Countering Terrorism or Countering Religion? Implications for the Global War on Terror

Abstract

In a bid to counter terrorism and all forms of violent extremism, governments around the world have had to adopt stricter measures, some of which tend to limit the religious freedom of populations in many parts of the world. Bearing in mind the transnational character of many terrorist groups, this practice tends to be counter productive and may be working against the long-term goals of global counterterrorism, which is to create an environment that will be inhabitable for terrorists in any part of the world. Depending largely on existing sources, this article examines, in a descriptive analysis, the impact of religious freedom restriction on the war against terror. This paper uses Grim and Finke’s data on religious freedom across key countries in the war against terror like France, Britain, Germany, UK and Australia to ascertain that there is restriction on religious liberty among these countries. We make mention of the USA also but not in as much detail as the others. The egalitarian theories of religious freedom provide a framework for this study. We argue that these key countries may be fighting a war on terror but they are losing the war at home by clamping down on religious freedoms in whatever variation, in the name of counterterrorism, with implications for the rest of the world. While we acknowledge that the protection of this human right is difficult in the context of the global threat of violent extremism and terrorism, we find that the protection of this fundamental freedom is crucial in the long-term victory over terrorism.