NCJ Number
190152
Date Published
February 2001
Length
74 pages
Annotation
This paper identified and examined the main options available to policymakers and legislators for addressing religious discrimination in Great Britain.
Abstract
The analysis took into consideration the implications of the recent anti-discrimination directive under Article 13 of the European Community Treaty; the Human Rights Act of 1998 and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms; the current race relations regime, including the Race Relations (Amendment) Act of 2000; as well as other relevant British legislation and practice. Where appropriate, reference was made to provisions in other European Union Member States, the United States, and Commonwealth countries. The focus of the legislative and policy analysis was on employment and the provision of goods, facilities, and services (including education) for persons of all religious faiths represented in Great Britain. Although issues of crime, public order, and constitutional matters were significant, these were specifically excluded from the analysis. Neither did the paper address the debate on whether there was a need for legislation or other policies to counter religious discrimination. These issues are considered in other research commissioned by the Home Office. This paper drew to a great extent on the Report of the Independent Review of the Enforcement of British Anti-Discrimination Legislation. This review made 53 detailed recommendations for the reform of discrimination law and policy as a whole. Overall, the current paper informed the debate on religious discrimination by reviewing the main options, but it did not make any specific recommendations. Appended annotated list of comparative legislation in various countries and a list of religions in the United Kingdom