Freedom of religion in Asia by country information
Parts of this article (those related to Afghanistan) need to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2023)
Freedom of religion
Concepts
Laicism
Religious discrimination
Religious censorship
Religious liberty
Religious pluralism
Secularism
Separation of church and state
Anti-clericalism
School prayer
Catholic priests in public office
Confessionalism
Theocracy
State religion
Secular state
Confessional state
Atheist state
Status by country
Africa
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
DR Congo
Egypt
Mauritania
Morocco
South Africa
Sudan
Tanzania
North and South America
Brazil
Canada
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
Panama
Paraguay
United States
Asia
Afghanistan
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
China
Cyprus
Northern Cyprus
Georgia
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kazakhstan
Laos
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
North Korea
Pakistan
Philippines
Russia
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Europe
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Northern Cyprus
France
Georgia
Germany
Hungary
Italy
Montenegro
North Macedonia
Norway
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Middle East
Bahrain
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Palestinian territories
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
UAE
Yemen
Oceania
Australia
Topical
Apostasy in Islam by country
Blasphemy laws by country
Female genital mutilation laws by country
Legal aspects of ritual slaughter
Religious male circumcision
Religious persecution
Traditional African religions
Atheism
Baháʼí Faith
Buddhism
Christianity
Christophobia
post–Cold War era
Catholicism
Catholic Church
Mormonism
Jehovah's Witness
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Oriental Orthodox Christianity
Protestantism
Falun Gong
Hinduism (Hinduphobia)
Islam
Sunni
Shi'a
Ahmadiyya
Alevism
Sufis
Islamophobia
Judaism
Antisemitism
Anti-Judaism
Religious antisemitism
New religious movements
Christian countercult movement
Neopaganism
Rastafari
Zoroastrianism
Religion portal
v
t
e
The status of religious freedom in Asia varies from country to country. States can differ based on whether or not they guarantee equal treatment under law for followers of different religions, whether they establish a state religion (and the legal implications that this has for both practitioners and non-practitioners), the extent to which religious organizations operating within the country are policed, and the extent to which religious law is used as a basis for the country's legal code.
There are further discrepancies between some countries' self-proclaimed stances of religious freedom in law and the actual practice of authority bodies within those countries: a country's establishment of religious equality in their constitution or laws does not necessarily translate into freedom of practice for residents of the country. Additionally, similar practices (such as having citizens identify their religious preference to the government or on identification cards) can have different consequences depending on other sociopolitical circumstances specific to the countries in question.
Most countries in Asia officially establish the freedom of religion by law, but the extent to which this is enforced varies. Some countries have anti-discrimination laws, and others have anti-blasphemy laws. Legal religious discrimination is present in many countries in Asia.[1][2][3] Some countries also have significantly restricted the activities of Islamic groups that they have identified as fundamentalist.[4][5] Several countries ban proselytization, either in general or for specific religious groups.[3][6] Tajikistan has significant restrictions against the practice of religion in general, and other countries like China discourage it on a wide basis.[7][8]
Several countries in Asia establish a state religion, with Islam (usually Sunni Islam) being the most common, followed by Buddhism. Lebanon and Iran, as well as the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria have established confessionalist political systems which guarantee set levels of representation in government to specific religious groups in the country.[9][10] Some majority Muslim countries have Islamic religious courts, with varying degrees of jurisdiction.[3] The governments of some Muslim countries have played an active role in overseeing and directing forms of Muslim religious practice within their country.[11][12]
Societal levels of religious tolerance vary greatly across Asia. Groups negatively affected include Muslims,[13] Christians,[14] Buddhists[15] and Hindus.[16]
Religious violence is present in several countries, with varying degrees of support or intervention from local governments. Groups including Muslims,[13] Christians,[17] Buddhists[15] and Hindus[18] face religiously motivated violence.
^"U.S. Department of State: 2012 Report on International Religious Freedom: Israel and The Occupied Territories (May 20, 2013)"
^International Religious Freedom Report 2022 Bahrain, US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ abcU.S. Department of State: 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Jordan
^U.S Department of State, International Religious Freedom Report 2010: China, 17 Nov 2010.
^"Far From Justice". Human Rights Watch. 2009-02-24. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
^US State Dept International Religious Freedom Report 2022: Armenia
^United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Tajikistan: International Religious Freedom Report 2022
^International Religious Freedom Report 2011 : China (Report). U.S. Department of State. July 30, 2012.
^US State Dept International Religious Freedom Report 2022: Lebanon
^Sanasarian, Eliz (2000). Religious Minorities in Iran. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 73–84. ISBN 978-0-521-77073-6.
^See the 2008 Human Rights Report of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (US State Department) of 25 February 2009; accessed on 21 September 2009
^US State Department, 2022 report on Uzbekistan
^ abReligious Freedom in India US State Dept 2022
^International Religious Freedom Report 2022 Bhutan
^ abInternational Religious Freedom Report 2022 Bangladesh, US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^Malaysia ethnic Indians in uphill fight on religion Archived 2020-04-23 at the Wayback Machine Reuters India - 8 November 2007
^Parajuli, Kalpit (2012) ‘Hindu terrorists threaten more attacks against Christians and Muslims.’ Asian News, 14 August 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
^Inayat, Naila. "Pakistani Hindus lose daughters to forced Muslim marriages". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
and 29 Related for: Freedom of religion in Asia by country information
have a high level of political instability or active insurgencies. Most countriesinAsia officially establish the freedomofreligionby law, but the extent...
Freedomofreligion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedomof an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion...
Constitution of the United Arab Emirates provides for freedomofreligionby established customs, and the government generally respects this right in practice;...
Center in 2010, there were 50 Muslim-majority countries. Around 62% of the world's Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region (from Turkey to Indonesia), with...
immemorial. In 2023, the country was scored 2 out of 4 for religious freedom. The Constitution provides for freedom to practice one's religion. The Constitution...
Asia is the largest and most populous continent and the birthplace of many religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism...
specific to the countriesin question. Every countryin North America includes provisions for the freedomofreligion or freedomof conscience in its constitution...
Freedomofreligionin China may be referring to the following entities separated by the Taiwan Strait: In the People's Republic of China (PRC), freedom...
Freedomofreligionin North Korea (DPRK) is officially a right in North Korea. In 2022, the UN secretary-general reported that the country's "right to...
practice the Burmese folk religion under the name of Buddhism. The 2008 constitution provides for the freedomofreligion; however, it also grants broad...
Article 20 of the Japanese Constitution provides for freedomofreligionin Japan. In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom. The government...
of the Persian Gulf countries with waves of migration over the last 30 years. The official state religion is Sunni Islam. The community is made up of...
Muslims. The country also includes Christian, Jewish, and Baháʼí communities. While the Tunisian constitution declares Islam the state religion, it also provides...
This list of Buddhism bycountry shows the distribution of the Buddhist religion, practiced by about 535 million people as of the 2010s, representing...
state religionof Malaysia, as per Article 3 of the Constitution. Meanwhile, other religions can be practised by non-Malay citizens of the country. In addition...
Non-traditional religions are well tolerated in the Brazilian culture. In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom; it was noted Afro-Brazilian...
intention to meet general standards offreedomofreligion and human rights. Islam is the most commonly practiced religionin Kazakhstan; it was introduced...
the largest religionin Thailand, practised by roughly 94% of the population. The Thai Constitution does not indicate any state religion, but promotes...
largest religionin Botswana. However, the country is officially secular and allows freedomof religious practice. Christianity arrived in Botswana in mid...
The majority of Vietnamese do not follow any organized religion, instead participating in one or more practices of folk religions, such as venerating ancestors...
state religion. There are also small Protestant and Sunni Muslim communities. The constitution of East Timor protects the freedomofreligion, and representatives...
Global Information
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
