Includes bibliographical references and index.

Religion and human rights : ambiguities and ambivalences of freedom / Pamela Slotte -- Freedom of religion in Sweden from a historical perspective / Joakim Nergelius -- The significance of religion for Swedish labour and social legislation / Reinhold Fahlbeck -- EU law and religion : protecting a privileged position for majority faiths? / Ronan McCrea -- What's in a scarf? on the ripple effect of the ECtHR's case law / Patrik Bremdal -- The freedom of religion in relation to other human rights / Karin Åström -- "... and in community with others ..." / Emma Ahlm -- Freedom of religion : conscience, dignity, and the construction of identity / Willem Vancutsem -- Ban on faith-based schools? / Lotta Lerwall -- The Swedish education system and its challenges in a multicultural society / Hedvig Bernitz -- Religious refusals in health care as a matter of freedom of religion / Kavot Zillén -- Understanding religion : a portal to the past or the key to the future? / Victoria Enkvist.

"In most European societies of today, religion and questions about religion are gaining relevance and importance. This development can be explained in several ways, for instance by ongoing demographic changes in Europe and new standards and values in the European societies. Because of this novel focus, the debate on the interpretation and scope of freedom of religion has intensified in politics, media and of course in law. The interpretation of the right is complex and varies within different legal contexts on the international, European and the national level. This has resulted in a right that is ambiguous and sometimes difficult to claim and assert for right holders. This book presents a variety of perspectives on, and interpretations of, the concept of freedom of religion in different European countries and against the background of the European Convention of Human Rights, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and other international treaties. The book contains contributions by leading legal scholars working in the field in Sweden, the Nordic countries and wider Europe"-- Provided by publisher.