Attitudes Towards Religious Freedom

What religious freedom protects

Religious freedom means being able to choose and practise a religion, change religion or follow none. It protects both a Muslim’s freedom to worship Allah and another person’s freedom not to accept Islam. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

The UK is a multi-faith society: Muslims live alongside Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and people with no religion. Religious freedom allows these communities to worship and express their beliefs without requiring everyone to agree. Respecting someone’s freedom is therefore different from believing that their religion is true.

Allah’s authority and belief without compulsion: Surah 2:255–257

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255, known as Ayat al-Kursi, describes Allah as the only God, ‘the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence’. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes him, and everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to him. His knowledge encompasses what people cannot fully comprehend, and preserving creation does not tire him. This presents Allah’s authority and knowledge as supreme, while human knowledge is limited.

This matters for religious freedom because Muslims can believe that Allah alone deserves worship without claiming that people should be forced to believe. The next verse teaches:

‘There is no compulsion in religion: true guidance has become distinct from error.’ — Qur’an 2:256

Compulsion means forcing someone to do something. Many Muslims understand this verse to mean that faith must be freely accepted, rather than imposed through threats or pressure. A person can be made to perform an outward action, but this does not establish sincere belief. The verse also describes guidance as distinct from error: freedom to choose does not mean that all choices are considered equally true. It compares rejecting false gods and believing in Allah to grasping a trustworthy handhold that will not break, expressing the security of faith in Allah.

Qur’an 2:257 describes Allah as the Guardian of believers, bringing them ‘out of darkness and into light’. It contrasts this with false gods leading disbelievers into darkness and warns of punishment in the Fire. Light and darkness represent guidance and its rejection. Taken together, these three verses affirm Allah’s supreme authority, reject compulsion in religion and emphasise the spiritual consequences of accepting or rejecting guidance. This helps explain why Muslims may regard choosing faith as profoundly important while still rejecting forced conversion.

Other teachings reinforce this distinction. Qur’an 42:48 tells Muhammad that his duty is to deliver the message, not to be people’s guardian. Qur’an 16:125 calls for inviting people to Allah’s way ‘with wisdom and good teaching’. Muslims can therefore explain and recommend Islam without denying another person’s freedom to refuse it.

Religious freedom also requires respectful conduct. Qur’an 6:108 forbids insulting what others worship. Disagreement about belief need not become hostility towards believers or their places of worship.

Different Muslim views of other religions

Muslims agree on Allah’s oneness, but differ in how they understand the truth and value of other religions. Three approaches help explain this diversity.

An exclusivist believes that Islam is the true religion and that conflicting beliefs are mistaken. Some Muslims emphasise Qur’an 61:9, which describes Islam as the religion of truth above other religions. They may reject worship directed towards anyone other than Allah as shirk, or associating partners with Allah. Nevertheless, believing another religion is mistaken does not necessarily mean opposing its followers’ religious freedom.

An inclusivist believes that Islam contains the final and fullest truth, while recognising truth in other religions. Islam recognises prophets such as Musa, known as Moses, and Isa, known as Jesus. This shared religious inheritance can provide a reason for respecting Jews and Christians while disagreeing with some of their beliefs.

A more pluralist approach places greater emphasis on the value of religious diversity. Qur’an 2:62 speaks of believers, Jews, Christians and Sabiens who believe in God and the Last Day and do good receiving their reward. Some Muslims interpret this as allowing righteous people from different religious traditions to be rewarded by Allah. Others understand its application more narrowly. It should not be reduced to a claim that every belief or action is equally acceptable.

These approaches can lead to different responses to a multi-faith society. Some Muslims welcome dialogue and cooperation; others place greater emphasis on preserving a distinct Islamic identity and inviting people to Islam. Both responses can coexist with peaceful respect for others. Qur’an 109:6 expresses the distinction: ‘You have your religion and I have mine.’

Leaving Islam can be particularly controversial. Some people have faced persecution for apostasy in Muslim countries. Muslims who defend freedom to change religion condemn this as contrary to the Qur’an’s rejection of compulsion. Muslim responses are therefore not uniform.

Benefits and challenges of a multi-faith society

Religious freedom protects Muslim worship and gives Muslims opportunities to explain their faith. Meeting neighbours with different beliefs can increase understanding and reduce suspicion. This works in both directions: Muslims can learn about others, while others gain a more accurate understanding of Islam.

Cooperation can also strengthen community cohesion. When people of different faiths work together to improve their community, shared concerns can build relationships despite religious disagreement. A diverse society can become more welcoming, making people more confident about practising their religion openly.

However, diversity does not automatically create tolerance. Religious tensions, anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination can make Muslims feel unsafe or excluded. Some people remain unwilling to understand beliefs different from their own.

Exposure to competing beliefs can also challenge religious commitment. Some Muslims worry that members of their community may lose faith or change religion. Others see questioning as an opportunity to understand and explain Islam more deeply. The challenge is to maintain commitment without replacing free belief with pressure.

Non-religious objections and Muslim responses

Many atheists and Humanists support religious freedom. Their objections may concern particular practices or privileges rather than the right to believe. An atheist’s lack of belief in God does not, by itself, imply opposition to religion being practised.

Faith schools illustrate a disagreement about competing freedoms. Humanists UK argues for inclusive, secular state schools where children from different backgrounds learn together. It objects to religious selection in admissions and employment, and worries that faith schools can separate communities or limit children’s exposure to other beliefs. It distinguishes parents’ freedom to bring up children in their religion from a claimed entitlement to state funding for religious schooling.

A Muslim defence of faith schools can appeal to the freedom to pass on Islamic beliefs and provide an education supporting religious identity. However, this must answer the Humanist concern about the freedom and opportunities of children and families who do not share that faith. Some Muslims may favour more inclusive arrangements, seeing cooperation and freedom from compulsion as important Islamic principles.

Halal meat raises a different objection. Some non-religious people question slaughter methods because of animal-welfare concerns. A Muslim defence appeals to freedom to follow religious dietary requirements. The disagreement is not resolved merely by saying that religious freedom exists: the response must address the concern about harm, just as critics must explain why a restriction is justified.

Reaching a justified judgement

Evaluation involves asking whose freedom is protected and whether a proposed practice harms or unfairly excludes others. A strong argument for religious freedom is that sincere belief cannot be forced and that the same protection benefits Muslims, other believers and non-believers.

A strong qualification is that freedom to hold a belief does not automatically settle every dispute about education, public funding or animal welfare. A defensible conclusion could support freedom of belief and worship while judging particular practices by their effects on others. This protects religious conscience without treating either religious claims or non-religious objections as beyond criticism.