Freedom of Religion and Freedom from Religion in the Context of Contemporary Anti-Gender Politics

Abstract

In the contemporary world, the topic of women’s rights has often been employed and manipulated in debates on religious freedom. In her article Rola El-Husseini shows that whereas Western politicians have promoted liberal values, including religious freedom, internationally, they have rarely uphold these principles domestically. Often, these values have been applied selectively, leaving Muslim communities—especially Muslim women—without the protections usually afforded by liberal democracy. This contribution discusses how opposition to women’s rights unfolds in contemporary Poland, where the Catholic Church has been instrumental in opposing women’s and minority rights. In the conclusion, it poses the question of whether we truly need more freedom of religion, or whether maybe what we should strive for is more freedom from religion and a firmer division between the state and the church, indiscriminately of what type of church or religious belief this may be. Such a perspective is rooted in the recognition that so far every religion has contributed to infringing women’s rights, and establishing and reinforcing social hierarchies.