Safeguarding the right to change religion in Europe

Changing one's religion is increasingly common in multicultural societies. Such changes are made more likely when there is greater contact between individuals of different creeds. Conversion is also the result of proselytising activities carried out by various religious faiths or groups. This paper analyses the recognition of the right to change religion and the safeguarding of this right under international treaties, giving special attention to Europe. The study shows the content and limits of this right and examines the role of the state in its regulation. Both having membership of a given faith and changing religion can have legal consequences with respect to the state. This fact has been demonstrated by the legal battles that have arisen in a number of European countries as a consequence of changing religion. According to the international human rights legal system, the function of the secular state should be to safeguard equal treatment for all citizens, ensuring that neither religious affiliation nor a change of such affiliation results in discrimination.