A.J. Overbeeke

Exercising Religious Freedom in the Public Space: A Comparative and European Convention Analysis of General Burqa Bans

Analysis of the justifiability of general burqa bans in public-Comparative study of burqa bans in France, Belgium and concept legislation in the Netherlands-Evaluation of burqa bans in light of the Article 9 ECHR, the right to freedom of religion-Evaluation of grounds for introduction of bans, including public safety, public order and the protection of rights and freedoms of others-Conclusion: general burqa bans diffcult to justify in the light of ECHR standards

Religious Rules and Principles in Belgian Law

Whilst Belgian society is highly secularised, Belgian courts very often use the concept of “religious rules”, but its precise content remains undefined. Sometimes the concept of “religious rules” is very narrowly understood as an institutional and formal rule enacted by a religious authority. Sometimes the concept is largely open to include any individual feeling of religious duty. Sometimes the concept is only open to registered religions, sometimes it includes any kind of religious or philosophical groups. This report chooses a generous understanding of the concept, while focusing it on traditional religions.