The Religion and Law Program

Chief Investigator

Carolyn Evans

Program Overview

The Religion and Law Program of the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies focuses on the relationship between law and religion in domestic legal systems and the international protection of freedom of religion and belief. Particular areas of interest include:

  • Religious freedom and women's rights
  • Religion and non-discrimination
  • Constitutional and legal protection of religious freedom in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region
  • The jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and other international law mechanisms for the protection of religious freedom

The Program welcomes applications from potential PhD students who wish to undertake research on topics related to law and religion. You can find more information on PhD and masters by thesis here.

Books on Religion and Law

  • CANE, P, EVANS, CM & ROBINSON, Z (eds) Law and Religion in Theoretical and Historical Context (Cambridge University Press, 2008)
  • WHITING, AJ & EVANS CM (eds) - Mixed Blessings: Laws, Religions and Women's Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region, Martinus Nijhoff, Leiden (2006) 
  • EVANS, CM, Freedom of Religion under the European Convention on Human Rights, OxfordUniversity Press, Oxford, 217pp. (2001) 
  • JANIS, M & EVANS, CM (eds), Religion and International Law, Martinus Nijhoff, Leiden, 512pp (1999) 

International Presentations by Carolyn Evans on Religion and Law 

  • EVANS, CM – 'Religious Freedom under the European Convention on Human Rights: Cracks in the Intellectual Architecture' seminar to the Centre for Law and Religion Studies, (Emory LawSchool, Atlanta 25 March 2009; also given at OxfordUniversity on 17 March 2009) 
  • EVANS, CM – 'Constitutional Narratives: Foreign, International and Religious Law in Constitutional Adjudication in Australia and Malaysia' in a Public Lecture (EmoryLawSchool, Atlanta 22 March 2009) 
  • EVANS, CM –'Enabling Parliamentary Rights Based Scrutiny' at an invitation only workshop on Rescuing Rights (King's College, London, 19 March 2009): accommodation costs from conference organisers, travel costs from Emory University 
  • EVANS, CM – 'Women's Consent to Discriminatory or Harmful Religious Practices' at a conference on Freedom of Religion and Belief and Protecting Vulnerable Identities: A Global Snapshot (Geneva, Switzerland, 21-22 June 2008) 
  • EVANS, CM – 'The Uneasy and Under-theorised Relationship between Non-discrimination Laws and ReligiousSchools' at the International Conference on Law, Religion and the State: South Asia and Beyond, (New Delhi 14-16 February 2008)
  • EVANS, CM – 'Religious Controversy and Curriculum Design in State Schools: An International Human Rights Perspective' (Hanoi, Vietnam, conference on Religion and the Rule of Law in South East Asia, 2-4 November 2007) 

PhD Students

Nurhafilah Musa is writing her thesis on 'Administration of religion in the federal structure of Malaysia'. Nurhafilah holds an LLB (IIUM), LLB (Syariah) (IIUM), Master Syariah (Malaya) and she has taught law in Malaysia. She is being supervised by Cheryl Saunders and Carolyn Evans.

Hajrah Saboor is undertaking doctoral research on 'Pakistan's Islamic Identity, its Blasphemy Law and the International Law of Human Rights'. She has a BA.LLB HONS Shariah and law, International Islamic University Islamabad and an LLM International Law, International Islamic University Islamabad where she was also a Visiting Lecture in 2006-2007. She is being supervised by Carolyn Evans and Amanda Whiting.