ABSTRACT
Religious extremism is fundamentally and existentially different from secular terrorism for it lays claim to acting in the name of the divine. Precisely for that reason, it is inherently more dangerous than other forms of terrorism. The clearest manifestation of contemporary religious extremism is modern-day terrorism. Religious-based violence is a threat to democratic society on several levels. The concept of religious superiority has led individuals of faith throughout history to commit horrific acts of violence against two categories of non-believers—those who are nominally members of the same faith, but whose fervency is doubted by the actor, and those of other faiths. Freedom of conscience is one of the most fundamental aspects of a democratic society. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Turkey are all signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which guarantees the right to religious freedom.
