State security regimes and the right to freedom of religion and belief

"The question regarding what extent manifestations of religious beliefs should be permitted in the European public sphere has become a salient and controversial topic in recent years. Despite the increasing interest, however, debates have rarely questioned the conventional wisdom that an increase in the range of security measures employed by a government inevitably leads to a decrease in the human rights enjoyed by individuals. This book analyses the relationship between state security regime changes and the right to religious freedom in the EU. It presents a comparative analysis of the impact that these regime changes have had on the politics, policies and protections of religious freedom across the EU member states in the post-2001 environment. The book provides a timely investigation into the role of national legislation, the European Court of Human Rights and societal trends in the protection of religious freedom. In so doing, it demonstrates why the relationship between state security and religious freedom is one of the most socially significant challenges facing policy makers and jurists in Europe at the present time"--P. [i].