cultures and the unique context of each society, determined by its history,

parliamentary system and own blend of religions, beliefs and traditions. It also seeks to identify

where religion and belief can promote or hinder the work of parliaments in upholding the rule of

law, citizenship, human rights and justice in our societies.

His All Holiness Ecumenical

Patriarch Bartholomew I

of Constantinople, on

his first visit to Lithuania,

delivers a speech at a

conference in the Seimas

of the Republic of Lithuania.

From left to right: Ingrida

Šimonyte, Prime Minister

of the Republic of Lithuania;

Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen,

Speaker of the Seimas of

the Republic of Lithuania;

His All Holiness Ecumenical

Patriarch Bartholomew I

of Constantinople; and the

Archbishop Metropolitan of

Vilnius Gintaras Grušas.

22 March 2023.

Office of the Seimas

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Executive summary

Religion, belief and the legislative system

An important function of parliament is to draft legislation. This

has to be consistent with the State’s constitution or basic

law. In these texts, we variously find articles that designate

an official religion or belief, that have provisions for religious

rulings in certain areas of law, whose values or principles are

religiously influenced, as well as different understandings of

secularism and how it relates to religion or belief. A number

of constitutions or basic laws contain a reference to religion or

belief in the preamble, which creates a link to heritage, origins

and recent history.

The majority of constitutions or basic laws also contain

statements on how the State approaches religious freedom.

Guided by these statements, parliaments are tasked with

ironing out the details of how religions or beliefs present

within the State are integrated into or protected by the

legislative framework of the State, which may be secular and/

or influenced by religion or belief.

States vary with regard to how the legislative systems engage

with religion and belief. Some States have one set of laws

which apply to all members of society, regardless of religion or

belief. Others allow for different religions or beliefs to exercise

their own laws in certain areas. Exceptions are often made in

areas of personal or family law, including marriage, divorce,

adoption, inheritance and succession. Still others are guided

by the laws of one tradition, within the boundaries of which

different religions or beliefs can practise.

Parliamentary committees

Many parliaments have committees in one or both chambers

dealing with issues relating to religion and belief. The mandate

of these committees is not standardized across parliaments.

They can be variously responsible for oversight, legislation

and/or consultation on issues relating to the expression

of religion and belief, human rights, the rights of religious

minorities, compliance with international laws, drafting or

reviewing legislation and its implementation, and scrutinizing

the behaviour of government. Some parliaments have entire

committees dedicated to religion and belief. Others distribute

issues impacting religion and belief to committees with

overlapping mandates. Work relating to religion and belief can

be found in committees dealing with issues such as youth,

sports and culture, human rights, justice and governance.

Representing diversity of religion and belief

Parliaments have different tools for promoting the political

representation of persons from different religions and beliefs.

Some parliaments have reserved seats for certain groups

– sometimes including religious or ethno-religious groups –

in one or both chambers. The number of reserved seats is

often based on early census data. Other parliaments have

no regulation here, understanding that the composition of

parliament, through directly elected members, will organically

reflect the changing face of society.

Consultation mechanisms

A number of parliaments have mechanisms in place that

facilitate consultation with stakeholders with expertise and

from a spectrum of interest groups in society, including

representatives of religions and beliefs. Key ways of

consulting with external voices are through inviting experts

to committee meetings, inviting representatives of religions

or beliefs to parliament, holding public hearings, and inviting

written submissions.

When the public is invited to participate in parliamentary

processes, religious actors and representatives of beliefs and

faith-based organizations can participate in their capacity as

members of the public as well as community leaders who

influence public opinion.

Parliamentary activities

Parliaments have additional, non-institutional activities

centred around religion or belief. Some parliaments have

cross-party groups around faith-based issues. These are not

parliamentary bodies but rather dialogue mechanisms created

by parliamentarians which bring together members across

party lines to engage in issues of common interest or concern.

Cross-party cooperation can also extend to prayer groups,

fellowships or prayer breakfasts, which can be confessional,

ecumenical or interfaith in outlook.

Some parliaments participate in religious celebrations by sharing

messages of peace and goodwill or by individual members of

parliament attending services during religious holidays. Other

parliaments respond ad hoc to events that impact society, such

as by showing solidarity after acts of violence or discrimination

towards a religious or belief community.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

Parliamentary attitudes towards religion and belief

Parliaments stand at the nexus between the tradition that

the country is steeped in and upon which its institutions

were established, and the values of its contemporary citizens.

This is often visible in how religion or belief is expressed

in parliament.

A number of parliaments begin each session of either one or

both chambers with a prayer. For many of these, the prayer

has been adapted over the years, having its text altered, being

read in different languages or accompanied by a period of

silent reflection for those who do not wish to participate. In

some instances, there are specific religious clergy assigned to

parliament to cater for the spiritual needs of members and to

exercise religious functions.

Parliamentary dress codes can evoke debates around religious

freedom where provisions exist on certain items of clothing or

the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols.

During major religious celebrations or religiously significant

events, parliament may choose to adapt its working mode to

allow members to participate in observances such as breaking

fast or celebrating a religious holiday that does not have public

holiday status in the country.

Oaths of office are part of the swearing-in of parliamentarians,

required before they are permitted to assume parliamentary

duties. A number of oaths are sworn in the name of God.

Parliaments have several ways of catering for members of

parliament who belong to different religions or who profess

no belief. Some parliaments offer the possibility of swearing

an affirmation, from which religious references are omitted,

instead of an oath. Others offer different religious texts which

can be sworn upon.

Regional and international parliamentary engagement

There are a number of inter-parliamentary organizations which

work to promote common interests and support parliamentary

work. These organizations appeal to shared values of different

parliaments, for example by drawing on a common religious

heritage and cooperating to preserve it, or bringing parliaments

of different religious or belief traditions together on the basis

of promoting peace.

Parliaments and parliamentary organizations also engage in

dialogue with extra-parliamentary actors. There are instances

of parliamentary cooperation with religious actors in the spirit

of partnership for common ends, such as on climate change or

nuclear non-proliferation.

What next?

It is hoped that this report can open an avenue for

experience-based inter- and intra-parliamentary dialogue

around the engagement of parliaments with religion and

belief to promote more peaceful, just and inclusive societies.

The report is a living document to be enriched as new

information is received. As such, we invite parliaments to share

further examples of how they engage with religion and belief

by contacting us at:

[email protected].

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

1. Religion, belief and the legislative system

1. Religion, belief and the

legislative system

1.1. Religious influence and

religious heritage

The variety of religions and beliefs worldwide, combined

with the uniqueness of parliamentary structures, means that

speaking about parliamentary engagement with religion and

belief is highly subjective. Constitutions or basic laws often

make statements about religion or belief – its exercise or its

role within the State – and subsequent legislation must be

consistent with these. As parliaments in most cases also

decide on amendments to the constitution or basic law, the

role of religion in the constitution basic law is therefore also

an expression of how parliament understands the State.

According to a 2017 study from the Pew Research Center,

of 199 countries analysed, 43 have an official state religion

and a further 40 have a preferred religion, while 106 have

no official/preferred religion and 10 are actively hostile to

religious institutions.

In order to elicit further information about the attitude of the

State towards religion and belief and whether it is reflected

in its legislature, the IPU asked parliaments whether their

legislative system was influenced by the laws or values of

religions or beliefs.

In a number of parliaments of Muslim-majority States there

exists a connection between Islam being the state religion

and a religious legal apparatus, which is often a source of

legislation. Islamic traditions have religious laws, called the

Sharia, two principal sources of which are the Qur’an and the

sayings and practices of the prophet Mohammed, the Sunna.

This Sharia is often mentioned in the constitution or basic law:

• Article 227 of the Constitution of Pakistan states, “All

existing laws shall be brought in conformity with the

Injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and

Sunnah, in this part referred to as the Injunctions of

Islam, and no law shall be enacted which is repugnant to

such Injunctions. A qualification is subsequently added:

”

“In the application of this clause to the personal law of

any Muslim sect, the expression ’Quran and Sunnah’

shall mean the Quran and Sunnah as interpreted by

the sect.

”

• In Palestine, Article 4.1 of the Basic Law states: “Islam is

the official religion in Palestine. Respect for the sanctity

of all other divine religions shall be maintained” and

Article 4.2 states: “The principles of Islamic Shari’a shall

be a principal source of legislation.

”

In Egypt, there is the unique case of the existence of Al-Azhar,

the traditional seat of learning for Sunni Islam. The Egyptian

Constitution establishes in Article 1 that the system of the

State is based “[…] on citizenship and the rule of law” and in

Article 2 clarifies that “Islam is the religion of the State […].

The principles of Islamic Sharia are the principle source of

legislation” Article 3 allows for the principles of the laws of

Egyptian Christians and Jews to serve as the main source of

laws governing their personal status and religious affairs.

Article 7 Al-Azhar is mentioned as:

“an independent scientific Islamic institution, with

exclusive competence over its own affairs. It is the

main authority for religious sciences, and Islamic affairs.

It is responsible for preaching Islam and disseminating

the religious sciences and the Arabic language in Egypt

and the world.

[…]

Al-Azhar’s Grand Sheikh is independent and cannot be

dismissed.

”

Al-Azhar claims it is the most authoritative source on religious

matters, with reference to the constitution. There is also

another body advising on interpretation of Islamic laws: Dar

al-Ifta, a religious body formally under the Ministry of Justice,

but whose head, or Grand Mufti, is nominated by Al-Azhar via

secret ballot. Dar al-Ifta issues religious rulings and fatwas,

and provides advice to the government, parliament and

broader society on religious matters. The Ministry of Religious

Endowments is another source of authority regarding religious

matters. It is a governmental body not affiliated with Al-Azhar.

An informative document in this regard is the 2018 Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief concerning the relationships between the State and religion and their impact on

freedom of religion or belief. See: Shaheed, 2020.

Pew Research Center, 2017.

Sharia is not a static code and is mentioned here to indicate its presence in a number of legal texts. An exploration of its process and application is beyond the scope of this report.

Pakistan 1973 (reinst. 2002, rev. 2018) Constitution.

Palestine 2003 (rev. 2005) Basic Law.

Egypt 2014 (rev. 2019) Constitution.

Ibid.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

Case study:

Indonesia’s “unity in diversity”

Indonesia is the largest Muslim-majority democracy in the world,

with 87% of its 275 million-strong population identifying as Muslim.

The State officially recognizes six religions confessions: Islam,

Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

Since 2017, other belief systems including traditional religious

groups and minorities have also been recognized on identity cards.

There is no official data on people professing no belief. Indonesia

is also an ethnically diverse country, with over 1,000 ethnic groups

speaking more than 700 languages spread across the 17,000 islands

of the Indonesian archipelago.

The State’s attitude to religion is not determined by one particular

tradition. Rather, Article 29 of the Constitution puts forward

monotheism as the guiding religious principle (“The State shall

be based upon the belief in the One and Only God”), while in the

next sentence guaranteeing freedom of religion or belief (Article

29.2, also 28E and 28I).

This corresponds with the five principles

underlying the Indonesian state philosophy, known as Pancasila.

The first of these principles is the acknowledgement of monotheism,

making the status of religious non-affiliation unclear.

Indonesia’s national motto

bhinneka tunggal ika

– which

translates as “unity in diversity”

–

reflects this hyper-diversity and

is enshrined in Article 36A of the Constitution.

It is written on the

national coat of arms, alongside the Pancasila eagle.

Various religious practices exist in the country, with some provinces,

such as Aceh, enforcing Sharia law.

Parliamentarian Putu Supadma Rudana from Bali, a Hindu-majority

Indonesian province, says, “The Indonesian experience reconfirms

that religion and democracy can coexist and make a constructive

contribution to a more prosperous and peaceful world.” Fellow

parliamentarian Fadli Zon, of the Muslim-majority West Java

province, extends this thought to the work of parliament, saying,

“if parliaments can participate in this interfaith dialogue, in the

long run we will have more tolerance and understanding about the

differences among religious beliefs and that is the source of peace.

After all, we are the same.”

Craftsmen make a statue of Garuda Pancasila in the Greater Bali area, Kalimalang, East Jakarta. © Dasril Roszandi / NurPhoto /

NurPhoto via AFP

US DoS, 2022j.

Indonesia 1945 (reinst. 1959, rev. 2002) Constitution.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013.

Indonesia 1945 (reinst. 1959, rev. 2002) Constitution.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

1. Religion, belief and the legislative system

In Buddhist-majority States in Asia, some constitutions make

reference to or show a preference for Buddhist values and

practices. The Constitution of Sri Lanka states that the Republic

of Sri Lanka shall “give to Buddhism the foremost place and

accordingly it shall be the duty of the State to protect and

foster the Buddha Sasana…” (teachings or practices). The

Constitution also guarantees freedom of religion or belief.

Although Sri Lanka is a Buddhist-majority State (70.2%), it

also has significant Hindu, Muslim and Christian populations

estimated at 12.6%, 9.7% and 7

.4%, respectively.

In Thailand, the Constitution obliges the State to “support and

protect” Buddhism and other religions. Section 67 states in

this regard:

“In supporting and protecting Buddhism, which is

the religion observed by the majority of Thai people

for a long period of time, the State should promote

and support education and dissemination of dharmic

principles of Theravada Buddhism for the development

of mind and wisdom development, and shall have

measures and mechanisms to prevent Buddhism from

being undermined in any form. The State should also

encourage Buddhists to participate in implementing

such measures or mechanisms.

”

Data from the 2010 census indicates that 93% of the

population is Theravada Buddhist and 5% is Muslim. There

are also small populations of animists, Christians, Confucians,

Hindus, Jews, Sikhs and Taoists.

Cambodia is a predominantly Buddhist State (93% of the

population) which recognizes Buddhism as the religion of the

State.

The State’s motto is “nation, religion, king” When the

King dies, Buddhist religious representatives are included in

the Royal Council of the Throne, which selects his successor.

The Constitution fosters Buddhist education, encouraging the

State to promote Pali schools and Buddhist institutes.

Other systems are implicitly influenced by religion or belief.

For instance, the 1987 Political Constitution of the Republic of

Nicaragua, under Title I. Fundamental Principles, Article No. 5,

states that “Christian values” are amongst the principles of

the nation. The third paragraph states: “Christian values ensure

brotherly love, the reconciliation between the members of the

Nicaraguan family, the respect for individual diversity without

any discrimination, the respect for and equal rights of persons

with disabilities, and the preference for the poor.

This

”

statement does not attach itself to a specific religious law or

statement, but rather intends to summarize its essence.

Religious heritage

A number of constitutions make reference to the religious

heritage of the State. In the Constitution of Bhutan, Article

No. 3.1 states: “Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan,

which promotes the principles and values of peace, non-violence,

compassion and tolerance.

”

An amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation

from March 2020 also has recourse to religious heritage.

Article 67-1.2 states: “The Russian Federation, united by a

thousand-year history, preserving the memory of ancestors

who conveyed the ideals and faith in God to us, as well as

continuity in the development of the Russian State, recognizes

the historically formed state unity.

This amendment has

”

been commented on by the Constitutional Court as still being

consistent with the secular nature of the Russian State:

“The reference in the text of the Constitution of the

Russian Federation to faith in God conveyed to the

people of Russia by their ancestors does not mean

a rejection of the secular nature of the Russian

State, since the texting is not associated with any

confessional affiliation ... and it is intended only

to emphasize the need to give due regard, when

implementing the state policy, to the historically

significant social and cultural role that the religious

component played in the formation and development of

the Russian statehood.

”

A feature of the Russian State is that it also has seven

Muslim-majority republics and one Buddhist-majority region.

Kalmykia is the only Buddhist-majority region in Europe.

A number of other constitutions acknowledge the State’s

religious heritage in their preamble.

• For instance, the preamble of the Constitution of Poland

states: “Beholden to our ancestors […] for our culture

rooted in the Christian heritage of the Nation and in

universal human values.

”

• The preamble of the Constitution of Hungary states: “We

are proud that our king Saint Stephen built the Hungarian

State on solid ground and made our country a part of

Christian Europe one thousand years ago.

[…]

We recognise the role of Christianity in preserving

nationhood. We value the various religious traditions of

our country.

”

• The preamble to the Constitution of Algeria includes

Islam as one of the “fundamental constituents of

[Algeria’s] identity.

”

US DoS, 2022v.

US DoS, 2022w.

US DoS, 2022d.; Cambodia 1993 (rev. 2008) Constitution, Article 43.

Cambodia 1993 (rev. 2008) Constitution.

Nicaragua 1987 (rev. 2014) Constitution.

Bhutan 2008 Constitution.

Russian Federation 1993 (rev. 2020) Constitution. The new amendments are available in the original Russian but have not yet been updated on the Constitute website. The English translation of the

quotation is provided by the Russian Parliament. The US DoS

2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Russia

also refers to this.

Ibid.

Poland 1997 (rev. 2009) Constitution.

Hungary 2011 (rev. 2016) Constitution.

Algeria 2020 Constitution.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

• The preamble to the Constitution of Argentina invokes

the “protection of God, source of all reason and justice.

”

• The preamble to the Constitution of Timor-Leste gives

special mention to the Catholic Church, although the

Constitution itself clearly states that religion and the

State are separate. The preamble reads: “In its cultural

and humane perspective, the Catholic Church in East

Timor has always been able to take on the suffering of all

the People with dignity, placing itself on their side in the

defence of their most elementary rights.

”

• The reason for this mention was to recognize the

Catholic Church’s support in Timor-Leste’s path to

independence, both under the Portuguese colonial

mandate and subsequently during the annexation by

Indonesia, until independence in 2002.

In the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the issue of

ethno-religious identity is also mentioned in the preamble. Part

of the preamble refers to international declarations which have

inspired the Constitution, including: “the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights, the International Covenants on Civil and Political

Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the

Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or

Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, as well as other human

rights instruments. The preamble also mentions “Bosniacs,

”

Croats, and Serbs, as constituent peoples (along with Others).

”

Generally speaking, the Croats predominantly identify as Roman

Catholic, the Bosniacs as Muslim and the Serbs as Serbian

Orthodox. The Presidency is occupied by a three-member body,

consisting of a Bosniac, Serb and Croat representative. Article IV

of the Constitution guarantees representation of all three

ethno-religious communities in the upper chamber (the House

of Peoples) of the Parliamentary Assembly.

A central function of parliament is drafting and/or reviewing

legislation. Guided by the constitution or basic law, parliaments

are tasked with ironing out the details of how religions or belief

systems present within the State – along with the laws, rituals

and structures specific to each tradition – are integrated into or

protected by the legislative framework of the State, which can

be secular and/or influenced by religions, beliefs and values. This

includes where different aspects of freedom of religion or belief

require clarifying legislation or where any issue at the national level

threatens the rights of citizens on the basis of religion or belief.

Parliaments worldwide have varying approaches to legislation

on issues related to religion and belief. Some examples of

this include:

• Legislation allowing certain areas of law, such as personal

or family law governing marriage, divorce, adoption and/

or succession, to be regulated by religious communities.

This point is expanded on below.

• Legislation requiring all citizens, regardless of their world

view, to follow the same set of laws. In Belgium, for

instance, all marriages must be conducted by a registrar

and a religious ceremony is optional.

• Legislation that subsumes religious rights, usually of

minorities, under those of the official or majority religion.

The Constitution of Afghanistan of 2004 states that

Islam is the religion of the State (Articles 1 and 2), laws

shall not contravene the tenets of Islam (Article 3) and

“followers of other faiths shall be free within the bounds

of law in the exercise and performance of their religious

rituals” (Article 2).

• Legislation which restricts certain practices. In Slovenia,

the slaughter of animals without pre-stunning has been

banned since 2012 on the grounds of animal welfare. As

this violates the conditions needed to guarantee Jewish

ritual slaughter, Jewish communities observing Kashrut –

the set of laws regulating what Jews are allowed to eat

– have to import their meat from other countries.

• Legislation in which freedom of religion or belief is

restricted by state-approved religions and practices. In

China, the Constitution provides for freedom of religious

belief (Article 36). It protects the “normal religious

activities” of officially recognized religions which do not

“disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens or

interfere with the educational system of the state.”

number of countries apply limitations to religious freedom.

• Legislation banning religious communities. According to

Pew Research Center data from 2019, 41 countries banned

certain religious groups, among them Jehovah’s Witnesses,

Baha’is and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

1.2. Legislation regulating

religious practice

In addition to giving insight into the position of the State

vis-à-vis religion or belief, the constitution or basic law also

contains statements on how the State approaches religious

freedom. According to data from the Constitute website, an

open-access resource which contains English translations of

current constitutions and basic laws of 193 States, 184 (or

95% of) States contain provisions on freedom of religion.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life states that 76% of

the 198 States and territories that participated in its 2009 study

Global restrictions on religion

established freedom of

religion or belief in their constitutions or basic laws and 20%

protect some religious practices.

This statistic indicates that

almost all constitutions/basic laws wholly or partly guarantee

religious freedom.

Argentina 1853 (reinst. 1983, rev. 1994) Constitution.

Timor-Leste 2002 Constitution.

US DoS, 2022x.

Bosnia and Herzegovina 1995 (rev. 2009) Constitution.

Constitute, 2022.

Pew Research Center, 2009.

Belgium, Civil Code, Article 166.

Afghanistan 2004 Constitution.

Udin, 2020.

China (People’s Republic of) 1982 (rev. 2018) Constitution.

Majumdar, 2021.

Ibid.

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1. Religion, belief and the legislative system

Each parliament is tasked with scrutinizing its own legislation

and frameworks regarding religion and belief, as well as

the work of government regarding religious freedom and

the treatment of different communities, and with using its

mechanisms to bring legislation in line with the international

human rights frameworks.

1.3. Different laws for

different communities

Parliaments were asked whether their legislative system

allowed for different religions or beliefs to exercise their own

laws in certain areas. Positive responses were received from

secular and non-secular States. Exceptions were often made

in areas of personal law, including marriage, divorce, adoption,

inheritance and succession. In many States, additional efforts

are required to ensure the effective implementation of

existing legislation.

The Republic of Bangladesh is a multi-religious society with

a Muslim-majority population and a significant Hindu minority,

as well as smaller Buddhist and Christian communities.

According to census data from 2013, a total of 89% of

the population identifies as Muslim (Sunni) and 10% as Hindu.

The next biggest communities are Roman Catholic and

Theravada-Hinayana Buddhist.

Bangladesh has a secular

constitution

which, while designating a state religion

(Islam), guarantees freedom of religion or belief and includes

provisions for religious communities to practise their own

religion. Its Constitution states in Article 2A: “The state religion

of the Republic is Islam, but the State shall ensure equal

status and equal right in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist,

Christian and other religions.

Article 12 of the Constitution

”

says that it follows the principles of secularism vis-à-vis religion

by “the elimination of: (a) communalism in all its forms; (b)

the granting by the State of political status in favour of any

religion; (c) the abuse of religion for political purposes; (d) any

discrimination against, or persecution of, persons practicing a

particular religion.

The legislative system of Bangladesh does

”

not interfere in the exercise of the laws of different religions

– within the bounds of the law, morality and public order – but

it does codify them. The Succession Act of 1925 covers issues

relating to inheritance for different religious groups, as does

the Hindu Law of Inheritance (Amendment) Act.

There are acts covering marriage and divorce for different

religions, for instance the Parsi Marriage and Divorce

Act, Christian Marriage Act, Divorce Act, Hindu Marriage

Registration Act, Hindu Married Women’s Right to Separate

Residence and Maintenance Act, Muslim Family Laws

Ordinance and Muslim Marriages and Divorces (Registration)

Act. The Special Marriage Act exists for those who do not

belong to one of the codified religious traditions or for

interfaith marriages.

The Indian Constitution and legislative system exhibits

similarities. India is a Hindu-majority country – about 79.8%

according to 2011 census data – with many religious minorities,

including Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, Baha’i

and Jewish. The largest minority is Islam, constituting about

14% of the population.

Due to the sheer size of India,

minorities can still constitute significant communities. For

instance, there are close to 200 million Muslims in India. There

are also regions where minority communities – Sikh, Christian

and Muslim – constitute the majority of the population.

The Indian legislative system reflects the right to freedom

of religion or belief, as granted by the Indian Constitution in

Article 25.1.

It allows people of different religious groups to

follow their respective religious values, beliefs and traditions

in matters of marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance.

Hindu Code Bills regulate Hindu personal law and also govern

the personal law of the Jain, Sikh and Buddhist communities.

Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Parsi communities have their

own regulations for personal law.

Lebanon has always been a country of high religious diversity,

especially within Christian and Muslim communities. Its last

census took place in 1932, the results of which led to the

recognition of initially 17 religious communities: 5 Muslim

groups (including the Druze), Judaism and 11 Christian

groups.

Resolution No. 60 L.R. of 1936 on the

Adoption of

the system of religious sects

allowed for personal status laws

for recognized sects in Lebanon to be developed in accordance

with the provisions of different religious systems. Lebanon

has 15 personal-status laws and courts. In parliament, laws

and regulations imposed by the personal status of the sects

are taken into consideration during the discussion, elaboration

or adoption of new laws. Data from the Statistics Lebanon

organization estimates that today 65% of the population is

Muslim (with 32% Sunni, 31.3% Shia and 1.6% Alawite and

Ismaili). It approximates the Christian population to be at 32%,

with Maronite Catholics comprising 52.5% of the Christian

population and Greek Orthodox about 25%.

US DoS, 2022a. The report states that there are small groups of Shia Muslims, Ahmadi Muslims, Baha’is, agnostics, atheists and animists.

Bangladesh 1972 (reinst. 1986, rev. 2014) Constitution, preamble, Article 8 and Article 12.

Bangladesh 1972 (reinst. 1986, rev. 2014) Constitution.

Ibid.

US DoS, 2022i.

Kramer, 2021.

India 1949 (rev. 2016) Constitution.

The Coptic Orthodox Church was also officially recognized as a Christian group in 1995, making it the 18th religious community recognized in Lebanon.

US DoS, 2022o.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

2. Parliamentary committees

Many parliaments have committees dealing with issues

relating to religion and belief, which exist under different

names. The mandate of these committees is not standardized

across parliaments. They can be variously responsible for

oversight, legislation and/or consultation on issues relating to

the expression of religion and belief, human rights, the rights

of religious minorities, compliance with international laws,

drafting or reviewing legislation and its implementation, and

scrutinizing the behaviour of government.

A few examples shared by member parliaments are included

in the following.

Both chambers of the Parliament of Argentina have

committees dealing with religious affairs: the Unicameral

Committee for Foreign Affairs and Worship within the Senate,

and the Commission on Foreign Relations and Worship within

the Chamber of Deputies. Their mandates include ruling

on matters related to the exercise of worship by churches

established in the Republic, admission of new religious

orders, and other matters relating to worship.

The Parliament of Bangladesh has a Standing Committee on

Parliamentary Religious Affairs. The function of a parliamentary

standing committee, as outlined in Rule of Procedure 248 of

the Bangladesh Parliament, is to “examine any Bill or other

matter referred to it by Parliament, to review the works

relating to a Ministry which falls within its jurisdiction, to

inquire into any activity or irregularity and serious complaint

in respect of the Ministry and to examine, if it deems fit, any

such other matter as may fall within its jurisdiction and to

make recommendations.

”

The Parliament of Denmark has an Ecclesiastical Affairs

Committee which addresses any issue related to church

policies including the Danish Church, other denominations

and burial services. The committee’s mandate is the handling

of bills and motions within its remit and parliamentary

scrutiny of how the government addresses ecclesiastical

policy and observes laws and mandates relating to

ecclesiastical affairs. Scrutiny is exercised through the

standing committee members tabling questions to the

Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs.

The Parliament of Ghana has a Committee on Youth, Sports

and Culture. The committee’s mandate is to investigate and

report to parliament on issues concerning youth, sports and

culture, generally including matters relating to religion and

interfaith harmony. The committee is also responsible for

parliamentary oversight of the ministries, departments and

agencies handling religious issues.

The Parliament of Hungary has a Parliamentary Committee

on Justice. One of its responsibilities is to address questions

concerning religious affairs. It handles constitutional and legal

affairs along with human rights and religious questions, civil

affairs and legislation relating to public administration and

local governments.

The Parliament of India has a Parliamentary Standing

Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment which

directly oversees the functioning of the Ministry of Minority

Affairs of the Government of India. Furthermore, the National

Commission for Minorities in India, which was established

through the National Commission for Minorities Act of

1992, deals with six religious communities (Muslims, Sikhs,

Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains). It

monitors their progress and the effective implementation of

safeguards for the protection of the interests of minorities.

The Parliament of Montenegro has a Standing Committee

on Human Rights and Freedoms. Its mandate is outlined

in Article 44 of the parliament’s Rules of Procedure and

includes scrutinizing legislative proposals, regulations and

issues relating to individual freedoms and rights, with a

special focus on minority rights and implementing ratified

international agreements relating to the realization of these

rights. It further considers initiatives with the goal of helping

implement citizens’ rights and monitors different initiatives

aimed at promoting equality. The committee monitors and

evaluates the compliance and implementation of Montenegro’s

laws with European legislation. The committee has discussed

the Draft Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Legal

Position of Religious Communities, as well as the Draft Law on

Amendments to these.

The Parliament of Nicaragua has a Commission for Peace,

Defence, Government and Human Rights. Within the mandate

of this commission lies the protection of human rights,

especially of vulnerable individuals. There is also a Commission

for the Affairs of Native Peoples, Afro-descendants and

Autonomous Regimes. The mandate of this commission

includes protecting the livelihoods, interests, customs and

traditions of the native populations and Afro-descendants.

The Parliament of Pakistan has a Standing Committee on

Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony whose function is

to oversee matters relating to religion and belief and to make

recommendations to the government.

The upper chamber (Federation Council) of the Parliament

of Russia has a Committee on Constitutional Legislation

and State Building which is responsible for religious

organizations. It also has a permanent advisory body,

the Council on Interethnic Relations and Interaction

with Religious Associations. Along with government

representatives, its members include religious leaders,

subject matter experts and civil society organizations.

Argentina Chamber of Deputies, 2022; Argentina Senate, 2022.

Bangladesh Parliament, 2007.

Parliament of Montenegro, 2017.

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2. Parliamentary committees

The Parliament of Rwanda has a Standing Committee on

Political Affairs and Governance. One of its responsibilities

is to monitor the organization and functioning of faith-based

organizations through the Rwanda Governance Board.

The Parliament of Switzerland has Political Institutions

Committees within the two chambers. The committees’

main task is to examine the bills assigned to them before

the councils (plenaries) debate them. The committees make

recommendations to the plenary and are also tasked with

observing developments in the assigned areas and preparing

responses to them. One of their responsibilities is to deal with

issues relating to religion. Most matters relating to religion are,

however, dealt with at the local or cantonal level.

The Parliament of Thailand has a House of Representatives

Standing Committee on Religions, Arts and Culture. The

committee’s mandate is to oversee issues pertaining to the

patronage, preservation and protection of religions and cultural

and historical sites, and the conservation and promotion of

local arts, tradition and culture. In addition, there is a Senate

Standing Committee on Religions, Morals, Ethics, Arts and

Culture. This committee considers bills and investigates

matters concerning religions, such as the patronage and

protection of religions, the conservation of local cultures and

wisdom, and the promotion of morals, virtues and ethics, Thai

culture, and identity. The committee also has the mandate to

monitor and make recommendations about national reform

and master plans of the national strategy.

The Parliament of the United Kingdom has a Committee on

Human Rights and a statutory Ecclesiastical Committee.

Both are joint committees. The Committee on Human Rights

examines matters relating to human rights within the United

Kingdom, including freedom of religion or belief. It considers

government bills for their compatibility with human rights

standards and “scrutinises the Government’s response to

court judgments concerning human rights, and the UK’s

compliance with its human rights obligations contained

in a range of international treaties.

The Ecclesiastical

”

Committee’s mandate is to examine draft measures which

have been submitted by the Legislative Committee of the

General Synod of the Church of England.

Both committees

consist of members who have been appointed from the House

of Commons and the House of Lords.

The Constitution of Guyana stipulates the requirement to have

an Ethnic Relations Commission. The commission comprises

representatives of religious bodies, the labour movement,

the private sector, youth and women. Nominated members

require a two-thirds majority of parliament to be selected.

One of the mandates of this committee is to “encourage

and create respect for religious, cultural and other forms of

diversity in a plural society.

It organizes activities to promote

”

social cohesion, reviews legislation, makes recommendations

to the National Assembly and investigates allegations of

discrimination. It submits a yearly report to the Speaker of the

National Assembly on its activities as well as ad hoc reports on

matters of importance.

A seminar for parliamentary staff on interfaith dialogue, featuring panellists representing Buddhism, Islam and Christianity (March 2022).

UK Parliament, 2022c.

UK Parliament, 2022d.

Guyana 1980 (rev. 2016) Constitution, Article 212 D (f).

Guyana 1980 (rev. 2016) Constitution, Articles 212 A–212 F.

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Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

Case study:

Human rights committees of the Parliament of Romania

Romania is a religiously plural country with high ethnic diversity.

According to provisional data from the 2022 census, the majority

confessions in Romania are Eastern Orthodox Christianity belonging

to the Romanian Orthodox Church (85.3%) and Roman Catholicism

(4.5%).

There are also small numbers of Greek Catholics and

other Christian denominations, as well as non-Christian religions.

Less than 1% of the population is not affiliated with a religion or

belief.

Romania has 20 recognized ethnic-minority communities,

and these fall within the mandate of the committees. Six per

cent of the population is Hungarian and 3.4% is Roma (though

unofficial data gives a higher number for the Roma population).

Other groups include Ukrainians, Germans, Turks, Lipovan Russians,

Tartars, Serbs, Slovaks, Bulgarians, Croats, Italians, Jews (variously

recognized as a religious or ethnic community), Poles, Greeks,

Czechs, Armenians, North Macedonians, Ruthenians

and Albanians.

The Parliament of Romania has a Committee for Human Rights,

Cults and National Minorities Issues in the Chamber of Deputies

and a Committee for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities, Cults and

Minorities in the Senate.

The Chamber of Deputies committee is responsible for legislating on

human and citizens’ rights, minority issues, freedom of conscience,

the problems of religious cults and freedom of expression through

other means than the press.

The committee can invite interested

persons, representatives of non-governmental organizations and

specialists from public authorities, professional bodies or other

specialized institutions to participate in its work. The invited

external participants can, upon request, present their opinions on

issues discussed in the committee or can provide to the chair of the

committee documentation related to the topic under discussion.

The Senate committee has the following main tasks:

a. It examines, with a view to adopting reports or opinions,

draft laws and legislative proposals concerning human rights,

national minorities, religious cults and the equality of chances

and treatment between men and women.

b. It requests reports, information and documents from public

authorities, conducts inquiries at the request of the Senate’s

Standing Bureau and reports back to the Standing Bureau.

c. It oversees the observance by ministries and other public

administration bodies, in their respective fields of activity, of

human rights and the rights of national minorities and religious

cults, as well as the observance of equal opportunities and the

equal treatment of men and women.

d. It invites specialists and representatives of public authorities

to its debates.

e. It may hold joint meetings together with other parliamentary

committees, with a view to drafting a joint report.

f. It may initiate parliamentary inquiries, within the limits and

according to the terms set out in the Senate’s standing orders.

g. It decides on the modalities of solving the petitions referred

to the committee by the Standing Bureau or those addressed

directly to the committee for examination.

h. It conducts hearings of the candidates for the position of

minister with responsibilities in the fields of human rights,

equal opportunities, cults and national minorities, together

with the corresponding committee of the Chamber of Deputies or

other standing committees of the Senate or Chamber of Deputies.

i. It draws up and submits to the Senate, for debate and

adoption, reports on the nominations, confirmations or opinions

for the positions for which, according to the Constitution and

the law, the appointments are made by the Senate.

The draft legislation examined by the Senate committee, relating to

religion and belief, aims at:

• Eliminating all forms of discrimination based on sex, race,

nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, social category, beliefs,

sexual orientation, culture, economic and social status, marital

status, or disabilities.

• Eliminating all forms of discrimination whose objective or

consequence is the restriction or removal of fundamental human

rights and liberties or other rights recognized by law in the

political, economic, social, cultural or other fields.

Traditionally, both committees have been chaired by a

parliamentarian from one of the minority communities. This allows

the minority members of parliament to exert an influence over the

work of the committee.

Romania National Institute of Statistics, 2022.

US DoS, 2022r.

Minority Rights Group International, 2020; Romania National Institute of Statistics, 2022.

Romania Camera Deputatilor, 2022.

IPU and UNDP, 2010.

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3. Representation: Reserved seats

Parliaments were asked to share examples of practices

promoting the political representation of persons from different

religions and beliefs. This builds on previous IPU publications

about minority and indigenous representation in parliament.

Parline, the IPU platform which provides open access to data

on national parliaments, contains data from 61 parliaments

which have reserved seats for certain groups in parliament in

one or both chambers.

This data encompasses a variety of

categories where seats have been reserved for certain groups.

Such categories include gender, ethnicity and religion. Below

are a few examples of how parliaments ensure the political

representation of persons from different religions and beliefs.

In the National Assembly of the Parliament of Pakistan, 10

seats (out of 342) are reserved for non-Muslims. In the Senate,

4 seats (out of 100) are reserved for non-Muslims.

According

to the 2017 census, 96% of the population of Pakistan is

Muslim (Sunni or Shia) and the remaining 4% comprises more

than 10 different religious groups.

The Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran has 5

reserved seats (out of 290) for the different ethno-religious

communities recognized by the Constitution, including 1 seat

for Zoroastrians, 1 seat for Jews, 1 seat for Assyrian and

Chaldean Christians and 2 seats for Armenian Christians.

According to data from the Iranian Government, 99.4% of the

population is Muslim – about 90–95% is Shia and 5–10% is

Sunni. The remaining less than 1% is believed to comprise

Baha’is, Christians, Kakai/Yarsans, Jews, Sabean-Mandaeans

and Zoroastrians.

The Constitution of Cyprus provides that the Armenians, the

Latins and the Maronites, as religious groups, may choose

to belong to either the Greek-Cypriot or the Turkish-Cypriot

community. The religious groups of the Armenians, the

Latins and the Maronites opted to belong to the Greek-

Cypriot community and therefore were represented in the

Greek Communal Chamber by elected representatives, until

the transfer of the Chamber’s legislative functions to the

House of Representatives in March 1965. In 1970, the House

enacted the Law on Religious Groups (Representation),

which provides for the representation of each religious group

in the House by one representative, who is elected among

his/her respective group according to the provisions of the

electoral law. Ever since, the three representatives of the

religious groups have been elected for a term of five years,

like representatives of the House. They attend committee

meetings to express their views on matters concerning their

group. The three representatives of the religious groups also

attend plenary meetings of the House without, however, a

IPU and UNDP, 2010.

Considering lower chambers, upper chambers and unicameral parliaments. See: IPU 2022b.

IPU, 2022c.

US DoS, 2022q.

IPU, 2022d. Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1979 (Rev. 1989) Constitution, Articles 13 and 64.

US DoS, 2022k.

Data is from the 2011 census, as reported in: US DoS 2022f.

IPU, 2022e.

US DoS, 2022l.

IPU, 2022f.

US DoS, 2022n.

US DoS, 2022p.

right to vote. They also enjoy the same rights and privileges

(non-liability, immunity, remuneration, tax exemptions) as other

representatives. According to the 2011 census, 89.1% of the

population is Greek Orthodox, 2.9% is Roman Catholic, 2%

is Protestant and 1.8% is Muslim. Approximately 1% of the

population is Buddhist, 0.5% is Maronite Catholic and 0.3%

is Armenian Orthodox. There are also smaller populations of

Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Baha’is.

The Parliament of Iraq (Council of Representatives) has 9 seats

(out of 329) which are reserved for minority ethno-religious

groups. Of those, Christians have five allocated seats, and the

Sabean-Mandean and Yazidi communities each have one.

The

most recent government statistics from Iraq are from 2010 and

indicate that 97% of the population is Muslim (55–60% Shia

and 40% Sunni). Other ethno-religious communities consist of

Christians, Yazidis, Sabean-Mandeans and Kakai (or Yarsan).

The lower chamber (House of Representatives) of the

Parliament of Jordan has 12 (out of 115) seats reserved for

minority groups, and of those 9 are for Christians.

The United

States Government estimates the religious demographics of

Jordan to be 97

.1% Muslim (Sunni) and 2.1% Christian. Other

communities which comprise less than 1% of the population

include Buddhist, Baha’i, Hindu and Druze.

The Parliament of Mauritius has 8 seats (out of 70) reserved

for ethno-religious communities to ensure their representation.

The First Schedule to the Constitution acknowledges

the existence of four communities in Mauritius: a Hindu

community, a Muslim community and a Sino-Mauritian

community, plus the general population, regarded as a fourth

community comprising persons who do not identify with the

other three communities. Data from a 2011 census indicates

a religiously diverse population of which 48% is Hindu, 26%

is Roman Catholic, 17% is Muslim (largely Sunni), 6% are

non-Roman Catholic Christian and 3% are Buddhist, Baha’i,

animists or non-affiliated.

The Constitution of Mauritius states

that “[i]n order to ensure a fair and adequate representation

of each community, there shall be 8 seats in the Assembly,

additional to the 62 seats for members representing

constituencies, which shall so far as is possible be allocated

to persons belonging to parties who have stood as candidates

for election. This is known as the “Best Loser System” as

”

the seats are allocated to candidates who were not able to

independently win one of the 62 seats. The first four of the

eight seats are allocated to candidates who have the best

results from the most under-represented ethno-religious

community. The second four seats are allocated to candidates

from the political party which has attained the highest number

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

A creation by Sigmund Pollitzer, depicting the sun as life-giver, surrounded by Arabic and Cypro-Syllabic script, ancient vessels, a

Franco-Byzantine church, part of a mosque (a minaret) and Saint Mamas on a lion’s back, all framed by tragedy and demon masks.

of seats in the election, but those candidates are selected

from the most under-represented ethno-religious group.

The upper chamber (House of Lords) of the Parliament of the

United Kingdom allocates 26 seats (out of 776, currently) to

the Lords Spiritual, comprising archbishops and bishops of the

Church of England. Upon retirement, their seat is inherited

by the next most senior bishop, with the exception of the

Archbishop of Canterbury, who is usually appointed a life peer.

In Lebanon, power sharing between different religions has

existed since the National Pact of 1943. It stipulated that the

Speaker of Parliament would be a Shia Muslim while the

Prime Minister would be a Sunni Muslim and the President a

Maronite Christian – in line with the relative size of religious

communities as determined by the 1932 census. Quotas for

representative seats were outlined by the National Pact and

revised by the Taif Agreement of 1989 which helped end the

long civil war.

The upper chamber (House of Peoples) of the Parliamentary

Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina has reserved seats

based on ethnic affiliation. Its 15 members are from two

entities that constitute the Bosnian State. Ten are from the

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (five Croats and five

Bosniacs) and five are from the Republika Srpska (Serbs).

These quotas based on ethnicity can also be viewed as

UK Parliament, 2022a.

IPU, 2022g.

US DoS, 2022c.

Bosnia and Herzegovina 1995 (rev. 2009) Constitution, Article IV (1).

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2022; ABS, 2017.

Interview conducted in 2022.

ethno-religious quotas as, generally speaking, the Croats

predominantly identify as Roman Catholic, the Bosniacs as

Muslim and the Serbs as Serbian Orthodox.

This division

of the House of Peoples is laid out in the Constitution from

1995,

following the end of a conflict that had a strong

ethno-religious dimension.

Other parliaments did not have quotas but stated that, as their

societies diversified, this too was reflected in the identity of the

elected representatives. Milton Dick, Speaker of the Australian

House of Representatives, was elected to his first term as

Speaker following federal elections in May 2022. Speaker

Dick believes that the current Parliament of Australia is the

most diverse the country has ever seen. For the first time,

Australia has a senator wearing a hijab in its national parliament.

According to the 2021 census, Islam constitutes 3.2% of the

population of Australia, up from 2.6% in the 2016 census.

The Parliament of Austria reflects similarly:

“In recent years, parliamentarians have come from

more diverse religious backgrounds and beliefs

and started to make those public. The political

representation of persons from different religions

and beliefs is not the result of specific practices but a

delayed effect of religious pluralization as well as the

general decline of religion in Austrian society.

”

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4. Consultation

A number of parliaments have mechanisms in place that

facilitate consultation with stakeholders with different

expertise from a spectrum of interest groups in society,

including religious actors and representatives of belief

systems. Key ways of consulting with external voices are

through inviting experts to committee meetings, inviting

religious actors to parliament and holding public hearings.

4.2. Inviting religious groups

to parliament

A number of parliaments invite representatives of religious

groups and belief systems to parliament periodically for

exchanges on issues of common interest.

The Republic of Ireland is a Roman Catholic-majority country

(78%) with 10% professing no religious affiliation and 3%

identifying as Anglican. Muslims, Orthodox Christians,

other Christians and other religions constitute 5% of the

population.

The Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) of the Dáil

Éireann (lower chamber) of the Oireachtas (parliament) of

Ireland, Seán Ó Fearghaíl, introduced a practice of inviting

representatives of all the religious groups into parliament for

a twice-yearly dinner followed by cross-party discussions on

relevant issues and how they might be approached. One such

example was looking at the housing crisis in Ireland. Religious

representatives and faith-based organizations are relevant

actors for the parliament as many are active in combating

poverty. In addition to meeting with religious leaders, Speaker

Ó Fearghaíl has also met with the atheist representative group

in Ireland. His personal motivation for starting this initiative he

explains as follows:

“Politics is not just about leading, it is also about

service, and religion in one shape or another is about

leading and it is also about service, so we have a

common interest in serving the needs of the people

that we represent. It is far better that we at least

understand each other if we are not in fact going to be

working hand in glove with each other.

”

This sentiment is echoed by a young MP from the United

Arab Emirates, Meera Al-Suwaidi, who said: “When you

look at interfaith, there is a very strong correlation to serving

the public. It’s a very important aspect to look at from a

parliamentary view.

”

4.1. Committee meetings

Many parliaments have the obligation or the opportunity to

invite witnesses or experts to give testimony at committee

meetings or to submit written input. A number of parliaments

shared examples of their own consultation mechanisms in

which representatives of religions or belief systems could

participate in parliamentary work.

In the Parliament of Canada, individuals can participate in

studies undertaken by parliamentary committees, either by

appearing before the committee in person or by providing

written submissions. Individuals and entities can also petition

parliament using a well-established petition process.

In the Gambia, relevant actors are asked by parliament to

submit input on particular draft legislation, which is reviewed

before the legislation is adopted.

In the Parliament of Latvia, any public non-governmental

organization may apply to participate in the parliamentary

body’s meetings when draft laws are being discussed.

The Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of Lebanon

explicitly state that, during the meetings of the parliamentary

committees, leaders or representatives of religious bodies can

be summoned to attend and share their opinions during the

discussion of bills or proposals of relevant laws.

In the Parliament of Spain, in all legislative procedures, the

standing orders of the lower and upper chambers provide for

the possibility of expert hearings, the opinions from which are

presented in the commissions.

In the Parliament of Switzerland, there is a statutory

consultation procedure, where draft bills are evaluated for

accuracy, enforceability and acceptability. If a draft bill touches

on religious beliefs, the relevant bodies are invited to review

the draft bill before it is submitted to the parliament.

The Global Parliamentary Report 2022 contains a broader section on consultation and emphasizes that “[t]he most widespread and established form of consultation is committee hearings”.

See: IPU and UNDP, 2022, p. 28.

US DoS, 2022m.

Interview conducted in 2022.

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Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

Ghana, a Christian-majority country with a strong Muslim community. © Musa Alcan / Anadolu Agency / Anadolu Agency via AFP

In the Seychelles, a small Roman Catholic-majority country

with Anglican, Hindu, Muslim, Baha’i and other Christian

minorities, there is an active interfaith scene.

The Seychelles

Interfaith Council (SIFCO) was launched in 2012 during the

World Interfaith Harmony Week, an annual UN Observance

week.

SIFCO is invited by parliament to present its views on

various issues of national importance and is also in dialogue

with the government.

Similarly, in Sierra Leone, the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra

Leone (IRCSL) has a number of functions, including advising

the government – up to the president – and the parliament

in their work, and also promoting social cohesion throughout

the country. The IRCSL was founded in 1997 and played an

important role in shaping the Lomé Peace Agreement of 1999,

which contributed to ending the eight-year civil war.

Sierra

Leone is a country of about 7 million people. Government

statistics from 2020 indicate that 77% of the population is

Muslim and 22% is Christian. Traditional religions are practised

by about 2% of the population.

Sierra Leone has a history of

peaceful interfaith coexistence, including intermarriage.

In Ghana – a Christian-majority country with a strong Muslim

community of about 18% and smaller communities of other

believers – parliamentary consultations with religious groups

on interfaith issues are a regular feature.

The interests of

different religions are represented by identified groups and

US DoS, 2022t.

United Nations, 2022.

Turay in Lord, 2000.

US DoS, 2022u.

US DoS, 2022h.

US DoS, 2022b.

US DoS, 2022s.

associations. These groups include the Christian Council of

Ghana, the Ghana Pentecostal Council, the Catholic Bishops’

Conference and the Office of the National Chief Imam.

In Belarus, a Christian Orthodox-majority country with

Roman Catholic and non-affiliated minorities, dialogue exists

between the national parliament and representatives of

religious communities who are invited to the parliament to

discuss issues of common interest in the form of dialogue

platforms and expert sessions.

For instance, in 2021, a

visiting session of the upper chamber of the Parliament of

Belarus was held on the prevention of alcoholism and drug

addiction, with the active participation of the Belarusian

Orthodox Church.

The Federation Council of Russia holds “Christmas

parliamentary meetings” which are attended by leaders of

groups from religious traditions such as Christianity, Islam,

Buddhism and Judaism, together with legislators, cultural and

educational figures. According to the Russian Parliament, these

meetings contribute to interreligious dialogue and promote

cooperation. According to a 2021 poll, over 60% of the Russian

population identifies as Orthodox Christian and 7% as Muslim.

There are also small communities of Buddhists, Protestants,

Catholics, Jews and others. Twenty-six per cent report having

no religion.

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4. Consultation

4.3. Public participation

When the public is invited to participate in parliamentary

processes, religious actors and organizations can participate in

their capacity as individual members of the public, as well as

community leaders who have influence over public opinion. A

number of parliaments shared insights from their own public

consultation processes.

In the Parliament of Denmark, public hearings are an integrated

part of all new legislation.

The legislative process in the Parliament of Rwanda actually

requires the consultation of citizens. Any revision of a bill must

see the participation of the branch of the population directly

concerned. Faith-based organizations are involved in processes

through their representatives and by the coordination of the

Rwanda Governance Board.

In the Parliament of Kenya, public participation in the work of

parliament is guaranteed by the Constitution. Article 118.1.b of

the 2010 Kenyan Constitution states that “Parliament shall […]

facilitate public participation and involvement in the legislative

and other business of Parliament and its committees.

”

Former Kenyan MP Jacqueline Oduol says that radio and

newspapers are heavily used as tools to make the public aware

of an issue and invite them to share input.

In Montenegro, public participation is conducted by consulting

specific organizations and individuals in the preparation of a

bill followed by a public discussion on the text of the bill. The

latter occurs by the ministry publishing the text of the bill on

its website and e-governance portal and inviting the public

to share comments within a set time frame. After the public

consultation is completed, the ministry compiles a report

which is also published on its website and e-governance portal.

Since organizations and individuals can be engaged in the

public discussion process, representatives of different religious

and belief groups can be included in this procedure.

Case study:

Consultation via an intermediary – the Public Defender in Georgia

Georgia is a country of high ethnic and religious diversity. A 2014

census estimated that 83.4% of the population belonged to the

Georgian Orthodox Church, 10.7% identified as Muslim and 2.9%

as belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The other 3% of

the population was divided between Roman Catholics, Yezidis,

Greek Orthodox, Jews and other newer religious communities,

such as Baptists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecostals, the

International Society of Krishna Consciousness and those of no

religious affiliation.

In Georgia, religious bodies – especially the Georgian Orthodox

Church – hold significant influence in society, though there is no

established parliamentary mechanism to engage with them. One

way this is achieved is through the Public Defender, a national

human rights mechanism which is written into Article 35 of the

Georgian Constitution.

The mandate of the Public Defender is the

“supervision of the protection of human rights within the territory of

Georgia”.

The Public Defender is elected by parliament for a term

of six years, by a three-fifths majority of members.

The Public Defender is an independent constitutional mechanism

for the observation of human rights, though as this mechanism

reports to parliament it can also be viewed as a parliamentary tool.

The Public Defender reports to parliament on a permanent basis on

rights-based issues, including those relating to freedom of religion

or belief, and also shares recommendations. The Public Defender

established a Council of Religions in 2005 which comprises 32

religious associations. It brings together the representatives of the

religious groups in Georgia and offers a platform for them to share

concerns, such as infringements of minority or other rights, and to

exchange on different topics. This provides an indirect opportunity

for parliament to be aware of the concerns and needs of religious

groups. The Public Defender also has a Council of Ethnic Minorities

and has established a Tolerance Centre which promotes social

cohesion in Georgia through different activities and also monitors

and addresses instances of intolerance perpetrated against ethnic,

religious or other minority groups.

Kenya 2010 Constitution.

US DoS, 2022g.

Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia, 2022a.

Georgia 1995 (rev. 2018) Constitution.

Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia, 2022b.

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Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

5. Parliamentary activities

In addition to engaging with religion and belief in the formal

work of parliament, through legislation, committees, hearings

and different types of consultation processes, parliaments

have additional activities centred around religion or belief.

The Interfaith Caucus aims to promote dialogue between

Canadian parliamentarians and national religious communities

on issues of common interest or concern and to increase

Canadian parliamentarians’ understanding and appreciation

of Canada’s religious communities and their contribution to

society. It engages with civil society and supports initiatives

which promote understanding between different religions

and beliefs. The Interfaith Caucus also organizes an interfaith

prayer breakfast.

The Co-Chair of the Caucus, MP Daniel Blaikie, sees great

value in these kinds of interfaith initiatives as providing an

opportunity for people to express, in an appropriate way,

their religious commitments and how these influence their

politics. Although Canada does not have an official religion,

Blaikie acknowledges the important role that religion can

play in influencing people’s political views. While he does

not believe that the views or values of one particular religion

should influence the Canadian State’s position on issues, he

underlines the importance of acknowledging people’s religion

or belief and the role it plays in shaping their political position.

He sees in the Interfaith Caucus:

“an opportunity to try and identify some kind of hot

button political issues […] and to try and set the stage

for exactly this kind of dialogue we’re talking about

where we can get different faith perspectives on a

particular issue and hear from experts who are situated

themselves within a certain faith tradition. And then

also hear from Parliamentarians too in order to try

and foster a positive and a safe place for that kind of

discussion of how faith can inform people’s political

positions on various important issues of the day.

”

In a similar vein, the Parliament of Australia has Parliamentary

Friendship Groups, though at present none have a specific

focus on religion or belief.

5.1. Non-partisan common

interest groups

A number of parliaments lack standardized advisory and

consultation mechanisms. Some of them have cross-party

groups around certain faith-based issues. While they are

located in parliament, they are not parliamentary bodies.

They exist due to the efforts of parliamentarians who come

together across party lines to engage in issues of common

interest or concern.

The Parliament of the United Kingdom has a number of

All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) which focus on issues

related to religion and belief. They bring together members of

both chambers on the basis of a common interest in a policy

area, region or country and can also involve external individuals

or organizations in their work.

The list of current APPGs

is updated every six weeks. As of February 2023, the UK

Parliament counted more than 700 APPGs.

A number of APPGs are concerned with religion and belief.

Currently there are APPGs on International Freedom of

Religion or Belief, Alevis, Safeguarding in Faith Communities,

Baha’i Faith, Faith and Society, Ahmadiyya Muslim

Community, Muslim Women, Antisemitism, British Jews,

British Sikhs, British Muslims, Hajj and Umrah, Religious

Education, Christianity in the Holy Land, and the Council of

Sri Lankan Muslim Organisations UK. Several other APPGs

address issues which have, at least partly, a faith-based

dimension, such as APPGs on Hate Crime, Inclusive Growth,

Rohingya, and Uyghurs.

In the Parliament of Canada, neither the Senate nor the House

of Commons has an official parliamentary body to deal with

religions or beliefs. Senators and members of the House

of Commons can form unofficial caucuses on any topic of

their choosing, including religion and beliefs. An All-Party

Parliamentary Interfaith Caucus was launched in 2021 “with

the goal of bringing together parliamentarians interested in the

intersection of faith and politics.

Caucuses do not receive

”

funding or administrative support from parliament and their

deliberations are not considered parliamentary proceedings.

UK Parliament, 2022b.

UK Parliament, 2023.

Longhurst, 2021.

Canadian Interfaith Conversation, 2021.

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5. Parliamentary activities

The Parliament of Kenya has a network called Catholic MPs

Spiritual Support Initiative (CAMPSSI). It is a cross-party

caucus consisting of Catholic members of the Kenyan

Parliament, with the goal of providing them “with spiritual

accompaniment and formation, network them with like minds

globally and provide the missing link between the political

regime within the Kenyan Parliament and the Church hierarchy

aimed at increasing interactive relations for the common

good.

The origins of the network began in 2008 when the

”

country was experiencing post-election violence and there was

a concern to bridge the gap between the parties on the basis

of shared common values, such as those that are faith-based.

Informal meetings began in 2011, and in 2012 the CAMPSSI

caucus was founded when the network of Catholic

parliamentarians began a formal partnership with Tangaza

University College in Tanzania. The goal was to complement

the cross-party networking with an institution that could

support parliamentarians in particular in the areas of

socio-economic development. The caucus meets weekly,

celebrating a eucharist and then holding a network meeting.

Once a month they hold a School of Politics, which is an

opportunity for parliamentarians to further educate themselves

on different legislation passed in parliament. CAMPSSI also

supports projects of local churches and organizes interfaith

activities. In 2013, CAMPSSI was officially recognized by the

Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops.

5.2. Annual debate on

freedom of religion

or belief

The UK Parliament has an annual debate on freedom of

religion or belief, which focuses on threats to religious

freedom worldwide. In 2022, the UK Government held an

International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion

or Belief, which was attended by government members,

parliamentarians, civil society representatives, subject matter

experts and representatives of religions and beliefs, to discuss

contemporary global issues threatening freedom of religion

or belief. This conference attracted international attention and

high-profile panellists.

US President Joe Biden speaks during the 71st National Prayer Breakfast at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on 2 February 2023.

CAMPSSI, 2022.

Ibid.

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, 2022.

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Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

5.3. Religious celebrations

The Parliament of Ghana organizes a Festival of Nine

Lessons and Carols, a service celebrating the coming birth

of Jesus. It is traditionally held on Christmas Eve, though

the service organized by the parliament is held a few days

before Christmas. It is attended by the Speaker of Parliament,

parliamentarians, members of government and some clergy.

The Parliament of Ghana also holds a celebration for Eid

al-Adha. On both occasions, Members from both the

Christian and Muslim religions participate in the services.

A number of parliaments have cross-party prayer groups.

The Parliament of Lithuania has a Provisional Prayer Group

for Roman Catholic members. The Parliaments of Romania

and Hungary have ecumenical prayer groups. In Hungary, the

prayer group is led by the chair of the Committee on Justice,

which is one of the committees also responsible for religious

affairs. The Hungarian ecumenical prayer group conducted a

24-hour prayer chain on the first anniversary of the Russian

invasion of Ukraine.

The Parliament of Australia has a Parliamentary Christian

Fellowship, which comes together weekly for a prayer session

in Parliament House. The Fellowship also organizes the annual

prayer breakfast in the Australian Parliament.

Other parliaments which celebrate an annual national prayer

breakfast include the United Kingdom (National Parliamentary

Prayer Breakfast), Kenya (National Prayer Breakfast) and the US

Congress (National Prayer Breakfast).

5.4. Ad hoc symbolic events

Following the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019,

in which 51 people died and 40 were injured when an

armed man entered two mosques during Friday prayer

and shot worshippers, the Parliament of New Zealand

invited a delegation of interfaith religious leaders for a service

in parliament. The parliament suspended its rules for this

service, which would normally not allow for “strangers” –

or non-parliamentarians – to enter into the debate chamber.

Former MP Louisa Wall said, “the country came together,

we were united in our grief”

In 2019, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed

El Tayeb, jointly signed a watershed interfaith

document on

Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,

which

has since laid the foundation for many interfaith conferences

and is also behind the UN-designated International Day of

Human Fraternity, celebrated on 4 February each year. In

2022, Timor-Leste became the first country to adopt the

principles of the document on human fraternity into its

national values. Following the presidential elections in March/

April 2022, the newly elected President José Ramos-Horta

submitted the document to the national parliament, which

unanimously agreed to adopt it and commit to its values of

global peace, dialogue and respect for human rights. The

President further intends to include this document in school

curricula, and the parliament encouraged the government

and citizens to promote its values of peaceful coexistence.

Timor-Leste is one of two Christian-majority countries in Asia,

the other being the Philippines. Census data indicates that

.6% of the population is Catholic, 2% is Protestant and less

than 1% is Muslim.

100

99 Ramos-Horta, 2022.

100 US DoS, 2022x.

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6. Parliamentary attitudes towards religion and belief

6. Parliamentary attitudes

towards religion and belief

Parliaments stand at the nexus between the tradition in which

a country is steeped and upon which its institutions were

established, and the values of its contemporary citizens.

This is often visible in how religion or belief is expressed in

parliament. There can be an ambivalence in the respective

practices depending on whether or not they have been

updated to reflect the actual diversity of society.

The lower chamber of the Parliament of Ireland begins each

day with a Christian prayer which is recited by the Speaker. A

period of quiet reflection has been added for those who do not

wish to participate in the prayer.

In the Parliament of New Zealand, the prayer or karakia

is read out in a variety of languages, including the official

spoken languages of New Zealand: English and te reo Mãori

(the language of the indigenous population of mainland New

Zealand, the Mãori people). New Zealand also celebrates

different language weeks throughout the year, and the

parliament may read the prayer in the language of that week,

for instance in Mandarin or one of the Pacific Island languages.

In the Parliament of Canada, a prayer is read each sitting day

in both the Senate and the House of Commons. The prayer

is read in private, prior to the doors of either chamber having

been opened to the public. The prayer is the first order of

business in both chambers, pursuant to the Rules of the

Senate and the Standing Orders of the House of Commons.

According to the House of Commons Procedure and Practice

from 1994, “the House concurred in a report recommending

a new form of prayer more reflective of the different religions

embraced by Canadians.

103

”

The Standing Orders for both the Senate and the House of

Commons of the Parliament of Australia require each daily

session to begin with a prayer and an acknowledgement of

country. Both the Speaker of the House of Representatives

and the President of the Senate read the acknowledgement of

country, which refers to the traditional custodians of the land

on which the parliamentary session is taking place, before a

prayer for the work of parliament and the Lord’s Prayer.

104

In the House of Commons of the Parliament of the

United Kingdom, daily prayers are carried out before the

commencement of a public sitting. The prayers are conducted

by the Speaker’s Chaplain.

6.1. Prayers before

parliamentary sittings

101

A number of parliaments, including the parliaments of Tanzania,

Malta, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia,

Guyana and Canada, begin each session of one or both

chambers with a prayer. For many of these, the prayer has

been adapted over the years.

At the beginning of each sitting of the National Assembly of

the Parliament of Guyana, a prayer is recited. When Guyana

gained independence from Britain in 1966, the tradition of the

prayer was kept but it was adapted to reflect the country’s

ethnic and religious diversity and heritage. Speaker Manzoor

Nadir explained: “It is a general prayer. We have so many

religions and the three main religions – Christians, Muslims,

Hindus – are basically treated equally. We also have other

faiths – Baha’i, Rastafarian and persons with their own beliefs.

”

The prayer is adapted from the words of the Indian poet

Rabindranath Tagore:

“Almighty God, we, who are here gathered together,

do most humbly beseech Thee, to guide us in all our

consultations, so that we may together build a land

where knowledge is free, where the mind is without

fear, and the head is held high, and where words come

from the depth of truth.

Grant us, O God, Thine aid and guidance, so that we

may deal justly, with the several causes that come

before us, laying aside all private interests, prejudices

and personal preferences, so that the result of our

counsels may be to the glory of thy Blessed Name, the

maintenance of true religion, the preservation of justice,

the safety, honour and happiness of the President, and

the peace and prosperity of Guyana.

Grant us, O God, the vision so to lead, that all the

people of this fair land may enter into that state of

brotherhood and unity, where the mind is led forward

by thee into ever widening thought and action.

102

”

101 For a detailed analysis of parliamentary prayers, see also: Library & Research Service (L&RS), 2016. This report also provides some insights into spaces such as a prayer room, chapel,

meditation room or mosque in some parliaments.

102 Parliament of Guyana, 2018.

103 Bosc and Gagnon, 2017.

104 Parliament of Australia, 2022a; Parliament of Australia, 2022b.

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Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

Prayers in the UK House of Commons and the Speaker’s Chaplain

The tradition of reading daily prayers in the House of Commons is

believed to date back to the 16th century when, records suggest,

these tasks were undertaken by the Clerk of the House of Commons.

In 1660, a chaplain replaced the Clerk in this function, earning the

title Chaplain for the Commons. In the 1830s, the Chaplain became

salaried and the role gradually expanded beyond prayers. It became

tradition for the Speaker to select the Chaplain. When the Chaplain

conducts the daily prayers, there is a degree of ritual attached to it:

“Prayers take place immediately after the Speaker’s procession

to the Chamber. Only Members are allowed to be present in the

Chamber during prayers, and by tradition, they stand up and face the

benches rather than the centre of the House while prayers are said.

The origins of this custom are unclear, but it is thought this practice

developed due to the difficulty Members would historically have

faced of kneeling to pray while wearing a sword.”

105

The tasks of the present day Speaker’s Chaplain include reading

the given daily prayers in the House of Commons chamber and

introducing topical elements, conducting a weekly Eucharist at the

Parliamentary Chapel (St. Mary Undercroft), occasional special

services and a monthly service followed by a speaker and discussion

in St. Margaret’s Westminster Abbey for MPs and Peers. The

Chaplain also cares for the pastoral needs of parliamentarians

and members of staff, as part of which they officiate at baptisms,

weddings and memorial services. The Speaker’s Chaplain also has

a ceremonial function, working with the Speaker’s team on acts of

commemoration, celebration and consolation for the parliamentary

community such as the marking of Holocaust Memorial Day, Armed

Forces Day and events to mark the death of a serving MP.

The Speaker’s Chaplain works closely with the Christians in

Parliament APPG, which holds Bible study and prayer groups,

speaker events and discussion groups, policy discussion and

briefings – all related to issues intersecting with Christian faith

and theology. This APPG also organizes a National Parliamentary

Prayer Breakfast.

106

In recent times it has been possible to restore the previously

long-standing link with Westminster Abbey, and the Speaker’s

Chaplain also serves as a Canon of Westminster.

Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK House of Commons with chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, Reverend Tricia Hillas.

105 UK Parliament, 2022e.

106 Christians in Parliament (APPG), 2022.

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6. Parliamentary attitudes towards religion and belief

6.2. Dress codes

In some traditions, religion or belief can also be expressed

through clothing. Common examples include the turban, worn

by Sikh men, a kippah – also known as a yarmulke, skullcap or

koppel – worn by some Jewish men, or head coverings, worn

by some Muslim women. A number of parliaments have a

dress code and there have been debates in some parliaments

about the degree to which this infringes upon the religious

rights of parliamentarians.

Some examples of different attitudes towards clothing in

parliaments include:

Article 209 of the Rules of the House of Councillors of the

Parliament of Japan states: “No one shall enter the Chamber

or Committee meeting rooms with a hat, overcoat, scarf,

umbrella, stick and the like on or with him.

”

In the Parliament of Canada, Speakers of the Senate and

House of Commons have by convention allowed Senators and

MPs to wear religious clothing when participating in debates in

both chambers.

In 2018, the lower chamber (Assemblée nationale) of the

Parliament of France amended its Rules of Procedure to

introduce a “neutral” dress code which banned members from

“the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols, uniforms,

logos or commercial messages or political slogans.

107

This

”

regulation not only banned Muslim women from wearing

headscarves, but also Jewish men from wearing skullcaps or

Sikh men from wearing a turban. The ruling was prompted by a

member of parliament wearing a football jersey while speaking

about taxing the transfer of football players. Article 9 of the

General Instructions for the National Assembly now clarifies

that “in the hemicycle, expression is exclusively oral.

”

In 2021, the Government of Tanzania released a pamphlet

visually depicting the dress code guidelines for public

servants, including members of parliament. The pamphlet,

which references a public service document from 2020,

shows acceptable and unacceptable clothing for female

and male public servants in casual, smart casual and smart

settings. The new guidelines clarify that for a woman, a

headscarf is permitted to be worn with any of the prescribed

clothing choices.

108

Case study:

Head and face coverings

The issue of head and face coverings has been debated in different

parliaments around the world, especially with regard to the veiling

of Muslim women.

Legislation exists in some States which requires women to wear

a head covering in public. The Islamic Republic of Iran has made

veiling in public mandatory since 1983, with punishment for

non-adherence outlined in the Islamic Punishment Law.

Other States have legislation which prohibits certain coverings –

ranging from a veil which covers the head and hair, to a covering

where either only the eyes of the woman are visible (niqab) or

the whole face is covered (burqa)– in public spaces or in public

schools, universities and government buildings. In 2004, the French

Parliament passed a law on secularity and conspicuous religious

symbols, banning symbols or clothing which clearly show religious

affiliation, including head coverings, from public schools. This was

followed in 2010 by a law prohibiting the concealment of the face

in public spaces.

109

This ban includes anything that hides the face,

not only the niqab or burqa but also masks, balaclavas or helmets,

but it does not prohibit head coverings such as the hijab, skullcap or

turban, which do not obscure the face.

The Swiss Confederation organized a national referendum in

March 2021 responding to an initiative from the Swiss People’s

Party on whether to ban full-face coverings. The Swiss Federal

Council and Parliament itself spoke out against the proposal and

offered a counter-proposal – valid if the referendum were to fail –

which demanded that people show their face when necessary for

identification purposes. This suggestion also included measures

to strengthen women’s rights, for instance, to encourage efforts

to integrate immigrant women instead of further excluding them

through prohibitions which come with referendums.

110

Despite this

alternative suggestion, the referendum passed with a majority of

51.2% voting “yes”. It is now prohibited to wear full face coverings

in public, including a burqa or a niqab. Internationally, a total of 16

States have a full or partial ban on face coverings.

The majority of States have no official regulation about wearing

face or head coverings in public, though religious authorities’ stance

towards religious dress can be influential. Islam has its own legal

framework which includes making Islamic legal rulings, known as

fatwas. National legislation is therefore not the only or even the

primary authority in some communities with regard to religious

dress and behaviour.

The reasons that some religious authorities or state legislation

oblige women to wear a face or head covering comes from

an interpretation of the Qur’an and the Hadith, two pillars of

Islamic jurisprudence.

107

108

109

110

Assemblée nationale, 2018.

President’s Office Public Service Management and Good Governance, 2020.

Law No. 2010-1192 of 2010.

Federal Council, 2022.

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Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

Turkish MP Ravza Kavakci Kan attending the 146th IPU Assembly in Manama, Bahrain. © IPU/Parliament of Bahrain

There are varying reasons given for banning women from wearing

face coverings or a veil. In Chad, a Muslim-majority country in the

Sahel region of Africa where religious extremism is threatening

regional stability, the burqa was banned by the government after

suicide bombings were perpetrated by Nigerian Boko Haram

militants wearing burqas. Security concerns have been cited by

other parliaments and governments as the reason behind bans on

face veils, especially as a full-face covering makes it more difficult

to identify someone.

111

Other reasons for banning or criticizing

the face veil, especially in the Western European context, include

viewing it as incompatible with the values of different expressions

of secularism, as incompatible with the broader culture and values

of society or with liberal democracy, as a sign of radical or political

Islam, as a tool of oppression or coercion of women, and as

impeding the reciprocity inherent in communication.

112

There have been criticisms of these reasons as being disingenuous.

Dissenting voices say that these laws are driven in some societies

by Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment. Canadian Muslim

Senator Salma Ataullahjan observes that the regulations around

masking since the coronavirus pandemic have clearly shown that the

debate around the burqa is highly racialized. The recommendation to

wear masks can lead to a similar result in one’s appearance, but is

free of the stigma attached to the niqab or burqa.

Banning different forms of Islamic dress has been criticized by

some as contravening the right to externally manifest religion or

belief. Turkish MP Ravza Kavakci Kan described a long-standing

ban on wearing headscarves in public institutions in Türkiye as “an

institutional form of discrimination”. Ms. Kavakci Kan says that

she wore the veil out of her own religious conviction. As she was

not allowed to wear a veil at any public university she decided to

complete her studies in the United States of America, where her

religious freedom was guaranteed. The ban on wearing the veil in

public institutions in Türkiye was lifted in 2013.

111 Grillo and Shah, 2012.

112 Ibid.

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6. Parliamentary attitudes towards religion and belief

6.3. Commemoration

of religious events

and religious heritage

by parliament

A number of parliaments commemorate certain days

with a religious association, such as National Bible Day or

International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

113

The Parliament of Canada celebrates the diverse faces of

Canadian identity. In recent years, indigenous peoples’

ceremonies and cultural/spiritual practices have started

appearing more prominently in parliament. Smudging

ceremonies (during which plants, usually sage, are burned

to cleanse and purify) have been conducted before some

events in the parliamentary precinct. Indigenous languages

are also increasingly being used in parliament, most notably

during committee hearings, allowing indigenous witnesses

and parliamentarians to interact in their mother tongue. In

addition, significant religious communities are singled out in

different months. For instance, April is Sikh Heritage Month,

May is Canadian Jewish Heritage Month, in September there

is a Mennonite Heritage Week and October is Canadian Islamic

History Month. There is also a National Day of Remembrance

of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against

Islamophobia on 29 January.

Parliaments have other ways of honouring different religions

or beliefs. The Israeli Knesset adapts its daily work to cater

for events within the religious calendar. Avi Dichter, Israeli

Member of the Knesset and current Minister of Agriculture and

Rural Development, explains:

“When we have voting during Ramadan, they give you

a gap of a few hours to make sure that the Muslim

members of the Knesset will be able to break the fast.

Whenever there’s a special holiday – Eid Al Adha, Eid

Al Fitr – you honour them and you don’t bring bills to

vote unless there is a total agreement and there’s no

problem about it. […] We do it with Jewish members

and we do it with Muslim members.

114

”

During Ramadan in 2023, Speaker Amir Ohana hosted

representatives from Albania, Bahrain, Kosovo, Kazakhstan,

Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania, Türkiye and the United Arab

Emirates for an iftar dinner in the Knesset.

In the Parliament of Egypt, working hours are generally shorter

during the month of Ramadan so that Muslim members are

able to break their fast with the iftar meal. This is not a rule

but a general courtesy that is observed when possible. In

Egypt, it is estimated that 90% of the population is Muslim

(majority Sunni) and 10% is Christian. The biggest Christian

group is the Coptic Orthodox Church, which constitutes about

90% of the Christian community.

115

While the Coptic Orthodox

Christmas, which is celebrated on 7 January – following the

Julian calendar –, is a public holiday, parliament also observes

the tradition of not holding any sessions on 25 December, the

Christmas Day observed by Western churches (following the

Gregorian calendar).

Speaker Amir Ohana of the Israeli Knesset hosted representatives of countries with Muslim populations for an Iftar meal during

Ramadan, 2023. © Parliament of Israel

113 International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates all victims of the holocaust, including not only Jewish people but also other minorities.

114 Interview conducted in 2022.

115 US DoS, 2022f.

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Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

6.4. Oaths and affirmations

of office

Oaths of office are frequently part of the swearing-in of

parliamentarians, required before they are permitted to

assume parliamentary duties. A number of oaths are sworn in

the name of God. Parliaments have several ways of catering

for members who belong to different religions or who profess

no belief. Some parliaments offer the possibility of swearing

an affirmation instead of an oath, in which religious references

may be omitted. Others offer different religious texts which

can be sworn upon.

In the Swiss Parliament, new members must either swear

an oath or make a solemn promise before assuming office.

The text of the oath states: “I swear by the Almighty God to

uphold the Constitution and the law and to fulfil the duties of

my office to the best of my abilities. The text of the solemn

”

promise states: “I solemnly promise to uphold the Constitution

and the law and to fulfil the duties of my office to the best of

my abilities”

116

The oath taken by incoming parliamentarians to the Parliament

of Ghana is detailed in the Standing Orders of the Parliament

of Ghana. It makes explicit reference to God, can be sworn

on the Bible or Qur’an or also as an affirmation without

any religious reference.

117

The same practice exists in the

Parliament of Sierra Leone.

118

The procedures for swearing in at the Islamic Parliament

of Iran are reflected in its rules of procedure. Members of

the Assembly take an oath either at the first session of the

Assembly or at the first session they attend. They swear

“in the Name of God […] in the presence of the Glorious

Qur’an…” Religious minorities are permitted to take the same

oath but swearing on their holy book.

119

After swearing the

oath, members will also sign a text of it.

The Manual of Rules of Procedure, Practices and Conventions

of the Parliament of Guyana states that incoming members of

parliament have the option of swearing an oath on the Qur’an,

the Bible or the Bhagavad Gita – the scriptures of the three

main religions of the State – or of making a solemn affirmation

instead of taking an oath.

120

The wording of the oath itself is

not faith-based.

Incoming members of parliament in the Indonesian People’s

Representative Council must swear an oath in the name of

God, part of which states their commitment to uphold the

Pancasila, the five principles underlying the national ideology

of Indonesia.

121

The first principle of the Pancasila is the

acknowledgement of monotheism.

116

117

118

119

120

121

Confédération suisse, 2021.

Parliament of Ghana, 2000; Ghana 1992 (rev. 1996) Constitution; statements about swearing on the Bible or Qur’an from an interview with a Ghanaian parliamentarian.

Sierra Leone 1991 (reinst. 1996, rev. 2013) Constitution, Third Schedule to the Constitution.

Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1979 (rev. 1989) Constitution; see: Islamic Parliament of Iran, 2014.

Parliament of Guyana, 2007.

House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, 2015.

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7 Regional and international parliamentary engagement

7. Regional and international

parliamentary engagement

There are a number of (inter-)parliamentary organizations which

work to promote common interests and support parliamentary

work. Examples are given below of inter-parliamentary

initiatives with a religious or belief dimension, including

the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, a network

of parliaments brought together by their shared Orthodox

Christian faith, and the International Parliament for Tolerance

and Peace, whose mandate is to engage parliamentarians

worldwide in working to promote peaceful coexistence and

respect, including through interfaith dialogue.

• e. The support of the role of Orthodox culture as a

unifying force in Eastern Europe and as a bridge for

Europe in its relationships with the other cultures. […]

• h. The encouragement of contacts between

parliamentary, political, ecclesiastical, academic and

spiritual figures, or institutions geared towards the

development of an Orthodox cultural heritage and their

contribution to the contemporary global dialogue on

human rights and the peaceful coexistence of peoples.

• i. The fuller activation of Orthodoxy with the purpose

of its promoting solutions to the critical problems of

contemporary European society and the ecological

environment”

122

The IAO was initially called the European Interparliamentary

Assembly on Orthodoxy (EIAO). It changed its name to the

Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy in 2001 when it

allowed groups of Orthodox extra-European parliamentarians

to attend its assemblies. It has since expanded its cooperation

agreements to include non-Orthodox parliamentary assemblies.

In 2018, the IAO, together with the Lebanese National

Assembly and in cooperation with the Arab Inter-Parliamentary.

It is Union, organized a conference in Beirut entitled

Unity

in diversity and fundamental freedoms for Christians and

Muslims in the Middle East: A conference for parliamentary

dialogue.

It was attended by approximately 75 parliamentarians

from 16 European, Arab and Asian countries. The Final

Declaration highlighted the importance of national legislation

being in line with universal human rights, encouraged

participants to promote the identity of national, cultural,

language, religious or ethnic groups as well as their right to live

in community with others, and supported interreligious and

inter-ethnic dialogue at the national and international level.

123

International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace

The International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace (IPTP)

is the legislative arm of the Global Council for Tolerance and

Peace (GCTP).

The GCTP is a non-governmental organization founded in 2017

by Ahmed Al Jarwan, an Emirati politician who served on the

Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates from

2011 to 2019 and as President of the Arab Parliament from

2012 to 2016. Reacting to the fractured state of the world and

the spread of extremism and violence, the GCTP was founded

to contribute to the promotion of a culture of tolerance and

peace. The organization is guided by the principles of the

United Nations and international law in its work. The GCTP has

its headquarters in Malta.

124

7.1. Inter-parliamentary

dialogue and networking

Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy

The Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO) is an

inter-parliamentary organization that works for cooperation

between parliaments of countries with a Christian Orthodox

community, guided by the common values of the shared

Orthodox faith and a desire to work for the institutional

promotion and protection of the Orthodox Christian tradition.

It was founded in 1994 at the initiative of the Greek (Hellenic)

Parliament in response to many changes occurring in Europe

resulting from the dissolution of the Soviet Union (1988–1991)

and the foundation of the European Union (1993). A need

was identified to found an organization which drew on the

contribution of Orthodoxy, as a common cultural expression

of a large number of people, to shape this new Europe and to

provide guidance in responding to spiritual, sociocultural and

political challenges.

Article 3 of the Founding Act from the first convention in

1994 names the following key objectives behind the founding of

the IAO:

• “[…] b. The enhancement of the role of Orthodoxy

within the framework of the European Union and

the consolidation of Orthodoxy as an important and

necessary political cultural and spiritual entity geared

towards the shaping of a new European reality.

• c. The contribution of the ecumenical and unifying

spirit of Orthodoxy both towards the transcendence

of extreme nationalistic, confessionary and religious

contradictions and the discovery of effective means for

the protection of ethnic or religious minorities. […]

122 EIAO, 1994.

123 Declaration in: Mygdalis, 2021, pp.199–202.

124 GCTP, 2022a.

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Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

The IPTP was launched in 2018 by the Parliament of Malta,

as the representative body and legislative arm of the GCTP It

was launched within the term of the current Speaker of the

House of Representatives of Malta, Angelo Farrugia. Speaker

Farrugia sees an important role for his parliament, which is

very engaged in the IPTP in using interfaith dialogue as a

peacebuilding tool:

“We embrace interfaith as a culture, and we embrace

intercultural dialogue. We feel that parliament has a

very important role. It is parliament itself, politicians

themselves – the representatives of the people – that

must act to raise strong awareness not only of the

rights and obligations relating to diversity and religious

tolerance, but also of the benefits, spearheading the

development of equality policies, in order to achieve

real change to fight discrimination.

125

”

The IPTP comprises members of national parliaments and aims

to meet quarterly to discuss and provide recommendations

on issues raised by the General Assembly and the Governing

Body of the GCTP as well as other topics of current

international importance which relate to tolerance and peace.

Parliamentarians from over 85 national parliaments belong to

the IPTP

126

The IPTP is active in global discussions relating to interfaith

and intercultural dialogue. The GCTP co-organized two

sessions at the 2021 G20 Interfaith Forum on

The role of

parliamentarians in interfaith dialogue.

The inclusion of

sessions about parliamentarians and interfaith dialogue was

a new addition to the programme of the 2021 G20 Interfaith

Forum, as were ministerial sessions.

The IAO and the IPTP are both Permanent Observers of the IPU.

125 Interview conducted in 2022.

126 GCTP, 2022b.

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7 Regional and international parliamentary engagement

7.2 Extra-parliamentary

dialogue and networking

Many parliaments and parliamentary organizations, including

the IPTP are engaged in relationship-building and dialogue

with extra-parliamentary actors. This often occurs when two

organizations share common goals. There are many instances

of parliamentary cooperation with religious actors in the spirit

of partnership for common ends.

Climate change

Climate change is an area where many interfaith actors and

organizations are active. Pope Francis made it the topic of his

second encyclical, Laudato si’, in 2015.

127

In September 2021,

ahead of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, he

also published a joint statement on the environment together

with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the Archbishop

of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The statement, entitled

A joint

message for the protection of creation,

calls for common

action to prevent climate change.

128

On 4 October 2021, a

broader interfaith statement,

Faith and science: An appeal for

COP26,

was signed by the Pope and interfaith leaders in the

Vatican, before it was handed to the COP26 President, British

MP Alok Sharma.

129

Only a few days later, the IPU also co-organized a pre-COP26

Parliamentary Meeting, together with the Italian Parliament

in Rome, Italy on 8 and 9 October 2021. Part of this meeting

included an audience with the Pope, where he presented the

Appeal for COP26

to the delegation. Rick Nimmo, Director of

the British Group to the IPU, said:

“We sat in a room and basically found that we had

the same common view […]. We saw it as adding

credibility and weight to our plea for action, the fact that

we could associate the Pope’s name with our work. To

that degree it was a huge multiplier for us. And I can

imagine he was seeing it in the same way […] he can

say he has also engaged [with] parliamentarians.

”

The Outcome Document of the Parliamentary Meeting held

during COP26 on 7 November 2021 referenced the meeting

with the Pope and the

Appeal for COP26.

130

Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation

The field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation

of weapons is also one where both parliamentarians and

religious actors have been jointly engaged. In 2013, the global

interfaith non-governmental organization Religions for Peace

first published a

Resource guide on nuclear disarmament for

religious leaders and communities.

131

It contained a number

of references to parliamentary organizations, publications,

resolutions and quotes from individual parliamentarians.

A subsequent milestone came in 2015, when three

organizations – Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation

and Disarmament (PNND), Religions for Peace, and Mayors

for Peace – issued a joint statement in Hiroshima, Japan,

entitled

A nuclear-weapon-free world: Our common good.

This

marked the dropping of the first nuclear bombs on Hiroshima

and Nagasaki, as well as the founding of the United Nations,

both of which had taken place 70 years earlier, in 1945. The

statement, with the stated goal “to support multilateral

negotiations for the elimination of nuclear weapons”

132

said:

“Together – as mayors, parliamentarians and religious

leaders – we support the common good of nuclear

abolition. We reject nuclear weapons, which threaten

our humanity, contravene our moral principles, violate

international law and thwart the safety and well-being

of current and future generations.

We commit to principled action to advance shared

security and well-being based on deeply held and widely

shared moral principles, the rule of law and a profound

commitment to non-violent conflict resolution.

133

”

The joint statement was subsequently presented to the United

Nations in Geneva on 25 September, the International Day for

the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. The UN Office in

Geneva, the main location for diplomacy around disarmament

and non-proliferation, is also the home of the Conference on

Disarmament, a body for multilateral disarmament negotiations

which provides support for many disarmament agreements.

134

The joint statement was also presented to the head of the

United Nations General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, in New

York on 29 September 2015. The statement was presented in

all three cities by representatives of the three organizations

behind it, including Saber Chowdhury, Co-President of the

PNND and then-President of the IPU.

In September 2022, the Strategic Concept for the Removal

of Arms and Proliferation (SCRAP Weapons) initiative, in

collaboration with the IPU, organized a hybrid seminar themed

around the activation of a fourth special session of the UN

General Assembly devoted to disarmament. One of the panels

focused on the role of interreligious dialogue for peace and

disarmament. One of its goals is to build a global coalition of

different religious actors working together for peace.

135

SCRAP

Weapons is housed within the Centre for International Studies

and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.

127

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

Francis, 2015.

Francis, Bartholomew I and Welby, 2021.

Francis and others, 2021; see also: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, 2021.

IPU, 2021.

Ware, 2013.

Mayors for Peace, Religions for Peace, and PNND, 2015.

Ibid.

UNODA [no date].

SCRAP Weapons, 2022.

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Parliamentary report on religion and belief – Part 1: Institutional engagement with religion and belief by parliaments

Other dialogues with a faith dimension

There are also examples where religious identity is one of

the factors within a broader dialogue process. Members of

the Federation Council of Russia are active in a number of

intercultural exchanges, including with the Russia–Islamic

World Strategic Vision Group, the Organization of Islamic

Cooperation (OIC) and the OIC Parliamentary Union.

The Russia–Islamic World Strategic Vision Group was

established in 2006 after Russia gained observer status at

the OIC. It was founded by Evgeny Primakov and Mintimer

Shaimiev. Primakov was an Arabist by training who held

various high-ranking positions within the Government of the

Russian Federation and the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Shaimiev was the first President of Tatarstan (1991–2010), a

republic within the Russian Federation where Muslim Tatars

are the biggest ethno-religious group. The chair of the Group

is the current President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam

Minnikhanov, and the deputy chair of the Group is Deputy

Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs

and former Prime Minister of Tatarstan, Farid Mukhametshin.

The mission of the Russia–Islamic World Strategic Vision Group is

to strengthen relations between the Russian Federation and the

nations of the Islamic world. At the inaugural meeting in 2006,

Primakov gave two reasons for the importance of this Group:

“The first reason, which unites us all, is understanding

of one of the main dangers in the modern world – its

division on the basis of religious and civilizational

principle […] Russia is one of the great powers that

influences the international life and in this capacity it

can and already is doing everything in order to prevent

the development of this tendency that threatens the

entire humanity.

The second reason for the creation of our Group aimed

at the dialogue between Russian and leading Islamic

representatives is the special ethnic-religious situation

in Russia. Millions of Muslims live there. And they are

not immigrants, like in many Western countries, but

an organic part of the indigenous population. Perhaps

there is no other State, the indigenous population of

which consists of a Christian majority and a Muslim

minority, that can be an example of peaceful living,

cultural interpenetration and the creation of a unique

community, like Russia. At the same time the position

of Russia as “the bridge” between Europe and Asia

is unique”

136

The Group has members from 27 States in the Islamic world.

Meetings have been held in Moscow, Kazan, Istanbul, Jeddah

and Kuwait to discuss issues of common concern, including

countering terrorism, international relations, and Russia–Islamic

world relations. The Group cooperates with the OIC.

136 Russia–Islamic World Strategic Vision Group, 2019.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Outlook

This report is intended as a contribution to dialogue and learning between political, religious and

other spheres about issues of common concern. Part 1 of the report focuses on showcasing

examples of different ways that religion and belief are institutionally present in the life and work

of parliaments.

The present report hopes to encourage parliaments to engage in self-reflection, especially

to assess whether the mechanisms they have in place to engage with religion and belief are

inclusive, transparent and representative. Another related issue that merits more in-depth

exploration is the role of parliaments in promoting freedom of religion or belief and in countering

expressions of intolerance against people on the basis of their religion or belief.

The conversation will be continued at the Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue

(Marrakesh, June 2023), which will bring together political and religious leaders along with

representatives of faith-based and civil society organizations and subject matter experts to

explore avenues for joint action to promote the rule of law, peace and inclusion in our societies.

Part 2 of the report will subsequently combine takeaways from the Parliamentary Conference on

Interfaith Dialogue with insights of individual parliamentarians into how their work engages with

religion and belief.

The IPU welcomes further input from national parliaments, associate members and permanent

observer organizations, and other interested individuals and organizations. We invite you to

[email protected].

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

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https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/

mauritius/

US Department of State, 2022q.

2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Pakistan.

Available at:

https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/

pakistan/

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

US Department of State, 2022r.

2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Romania.

Available at:

https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/

romania/

US Department of State, 2022s.

2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Russia.

Available at:

https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/

russia/

US Department of State, 2022t.

2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Seychelles.

Available at:

https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/

seychelles/

US Department of State, 2022u.

2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Sierra Leone.

Available at:

https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/

sierra-leone/

US Department of State, 2022v.

2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Sri Lanka.

Available at:

https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/

sri-lanka/

US Department of State, 2022w.

2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Thailand.

Available at:

https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/

thailand/

US Department of State, 2022x.

2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Timor-Leste.

Available at:

https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/

timor-leste/

Ware, A., 2013.

Guide to Action – Nuclear Disarmament For Religious Leaders and Communities.

Available at:

https://www.rfp.org/resources/guide-to-action-nuclear-disarmament-for-religious-

leaders-and-communities/

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Methodology and data sources

The report makes use of a range of data sources:

Interviews:

Over the course of 2022, a total of 48 interviews were conducted with 55 parliamentarians,

parliamentary staff, staff of the IPU Secretariat and subject matter experts. The interviews were

conducted in a hybrid manner. In-person interviews took place during the Annual Parliamentary

Hearing at the United Nations (New York, USA) in February 2022, the 144th IPU Assembly

(Bali, Indonesia) in March 2022, and the 145th IPU Assembly (Kigali, Rwanda) in October 2022.

Remote interviews took place online from February to May 2022. Three interview responses

were submitted in written form. Of the people interviewed, 22% were young persons.

Survey:

A survey was issued to IPU Member Parliaments and Permanent Observer

organizations in March 2022. Responses were received from 53 parliaments and 1 Permanent

Observer organization.

Written input: To supplement the literature available about parliamentary engagement

with religion and belief, the report also drew on relevant parliamentary input, such as

that recorded in the detailed summary records from the General Debate of the 137th IPU

Assembly in St. Petersburg in 2017 on

Promoting cultural pluralism and peace through interfaith

and inter-ethnic dialogue,

and on the minutes of the international conference organized in

2018 by the IAO together with the Lebanese National Assembly and in cooperation with the

Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union on

Unity in diversity and fundamental freedoms for Christians

and Muslims in the Middle East: A conference for parliamentary dialogue.

Further input was

also provided by the contributions of participants at the workshop held during the 143rd IPU

Assembly in Madrid in 2021 on

Good parliamentary practices to promote interfaith dialogue,

the Global Parliamentary Report 2022, and the IPU’s open-data platform, Parline.

Consultation and review

Consultations:

Two internal consultations were held with members of the IPU Secretariat.

The first consultation was held in February 2022 to invite feedback on the research design.

The second consultation was held in June 2022 to solicit input about key research outcomes

and optimize the design of the final report. Two external consultations were held in May 2022

with researchers and practitioners active in the field of interfaith dialogue and issues impacting

religion and belief. These consultations served to provide input into the methodology and

process underlying the report.

Review process:

The document underwent an internal review process as well as an external

peer review from subject matter experts.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Acknowledgements

This

Parliamentary Report on Religion and Belief (Part 1)

is a publication of the IPU.

The research was made possible by individuals, parliaments and organizations who contributed

their thoughts, experiences and insights. A consultation process with international faith-based,

governmental and non-governmental organizations throughout 2021 and 2022 supported

the IPU in learning about different ways in which religion and belief are reflected in national

parliaments. In this regard we would like to extend our gratitude to Religions for Peace, the

United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the World Council of Churches, the Sovereign Order of

Malta and the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs.

Project management was led by Anda Filip, IPU Director for Member Parliaments and External

Relations, in cooperation with Mokhtar Omar, Senior Advisor to the IPU Secretary General.

Dr. Sarah Markiewicz led the research for the report. She designed a survey for IPU member

parliaments and observer organizations and also conducted interviews with parliamentarians,

parliamentary staff, IPU staff and subject matter experts. She was supported in this work by

Hafssa Kouskous and Alfonso Carvajal Zuleta. Andy Richardson provided expertise on research,

good practice and methodology. Alexander Lowe and Hafssa Kouskous supported with the

design and implementation of the survey.

The report was written by Dr. Sarah Markiewicz, supported by Agnès Bouché.

We are indebted to Professor Andreas Feldtkeller, Professor of Religious Studies and

Intercultural Theology at the Humboldt University of Berlin [Germany], to Professor Alfonso

Santiago, Director of the School of Politics, Government and International Relations of the

Universidad Austral, [Argentina] and to Katherine Thane, Peacebuilding and Religious Freedom

Policy Coordinator at Tearfund [United Kingdom], for their generous advice and guidance

throughout the preparation of this report. The report also benefited from input received from

Sam Sweeney, Dominika Hadrysiewicz, Brigitte Brenner, Rima Al-Azzawe, Vartika Neeraj, Josh

Cass, Mona Hein, Dr. Johannes Eckstein, Jordan Kynes, Joshua Levkowitz, Nora Monzer and

Agnès Bouché.

The IPU is grateful to all the parliaments, individual parliamentarians, parliamentary staff and

subject matter experts who participated in the survey, interviews and other consultations.

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

Participation in the data

collection for this report

COUNTRY

Afghanistan

Algeria

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Belarus

Belgium

Benin

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Cabo Verde

Chad

Chile

Columbia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Egypt

Estonia

INTERVIEWS

SURVEY

COUNTRY

Ethiopia

INTERVIEWS

SURVEY



France

Gambia (The)

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Guyana

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Japan

Jordan

Kenya

Kuwait

Latvia

Lebanon

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malaysia

IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

COUNTRY

Malta

Mexico

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Nepal

New Zealand

Nicaragua

North Macedonia

Pakistan

Paraguay

Poland

Portugal

Republic of Korea

Republic of Moldova

Romania

Russian Federation

Rwanda

Saudi Arabia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

INTERVIEWS

SURVEY

COUNTRY

Slovenia

Spain

INTERVIEWS

SURVEY



Sri Lanka

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Trinidad and Tobago

Türkiye

Ukraine

United Arab

Emirates

United Kingdom

United Republic

of Tanzania

Viet Nam

Zimbabwe

Permanent Observer

Inter-Parliamentary

Assembly on orthodoxy



IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog IPU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra konference om interreligiøs dialog

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