Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance in the Middle East
A Very Unhappy Picture

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)1
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank1
1	Bahrain	112.9
2	Cyprus	46.7
3	Egypt	113.6
4	Iran	133.8
5	Iraq	124.5
6	Israel	83.5
7	Jordan	102.2
8	Kuwait	106.7
9	Lebanon	98.8
10	Oman	121.5
	...
15	UAE	119.8
16	Yemen	123.6
17	Palestine	138.0
	The Middle East Avg	110.5
	World Avg	87.7
q=17.

The best countries in The Middle East at protecting human rights, engendering tolerance and supporting equality, are Cyprus, Turkey and Israel but the bloc as a whole does poorly compared to the global average. The worst countries are Palestine, Iran and Syria. In short, The Middle East has severe problems with human rights, gender equality, misogyny, religious tolerance₂ and LGBT equality. Acceptance of human-rights principles is largely impossible given the prominence of Islamic theocracy which is sternly opposed to human rights. This is the worst region in the world for religion-based persecution₂.

“The Arab World [is] a region where the mean and median levels of performance [at ensuring human rights and freedom] are probably most charitably labeled poor.”

"Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice"
Jack Donnelly (2013)₃

1. Results by Country
2. Human Rights & Tolerance
   1. Human Rights Watch Comments
   2. Nominal Commitment to HR
   3. HR Treaties Lag
   4. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom
   5. Press Freedom
   6. Slavery
3. Gender Equality
   1. Gender Inequality
   2. Gender Biases
   3. Year Women Can Vote
4. Prejudice
   1. Anti-Semite Opinions
   2. LGBT Equality
   3. Freedom of Thought
5. Links

---

1. Results by Country

#equality #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)1
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank1
1	Afghanistan	140.8
2	Albania	59.6
3	Algeria	111.2
4	Andorra	84.3
5	Angola	136.2
6	Antigua & Barbuda	105.4
7	Argentina	43.8
8	Armenia	71.6
9	Australia	24.1
10	Austria	22.5
11	Azerbaijan	87.1
12	Bahamas	105.3
13	Bahrain	112.9
14	Bangladesh	113.2
15	Barbados	85.3
16	Belarus	78.9
17	Belgium	26.1
18	Belize	94.1
19	Benin	95.9
20	Bhutan	114.4
21	Bolivia	53.8
22	Bosnia & Herzegovina	63.4
23	Botswana	95.0
24	Brazil	52.3
25	Brunei	147.1
26	Bulgaria	46.5
27	Burkina Faso	76.3
28	Burundi	126.3
29	Cambodia	102.5
30	Cameroon	115.4
31	Canada	21.2
32	Cape Verde	75.3
33	Central African Rep.	121.2
34	Chad	130.6
35	Chile	40.1
36	China	92.0
37	Colombia	64.4
38	Comoros	141.2
39	Congo, (Brazzaville)	115.2
40	Congo, DR	126.9
41	Cook Islands	144.5
42	Costa Rica	36.7
43	Croatia	58.3
44	Cuba	97.7
45	Cyprus	46.7
46	Czechia	37.9
47	Denmark	14.7
48	Djibouti	140.9
49	Dominica	105.6
50	Dominican Rep.	83.3
51	Ecuador	58.1
52	Egypt	113.6
53	El Salvador	66.9
54	Equatorial Guinea	128.6
55	Eritrea	139.8
56	Estonia	42.9
57	Ethiopia	116.9
58	Fiji	102.4
59	Finland	23.9
60	France	24.8
61	Gabon	95.4
62	Gambia	117.4
63	Georgia	64.3
64	Germany	24.9
65	Ghana	88.1
66	Greece	58.3
67	Grenada	128.6
68	Guatemala	63.0
69	Guinea	116.8
70	Guinea-Bissau	117.3
71	Guyana	102.9
72	Haiti	86.6
73	Honduras	72.1
74	Hong Kong	24.3
75	Hungary	52.6
76	Iceland	20.1
77	India	96.9
78	Indonesia	111.2
79	Iran	133.8
80	Iraq	124.5
81	Ireland	38.5
82	Israel	83.5
83	Italy	37.3
84	Ivory Coast	100.5
85	Jamaica	64.6
86	Japan	42.1
87	Jordan	102.2
88	Kazakhstan	97.9
89	Kenya	92.6
90	Kiribati	138.4
91	Kosovo	54.2
92	Kuwait	106.7
93	Kyrgyzstan	79.6
94	Laos	108.3
95	Latvia	52.6
96	Lebanon	98.8
97	Lesotho	95.0
98	Liberia	118.0
99	Libya	115.0
100	Liechtenstein	73.9
101	Lithuania	53.2
102	Luxembourg	23.9
103	Macedonia	82.2
104	Madagascar	100.6
105	Malawi	123.4
106	Malaysia	127.3
107	Maldives	110.7
108	Mali	82.4
109	Malta	46.3
110	Marshall Islands	134.6
111	Mauritania	144.7
112	Mauritius	72.6
113	Mexico	56.6
114	Micronesia	128.8
115	Moldova	81.5
116	Monaco	94.2
117	Mongolia	60.5
118	Montenegro	71.8
119	Morocco	102.8
120	Mozambique	95.1
121	Myanmar (Burma)	128.7
122	Namibia	69.7
123	Nauru	123.4
124	Nepal	90.1
125	Netherlands	15.8
126	New Zealand	17.5
127	Nicaragua	74.5
128	Niger	94.0
129	Nigeria	107.1
130	N. Korea	146.8
131	Norway	14.7
132	Oman	121.5
133	Pakistan	141.5
134	Palau	131.0
135	Palestine	138.0
136	Panama	59.9
137	Papua New Guinea	122.4
138	Paraguay	70.5
139	Peru	54.0
q=225. No data: 614

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₅. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu₅.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₅, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia₅.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

The table on the right shows the full results list for The Middle East.

Compare The Middle East to other regions of the world: Compare International Statistics by Region and Continent.

2. Human Rights & Tolerance

2.1. Human Rights Watch Comments

#human_rights

Human Rights Watch Comments (2017)6
Pos.		Higher is better Score6
1	Bahrain	-5
2	Cyprus	5
3	Egypt	-7
4	Iran	-10
5	Iraq	-6
6	Israel	-5
7	Jordan	-6
8	Kuwait	-4
9	Lebanon	-5
10	Oman	-5
11	Qatar	-3
12	Saudi Arabia	-10
13	Syria	-10
14	Turkey	-2
15	UAE	-6
16	Yemen	-7
	The Middle East Avg	-5.4
	World Avg	-1.9
q=16. No data: 17

Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.

2.2. Nominal Commitment to HR

#human_rights

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)8
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties8
1	Bahrain	12
2	Cyprus	20
3	Egypt	16
4	Iran	9
5	Iraq	9
6	Israel	12
7	Jordan	14
8	Kuwait	12
9	Lebanon	12
10	Oman	9
11	Qatar	10
12	Saudi Arabia	10
13	Syria	14
14	Turkey	17
15	UAE	7
16	Yemen	16
	The Middle East Avg	12.4
	World Avg	15.1
q=16. No data: 17

There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

2.3. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag (2019)9
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Yrs/Treaty9
1	Bahrain	12.55
2	Cyprus	5.81
3	Egypt	4.52
4	Iran	10.81
5	Iraq	7.55
6	Israel	10.97
7	Jordan	7.75
8	Kuwait	10.36
9	Lebanon	10.14
10	Oman	13.46
11	Qatar	11.34
12	Saudi Arabia	13.73
13	Syria	7.02
14	Turkey	9.48
15	UAE	14.81
16	Yemen	8.88
17	Palestine	17.21
	The Middle East Avg	10.37
	World Avg	10.02
q=17.

Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

2.4. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)10
Pos.		Lower is better Rank10
1	Bahrain	88
2	Cyprus	33
3	Egypt	144
4	Iran	157
5	Israel	52
6	Jordan	91
7	Kuwait	111
8	Lebanon	108
9	Oman	120
10	Qatar	117
11	Saudi Arabia	144
12	Syria	156
13	Turkey	73
14	UAE	118
15	Yemen	158
	The Middle East Avg	111.3
	World Avg	79.7
q=15. No data: 211

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]

The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]

Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”

"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)₁₂

2.5. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom (2013)13
Pos.		Lower is better13
1	Bahrain	6275
2	Cyprus	1383
3	Egypt	4866
4	Iran	7340
5	Iraq	4467
6	Israel	3297
7	Jordan	3847
8	Kuwait	2828
9	Lebanon	3015
10	Oman	4151
11	Qatar	3286
12	Saudi Arabia	5688
13	Syria	7853
14	Turkey	4656
15	UAE	3349
16	Yemen	6922
17	Palestine	4309
	The Middle East Avg	4561
	World Avg	3249
q=17.

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₁₄

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

Qatar is host to the Arab region's unique news station, Al-Jazeera, counted by Julian McDougall₁₅ as one of the five leading providers of global news, with 100 million viewers across the world₁₆. It is surprisingly progressive for the region, but still outputs a lof of material that is prejudiced and problematic_17,18.

• Link: Qatar (State of Qatar): 12. Al-Jazeera News Station.

2.6. Slavery

#burundi #eritrea #france #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery (2018)19
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims19
1	Bahrain	0.19
2	Cyprus	0.42
3	Egypt	0.55
4	Iran	1.62
5	Iraq	0.48
6	Israel	0.39
7	Jordan	0.18
8	Kuwait	0.15
9	Lebanon	0.17
10	Oman	0.21
11	Qatar	0.15
12	Saudi Arabia	0.19
13	Syria	0.73
14	Turkey	0.65
15	UAE	0.17
16	Yemen	0.31
	The Middle East Avg	0.41
	World Avg	0.65
q=16. No data: 17

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₀. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₁. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₂. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₃.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₄. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₅. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₂₆. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₇, Eritrea₂₇, Indonesia₂₈) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₂₉.

For more, see:

• "The Historical Slave Trade and Modern Slavery" by Vexen Crabtree (2018).

See:

• Religion and Abolition of the Historical Slave Trade

3. Gender Equality

3.1. Gender Inequality

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women

Gender Inequality (2015)30
Pos.		Lower is better30
1	Bahrain	0.23
2	Cyprus	0.12
3	Egypt	0.57
4	Iran	0.51
5	Iraq	0.53
6	Israel	0.10
7	Jordan	0.48
8	Kuwait	0.33
9	Lebanon	0.38
10	Oman	0.28
11	Qatar	0.54
12	Saudi Arabia	0.26
13	Syria	0.55
14	Turkey	0.33
15	UAE	0.23
16	Yemen	0.77
	The Middle East Avg	0.39
	World Avg	0.36
q=16. No data: 17

The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

See:

• Gender Equality

3.2. Gender Biases

#gender #gender_equality #prejudice #women

Gender Biases (2022)31
Pos.		Lower is better %31
1	Cyprus	81.832
2	Egypt	99.632
3	Iran	95.532
4	Iraq	98.932
5	Jordan	98.532
6	Kuwait	98.333
7	Lebanon	95.632
8	Qatar	99.834
9	Turkey	91.632
10	Yemen	98.734
11	Palestine	98.233
	The Middle East Avg	96.05
	World Avg	83.93
q=11. No data: 635

The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) looks at gender biases across seven criteria; the % given here is for the total people who are biased across any of those criteria. By subtracting the value from 100%, you can see that those who do well on this index, you are seeing a count of those who do not appear to be biased against women in any of the criteria, and so, doing well on this index is a very positive sign for any country.

The data was included in UN (2022) with full results in Annex table AS6.7.1; their data stems for ranges between 2005 and 2022, depending on the country in question.

See:

• Gender Equality

3.3. Year Women Can Vote

#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote
Pos.		Lower is better Year
1	Bahrain	1973
2	Cyprus	1960
3	Egypt	1956
4	Iran	1963
5	Iraq	1980
6	Israel	1948
7	Jordan	1974
8	Kuwait	2005
9	Lebanon	1952
10	Oman	1994
11	Qatar	2003
12	Saudi Arabia	0
13	Syria	1953
14	Turkey	1934
15	Yemen	1970
	The Middle East Avg	1838
	World Avg	1930
q=15. No data: 236

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

See:

• Gender Equality

4. Prejudice

4.1. Anti-Semite Opinions

#antisemitism #christianity #germany #indonesia #israel #jordan #judaism #laos #morocco #netherlands #pakistan #philippines #religion #religious_violence #saudi_arabia #spain #sweden #turkey #UK #vietnam

Anti-Semite Opinions (2014)37
Pos.		Lower is better %37
1	Bahrain	81
2	Egypt	75
3	Iran	56
4	Iraq	92
5	Jordan	81
6	Kuwait	82
7	Lebanon	78
8	Oman	76
9	Qatar	80
10	Saudi Arabia	74
11	Turkey	69
12	UAE	80
13	Yemen	88
	The Middle East Avg	77.8
	World Avg	36.8
q=13. No data: 438

Anti-Semitism is the world given to irrational racism against Jews. It is not the same as anti-Judaism (involving arguments against the religion) nor the same as anti-Zionism (arguments against Israel). In history, influential Christian theologians concocted the arguments against Jews that led, very early on, to widespread Christian action against Jews_39,40,41,42. As Christianity rose to power in the West and presided over the Dark Ages, there were widespread violent outbursts against Jews of the most persistent and horrible kind. The Crusades were frequently aimed at them and the feared Spanish Inquisition paid Jews particular attention. The horror of the holocaust instigated by German Nazis in the 1940s was followed (finally) by the era of European human rights and a movement against racism in general.

The places that are the least anti-Semitical are a few countries of south-east Asia (Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) and some of the secular liberal democracies of Europe (Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK). The worst countries for antisemitism are Islamic states of the Middle East₄₃, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews_44,45. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"₄₆. In 2004 the European Union Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia reported on violent anti-Jew crimes in the EU and found that that largest group of perpetrators were young Muslim males₄₇.

For more, see:

• "Anti-Semitism" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

See:

• Anti-Semitism

4.2. LGBT Equality

#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

LGBT Equality (2017)48
Pos.		Higher is better Score48
1	Bahrain	-2
2	Cyprus	40
3	Egypt	-27
4	Iran	-19
5	Iraq	-29
6	Israel	48
7	Jordan	12
8	Kuwait	-37
9	Lebanon	-24
10	Oman	-22
11	Qatar	-54
12	Saudi Arabia	-72
13	Syria	-84
14	Turkey	25
15	UAE	-34
16	Yemen	-22
	The Middle East Avg	-18.8
	World Avg	12.6
q=16. No data: 17

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₄₉. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws₅₀. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₄₉. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

• "LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

See:

• LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?

4.3. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought (2021)51
Pos.		Lower is better51
1	Bahrain	4.5
2	Cyprus	3.0
3	Egypt	4.5
4	Iran	4.8
5	Iraq	4.3
6	Israel	3.8
7	Jordan	4.5
8	Kuwait	4.5
9	Lebanon	4.0
10	Oman	3.8
11	Qatar	4.5
12	Saudi Arabia	5.0
13	Syria	4.5
14	Turkey	3.5
15	UAE	4.8
16	Yemen	4.8
17	Palestine	3.8
	The Middle East Avg	4.3
	World Avg	3.0
q=17.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₅₂. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₅₃. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₅₄ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₅₅. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₅₆. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands_51,57 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia_51,58.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₅₉. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₅₃, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₆₀ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₆₁ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

• "Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).

See:

• Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion