ABSTRACT
While the protection of the right to freedom of religion and belief is protected by international legal agreements, the notion of state sovereignty allows a wide margin of appreciation for states in terms of how they interpret the scope and limits of the right, and in terms of the limitations permissible in situations in which the notion of state security is invoked. Consequently, there are variations in the approaches that states take to reconciling their obligation to protect individual freedoms with their duty to ensure an adequate level of state security. I have already discussed (in Chapter 2) how variations in the conception of freedom of religion and belief, and disagree- ments about the extent of required protection, can result in inadequate protection for religious freedom. Part II summarises the tangible impact that security regimes have on religious freedom.
