Discriminatory State Practices Involving National Identity Documents with Impacts on Religious Freedom

Brandon Reece Taylorian is an associate lecturer and researcher at the University of Lancashire (UK).

Introduction

Government-issued identity (ID) documents are commonplace, from passports to birth and marriage certificates to national ID cards.[1] These documents play an important role in civil society, national security, and international travel. However, several states issue ID documents in ways that discriminate based on religion or belief, causing reasonable concerns for those monitoring conditions of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). This post summarizes discriminatory state practices in issuing national ID documents and their impacts on the freedoms of religious communities and individuals. Surveying such practices highlights the intersection of several FoRB violations, including withholding citizenship from members of disfavored religions and placing undue restraints on the economic and social mobility of members of religious minorities.

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Conversion for Convenience: Manipulating Personal Law Status in Religious Legal Systems

Akif Tahiiev is a post-doctoral research fellow at Goethe University Frankfurt.

In some countries, legal systems are deeply shaped by religious doctrines, especially in areas concerning personal status, such as marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance. Under these frameworks, individuals belonging to different religious communities are often governed by distinct sets of laws. Although they may possess equal citizenship in theory, the legal rights, responsibilities, and protections afforded them in personal and familial matters can differ significantly depending on their religious affiliation.

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Pope Leo XIV’s Pontificate: More Continuity Than Change. Interview with Thomas Massaro

Thomas Massaro, S.J. comments in detail on recently elected Pope Leo XIV—his personality, American background, and relations with his predecessor, Pope Francis. Massaro explains major internal and external challenges that Pope Leo will face during his pontificate and posits the expansion of the famous Vatican bon mot “John Paul II listened, Benedict taught, Francis touched the heart” to include the new Pope.

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