Freedom of religion or belief for all

Illustration: Circle with various religious symbols. Illustrator: Toby Newsome.

Course type

Online, self-study course using videos, interactive exercises and case studies from across the globe to help you learn and reflect.

Target audience

Ideal for anyone interested in deepening their knowledge on FORB: students, civil society organisations, human rights defenders and faith communities.

Time : 4-5 hours

Take the course at your own pace, at any time, free of charge. TIP! Why not include the course in onboarding training for new staff members?

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Why take the course?

The right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief (known as FORB for short) is a fundamental human right that belongs to each human being. At its core it enables us to seek truth and meaning for our own lives.

Research shows that the right is frequently misunderstood and that it is seriously violated with devastating consequences. Respect for freedom of religion or belief is integral to democracy and important to achieve sustainable peace and development. Understanding what FORB is, why it matters and the social impact of FORB violations is important for everyone striving to build better societies.

This course will help you understand FORB better and provide you with tools to help you factor FORB into your work more effectively.

Course modules

Freedom of Religion or Belief (FORB) is a human right and needs to be understood within a human rights framework. This module goes through the basics of that framework, introducing terms, documents and structures that are important to know about, and ways to seek justice when rights are violated.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the module, you will be able to:
- List some human rights, understand their features and explain why they are important.
- Know where you can consult your rights.
- Describe how those who have suffered FORB violations can access justice.
Estimated time: 1 hour
This module explores six dimensions of the right to freedom of religion or belief, when the state may (and may not) limit the right and common misconceptions of the right.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Describe the main features that compose the right to FORB.
- Identify the most relevant provisions of international human rights law on FORB.
- Analyse whether limitations to FORB are justified or not.
- Explain why certain conceptions of FORB are incorrect.
Estimated time: 1.5 hours
This module explores who commits violations and why, as well as who is affected and how.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the module, you will be able to:
- Explain why FORB is important.
- Provide examples of FORB violations, where these occur, who perpetrates them and why.
- Explain why persecution is a tricky concept and why it can be difficult to collect reliable data.
- Identify how FORB affects different minority and majority social segments in different ways.
Estimated time: 1.5 hours
This module explores best practices in working to promote FORB and the many tactics that can be used to do so.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this module, you will:
- Know more about best practices in relation to FORB work.
- Understand more about the link between religious litteracy and FORB.
- Know about four different types of tactics in FORB promotion.
- Develop concrete measures for how to promote FORB.

Picture of Filip Buff Pedersen. Project advisor.

The course has given us a simple tool to help our Danish member organisations and their 120 development partners across the world to learn about FORB.

Filip Buff Pedersen

Project advisor

Register your email to create a free account on fabo.org
– the website hosting our digital courses.

Access the course here:

Freedom of religion or belief for all