Faith in Courts. Human Rights Advocacy and the Transnational Regulation of Religion, written by Lisa Harms

What is it about?

In discussions surrounding freedom of religion or belief, the attention has traditionally focused on the role of the state. However, in recent years, the influence and activity of international religious organisations involved in litigation before prominent domestic and supranational courts—such as the United States Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights—have grown considerably._x000D_ _x000D_ As scholars have noted, the work of organisations such as Alliance Defending Freedom or the European Centre for Law and Justice sometimes exceeds mere advocacy for religious liberty. Their involvement may even be seen as lobbying in pursuit of particular institutional or ideological agendas. Yet, what remains insufficiently explored is the emerging competition between these conservative religious NGOs and akin religious institutions that also engage in human rights litigation to advance their objectives._x000D_ _x000D_ In her recent book Lisa Harms challenges the tendency to treat international religious litigants as a monolith. She convincingly demonstrates that these actors differ significantly in the aims they pursue and are often willing to emphasise those differences to maximise litigation success. Notably, Harms also argues that religious organisations are, by their very nature, particularly well-equipped to navigate and use international human rights mechanisms—long assumed to be the province of secular or liberal NGOs.

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