Faith in Law

First, there is the relationship between law and religion, which has become increasingly fraught. In different countries, there are widely differing views on the extent to which faiths and beliefs should be accommodated within legal systems. Some think there should be a special place for freedom of religion as of paramount significance. Some think it should just be one right among many. Some think that there is no place for special treatment for religions in modern societies. Even those who agree on one of these positions however, can disagree strongly on what that should mean in practice. For example, should people of different faiths be allowed to wear religious symbols or clothing in the workplace?

Second, in many communities around the globe, there is a lack of confidence in the rule of law. In this sense, the ‘Faith in Law’ stream encourages critical research into the rule of law, its even-handedness in particular states and attitudes to it. In the UK politicians often use ‘the rule of law’ in their lists of ‘British values’ but is there anything special about our legal systems?