Religious freedom : the overlooked constituent to national security

Abstract

Religious freedom has always been revered in the realm of human rights, however it is rarely ever seriously considered when it comes to assessing threats to national security. This dissertation argues that actors that restrict religious freedom are more likely to pose a threat to national security. An overview of the academic literature shows that there has not been enough discussion on the subject, rather the debate focuses more on the role of religious freedom itself and how restrictions can have a negative impact on the domestic stability of a country, rather than beyond it. The application of constructivist theory to the thesis will highlight how restrictions on religious freedom are a prominent way of safeguarding the confrontational, and in several cases, the expansionist ideology and ideas of an actor. Therefore, as long as new influences and ideological competition are prohibited from developing, the actor- whether it be state or non-state- will continue to threaten the national security of states, or will be more likely to do so in the near future. Through a largely qualitatively-based analysis, the empirical chapters will work to showcase this relationship between religious freedom and national security. After a global analysis of the relationship, the dissertation will comprehensively analyse the case of Iran through the use of a comparative research method. In light of the argument, the dissertation contends that we cannot continue to overlook the component of religious freedom and deem it as irrelevant to national security considerations. The concluding section will provide recommendations on how to build on this relationship, mainly regarding how religious freedom needs to be actively promoted and incorporated into national security strategies, not just for the sake of human rights, for but national security interest as well.