Rights and regulations

• One copy of the question sheet per small group of 3-4 participants, plus one copy of the facilitator’s answer sheet .
• A flipchart sheet with the guiding questions written up.
• (Optional) A small prize for the winning team – this could be something simple like a snack for each member of the winning team.

Build your confidence! Refresh your knowledge about human rights and FORB so that you can explain the following concepts if needed:

• Absolute rights versus rights that may be limited.
• Legitimate limitations.
• Direct versus indirect discrimination.
• Collective rights to FORB (that belief groups can claim from the state – such as the right to obtain a legal identity) and individual rights to FORB that every individual has.
• The rights of parents and of children to FORB.
• Non-derogable rights.
• Direct versus indirect discrimination.

OPTIONAL EXTRA: Build your confidence!

Refresh and deepen your knowledge of FORB by watching films 5. ‘Protection from discrimination’, 6. ‘Rights for parents and children’ , and 8 ‘Limitations to freedom of religion or belief’ to refresh and deepen your knowledge. Find all the films.

Explain that group will take part in a quiz that will help them explore limitations to FORB. Follow the following process:

Ask participants to form quiz teams of 3-4 people, spaced out around the training room so that they cannot overhear each other. Instruct them to come up with a team name.

Give each team one quiz sheet and ask them to write their team name at the top. Inform them they get one point for each correct answer, and a bonus point if they manage to write their explanation.

Point to the guiding questions on the flipchart sheet and tell participants to think about these as they listen to the case study and answer the quiz questions.

• Is the absolute right to have or change religion or belief being limited?
• Is religious/belief manifestation being limited or is something not closely related to religion being limited?
• Is there a legitimate ground for the limitation i.e., the protection of the rights and freedoms of others or of public health, public order, public safety or public morals?
• Is the limitation necessary to protect this ground? (Is the problem serious enough, will the limitation be effective, are other solutions possible?)
• Is the limitation proportionate?
• Is the limitation directly or indirectly discriminatory?

Read out the case study:

In 2018 legal amendments were proposed to the administrative law on religious denominations in Bulgaria. Some Bulgarian parliamentarians had put forward these proposals, as they were worried about radicalisation and perceived a growing influence from Turkey, with concerns that mosques were being used as a platform for political messages. They proposed a wide range of amendments to legislation.

• A requirement that all worship be conducted in the Bulgarian language.
• A ban on foreign financing of religious activities.
• A requirement that all preachers should have received their religious training in Bulgaria.
• 3000 Bulgarian citizens required as professing members (providing ID details to authorities) in order for a denomination to be registered.
• A requirement that written permission be provided by both parents for each and every religious activity that a minor is to be involved in.
• A ban on religious activities outside properties registered for the purpose.
• A requirement that all denominations in receipt of government funding provide annual audited accounts to the Department of Religion.

RUN THE QUIZ (15 MIN)

Explain that each team is now going to complete the quiz, deciding if each proposed legal change is legitimate or not and why. Remind the teams they get an extra point if they manage to write down the right explanation for their choice of answer, and to use the guiding questions to help them.
Read out each question, one by one. Allow 2 minutes per question, but no longer.

CHECK THE ANSWERS (25 MIN)

• Ask the teams to swap their sheet with the team nearest them – they are going to mark each other’s answers! Instruct the groups to give one point for the correct answer, and one point for any part of the correct explanation that the team wrote down.
• Ask a group at random which team’s answer sheet they are marking and ask them to read out the answer given for question one. After having heard the answer, read out the correct answer and explanation from the answer sheet. Take time to clarify any misunderstandings that become apparent and discuss difficult issues, answering any questions the participants have.
• Repeat for the other six questions asking a different team each time.
• Ask each group to add up the total score for the quiz team they are marking and return the quiz sheets to you. Quickly review the scores and announce the winning team (and hand out the prizes – optional).

Thank the participants for their enthusiasm and tell them this is a very difficult quiz – you were not expecting anyone to get all the answers right! Explain that after extensive domestic and international pressure almost all of the proposed amendments were rejected by the parliament in Bulgaria.

Remove the competitive element by allowing teams to keep their own quiz sheets and not allocating points.