{"title":"The Margin of Appreciation in Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion under Article 9 of ECHR","authors":"Konstantina Alexopoulou","doi":"10.1093/ojlr/rwac014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwac014","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This article analyses the manner in which the margin of appreciation has been developed by the European Court of Human Rights in Article 9 cases. As a principle of subsidiarity European Convention States Parties enjoy a margin of appreciation but its scope varies according to particular principles. It is generally certain, when a proportionality test applies (eg concerning proselytism, places and buildings of worship, legal recognition of religious communities, prisoners’ rights), narrow, when the Court has already formulated specific interpretational criteria (eg concerning State’s interference with the internal affairs/dissolution of a religious community or restrictions sought by religious employers), or wide, when there is no widespread consensus and State authorities are in a better place to determine on the matter (eg levying of church taxes, freedom of religion in workplace, public places, and educational institutions). This article appraises the rationale and circumstances which produce particular outcomes with a view to increasing predictability and consistent practice by States.","PeriodicalId":44058,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Journal of Law and Religion","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43761900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction to: Indonesia's Supreme Court Judgment on Religious Clothing: Failing Women and Girls in Public Schools?","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/ojlr/rwac009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwac009","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44058,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Journal of Law and Religion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44513403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Anxieties of the Dominant: Legal, Social, and Religious in the Politics of Religious Conversion in India","authors":"Mukesh Kumar, Garima Yadav","doi":"10.1093/ojlr/rwac008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwac008","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The promulgation of the new state-level conversion laws in India or some changes in already existing ones by ordinances is premised upon various conspiracy theories of Hindu fundamentalists against Muslims. Implicit in and placed at the centre of these new anti-conversion laws and public debates thereof is the conspiracy theory of love-jihad that Muslim men lure Hindu women on the pretext of love and get them convert to Islam to eventually outnumber the Hindu majority. This article argues that the anti-conversion laws in India result from anxieties of the dominant caste and class regarding gender and caste, leading to the imposition of the mainstream orthodox religious and political will upon the marginalized. The creation of anti-conversion laws is based on assumptions, fears, conspiracy theories, and moral and religious values primarily shared by the ‘upper-caste’ section across the political spectrum. Furthermore, it also shows a growing nexus between conservative religious forces and state apparatuses that restricts religious and social mobility of the marginalized sections through legal changes.","PeriodicalId":44058,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Journal of Law and Religion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44794516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ibn ‘Arabī and Kafka on God and the Law","authors":"Ismail Lala","doi":"10.1093/ojlr/rwac003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwac003","url":null,"abstract":"Although ostensibly different, Franz Kafka and the mystical theorist Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) both employ complex rhetoricity that accommodates paradox and contradiction. This study compares how their complex rhetoricity exposes the tension between the essential human need to comprehend god, and a god who is essentially apophatic. God’s apophasis, expressed as His numinous laws, inevitably comes into conflict with Man’s rationality. Through a theological/legal analysis of Kafka’s novel, The Trial, and ‘Ibn ‘Arabī’s interpretation of ‘Īsā’s (Jesus’) encounter with God on the Day of Judgement, the implications of this tension are explored. Manifested as the incompatibility of immutable divine laws and variable human affairs, and the divergent demands of the individual and the community, the epistemic crisis elicited by this tension provokes opposing reactions from Kafka’s protagonist, Josef K., and ‘Īsā. Josef K.’s demise results from his exclusive reliance on reason, while Īsā succeeds in his encounter with God because he recognizes that, even though rationality is necessary, it is limited.","PeriodicalId":44058,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Journal of Law and Religion","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138519150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Did Pastafarians Lose in Strasbourg, After All?","authors":"Wojciech Brzozowski","doi":"10.1093/ojlr/rwac001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwac001","url":null,"abstract":"In the late 2021, the European Court of Human Rights rejected as inadmissible the application lodged by a person affiliated with the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The Court argued that ‘Pastafarianism’, due to its purely satirical character, cannot be considered to be a religion or belief within the sense of Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights. This ruling appears to be convincingly justified. However, some aspects of the reasoning offered in the body of the decision might raise concerns as to the Court’s willingness to adhere to its earlier standards, since the conclusion was reached at the price of overstretching the well-established view on the incompatibility of the state’s duty of neutrality with any power to assess the legitimacy of religious beliefs or the ways in which they are expressed.","PeriodicalId":44058,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Journal of Law and Religion","volume":"8 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138519151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"OUP accepted manuscript","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/ojlr/rwac005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwac005","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44058,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Journal of Law and Religion","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"61388759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"OUP accepted manuscript","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/ojlr/rwac006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwac006","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44058,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Journal of Law and Religion","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"61388336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"OUP accepted manuscript","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/ojlr/rwac007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwac007","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44058,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Journal of Law and Religion","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"61388366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"OUP accepted manuscript","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/ojlr/rwac002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwac002","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44058,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Journal of Law and Religion","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"61388527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evolving a New Religious Freedom Jurisprudence: A Step Towards Ensuring Equality for Women","authors":"Maria Jawed, Dhanaji Mukundrao Jadhav","doi":"10.1093/ojlr/rwab021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwab021","url":null,"abstract":"India is a country of religious pluralism, and cultural diversity wherein religion is one of the important social institutions. Freedom of religion in India is guaranteed as a fundamental right which comprises ‘freedom to freely profess, practice and propagate religion’ within the Constitutional boundary. The Indian constitution fosters equality to all and has a broader interpretative connotation. Often, the judiciary is posed with the delicate task of settling the sensitive disputes relating to religion. The court's intervention into such practices may lead to a conflict of existing values backed by the religion or society with newly introduced values by the court. Recently, the Supreme Court in the Sabarimala Temple Entry case declared the practice of prohibiting women in their menstruating age from entering the temples as unconstitutional. The article substantiates that the case paves the way for ensuring equality for women in every sphere, including religion. It critically appraises the existing jurisprudence of religious freedom and argues the need to establish a much coherent jurisprudence based on constitutional principles. The article correlates moral, social, and religious intricacies in determining the constitutional validity of religious practices and tries to substantiate it based on developing jurisprudence of constitutional morality.","PeriodicalId":44058,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Journal of Law and Religion","volume":"6 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138519152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}