Overview

Over the past fifty years, England has experienced considerable immigration, and as a result, the population has become increasingly religiously and culturally diverse. This plurality has inevitably raised fundamental questions about the individual and group rights and equality and non-discrimination on the one hand, with tolerance and social cohesion on the other. At a practical level the debates range from the issue of wearing religious clothing in schools to demands for the establishment of additional faith schools, through to requests for employment leave to perform religious rites. Underpinning the debate is the issue of how the political and legal system should view diversity, and how it should balance the competing interests of the individual or group against those of state or wider society, employer or educational establishment. The demands of religious groups and individuals have for some time been articulated in the public sphere and in the courts. However, the introduction of greater protection for religious minorities in English Law, including the Human Rights Act 1998, the EC Equality Directives, and the Equality Act 2006 have provided important milestones in this area.This book briefly covers the historical background to issues of religious freedom in England, and analyses the position of religion in the constitution and with regard to the legal framework including the state's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. It then deals in more detail with specific areas of legal practice including education, employment, immigration, and public law, examining key case law and analysing current problems. The book combines detailed analysis with a clear assessment of the practical and procedural issues which practitioners face.

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9780199290628

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This is an excellent book...It deserves to be read not just by practitioners, but also by academics, students and all those with an interest in what is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult and pressing questions of the age. Tom Lewis, Nottingham Law Journal, Vol 17 (1) 'This book provides a useful summary of the law for those wishing to consider the role of freedom of religion in the UK today'. Gay Moon, Head of the Equality Project, JUSTICE

'This book provides a useful summary of the law for those wishing to consider the role of freedom of religion in the UK today'. Gay Moon, Head of the Equality Project, JUSTICE

This is an excellent book...It deserves to be read not just by practitioners, but also by academics, students and all those with an interest in what is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult and pressing questions of the age. Tom Lewis, Nottingham Law Journal, Vol 17 (1) 'This book provides a useful summary of the law for those wishing to consider the role of freedom of religion in the UK today'. Gay Moon, Head of the Equality Project, JUSTICE

Author Information

Samantha Knights is a barrister (called 1996) based at Matrix Chambers. She specialises in immigration and asylum law, freedom of religion, and public law and employment law. She is an adviser at Islington Law Centre and executive member of the Bar Human Rights Committee, and is a Visiting Researcher on the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School.

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