"Legitimate aims": security, identity, and religion in Europe
Legacies of toleration persist in constitutional arrangements that affect preferred and
non-preferred religious institutions in many European states. The rise of right-wing
populism has proliferated legislation aimed at ethno-religious and religious minorities,
and they increasingly conflate constitutional norms and societal sentiments. This project
studies references to “legitimate aims” in relation to the freedom of religion and belief
in a range of European jurisdictions, including France, Hungary, and Latvia. It will reflect
on the intersection of security and identity in legislative proposals and Parliamentary
history, and consider the social and political effects of such arguments on the place of
non-preferred religious institutions in public life.