The Security Council has taken some actions recognizing religion as a factor in conflict. The Council has recently indicated that it may be willing to engage more actively with FoRB as a security matter. Yet given the rising trends in violence based on religion or belief (including the spread of this type of violence to more countries and the increasingly severe impact on civilians of some forms of this violence), there are compelling reasons to consider more action by the Council going forward. Today, that right is being tested by rising or sustained violence against persons on the basis of religion and belief-a threat that is largely underrecognized by the international community, even as new data show increases in many types of such violence. Policymakers should, however, be concerned about the rising trends in violence based on religion or belief, specifically in relation to government force, mob violence, property damage, and the imposition of religious norms, and the ongoing impacts of religion-related armed conflicts and interreligious violence on civilians. This section summarizes these major trends to inform policy analysis on how the UN system should respond, examining violence perpetrated by both state and non-state actors. This issue brief starts by outlining the major trends in violence based on religion or belief, identifying recent rises in violence perpetrated by both state and non-state actors.

The Human Rights Council, the General Assembly, and the Security Council have all engaged recently on issues related to violence based on religion or belief, as summarized below. Importantly, the resolution called on member states to implement the 16/18 agenda domestically by countering religious profiling, preventing discrimination by civil servants, and appointing a section within their governments to monitor and address tensions between religious communities.33UN Human Rights Council, Resolution 16/18. In 2013, the Human Rights Council passed Resolution 22/31, which additionally required the High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on member states’ self-reported progress toward implementation of Resolution 16/18’s calls to action.34UN Human Rights Council, Resolution 22/31, A/HRC/RES/22/31, March 22, 2013. The Human Rights Council readopts the 16/18 action points and the request for reporting by the High Commissioner for Human Rights in an annual resolution. In light of these research findings, policymakers should avoid broad generalizations about the role of religion or belief in either driving or preventing conflict, nor should they assume a causal relationship between restrictions on religion or belief and violent conflict. Building on the previous section’s summary of trends, this section outlines the available scholarship on whether and how FoRB restrictions are linked to violent conflict, in order to examine FoRB through a security lens.

La Basílica de la Sagrada Familia (“The Basilica of the Holy Family”) in Barcelona, Spain, is unlike any building in the world. We use a variety of perspectives and methods to explore the ways that human beings have had, and continue to have, fundamental beliefs or worldviews concerning the world and our role within it. Before production began, Jurassic World had another working title. Department of Labor, has a searchable data base containing more than 5,000 scholarships, fellowships, loans, and other financial aid opportunities. In 2017, the Pew Research Center recorded the highest peak in social hostilities related to religion or belief6The Pew Research Center defines social hostilities involving religion as “acts of religion-related hostility by private individuals, organizations or groups in society.” Pew Research Center, In 2018, Government Restrictions on Religion Reach Highest Level Globally in More Than a Decade, p. From 2007 to 2018, religion-related war or armed conflict11The Pew Research Center defines religion-related armed conflict as when in armed conflict “religious rhetoric is commonly employed to justify the use of force, or in which one or more of the combatants primarily identifies itself or the opposing side by religion.” Pew Research Center, Appendix D, p. State-perpetrated violence that resulted in death occurred in 20 of these countries, an increase of 25 percent since 2007. Violence carried out by state forces that did not result in death took place in 40 states.

In one decade, the number of countries that experienced 50 or more injuries or deaths from religion-related terrorism increased by 24 countries, from eight countries in 2007 to 32 countries in 2017. Examples include attacks against civilians by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the Taliban in Afghanistan, Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and Boko Haram in Nigeria. While acts of religion-related terrorism10The Pew Research Center defines religion-related terrorism as “politically motivated violence against noncombatants by subnational groups or clandestine agents with a religious justification or intent.” Pew Research Center, Appendix D, p. Interreligious violence12The Pew Research Center defines interreligious violence as “acts of sectarian or communal violence between religious groups.” Pew Research Center, A Closer Look at How Religious Restrictions Have Risen Around the World, July 15, 2019, p. In 2018, the General Assembly approved Resolution 73/176 (2018), which re-emphasized FoRB as a human right, alongside freedom of thought and conscience, and urged states to fully cooperate with the Special Rapporteur on FoRB in fulfillment of their mandate.37UN General Assembly, Resolution 73/176, A/RES/73/176, December 17, 2018. In 2019, the General Assembly adopted two additional resolutionson violence based on religion or belief.